Wow...has it been 3 years of sharing my thoughts with you already? I look back and see how some things ahve changed yet others remain the same. This is a serious blow to my sensibilities. If I've learned anything here, it's that I really need to step things up a notch. I also need to return to those more thought provoking posts I've been known for. What good is a blog if it doesn't make anyone think?
Happy Blogiversary to me!
I'm personally amazed and proud as to how well the Dark Forums have been doing lately. Membership is up, but even better, the postings have been off the scale!
Ok granted, some people are stuck in the Quizzes section because the evergrowing population is out to move up the ranks, but there has been some major intellocratic discourse as of recent on current events, philosophy, religion, the paranormal, quantum physics and technology. Along with some real funny streamed videos and stuff to bring a chuckle in Dark Humour and Wit.
I want to personally thank everyone who's logged and contributed lately to take our fine brood to a new plateau. If you're not a member yet, I highly recommend you join the party while it's hot!
As Stan "the Man" Lee would say: "EXCELSIOR!!!"
Ok...in contemplation on entering into the Blog Thunderdome, inspired by Webkittyn's win, I decided to make a new banner to go with her scrumptious new blog design for me. So I and my little Picture It! Express program reworked a photo of me from nearly two summers ago, extracted the eyes (that sounded icky) turned it black and white, re-tinted it blue, added the text and voila!
Darkstar designed, Webkittyn approved. I'm almost ready to submit this blog to the Thunderdome....almost.
What do you think?
Webkittyn told me my blog was kind of boring so I let her penchant for blog artistry go to work and I'd say it's rather smashing, no? I trust her design eye...especially considering how awesome her latest blog design came out.
Of course this means I'll have to blog more. But according to Jeckles of the SBC, just writing "holy crap it's Tuesday and I haven't blogged in awhile! I promise to get on here and blog." is a terrible idea for an entry.
Either way... We're updating the sites. I have all these blogs now that need attention. We have to make sure Webkittyn is fully stocked in catnip to make things happen. There's plans to split this blog into two. One for the personal stuff (this one) and another one possibly called "Epichronicals" where I discuss nothing but what's in the categories about the music and making the music and the development of the philosophies (that aren't already discussed in the Church). I may even try my hand at banner making.
I like this new design....it's more organized, and the Shitty Blogs Club blogroll has it's own page so as not to clutter up the look. With that, I'm inclined to blog more...maybe get on a few more blogrolls and listings... Maybe traded some more links.
So...ON TO THE POSTING!!
OK...now it's time to vote.
Regretably, my nominations were rather bleak. None came from here. I feel so ....loved. Needless to say, I did not move onto the next round.
But enough about me...
Now, let's congratulate Webkittyn for moving onto the next round. She held a remarkable nomination share so let's get one of our own to win, now...shall we?
She designed this site and it's forums, so do me a favour this time and just click here .
Next, scroll down to Biggest Blog Whore, which is the 11th poll down on the page and click the name: Webkittyn . That's it. No big elabourate instructions...Anonymously. No trackbacks, no spam...just one little click. Do itfor me and in gratitude for our pithy page. If anything, I'd like the staff here to give a click at least. I'd really like one of our own to win this one.
Thank you, in advance, for your support.
Note: You can only vote once per IP per day, but if you have access to multiple IP's, then vote often, please. Remember, it's anonymous.
I'd like y'all to do me a favour and help out with some nominations for the Best of Blogs 2005.
Please stop by and nominate The Path to Endarkenment for Best Music Blog and my blog designer Webkittyn for Biggest Blog (link) Whore
If you find any other categories to nominate us for (I found that snarky blogging means ranting so I'll take that one too) please feel free. Have a nominations spree! I'll also nominate or vote for your blogs too if you have one. When nominating, please remember to use the entire url of the blog in question or they won't know who you're referencing.
Thank you in advance for your votes and support.
Most people don't blog about format changes... but this isn't merely a talk of changing the template. It's the seperation of church and state.
Talking to WebKittyn my site designer, after the blogathon, we've decided that this blog needs an enema. It's bloody boring. Too centered on the projects and nothing about the projector. I wouldn't want to read nothing but serious bloviations all the time. I was trying. In the last month, I added the "Relating" and "Creatures of Darkness" categories. That's not enough. I think as an offshoot of the main site, it needs to be more about me and my actual life...not the Epical life lessons. So prepare for changes and a little more fun on here...and I'm not just talking more "Dark Quizzes", which seems to be the only fun on here besides "Relating". Look for more of the infinite madness from the cobwebs of my minds closets.
Categories to be exported to another blog: "Epican Lore" and "The Path to Prophethood". This new third Darkblog would be a more philisophical for the Epical movement. It would have a redundant link in both "Dark Blogs" and in "What is Epica" (also to be renamed to something that reflects the new "Epical" term.)
Blog on.
Congratulations to WebKittyn (the blogmistress and my webdesigner) for staying up a full 24 hours surviving the Blogathon 2005 and collecting $515 for Doctors without Borders. It was kind of fun to comment back and forth with other bloggers both involved and non involved on the many odd topics her delirium presented. (Boy...THAT was a run on sentence.)
I particularly enjoyed the discourse on the annoying commercials we're subjected to on TV today. I almost forgot those creepy Quiznos "sponge monkeys" 'til then. You can see the blog party at WebKittyns site.
While she shared her thoughts, she posted the oddest pics of things like what a blogathoner eats to stay awake and gain energy. The cat pictures were just silly...especially with the way she sized them. The more she stayed awake, the sillier the posts got.
Good job, WK...I'm still wondering who this "Gotard" is though.
Anyway... So my birthday passed. Yay. Can you smell the enthusiasm with the multitude of burning candle wax. I'm giving this thing the final year push (so he says every year). I will get these demo's out for shop immediately. I must churn out at least two more. I can shop with three. I go back in studio the weekend of the 16th. I'll be buried in it for 2-3 days. We're tearing down almost all the work from the first attempt. I'm just keeping the rhythm tracks as the foundation. I'll be adding funkier ones over those. I've restructured the chorus melody, tweaked the bridge melody and created choir samples. Let's see how happy I am to blog in about 2 to 3 weeks. It takes me awhile to figure out whether I like what I've got or not.
I have a new secret project. A spin-off website is in the works. But that'll be a hidden agenda for the time being. Websites and blogs are odd... It's that whole "who sees my site?" thing. The newest giggle in the blog world is being a part of the "ecosystem" at www.thetruthlaidbear.com . You'll see the link at the side of the blog. Currently I believe it shows me to be a "flippery fish". It's odd, but in a way, you feel like your blog is getting somewhere when it goes up in someone ranking. As to whether your blog has something to say to the world, is another thing entirely.
You may have noticed a few site changes here. Webkittyn has been tweaking the site to a more mature look. The categories work, and we restructured them to be searched by category. The comments work too. You can leave me one or two if you feel the need. You don't have to give your real information or even say how you found this blog or me or the site... Just say hello.
I got rid of the music on site, so if you're a regular visitor here, stop looking. It's gone. I want to find other ways to play my tunes. One day that "Listen to D'Sar" link might work. However I find it amusing when people say they click on it and wonder why they don't hear anything.
What is it with hackers these days? Don't they have better places to tear down than our little corner of the world? Go tear down an Enron site or something.
I woke up this morning to find the Dark Forums were hacked, but not irrepairably. Kalilyn security is rather tight, but even the best sometimes get a temporary setback. It seems the guy who did it still has a some vendetta against the site that he took 2 years to get back in. It only happened once before.
See...Some whack job jihad named "Professor Hacker" aka "OPERATION FURIOUS ANGER" comes in and places some ridiculous animated gifs of some Iraqi dad and son hiding from some blast. "Fuck you Israil!! , Fuck you USA!!" was posted also along with some Arabic slogans. Moron can't spell Israel, but can knock out our index page. Thanks to Firestarter, she found that it's the same habitual hacker that hunts political posts who hacked in 2 years ago.
Anyway... Webkitten is trying to weave some kitten goddess magic to get the index page back online.
I personally needed a break anyway. I need to get back to recording and rehearsal or there may be no NEED for the Dark Forums anyway.
Check back on occasion. It's only a forum.... lets not act like its real life.
My Fellow Endarkened Citizens of the thedarkstar.net and its Dark Forums:
I have always thought of my project, this site, it's forums as a labour of love by the people, for the people, attempting to supply a fun environment for all endarkened to enjoy. In the works are plans to create a community area, chat room and streaming media upgrades to the main site for all to enjoy.
But alas, a problem in the servers has arisen where we may have to move this happy home to someplace preferably better than where we are now. Unfortunately this may prove to be more costly initially than we the partners of thedarkstar.net and kalilyn hosting were prepared to endure at this trying time.
The following is an excerpt from a post from the blog entry Kalilyn aka Webkitten (our designer/ webhost manager) wrote to our bloggers and MuDders, all who, like yourselves, have gotten a free ride for years.
Greetings..
This is something I have never in my five years of running ToD even considered doing. I don't like asking people for things, those who know me know I have problems admitting a need for help. But I find myself in a dead-end right now and the light at the end of the tunnel is a little far for me to reach alone.
Most of you know I rent the server the mud is on. Most of you know I also have a webserver I rent (where blogsofroleplay.com lives). Yes, it is a lot of money every month but it allows for us to do more with the mud and the other mud on the server and for those of you who blog, it allows for free email and image hosting and all that other stuff.
The server cost has never been an issue, I am currently paying $340 a month between the two servers. Pricey but worth it.
Recently a situation came up with the company I contract the servers from. I've waited patiently for three days hoping for a resolution only to have my trouble ticket closed three times while the problem remained open and currently they have no intention of furthering the issue. Blame is being shifted instead of the problem being resolved and it became evident tonight it won't be resolved.
Moving servers is a huge thing. It requires new IPs, it requires first getting the machine going and then a smooth transfer. It is not something I want to do, it is not something I look forward to doing.
However. This new machine is literally twice the machine we are currently on, either mud or web. It gives us more than we had before and the opportunity to do even more. It is something worth doing.
Setting up a server costs money. While I've never needed to reach out to cover the costs of running the beasts, the setup fee on top of a month up front is simply more than I can handle by myself, as much as this pains me to admit.
And so I come to you. Those of you who have enjoyed what we've been able to give you and who have the means, I appeal to you to reach into your wallets and help the cause. As little or as much as you can, it doesn't matter the amount. Every bit received is one step closer to the goal and deeply appreciated.
I can offer nothing in return for your kindness but my gratitude and if you want, an email address at any of the domains I handle. And I ask that you not feel any sense of obligation to donate, I understand fully that money is hard to come by and even harder to part with.
Not one cent received will go towards any cost or expense other than the transfer and setup of the new server. This is not a "Send Kali to Jamaica" telethon, this is a "Please help the server" telethon.
I have added a PayPal button to this blog, it will take you right to PayPal, to Strega@blogsofroleplay.com where my PayPal is set up. If you cannot use PayPal and would like to donate, please get in touch with me and I'll give you a mailing address.
I thank you for your time and for allowing me this one-time descent into humility and an appeal for charity.
Kali
Ok... with that said, I , the proud Darklord of this realm implore you to help keep this site free. Donations made don't come without reward. I offer my Dark Donors a plethora of prizes from your own yourname@thedarkstar.net FREE email address, to having a forum of your very own within which you may rule like Duke (even password protect) in your very own subforum as your very own moderator (for example:"Dark Politics", or " Things that piss off yourname here"( with no more trying to climb through the ranks, this is an instant 6 star promotion) and your (non Xrated) pictures hosted and posted in "Who are the D'Sari" on the main page. The deadline for donations is 10/26/04
"How do I take advantage of such a generous offer? " you ask? Follow these simple steps along the path to greatness:
Click the "Make a donation" button under links on the right side of this blog. Follow the Paypal instructions.
Thank you in advance, any and all who make donations.
Dark eve to you.
D'Sar, the Darkstar.