May 23, 2006
By Popular Demand Open Comment Night Starts EARLY
ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 6:18 pm
It’s Like Open Mike Only Different
Here’s how it works.
The rules are simple — be nice.
It’s like any rambling conversation. Don’t try to read it all. Jump in whenever you get here. . . . Just go to the end and start talking. EVERYONE is WELCOME.
See this post if you want some ideas of things to talk about.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Related articles
Open Comments Night 2 Mike is On
Filed under Comments, Community, Outside the Box, Successful Blog, ZZZ-FUN |
C'mon. Let's talk!
242 Comments to “By Popular Demand Open Comment Night Starts EARLY”
Mark Wade said
Hi Liz, et al… love the open mike!!! Try this;
“Will the telcos will win on net neutrality?”
Trying to be nice
- they already have, to the tune of over $200 Billion bucks. And not one soul, not one Telco exec, not one anti-Neutrality proponent, has denied it, that I have seen.
ME Strauss said
Good evening, Mr. Mark.
Did you read what Tim Lee-Berners had to say in Scotland today? He wasn’t too happy with the US telcos.
Mark Wade said
No - got a link? I have been at Tim’s Blog and read what he wrote prior. I’d love to see what he has to say.
Steve said
Good evening ladies and gents!
Hey Mark, you do web design? You should enter my logo contest…
Steve
Advice Librarian said
Neither am I - you finding Kushnic was a revelation.
I’ve seen some people saying that Kushnic’s funded by the cable companies, but the one thing they all have in common is that they’re anonymous commenters….
ME Strauss said
Yeah Mark, I’ll email you a link or two . . . Tell Steve about your design.
Mark Wade said
Not any more Steve - It past me by ages ago. Khaled from Broken Kode did my Blog - now there’s a designer!!!
Mark Wade said
Ha! Liz, do you remember? Man, did I get a rash when I joined 9rules - about using a default template! Thank God for Khaled!
Mark Wade said
Hey Ad Lib,
It has all gotten more and more interesting as the days have gone by…
I have no idea if Kushnic is funded by cable co’s. Have you done any research on Teletruth?
Steve said
Mark I checked out your site and what a great design. I really like it.
Mark Wade said
Thanks Steve,
I was truly blessed to be able to hook up with Khaled and we had a great time putting it together.
Not everyone has liked it. I love it and that is what matters
ME Strauss said
Hey, I remember the good old 9rules days. We were kids then . . .
Steve,
You’re right. There is no other design like Mark’s anywhere.
Where the heck are Joe and Martin?
Advice Librarian said
Only thing I know about him is that he’s now writing for the Niemann watchdog at Harvard University’s school of journalism.
Somehow, I think they’d know if he was paid by the cable companies to swift-boat the telcos - it would be ruinous for their credibility to let a paid shill set their agenda. Which is why I believe the anonymous attacks on Kushnic are just smear jobs with no basis in reality.
Mark Wade said
Thanks for the links Liz! I’ll be over there in between …
Advice Librarian said
One thing that several people including Dana Blankenhorn ties into why Congress looks set to roll over for the telcos in letting them extract even more monopoly rent from being an infrastructure provider is payback for this resurrection…
Mark Wade said
Oh Boy - this is getting exciting, for me! Another great link - thanks Ad Lib!
I agree BTW - somehow it just doesn’t feel right to think he is a shill. Smear jobs are definitely on the agenda for anti-Neutrality folks tho’…
ME Strauss said
I must say I’ve have some interesting folks hanging around my blog everyday, reading the net neutrality page. Some have weird names and locked doors when I go to see who they are.
Mark Wade said
Tell us Liz - tell us! Please…..
Joe said
I’m still in the BBQ phase, Liz,
Back soon,
Joe
Besides, I was on another plane of conversation
J.
Advice Librarian said
Oh yea - when McCurry tried to do his “affable press secretary” spin over on the Huffington post and wound up with people with actual technical competence carving him a new one for his shilling for the telcos… well, he went wimpering back to the newspapers and signed on to the Smear the Bloggers faction of print media.
The impression I was left with was that it was profoundly shocking to him to be confronted with people with actual technical competence disagreeing with the spin he was trying to deploy. It’s usually what happens when communications/journalism majors try to lecture techies about technical subjects - except this time it happened in public and Mccurry was none too happy about it.
McCurry does have a point though - there’s a lot of us over on the technical side of the fence that could do with taking a few lessons in communication skills from Liz…
ME Strauss said
They have creepy names that have the word net in it and they advocate one side or the other, but I can’t tell which. Six or seven hits out of a hundred. I googled them they don’t exist.
It could get creepy.
Mark Wade said
Ad Lib,
How deeply have you read Kushnick at Nieman Watch? This is very interesting - especially in the comments where we find;
“A class action suit to recover the $200 billion the telephone companies accepted for high speed internet servicer would be a fine way to stop government giveaways to business.”
Love it!
Mark Wade said
That Huffington post was amazing. McCurry did get super hammered. He deserved all he got!
Oh, and definitely agreed - “a few lessons in communication skills from Liz…”
Googled them and they don’t exist? Hmmmm
Advice Librarian said
Teletruth has filed some complaints with the FCC over this already - but it’s not scheduled for a hearing soon.
I have a sneaking suspicion that the FCC chairman wants to make sure that any official notice from their end comes after the elections…
Advice Librarian said
I’m taking my lessons from the “New blogger page”
Mark Wade said
Wow - Did you know, as part of this $200 Billion deal that
“Some services were also deregulated, including Call Waiting, which costs less than a penny to offer and yet earns $4-5 a month per customer.”
Sounds like a “bit” of profit there eh?
Steve said
Whoa… I go to put the kids down for bed and I come back to a million and one comments… Lol
Ok maybe it is like 20
Mark Wade said
After the elections? Seems to me that this will have been exploded and the rubble will be getting cleaned up by the time elections roll around. I doubt it would wait that long. The groundswell is too much (at least it feels that way to me).
Mark Wade said
You haven’t seen anything yet Steve LOL…
Steve said
Hey can I change the subject and get some advice. Finally decided to build a blog network in the hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation and sports niche… I only have 4 blogs and one more coming next week.
Before I get too far into it I wanted to get some feedback on my umbrella site called Skinny Moose Media located here:
http://www.skinnymoose.com
A blog network is a new thing for me so I want some feedback. The text I wrote on that page will probably change a few times but I had to throw something up and that’s what I came up with.
Thanks dudes and dudettes
ME Strauss said
ADLib,
Is there stuff on the NEW Blogger page I don’t know about???
Mark Wade said
Where’s Liz? Are you still Googling creepy names Liz?
Can you give us just one?
Mark Wade said
Steve,
I have one quick thought - what is with “negotiation?”
Steve said
Lol, yea I am not sure about that either. Hopefully I can find something better to say than that. Sounds a little lame and cheezy right now.
Mark Wade said
Well, It feels like an instant roadblock to a working relationship if I am going to “negotiate” my pay plan to get started, know what I mean?
You may not mean that at all, but that’s what it sounds like having it there.
ME Strauss said
No Mark,
I did stop to look for a new boyfriend, but they were all too tall . . . then I was reading Steve’s Moose site, and well, the Moose and I were having a conversation.
Advice Librarian said
Well, I was thinking about these titles from your New Blogger page:
Audience is Your Destination
Know Your Audience
Writing for a Diverse Readership
Turning Reluctant Readers into Loyal Fans
How To Deal With Negative Comments
Blog Basics 1: Comments and Comment Policies
Writing Killer Blog Posts
How Long Should Blog Posts Be?
How Often Should You Post?
Blogging Do’s
Blogging Don’ts
The Benefits of a Conversational Style
Consistency In Writing Frequency
Writing for a Diverse Readership
You could probably make that into a section called “Basic communication skills for bloggers”
Mark Wade said
So… is the moose for or against Neutrality? hehe
Mark Wade said
And… hubby says what about “new boyfriend” LOL…
Steve said
OK refresh the page and see my new changes. I reworded it a bit.
The moose has a name. He is Milton the Moose. He is very skinny…
Steve said
Dear Lord that still sounds terrible. I’ll think of something over my next cup of coffee…
Mark Wade said
Now Milton is better. Short, sweet and simple. From there we can talk…
ME Strauss said
AdLib
That’s a great idea. When Martin gets back, We’ll put him on publishing in. June 1st is the new start up for ePublishing Daily.
ME Strauss said
The moose wants the telcos and cablecoms to keep their hands off his antlers,
Mark Wade said
How about “contact us for details about the pay plan if you’re interested.”
And eliminate the rest?
Even simpler…
HART (1-800-HART) said
k.. just like the post suggests .. I’m not reading what’s above here as I’m just jumping in …. so, lesseee …
Oh - I learned something new today. Usually, to find something on a page in here, I just go CTRL-F to get that popup window .. or, the long way Edit/Find … but just figured out that if you hit [F3] … that same button pops up ..
Okay .. fast learner in most ways, not in other ways
ME Strauss said
HART, you are PC god among men.
Steve said
Mark refresh and take a look. I like that better. Oh and hover your mouse over the moose. Say that 5 times real fast.
Mark Wade said
Liz,
Do you mean Martin has finally settled down? Hard to believe!
The telcos and cable co’s will add tiers to Milton’s antlers. Then they’ll spin his antlers so the rest of the moose community believes he’s the best thing since sliced bread!
Except they’ll be paying about $200 Billion for the privilege of knowing Milton and his antlers…
Steve said
Who wants to do an interview with Milton about blogging for success? Then you can post it on your blog Lol
OK I confess, Milton and I have been drikin’
Mark Wade said
Looks good Steve! Maybe because I’m in FF but I get nothing hovering over Milton…
Steve said
*drinkin
Steve said
Yea it only works in IE with me… FF doesn’t like me
HART (1-800-HART) said
* watching American Idol, working, and hitting refresh in this window
Mark Wade said
Ah, what better drikin buddy than a Milton haha…
ME Strauss said
Milton sure can hold his liquor. I couldn’t tell.
Steve said
drikin is next best to drinkin’, especially with a moose
Mark Wade said
Oh he** it’s that time of night again - the trackback spammers are out, BRB…
Steve said
Yes he usually can out drink me. You wait. give him a couple more hours and he’ll be chasing you with them antlers. He thinks its a game see, but boy it hurts when he wins.
Milton the Moose said
Hey stop talkin trash about me Steve. You run like a girl.
Advice Librarian said
Exactly - though I suppose Net Neutrality is a bad name for what we actually want.
I think we want Content Neutrality - as both Berners-Lee and Cerf have repeatedly pointed out, there’s a lot of potential profit in being able to steer users’ attention to a preferred service. And as soon as there’s potentially a profit available, business WILL go for it - it’s what we’re supposed to do. It would make economic sense for Verizon to start their own auction service and block eBay, and for AT&T to block Vonage or Skype. Which means they have a fiduciary duty to do it, given the regulatory environment for publically-held companies, yes?
You people over in the USA have had experience with that sort of thing before, it’s why you’ve got antitrust regulations in the first place. It’s why AT&T was broken up into the Baby Bells that are busy resurrecting the old AT&T system through mergers… except this time there doesn’t seem to be any oversight.
Steve said
You’re cut off buddy!
ME Strauss said
Steve,
Maybe you should have picked another kind of site . . . maybe one with a kitten.
Steve said
Yea but Milton can drag me home if I have too much to drink. I would be too heavy for a kitten..
ME Strauss said
Got a point there.
Milton the Moose said
Yea I saved Steve’s life a few times. Dragged is sorry butt home when he couldn’t do it himself…
Steve said
Hey you said you wouldn’t ever say anything about that.
ME Strauss said
Milton,
I didn’t know you could type! Welcome to the blog!
Milton the Moose said
Thanks for the warm welcome. Steve taught me how to read and write and in return I drag his butt home in the evenings. I think it is a fair trade don’t you?
Mark Wade said
Funny, but I might not have a problem with “steer users’ attention to a preferred service.” That feels like it would require a professional action by a professional salesman who wouldn’t have to lie to achieve his purpose. Heck, I’ve done similar things thousands of times. Hopefully for the right reasons - to benefit the consumer and the company.
I’d have to look deeper into “fiduciary duty to do it, given the regulatory environment.” That doesn’t feel right…
Steve said
Milton go home. Or better yet wait out by that oak tree. When you see me come staggering out you know its time to go home…
ME Strauss said
So, who’s going to be in the next Technorati movie?
Mark Wade said
Well, we’ll accomplish one thing tonight with Milton and Steve. Ought to be real easy to double the number of posts from last week.
Geesh - a moose who can type and drink! What a world LMAO…
Mark Wade said
Al Gore!
Steve said
Sorry about that guys. Didn’t mean for me and Milton to derail the topic. I think he left for now.
Mark Wade said
Technorati Warming!
Mark Wade said
All in good fun Steve. All Miz Liz asks is we be nice. Milton was nice.
Mark Wade said
SO! Whadda ya’ think about Global Warming??? I believe it…
Steve said
Nope - don’t buy the whole global warming thing. I think we need to take care of our environment and learn ways to reduce CFC’s being released into our air but I still don’t buy the entire concept of GW
Ben said
I’ll put in a vote for “yes” … global warming is real. Granted it’s hard to say that when it’s been freezing and miserable here, but I’d say it’s hard to deny those polar ice caps melting.
P.S. Steve introduced me to Successful Blog and now I’m here on open mike night!
HART (1-800-HART) said
This is off-topic .. but would something like this (open mic night) work with a tag-board type of blog page?
I hope there’s global warming .. Our winters are too long here in the Great White North
Mark Wade said
I saw something the other day that the ozone hole over the Antarctic is getting smaller.
ME Strauss said
Hi Ben! Move over you guys. Give him a place to sit.
Advice Librarian said
Well, it’s one thing to steer user’s attention by writing persuasive copy, creating an outstanding service, or doing a Seth Godin-style Idea Virus buzz marketing campaign.
It’s quite another thing to steer the user’s attention by blocking access to the competition.
Imagine typing in ebay.com in your browser, and getting “Welcome to Verizon auctions, the auction service for Verizon users!” because your attention is being directed to Verizon’s preferred service?
How about typing in “rwebdesigns.com” and getting “Welcome to AT&T web design services - the professional’s choice for outstanding design!” on account of AT&T having a service that they’re under obligation to their stockholders to maximise profits from?
Steve said
Howdy Ben, welcome to Liz’s blog
Hey check your link you left in your name. It isn’t leading to your site for some reason.
Ben said
Hart…you’re up here freezing your tail off with me in the Great White North? Ouch, you are, in Winnipeg, that’s even colder than Montreal most of the time.
Nice to make your acquaintance…
Mark Wade said
Welcome Ben - pls, for yourself - fix your URL
Steve said
Do it for me too. I am a bit obessessive/compulsive when it comes to these things.
Ben said
Oy, sorry about that, and thanks for noticing. The font of the URL text input is so tiny on my screen I didn’t notice it.
We’re good to go now. So other than global warming, what’s the topic of the moment?
ME Strauss said
I hear you AdLib,
It’s kind of another way of bait and switch. I get there and I think I’m somewhere else.
Ben, the snacks are in the sidebar. I’ll check your URL behind the curtain.
Mark Wade said
Ad Lib, I’m with you all the way!
“It’s quite another thing to steer the user’s attention by blocking access to the competition.”
This is called thievery no matter how you cut it. Unprofessional, disrespectful, greedy, sinful - well, the whole negative 9 yards! If they are allowed to do this someone deserves a prison sentence as far as I’m concerned. I wouldn’t like your example to happen at all. That would be stealing money from me and I’d have no control at all. Wrong and illegal business actions!
HART (1-800-HART) said
Hi Ben … I was just surfing your pages (figured out the comma in the URL was the problem, but you fixed it now) … I have relatives your way ..
Advice Librarian said
Hmm - Steve?
What do you know that these climate scientists don’t?
Sorry - that’s a bit snarky. Global warming is real though - the only thing we’re really discussing is how much of it is down to man-made factors.
ME Strauss said
Mark
I think the word that you’re looking for might be
FRAUD plain and simple.
LIAR works too.
AdLIb, I like it when you back off from being snarky. We’ll all have that zinger tendency . . . don’t we? Martin always catches mine. Where’d he go?
Mark Wade said
Ad Lib - did you know that link you offered up had an article about “An Inconvenient Truth?”
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2006/05/al-gores-movie/
Steve Remington said
I do believe the globe is warming if you will, but for the reasons they say nobody truly knows. It is too early to tell. It could be a normal cycle, it could be mankind, or it could be God…
Nobody really knows at this point so I wouldn’t jump out on a limb and say it was solely mankind causing it, or a normal cycle, or if God is doing it.
It’s ok to be snarky. It is a hot debate this global warming thing.
Advice Librarian said
Yup, and since we know that corruption exist even when there are laws against that sort of thing in place… well, I think it’s a seriously bad idea to legislate that it would be legal to interfere with the infrastructure functions to make a profit…
Mark Wade said
“FRAUD plain and simple.
LIAR works too.”
Ba Da Bing!
Joe said
Ok,
Ma Bell, not AT&T
Call waiting for a penny?
Liz has a new boyfriend?
Drinkin’ Moose?
Steve?
T-rati
Where’s Liz ?
Global warming…
I think I caught up.
Mark Wade said
I wonder if Ben’s donkey knows Steves moose?
Joe said
Ok, how come that posted twice????????
Steve Remington said
All my posts are awaiting moderation??? Oh man Liz cut me off. I knew I was getting abnoxious…
Steve Remington said
OK I think she let me back on. Scroll up for all my comments LOL
Joe said
Mark,
I know about Steve’s Moose, but I must have missed Ben’s donkey…
Joe
ME Strauss said
Ba Da Bing! I know I’m going to be sorry I asked this, but do I win a prize?
The donkey and the moose know each other, but Ben and Steve don’t know that they do. It’s a long story. Milton told me about it earlier when we were talking.
Your posts are here, Steve. It’s you that’s in moderation.
Mark Wade said
Check Ben’s URL, go to his Blog and you find this;
“IGotNewsForYou, an online business started by a few guys and a donkey.”
I swear!!!
Ben said
HART, I hope you enjoyed the site. Relatives over here eh? Maybe I know them…*chuckle*
I’d say a good portion of global warming is man-made.
“It’s quite another thing to steer the user’s attention by blocking access to the competition.�
I’d say under no circumstances is this really a good idea. People can too easily circumvent any “blocking” you might be doing and the bad will you’d get from both competitors and your own customers/site visitors would be unpleasant.
Mark Wade said
Ah Liz, our wonderful friend - you are the prize!
Steve Remington said
Oh I see it. Nice ass Ben…
Joe said
Steve,
It’s not you, Liz put a time warp on the comments section so she doesn’t miss anything.
Joe
ME Strauss said
That’s okay Joe,
We all miss Ben’s donkey when he’s not here.
He’s a fine donkey.
Steve Remington said
Of my moose and Ben’s donkey mate and have a baby what would you call it?
mookey?
doose?
HART (1-800-HART) said
Ya Ben! Maybe you know them! (just like every American asks me when I go to Fargo or Grand Forks..) … Do you know my cousin Benny and Evelyn? :p // Just kidding .. although, they are in St. Laurent actually .. I just prefer to call it Montreal.
Ben said
The donkey and the moose know each other? That’s news to me, although it wouldn’t entirely surprise me. I hear the moose is a lush and the donkey…well, he’s just an ass.
And I do have a fine ass, thank you. In fact if you scroll through the blog a bit more you’ll see a picture of me wearing no pants (for No Pants Day). It’s a long story.
HART (1-800-HART) said
PS> Don’t mean to be rude, but I just setup a tag-board chat on one of my pages .. (click my name) .. anybody feel like giving it a test until it crashes? :\ You don’t have to.
ME Strauss said
If it was a girl, I’d call her Emma. a boy DJ.
Benny and Evelyn, the Americans??? HART, I kmow them!!! All Americans know each other.
Mark Wade said
Mookey Doose!!!
Great name for a new Blog for a cowboy! hahahahaha
Private joke eh Liz?
Ben said
HART…that’s pretty funny. I was actually born in St. Laurent. Family owns buildings there. Small world this Internet thing…
Don’t know Benny and Evelyn, but I’m sure my dad, uncle or the donkey do.
Steve Remington said
Yes Ben what a mighty fine ass you have. I won’t search for that picture of you with no pants on. No offense… Lol
Liz, one of my daughter’s is named Emma
Joe said
I love this, I just keep hitting refresh. It’s like reading a comic strip…
ME Strauss said
Don’t get me going or we’ll be naming the characters for the movie. I’m already tempted.
Mookey Doose home of the worlds largest hot air balloon show held daily out in the Big Sky lands of . . . IDAHO. Fooled you didn’t I? You thought I was going to say that other state.
I’m tricky that way.
ME Strauss said
Steve, Emma’s a lovely name.
Joe, It’s so nice you’re not caught in the Outer Limits this week.
Ben said
A moose and a donkey walk into a bar…
Ok, now I’m frightened. I just got here and already there’s a moose, a donkey…children, a new blog dedicated to the moose and the donkey, there’s a dowry to pay (Steve’s trying to extort 3 goats from me, don’t ask…please…)
Joe said
What PA???
Joe said
Liz,
You gotta get that plug-in…
Advice Librarian said
Mmm, well - Liz has this bit up on the Net Neutrality page.
That’s already technically possible with equipment from Cisco - the same technology they developed for the Great Firewall of China can easily be deployed for this sort of thing.
Mark Wade said
Naaah - Montana… hehe
Steve Remington said
Who here wants to see a video of me and the fam on the Thanksgiving Day 2005??
And no… Milton is not in this video….
I have still photos over music and then a couple short videos of the kids singing. ENJOY!
http://www.mainehuntingtoday.com/vid/Thanksgiving2005video.wmv
HART (1-800-HART) said
Liz .. I know all you Americans know everybody .. that’s why when I was in L.A. a few years back, everybody kept asking me if I knew Bob in Saskatchewan, or Joe in Edmonton or Sally in Kenora .. It was purely coincidence that I knew them all however .. we went to different schools together
Joe said
I’m not so sure about that Outer Limits, Time Warp thing.
I missed 4 comments just typing the last comment.
No I don’t type that slow either
J.
Mark Wade said
I think I’ve seen that Ad Lib
ME Strauss said
Yeah, I’ll get LOUDER about that.
Meanwhile, I’m feeling feisty. Could be time for some link leak . . .
Hello to anyone reading this. Yeah you out there!!!
If Technorati made a movie of this who would play the characters? Who would be me, Mark, Joe, Steve, Ben, HART, Martin, Milton, the donkey, everyone.
Step up say something.
Joe said
HART,
I’m not from Edmonton, I’m from Philadelphia, Pa USA
Joe
Advice Librarian said
I’d hope so! Liz works hard to collate all that stuff - and if you go through the Net Neutrality page there’s a pretty interesting picture that develops….
Ben said
Cisco equipment or not, I just don’t see companies going down that road and getting away with it for very long. I’m not entirely up on all the discussion on Net Neutrality from Liz, but companies trying this sort of thing are committing PR suicide. It’s one thing to work with the Chinese government to block websites there, it’s a completely different thing to block Americans or Canadians from accessing what they want.
If anything we’re gaining more and more access to stuff over time…
Joe said
Liz,
You forgot the Moose
Ben said
If I said that I should be played by Tom Cruise, would people laugh at me? *sniff*
The donkey could be played by Eddie Murphy, he’s already reprised the role of ass several times in his movies.
I won’t venture a guess on other people just yet, not until we’ve shared a few drinks at least.
HART (1-800-HART) said
lol .. Joe .. it was a different Joe .
Movie Characters? I think I Vince Vaghn should play me .. he’s funny.
ME Strauss said
AdLib, That quote came from Mark’s blog.
Joe, the Moose’s name is Milton so he’s there.
Hart, I don’t know what a tag-board is.
Is everyone reading this too shy to talk even for a link.
Ben I think you’re cuter and nicer than Tom Cruise, pick again.
HART (1-800-HART) said
liz .. click on my name above this comment - that’s a tag-board
Ben said
Ok, Paul Giamatti.
I went for talent, not looks. (Damn me)
He seems like a decent, honest guy…and to some, maybe even cute! Hard working for sure…
HART (1-800-HART) said
* uploading Steve R’s 36MB video now… tick,tick,tick
Mark Wade said
Sean Connery for me!!!
BTW - Liz, my dear friend, did you know that you forgot to link something today?
Laffin’
Ad Lib just quoted it.
And then got snarky to me (I’m still laffin’)
http://rwebsdesigns.com/blog/archives/2006/05/the-internet-inventor-speaks-out/
Advice Librarian said
I’m not so sure it’s crazy - considering that it’s already happened.
AOL dropped all email that mentioned dearAOL.org - and later backtracked, blaming “server difficulties” that somehow only affected email containing that specific url…
It’s not farfetched at all to have AT&T blocking Vonage traffic, is it?
Mark Wade said
Ya’ beat me to it! Still laffin’ …
Joe said
Ok,
I would be played by Burt Reynolds, only with blonde hair (or any hair) six pack abs, 6′5″ (ok I’m only 6′) looking a little like Dirty Harry, but younger (Ok, I’m not that young).
I do have a mustache like Burt, but blonde and a lot thinner.
Can’t I dream like you do?
Steve Remington said
Yea it was a bit large - sorry folks..
Advice Librarian said
Argh - obviously, the blood level in my caffeinestream is reaching dangerous levels.
I’ll be right back after putting on another pot.
Steve Remington said
Who would I have play me? Oh man… that is a tough question. Steve Martin, Tom Hanks….
ME Strauss said
MARK, What were you thinking???? Yeah, like I knew and I just wanted to see if anyone was paying attention. Me, Ms. perfect on every letter I type. Yeah right.
Tell me now that the link wasn’t hot? You’re no wimp. Gotta go fix that be right back.
Ben said
Maybe it’s not AdLib, but I have to believe it’s going to bite those companies in the rear pretty quickly. It takes almost nothing for stories like that to explode all over the Internet and embarass the heck out of the companies trying to pull a fast one.
If companies (like cellphone carriers) want to offer deals/discounts for calls within their own network, ok, that’s fine (still cheesy in some ways) but to block traffic to certain places off one’s own network (whether Internet/cellphone/etc.) is just asking for it.
Mark Wade said
This already happened Ad Lib - a phone co already blocked Vonage;
http://www.networkingpipeline.com/60405195
And was fined 15G’s
Steve Remington said
Da Vinci Code anybody?
I read it…
Lot of contraversy out there over it…
ME Strauss said
Ben,
How will it get all over the Internet. If they shut the Internet off?
Mark Wade said
Whadya’ say Liz? Couldn’t heerya’…
Steve Remington said
Liz I want one of your SOB button things…
AAaaaaargghhhh… I got to go change yet another diaper… be right back folks. And if I am not back in 10 send Milton after me.
Joe said
Steve,
Fiction, may as well read Gene Roddenberry, it’s more plausible.
J.
Mark Wade said
Milton’s passed out over in the corner. Besides, he mumbled to me right before he passed out that that Steve guy would try to get him to change a diaper and it ain’t happening again tonight! He said get the donkey to do it.
Joe said
Liz,
Steve probably deserves an SOB if for nothing else but changing diapers… Been there done that…
I takes a strong constitution to do that job.
Ben said
Now I’ll admit I haven’t read up on the details of the issue, but I would be rather surprised if anyone could “shut off the Internet”. And if one carrier blocks something it would become fairly obvious to their subscribers I would think (unless they didn’t know they ever had access in the first place).
ME Strauss said
What’s Fiction?
Mark Wade said
Ben, it’s a lot more than what you see here.
Check this Blog out;
http://www.savetheinternet.com/blog/
It’s much more about Telcos diverting or preventing access to web sites based on fees paid or not paid for QoS. And - its more than that also but that is a small nutshell.
ME Strauss said
You’re right about Steve and the diapers. i was thinking that about Steve’s Blog earlier today. Too Bad It Stinks
Does Anyone Know Why Steve’s Blog Stinks?
Is it the Diapers? the Moose?
Mark Wade said
Isn’t fiction when you rub two sticks together?
Actually, I think it was James Frey’s book no? “A Million Pieces” or whatever?
Joe said
Ben,
I think most of the problem is that people don’t realize that this is happening. They won’t know until after the fact, just like AT&T Verizon et al tapping the internet for the government.
No one pays attention until after it becomes law, then it is difficult to change (if not impossible).
Steve Remington said
Oh man now that stuck. It was almost as bad as when Milt was a little baby moose and was still in diapers. Moose droppings sure do stick…
Mark Wade said
Now we know the truth behind Mookey Doose!
Steve Remington said
*stunk
ok I can’t spell
ME Strauss said
Why Steve’s Blog Stinks
Film at 11
Advice Librarian said
$15k, for a company that had roughly 300,000 customers? Sounds like it’s less than they’d spend on postage in a week.
On the other hand, there’s the brazilian phone company that blocked Skype - the public outcry over that made them reverse themselves so fast they didn’t even have time to spin their PR properly before the block was lifted.
So there’s examples that it could go either way, I suppose -
Steve Remington said
Liz you nailed it
Ben said
I’ll definitely read up more on the issue before talking out my donkey.
It doesn’t surprise me, I suppose, that big companies try and sneak things past consumers, but I still have to think it’s harder and harder to do particularly when it comes to blocking access on the Internet.
I’ll have to read up on that stuff in more detail later though, so I’ll refrain from commenting on anything except the donkey and the moose (or any other subjects that come up)!
Joe said
AdLib,
Brazil owns the phone company. In the US the phone companies own Congress.
Get it straight.
ME Strauss said
I’ve been talking to Martin via email. He’s having real keyboard and mouse problems. He’s drinking strong coffee and working on things. That’s why he’s not here egging you on.
Joe said
Tell Martin he may need to change the batteries
and tell him we miss his input.
Mark Wade said
Hey Ben,
Boy did I just have a DOH! moment! At the top of this very page we’re all scribbling all over there is a wonderful link called “NET NEUTRALITY PAGE.”
Now there is one page chock full of info about the Net Neutrality issues!
Steve Remington said
I think Darren Rowse should show his face at open mic night… I know he is a busy dude but heck so am I…
4 kids, a wife, a cat, and 5 blogs, and I am singing karaoke baby…
Mark Wade said
Ah HA! Another Ba Da Bing moment!
“Brazil owns the phone company. In the US the phone companies own Congress.”
ME Strauss said
Mark,
Tell me you;re kidding, right?’
Joe, It’s definitely more than batteries.
Mark Wade said
Darren who? (kiddin’)
He’s prob sleepin’ right now “over there…”
Joe said
I’m glad someone was paying attention Mark
Steve Remington said
its noon where he is… i got it all figured out…. Lol
Mark Wade said
Yep, I’m kiddin Liz - on all counts
Chris Cree said
Holy Shmoley am I late to the party or what?!
I have a general blogging question for any and all takers. I am looking at moving off Blogspot to a hosted site (I’ve got the domain name already purchased).
What recommendations or advice would all you exprienced bloggers give a newbie regarging hosting?
Thanks in advance for your input.
Joe said
I’m not kidding, there really is a time warp here.
I think Liz shrunk the sun so as to make gravity lighter hence making time move faster.
Or, is that slooowwweeeerrrrrr????
Mark Wade said
We’ve been at this three hours??? Wow!
Very interesting getting to know new folks and hearing from old “faces” again eh?
Which, I hope, is one way to say, I’m about out of gas for today.
I’ve had a bunch of fun here tonight Liz and all. Thanks for a very enjoyable evening.
Sean oops… Mark
Mark Wade said
Aaaah, my fellow Savannanian will take over - yay! Hey Chris…
Ben said
Chris - I would suggest looking at using Wordpress. I’ve had a lot of success with it on another blog I run.
If you go to http://www.wordpress.com (or .org) they give a list of hosting companies they recommend. I haven’t used any but it’s usually pretty cheap ($7-$9/month) and they’ll setup Wordpress automatically for you.
Good luck!
Chris Cree said
Yeah and it’s stinking hot down here. Already. (96 at 7:30pm this weekend) Yechthhppt!
Advice Librarian said
Heh, yes - and I do hope you forgive me for my blonde moment earlier, Mark. It’s 5 am over here, and I’m feeling a bit slow today for some reason….
ME Strauss said
Yeah, Cris you’re moving as soon as you possibly can. You’ll be glad you did. It’s like rippin off the bandaid go go go go.
Steve Remington said
Joe I believe at that instance you become infinitely large and infinitely small simultaneously. Well that’s what Milton told me.
I think I am with Mark… time for Milton to drag my sorry butt home. I am coming down with some nasty virus. Stuffy nose, plugged up ears, scratchy throat. Milk tastes nasty…
Oh well off to get my rest. Night everybody…
Chris Cree said
Planning on Wordpress. Have a template picked out. So, any gotchas on the hosting thing? Or is it a commodity and they are basically the same?
ME Strauss said
God, AdLib, How ARE you feeling? That head okay?
Steve Remington said
http://www.bluehost.com
HART (1-800-HART) said
I’m using a Reseller account .. makes things easier to create blogs on the fly..
Steve Remington said
I actually am using my own server. Well that isn’t exactly true… my friend owns it and we host people.
Joe said
Steve,
At least with the stuffy nose you can’t smell the diapers…
Nite
Joe
Chris Cree said
So, Steve I guess that would be self-serve, eh?
Steve Remington said
Joe, you are quite the optomist… But you are right. Maybe a realist.
Ben said
I’ve been strongly considering the move to Wordpress, but haven’t done it yet. Blogger is definitely frustrating (lack of categories, slowness, outright downtime). It was still the easiest to setup, but it might be good over the long-run for me to make the switch sooner rather than later.
Advice Librarian said
Oh, I slept the day away, and I’ve kept the caffeine and nicotine coming.
The head feels a lot better, it’s not hurting at all anymore, even if it’s still feeding me some blonde moments like not remembering where I first read that quote
Joe said
Chris,
My only thought is about redirect’s. If you have been blogging for a while, make sure you set everything so your readers can find you.
Joe
Steve Remington said
Hey if anybody want to use me as a host I will set up their wordpress blog for them free of charge. Hosting will only cost you $12,462.12 for the year. Not bad eh?
Chris I checked out your blog. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life…
I accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour in the Fall of 1999…
Chris Cree said
Joe, I’m not knocking down the doors yet with traffic. Only 50 or so a day. I’m willing to take the hit to start over as I am mainly blogging for the writing discipline.
I can catch most of the regulars. The one-offs will get replaced.
Still, I agree sooner is better than later…
Ben said
Steve - I may take you up that offer. In exchange your free subscription to IGotNewsForYou is going to cost $12,462.12. Deal?
I’ll have my donkey lawyer call your moose attorney to work out the details.
Chris Cree said
I got to the end of my rope June of ‘95
Chris Cree said
Are these US Dollars? The ones with the new fancy colors, even?
Chris Cree said
I mean if so, I might have to stay with blogger a while longer
ME Strauss said
Yeah AL I know all about those in and outs of the brain that go with the head thing. I keep looking for my portable electro-shock, but I can’t seem to find it.
Yeah, Ben, sooner is better for SEO.
Steve Remington said
Ben, I have WMBS on that server. I noticed in the 10 days I have been using it the server has been rebooted like 3 times. I’ll host anybody on it but I wouldn’t say it is the best server out there. I would drop that price a bit just for you guys…
Oh what a nice guy I am…
HART (1-800-HART) said
Unless you are super big and popular .. there are ways to just redirect the existing feed to the new one (with wordpress plugins) .. and as for the people who bookmark you - just keep the blogspot blog alive - look what I did on http://PetLvr.blogspot.com that’s been dead since July 2005 and I still get hits ..
Joe said
Chris,
You got it right. One of the reasons I haven’t done it yet is I don’t want to lose what I have.
I guess I’m just a fence sitter when it comes to change, it’s not one of my better attributes.
Joe
Advice Librarian said
You know, I should apologize to our gracious hostess for calling my thinko’s “blonde moments”, even if that’s the vernacular.
Liz is a rather spectacular blonde, after all.
Chris Cree said
See. I knew this was the place to ask the qestion. It’s been bugging me for a couple of weeks. Who’se better than this bunch?
Chris Cree said
Liz, does the portable electric shock work on cats? Low Rider has been getting up early again…
Advice Librarian said
I was on blogger until Liz had a Word with me about switching over - it would only get more painful the longer I waited.
I’m very, very glad I took her advice
Ben said
If I can find a way to get categories to work on Blogger the way I want, I’ll probably stick with it. I found something in beta today (labelr I think it was called) - waiting to hear from them.
At this point I have more important things to do than making the move from Blogger, but I’ll probably regret not doing it…we’ll see…maybe next week. I hate the fence sitting feeling.
Chris Cree said
I’m not a fence sitter. But I do have to negotiate with my wife. Our aggreement was my blog hobby would be budget neutral. And AdSence has a long (long, long, long) way to go to pay for hosting.
HART (1-800-HART) said
Ben and Chris .. also to note - if you move from blogger, setup your own domain .. you can retrieve 100% of the comments and posts directly into the new wordpress blog. It’s less painless than that liquid Band-Aid stuff..
Ben said
I’m pretty sure you can get a free Wordpress blog at http://www.wordpress.com, although it probably doesn’t come with all the bells & whistles.
Probably worth checking out though, Chris…
Ben said
I’ve already got the domain (igotnewsforyou.com) so it probably wouldn’t be too painful to do.
You guys are convincing me…*grin*…tomorrow I’ll likely sign up with bluehost.com and make the move.
My biggest concern will be people who have my Feedburner feed, but maybe that’ll even be ok if I can keep the blog at igotnewsforyou.com/blog…
Steve Remington said
I am no fence sitter either, especially if it is picket…
Wordpress is free for all
Chris Cree said
With feed burner I think you can just direct a different feed imput and not loose all your subscribers. That is if I read their info correctly…
Joe said
Ok Liz, it’s time I said
It’s time for me to go to bed.
I can’t forget all those who did
contribute everything that they know
so I can sleep well, as part of the show
and remember those who contributed.
Berma Shave
Joe
ME Strauss said
Hey, Don’t worry about blonde jokes around me. I’m clueless most of the time, and the rest I’m hopelessly lost and wanderlng aimlessly.
I still have my personal blog on blogger, but that’s only because i’ve not talked some techie into moving for me to wordpress yet.
Besides I have no time to do all of the fixes to the 400 odd photos.
Joe said
# 226
Nite all
J.
ME Strauss said
Sweet dreams, Joe
Sleepy swell. Thanks for coming.
Chris Cree said
Yeah. It’s two minutes till pumpkin time. Oh-dark-thirty will be on me before I know it.
Let me know about the electro shock thing. Low Rider has figured out the squirt bottle. And the masking tape. He’s smart. Probably figure out how to shock me in the bargin. Maybe I better pass.
Thanks for the advice. I’ll be “moving” soon.
Enjoy!
Steve Remington said
Didn’t I say I was off to bed an hour ago?
Nighters! I will be counting Moose….
ME Strauss said
Hey, Chris,
The electro-shock feels really good especially after you stop.
Email me in the morning.
ME Strauss said
Counting Moose eh? Steve.
Ahhhh 1.
Ben said
Alright, I had a great time but it’s time to crash for me.
Was a pleasure meeting everyone and getting in on the action. I hope to do it again and hear from you all in the future.
ME Strauss said
Hey, Ben, This is a regular Tuesday night thing.
And we do lots of fun things during the rest of the week so I hope to see you around here lots of times between now and forever.
Steve Remington said
OK I had to get up to brush my teeth and of course I had to walk by the computer and click refresh…
Night all!
ME Strauss said
Sweet dreams. See you, tomorrow!
Advice Librarian said
Hmm, well, given that it’s 5:30 am here, I’d better go look for my bed too. I think I remember what it looks like, and what it’s used for…
ME Strauss said
Say hello to your pillow and use it nicely.
Sweet Dreams and feel well again.
Easton Ellsworth said
Holy Cow - 230-plus comments - y’all ought to get a (chat) room!
ME Strauss said
Hi Easton,
Why, it’s so much more fun to have the whole world see the sitcom unfolding!
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