The deal with your PROFILE PICS & weird characters...
-
@burrsettles Jan 2022
For those of you who are FAWM veterans, you may notice a few changes in 2022, and also that the site was significantly delayed getting online this year...
BOTH are due to the fact that the hosting service we used for the last decade went out of business, and the code couldn't just be dropped on to a new server easily. So while there are no new features, it still took a significant amount of work just to bring the site online!
*** PROFILE PICTURES ***
The biggest change you'll notice is that profile pics are now seemingly random pictures of music gear. After spending a whole day on getting image uploads to work (securely) in the new environment, I gave up and gave everyone these images for now. DEAL WITH IT! And no, you can't change the image or color.
*** WEIRD CHARACTERS IN PROFILES ***
If you had emoji or other weird characters in your profile/bio/etc., they might have been turned into gibberish during the database migration. Sorry! You should be able to simply edit your profile and replace them.
Other than that, the website is pretty much the same as it's been for the past few years modulo some light UI tweaks. Enjoy!
*** UPDATE/EDIT ***
OK - I heard you about the typewriter font! I've kept it for headings and menus, but reverted the main copy font to a more legible sans-serif. :) -
@seanbrennan Jan 2022
Will it be disruptive to you if we start using the site as normal otherwise now? (Edit: I now see what you actually meant, and the upload feature itself is at issue. Sorry!)
Thanks so much for the hard work you do behind-the-scenes, year-round. This has been my magical digital escape for nearly a decade now, even in years I don't write. -
@spingo Jan 2022
Thanks for the work and site!
-
@pearlmanhattan Jan 2022
I'm happy with my orange old school equipment profile pic! Works great for me!
-
@jwhanberry Jan 2022
Thanks for getting this up and running. I see I'm now a blue piano. Been meaning to start practicing keyboard again. ;)
-
@thelowestbitter Jan 2022
Hi, sorry for my first post this FAWM to be causing trouble, but I think using the FAWM logo typewriter font across the entire website isn't great from a legibility/accessibility standpoint, particularly as the colour of the font seems to be set as a pale grey instead of black. This is a website we're all going to be staring at a lot over the next month and I think simplicity and legibility are very important and will save us all an awful lot of unnecessary squinting.
Looking just now on a smaller phone screen (which I'm sure a lot of people will be using throughout fawm) it's especially hard to look at. Is there any chance of reverting to a more legible sans serif font? -
@shortdan Jan 2022
Not wanting to sound ungrateful, I agree with @thelowestbitter. Any standard sans serif font would improve usability in this regard.
-
@doeeyes Jan 2022
Hello all! Would also kill for a font override switch... Because cool can only get you so far
-
@vomvorton Jan 2022
+1 on the font thing, the typewriter thing is fun but I'm really struggling!
-
@tesla3090 Jan 2022
Yeah, I had the same thoughts on the font. I like it thematically, but from a usability standpoint it's kind of rough.
-
@ryuu Jan 2022
yaaay so happy the site is live!
+1 re: font. I can adjust the size in the browser, but the font type is just hard to read over long(er) stretches of text. -
@johnstaples Jan 2022
Yeah +1 on changing the font to a style/color that is easier on the eyes.
-
@frenchcricket Jan 2022
I also agree with @thelowestbitter. I’m dyslexic and the font is already straining my eyes a bit.
-
@frenchcricket Jan 2022
I freaking love the music gear as profile pic though. It looks really nice.
-
@gm7 Jan 2022
Well done...it breathes
-
@spikedirection Jan 2022
I seem to have really picked the short straw on the profile pic business.
-
@stuartbenbow Jan 2022
Much appreciated, both for the information and all the hard work. profile info updated, and studio more or less put back together. Ready for Feb 1!
-
@wistah Jan 2022
Thanks as always for your efforts!
-
@phenola Jan 2022
Yeah, I might have to create a new account. The recorder is the worst instrument ever devised.
-
@ryuu Jan 2022
For Firefox users, you can re-style the website locally with a plugin called Stylus.
I just wrote a couple lines of CSS that you can use via this plugin until the font situation has been addressed: https://userstyles.world/style/2785/fawm-org -
@jeustan Jan 2022
THANK YOU! As a marginal code monkey I don’t even know how to express my gratitude for your hours of work to migrate to a new host. So grateful for FAWM.
Thank you, Burr. -
@jimdgreen Jan 2022
@frenchcricket/@thelowestbitteranother another dyslexic here, and the site is almost unreadable for me. Love everything else, but going to have to find a workaround if I’m going to keep using the forums. Having to get my girlfriend to help read it at the moment and she won’t keep doing that till the end of Feb.
-
@jeustan Jan 2022
+1 on the font, though.
-
@carleybaer Jan 2022
@phenola ditto on the recorder. I've made it my mission as an elementary music teacher to never, ever, ever subject my kids to that.
-
@darkmantle Jan 2022
I'm glad I saw the explanation! Thank you so much for all the work you put into this!
I'm going to jump on the desire for a font change though. This is not nice. -
@pfoo Jan 2022
Yay, thanks for the hard work! I thought my husband's profile pic was a stapler and I was jealous, but he told me it's a guitar pedal.
-
@skylermf Jan 2022
Hey cool I'm a mic! Matches my latest tattoo. Thanks for the work on the site!
-
@loveonamixtape Jan 2022
Deep gratitude for the work on the site AND another +1 about the font....
-
@andygetch Jan 2022
14 Glockenspiel songs in 28 days coming right up!
-
@frenchcricket Jan 2022
On Safari on Mac you can use a custom CSS with the following text in it:
html body { font-family: Arial !important }
and it will override to a sans serif font. -
@mikeskliar Jan 2022
First, thanks to Burr for getting this launched again.. I've been doing participating in FAWM since... 2006 (!) and its a wonderful thing. And yeah, much as this current typeface gives me flashbacks of typing high school essays in 1976 on a smith corona with an old messed up ribbon (ah the old days, I somehow, blasting music while doing schoolwork, was usually able to type/write 'one typewriter page per album side' (wow, that measurement is now outdated x 2!).. my now older eyes can barely see this on a computer, hadn't even thought about looking on the phone, so yeah, I guess the typeface should be changed. Ah, nostalgia is not what it used to be... :)
-
-
@scottlake Jan 2022
Burr you are supercool and the bomb. That is all!
-
@brownium Jan 2022
Shut up all you typewriter font haters - I love it! Please ignore EVERYONE ELSE, and stick with the typewriter font because I like it.
-
@evinwolverton Jan 2022
I'm so grateful for the work that goes into this, and will donate toward it.
The profile images and font stuff will minimize my site usage, which may be a good thing? I'm in favor of addressing them if possible, though.
All love ♥ -
@bachelorb Jan 2022
..... i got a metronome.....
-
@jacobmorales Jan 2022
The “type writer” font rocks
-
@standup Jan 2022
I'm a cry baby, and I plan to OWN IT. Wah, wah, wah.
-
@dreamscuba Jan 2022
Thank you for all of the back-end work on the site... I can only imagine it was a lot of work.. Thank you!!
I'm an organ - cool...can have lots of finbarr saunders jokes with that. -
@ductapeguy Jan 2022
@bachelorb Santa got me a metronome, a tuner and a dictionary. I don't know if there is a hidden message there somewhere.
-
@tuneslayer Jan 2022
For the wish list: A way to override site CSS settings to change font, color, etc. along with a panic button to restore settings to their defaults. I've seen this on other sites and it can greatly help accessibility.
As for my avatar, I don't have a problem with it per se but honestly I can't tell whether it's a remote control or a speaker. Maybe both. I'd be happier if I could choose a banjo or something but I'm not complaining. I fully understand that sometimes you have a choice of finishing a project perfectly or finishing it Thursday, and given that you're up against some inflexible deadlines, I'm good with Thursday and adding the bells and whistles in the off season. -
@carleybaer Jan 2022
@tuneslayer I think you're an effects pedal, same as me. My only complaint is that I can’t participate in the “use your avatar in a song” challenge because I’m a lowly folk musician and we’ve never heard of pedals.
-
@tseaver Jan 2022
@carleybaer Maybe you could make a song recording foot stomps on a wooden deck? That would fit in the parameters of the #avatarchallenge thread.
-
@dzdandcunfsd Jan 2022
@tuneslayer @carleybaer Its entirely subjective I know, but your avatar is one of the better simple phase pedals around, one of the most popular for sure an MXR Phase 90. There's not many pedals I don't have at least have a clone of sitting in a box somewhere, and I got one of the staples of a folk instrument :)
-
-
@wobbiewobbit Jan 2022
thanks for all your work... Fontgate... i like the look of it feel-wise but it is difficult to read text, so i am also +1 to a change at least for plain text
-
@helenseviltwin Jan 2022
In addition to Ryuu's link for the extension to change the font in Firefox, here is one that works in Chrome https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/font-changer/obgkjikcnonokgaiablbenkgjcdbknna/related?hl=en
-
@mariekevinkmusic Jan 2022
I LOVE the font. But I am lucky enough not to struggle reading it.
So if it reduces accessibility for people, I suppose it is worth changing it. -
@spikedirection Jan 2022
I've found it much more legible on the phone than on my PC weirdly, and if anyone knows of a workaround for chrome that'd be much appreciated?
With that in mind though, I also add my voice to the chorus of appreciation for all the work Burr has put in to this, you're a hero! I think one of my songs this year will be entitled "Thank You Burr! (Sorry for moaning)" XD -
@westayedinthewater Jan 2022
thank you for the site as always!!! i suppose if i can't change my avatar, then this one'll do just fine. been meaning to break out the microkorg again!
-
@dragondreams Jan 2022
Thank you for all the work you put in, Burr! :-)
And I'm delighted with my bull fiddle profile pic. :-) -
@timfatchen Jan 2022
Hey! The site's got me taped! Cool. And so appropriate. Thanks for all the hard work!
-
@helenseviltwin Jan 2022
@spikedirection - Font changer extension on Chrome.
-
@frenchcricket Jan 2022
@tuneslayer you’re an MXR Phase 90 which is a rad effects pedal!
-
@jcameron Jan 2022
I am a xylophone. I hope that doesn't mean the pianos will look down on me.
-
@tinear Jan 2022
Changed the font in Edge but not the font colour (i.e. grey) - anyone know if that's possible?
-
-
-
@max Jan 2022
@burrsettles Thank you for everything!
-
@ianuarius Jan 2022
Thank you for your hard work.
-
-
@sailingmagpie Jan 2022
I'm adding my voice to the font change chorus.
To mitigate this negativity, something that's working much better for me is scrolling left and right on a comment when it's too long to fit on my phone screen (ie a long link etc). -
@auditasum Jan 2022
Thank you for all your hard work, @burrsettles!
-
@cairobraga Jan 2022
My gratitude for your hard work is immense, @burrsettles. FAWM changed my life for the better and I know you always give us your best in running this beautiful beast. ❤️❤️❤️
-
@gm7 Jan 2022
Thanks @burrsettles - without you we would have nothing !
I am now an 'iconic' clarinetist I will embrace it!
Cheers -
@ianuarius Jan 2022
If you're a bit CSS savvy, you can choose whatever font you want with an addon like Stylish for Chrome.
Here's my silly adjustment for the 4k screen:
-
@apertome Jan 2022
Thanks @burrsettles so much for getting the site up and running. I'm a devops guy, so if you need help with anything, hit me up. I'd gladly donate some time to help lighten your workload.
-
@adforperu Jan 2022
All appreciated, Burr. Can't wait to get started!
-
@swampjaw Jan 2022
Much love for everything you do, @burrsettles ! The site is amazing. The community is amazing too.
But yes, if we can switch the font to comic sans, I'd appreciate it. Either comic sans or papyrus. -
@frenchcricket Jan 2022
@swampjaw I know you're trolling but comic sans is proven (erm... by anecdotal evidence) to improve productivity and creativity!
https://lifehacker.com/get-over-yourself-and-start-writing-in-comic-sans-1831177236 -
@tuneslayer Jan 2022
Thank you to those who identified my avatar as an effects pedal. As a banjo player I knew such things exist in a vague sort of way but had never seen one, and if I were to come across one my primary use for it would have been to throw it at the mandolin player.
-
@tuneslayer Jan 2022
Oh and I'd like to add my voice to the chorus of thanks to Burr and his elves for getting the site up and running. FAWM is definitely a high point of my year.
-
@candle Jan 2022
Cassette for the win.
Font not so much. But that's a WIP (work-in-progress)
But hey, thanks for all the great work you put into the site @burrsettles !
See You In The Shadows… -
@kable Jan 2022
Thanks @burrsettles for your perseverance! Web dev is an infinite can of worms, and whatever time it takes, that's the time it takes.
Thank you!
-
@davi3blu3 Jan 2022
Hey, another web developer here! Really appreciate the work that's gone into this. If there is a public repo I'd be happy to help with bugs or small feature requests! Cheers
-
@jackdawfactories Jan 2022
Thank you to the FAWM gods for your work, and thanks Burr for listening about the font!
-
@stmon99 Jan 2022
I thought my profile picture was a robot but as it turned out, it's a mic. But I like the idea of it being a robot so I'm saying it's a robot.
-
@mandolinda Jan 2022
@tuneslayer , I resent that comment.
-
@mandolinda Jan 2022
My avatar is lovely. I should find someone who has an actual instrument that looks like it.
-
@beat Jan 2022
Just luv it. Font, pics, colors…
like Valentines Day all month round
‚] -
@loveonamixtape Jan 2022
@davi3blu3 what a great idea -- wish I'd thought of it! Also a web dev and would ALSO be happy to contribute to a public repo if that'd be helpful. And, again, THANK YOU @burrsettles for your hard work getting this site up for us filthy animals!
-
@tootoobee Jan 2022
Thanks so much for all the hard work!!
the font... totally not a fan of it :( not a dyslectic but a tired working mom of two teenage boys ... too hard to read with tired eyes ... -
@gubna Jan 2022
Ironic mine is of a drumset as I've been selling mine the past few months. Down to the kick, and a hi-hat! LOL!
@burrsettles thank you for bringing the site back online! Really enjoyed the 4 track videos! -
@mardeycranbleson Jan 2022
Lol I kind of like my profile pic being obliterated.
-
@mardeycranbleson Jan 2022
Dang I like the typewriter font too bad
-
@helenseviltwin Jan 2022
@mardeycranbleson - probably in the same way people can change it to something different, if/when it changes to something different, you can probably use an extension to your browser to change it (and any other site you like) to typewriter font :P
-
@postcardhelicopters Jan 2022
It's like coming to a FAWM Masquerade Party with all the new avatars.
Or Valentine's Day without the pink. -
@elainedimasi Jan 2022
@phenola LOL I agree about the recorder - and I actually used to play it!
-
@tuneslayer Jan 2022
@mandolinda No offense meant . . . it's just a continuation of banjo players poking fun at everybody else and more so at themselves.
-
@elainedimasi Jan 2022
@tuneslayer @carleybaer @tseaver @mandolinda
You're inspiring me to new heights with my underutilized guitar pedal.
Actually I was playing ball with my dog in the living room last week and she bounced the toy onto the push-button of the pedal, which when it lit up made me feel like we were in a pinball machine.
And that is the best use I've had for the pedal thus far -
@johnstaples Jan 2022
@burrsettles, we all love the site and deeply appreciate the effort you put in to get it back online. And FAWMers are so dang nice and accepting as evidenced by the comments above.
But when you say "these images for now", I sincerely hope this means you plan to restore our profile pics or at least restore the ability for us to set these directly.
Having a personalized visual avatar for each of the many FAWMers we interface with in the month of February is a really important part of the experience IMHO. Thanks in advance for considering this request! -
@sbs2018 Jan 2022
The profile thing is a bit bizarre, isn’t it, and I also fear it could impact the experience! Trying not to let it, but it’s there all the same, since we all associate an avatar with a FAWMER. (I don't change mine because I feel like that avatar is what people have come to expect.)
-
@jmadison Jan 2022
Hello everyone! Well, I guess I'm a blue-green keyboard. But in my mind I'm still a blue stratocaster with a diamond plate pick guard.
I'm not sure if I'm ready for this yet this year. Good thing I have a little while yet.
Thanks @burrsettles for the site rebuild! -
@mardeycranbleson Jan 2022
Well in my heart of hearts I think I would have been a little silverface Princeton I thought I saw. Or maybe the RAT icon.
-
@moonraccoon Jan 2022
Despite loving the font, I have great sympathy for my dyslexic friends. I hope the site can accommodate y'all ASAP.
-
@mahtowin Jan 2022
@burrsettles I have a problem with my sc link in my profil. It won‘t work and I cannot find the reason. Can you help me?
-
@vomvorton Jan 2022
@mahtowin looks like your soundcloud link is
https://soundcloud.com/user-62342567
rather than
https://soundcloud.com/Mahtowin
You should be able to edit your SC profile and choose a better URL I think? -
@wylddandelyon Jan 2022
Thank you for all your work on the site!
I am glad you're going to fix the font, and while I can deal with the avatar pics, I hope that you can fix that too eventually. Seeing the images that people choose for themselves makes me happy. -
-
-
-
@sapient Jan 2022
@burrsettles - huge thanks for keeping this lovely thing called FAWM going :D
@helenseviltwin - and thank you for sharing that Chrome extension. I really struggle to read that typewriter font. Not being able to change to something that my eyes cope with would have impacted my ability to use the site. -
@mahtowin Jan 2022
@burrsettles I solved the problem with my link :-)
-
@natrin Jan 2022
Thanks for all of your hard work migrating the site!
-
@looprication Jan 2022
@burrsettles let me know if I can help you containerize this site in the future ;)
-
@dancrook Jan 2022
Thanks @burrsettles for all your hard work. You’ve made February a month to look forward to
-
@metalfoot Jan 2022
The new font is very nice, @burrsettles . Count me as one of the typewriter font fans, but this is very generally usable.
-
@kenmattsson Jan 2022
Thank you @burrsettles for all the amazing work, and so quickly shifting to a legible font. This is so much better!
-
@elesimo Jan 2022
Count me as one of the new font sans — I mean, fans.
-
@rickatfulcrum Jan 2022
Hooray, the typewriter font is gone and in its place: Gill Sans! The Anglophile in me thanks you...
-
@robynmackenzie Jan 2022
Thanks for all you do, @burrsettles!
-
@mariekevinkmusic Jan 2022
Funny that I didn't realise before that the profile pics are such an important part of the community experience. Not having them makes it all feel a bit anonymous.
On a technical note: how come it can handle these pictures nog not uploading our own? What causes that? Just interested to understand the tech side better :-) -
@vomvorton Jan 2022
Ah that font is much nicer! Thanks Burr!
-
@doeeyes Jan 2022
Oh wow perfect font choice @burrsettles! Thank you from the slow readers clubroom
-
@jimdgreen Jan 2022
Yes, much nicer font, thanks Burr!
@mariekevinkmusic as I understand it (from this forum post) there is a problem with the upload mechanism at the moment. So to stop some people having a profile pic and not others or people having one they want to change but can’t , it’s like this till it can be fixed. -
@sapient Jan 2022
Yay! I can read everything again!
+1 to that man @burrsettles for being the dude -
@mariekevinkmusic Jan 2022
@jimdgreen Yeah, I gathered that :-) If it cannot be fixed, so be it. But it is interesting to learn how much it impacts on the "feel" of the community.
-
-
@tuneslayer Jan 2022
The updated font looks much better and much more "fawmy". Thanks.
-
@ampersandman Jan 2022
Oh, another change! FAWM is full of surprises :D
-
@phenola Jan 2022
New font is much better. Thanks.
-
@bigstarlet Jan 2022
Back in the ‚80‘s I would have sold my right arm for a four track recorder, and now it is my new avatar! Thanks!
-
@rickatfulcrum Jan 2022
Correction: is it Railway Sans? Paddington? Or from the Johnston family? I just noticed the tail on the lower case L, and Gill doesn't have those...
Right, font nerd exits stage left. -
@vomvorton Jan 2022
The page code says it's Lato:
https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Lato -
@sbs2018 Jan 2022
The font looks so normal, I forgot it was a problem before - lol. Awesome! Thanks for the fix!
-
@wobbiewobbit Jan 2022
thanks @burrsettles - perfect sprinkling of the typewriter still and lovely clear font. thank you for all your hard work, february is the highlight of the year for me for the past decade,
-
@jonmeta Jan 2022
I’m less Big Muff, more Wah-Wah. I hope that gets sorted. Love the Typewriter though.
-
@downburst Jan 2022
Why specify a font at all? I already have a preferred typeface--I'd rather just use that. (And I am—I used Stylus to modify the CSS—but it's the principle. Specifying a new font seems like design for the sake of design without any real reason.)
-
@jackdawfactories Jan 2022
I mean not everyone is CSS savvy, and web design is a thing! It was a nice try at a new style that better matched the logo but the legibility just didn't hold up
-
@zeekle1998 Jan 2022
Thanks @burrsettles for all your hard work. Finding FAWM a few years back really reinvigorated my music making.
-
@mariekevinkmusic Jan 2022
If the upload function is not working at the moment, will it be working when we start posting songs on the hosted accounts or when we want to upload a picture with our songs?
-
@dudachris Jan 2022
To all the ppl that make this happen, mountains of good vibes and gratitude. The work you do has inspired so much music, so many friendships and more joy and laughter than can be calculated
-
@gflatminor Jan 2022
Cool profile pics! Thanks @burrsettles for taking care of us.
Though I will kinda miss that glimpse into each fawmer through the lens of their self-styled image. -
@circle Jan 2022
DIFFERENT DIFFERENT DIFFERENT
with that out of the way, thanks for making the site work again in time! sounds like it was a big old hassle and we all appreciate it greatly -
@yarimurray Jan 2022
Thanks for all you do and for the explanation. I'm actually quite fond of my new profile picture; a Rickenbacker guitar. I've been trying to convince my wife that I need "just 1 more guitar" because I don't yet have a Ricky. I'm going to tell her that this profile picture change is a "sign" that we should not ignore at the risk of angering the FAWM gods. Wish me luck.
-
@unpronounceable Jan 2022
I like the new profile pic/icons <3
-
@kable Jan 2022
@burrsettles I was curious. Do you think re-adding/fixing custom PFP is in scope for this FAWM, or more likely to happen next year?
-
@burrsettles Jan 2022
@kable unfortunately, not this year. between my pretty intense "day job" responsibilities right now and the fact that i hope to rewrite FAWM from scratch very soon anyway, folks are probably just gonna have to live with random avatars in 2022. :)
-
@kable Jan 2022
@burrsettles It's a pretty cool twist, gotta say. We'll all remember the year of the random avatars haha!
-
@tukayandryan Jan 2022
Thanks for all your work getting it up on time. Can't wait to get creating :)
-
@stevenwesleyguiles Jan 2022
LOL. @Burrsettles I can't even believe you managed to edit THREE DOCUMENTARY LENGTH VIDEOS and somehow get FAWM.org migrated!!! Sheeeesh! You rock!
-
@burrsettles Jan 2022
@stevenwesleyguiles i am tired. but i'll sleep in march. or when i'm dead. whichever comes first.
-
@gm7 Jan 2022
@burrsettles For President!!
-
@stephenwordsmith Jan 2022
Though FAWM be worth its weight in gold
(or other precious metals),
The day, it cannot be foretold
When busy soul @burrsettles -
@conorg Jan 2022
The FAWM gods appear to have assigned me a Korg MS-20 for my avatar so I suppose that's a good place to draw inspiration for song number one!
-
@texascities Jan 2022
I find my reel to reel pic both thematically and age appropriate.
-
@pooka Jan 2022
My profile pic appears to be a Roomba. It probably isn't, but it looks like one, and since probably my most popular FAWM song ever was about a Roomba, I'm okay with that.
-
@headfirstonly Jan 2022
@pooka That's an Arbiter "fuzz face" distortion pedal, beloved of Jimi Hendrix, Keith Emerson and David Gilmour. Very cool and insanely collectible. 1970s models go for four figures on Reverb.
-
@ianuarius Jan 2022
I started my recording mishaps with a four track back in... I want to say 1993. I always hated the restrictions, but that's all I had. Now I've got no restrictions and I love it. I should probably record more.
-
@guatecoop Jan 2022
I didn't realize how much my memory relied on the visual "branding" of fawmers' personalized avatars....I have had to jog my memory in different ways! Crazy how that is.
-
@johnstaples Jan 2022
@guatecoop yeah, not having personal avatars is really a downgrade for this year's FAWM. Everyone is being so nice about it, as FAWMers do, but it sucks not being able to quickly recognize everyone by their quirky avatars. Yeah, we'll make the best of it, and with a smile, but...
-
@writeandwrong Jan 2022
I think it will be more difficult when February 1 gets here in regards to efficiency since it's a time-based challenge.
-
@writeandwrong Jan 2022
That being said, I'm just grateful for the platform but just a hurdle to get around this year.
-
@zecoop Jan 2022
@guatecoop / @johnstaples - Yeah, I have seen a few people mention that the avatar thing makes a big difference to them. I hadn't even given it a second thought and it really makes zero difference to me. Maybe I just remember the names more (which would be a FIRST, let me tell you). ;)
-
@ianuarius Jan 2022
I think it'll help me to remember people better. The pics are such a crutch for me because I'm a very visual person. I'll remember anyone's face, but not the name. This way, I'll always check the name, which helps me to remember them better.
-
@johnstaples Jan 2022
@zecoop yeah, we will certainly get by! :) But there must be a reason *every* community forum/social site *ever* provides a visual avatar. (OK, there are prolly a few that didn't but it is kinda a proven visual aid!)
I guess what both impresses (and bugs) me is how willingly FAWMers are ready to make lemonade. It says a lot about what a great group of people there is here!
@ianuarius maybe @burrsettles could set it to remove every other letter in the usernames to further challenge you! :D (Joking! It is a joke! I'll stop complaining any minute now!) -
-
@jackdawfactories Jan 2022
I think it might be worth mentioning that FAWM is run entirely by volunteers with day jobs, and Burr has already said that the avatars are out of ability for this year, so "making lemonade" is definitely the polite thing to do - they'll be back next year!
-
@fuzzy Jan 2022
Yes, you're right, @jackdawfactories.
My post was a recognition of my own cognitive limitations, not a complaint at all. -
@guatecoop Jan 2022
@jackdawfactories I actually am perfectly fine with the avatars....but I was really surprised that it took me a little while to adjust.
-
@johnstaples Jan 2022
@jackdawfactories agreed but to be fair the site also takes donations and the amount donated is not insignificant. I know I'm on dangerously thin ice here to complain about FAWM! I LOVE FAWM! And I will enjoy it regardless (but I still wish we had our personal pics back!)
-
@jackdawfactories Jan 2022
I'm not saying that it isn't something that might bother you! Just that as it's been discussed as being outside of the possible scope this year it's worth keeping in mind that the site runners know about it and have it on their list - I know I would be very demoralised if I were in the position of having something I'd addressed that way keep coming up, you know?
-
@johnstaples Jan 2022
I fully understand and certainly would never wish to demoralize anyone! But in the original post Burr said "for now" and several FAWMers who are web devs have offered to volunteer their services. I'm just still hopeful this important feature might be be restored!
-
@johnstaples Jan 2022
And that whole typeface issue got resolved because we spoke up, right?
-
@jackdawfactories Jan 2022
@johnstaples you're correct about the original post! However, from yesterday:
"unfortunately, not this year. between my pretty intense "day job" responsibilities right now and the fact that i hope to rewrite FAWM from scratch very soon anyway, folks are probably just gonna have to live with random avatars in 2022. :)" -
@jackdawfactories Jan 2022
(which is why I mentioned it, because it's easy to miss a post in this thread)
-
@mariekevinkmusic Jan 2022
I am kind of with @johnstaples here. I have seen many FAWMers offer their help. If @burrsettles is simply too busy having an actual life and having a job that pays the bills (how dare he), I am sure many FAWMers would be willing either to help or to chip in some kind of small fundraiser so that Burr can afford to pay someone else to re-write the site from scratch and then hand the code back to him.
I'd happily donate money (in addition to the regular donation). There are so many things members have said they would like to see added or changed or improved, and it seems a lot of work for someone to do as a side show. I seem to remember there was talk of the site being re-written from scratch last year and the year before?
I know it is indeed thin ice and there is a big risk of this being misunderstood, but if Burr does not have the time (which, once again, would be totally understandable), then perhaps getting some delegation might be in order to someone who does have time? -
@jackdawfactories Jan 2022
I'll dip out here, I just wanted to make sure people knew it had been discussed and they weren't being ignored! It's not much of an issue for me so I'll leave it to people for whom it is.
-
@ianuarius Jan 2022
@mariekevinkmusic as a web developer, I can tell you, that it's not that simple. For a simple job like that, hiring someone, explaining the job, teaching how the code works, and then making sure it was done right might even be more work than just doing it yourself. No, scratch that. It most definitely would be.
I'd be all for hiring someone if there are enough funds, when the schedule permits. Heck, we might get some great improvements. But when would the right time for this be? Definitely not this FAWM. And are there enough funds? Everyone keeps saying "there's so much money". Really? Why? I want to see some sources on that. -
@whispermouse Jan 2022
@ianuarius you've got the right of it.
I think it's easy to lose track of how much a qualified web engineer costs, and how much time you'd be paying for. And just before February is NOT the time to be adjusting anything. -
@johnstaples Jan 2022
As another professional web dev (since 1998) I would agree with @ianuarius that a rebuild from scratch, while desirable, would be impossible for this FAWM.
However, one possibility for quickly fixing the profile pics would be to do it manually. No (or very little) coding required. Limit everyone to one profile pic change and require the pic be emailed in the right size, name and format by a deadline. Then someone simply needs to copy the images to a folder via ftp replacing the current images and...it is done!
And from the money-where-your-mouth-is department, I would volunteer my time to do a large chunk of these.
Any chance of that happening @burrsettles ? -
@johnstaples Jan 2022
@mariekevinkmusic Your ideas are excellent btw! Just not time for it for FAWM 2022!
-
@jackdawfactories Jan 2022
@johnstaples the issue with that idea is that images are re-used - for instance, my profile picture right now is named 08.png and I'm definitely not the only person with it! So if I were to submit a new picture to replace mine in the zero coding method then someone else would also get mine
-
@johnstaples Jan 2022
@jackdawfactories still very little effort to change and maybe just a database entry change (without coding) for each user.
-
@johnstaples Jan 2022
With very little coding you could add a field to each user's profile to either 1) insert a link to an external image the user stores elsewhere or 2) insert the name of their image they will be emailing. There are ways to handle this is all I'm saying.
-
@whispermouse Jan 2022
Pretty sure this sort of discussion is exactly how maintainers of free and open-source software get burned out. Hopefully Burr has the sense to not read this thread :D
-
@odilongreen Jan 2022
I know *nothing* about website coding, so am speaking out of admitted complete ignorance, but would there be privacy concerns with giving a third part access to the "backroom" of the website, even just to swap out pictures? I think all that's really there is our email addresses and site passwords, which hopefully are stored in an encrypted format (at least the passwords), but if I were the site admin, I'd be a little concerned about exposing that (and any other data maintained about users).
Let me be clear: I am 100% (no, 1000%) sure @johnstaples would behave honorably! But still, just as a matter of general practice, I can see the concerns with having anyone other than Burr do anything with the site admin. It's obviously entirely up to Burr, but I'm happy to let him address the updates and the picture issue in his own time, and not worry about the photo avatar issue this year at all. -
@postcardhelicopters Jan 2022
@johnstaples - surely you have read this comment from Burr in this very thread:
"burrsettles
@kable unfortunately, not this year. between my pretty intense "day job" responsibilities right now and the fact that i hope to rewrite FAWM from scratch very soon anyway, folks are probably just gonna have to live with random avatars in 2022. :)"
This seems to fully answer your questions and shows there is no need to be offering "tips" to "improve" the site. And maybe, just for one year, you could actually just let go of this issue? -
@johnstaples Jan 2022
@whispermouse sure because the community has nothing useful to offer? Sheesh!
-
@johnstaples Jan 2022
@postcardhelicopters he said "for now" and "probably". So I'm still hopeful! I know you don't care for dissent but ..
-
@jackdawfactories Jan 2022
Please stop framing this using language like "I'm on thin ice to complain" and "you don't care for dissent". You're not being oppressed, you're repeatedly bringing up an issue that has already been addressed on a free website run by volunteers and it's rubbing people up the wrong way, which is simply your own thing to handle. You can feel like you're being shut down by a party line if you like, I just think you're being rude, and my more subtle attempts to encourage empathy and putting yourself in the shoes of the people who make this possible for us have fallen on deaf ears.
-
@postcardhelicopters Jan 2022
@johnstaples - just stop putting words in my mouth, please.
-
@burrsettles Jan 2022
@johnstaples @jackdawfactories @postcardhelicopters @mariekevinkmusic @whispermouse @ianuarius @whispermouse @odilongreen and anyone i missed...
ok. so. while i appreciate this rousing exercise in speculation regarding the risks, opportunities, psyches, motivations, resources, and other aspects of what goes into running FAWM...
to those of you who claim thin ice and dissent: I HEAR YOU! trust me. you've made your point, and i totally understand and agree with where you're coming from. you make valid points. i have, however, decided to set boundaries for my own mental health about what can and cannot be done for FAWM 2022... boundaries that i don't have the energy to rationalize on a public internet forum at the moment... and i ask you to please respect that. not trying to be dramatic, but i feel guilty enough about it already. i know you're just trying to help.
to those of you rallying and continuing to fuel things: thanks, but it's not necessary and this isn't a flame war. i know you're also just trying to help. ;)
please everyone drop it!?
look at all these dead horses! the last thing i want is to feel like i need add cleaning up equine carnage to the FAWM "to do" list... :) -
@postcardhelicopters Jan 2022
I apologize for jumping in.
-
@jackdawfactories Jan 2022
Yes, me too.
-
@johnstaples Jan 2022
All done here as well.
-
@rebeleardeafcult Jan 2022
Hey I feel people are gonna come to my page expecting me to play this thing! I don't even know what it is ....some drag racing stylophone?
-
@zecoop Jan 2022
@rebeleardeafcult - I wouldn’t want to play one either (Vibraphone), but one of my favorite local Shoegaze/Dreampop bands play one and it sounds very cool…
https://glowfriends.bandcamp.com/album/all-things-made-new -
@fuzzy Jan 2022
Well now you have me thinking, @rebeleardeafcult.
I wonder how difficult it would be to attach a lawnmower engine to that thing and drive it around.? -
@johnstaples Jan 2022
@rebeleardeafcult , I have the beginner's model of that.
-
@rebeleardeafcult Jan 2022
@fuzzy It is plainly mobile and I see me chained to it and pushed through the streets decried as a charlatan because I can't get a tune out of it
-
@rebeleardeafcult Jan 2022
hey @johnstaples I knew it looked familiar!
-
@zecoop Jan 2022
You guys are definitely onto something good here… what do I have in my studio that I can chain to a lawnmower. Gotta be something! ;)
-
@vomvorton Jan 2022
I'd love to have a go on a vibraphone! Not an easy instrument to dabble in, seems like a full-on life choice.
-
@mattpierce Jan 2022
@johnstaples ...at least you get a guitar! I have to settle for a looper pedal, a looper pedal, a looper pedal.... :P
-
@fuzzy Jan 2022
Do werewolves use louper pedals?
(Sorry, dad joke) -
@johnstaples Jan 2022
@mattpierce I see what you did there! :D
-
@johnstaples Jan 2022
@fuzzy, I have an irrational fear of werewolves! But I still love the joke!
-
@declan Jan 2022
Is there a setting to change the font in the menu. It's a dyslexic thing.
-
@tseaver Jan 2022
@declan Depending on your browser, you can use an extension to tweak the font. E.g., see comments from @ryuu, @frenchcricket, and @helenseviltwin above.
-
@clioem Jan 2022
Thanks for the efforts @burrsettles ! Totally ok being a teal microphone on here for a month. See you all repeatedly for 4 weeks! :D
-
@frey Feb 2022
Can someone tell me what my instrument is? Lol
-
@leka Feb 2022
-
@yewnorker Feb 2022
Ah begorrah. Tis a harp for himself?
-
-
@mikedelaney Feb 2022
Well, I got a banjo, so that's appropriate. Thank you for doing FAMW.
-
@kissinginpublic Feb 2022
I take it it’s also impossible to turn the site pink for a day?
-
-
@keithcuts Feb 2022
You da man @burrsettles
-
@lissielou79 Feb 2022
Oh noooo! Thank you for letting us know and for sticking with it. Amazing work. Thank you! Love n peace to you all.
-
@morti Feb 2022
Why am I a Roomba?
Only kidding, of course. Just glad to see the site up and running. Must have been a heck of a job. :) -
@estebanlartigue Feb 2022
I actually think these images are cute specially cause im not a pedal
-
@moonraccoon Feb 2022
@burrsettles Has anyone mentioned getting a weird glyph sometimes? Do I maybe not have the correct font installed or something? Here's a screenshot (shows up at the bottom, in the lyrics - they're all through it) https://imgur.com/a/4zuAyLF
-
@risbon Feb 2022
My 10 year old hiking selfie!!
