[BAD SIGNAL]The Log Of Doom bad signal WARREN ELLIS 10.59am -- I open the Engine to readers of Bad Signal. http://www.the-engine.net 11.02 -- Comics writer Andy Diggle posts a message. That proves to be the last message posted on the Engine. Many, many people will blame Diggle for what is to follow. And who is to say they shouldn't? 11.25 -- Email fills with reports that the Engine has engine trouble. 12.30pm -- I return home. The Engine is not responding. I ignore it and eat lunch. 1.30 -- The Engine is still not responding. I ignore it and start work. 2.30 -- The Engine is still not responding. I start reloading the page once every couple of minutes. 2.42 -- I have slow access to the Engine. The log states that the rush has reduced to one new visitor every twelve seconds or so. 2.44 -- I have no access. 2.51 -- I send Melinda and Jessica in to try and reach the Admin menu of the forum software. I need to take the load off the server so Billy can get into the Secret Codey 10101110101 Bits and look at the deep settings. 3.06 -- No word from Melinda or Jessica. I am growing worried. They didn't take any food or water in with them, after all. 3.10 -- Melinda makes it to Admin. I instruct her to set the forum to "restricted." No word from Jessica. 3.11 -- Jessica is probably dead. 3.14 -- Jessica is definitely dead. No word from Melinda. 3.15 -- I get the log-on screen. 3.16 -- Nothing happens. And Melinda may be dead. Darren's going to fucking kill me. 3.20 -- Jessica is alive and in admin. Melinda is alive and has attempted to lock the forum. If Melinda fails, I have to send Jessica in. The awful, senseless waste of human life tortures me as I eat some more fruit.

3.21 -- I note out of the corner of my eye that LiveJournal's gone down. Is that my fault too? 3.28 -- Melinda reports restricted status on. Jessica is definitely dead this time. 3.30 -- No change. A vein bursts, somewhere deep in my brain. 3.33 -- Restricted status seems to have gone on. Visitors increase to an estimated one every six fucking seconds. 3.35 -- I get into Admin myself, stepping over Jessica's body. 3.37 -- I am attempting to close the Engine entirely. I may not survive the attempt. Remember me. Just, you know, not the farting and the snoring. You can forget that. 3.39 -- I think I just ruptured something. No, really. 3.40 -- I go for a piss. While I'm doing that, Melinda dies. 3.42 -- The front end of the Engine should be sealed off. I don't know, because people are still hitting it and it's not loading... 3.46 -- I purge all records of Melinda and Jessica from my email and go out for a cigarette. Let it be known that they died for Comics and The Internet. When I have their bodies burned in a garbage can in a remote location, I will do it with love and appreciation for their sacrifice. e The Engine will be back later, once I satisfy myself that there's nothing off in the deep settings, and once people stop hitting it -- it looks like it's still being hit once every couple of seconds... I'm sorry, but I'm finding this funny as all hell... -- W

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[Doctorow] Videoblogs from my copyright talk in Singapore


Ambar, a videoblogger in Singapore, has produced a bunch of short
video and audio clips culled from my talk on Copyright and the Future
of Media last weekend at the Singapore Writers' Festival.

Videoblogs, audio-clips: http://corbridges.blogspot.com/2005_09_01_corbridges_archive.html

--

Cory Doctorow
doctorow@craphound.com
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[BAD SIGNAL]Click Click Click


bad signal
WARREN ELLIS

And something clicks into place.
William @ Avatar and I are
finalising the details of turning
Apparat into a line of Original
Graphic Novellas. Standalone 48pp
books with spines. I have my own
ongoing label. How strange.

Official announcement of the change
in plan will come once we've got
some books in production.

This feels right for me. The direction
I should be going in. Also, I'm amused
to note, the opposite direction from
most other people I know, it seems...

Into cult obscurity with me!

-- W


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Sent via mobile device
probably in the pub


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