Any World (That I'm Welcome To)

So, more people have been banned from LJ in a smaller, slower version of Strikethrough '07. synechdocic points out that LJ isn't doing this just for kicks or even for ad revenue, but because they're rightly afraid of running afoul of US law. I'm in very little danger of getting TOSed (I think), and I don't know anyone involved, but I still don't like this. If the characters look like they might be of age, shouldn't LJ at least ask the artists about it (or ask them to take it down if they still think it's too iffy) before deleting?

This is depressing. If it were just LJ policy, it would be a lot easier to put pressure on LJ to cut that out, or to just move to another site. But it looks like either option would only be a short-term solution. What to do?

But in case LJ does explode, or everyone just leaves in a Great Fannish Migration, I have a GreatestJournal and an InsaneJournal set up for the short-term solution. (IJ says it also uses the Miller Test, and that it won't take anything down without an official takedown notice, for the record. On the other hand, they haven't been pressured like LJ yet as far as I know, either.)

Another benefit to having those journals? Backup. Of course, there is ljArchive, which backs up your LJ (comments included) on your hard drive. (ETA: screecapped tutorial here.) This is good to have. But multiple backups in different places are also good to have, just in case a magnet attacks your computer. I've recently started transferring my LJ entries to my GJ and IJ with LJ-Sec. There's a handy guide on how to do so here. I've also just started using Semagic to post to all three journals at once. Guide on how to do so here.

I recommend backing up things regardless of external events, since you never know when your hard drive or the internet might explode. The backup journals serve as both storage and as a way to find lost friends should something happen to LJ, so they're doubly convenient.

Now that I have backups on the brain, I need to get on backing up some of my personal documents...

Back in April, BBC Science News reported that scientists have discovered real kryptonite. Okay, it's white rather than green, doesn't glow, and seems to be harmless. But check out this quote from Dr. Stanley: "Towards the end of my research I searched the web using the mineral's chemical formula - sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide - and was amazed to discover that same scientific name, written on a case of rock containing kryptonite stolen by Lex Luthor from a museum in the film Superman Returns.

"The new mineral does not contain fluorine (which it does in the film) and is white rather than green but, in all other respects, the chemistry matches that for the rock containing kryptonite."

I guess all the supervillains have used up most of the green and red kryptonite by now. I wonder what white kryptonite does to Superman?

In other news, Wankers for Ignorance is at it again. This time, they're targeting companies that use Google ads. I'm sure the Google staff heard about the previous incident, and I hope they're able to explain to any customers who want to pull their ads that WFI is not necessarily telling a straight story.

Sorry to be posting so much today - in part, I'm just trying to figure out why the forward-dated entry wherein I clearly checked the "date out of order" box is now interfering with normal posting. (Yep, wouldn't let me post this entry because of that one. Must I click "date out of order" for every post until Jan. 1, 2008? Am I missing something?)

So, meme.

According to Barak Berkowitz, CEO of Six Apart, listing something in your profile as an interest means you like or support that thing. I quote the CEO himself:

Both in the instructions for profiles and in other places on the site we make it clear that interests listed should be evaluated within the context of “I like x”, “I’m in favor of x” or “I support x”.

Well, Mr. Berkowitz, you're wrong. Interest does not mean support. In some cases, it doesn't even mean liking the thing. And prior to your statement, interest has not been interpreted to mean this. According to Mr. Berkowitz, the following statements are true of me:

I support goblin rebellions*
I support idiot plot
I support James Bond Exposition

If you think this is absurd, go through your own interest list on your profile and state what Mr. Berkowitz thinks you support.

Not a lot of absurdity in my interests, which is mainly filled with the names of books, shows, and fictional characters. Maybe I should add world domination. That's fun to read about in fiction.

As a bonus, here's Definition 2 of "interest" from Dictionary.com: "something that concerns, involves, draws the attention of, or arouses the curiosity of a person: His interests are philosophy and chess."

Concern. Attention. Curiosity. I don't see a "likes" or a "supports."

ETA: My Webster's New World Dictionary doesn't have "like" anywhere in the definitions either.



*Well, okay. I might support a goblin rebellion if the goblins were really, really oppressed and didn't resort to being as bad as their oppressors when they rebelled. You've got me.**

**No, I can't wait for July either, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. JKR might not do anything with all that buildup for goblin rebellions.

I've read through this before, but some of the implications didn't sink in last time. This has been most enlightening, but not especially comforting. Some points of interest follow.

First, from the Legal Information, a rule:

Do not spam the site or any account on the site.

This is a perfectly good rule. I have no quibbles with it.

However, I can't find a definition of "spam," and that does worry me. Hypothetically, say there is some incident which causes many people to wish to register concerns or complaints. And say that these people start typing their complaints when there are only a few pages of similar complaints, but by the time they post them, there are more like 50 pages. And say further that each person then responds to one or two other comments, or perhaps comments again to express frustration that the site has not responded in a timely manner.

Does commenting on a nearly-maxed-out post with a statement similar to thousands of others count as spam according to LiveJournal? I would like some reassurance that it does not. I'm sure they're sick of that pirate song over at HQ, and who's to say they won't just lump everything after 30 (or however many) pages together and call it spam? I sure hope they wouldn't, given how badly such mass action went for them recently, but again, I'd like some clarification in their policy as reassurance.

On to the TOS. Note: the TOS says it was last modified on April 18, 2006. ( Cut for length. )

So this morning's apology and the reinstating of innocent (i.e., "not full of pedos") communities doesn't reassure me as much as it could.