Hello all- I just wanted to let you know that we now have a firmish date for rolling out the new iteration of Balloon Juice. We expect to have it live one day between 6-8 November, so basically in two weeks. I am very excited, and as many of you have seen the new version, I hope you are, too.
I do want to take a moment to thank everyone who tested- you have no idea how helpful that was (although I have to say that I was ready to stab myself in the face on about page 30 of the submissions that Watergirl forwarded to me). I also want to remind everyone of a few quick things:
1.) Just because you submitted something you would like to see changed does not necessarily mean it will be. We have to balance the needs of the many over the desires of the one individual. We took all the information at heart, but some things are the way they are for a reason.
2.) There are still going to be some mistakes and problems with the new site. That is inevitable. But we will work to fix them when we know about it. Your feedback really helped to remove a lot of them, but there will still be something we missed.
3.) One of my personal goals for this rebuild was to address accessibility issues. I think it is very important that this site be accessible for everyone, and I think as a liberal blog we should do more than just talk the talk on this. Therefore, be prepared for some things to change as we work to address those issues that are not to my satisfaction.
Also, I am totally not ready for your acrimonious bullshit, but we’ll deal with that in two weeks.
wmd
Acrimonious bullshit post
zhena gogolia
I love that video. What I want to see is John Cole re-enacting it.
dexwood
You’re all right, Cole. Thanks.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
whatever it is, I’m against it
Gin & Tonic
I’d like to commend WaterGirl for taking on the enormous and thankless task of coordinating the testing. I know I spent a lot of time on one issue that was important to me, and she was always polite and helpful as we worked through it. In the end I spent so much time that I ended up not filling out those damn forms, so mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.
But, boy, I’ll sure be happy to have my nym and e-mail sticky again.
HeleninEire
1. “Firmish” Great word. Did you get that from Steve? “Imma bite you tomorrow hooman; firmish.”
b. How can we contribute? I’m on my phone so if there is a donate button I can’t see it.
III. When can I start bitching about the upgrade. Very excited to do so.
Gin & Tonic
@HeleninEire:
Two weeks ago.
Josie
What about our loving, constructive bullshit? Are you ready for that?
dmsilev
I preemptively object!
HeleninEire
@Gin & Tonic: Aw hell. I missed it. Gotta keep up.
JaySinWA
@dmsilev: What dmsilev said. seconded.
JaySinWA
@HeleninEire: You might as well start getting you licks in now so you can catch up.
ETA I for one expect to feel seriously aggrieved.
chopper
so is the logo going to be in cornflower blue?
laura
Needs MOAR pet pics.
Also, thank you.
realbtl
“I’m not ready for your acrimonious bullshit” from the host of BJ, home of acrimonious bullshit. And pet pix. And Adam an Cheryl……..
Oh shit it is what it is.
Martin
The new site looks like garbage and I haven’t even seen it yet! Why don’t we have threaded comments! Why isn’t my favorite site on the blog roll! Why aren’t there more cat pictures?! In terms of accessibility, I’m red/green colorblind in my left eye and blue/yellow colorblind in my right eye, please adjust all cat pictures accordingly on the correct side of the screen. Also, I have no sense of humor, so please add explicit humor tags around all comments that should be construed as humorous.
Caveat: Everything good about the site is credit to WaterGirl and everything terrible Cole is personally responsible for.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Gin & Tonic:
Aren’t you thanking her right now, so it’s not thankless. //
WaterGirl did an excellent job with getting this upgrade(mostly) to fruition. She deserves all of our thanks.
SectionH
I can’t wait – until I get home to actual decent internet*. Then I’ll worry about complaining because something on BJ isn’t perfect. Old or new.
*I’m currently on a mobile hotspot I bought last week. It works great, but wow, not cheap.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Martin:
We’ll color code those, would you prefer green or blue?
piratedan
my understanding is that all complaint posts will be subject to both threaded commentary and up and down votes…
?BillinGlendaleCA
@piratedan: That would be correct.
Martin
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Blue on the left side of the page and green on the right side.
West of the Rockies
Well, as long as there are cascading comments, we’ll all be happy.*
*Runs from the room, laughing maniacally…
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Martin: Don’t tempt me(at least in testing there was an option for color).
HeleninEire
@piratedan: Noooooooooo.
Gin & Tonic
Since it is 8:30 on a Friday night, my temporary crown chose this moment to come off.
craigie
I am registering my complaint now.
HumboldtBlue
I wish you all the best I am sure at that point we will still be impacted by the corporate malfeasance that has led to massive power shutoffs including another motherfucking shutoff tomorrow afternoon so I probably won’t have the power ro turn on a computer.
PG&E brass had better get personal security at this point.
CaseyL
@Gin & Tonic: That will be a great excuse to complain about the new site!
Seriously, though: that sucks. Can you go to an emergency dentist?
Ruckus
@Gin & Tonic:
Does that mean you can’t sit in the big chair with a frown on your face?
My first impression of the site is that it is a lot better, nicer and different to actually use. As an old fart that will take some adjustment. I’ve gone on the test site a few times since last weekend and my first impression still stands. And yes the best part is not having to reenter your damn name/email every 7 1/2 minutes. Everything else is icing.
Fair Economist
I really liked the new site. It had a few bugs, but it was already better than this one. :-/
Thanks to all who made it a reality.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@piratedan: my understanding is that all complaint posts will be subject to both threaded commentary and up and down votes…
have a donut
(decade-plus old joke from DKos)
Gin & Tonic
@CaseyL: This is the second time it has come off. They gave me some do-it-yourself glue last time. I’m due to get the permanent put on Monday, so I may just tough it out.
Ruckus
@HumboldtBlue:
I live in a rather urban area of socal and from the Edison map it looks like I’m in one of the shutoff areas by at most a couple of blocks. The state was serious about electrical caused fires.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
I tested on several different platforms and it was a real joy[*]. Lots of new toys. I really look forward to seeing it go live.
[*] At first I said “unmitigated joy” but I suppose to be honest, it was slightly mitigated. But only slightly.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@craigie: The new site has a feature where complainers are sent to the White House to watch Fox and Friends with Trump.
Sister Golden Bear
@HumboldtBlue: More blackouts this weekend and we still have a major fire caused by inadequately maintained infrastructure.
I’m ready for pitchforks and torches – except torches might set off another brushfire.
Speaking of which, forcing thousands of people in rural areas to use gas generators ain’t helping with reducing fire risk. But if that causes a fire, PG&E wouldn’t be held liable, so they don’t give a shit.
Time to seize it, turn it into a public utility, and sue to get clawbacks from the executives and shareholders who’ve been looting the company.
BTW, can I submit my acrimonious bullshit now to avoid the rush?
?BillinGlendaleCA
OT: Looks like my drive to Red Rock is on, there was some doubt due to the road(CA-14) being closed(still closed right now for the return).
HeleninEire
@Gin & Tonic: Because of course it did. Even in NYC; the city that doesn’t sleep; you can’t get dental help at 9:00 on Friday.
Sorry.
FelonyGovt
The new site looks really nice and navigation is so much easier. Just getting rid of those damn “Proper” ads on the iPhone (we ARE getting rid of them, right?) will be a HUGE improvement. Kudos to WaterGirl and Cole and everyone else involved in this huge project.
Sister Golden Bear
@Ruckus: I thought I’d be safe from blackouts because I’m in the “flats” of the Peninsula, but they’ve got a major shutdown planned just two miles north of me. Strange because it’s not in any of the hilly areas were I could foresee problems.
Methinks PG&E is doing the “nice power grid ya have here, shame if anything happened to it” thing in addition to shutting down power to any area that might possible have a fire risk — except, ya know, the place where they actually caused a fire.
It’s definitely giving me more incentives to install solar panels. While I won’t have power overnight, if I put in an isolator switch, when they do a shutdown at least I can have daytime power, and charge things for the evening.
Martin
@Sister Golden Bear: Pretty sure PG&E won’t permit islanding, so you may need to do that work yourself.
Sure Lurkalot
@Gin & Tonic: My experience is failure before I get home from the dentist’s office which is 2 miles away. Once I got glue to put it back on.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Off topic cause I’m a fucking rebel. Man.
The trumps are considering/planning selling the hotel in DC (actually selling the gov’t lease and rights to operate a hotel there, as I understand it). I’m sure that, to the extent that this is true, there’s a totally good and ethical and sound business-y reason for it. Thread.
FTR: The idea that they’re selling cause trump is planning to cut and run, or be chased out, of DC is too optimistic for me.
oatler.
Infrastructure Week beatings will continue until morale improves.
planetjanet
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Aren’t they trying to resolve the emoluments issue. It is the biggest red flag among the many red flags.
Redshift
I’m looking forward to it! I got to do a small amount of testing, and I like the new site a lot. I also appreciate that the switchover isn’t happening until after Election Day here in VA.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: What do you want to bet that the proposed buyer will be a foreign company.
lollipopguild
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: It will be tuff to run it from Moscow.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@planetjanet: @?BillinGlendaleCA: that’s what I’m thinking, the Big Emolument. Rosneft or Aramco– or our own Shelly Adelson!– putting down a big marker for a second term. It’d be like the last season of a popular TV show, when they stop caring and just go all out on fan-servicing
mrmoshpotato
What was all the testing for if FUCK IT! WE’LL DO IT LIVE! ?
MobiusKlein
We rolled out a new version of some SW at 1:30 on a Friday afternoon, and the Friday Curse struck.
Luckily, it took us just an hour to roll it back.
Just keep the rollback plan handy, things will work out OK.
mrmoshpotato
@Redshift: Virginia gets rid of Dump a year before the rest of us? No fair! :)
gwangung
Standing FUCKING O.
Oh. Excuse me…
?BillinGlendaleCA
@mrmoshpotato: Just to placate the rubes.
raven
“you are looking live”
CaseyL
@Gin & Tonic: I always think losing a crown means exposing the tooth’s nerve, with hell to pay as a result. (I have crowns, but have not yet lost one, knock wood.) Apparently that’s not so, if you can just, um, glue it back on. Best wishes for making it through the weekend!
Mary G
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Short on cash? The good lawyers will ask for payment in advance. Rudy is showing you get what you pay for.
Mary G
chopper
@Gin & Tonic:
oh man that just sucks. my last crown the temporary one was the worst, it felt like it was coming off all the time. can’t imagine how much it’d have sucked for it to actually happen
Ruckus
@Sister Golden Bear:
In my neighborhood we have some very high voltage lines, one set runs down the street I live on. They were shut down twice in the last month for service/repairs, both for about 4 hrs. The first was scheduled a couple weeks in advance, got texts and written notice. The second was text only 2 days before. But this is different, I do live within about 3 miles of the local mountains and of course CA has weather caused fires a lot. They aren’t all power line caused but many of them are human caused, many are set fires. Some of our fellow humans are really fucked up people. I’m just amazed that I’m in the state fire zone area. The two big private electrical power companies in CA are PG&E and SCE. SCE seems to be far better run than PG&E and I’ve been customers of both in the last 15 yrs.
Kay
SectionH
@Gin & Tonic: Ouch. Hang in there.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
doesn’t sound like the pressure’s getting to anyone at the White House
“If I threaten someone, you’ll know it”. Reminds me of the “Do you know I am a powerful woman” shit from the original phone call. Trying to put my finger on which TV character she’s trying to imitate, Joan Collins from the old Dynasty show, or maybe somebody from that show about the Murdochs I haven’t dialed up yet but I’m gonna have to cause spoilers are creeping into all my political media
Fair Economist
@Mary G:
OMG, that’s 20% of the entire metro population. Sure looks like it in the pics, too.
Ruckus
@CaseyL:
I lost one once, 2 or 3 days after it was installed and the dentist cleaned it, glued it back in. As I was leaving the receptionist stopped me and handed me a bill for $1300 for a new crown. I wasn’t the most understanding customer for a job not well done. I believe I may have explained where that bill belonged.
But no, the basic tooth is still there, a root canal is done, the remaining tooth sealed and a top cap or crown is glued on. My re-glue has lasted for over 10 yrs.
Odie Hugh Manatee
The jackals await the promised fresh meat… ;)
Anya
Sorry to go OT but I am sitting here dying of laughter at Giuliani butt-dialing NBC while criming.
John Revolta
@Kay: Sounds totally legit.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I’m not watching, but it sounds like Rachel Maddow is blowing some shit up tonight
if that statement is legally binding for NBC– “perceived obligation”
PersistentIllusion
@Gin & Tonic: Your pet or SO will come down with smallpox next. It’s the universe’s way of saying “Happy Weekend!”
gene108
OMG!!! Finally getting threaded comments!!! Up & Down Votes!!!! Maybe even rankings based on number of comments and/ or upvotes!!!
Just kidding. ???????
PersistentIllusion
@Kay: WTAF?! Why is Tulsi Gabbard still considered a legitimate candidate for anything?
JaySinWA
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I am not sure that is much of a reassurance. First it needs to be in writing, and second, the release will probably release NBC to use its considerable resources for a devastating counter attack.
My Side of Town
I’ll wait to bitch about not threaded messages.
piratedan
@PersistentIllusion: because the Media will make it so, nvm that her margin for error with the electorate is roughly the equivalent of a hair dryer or a charismatic farm animal running for office, it allow certain folks in the media to point and hoot and get their anti-dem hosannas on to peel enough idiots away to allow additional electoral shenanigans. Consider it Jill Stein Part Two, Electoral Boogaloo.
oatler.
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I’m thinking of the SNL “People’s Court” skit with Jon Lovitz as The Devil. “Now you listen young lady, I’m the Prince of Darkness and if I threaten you, you’ll know it!”
Redshift
@mrmoshpotato:
I wish! I hope at least we do well enough that he gives up on his fantasy that he can win Virginia next year and should campaign here. Though honestly, I think he’s just trying to make this election about him because he can’t stand not being the center of attention, and he’ll have forgotten all about it by next year.
MagdaInBlack
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Wow .
She is everything I imagined her to be.
That’s a stunning outburst.
NotMax
Obligatory.
:)
Another Scott
Looking forward to it.
In other news, Dean Baker
Exactly right.
Much more at the link.
I don’t know about the politics of M4A – there are many, many moving parts. But the idea that taxes are always bad, and that government just takes tax money and burns it at the Treasury or only spends it on Obamaphones, is dangerous nonsense.
Cheers,
Scott.
mrmoshpotato
@gene108: Ha! Ha! For a split second, I thought Cole had gone crazy. :P
mrmoshpotato
@PersistentIllusion: HORSE RACE! HORSE RACE!
P.S. FUCK YOU, CHUCK TODD!
Mike G
O’Lielly’s dance remix is more entertaining —
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppum72Zqxq8
mrmoshpotato
@NotMax: See the caps – link
Ruckus
@Another Scott:
Who is it that complains most about taxes? People who think they get nothing for what they pay. And what does a farmer in Kansas pay and what does he get in return? We never hear that from economists or the government. We see the big picture but never the breakdown. Now a lot of what this farmer never sees or sees much of is interstate road repair, what the military actually does, what his local police dept does, what the local/state government does, how much his state sends to DC, how much his state gets back, how many farmers get federal assistance, etc. He may know what he pays and what his farm gets back but where does all the rest of the money go? And if I’m not mistaken, on double spaced 8×11 1/2 paper that federal budget probably stacks taller than his young kids so it’s probably impossible in any meaningful way. So all he knows is what he hears on faux news about how the urban (black) kids are robbing him blind with their free lunches. We’ve lost any real context of what our government does. It’s billions here, billions there. He’s not stupid he knows what money is, how to count, that a new combine costs $300,000 he just has no real concept of how big it is or where it all goes. Maybe if he found out that those school lunches cost less than dipshit’s yearly golf outings he might have a slightly different concept of taxes and who is getting what. (I don’t know the cost either but I do know it’s worth far more than dipshit’s golf.)
mrmoshpotato
@Mike G: If there ever was a soundtrack to kneeing BillO in the balls…
mrmoshpotato
@Anya: Look at you Ms. I’ve-never-buttdialed-someone-while-committing-all-the-crimes. :)
opiejeanne
@Anya: It is truly hilarious.
Ruckus
@mrmoshpotato:
You don’t need a soundtrack for that.
The sound of a very tiny pop and a that of infantile crying as knee makes contact would be far more satisfying.
Another Scott
@Ruckus: Someone recently made what I thought was an excellent point. Roughly, that we use politics to create a consensus on how we delegate things to the government so that we don’t have to do everything ourselves. E.g. who has the time to go to the Ayn Rand Grocery and investigate all the various food products in detail to see which ones are safe to eat and which ones might kill us? None of us do. So we have government write laws and regulations about what is and what isn’t allowed to be called “food” in the USA, and we have enforcement agencies that can go out and make sure that those laws and regulations are followed.
So that when a few people get sick from eating bad spinach, there are mechanisms to figure out where, exactly, it came from and get the product off the shelves.
That’s just one small example.
It would cost us all a fortune in time (and opportunity costs, and money) to try to do that stuff on our own, and we would never really know if what we determined was correct because we have no power over the producers on our own.
As societies get more and more wealthy and advanced, it only makes sense for taxes to go up because there’s so much more that none of us can do on our own. Who determines whether our $1000 cell phone will work properly on our local cell network, or that it will work properly in an emergency? Who determines whether our new high-efficiency cooktop or furnace or water heater will kill us overnight? Who determines whether our $50,000 electric car will turn into an inferno if it gets rear-ended? Who determines whether the $200,000 education that we help pay for our kids to get isn’t just a scam? Who watches the $1T companies that hoover up every bit of information they can about all of us and everything and sell it to the highest bidder? And on and on.
I think Obama had hopes of finally breaking the GOP’s mania about taxes in his “grand bargain” discussions with them. We know that they still haven’t given that up, but we have to keep fighting them on the framing that taxes == bad.
Thanks.
Cheers,
Scott.
debbie
I’ve never tested sites before. Are all checklists as detailed as this one was/
Lymie
I just want to note that testing properly was a serious investment in time, at least an hour for each os/browser combo. I am absolutely not complaining , I learned a lot of things that I never knew about the site and enjoyed the process.
debbie
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
He’ll never sell. This announcement is bullshit.
hervevillechaizelounge
@oatler.: @Lymie: @Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Slightly off topic question but I’m trying to catch up with the day’s threads. Literal Jim said a republican senator wept like a bitch when John Bolton was nominated to the UN; is that true, and if so which republican was it?
I’ve been googling and I can’t find anything. I need the info so I can put the youtube clip in my spank-bank:)
Thanks in advance!
Another Scott
@debbie: He may ultimately not have a choice. And he shouldn’t have had a choice if the GSA had obeyed the terms of the contract.
Forbes:
:-/
I agree that it’s good to be skeptical though.
Remember that the Hoover FBI building is across the street and is slated for re-development. Donnie has been fighting the idea of selling the site, tearing it down, and re-developing the site since he’s been President (as it would potentially cut into his revenue at the hotel). Imagine him and Javanka scheming to give up the Old Post Office in return for putting some new Trump Tower Megaplex on the FBI site (as he proposed before)…
Cheers,
Scott.
(“To be clear, there would be the same issues. Plus, it would be hard for him to do that from a Supermax.”)
Ruckus
@Another Scott:
I get all of that but it’s still, even without the total breakdown a big number and a lot of places to spend it. Some sort of reporting on that would be what I’m talking about. I’m pretty caught up and I have no idea how to find those things out. I don’t need to because I understand what a culture and a government is for and I pay my taxes without bitching because I know that for the vast majority of the dollars they pay for something good. But shit for brains is spending millions cheating at golf and doing it for more days a year than I think bush the younger spent on his “farm,” and conservatives bitch about Obamaphones and free school lunches while the farmers get subsidies for being a farmer. And a lot of those farmers are huge agriculture business, who only give a shit about the money, not actually raising decent food for the masses, and live in states that have a negative tax balance. They aren’t paying their share. And I am.
debbie
@Another Scott:
Oh, that lease clause is as phony as the emoluments clause! //
Fair Economist
@Another Scott:
Amen.
bluefish
Cool and kudos. I was thinking of Walter the other day. That was such a great thing, that whole story. Such a sweet being, Walter, and all the humans who helped. The drivers, the cool folks who took him in and gave him a real home. The way you found him. Just amazing.
I’ve been lurking here since the W days. Almost every day during horrible times so a lot lately. I love it — the brain power and the laughs.
Also, too, am going to steal the phrase “I’m totally not ready to deal with your acrimonious bullshit,” and predict that doing so will change my life. So good luck!
lgerard
Thankfully there will be a game 5 and we will be able to hear the boos rain down on trump
Litlebritdifrnt
@Ruckus: A crown that I had had for 20 odd years fell out when I was in the US. I went to a dentist and asked them to glue it back in. Oh no can’t do that without doing $1500 worth of xrays and exploratory work. I left and went to CVS and bought some Fixodent. Used that for a couple of years until I came home to the UK for a visit. Dentist glued it back in for 80 quid.
NotMax
@Igerard
If he does show up (which I highly doubt) there’s a better than even chance he’ll be denied entrance because none of of this “best people” thought to buy a ticket.
NotMax
@NotMax
none of his, not none of of this.
lgerard
@NotMax:
I’m hoping they seat him in one of those dunk tanks behind the center field fence. Every time someone hits a homerun, down he goes. It would make the games much more exciting, and even earn him some cheers.
Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho
@debbie: In case that’s not an inside joke question – is a single / a sarcasm tag? – the kind of details on the checklist are tests of functionality generally performed by the developers as part of the project. Usability/user experience testing generally seeks to capture thoughts about how the site works for the way visitors use it, as opposed to verifying that site navigation and other functional elements of the site work.
joel hanes
@Gin & Tonic:
commend WaterGirl
So say we all.
debbie
@Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho:
Oy. It was well past my bedtime. That was supposed to be a question mark. I would never be snarky about WG’s achievement here.
I have been told I pay too much attention to details, but as I was going through the checklist, I realized I never could have thought about not only each task, but to anticipate and ask about results in such detail.
I am a mere schmuck in this stuff, but I am in awe.