MuseBlog

Got an idea for a new thread topic, blog feature, or ???? Run it up the blogpole, and see who salutes.

The “Who’s Here” page (see tab above) now includes the date of each MuseBlogger’s first posting, and “Hints” has turned into the “Hitchhiker’s Guide to MuseBlog” (HG2MB). Enjoy!

If it’s your first time here, please read The Rules before doing anything else. If you still have questions, the Administrators and veteran MuseBloggers will be happy to answer them. (Whether they give you the same answers is another matter.)

Sorry about any error messages you might have received lately while trying to connect to MuseBlog. Our Web host company is working on the problem.

Did you miss us?

Our Web host was having technical problems, but all should be well now.

To mark the new year, the Administrators are closing down most of 2005’s cobwebby old threads. Of course, we’ll all need something new to take their place. Suggestions?

We know you’re out there. So if you’ve never posted on MuseBlog before, at least check in here long enough to say hi.

Thanks,
The MuseBlog Gang

Robert has figured out how to fix the mistaken time stamp that’s been making it look as if Musers stay up even later than they do. Because so many of you live in the American Midwest, he’s set it to Central Standard Time (at least until Daylight Saving Time rolls around again, whereupon it will get all messed up again). Just thought you’d like to know.

All,

Rosanne and I try to discourage links to other Web sites–partly to avoid attracting the dreaded spam bots, partly because we don’t have time to check them all for “inappropriate” content. We’ll sometimes relax the rule if a site looks Muselike and/or useful and Mostly Harmless, but please remember that the rule is there.

There is plenty of shocking material on the Web. People post it for various reasons, good and bad. Because Rosanne and I can’t evaluate it all, we’d just as soon not become a portal to it. So go easy on the links, please, even when they relate to something you care passionately about–maybe especially then. After all, we’ve all got Google.

Thanks,

Robert

Check out the list on the new Hints Page.

We’re not sure whether they all work. For the ones without symbols, try putting the emoticon’s name between colons, :like_this:

Have fun!

Nothing too exciting this time–just routine updates to

• The “Muse Around the World” list
• The back issues list
• The list of Muse authors
• The Q&A archives
• The favorite quotations list

Well, not technically a kid, but a very kidlike adult: Rosanne Spector will be administering MuseBlog next week while Robert takes a short break from the 24-7 online life.

As all Musers know, Rosanne writes half (the fun half) of Muse‘s incomparably quirky Q&A column. When she’s not doing that, she edits the award-winning magazine Stanford Medicine. She and Robert also recently co-starred in this endearingly klutzy cellphone video clip. She’ll be around the blog this week getting the hang of things and generally making herself useful. Say hello when you see her; she’s very friendly.

Name: Rosanne Spector, Q&A Columnist
Most often seen: Walking down her street in suburban California saying hi to the dogs in front yards.
Like: Plums, fireworks, books, dogs.
Dislike: Steak and kidney pie, vacuum cleaner sound, TV, hairy spiders.
In my spare time: I try to calm down.

There’s a good one at How Stuff Works. Might be fun to find out just how much of that code works in MuseBlog comments. Post your experiments here, please, so we can all see. (Don’t forget to explain what you’re trying to do so that we’ll know what was supposed to happen in case it fizzles.)

Just a little way over there at upper right. See it?

Now we need dates. All the recent summer birthdays are on the list, but they won’t be back around for a while. Is anything else noteworthy coming up?

During its first month on the Web, MuseBlog racked up 573 messages–more than twice the total harvest of 261 on the good old Gaboomba message board. Happy birthday to us!

If so, please post comments here. We’re eager to hear what you think about the Muse Magazine Fan Page and MuseBlog, and how we can help make them better for you and your kids.

(Note that Muse‘s editors and publisher are not involved in this Web site. Any comments or business concerning the magazine should be sent directly to them.)

All,

When submitting comments, please leave the “URL” field in your comment form blank. Otherwise it takes us longer to post the comments–and those valuable seconds add up. Time is all we have, you know…

Philosophically,
R.C.

The Fan Page’s links list for January-July 2005 is still blank, and it doesn’t look as if I’ll ever have time to compile it. Can anyone help?

It’s easy: just go through an issue looking for URLs. For each one, note the page it’s on, try it online to make sure it works, and write down what the page is called. (Viewing the header information in the source code is the best way to make sure you’ve got its real name.) Then post the list as a comment here.

There probably won’t be many–just three or four per issue, as I recall. Even one issue would help. In exchange, the undying gratitude of all Musedom will be yours.

Thanks!

–Yr. Overcommitted Webmusester

Issues needed: January, February, March, April, May/June, July/August. All done. Thanks!

Check out the Muse Magazine Fan Page’s new look!

I’ve revamped the home page and slapped new title bars on the main parts of the site. Next come a million little details. A lot of things probably won’t work quite right for a while, but that’s the price you pay.

There’s no question that the MMFP was long overdue for a makeover. What lit the fuse is that company is coming! Word has it that the magazine is going to run our URL in the September issue, so with luck, MuseBlog should soon be aswarm with new faces. Party manners, everybody…

–R. C.

Lay ’em on us. We’re all ears.