Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

We still have time to mess this up!

Conservatism: there are some people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

Republicans in disarray!

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

Nothing worth doing is easy.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

You are here: Home / z-Retired Categories / Site Maintenance / Very Important Announcement

Very Important Announcement

by | 99 Comments

This post is in: 

Lily would like to inform you that after a six month odyssey, a web developer has been chosen, a contract has been designed, and construction begins ASAP. I have no idea when they will be done and you all will see the final product, but I am hoping by 1 May we will have something. But who knows.

Special thanks to the three amigos who ran the search and guided me through it.

Reader Interactions

99Comments

  2. 2.

    Leto

    I’m glad Lily was there to guide this project from conception to conclusion. Without her leadership, who knows what would’ve become of this top 10,000 blog? I hope she gets extra bows, scritches, and treats.

  9. 9.

    Leto

    @debbie: Knowing that household, and this blog, the correct person was put in charge. I can’t even imagine a Thurston led project…

  10. 10.

    Geeno

    I could look at Lily pics all day.
    I was gonna ask, with the site fixed, what will we bitch about? but I’m sure we;ll find something.

  12. 12.

    debbie

    @Leto:

    I can’t even imagine a Thurston led project…

    It would be great fun, but not very constructive.

  13. 13.

    Ohio Mom

    I think I’ve said this before, I’ll miss typing my nym and email in over and over and over. But I’ll adjust.

    Thanks to all involved in this effort!

  15. 15.

    lahke

    @Mary G: Yeah, me too. But glad to be wrong– look at that adorable face. Hope she’s also in charge of the implementation.

  16. 16.

    Gin & Tonic

    He just put Lily in charge to forestall all of us who will otherwise complain about every aspect of the re-design. Like where’s the damn balloon man, for starters?

  20. 20.

    Sloane Ranger

    Thank you Lily for your calm and constructive leadership which has guided the project team to this conclusion. I look forward to your wise implementation of same.

    Sending you strokes, belly rubs and multiple good girls through the ether.

  21. 21.

    Raven

    The Bodhi got in a fight with a female twice ho his size and half his age so here we’re here at the vet for about the 5th time in 2 weeks! There was no blood but a bad limp. I wavered on bringing him in but thought “his health insurance premiums keep going up, what the hell”!

  22. 22.

    WaterGirl

    @SFAW: When we would go on trips with 7-12 year-old Cody, we would hand him ten $10 bills as we got in the car. Every time he asked us “are we there yet” or some facsimile of that, he would have to relinquish a dollar.

    Starting with the very first trip where we did that, he always arrived at the destination with his entire $10. Not sure that would work, here, however.

  23. 23.

    Ken

    @SFAW: You’ll know it’s done when it changes to a black background with animated GIFs and heavy use of the blink markup. Cole’s returning to his GeoCities roots.

  24. 24.

    WaterGirl

    @Raven: Who started the fight? The Bodhi seems more like a lover than a fighter.

    After Quiver, I swore that never again would I have to take cost into account when deciding on treatment. I have never regretted that decision, and I love Pet Plan. But holy hell, the premiums have gone up a lot, but so have vet bill costs. Just got $700 back for Mr. Bear’s chronic issues last week.

    No regrets!

  25. 25.

    Cheryl Rofer

    Many thanks to Lily!

    This morning’s local news: As I was cleaning up after breakfast, I saw a healthy-looking bobcat stride through the yard. Back when it snowed, I saw tracks that were likely cat, and now my surmise has been confirmed.

  26. 26.

    WaterGirl

    @Ken: I’m just glad that the avatars will be back.

    I can never remember… is the snark tag // or \\ ?

  27. 27.

    geg6

    She’s so adorable.

    Thanks to all who got this done and for letting Lily wrangle you to a successful conclusion. Can’t wait to not have to type my nym and email every time I log in!

  29. 29.

    Ohio Mom

    @zhena gogolia: @MomSense: I am pretty sure I remember when the blog remembered my nym/address indefinitely. Instead of like today, when it hasn’t even been an hour and I’m entering everything again.

  30. 30.

    StringOnAStick

    @Cheryl Rofer: Aren’t they gorgeous? We had one saunter by with two kittens last spring. Bobcats are so beautiful. It really makes my day to see one.

  31. 31.

    WaterGirl

    @Raven: Oh. Well, that would be the one exception for almost any dog, wouldn’t it?

    What did the vet say? No lasting problems, I hope.

  32. 32.

    Ken

    @WaterGirl: Sarcasm is the code markup, but I don’t know if that covers snark. I just hope it’s supported on the new platform – it’s one of my few contributions to this community.

  34. 34.

    WaterGirl

    @Ken: Do you mean the different font that some people use for their comments? I am wondering about the // vs \\.

  38. 38.

    TomatoQueen

    Wonderful Saturday morning news, from the most wonderful doggie ever. Thank you, Lily, you are lovely.

  43. 43.

    SFAW

    @MomSense:

    Don’t make me stop this blog !

    M-o-o-o-o-o-m!!!! Johnny’s on my side of the Internet! Make him stop!!!

    He’s doing it AGAIN! Make him stop!

    Ow! Why are you smacking ME????

  44. 44.

    SFAW

    @WaterGirl:

    Starting with the very first trip where we did that, he always arrived at the destination with his entire $10. Not sure that would work, here, however.

    I’ll send you my PayPal address, let’s give it a try.

    Of course, I’m talking about somewhat more than $10.

  45. 45.

    J R in WV

    @Cheryl Rofer:

    I saw a healthy-looking bobcat stride through the yard. Back when it snowed, I saw tracks that were likely cat, and now my surmise has been confirmed.

    Sweet, Bobcats are big enough to hold their own, but small enough to be cute wildlife, as opposed to a Mtn Lion, which is just flat out scary to see in teh wild.

    So congrats on having more wildlife than you maybe expected. Keep the cats and dogs close!!

  46. 46.

    feebog

    Fastens seat belt. Puts on crash helmet. Utters a small prayer. OK, ready for the changes.

  50. 50.

    joel hanes

    Rule-of-thumb algorithm for setting external commitments for software completion:
    1. Take the initial estimate that the developers give to management
    2. Double it.
    3. Change the units to the next larger.

    We have no idea what the developers have told Cole, so we’ll start with his 1 May date.
    1. 4 weeks
    2. becomes 8 weeks
    3. becomes 8 months.

    I can now predict with reasonable confidence that the released product of the Balloon Juice re-engineering project will be stable by 1 December 2019.

    This is not a joke.

  54. 54.

    2liberal

    are we there yet? are we there yet? … IF the the three amigos are reading this, please to remind the world class blog software developers to improve the pie filter!

  55. 55.

    joel hanes

    @debit:

    Let the man dream.

    I doubt he’ll read it — it wasn’t in all caps. I’m reliably informed that’s what he prefers.

  56. 56.

    how

    @joel hanes: and by Feb 2020 the old site will be reinstated due to overwhelming demand and cries of “it worked so much better why did we ever switch”

  57. 57.

    joel hanes

    @Geeno:

    with the site fixed, what will we bitch about?

    Republicans
    Glenn Greenwald
    Wilmer
    Fox News
    trolls
    The weather
    Garden pests
    Kids these days
    Republicans

    the list is endless

  58. 58.

    MomSense

    @Ohio Mom:

    I think it’s a newish EU reg that has created the timing out of our login information. At one of the FYWP updates it kicked in.

  59. 59.

    Ruckus

    @Ohio Mom:
    You’ve still got time to keep in practice……

    Why in all this time I’ve managed to learn to type mine correct about 95% of the time. Damn phone will bring it up so that I can just click it though. With that extra practice……

  61. 61.

    Ruckus

    @MomSense:
    There is a way around it so that at least one doesn’t have to type it in every time and that is a box that comes up with the info in it, one for the name and one for the email. That’s what my phone does. It won’t autofill but it’s almost painless rather than having to type the whole thing.

  63. 63.

    Ruckus

    @joel hanes:
    When I had my shop I’d have to quote projects that took from 4 to 20 weeks to complete. I’d estimate the time, figure the money and add 20% to the bid. No matter what the concept and experience of the crew, nothing humans do ever is done in the shortest time. Well for some males there is one thing that almost always will be under the time requested……..

  64. 64.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @oatler.: The pie filter allows you to hide comments from a commenter you find tiresome. I think it also hides the replies other commenters make to that person. You set it from the bottom of this page. Enter a commenter’s nym or a comment # and voila.

  68. 68.

    Immanentize

    @Aleta:

    Thanks WaterGirl, Steeplejack, Bella Q, Lily, John

    Yes indeed, thank you all — especially Lilly who keeps the bossman together.

  69. 69.

    Major Major Major Major

    @joel hanes:

    Rule-of-thumb algorithm for setting external commitments for software completion:
    1. Take the initial estimate that the developers give to management
    2. Double it.
    3. Change the units to the next larger.

    True professionals of course do this to their own estimate before they sign an external contract, but…

    I would guess two months, yeah.

  70. 70.

    Gammyjill

    How are you all sure the new site will be an improvement over this mal-working site? Shoulda put Steve in charge

  71. 71.

    Major Major Major Major

    @Ohio Mom: @zhena gogolia: GDPR “forget me” requirements, plus general suckiness of the WordPress ecosystem, resulted in it breaking. This compounded with the kludged-together nature of this particular website to make something very difficult to debug. We decided to punt on it until the rebuild where it will fix itself. This was when the rebuild was scheduled for before the 2018 election.

  72. 72.

    JanieM

    @joel hanes:

    with the site fixed, what will we bitch about?

    Republicans
    Glenn Greenwald
    Wilmer
    Fox News
    trolls
    The weather
    Garden pests
    Kids these days
    Republicans

    each other…….

  73. 73.

    opiejeanne

    @oatler.: It replaces the pied commenter’s comments with a comment about actual pies. Some of the replacements are funny. Replies to the pied commenter are also replaced.

    However, you can still read all of them if you want by clicking the little thingie at the bottom of the pied text. I use the pie filter sometimes as a reminder not to reply to trolls.

  74. 74.

    Ohio Mom

    @Major Major Major Major: Thanks for the explanation. It went over my nontechnical head but I appreciate it, and it might be helpful to someone else here.

    I do vaguely remember that there is a new European rule and that it is why sites I visit keep asking me if it is all right if they use cookies.

    I like very much that the comment system here does not require a Facebook or Disquis account, or anything like that. If constantly retyping my info is the cost, really, I can live with it.

  75. 75.

    Aleta

    Received a photo of Infinite Kat this morning, encaged in the van, ready to roll on. (Don’t know where they were.)

    Will I ever be able to look at him in a carrier without hearing violin con dolore?

  77. 77.

    debit

    @opiejeanne: The cutie patootie you commented on over at my flickr. He’s on his way to Aleta’s now. When I first emailed Aleta about him I jokingly gave his move a military operation code name, Operation Infinite Kitten.

  79. 79.

    Mooser

    Now it can be told: Dora underwent (as soon as they put her under) her second (two rear legs) cruciate ligament surgery, a TPLO. Summit Vet Referral, in Tacoma Wa. did another great job.

  80. 80.

    stinger

    Lily, lovely Lily, with a pretty pink bow!

    I care very much more about Lily and her ilk than about site functionality. But I’ll be hitting the PayPal button for the rebuild on my next payday. Thanks again for all you do, Mr. Cole.

  82. 82.

    BruceFromOhio

    Thank you, Lily! Very much looking forward to what comes next, and as always Cole, if the funding runs short, send up the jackal signal and we’ll pass the hat until it’s done.

  87. 87.

    LuciaMia

    @JanieM:

    with the site fixed, what will we bitch about?

    Republicans
    Glenn Greenwald
    Wilmer
    Fox News
    trolls
    The weather
    Garden pests
    Kids these days
    Republicans

    Game of Thrones plot development….or lack of.

  91. 91.

    ola azul

    @Ohio Mom:

    Does the little box (just above the “Post Comment” field) not retain your info?

    Usually works for me, but when it doesn’t, find that I just need to type the first letter of nym and email into each field and each respective item pops up (for good or ill) for selex.

  93. 93.

    ola azul

    @joel hanes:

    Boatwork surely works this way. Takes, minimum, twice as long as expected, costs three times as much as anticipated.

    When brought boat up from Calif. in ’16, boat once had hadda beautiful 17-ton hold that twere desecrated by prev. owner and turned into Motel6 bunks, so had no functional fishhold. Temp solution: totes on deck. Problem: a very congested deck that made it necessary to pole vault over the totes to get at anchor winch (a good 25 feet away from wheelhouse) *and* (more importantly, to me, but I’m weird like that) did not permit routing/access to sheet lines for sailing with headsails.

    Asked a local welder aka “fabricator” when he could have an aluminum 2-ton drop-into-hatch-combing fishbox made with pier supports at stringers n he sez, “Oh, we can prolly get you going by the second king opener, which is in August, i.e. about a month away.

    Nearly two years later, realized the mistake I made was in not asking which year.

    Devil, see details.

  94. 94.

    Ohio Mom

    @ola azul: I wish the phone did that but it doesn’t.

    If I check the “save” box, my nym is saved for a short while, then it disappears. Today my schedule is: do a chore, play on the internet, do a chore, play on the internet. Every time I come back after a chore, my nym is gone.

    I can live with it.

  96. 96.

    2liberal

    @oatler.:

    What is the pie filter

    The pie filter is a built in function that allows you to block reading other peoples post. So if you wanted to block someone named “3liberal” you would scroll to the bottom of this web page, look for the button for “pie filter” and block all 3liberal’s comments going forward. From then on you would see the nym “3liberal” but the comments would be random fake posts involving pie. For why it is called a pie filter, read this historical history: Dailykos pie wars

  97. 97.

    majii

    @Mary G: That was the same thing I was thinking. John, please don’t scare us like this again. I’m glad to see Lily is still doing her special job of keeping the house in order! She’s a real cutie.

  98. 98.

    Aleta

    @ola azul: My friend has done this 3 times over the last 30 years. I saw it happen the last two:

    1980s. He has a very small house. He hires a guy in the summer to put on a new roof. Tells him “As long as it’s done before snow.” Late on Christmas Eve, roofer is up hammering in the dark as snow flies all around.

    My friend often tells this story and laughs.

    00s. He has a medium size house. Early fall, he hires my three cousins to put on a new roof. He still loves that story about the roofer, so he he tells it to them and laughs. Punchline: “As long as it’s done before snow.” They apparently remember only the last line.

    Person across the street hires them while they’re paused to wait for more of some special nails that one cousin loves. For some reason they move all the scaffolding over there.* Two big storms come early. Mid December, slight warm spell, they put the scaffolding back and are finishing my friend’s roof.

    2010s. Massive high-up nearly square hip roof on an old building that’s leaking. Late summer, my friend finds a roofer. He still thinks the 1st story is funny and tells it to the roofer. (I’m trying to signal him: No! Don’t!) He adds on the cousin story. “As long as it’s done before snow.” They laugh together.

    End of December, wind, cold and snowstorm are coming in two days. Roofer is finishing up his last job for the year, my friend’s roof.

    * One of my cousins loves scaffolding more than any other part of a job. Loves to design it and erect it. Perfectionist about this art. Any excuse for scaffolding he’s there and happy. Steadily loses interest after that. Work slows. Finds new job that needs scaffolding.

    .

  99. 99.

    ola azul

    Been away, lo siento. Will say: All’s I can do is commisserate in the misery for I am God’s own fool (and I don’t even hold for the patriarchal FSM!).

    I’m the guy who took “my girlfriend stabbed me in the shoulder” for an excuse onna roofing project!

    Will just say this, and think it’s true, from Rhodes scholars on down to the likes a (mebbe) you and (decidedly) me: You give somebody an easy out, they’re like to take it.

Comments are closed.