Blogshares bit the dust, a victim of it’s own success.
I am sorry to announce that BlogShares will not be reopening after the current technical difficulties are resolved. Currently, the database server is dead and looks to be for the next few days.
The latest system crash has highlighted to me that deliverying a fun, useful service for the BlogShares community requires an active operator and developer. As most of you are no doubt aware I’ve been neither for the past couple of months. That has led to a decline of quality service, new features and ultimately income for the site and it looked likely that there wouldn’t be enough to pay for next month’s hosting.
Waving or Drowning is out an imaginary 180 thousand (million?) dollars. Anyone else lose big?
Free post day
Blogger/Blogspot is very cranky today, I can’t get in to some of my favorite blogs. If you feel like saying or posting something, the comments section is open for potential blog withdrawal here and at LivingRoom. You can cut and paste back to your blog later if you’d like to. Least we can do.
I know a lot of bloggers are looking to move off this platform. Typepad costs a bit, I think MT is still free. Does anyone know if Radio Journal costs?
The technical difficulties with Blogger have been frustrating for blog owners and readers alike, so help yourself to the comments section below.
Foot in Mouth Award
The Green Man has obligingly pointed out this years winner of The Foot in Mouth Award given by the Plain English Campaign. The 2003 winner is US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield for this obfuscation.
‘Reports that say that something hasn’t happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns — the ones we don’t know we don’t know.’
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Yes, that’s millions.
I’m trying to figure out why they gave Rumsfeld the Foot in Mouth Award for that statement. I could understand it perfectly, and it doesn’t seem to me to be something particularly embarrasing in content to the speaker. When I refer to someone sticking their foot in their mouth, I usually mean someone who has said something embarrasing.
Am I missing something?
MT itself is free, but you have to have your own webhost to run it and the free ones out there don’t generally offer the specifications that MT needs. Typepad’s prices are comparable to what you might pay for hosting a MT-driven site; if all you need is the very basics, you can’t beat Typepad’s $4.95/month option. If you need more features, there are Plus ($8.95) and Pro ($14.95) options, although my fully-featured MT site costs less per month than the Typepad Pro option. The other advantage of Typepad is everything comes installed, ready to run out of the box. MT you have to set up yourself, or pay someone to set up for you.
Hi Roy:
I don’t know. The Plain English Site has an email addy. You’d have to ask them.
I don’t think foot in mouth has to necessarily be embarrassing, just convoluted.
How could he have said what he said a bit more clearly? Want to give it a shot? Blog on!
A foot in mouth doesn’t have to be embarrassing, but it is always a gaff. Like when you say to your friend, “Man, did you notice Sheila’s nose hairs today? Man, o man!” And Sheila’s just walked in the room behind you. You might not care enough about Sheila to be embarrassed, but it was still tactless and a faux pas. Or when you make a boast and it immediate turns false: “Don’t worry, folks. Dr. Brondon wouldn’t miss this gather for the world, he’ll be here any minute.” And as you finish, someone taps you on the shoulder and whispers that the good docter is unavoidably detained. Not your fault really, but a gaff nonetheless.
p.s. I still use Blogger after three-and-a-half years and rarely-if-ever have any difficulties with it. But I don’t and would never use Blogspot. I host my sites seperately with pair.com ($4.95 a month to start).
Yup. Lost 4 billion. Easy come. So they say…
Deb: And I thought Waving or Drowning was smarting! Blog on!
From what I’ve read elsewhere on the “unknown unknowns” is that it is a standard term in engineering circles. It sounds like as much dislike for Rummy on the part of the Engish folks as dislike for some slightly-clunky engineeringese.
Hi Mark:
I don’t hang around engineering circles…no wonder I didn’t understand it. Blog on!