Tweaks and enhancements

• As a number of you reported, a service interruption impaired sending and receiving notifications for a couple of days. This was due to an avalanche of snowflake cookies. We've removed the free snowflake cookie and unclogged the pipeline. Timely notifications should resume shortly. Please note that there's a backlog in our queues, so you'll be getting earlier notifications first. For more details, check out this post at lj_maintenance.
• In anticipation of the new year, we've embarked on a self-improvement kick to boost our backend (pun semi-intended). This will allow us to offer you a holiday promotion in the next few weeks (yes, we're listening and working very hard to make it happen). We sincerely appreciate your continued patience and support.

Holiday vgifts are here!

We've added some fantastic new vgifts to help you spread holiday cheer. We also hope you'll honor AIDS Awareness Month by purchasing virtual red ribbons. Priced at $2.99, we'll donate 100 percent of gross proceeds to IAVI.org (the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative) to support the development and global distribution of an affordable HIV vaccine.

Introducing: LJLimericks

We cordially here do invite you
To craft a fine limerick. Might you?
Each week, a new theme,
Then a poll, that's our dream
Winner posted on news to delight you!

In honor of all the brilliant writers on LiveJournal, we've created a brand new community: ljlimericks! Each week, we'll enter a handful of limericks into a poll (which we'll tuck snugly under an LJ-Cut). The winning poem will be published in the following newsletter. In addition, the author will receive a virtual blue ribbon! If you have the time, come drop us a rhyme. Please keep the "Nantucket" stuff on the downlow, since this is a youth-friendly community. Our first prompt is: Insomnia in winter.

Photos of the week

We're back with more incredible images from our global photography community. Congratulations to sempre_marseeya, who has been awarded a virtual blue ribbon as the winner of our second lj_photophile poll.

We hate to squelch your creativity, but, as a courtesy to other users, please post only one photo at a time and keep the main photo no larger than 350x350 (so images display properly via mobile and on friends pages). You can link to a larger image and/or post photos under a cut. Just so you know, we select photos for the poll blindly, based on user comments and staff feedback. Please continue to vote, comment, and, of course, enjoy. You can check out the week in pictures and view more awesome user content after the jump!

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Curtains

Thanks, again, for joining us. Stay warm and safe out there!

Tags: handmade_gifts, holiday vgifts, lj_photophile, lj_spotlights, ljlimerick, notification fix, snowflake cookie avalanche, writer's block

doorwindowwall
A stunning collection of images sure to delight anyone with a penchant for architectural elements, this talented community, largely from New York, is hoping to attract new members from around the world. Featuring an eclectic variety of photos depicting doors, windows, and walls, there's an interesting balance of interior and exterior shots, many from urban streets, some from ramshackle rural farmhouses. Wonderful!

**FINAL EDIT Thu Dec 10 02:15:47 UTC 2009**

So there is the final update... Over the past day we have processed around 11 million jobs out of the 12 million that were in queue at that time. Please bear in mind that over this past day, more jobs for notifications are also created. So while the queue has been dropping, we are still not fully caught up at this point, due to backlog and new jobs. We have roughly 3 million jobs still pending that involve the notification system in some manner. We had hoped we could have fully cleared the queue in a day, but unfortunately we can't clear it too quickly, since we need the rest of the site to operate normally. From our current perspective on the amount of jobs that are left in queue, and how many it has processed thus far, we believe it will take around another 8 - 12 hours to process everything.

And finally some answers to some questions:

( Read More and Get Some Answers... )

Tags: notification system
Current Location: Under a Rock
Current Mood: grumpy

freeskiers
While some of us long to escape the cold, dark stretch of winter for hot tropical beaches, for others, there's nothing quite like whoooooshing down those shimmering sugar alps. If you're fond of freestyle skiing, get ready to slide down the slippery slopes in good company. This passionate, international community shares travel/gear tips, anecdotes, photos, and videos for those who can't get enough of the sweet stuff.

Tags: freeskiers, skiing, snow, travel, winter sports

seasonal_icons
Need some extra twinkle to decorate your place? Check out these dazzling holiday-themed icons. If you're an artist, you can post your own creations, provided you abide by the simple rules (which is to say, all cheer and no politicking). Be sure to comment and give credit if you wish to borrow a little spirit (no direct links, please). If you're feeling a touch of humbug this season, this is an instant shot of festivity.

Tags: design, holiday icons, season_icons, userpics

handmade_gifts
High on creativity, but low on cash? You'll find tons of brilliant suggestions for do-it-yourself crafts sure to please everyone on your holiday gift list. Offering detailed instructions, photos, budgets, timelines, and active support, you'll soon turn spare remnants of fabric and time into cherished keepsakes. Be sure to search entries and read user guidelines before you post for help!

"Paul decided to take his own life as he felt he had been dealt too much of a bad hand. We hope he is now at peace."

Paul, before his final act, visited some of my friends, and spoke long and hard at them about his life, his past, his present.
Now he's gone, and understandably some of them are asking *Could I have done more? Should I have understood more?*
Welll, I thought the same yesterday, and gods damn it, I still mean everything I said, but...

See...I'm in a strangely privileged position...

Some of you may know that 10ish years ago I pretty much lost my entire life. I'm not going to rehash, but I ended up hurting. Hurting more than I ever thought possible.
And I wanted it to end.
And I intended to make sure it did.

And...turns out that I am crap at suicide...

300 co-codamol tablets, all at once...stained my tongue red and stopped any headache for a month.
300 asprin tablets gave me a very slight high-pitched whine. And indigestion.
300 Paracetamol made me a little dizzy, and made me think I could smell something bitter for a couple of hours.
50 amitriptyline tablets made me fall asleep at a police station and wake up 30 hours later in hospital, strangely refreshed.
4 hours in a car with the engine running, a hosepipe from the exhaust to the interior...gave me a bit of a cough. And then I ran out of petrol, and had to walk home in the dark. In the rain. And I got a parking ticket...
I stood on the main Bournemouth railway line, in the pouring rain, for 6 hours, waiting for an express train. on the day they closed the line for essentiol maintenance.
There were other attempts. All deadly serious. All failures. All, as it happens, funny amusing failures. They make a slightly startling anecdote at parties.

They were, however, deadly serious. I wasn't looking for help. I wasn't shouting *Look at me, I need support!* I didn't *tell* anyone about them for years after. I wanted, simply, for all the pain, all the hurting, all the dark, unforgiving future, day after day, week after month after year to go away. I couldn't take any more. I didn't want to hurt people, but I just could not take any more.

That was Paul. He had reached the end. His calls to his friends were not a cry for help. They were his way of acknowledging you were inportant to him. He was trying, in the only way he could, to make you try to understand why he could not go on. He wanted your understanding, and your respect. Your love. He wanted you to remember him as a sensible person, not a wash-out. I know this, for a fact. I did the same.

He would not want you to feel guilty, my friends. Truly it would not have *occured* to him that you would. By this stage he wasn't exactly thinking strainght, but he wasn't trying to blame you, he was thanking you for being close to him, and wanting you to respect him even after he ended his life. And I know you do. He would not want your guilt on his head. Please don't feel guilt.

Yeah...so...that's it.

LiveJournal: The First Decade

Just in time for holiday shopping, we're thrilled to announce the release of our ten-year anniversary anthology. Published by Blurb.com, the book showcases a decade of extraordinary talent drawn from LiveJournal users around the world. This must-read compilation features stories, memes, photos, comics, editorials, graphic content, and more, including:

1. Excerpts from Oh No They Didn't (a/k/a ohnotheydidnt), the largest community on LiveJournal, covering celebrity gossip, entertainment news, and pop culture
2. A look at post-Katrina New Orleans from the journal of Poppy Z. Brite
3. Gripping narratives, including a poignant reverie on a blind date
4. Photography that spans the globe, ranging from old-fashioned Polaroids to underwater photography
5. Mouthwatering dishes from food_porn

What began as a late-night inspiration back in Brad Fitzpatrick's college dorm in 1999 has grown to encompass nearly 25 million users worldwide, with journals and communities covering every conceivable hobby, passion, and topic. To get your copy, please visit the Blurb Bookstore. For updates and entries from book contributors, please join lj_turns10.

Tweaks and enhancements

• You can now ban a user from all of your communities and journals at once. To access this feature, hover over the person's userpic and choose Ban user everywhere from the drop-down menu.
• Follow LiveJournal on Twitter!

Give a little to help a lot!

In honor of National AIDS Awareness month, we've added a new charitable vgift. For each red ribbon you purchase for $2.99, we'll donate 100 percent of gross proceeds to IAVI.org (the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative) to support the development and global distribution of an affordable HIV vaccine (we'll cover credit card fees). You can read more about IAVI at lj_cares. While we're on the subject, we raised $740 from our November fundraiser for Love Without Boundaries, which supports emergency healthcare and adoption of Chinese orphans. We thank you for helping us help others.

Photos of the week

We're back with more incredible pictures from our super-talented LiveJournal photographers. Congratulations to ilya_gorokhov, who is the winner of our very first lj_photophile poll.

We hope you'll continue to post, vote, and comment! A gentle request: Please post only one photo at a time and limit size to 350x350 (so images display properly on friends pages). And now, without further ado, get ready to cast your ballot and view more awesome user content after the jump!

( Read more... )

Curtains

Thanks, again, for joining us. Stay safe and snug out there!

Tags: aids vgift red ribbon fundraiser, blurb, livejournal: the first decade, lj_photophile poll

Two things I ask tonight. Firstly, I ask that when people talk to me I have the wit and wisdom to hear not just what they say, but what they mean.
And second. My friends. All of you on my list, and anyone reading this. Please, if things are bad, if you feel low, that you can't cope, that nobody cares, please, I beg of you, pick up the phone. Call me. Call your friends. Talk. I don't give a fuck if you talk all night long. I'll even pay the phone bill. If necessary I will drive to the other side of the country to be with you. This I swear, in my childrens lives. I will be there if you need me. Just ask. Please, just ASK!