Secrets of the City

sorry, it was me, I loaded AOL onto my computer last night and it caused a rip in time.

I would take down this site, but I don’t think anyone would notice.

I would post my answer to the question but mnspeak just went down again.

I called Steve Perry re Monitor and he said someone was on their way over to the habit trail to feed the hamster. When I asked him of it was indicative of “behind the scenes” problems with Minnesota Monitor, he replied that the hamster was there for anyone to see who cared to actually do the reporting, and, despite extensive blog speculation that the hamster had been offended by the snippiness of one of his handlers, he was generally contented, even though his food had been temporarily cut off because someone’s credit card had expired.

Blame You Tube

My (lame) website has been down for days. First, I forgot to pay. Then, they decided that it would be a good time to move me to a different server, or something. I don’t quite understand. But I think the internet has a cold.

wow, Bob. Everytime I stumble upon a Westover piece of writing, it seems like he’s chiding people for making irrational, hyperbolic and emotional arguments, rather than sticking to the facts and logic. That “bar owner faces the death penalty” argument coupled with a Waco inspired armed standoff, should be exhibit “A” in hysteria.

Is there a virus going around?

I already upgraded to the latest version of the internet. Didn’t you guys get the disk in the mail?

Maybe the Internet is entering some sort of awesome post-peak oil dystopian third world-styled Mad Maxian hellscape phase, where flickering, unreliable websites are plagued by constant brownouts, power failures and roaming gangs of l33ts.

If this is the case, I would like to take this opportunity to dub myself the “Ayatollah of Rockandrollah.”

Maybe the internet has been drinking and is hungover.

Me thinks the internet needs an intervention.

It would be the greatest episode of Intervention since the one where the dude was addicted to video games.

Also, if we could take MySpace offline permanently that’d be the bestest.

“I already upgraded to the latest version of the internet. Didn’t you guys get the disk in the mail?”

I downloaded the beta from the metanet in December, but I still haven’t updated to the official release.

Me thinks the internet needs an intervention

As long as I can look at pictures of cute bunnies and kitties I’m happy.

My in-laws work at a well known substance abuse center. I can get an “in” for the internet if we need it.

Yes, he’s a real piece of work, isn’t he? Watch the PiPress comment section for his op/ed today. If you like irrational, hyperbolic and emotional arguments, that’s the place for you.

Or MNspeak.

Say nice things about Craig, he reads MNspeak from time to time, which is nice. He should comment from time to time, instead of just lurking.

In addition of being a mouthpiece (excuse me: Fellow) for David Strom’s group and a “hobby columnist” and Editoral Board member at the PiPress, Westover also writes an occational piece for the St. Paul Legal Ledger (circ. 600 copies) and more recently, on MinnPost, where he has become something of a token conservative columnist.

Think of Katherine Kersten, with a beard.

Well, to be fair, the Internet isn’t at fault here.

The Bartels can’t blame their credit card. In my strong opinion they should have gotten the site renewed well before the expiration date, assuming they wanted to keep MNspeak. You can pay for many years in advance if you wish and it’s dead cheap. (Note to Minnesota Monitor and the Center for Independent Media: your site expires this August. Renew it now.)

As for City Pages, who knows honestly, but screwing around on their site on Tuesday kinda revealed to me they built themselves a pretty wonky system for their “Best of” stuff. Being they had a webmaster turnover within the last year I bet they didn’t know how to use it. I’m being speculative but I bet that’s what it boils down to. It’s really seems to be a wacky system that they probably didn’t know how to use.

As for Minnesota Monitor, their hosting provider is clearly at fault.

Sorry to make the thread less fun.

@mb: also as long as you can read Sex and the Ivy, your new fav blog.

I heard that lileks.com was down for a good chunk of yesterday, too.

Didn’t you guys get the disk in the mail?

I always put my Web 2.0 disks in the microwave.

I took out the Internet for dinner again and kept her out all night.

It wasn’t as fun as your mom.

You have “strong opinions” about a brief blackout of MNspeak, Aaron?

Dude…

What’s a habit trail, Tom?

I don’t blame the internet. I blame the mentioned outlets for skimping on hiring and paying good technical staff to keep tabs on these things and undervaluing the expense and expertise it takes to keep a good site running.

Sorry, journalists do not good webmasters make. And if you’re not paying good people to keep your site updated and online, you get what you pay for.

Well that’s odd, JACC because I was with the internet all night.

Man, that internet gets around.

Even more that your mom.

Wow.

Sorry, journalists do not good webmasters make.

Oft times, the converse of that is true as well.

Impossible.

Only one thing gets around more than my mom and Jason’s mom says you know what I’m talking about.

@s4xton:

My domain is set to auto-renew each July. I also got an email earlier this month reminding me to make sure my credit card info was up to date. Still, I can see forgetting if its not on autorenew. Especially considering the amount of other stuff I forget on a daily basis.

I’m with Aaron on this one, too. The anyone using a crappy registrar like GoDaddy also gets what they pay for. Had they used a decent, more reputable registrar, the incident might have been avoided.

Here’s a hint: When your registrar (or any business, for that matter) spends more money on Superbowl ads with race car drivers than it does on making the actual product work, they’re crap and should be avoided. GoDaddy’s website works like crap, they try to upsell you at every turn, and obviously don’t do much checking on domain renewals.

Doesn’t help that GoDaddy’s CEO is a crazy right wing nutjob, either.

@crz: completely agree. I am, in fact, a horrible journalist and would never make a claim to be one. I would be smart enough to talk to a real one if I needed such services.

So where’s the best place to for web registration?

So right aaron, next time I get an email from godaddy that says “your registration will renew automatically in five days” I won’t take them at their word, I’ll log on and manually renew. Maybe all the way up to Sept 25, 2012.

So where’s the best place to for web registration?
“best” is relative.

I use DirectNic and have never had an issue.

Also, it’s includes unlimited bandwidth if you let them place a banner ad on the site.

Tom Bartel is a liar. We have two hamsters. They’re just a little busy doing other things right now…

(how else do you think people get hamsters for their internets?)

Robin, do you kiss your baby with that mouth?

Heh!

Well, if you renew in advance Tom you will know if there’s a problem with your credit card information before the day it expires.

Hey Robin, I was just being delicate about your hamsters being otherwise occupied. Hey, this is the internet. People make shit up all the time without any basis in fact. At least I called Steve. He mentioned the hamster problem but asked me to be discreet.

Tom’s initial comment was a joke about this comment (which you can’t read because MinMon is down), and the story is referenced here.

And I’m glad we ended up in hampsterland. I would take down this site if I could.

Maybe you guys should upgrade to guinea pigs. A little more power and easily motivated by baby carrots.

i’m not seeing any hamster references in this link, though, jason. a particular fixation of tom’s?

you also can’t read rex’s mnmon comment that says not only hasn’t mnspeak upgraded its tech, but they’ve removed functions.

My theories:

1. The discontinuation of the Netscape browser is having a massive ripple effect that we are only now beginning to experience.
2. Algore made us an internets, but he ated it.
3. Choosey moms chose .png and .gif vowed revenge.
4. Dick Cheney shot it in the face.
5. Last week’s earthquake in Illinois severed some cables.
6. Ethanol.
7. The Internet can’t find its constant.
8. Kenneth finally figured out the frequency.
9. Animal husbandry. Need I say more?
10. The governor line-itemed its funding.

If the hamsters don’t behave, we could threaten to take away their site. (GRRFL)

Not the hampster part of the joke — this line: ‘When I asked him of it was indicative of “behind the scenes” problems with Minnesota Monitor”

Wait, I don’t see how the MNSpeak issue was GoDaddy’s fault. if the credit card wasn’t updated then there’s little they could do.

I use GoDaddy and it’s fine.

Then again, I also write my blog using Blogger.
And a stock template (that’s only tweeked a bit).

So I clearly suck at life (on the net).

Peeps are touchy about a minor mistake that caused MNSpeak to be down for 3 hours…sheesh.

7. The Internet can’t find its constant.

Nice. I’m sofreakingpumped that it’s on again tonight!

Obviously, Sen. Ted Stevens was right. The tubes are finally full. It’s not a big truck!

Maybe teh interwebs needs to take the Activia Challenge.

/sorry, all the you momma jokes were taken.

1. The discontinuation of the Netscape browser is having a massive ripple effect that we are only now beginning to experience.

ok, that’s some serious long-tail effect…

7. The Internet can’t find its constant.

Nice reference. I’m also super excited that it’s back on tonight!

Heh. You crack me up, kevin.

Not really, Netscape only met its maker recently.

Ingrid, these links will drive you nuts
One.
Two (mild spoilers)
Three.

11. Somebody spilled their crock of homemade beef stew in the intertubes.
12. The webmasters’ heads keep getting stuck in vaginas.

I was hoping that nobody would notice the vat (not crock) of stew I accidentally spilled on the tubes.

And I can’t wait for Lost tonight. I’m off to build a shrine of some sort.

12. The webmasters’ heads keep getting stuck in vaginas.

I thought it felt a little more crowded down there than usual…

12. The webmasters’ heads keep getting stuck in vaginas.

I thought it felt a little more crowded down there than usual…

Still haven’t found that missing condom?

ahhh there are so many therories! I just realized I have a meeting tonight so I’m going to miss seeing it on television. I’m going to have to watch it on the internet. The hamsters running abc.com better be ready to work!

Actually they haven’t been for me lately. I’ve had to go in through a back way to watch season two episodes. I’ve got the series all figured out anyway, including what the last scene will be.

Also amused that people are blaming godaddy. Its only your fault for letting your domain expire. And godaddy is one of the more stable registrars. Feel free to rail on their business practices and their idiot of a CEO but they are incredibly stable.

I blame the Chinese. We’re taking over the world. Bwaaahhhaaah.

Nope. It will never get old for me.

Cat, I just had some delicious, authentic Chinese food for lunch. You’re plan of domination is working one cream cheese puff at a time…

David- you just made me barf a lot in my mouth.

See, mb, it works!
First, it’s cream cheese puffs; then moo shu; then the internets/world.

MNMON is online again! (The hamsters dance in celebration.)

With a dedication to Tom Bartel.

Who does the updating for the Minnesota Monitor twitter account?

That’d be me, with a little help from Tom Elko and Robin Marty. It was my shout-out to Tom that’s linked above; I take full blame!

It may have been the heavy traffic to Elko’s interview with Uncle Ethanol, slayer of visiting professors, that did in MM this AM.

That was from April 9, justbob. Still the residual traffic could’ve done us in. Or the crashed server.