Orkutcide!

It's started. People are leaving orkut. Some people I really like, some people I can't stand. Some with a great drama, some quietly and without notice or ceremony. I'm strangely pleased by this. I can't quite put my finger…

It’s started. People are leaving orkut. Some people I really like, some people I can’t stand. Some with a great drama, some quietly and without notice or ceremony.

I’m strangely pleased by this. I can’t quite put my finger on why. Maybe I just like the drama; maybe it’s a circle nearing completion. I said, back a while (oh, hell, now I have to go look it up — March Nineteenth it was) that it couldn’t last, it couldn’t stay so giddily entertaining. And honest, it lasted much longer than I expected. But it’s become very clear over the last few weeks that we’re all growing collectively bored with it.

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More like performing

This thought came from an IM conversation I had with the lovely and talented Rachel. One of them anyway, there are many. Orkut, we agreed, is in many ways more like performance art than like conversation or writing. I had this thought the other day while I was avoiding Orkut. I thought a little about […]

This thought came from an IM conversation I had with the lovely and talented Rachel. One of them anyway, there are many.

Orkut, we agreed, is in many ways more like performance art than like conversation or writing.

I had this thought the other day while I was avoiding Orkut. I thought a little about why it’s different from any other on-line forum I’ve ever been in. And it is different; people claim it’s not, say it’s just USENET or it’s just [insert your favorite].

But it’s different; that’s a given. The questions then are; what makes different, and how is it different.

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Almost cut my orkut

Almost cut my hair It happened just the other day It was getting kind of long I could have said it was in my way But I didn’t and I wonder why I feel like letting my freak flag fly And I feel like I owe it to someone Must be because I had the […]

Almost cut my hair
It happened just the other day
It was getting kind of long
I could have said it was in my way

But I didn’t and I wonder why
I feel like letting my freak flag fly
And I feel like I owe it to someone

Must be because I had the flu for Christmas
And I’m not feeling up to par
It increases my paranoia
Like looking into a mirror and seeing a police car

But I’m not giving in an inch to fear
Cos I promised myself this year
I feel like I owe it to someone

When I finally get myself together
I’m gonna get down in some of that sweet summer weather
I’m going to find a space inside to laugh
Separate the wheat from the chaff

Cos I feel like I owe it, yeah
Said I feel like I owe it, yeah
You know I feel—- like I owe it yeah to someone

— David Crosby, ‘Almost cut my hair’

I couldn’t decide what part of that to include. There’s the whole fucking thing, it’s only disk space and network bandwidth, right?

I almost killed my orkut account today.

I don’t know why really. Oh, and when I say my orkut account, I mean that one and all the other ones. I had this sudden and almost overpowering desire to be finished with it.

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Whoa. Just – Whoa

So if that don’t beat all. Just got this from Orkut. After (let’s see) Oh, about three weeks since I sent it. Hi Karl, We sincerely apologize for our delay in responding to your request to have your account reactivated. We hope you’ll be willing to rejoin the orkut.com community and give us another chance. […]

So if that don’t beat all.

Just got this from Orkut. After (let’s see) Oh, about three weeks since I sent it.

    Hi Karl,

    We sincerely apologize for our delay in responding to your request to have your account reactivated. We hope you’ll be willing to rejoin the orkut.com community and give us another chance.

    At the time your account was suspended, your profile name was listed as “Laser-Guided Elvis” which violated the Community Standards posted at http://help.orkut.com/bin/answer.py?answer=148&topic=-1. In general, users are sent a warning first, asking them to correct their profile name, and we’re sorry that this step wasn’t taken first.

    Your account has been unsuspended; however, your profile name will have to abide by our Community Standards if you wish to continue participating.

    Again, we apologize that a warning message was not issued before your account was suspended, and we’re working hard to ensure that this does not happen in the future.

    Stay connected,
    orkut.com

So now, there’s two of me. At least.

Now. After I’ve completely re-created my Orkut identity, re-built my friend list. Nice timing, guys, that’s real attention to detail there, that is.

At least I have my testimonials back. Seems they didn’t show up on other users profiles, but the text showed in my testimonials list, so I was able to screen-capture them and save them. So if there’s any goodness I can get it back.

And my old postings are back in my name.

There are some confused users though. Suddenly they have two of me. Some may call this a blessing, some a curse.

At least they finally admitted the fuck-up, if a day late and a few simoleons short. Wonder how long til they realize there are two of me?

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More orkutful entries

So if you are bored to tears with the whole orkut thing, you can skip this, or you can come over, strip down, and give me something novel to write about. Meanwhile, just an update on the sacrifice and rebirth story. And incidently, people on the Apple corporate campus stopped me today to talk about […]

So if you are bored to tears with the whole orkut thing, you can skip this, or you can come over, strip down, and give me something novel to write about.

Meanwhile, just an update on the sacrifice and rebirth story.

And incidently, people on the Apple corporate campus stopped me today to talk about orkut. People who know me there but don’t know me in real life. This is getting odd.

So the story to date. Account suspended, no reason given. Next to no response from the admins. No clear solid idea of why (though many theories, some of which involve alien abduction and possibly probing).

I created a temporary account for a while under an alternate name, but finally gave up in frustration, and created a new account under my right name. That’s there now: http://www.orkut.com/Profile.aspx?uid=2663013159414803051.

Thus far, no reaction from the orkut people. No details on why I was 86’d, no warnings or notice from them since I’ve been back. Though I seem to have become some odd sort of folk hero, along with several other well-known users who are having problems.

Hey, I need someone who can draw to make me up a Che Guevara lookin’ version of me. Damn, one ‘o those moments where I wish I was all artistic n’ shit.

So as predicted, the giddy fun is beginning to drain away. I don’t know if something good and useful will be left in it’s place, or if we’ll be left with the wreckage of something that almost happened but was killed by it’s own makers. We’ll see. It has promise; the interface is so friendly and inviting, and the concept is sound. It’s only a case of too much mindless policing and not enough communication, at least thus far.

By the way, I meant to thank Mad Kiwi, both for an example of how others had implemented Movable Style‘s Style Switcher, and for a really entertaining little javascript I swiped from him – you’ll see an example here under the “about” heading, it just does a little randomized nonsense with a hot link. Tip ‘o the hat to ‘ya, Kiwi.

Ok. I hope that this means I’m done talking about Orkut. I have better things to write about, including a reprise of the ‘secrets, but not my secrets’ theme that I saw taken up on the solipsisters blog, and possibly other matters of the heart and mind, but let’s save it all for an orkut-free entry later.

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Fuck the MAN!

Up against the wall, Okut. The King is back: new Karl Elvis account. I got fed up. I’m finding “I was deleted” and “I was suspended” groups on orkut now, and I can do more to FIGHT THE POWER from the inside. Friend me. I’m trying to limit how many I go friend too fast […]

Up against the wall, Okut.

The King is back: new Karl Elvis account.

I got fed up. I’m finding “I was deleted” and “I was suspended” groups on
orkut now, and I can do more to FIGHT THE POWER from the inside.

Friend me. I’m trying to limit how many I go friend too fast to keep outta jail. But if you’re reading, you’re my friend.

My friend Ray mailed me some great sentiments on how to make orkut work from the inside. With his permission I’ll post some of it later.

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Boo-Ya!

Ok. We have style-switching. Thanks to scott from movablestyle.com for the code and some pointers to how I’d done it wrong, and to Seth for doing the web server config for me even though he’s got much more important things to do with his time right now. Do me a favor. Since I’ve spent my […]

Ok. We have style-switching. Thanks to scott from movablestyle.com for the code and some pointers to how I’d done it wrong, and to Seth for doing the web server config for me even though he’s got much more important things to do with his time right now.

Do me a favor. Since I’ve spent my stupid saturday working on this stupid thing instead of being in the sun or playing laser tag with my kids (kids with lasers!). Play with the style switcher. Tell me what you like and don’t like. Tell me your favorite styles. Which one you want as default. Tell me you love me and want to bear my children (yeah, you too Lee).

This has been an orkut-free posting. We return to bitching shortly.

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And now a geek interlude

You may notice we’re now outside the matrix. I’m working on Style Switcher again. I’m close. So damned, fucking close. Patience. We’ll have that matrix style back in the switcher shortly, for those as liked it. Hang on. Any second now, one more tweak, I’ve got it. I can feel it.

You may notice we’re now outside the matrix.

I’m working on Style Switcher again. I’m close. So damned, fucking close. Patience. We’ll have that matrix style back in the switcher shortly, for those
as liked it. Hang on. Any second now, one more tweak, I’ve got it. I can feel it.

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We’re here to help you

Here’s the response. After my beating and beating and beating at them, and after all-y’all’s beating at them, here’s what I get from Orkut’s support staff, who, I might add, put one in the mind of the Bastard Operator: We’re sorry about the difficulties you’re having. Could you please send us your username and the […]

Here’s the response. After my beating and beating and beating at them, and after all-y’all’s beating at them, here’s what I get from Orkut’s support staff, who, I might add, put one in the mind of the Bastard Operator:

We’re sorry about the difficulties you’re having. Could you please send us
your username and the full name that is displayed in your orkut profile so
we can take a look at your account?

Well. Gee. How many times have I told them that already?

Sigh.

I guess that’s progress. We’ll see.

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