Saturday, March 31, 2012

There ain't no such thing as a free lunch

Short version:


blackandwhiteandcolours moved here.


Long version:


I am leaving blogger ...
I have been using blogger for almost five years now and most of the time - really, 99.999% of the time - I was really happy with it.
Not much to do, just drag a gadget here, arrange some gadgets there and voilà ... website design was done. No worries about security, patching, databases, php and all the rest.

In January things started to break and they don't seem to ever get fixed.

Like so many others in the Internet and elsewhere (there is a world elsewhere, yes!) I am convinced Google is neglecting many of its other services because of google+ - but, alas ...

At first blog roll didn't work anymore. I couldn't edit, couldn't add or delete any new blogs. I subscribed to a Google Help forum thread.
Nothing happened.
Many other bloggers described the same issue.
Sometimes bloggers complained about their critical comments being deleted (true, I always checked - and these were never impolite or rude comments).
Today (3/29) I checked - the thread doesn't exist anymore.
Only thing left is a dysfunctional "Save" button in the blog roll widget since January.
Did I mention the blog roll issue never made it to blogger-status?

Next thing was the "captcha" incident.
Suddenly the captchas were illegible.
A preceding announcement on blogger-buzz? Nope.

One of the important things of blogging is communication, isn't it?
There should be an easy way to comment for everyone. I didn't want anyone of my readers to get a headache because of trying to decipher some white-on-black gibberish. I deactivated the captchas. The way to do this was not that obvious since you had to go back to the old editor. Some other bloggers asked me how to do this. Not documented. Google simplified matters one or two days later - but really. I_was_annoyed already. Then it was activated again by default in the new editor. Duh.

The only way right now to have things running smoothly is to visit your own blog daily as a different user, try to comment and generally have a look at it.

Then suddenly I wasn't able to subscribe to comments on other blogs.
Another Google Help forum thread.
Another one that doesn't exist anymore.
What I learned when the thread still existed was that subscribing to comments was only available with the embedded comment form.
A comment form many bloggers don't use because of some other issues.

I know that moving from blogspot to some other system won't help me with this issue - but: how do I know how long subscribing to comments will work on my blogger blog?

Blogging lives on the communication between people.
I want to read what other people are saying.
I want to know about different views.
I want to hear the answers to my questions.

It's simply not manageable to do all this without the ability of subscribing to comments.
We are blogging.
Not monologuing. (Is this a word? If not it should be :-)!)

A blog without a nice easy comment system isn't a blog. It's what we had some 20 years ago when we made our own websites with an editor and uploaded the files via ftp.
However ... there ain't no such thing like a free lunch.
So I am moving.
I have moved already, to be honest, and you can find my new blog here.
I would be happy to meet you all there!
Feel free to comment or email about glitches, issues, wishes ... whatever :-).
I am the captain of my own blog.
I do hope. ;-)

I kind of imported the blogroll to a page with static links and I am using my pinterest board as another means to show my appreciation for your blogs.
I have no idea how long pinterest might live but right now it is very nice and convenient as a link site for photography blogs. Just ignore pins that want to sell you some new perfume.
If you don't find your blog on my pinterest board it might be you are using a dynamic blogger template - they can't be pinned.
Or it might be I simply made a mistake - don't hesitate to contact me about this!
Or because you/your hoster/your website provider simply denied pinning. Can't do anything about this.

I also tried to import all old blogger posts to the new blog - comments didn't work out, thumbnails didn't work out, layout didn't work out. I'll try to fix some of this in the future. Not sure if things can be fixed, though. The scrappress ... hum, I think I might move it, too.
But not today.

Here comments will be closed on April 1st - not joking, ;-)
This blog will be open until ... someone (not me) shuts it down.

Right now I am more interested in taking photos and posting photos.
And have fun.
Martina

04/01/2012 I am closing comments now. Feel free to comment on the new blog, perhaps on the about page if your comment doesn't deal with my wonderful German garden gnome photos, ;-).
See you all there!

Friday, March 30, 2012

"The party was ending"

"The party was ending" - Ever Since by Donald Antrim

Thursday, March 29, 2012

"Everybody said what a nice time it had been"

"Everybody said what a nice time it had been" - Ever Since by Donald Antrim

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

"What in the world are you doing?"

"What in the world are you doing?" - Ever Since by Donald Antrim

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

"Did I scare you?"

"Did I scare you?" - Ever Since by Donald Antrim

Monday, March 26, 2012

"Forgive me for running off like that"

"Forgive me for running off like that" - Ever Since by Donald Antrim

Sunday, March 25, 2012

"It seemed they were going to be friends for the night"

"It seemed they were going to be friends for the night" - Ever Since by Donald Antrim

Saturday, March 24, 2012

"Did you have any luck?""Not a bit"

"Did you have any luck?""Not a bit" - Ever Since by Donald Antrim

Friday, March 23, 2012

"I don't know what to say"

"I don't know what to say" - Ever Since by Donald Antrim

Thursday, March 22, 2012

"Sorry, I was trying to avoid someone"

"Sorry, I was trying to avoid someone" - Ever Since by Donald Antrim

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

"You can't just drop a bunch of rocks in a pile to make a stone wall"

"You can't just drop a bunch of rocks in a pile to make a stone wall" - Ever Since by Donald Antrim

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

"I'm only suffering minor embarrassment"

"I'm only suffering minor embarrassment" - Ever Since by Donald Antrim

Monday, March 19, 2012

"The world is incredible at this time of day, isn't it?"

"The world is incredible at this time of day, isn't it?" - Ever Since by Donald Antrim

Friday, March 9, 2012

"Gone fishing"

"I will be back around 3/19" - Gone fishing by Martina :-)

Thursday, March 8, 2012

"And you don't even have to remember how it feels, if you remember how it looks"

"And you don't even have to remember how it feels, if you remember how it looks" -  fourteen threadless needles by Vito Pasquale

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

"Loneliness is a mask"

"Loneliness is a mask" - fourteen threadless needles by Vito Pasquale

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

"No different than anyone else, we were young. Once."

"No different than anyone else, we were young. Once." - fourteen threadless needles by Vito Pasquale

Monday, March 5, 2012

"Something there is that doesn't love a happy ending"

"Something there is that doesn't love a happy ending" - fourteen threadless needles by Vito Pasquale

Sunday, March 4, 2012

"Let me just slow this down a little bit here"

"Let me just slow this down a little bit here" - fourteen threadless needles by Vito Pasquale

Saturday, March 3, 2012

"It was always your light that I saw at the window"

"It was always your light that I saw at the window" - fourteen threadless needles by Vito Pasquale

Friday, March 2, 2012

"I see you leaving for the blue end of the sky"

"I see you leaving for the blue end of the sky" - fourteen threadless needles by vito pasquale

Thursday, March 1, 2012

"We live in a city of (rough) approximations"

"We live in a city of (rough) approximations" - fourteen threadless needles by Vito Pasquale

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

"All poems cause side effects"

"All poems cause side effects" - fourteen threadless needles by Vito Pasquale

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

"I was hoping there might be a clue here"

"I was hoping there might be a clue here" - Citizen Conn by Michael Chabon

Monday, February 27, 2012

"And you were hiding from the photographer?"

"And you were hiding from the photographer?" - Citizen Conn by Michael Chabon

Sunday, February 26, 2012

"I hated having to ask them to wait"

"I hated having to ask them to wait" - Citizen Conn by Michael Chabon

Saturday, February 25, 2012

"He needed somebody to lean on"

"He needed somebody to lean on" - Citizen Conn by Michael Chabon

Friday, February 24, 2012

"Don't worry about it, it's all right"

"Don't worry about it, it's all right" - Citizen Conn by Michael Chabon

Thursday, February 23, 2012

"It was nothing I had ever seen before"

"It was nothing I had ever seen before" - Citizen Conn by Michael Chabon

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

"I never saw him playing cards, chess, or Scrabble"

"I never saw him playing cards, chess, or Scrabble" - Citizen Conn by Michael Chabon

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

"Quarrelling, trading insults, but ever, at bottom, bosom pals"

"Quarrelling, trading insults, but ever, at bottom, bosom pals" - Citizin Conn by Michael Chabon

Monday, February 20, 2012

"I learned to pick out a hydrant"

"I learned to pick out a hydrant" - Citizen Conn by Michael Chabon

And Now for Something Completely Different ...

... since it is this time of the year there is a special on the scrappress today.
On blackandwhiteandcolours normal service will resume tonight.


Sunday, February 19, 2012

"Its walls had been painted often enough"

"Its walls had been painted often enough" - Citizen Conn by Michael Chabon

Saturday, February 18, 2012

"I could have gone through the door"

"I could have gone through the door" - Los Gigantes by T. C. Boyle

Friday, February 17, 2012

"A silent place where no one would hear my cries of outrage or pleas for freedom"

"A silent place where no one would hear my cries of outrage or pleas for freedom" - Los Gigantes by T. C. Boyle

Thursday, February 16, 2012

"They were waiting for me at the end of the line"

"They were waiting for me at the end of the line" - Los Gigantes by T. C. Boyle

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

"I couldn't sleep that night, not a wink"

"I couldn't sleep that night, not a wink" - Los Gigantes by T. C. Boyle

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

"I was quiet a moment"

"I was quiet a moment" - Los Gigantes by T. C. Boyle

Monday, February 13, 2012

"Let me catch my breath"

"Let me catch my breath" - Los Gigantes by T. C. Boyle

Sunday, February 12, 2012

"You can't be serious! Have you gone mad? Leave here?"

"You can't be serious! Have you gone mad? Leave here?" - Los Gigantes by T. C. Boyle

Saturday, February 11, 2012

"Better than working, isn't it?"

"Better than working, isn't it?" - Los Gigantes by T. C. Boyle

Friday, February 10, 2012

"All my life I'd been the one looking down on the world"

"All my life I'd been the one looking down on the world" - Los Gigantes by T. C. Boyle

Thursday, February 9, 2012

"At first they kept us in cages like zoo animals"

"At first they kept us in cages like zoo animals" - Los Gigantes by T. C. Boyle

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

"I'm sorry this happened to you"

"I'm sorry this happened to you" - Someone by Alice McDermott

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

"It's the best-looking people who have the best chances"

"It's the best-looking people who have the best chances" - Someone by Alice McDermott

Monday, February 6, 2012

"What sounds came from the street were distant, indistinguishable"

"What sounds came from the street were distant, indistinguishable" - Someone by Alice McDermott

Sunday, February 5, 2012

"I think it's better to be up high"

"I think it's better to be up high" - Someone by Alice McDermott

Saturday, February 4, 2012

"I'm happy to be here with you"

"I'm happy to be here with you" - Someone by Alice McDermott

Friday, February 3, 2012

"And then his gray eyes would drop to her face once more"

"And then his gray eyes would drop to her face once more" - Someone by Alice McDermott

Thursday, February 2, 2012

"Nothing wrong with it"

"Nothing wrong with it" - Someone by Alice McDermott