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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Test Drive Open Thread: Vertical Gardens

Test Drive Open Thread: Vertical Gardens

by TaMara|  November 14, 201910:26 am| 60 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

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I decided I should test out the new place.

This is one of my favorite stories. In Mexico City Architect Fernando Ortiz Monasterio decided to change the world, one pillar at a time.

Something good open thread (categories are kinda cluster right now, so I’m ignoring them until things calm down and they get to fixing them).

Play nice, I’m off to walk the pups and then get to work.

 

(hmmm…well that’s some interesting formatting, let’s see if I can fix it fix’d.)

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Previous Post: « This Life Ain’t Good Enough
Next Post: Breaking: Saugus High School Shooting »

Reader Interactions

60Comments

  1. 1.

    jeffreyw

    November 14, 2019 at 10:28 am

    Still needing to click twice to get a valid rely to going.

  2. 2.

    Patricia Kayden

    November 14, 2019 at 10:30 am

    Embedding tweets is blocked.

  3. 3.

    Gin & Tonic

    November 14, 2019 at 10:31 am

    Just drove down that road Monday.

  4. 4.

    germy

    November 14, 2019 at 10:31 am

    I’ve been fumbling with blockquotes.

     

    But the place looks nice, and it loads quickly.

     

  5. 5.

    TaMara (HFG)

    November 14, 2019 at 10:31 am

    @Patricia Kayden: Are you trying to post tweets like you did on the old site? And it won’t let you?

    Only FP can embed an actual tweet (in theory, yesterday we were blocked, too).

     

  6. 6.

    TaMara (HFG)

    November 14, 2019 at 10:32 am

    @Gin & Tonic: Really?! That’s cool.

     

  7. 7.

    germy

    November 14, 2019 at 10:33 am

    @Patricia Kayden:

    Embedding tweets is blocked.

    Even a frontpager couldn’t do it, so now I don’t feel so silly.

     

     

  8. 8.

    jeffreyw

    November 14, 2019 at 10:34 am

    I have managed to find chrome settings that get the side nav tabs to remain out oi the way.  Some kind of screen size scaling issue.  I’m in chrome at 90% zoom with zoom text only extension set to 120% – using big ass TV as a monitor.  If I drag the tab to my monitor neat my chair when I want to watch a video on the TV all those settings have to be changed manually.

  9. 9.

    NotMax

    November 14, 2019 at 10:35 am

    New site: Shortest. Honeymoon. Ever.

    ;)

    Have noticed it is acting very wonky if commenting on an existing thread when a fresh front page post has simultaneously newly appeared. The appearance of the right-hand fly-out tab seems to reset the page so one is transported to to the top rather than to where one’s just published comment is.

  10. 10.

    germy

    November 14, 2019 at 10:35 am

    twitter.com/JamesNevius/status/1194997130865205249

  11. 11.

    jeffreyw

    November 14, 2019 at 10:38 am

    @jeffreyw:   Had to refresh to see my comment, and it didn’t have edit function so I’m relying to my own comment.

     

  12. 12.

    jeffreyw

    November 14, 2019 at 10:39 am

    And now I have the edit comment bar showing on both.

  13. 13.

    jeffreyw

    November 14, 2019 at 10:41 am

    But pushing the post comment button left me with the page scrolled to the top.

  14. 14.

    jeffreyw

    November 14, 2019 at 10:42 am

    But that one sailed through without a hitch!  Random assed gremlins are the worst!

  15. 15.

    germy

    November 14, 2019 at 10:43 am

    On May 18, 1973 — the day after the first public Watergate hearings — the press wasn’t wowed either. Here’s just one example, from The (NY) Daily News. But they knew the hearings were going places, as we all should realize today.

     

  16. 16.

    jeffreyw

    November 14, 2019 at 10:43 am

    Lurking works great!

  17. 17.

    Another Scott

    November 14, 2019 at 10:44 am

    Great idea on the plantings. Thanks.

    On the continuing commenting issues, could we get an update on what the code wranglers are doing, if anything? I feel guilty, myself, about continuing to note issues when I post test comments. Should we have a daily testing-only thread where we can relate our issues, or is it just noise at this point? Should we just use the “SITE FEEDBACK” button at the top right (on the desktop)?

    It’s hard to know how much complaining we (or I at least) should be doing to try to make sure that issues are noted and with any luck addressed.

    Thanks very much.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  18. 18.

    schrodingers_cat

    November 14, 2019 at 10:44 am

    I like the banner and the font and that the Balloon Man is back. Not liking the abundance of white space with the text scrunched in the middle with huge comment numbers.

  19. 19.

    Baud

    November 14, 2019 at 10:45 am

    Coding still needs some work but the bones are good.

  20. 20.

    Another Scott

    November 14, 2019 at 10:46 am

    @jeffreyw: 

    rofl. [snort]

    Hmm. The reply box has no Visual or Text tabs, just bare HTML. Hmmm…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  21. 21.

    Baud

    November 14, 2019 at 10:46 am

    @Another Scott:

     

    Should we just use the “SITE FEEDBACK” button at the top right (on the desktop)?

     

    Yes. WaterGirl said to.

     

  22. 22.

    germy

    November 14, 2019 at 10:47 am

    @Another Scott:

     

    You can toggle between visual and text in the reply tab.

     

  23. 23.

    chris

    November 14, 2019 at 10:49 am

    Two tabs open and my nym and email is still on the last post from MR Mix. Since last night! Woohoo!

    Click on this one and it’s gone. Boo! (Maybe a 12 (ish) hour hold?)

  24. 24.

    Another Scott

    November 14, 2019 at 10:49 am

    I could yesterday, and can in this reply, but not in the reply at 20.  It was weird.  Just a bare box – no tabs.

    ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    [eta] This is for germy at #22.  I forgot the trick to get the “@germy” again, also too.

    Cheers,

    Scott.

  25. 25.

    Another Scott

    November 14, 2019 at 10:52 am

    @Baud: Thanks – I missed that.  I’ll try to keep the noise down going forward.

     

    Cheers,

    Scott.

     

  26. 26.

    schrodingers_cat

    November 14, 2019 at 10:59 am

    Agreed.

    ETA: I was agreeing with Baud but the link didn’t show up.

  27. 27.

    bemused

    November 14, 2019 at 11:04 am

    I noticed right away the new site is much easier on my senior eyes.

  28. 28.

    Cheryl from Maryland

    November 14, 2019 at 11:06 am

    Just giving the new website a spin. So far so good on my end — Chrome, Mac Laptop.

  29. 29.

    BeautifulPlumage

    November 14, 2019 at 11:06 am

    @Baud: 
    Hey Baud, why didn’t you tell us about your town, BAUDV!LLE?

    https://www.baudville.com

    (I get the catalog at work every year)

  30. 30.

    Cheryl from Maryland

    November 14, 2019 at 11:07 am

    But do have to hit the refresh button once to see my comment.  However, my nym is sticky.

  31. 31.

    Baud

    November 14, 2019 at 11:09 am

    @BeautifulPlumage:

    I wouldn’t want to personally profit from the Office of the Presidency. That would be wrong.

    ETA: new site doesn’t work with Google android keyboard when it comes to autocorrect and a few other things.

  32. 32.

    Spanky

    November 14, 2019 at 11:10 am

    @jeffreyw:

    @jeffreyw: <blockquote>Lurking works great!</blockquote>

    My vote for a new rotating tag.

    ETA: Hey! I see my comment as soon as I hit Enter! What happened?

    ETA2: What’s going on with my blockquoting?

  33. 33.

    The Moar You Know

    November 14, 2019 at 11:11 am

    Drove right by those a few months back. The “concrete wall garden” is something you can find in many of the tonier parts of Mexico City, and I’d like to see a lot of them here.

  34. 34.

    jeffreyw

    November 14, 2019 at 11:12 am

    @Spanky:

    ETA: Hey! I see my comment as soon as I hit Enter! What happened?

    Just a random glitch.

     

  35. 35.

    Spanky

    November 14, 2019 at 11:13 am

    @schrodingers_cat: A quick doubleclick on the Reply button usually gets the hyperlink to show up.

     

  36. 36.

    BeautifulPlumage

    November 14, 2019 at 11:14 am

    @Baud:  “Daily recognition is good” may not be your best campaign slogan. Just a thought.

     

  37. 37.

    Baud

    November 14, 2019 at 11:14 am

    @jeffreyw:

     

    WaterGirl is in the prior thread and she said they are trying to fix that right now.

     

  38. 38.

    Obvious Russian Troll

    November 14, 2019 at 11:15 am

    I’d love to see them do that in Toronto. We have the Gardiner, which is an elevated but decaying expressway through downtown along the waterfront. They are doing some things to make it less ugly but something like this should be reasonably cheap and would be better than a lot of the murals they’ve put in elsewhere.

    They could also put murals above them

    Edit: Hey, you can edit comments! Nice. (If this works.

    Update: Twice!

    Breaking: That was weird. The second update looked like it had deleted my edits (and nuked my ability to edit further), but opening the page in a new browser window shows it hadn’t

    Update 4: Maybe that was the site. Editing does seem to reset the edit timer. Which is good.

  39. 39.

    Spanky

    November 14, 2019 at 11:16 am

    ETA2: What’s going on with my blockquoting?

     

    Well now the edit buttons done showed up. Will wonders never cease?

    Just a random glitch indeed.

  40. 40.

    Spanky

    November 14, 2019 at 11:17 am

    And now the edit buttons are gone again :^(

    ETA: And now they’re back. I’m going mad!

  41. 41.

    JWR

    November 14, 2019 at 11:17 am

    Earlier this morning, Tony Jay was having trouble getting the @nym thing in a reply. For me, I can at times open the Reply comment box, close it, then open it again, but if that works, I get a duplicate @nym @nym, which is easily fixed, but a bit of a pain.

    And now, no style buttons at all. Oh well, all things must pass. Eventually. I hope. ;)

  42. 42.

    NeenerNeener

    November 14, 2019 at 11:18 am

    Laughing at Nancy Smash explaining “exculpatory” to Mr. President, in case he’s watching her press conference.

  43. 43.

    Spanky

    November 14, 2019 at 11:19 am

    I’d love to see them do that in Toronto. We have the Gardiner, which is an elevated but decaying expressway through downtown along the waterfront.

     

    And call it The Gardener.

  44. 44.

    schrodingers_cat

    November 14, 2019 at 11:21 am

    Fathima Latheef, dead at 19 at IIT-Madras. She hung herself like Payal Tadvi did just months ago. Indian elite institutions are not hospitable to minorities and lower caste people. But casteism is dead amirite?

    ETA: She has named 3 professors in her suicide note. AFAIK at least two of them are Brahmin names. She was an A student. They didn’t like that woman, a Muslim and lower caste one at that was topping every exam.

  45. 45.

    tam1MI

    November 14, 2019 at 11:22 am

    Long time lurker, occasional poster here… just posting to say the new site looks great!

  46. 46.

    Mr. Mack

    November 14, 2019 at 11:24 am

    Sigh. School shooting in California.

  47. 47.

    O. Felix Culpa

    November 14, 2019 at 11:31 am

    @schrodingers_cat: That’s so sad. People have no idea how damaging relentless harassment and persecution can be, especially to women with limited resources to protect themselves. May she RIP and may justice be done.

     

  48. 48.

    jeffreyw

    November 14, 2019 at 11:33 am

    cookie me

  49. 49.

    Sebastian

    November 14, 2019 at 11:36 am

    Not a fan of the comment font on mobile.

  50. 50.

    TaMara (HFG)

    November 14, 2019 at 11:36 am

    Okay, I shall contact the powers that be and tell them we have MANY requests for a glitch posting, so you can all list your issues. Check back.

  51. 51.

    gvg

    November 14, 2019 at 11:36 am

    Just a test.

  52. 52.

    JaySinWA

    November 14, 2019 at 11:39 am

    Many thanks to @JGabriel:  balloon-juice.com/2019/11/13/open-thread-test-that-new-platform-smell/#comment-7465636 for introducing me to Dark Reader. I had hopes that dark mode would be a native option, but this helps on the platform I use most.

  53. 53.

    J R in WV

    November 14, 2019 at 11:41 am

    @Baud:

     

    I used the Site Feedback twice yesterday, got the emails back. Was pretty busy, also today. Have remarked in comments about issues, more than actually participating in the actual subject topic of the post or comments, so far.

     

    Agree that the text could use up more of the space, and that the side tabs need to be transparent, or for the formatting to be adjusted so that the tabs don’t overlay the text, which is very annoying.

     

    I got the Baud nym with link by replying twice, closing ths comment box in between… which is an ugly kludge but better than not being able to comment.

     

  54. 54.

    waysel

    November 14, 2019 at 11:46 am

    Just taking the new layout for a spin. MacBook Pro, Safari, Chrome. Here goes.

  55. 55.

    Obvious Russian Troll

    November 14, 2019 at 11:47 am

    Ooh, good idea.

  56. 56.

    waysel

    November 14, 2019 at 11:48 am

    @J R in WV: Trying out the reply button right here right now. Pretty exciting stuff.

     

  57. 57.

    StringOnAStick

    November 14, 2019 at 11:59 am

    Ah, an open thread so I can talk about a cool family history thing I just learned.  It all goes back to a smoking table (two large brass platters held up by a black wooden stand with carved dragon heads holding the upper platter in their mouths); I can’t remember it ever not being in my parents home from my earliest memories.  The stand is fairly delicate and my late mom stumbled into it 8 years ago, breaking it so she gave it to me to keep since she thought I might be able to fix it.  It has sat in our basement ever since, but 2 weeks ago I decided to polish up the brass and had forgotten just how beautiful all the etchings were; I figured it was permanently stained but it wasn’t.

    So I asked my dad about the history of it and found out my grandfather had bought it in China in 1922 when he was assigned a boat (he was a Navy Captain) to patrol the Yangtze for “pirates and Chinese communists” according to the orders that my dad remembers seeing. Unfortunately his mom trashed all the orders when her husband didn’t make Admiral and she was pissed about it.  I had thought it was from the 1950’s but as I cleaned it I kept thinking it appeared to be older than that so I’m glad I asked.  The stand is now at an antique restoration workshop and if Antiques Roadshow ever comes to Denver, I’m definitely taking this in for assessment.  For added fun, I have several pirate songs in my repertoire, so that’s an interesting connection.

  58. 58.

    TaMara (HFG)

    November 14, 2019 at 1:00 pm

    @StringOnAStick: I would love to have a photo and front page this story for a respite thread if you’re willing.

     

  59. 59.

    satby

    November 14, 2019 at 3:19 pm

    @StringOnAStick: fantastic story!

     

    got a reply to nym on the first click. And everyone make sure your comment box is set to visual instead of text. The text version is an add on to placate the people who prefer to code their own html (why?!?) and the visual comment tab seems much more functional.

     

  60. 60.

    StringOnAStick

    November 14, 2019 at 3:35 pm

    Once it’s repaired I would be happy to do so!  I’m pretty excited about the whole project.  I think the stand will be repaired and back in my hands in about 2 weeks.

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