Literal Barrage Backup

54 Hours And Counting

2005-09-11T14:08:00.000-04:00

Well, my site has been down for over 54 hours now by this point. I am extremely ticked off. I have received no contact from my "service" "provider" VizaWeb. No email, nothing. As SOON as the mysql daemon comes back on line, I am running a mysqldump and then, I think, high-tailing it out of town. They will have to give me a VERY good reason (and some compelling incentives) for me to stick around, as well as a guarantee that nothing on this order will ever happen again.

There are so many better things that I have wanted to write about these past few days and I'm extremely frustrated that VW's ineptness has prevented me from posting. Grrrr.

Death To The Old Gray Geek!

2005-09-09T22:59:00.000-04:00

All becomes clear now.

Let's try some Google sleuthing. Google Search Phrase: VizaWeb sucks. First hit? A recent entry by none other than Leo Laporte formerly of TechTV fame.

It seems as though Leo's site uses VizaWeb and he has been recommending them for others desiring of hosting solutions. The client base of VizaWeb has apparently quintupled in short order.

This is not to excuse VizaWeb, for their conduct is truly inexcusable. If they are not able to support 5x as many customers as they once had, then perhaps they shouldn't freakin' allow that many people to sign up at once. It kills the experience for everyone, or at least those who aren't as famous as Leo Laporte and thus apparently able to get VW to answer their every hosting beck and call.

Arrrrrgh!

It's Official - My Hosting Provider Stinks

2005-09-09T15:35:00.000-04:00

Freakin' VizaWeb. As you can tell (if you remembered this URL as the Literal Barrage backup), Literal Barrage is currently down. Those keyboard-pounding simians over at VizaWeb can't seem to be bothered to check the status of the mysql daemon and so, for the time being, I'm left siteless.

Gahhhh.

I plan on grabbing a mysql dump of all my content ASAP and then seeing about moving the site to Dreamhost or some other reliable web host. These outtages are unacceptable regardless of who I am or how much I'm paying for hosting. I'm furious and I don't care if VizaWeb finds out about it.

[/fuming]

Back On Again

2005-02-09T14:40:00.000-05:00

Okay, this is getting tiresome. Well, LB.org is back online again, for the time being.

Shazbot!

2005-02-09T13:54:00.000-05:00

Down again. Razza frazza, no-good mysql hogs.

Great. Just Great.

2005-02-09T09:47:00.000-05:00

If you're reading this, then you've obviously noticed that LiteralBarrage.org is down for the time being. I have submitted several tickets to my hosting company but haven't seen any response yet.

On top of that, I learned this morning that my hosting company is involved with the Coptic Christian slayings in Jersey City last month, inasmuch as the website that appears to have coordinated the attacks is/was hosted by VizaWeb (my hosting company). Apparently the site in question is currently disabled, but I'm wondering if some enterprising crackers on the side of the Copts isn't attempting a DDoS on VizaWeb. In either case, I find this revelation to be highly disturbing, enough so that I may reconsider using VW (depending on how they resolve this issue).

*sigh*

Blogging From The In-Laws: Day 9 (Recap)

2004-12-30T01:06:00.000-05:00

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
I got a chance to go see The Life Aquatic with my brother-in-law yesterday. We both found it to be highly entertaining, although you may have to be a bit of a fan of Wes Anderson's other works (Rushmore, Bottle Rocket, and The Royal Tennenbaums) or at least have a dry sense of humor in order to enjoy it fully. The language is also a bit rougher around the edges, so if your stomach turns at more than a few F-bombs, I'd avoid it.

The entire cast turns in quirky performances but I felt that Willem Dafoe stole the show with his portrayal of the Belafonte's German engineer, Klaus. I won't ruin the movie by attempting to describe it, but I must say that the best scene, in my not-so-humble opinion, involves the storming of an abandoned 4 star hotel on a remote Pacific island.

All-in-all, I'd give it an enthusiastic thumbs up.

Blogging From The In-Laws: Day 8 (Recap)

2004-12-28T23:22:00.000-05:00

An Endorsement
If you're ever in Longview, TX, stop by Bodacious BBQ. The sauce is good, if a bit sweet, but their meat is superior to most other places I've been. I've a sneaking suspicion it has to do with the quality of the wood they use in the smoking...

A Review
I received Mario Power Tennis from my wife for Christmas and got a chance to play it quite a bit with my brother-in-law. It's quite entertaining and the graphics do a wonderful job of conveying a playful atmosphere. However, the control scheme is needlessly complex, so much so that I was practically yearning for the simpler days of on-court action as presented in the superlative Sega Sports Tennis. Instead of assigning drop and lob shots to the X and Y buttons, the game instead forces you to tap B-then-A or A-then-B (respectively) to make these shots. Also, in the higher level tournaments, the AI players are extremely difficult, almost to the point of "cheating" ala Super Mario Kart.

Still, 'tis an eminently entertaining game and I can't wait to try it out with four players. It should make a great "party" game.

A Non-Endorsement
Two words: Hobby. Lobby. (But wait, it gets worse!)

Combine them with: Shopping.

And finally: After. Christmas. Sale.

*shudder*

Button Maker

2004-12-28T11:24:00.000-05:00

This one's for Brad, since Blogger seems to have b0rked my attempt to post the link over at his site:

Button Maker.

Yeeehaw.

Blogging From The In-Laws: Days 6 & 7

2004-12-26T23:59:00.000-05:00

I think I've eaten more food in the past two days than a small east African nation. We're currently stationed at my wife's grandmother's house and, in the grand tradition of Southern grandmothers, she always puts out quite a spread.

While the cheese spreads on crouton-esque bread is bad enough (in a caloric, not gustatory fashion, mind you), they're far exceeded by the white chocolate-covered popcorn, fudge, and chocolate chip cookies which carry a deliciously deadly payload of Snickers at their centers.

Ugh. I couldn't eat anover boit. I moit frow up.

Just Testing

2004-12-26T23:58:00.000-05:00

We're testing here to see if this works...