Reality-based-universe - Just Stuff I Like

December 17th - a rescue plan

Some good news, I’ve been talking to two developers now and got them working together, we just had a meeting with the guys behind an existing large (millions of users) site similar to Tumblr, with a vibrant and open-minded community, and more importantly, it has open-minded owners who believe in free speech. They think we can get something done here to rescue the whole community.

I’m not allowed to reveal the site name yet. I can tell you it’s mainstream, open to everyone, open-minded and welcoming. (It’s not WordPress or any site owned by Facebook or Twitter. It’s not Pillowfort, that’s in closed beta. It’s not Ello, that’s mainly for artists. It’s not kinkspace or fetlife, those are too specialist. It’s not jux, that seems to be closed. It’s not Soup, that seems still in development and too small.)

One of the reasons for delaying the announcement for next few days is they don’t want a “land grab” where people take the names of current popular Tumblr users over there (cyber squatting). So they are looking at ways for existing Tumblr users to keep the same names on the new site.

More info over the days to come.

The plan is, broadly:

1. By December 9th, announcement of the new site and how to secure your username there

2. By December 10th, an online tool for bloggers to copy their existing content to the new site automatically, with the same tags and captions.

3. Bloggers will need to copy their content across between December 10th and December 17th if they want to use the automatic tool.

4. My understanding is that after December 17th there will be no public access to any “flagged” posts on Tumblr, but the original poster will still be able to see the flagged post (for a short time at least). Therefore, the original poster may still be able to manually download a post to their own PC or phone, after December 17th, and manually upload it to the other site. But if you have lots of posts that will take a long time, it will be better to use the automatic tool before December 17th.

Please understand that these dates are approximate and may change for technical or other reasons.

There may be a few rough edges or not so perfect looking site design on the transfer tool. Everyone is doing their best. The main goal here is to help as many people as possible preserve access to their content, in the short space of time Tumblr has allowed us, and preserve as much as possible of the Tumblr community spirit somewhere new.

The new site will cater for photo, GIF, text and html posts. It will not offer video and audio posts, due to cost reasons - maybe in future, but for now you will need to preserve video and audio content yourself in some other place.

If your Tumblr blog has a mixture of original content and reblogs, or all reblogs, all of that can be copied over to the new site. Reblogs will become “your” original content if nobody else posted them yet, otherwise they will be shown as reblogs. The devs are looking at ways to preserve attribution of reblogs back to the original Tumblr poster, if that person also moves to the new site.

Important: your Likes cannot be copied from Tumblr to the new site. You will have to go find the same posts again on the new site, and like them afresh.

(Similarly, existing reblog comments, asks, messages and other user interaction on Tumblr cannot be copied to the new site - that’s just too much to do, in the short time available.)

If you want to preserve any of your existing Liked posts on Tumblr, you will need to either: (1) download the post to your own PC, or: (2A) reblog it now to your own Tumblr blog, and then (2B) use the automatic tool, before December 17th, to move your whole Tumblr blog across to the new site.

If you have Liked a lot of posts here on Tumblr, the gridllr.com webapp should be able to help you do steps 1 and 2A quickly, I mean download or reblog.

(Someone complained to me today about the appearance of Gridllr on a phone. It’s best to use Gridllr on a PC, Mac or Tablet with a large screen.)

If you have liked a post here on Tumblr and the original poster decides to delete it, or even to delete their entire blog, some time before December 17th, then that post will be permanently lost. So if you want to be sure to preserve any of your Liked posts, you should best download or reblog as soon as possible. If it’s reblogged to your own blog it is safe from deletion, at least for next few days.

Obviously, you will lose access, after December 17th, to all past posts you have liked, if Tumblr has flagged them as NSFW. Again, the steps (1), or (2A) and (2B) covered above will be the only way to hold on to these posts.

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reality-based-universe

1 year ago

and Levi 501 button fly jeans.....

A Few Tips for Those of You Flying This Holiday Season

The TSA recommends that you arrive at the airport two hours before your flight. This means being AT the airport two hours before your flight. This DOES NOT mean just getting in your car two hours before the flight, then stopping for coffee, dropping off your dry cleaning, and searching for a last-minute gift before heading in the general direction of the airport. And, it DOES NOT mean joining the security queue five minutes before your flight is scheduled to begin boarding. Contrary to the belief banging around in your own head, you will not be the only person trying to catch a flight! Want the queue to move smoothly and – dare I say – quickly? Have your boarding pass and ID out, and ready to hand to the TSA Officer at the desk. If you’ve been in line for more than a few seconds, you’ve had time to prepare your documents. Hand them both to the officer at the same time, using one hand! Every airport is different – they have different technologies in use. Just because you kept your shoes on in Chicago, doesn’t mean you’ll keep them on in Scranton. Sometimes, the technology varies from lane to lane in the same airport. Listen to what the TSA Officers are telling you. They are not there because they want to slow your progress. They are actually telling you how to get through the checkpoint with minimal difficulties or delays. When it comes to your carry-on bags, 3.4 ounces of liquid means 3.4 ounces. Yes, that foot-tall bottle of shampoo is too large. It cannot go. It doesn’t matter if your water bottle is sealed. It cannot go. They don’t care if you just bought that Diet Coke in the gift shop right outside the check point. It cannot go. That grande, half-caff, soy, pumpkin spice, double mocaccino? It shall not pass! (This also goes for gels and aerosols larger than 3.4 ounces.) Think about what you’re packing in your carry-on bag. If you put food in your bag (I’m not talking about snacks here, I mean food like frozen steaks, chopped up raw fish, chicken, etc. Yes, they’ve seen all of these.) it will very likely be flagged for additional screening. If it’s wrapped in tinfoil, or a hundred layers of plastic wrap, it will be flagged. If you’re planning to take candles, or snow globes (larger than 3.4 ounces of water), or any foods that would fall under the liquids/gels/aerosols umbrella (peanut butter, cans of soup, cranberry sauce, cream cheese, etc.) put them in your checked bag. They will not be allowed through the check point. Before packing your bag (suitcase/backpack/duffel bag/ruck sack/etc.) make sure it’s empty! Go through every single pocket to ensure there are no prohibited items. Make sure there are no guns, no knives (no, that tiny pocket knife with the one-inch blade is NOT allowed), no bullets, no grenades, no brass knuckles, no mace/pepper spray, etc. In addition, replica weapons are not allowed. The TSA Officers will not believe you when you swear you have no idea how those things got in your bag. If you’re planning to transport Christmas presents in your carry-on bags, do not wrap them. If they look suspicious on the x-ray, the TSA may have to open them (and will not re-wrap them). Take ALL electronic devices larger than a cell phone out of your bag/backpack/ruck sack and place each of them in a separate bin, with NOTHING on top of or below them. This includes, but is not limited to: laptops, tablets, iPads, e-readers, video games, CPAP machines, universal TV remotes, George Foreman grills, cordless weed-wackers, chainsaws, etc. If in doubt, take it out. The TSA has really cool x-ray machines. If you leave it in your bag, they will find it. They will not let it slide. They will pull it out themselves, and re-run the bag, slowing down everyone. (PS: If an Officer holds up your bag, and asks you if you left a tablet inside, DO NOT say, “It’s not a tablet, it’s an iPad.” Or, “It’s not an e-reader, it’s a Kindle.” They will laugh at you, and then take their sweet time finding it to re-run it.) Bring a Ziploc bag in which to place the contents of your pockets. Take EVERYTHING out of your pockets! Let me say that again because it sounds kind of important. TAKE. EVERY. THING. OUT. OF. YOUR. POCKETS! This doesn’t mean everything except your wallet. It doesn’t mean everything except the 37 cents in coins. It doesn’t mean everything except the Kleenex that’s been there for six weeks… Or your passport… Or your Chapstick… Or your boarding pass… Or your library card… Or the two Tylenol you were saving to take on the plane. ANYTHING left in your pockets WILL get you a pat down. Everything means EVERYTHING! And, while we’re on the subject of pat downs… Most people – and I’m talking about somewhere north of 90 percent of people – bring a pat down upon themselves. Can’t be bothered to empty your pockets? Pat down. You swear you have the one belt that won’t be detected? Pat down. Want to wear pants with zippered pockets/cuffs? Pat down. Wearing pants 10 sizes too large? Pat down. Want to wear sparkly/glittery/bedazzled clothing, or clothing with metallic threads? Pat down. Want to wear every piece of jewelry you own to the airport? Pat down. Blue jeans with a ton of designs stitched on the back pockets? You guessed it, pat down. Above all, use some common sense. Yes, I said it, COMMON SENSE! And, wear a mask!

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reality-based-universe

11 years ago