Big post - LJ, DW, Russians, with helpful links!

First of all - you can download your LJ:

BlogBooker

In days past there used to be something called LJ Book (which was free!), but it seems to have vanished or morphed into BlogBooker, which will cost you if you want to download more than a year. But at least it's an option! :)

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For safety, this is an excellent resource:

Encrypt the web: Install HTTPS Everywhere today.

Simple extension. Keeps you safe(r). ETA: Important caveat about HTTPS Everywhere: it cannot encrypt sites that do not have an https version. So this won't help anyone with LJ unless they reinstate their https. (With thanks to Promethia)

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If you want to make the leap to DreamWidth wholesale, here is an excellent guide:

How to Move to Dreamwidth and Like It

If you just want to back things up/cross post for now, simple guides under the cut:

( Read more... )

Now, DW posted a news update yesterday, and they have had a large influx of new people (100,000!). But let's not forget that LJ is one of *the* platforms for blogging in Russia, and still is free and open for them. I wish I knew more about their side of it, how they are seeing the future. If they all want to go to DW or if they want to stick with LJ despite everything...

And this is probably as good a time as any to remind people of anniesj's story:

A Word to the Wise
Because of a (public) post ranting about the then President (Dubya - this was 2004) the Secret Service paid her a visit and she has an FBI file. And not because of snooping or google searches or anything like that, but because someone (on LJ) reported her.

Please read the whole post. It's increasingly relevant.

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Anyway, I'm gonna keep cross-posting for now. Being on DW wouldn't have helped anniesj any... (Not that it existed then.)

I wrote a post on LJ vs. DW last year (or 2015, rather). Although I have since found a new analogy for DW. It's from Buffy Summers Diary, a fic in the style of Bridget Jones where Buffy writes about her birthday party (S6, the one where they're all trapped in the house). And Xander & Anya bring a friend they try to set her up with:

'...Xander brought in Normal Richard at that point. Normal Richard pleasant and rather beige, like tapioca pudding or similar.'

So, Imma gonna stick with Spike for now, but keep Normal Richard on hand in case Spike does something unforgivable...

ETA: Other point - DW has no galleries. Yes I have a photobucket account, but LJ is about a million times easier and more convenient. (I use the old style which is far superior when it comes to images.) So that's a major stumbling block when it comes to moving... Hence, staying put for now, with caveats.

Right, TV shows...

I am trying to remember what I watched in 2016...

( Quick rundown of stuff that I can remember )

But the important ones were/are these:



(Yes, I know S10 of Doctor Who hasn't started yet, but I found a banner with the three shows I actually care about, and it's too perfect not to use!!)

Now the thing about the other two shows is that they BOTH premiered on my birthday! I won the TV show lottery in 2016!! And in a shitty year, that was a pretty awesome thing.

We only started watching Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (re-imagined Douglas Adams, on Netflix) shortly before Christmas and mainlined it over the holiday period (yes, the whole family). And it is RIDICULOUSLY good.

( Trailers under here )

If you want something to completely take your mind off the current woes (or you just like superb TV) I cannot recommend this enough. It's completely mad and utterly brilliant. Like - it's impossible to describe. Just sit back and experience it.

And Class... Dirk is ~fabulous~ (and both he, and the show, most definitely is), but Class is the show that stole my heart.

Yes, it's well-written and performed and all the rest, but it's also a show that fits 2016/this point in time. Like I said in a previous post, it's a show built on the premise that suddenly one day your world changes. And you just have to deal with it, even if it's unfair, even if it hurts, even if you have plenty of problems already, and the universe just keeps dealing out more.

These words of Quill's are a good motto for the new year:

QUILL: Too big. Feels like [the pain] going to consume you. Well, the trick is to keep on living while it does.

Also I adore all of the characters (and the actors <3) and they are all too compelling and complex and diverse for words. More posts will be forthcoming, but episodes 6, 7 and 8 need... oh god, SO MUCH. Like, essays, each of them.

Anyway, for those that like trailers (even if it spoils certain plot points):

( Class trailer )

Generally though I'd just say watch the first episode. If you don't like that, you probably won't like the rest. It's coming to America in 2017... Nnnot quite sure when. And it's on iPlayer for those in the UK. (It's wonderful to have a show to be fannish about. Can you tell? *g*)

Also, is the formatting OK [this re. DW]? It should be fine, but I've changed my layout and the preview looks borked. The actual post looks fine, but I'm aware things look different for different people.