Archives

Nov222005

Comments Back On — What Next?

Okay, kids, here’s the scoop: since the upgrade to Movable Type 3.2 about twelve days ago, I’ve had very little spam activity, and the small amount of crap that did come in was handled quite efficiently by MT’s filtering protocol, which means I haven’t given the matter a lot of thought. This morning, however, the filter let me down, and I got hit with some 50 junk comments in a little under an hour. Rather than let it stack up and become totally unwieldy, I shut down the comments feature while I did some research on what I can do to stop this nuisance once and for all.

As I mentioned a while back, the most secure option would require anyone who comments here to register with an authentication service called TypeKey. This is a third-party organization with which you create an identity and prove yourself to be a human being (easier than you might think for us genuine humans, but bloody difficult for software masquerading as a person), and then you can use this identity to log in to blogs and other Websites that require this form of authentication.
TypeKey authentication would give me lots of control over what happens around here, but I fear it might also discourage some people from commenting, and I don’t want to do that. I know some of my readers aren’t especially tech-savvy or involved in the online world, and I can see how it could be off-putting to be forced into signing up for something that might have limited usefulness for you. My concern is that, if this is the only TypeKey-restricted blog you visit, you might choose to simply stop commenting here rather than register. Or you might stop visiting altogether. So before I do anything drastic, I’m going to ask anyone who regularly comments here — and even anyone who may be lurking out there but thinks they might commment someday — to give me some feedback now. What do you think about this TypeKey idea? Would it be a pain or make you uncomfortable to have to register for this service? Leave your thoughts below, please.

In the meantime, I’ve cranked up the sensitivity of the Movable Type spam filter and set the system to hold all comments for moderation before they publish. Maybe this will turn out to be enough anti-spam protection and I won’t have to go to the TypeKey option, but I’d still like to know what y’all think…

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Nov222005

Comments Disabled

FYI, I’ve come under a major spam attack today, so I’ve shut down the comments feature until I have a chance to deal with things…

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Nov192005

A Movie Producer, Slasher Flicks, and a Good Friendship

The news is over a week old now, but I’d still like to acknowledge the recent death of Moustapha Akkad. He was the producer of the Halloween movies, the man who made certain that “the boogeyman,” Michael Myers, kept coming back time and time again, long after the character’s creator had moved on to other projects and the series itself had become something of a joke. Some would say that’s nothing worthy of commemorating — heaven knows I’ve done plenty of my own grumbling about endless strings of sequels that diminish the strengths and reputations of their original films with each new entry in the series — but if it wasn’t for Akkad’s periodic trips back to Myers’ well, I very possibly would not have met one of my best friends.

Continue Reading…

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Nov182005

Like the New Style?

One of the things I’m liking about the new edition of Movable Type is a little plug-in tool called StyleCatcher, which enables you to quickly swap out pre-existing stylesheets with the touch of a button instead of all the tedious cutting-and-pasting of code that used to be required. Basically, it makes it super-easy to play with the look of the ol’ blog, so it selecting a style feels like less of a major commitment.

This particular style is called “Powell Street.” I find this one pretty pleasing, except for the khaki-colored sidebar. I’m not sure about that. Anyone out there have any thoughts? Feel free to leave comments, suggestions, expressions of disgust, or whatever seems appropriate…

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Nov162005

More Hagel

Here’s another interesting statement from Senator Hagel of Nebraska:

Terrorism is a real threat and a present danger that we must confront and defeat. But we must not sacrifice the strengths and ideals of America that the world has come to respect and trust, and that define us. That is why I co-sponsored Senator McCain’s amendment to prohibit cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment or treatment of any detainee under the custody of any branch of the U.S. Government. I strongly oppose any exception to this prohibition…

 

The recent media reports of a worldwide American system of secret, black-hole jails, run by the Central Intelligence Agency, and developed explicitly to circumvent our obligations under the Geneva Convention, sullies everything that America represents.

Both this quote and the one in the previous entry come from a speech the senator delivered yesterday to the Council on Foreign Relations. It’s a pretty interesting read as political speeches go, made even moreso by the fact that Hagel’s words seem to stand in direct opposition to much of what his party has championed — or at least tolerated — under the Bush White House. Oddly enough, he says many of the exact same things I myself have been muttering ever since 9/11. It’s a strange feeling to find myself nodding in agreement with a Republican. I really don’t know what to make of it…

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Nov162005

Senator Hagel on Dissent and Patriotism

“The Bush Administration must understand that each American has a right to question our policies in Iraq and should not be demonized for disagreeing with them. Suggesting that to challenge or criticize policy is undermining and hurting our troops is not democracy nor what this country has stood for, for over 200 years. The Democrats have an obligation to challenge in a serious and responsible manner, offering solutions and alternatives to the Administration’s policies.
“Vietnam was a national tragedy partly because Members of Congress failed their country, remained silent and lacked the courage to challenge the Administrations in power until it was too late. Some of us who went through that nightmare have an obligation to the 58,000 Americans who died in Vietnam to not let that happen again. To question your government is not unpatriotic – to not question your government is unpatriotic. America owes its men and women in uniform a policy worthy of their sacrifices.”

–Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Nebraska

[Ed. note: emphasis mine]

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Nov162005

Ooh, I Want One!

If you’ll recall, I wrote a week or so back that I’d like to add several Star Wars prop replicas to my collections. Just for kicks, I’ve put together a wish list of these items, complete with linked photos so you can see what I’m talking about as well as some commentary for those new to this corner of SW fandom. These replicas are all fairly expensive, limited-edition items, most of which long ago sold out from their respective manufacturers, so it’s doubtful that I’ll ever get around to buying them for myself. But who knows? One of my Three Loyal Readers may get an inheritance and kindly decide to reward me for all the entertainment this blog has provided them.

(To be honest, I probably could buy at least some of these for myself, but it’s hard to justify the expense for something that doesn’t do anything except sit on a shelf and warm the hearts of any fanboy friends who may drop by the house. Still, it’s fun to dream…)

Continue Reading…

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Nov152005

Bob McCabe’s Canon of Comedy Films

You may recall a couple of weeks ago when I wrote about John Scalzi’s canon of the 50 most significant science-fiction films, which he compiled for his new book, The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies. It turns out that three other Rough Guide movie books have just been released along with Scalzi’s, covering the comedy, horror, and gangster genres, and each of them has its own canon section. Scalzi suggests turning them into the same kind of meme that his list of sci-fi movies became, starting with The Comedy Canon from Bob McCabe’s Rough Guide to Comedy Movies. The drill is similar to last time: you’re supposed to bold the titles you’ve seen and put an asterisk next to the ones you own on DVD or VHS. So, without further ado, here’s my list:

Continue Reading…

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Nov142005

More on the Forts

I’ve found a little more information about those old British sea-forts I referenced the other day. There are actually quite a few Web sites that mention the “Maunsell forts” — so-called because they were designed by an engineer named Guy Maunsell — although, curiously, most of these sites seem to be more focused on the “unofficial” radio stations the forts hosted in the ’60s. I guess the pirate stations were quite popular in their day, either that or else anyone who had anything to do with them now has a Web site.

In any event, I have learned that efforts are underway to save one of these old structures after all. Project Redsand is an organization working to restore Redsand Towers, one of the two remaining Maunsell forts in the Thames Estuary. (There were also offshore forts built in other locations around Britain.) Redsand is considered the best candidate for preservation, since all seven of its towers are still standing and a 2004 survey revealed them to be in surprisingly good condition.
The project’s Web site contains quite a bit of information if you’re interested in this sort of thing, including a detailed history page. Among the factoids that caught my eye:

…three forts… were built in the Thames estuary, between May and December, 1943. They were known as the Nore, Redsand and Shivering Sands Army Forts. Each fort accommodated up to 265 men.

 

…the Thames forts shot down 22 planes, 30 flying bombs, and were instrumental in the loss of one U-boat, which was scuttled after coming under fire…

I find these forts fascinating, and I’m not quite sure why. Something about the way they look, maybe, crouched over the water on giant legs anchored to the sea-bed. I’m intrigued by oil-rigs, too, not because I have any particular interest in the oil industry, but just because they look cool to me; the Maunsell forts have the added attraction of an interesting history and the romantically run-down appearance that some old industrial sites acquire after going without maintenance for a while. To see what I mean by “romance,” check out the photos of Redsand at sunset on this site.

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