broken compasses and wanderlust

Say goodbye to the Roaring Twenties. Lap #30.

My paid account expires on the 24th. Do I really want to renew? Cannot decide.

Here we go again.

So apparently LJ as revamped the comment pages, sparking the ire of users all over the world. I did not notice right away because I view all pages in my style and miraculously, my style was not affected, but all the bitching on Tumblr alerted me to it.A good summary from Tumblr:

RE: Changes at Livejournal

The jist is that the site’s undergone a revamp, subject lines were dropped, deemed “unnecessary” by one of the Russian developers (rather snarkily, I might add; the guy’s a first-class tool).  Nevermind that dozens (hundreds, possibly) RP, sales, fandom, and news communities use them for everything from sales to a handy place to pop a trigger warning.  Some people have started simply bolding the first line of text in their comment, but it’s not as easy to spot what you’re looking for that way.

In addition, comment pages are now on a graphical interface that takes forever to load, and the handy drop-down menu for choosing user icons is not there anymore— rather, every one of your icons loads up and you click to select.  Even on the mobile version.  I’m feeling for people who have 100+ icons

Dreamwidth has open account creation this week (no invite code needed); if you ever wanted to migrate but couldn’t get an invite code, now is the time.

Some work arounds have already been developed, though some bugs are still being worked out. They can be found here:

http://advancing.livejournal.com/133124.html
http://stoppedhiding.livejournal.com/1903.html

Apparently this is only the beginning, as the developer behind the new tweaks just posted a prototype. Something to look forward to in the new year, I guess.

ETA: Youtube version:



(link in case it doesn't work: http://www.collegehumor.com/video/6652422/can-i-give-you-a-ticket-with-anna-torv)

You're welcome.

Anna Torv is the best.

See, here's the thing I love about Comic Con. Yes it's all about fandom collision. Yes it is about getting the spoilers and the bits of news and trailers and teasers to look forward to for the next year for all the new movies and TV shows. But above all, it's about the fans getting together and sharing culture, discussing it and dissecting it with panels.

For the fans, it offers the chance to go up to the creators and stars and ask them some really interesting questions, sometimes even hard-hitting questions in person. For example, someone actually got Joe Quesada to admit that they are only focusing on the white males in the comic book movies, and why is that? His answer was problematic (basically it amounted to "we're doing the icons first; we'll get to you later," which is problematic in and of itself because it assumes that figures like Storm or Phoenix are less iconic or obscure than Thor and Iron Man (which, really, did anyone even remember that Thor was a Marvel character before this year? The only reason I know that is because of the movie Adventures in Babysitting with Elizabeth Shue in the 80s.) but still, it generates conversation.

Another thing Comic Con does well is that it gathers a lot of different show actors and creators in one place, allowing them to do joint panels and interviews to really discuss some issues. There's a great article with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Maggie Q, Yvonne Strahovski, Jennifer Morrison, Anna Torv, and newcomer Britt Robertson where they talk about the challenges in being females in the genre, the problem of Wonder Woman and Comic Con in general. My favorite part was where they talk about stunt work for Buffy, Nikita, Sarah Walker and Olivia Dunham:

Q: The physicality is so hard. It is the hardest thing you can do. Then you also get a 60-page script every nine days, and you're the lead and you're doing action. It's almost impossible. I nearly had a meltdown in the first season.

TORV: You can surely get hit in the head and go into a coma, can't you?

Q: Right? Or do that to myself.

STRAHOVSKI: I thought it was illegal when I first came here from Australia. … Long hours make it interesting. You have to do a fight scene at like 5 a.m.

GELLAR: And it's freezing. Your muscles are completely tightening up.

STRAHOVSKI: And you're wearing a little, short skimpy thing with high heels.

Q: I'm just like, "No." It's my favorite word. Do you want this to be real? You want me to go and really beat someone's ass? I can do it in a real way, but I'm not going to do it in a skirt.

All in all, it's just a really cool time to geek out collectively and also for the actors to interact with the fans and say thanks. Plus, you get some pretty awesome stuff like this:

( Fringe related stuff )

And the thing I am most excited about:


( Legend of Korra spoilers )

And so I give you this:



Hearing Anna Torv do her best Leonard Nimoy impression while reading that Fringe tweet is worth your time. You'll thank me for it later.

Aaaaand back to my hectic schedule I go. Sorry for all the drive-by postings, guys. Work, life and everything in general is just catching up with me because whoa, I have 2 weeks left here in the Philippines and it's not hitting me because I have so much crap to finish.

I'd really like it to be May 28 so I can start my vacation, thanks.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY leigh57!!!!!!

I'll save the really mushy sappy stuff for email but for now let me say that I am so fucking glad that we are friends and although this month I've been incredibly terrible with the communication, I don't think I would have gotten through any of these past couple of years without your friendship. You're fantastic and wonderful and talented and such an awesome friend, and I sincerely hope that you have the best day ever.

**

In other news, life has been super productive over here in Sydney. Have managed to almost finish the entirety of the Borromeo book's final draft, which is good because the layout is due on the 17th, so yeah. Mostly I am super busy right now interviewing some of the family members here in Australia, and for the most part, my life will be hell up until Easter and maybe a little bit afterwards, but OMG you guys. I am actually writing and publishing a book, however small a scale it is. Getting out of the Philippines has done wonders for my productivity. (The lack of Internet probably also plays a major factor. As does the fact that most of my shows are on hiatus).

I've also really enjoyed getting to know the city again, even if my feet hurt a little bit. Seeing Bondi again, seeing the Bridge and Circular Quay and eating at Pancakes on the Rocks and shopping in Paddy's Market and playing in the fountains in Darling Harbour and whatnot- it's like the whole year I spent here is rushing back. I've missed the food, the ease of public transport and just walking around the city without a map and realizing that I still remember where everything is. LOL. Go figure. I was even able to pick up a replacement hoodie for the USyd one I lost a couple years back. (PS, going about my old university was a little trippy, won't lie. But it was really fun too.)

Also, FUCK YEAH, Fringe got renewed for S4. Thank goodness. Jasika confirmed it on her Tumblr with the hilarious tag of "season 4 = astrid goes to prom" (and seriously, you have to love the interaction that fans have with the actors and creators, because bless her, she actually responds to the questions people leave in her ask box). But seriously, I'm so happy about this, I could scream.

So I am doing well. It's been a really good couple of weeks for me, and I feel like my head is centered again and I know what I want to do with my life. It's a really great feeling, and I hope it continues to last. May 2011 continue to be the year of positive change for me.

BOOM! Roasted of the Day: Jimmy Wong offers the definitive sing-along response to (former?) UCLA undergrad Alexandra Wallace’s insensitive American manners tutorial.

An appropriate response to stupidity that continues in the midst of everything going on in Japan.