Jay

Thanks for all the suggestions guys.

More than anyone else, I recognize the need for changes and fixes around here. The home page isn't even relevant anymore. The design is beyond dated, the forums require fixes/upgrades, and the fan edit wiki needs a complete overhaul.

The issue until now has been time. I started a new job in May, moved, and began a freelance project that is just now winding down. Prior to that, I was scrambling to find a job and do whatever I could to line up freelance work.

Now that my schedule is opening up, I'm free to return to my personal projects, which include ot.com. I've already gotten back to work on finishing the next forum upgrade and will have that completed soon. The thing to keep in mind is that the list of requests/fixes/changes is so long that I can't get to everything immediately. Just as an example, yesterday I rewrote the avatar/photo upload utility so that it can accept images of any size and resize them appropriately. That's one seemingly small thing, but it took about 6 hours of programming and debugging to get it working properly. Consider that I have a list of about 75 "small" things and you can begin to grasp the amount of work involved. I'm not saying I need to finish all 75 things before I post an update, but you get the idea. I've considered putting the redesign first and forum upgrades second, but the phrase "lipstick on a pig" comes to mind :)

There is a new petition coming. I built the engine and had it working months ago. I just need to finish the new site design and skin it. I won't even go into the issues surrounding the fan edit wiki. I built it in such a hurry that I look at it today and wonder what the hell I was thinking. The changes coming to the wiki are substantial.

Right now, the forum is going through its usual summer lull like many online communities. Fewer people are surfing and watching fan edits because they're outside enjoying the weather, so it's a good time to be going through a rebuilding phase. My goal is to have the first in a series of forum updates posted in about two weeks, with the petition soon to follow. The wiki enhancements will take a lot of time, so I'm hesitant to provide a timeframe for that right now. I need to get back into the code, which I haven't looked at in 2 years, and work out a plan.

All your suggestions and recommendations are noted, and I hope you understand that nothing you request is ignored. I will get things in order around here in due time.

I'd also like to extend a personal thanks to Moth3r for keeping this place in line while providing regular nudges to remind me that there's a lot left to be done. His regular posts in the admin section detailing his thoughts on improving the site are very valuable. He really is your biggest advocate and you should be glad he's here to carry the torch for you.

Thanks again for your suggestions. I'll post more updates as I continue working.

Interesting. Added to the bug list.

I banned jenny2009 last night.

I think that's all of them for now.

I've identified at least 2 user accounts that sent spam today, this being one of them. Both have been banned:

nimal55
bubalove

Please forward any others to me so I can ban them as well. 

This topic is about adywan's work on EP IV. The next post by any member about anything other than this topic or its related sub-topics earns you a ban.

I'm busy these days, but not too busy for a good housecleaning. Capiche?

First--and final--warning.

fishmanlee said:

but the limit should be placed/enforced more heavily on the local images (from the computer)

There won't be any limits on images hosted remotely since their impact on the system is zero.

Photo galleries are on the to-do list. They'll support images hosted either locally or remotely, but I'll be placing some sort of limit on the file sizes and number of images per user.

If I remember correctly, it's not an even split. It's 500 total for both your inbox and sent items.

Working on it :)

I've tried implementing filters to block out the content causing this problem, but to no avail. It happpens when someone writes their posts in Word and then pastes them into the editor. IE can't deal with it. Other browsers handle it just fine.

What errors are you guys seeing?

adywan brings up a good point. If you're not seeing an error but you're still seeing your old avatar, try clearing your cache.

Janskeet, the forum software accepts PNGs, JPEGs, and GIFs.

I loved the finale. It was a great end to a great series. So many answers...and new questions also.

There was one major question left unanswered, but it was given its due (the exchange between Baltar and Cavil) and it was right to leave it unanswered. Providing a definitive answer would've cheapened the mythology the same way introducing midichlorians into Star Wars did.

I found the death of one character towards the end particularly satisfying. I've been waiting all season for that.

A Blu-ray box set of the entire series is supposedly coming in July. I already put all my box sets on ebay and can't wait to make the upgrade. What a huge weeks-long nerdathon that will be when they arrive.

Already have one:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/originaltrilogycom/72030774872

Just never published it. I haven't done anything with it, so it's bare, but feel free to become a fan and start passing it around.

The one thing I thought might be the cause doesn't seem to be, based on my testing.

Does it happen immediately after you login or does it happen after letting your browser window sit open for a while? I think it might have something to do with sessions timing out.

User banned, sig deleted for being spam.

My PSN ID is thirdkind.

Anybody pick up Street Fighter IV? One of the best fighters I've played in a long time. Feels a lot like the Alpha series. Playing with the DualShock sucks though. Need a stick.

Didn't see it mentioned here yet. Star Trek on Blu-ray finally official:

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/mytwocentsa165.html#startrekannounce

I was going to hold on to my TOS DVD box sets due to the updated special effects, but unlike the HD-DVD version, the Blu-ray version will present both the original and updated effects via seamless branching. And the price is much saner than the HD-DVD release was.

Wrath of Khan is getting a new transfer from restored elements and Undiscovered Country is being presented in its proper 2.35:1 theatrical aspect ratio (the DVD release was 2.0:1). Again, I'm stunned by the price also.

I'm really looking forward to these box sets.

Haven't seen this one before. I'll look into it.

ferris209 said:

Well, I do appreciate that. But I have to agree with C3PX, it seems to me that within the last few months you have appeared to display an aggression toward us conservatives. Even in threads where no politics are even being discussed. One example would be my tribute thread to Bettie Page. I had always thought you didn't care about a little minor nudity, as long as it wasn't excessive or hardcore. But you put the quash on me and I respected that. But it just lingered in my mind that if I had not just prior had a debate with you regarding my opinion of Obama, would you have done that? Would it have turned out different if any one of our many liberal friends had posted it? All in all, I'd like to think that we can easily disagree on politics, but then all walk away friends because of our shared commitment of someday seeing a restored, unedited, original trilogy.

Nudity has always been forbidden--not because I'm a prude, and certainly not because of political differences. The result would've been the same for any member.

How many of those "liberal" members you mention are still present? At some point, the hardline conservatism and relentless point-counterpoint of the discussions here become too tiresome for anyone to bother with anymore. Hell, I can't even stand to read some of the novels that get posted by people who seem to be intent solely on proving their point. Taolar has shown remarkable stamina, but eventually he, like everyone else, will grow bored with the discussion and stop coming back.

I'm sorry that those differences spilled into this topic as well, but the split in thinking is as clear in this discussion as in any other. I just find it odd that Off Topic used to be the most active part of the forum (as it tends to be in any busy forum, I've found) and now it's a virtual ghost town.

Informative, productive debate lends itself to further participation. What does it say when most members have chosen not to participate?

C3PX said:

Seriously, if that is your game Jay, then ban me, do you really need a reason?

That's usually the way it works.

Just because I rarely agree with the Four Amigos doesn't mean I go ban crazy. If that's the way you think I operate, then you haven't been paying attention for the last five years.

I also wasn't aware that our "feud" was affecting the online health of those who post in this forum. As I've done in the past, I suggest anyone who doesn't like the atmosphere here go elsewhere. I certainly wouldn't want anyone's mental health to be at risk because their feelings were hurt by someone on teh innernets.

As a matter of fact, the only complaints I've received recently are about a certain group of very insistent members who seem to think Off Topic is a place for them to express their very strong and obviously correct opinions and react with outrage and mile-long posts when others do the same.

And yet those accounts are still active. Know why? Because the people I tend to agree with are free to take a hike too if they don't like things around here.

Or you could help everyone and stop posting altogether.

C3PX said:

Pretty sure you didn't even read my post.

Bingo.

I put you, lordjedi, ferris, and Tiptup on my skim list. It's too exhausting otherwise.

I hear stories about black people selling drugs and shooting each other. I guess I should be afraid of black people.

It's funny how some of you call Obama supporters media whores, yet you're buying into the same bullshit when you express fear and distrust of young people because some kid in a hooded sweatshirt is "loitering" outside your house. Put the handgun back under your pillow and wait for him to be inside your house before you freak out.

People who deal in distrust and criticism of young people because they're young aren't doing so because they're mature; they're doing it out of fear.

Also, please read what I wrote. I didn't say kids who do as they're told are stupid. I said any kid who does exactly what he's told is stupid. Substitute "kid" with "person" or "dog" or "dolphin" if it makes you feel better. I often did what I was told when I was a kid, but not just because I was told to do so.

And I feel sorry for the man who can't see the value in a good bit of foolishness.

I know, it's annoying, and has been remedied in the current development version.

Expect the update to be online in the next few days.