FILK.com newsletter -- September 4, 2007
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FILK.com newsletter -- September 4, 2007
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What’s New
Up coming Filk Conventions
Pegasus Ballot - 2007
The HUGO Awards winners for 2007
The top 10 countries listening to Filk Radio
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1) What’s New
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Hey Eric why don’t you have a blog?
I am asked this question from time to time. Blogs are an easy way to keep people up to date with what is going on and they are easy to use. But I keep wondering who would care about what I am doing? It is not that I’m boring, in fact I am up to my eyeballs in things going on, but I just can not see how that would interest other people.
For example this past week was filled with two days of Medical Tests (The tests were routine but uncomfortable. As I get older my Doctor wants me to take more and more tests). School started this past week and I had to prepare and teach my classes, and teach my father’s classes for him(because he’s out of town). Besides teaching I also had to deal with a crazy client who I am doing some freelance work for. Is there more? Of course there is! I’m also packing up half my house because I’m about to remodel and replace the garage and kitchen of my house. (Said garage has never been completely cleaned out from the time my grandparents built the house and no a car hasn’t been inside of it for over 18 years.)
But the main problem that affects DAG is that the filk.com shopping cart and e-mail systems continue to confound every attempt I make to fix the insane problems that they have. While the two problems are different and require two different solutions, together they are driving me nuts.
My e-mail account is being spoofed.
How do I know this? I got spam from my own address. Yes, I got a big a spam ad from webmaster@filk.com sent to webmaster@filk.com. I have gone over every file and setting that I know about on web servers and have not found anything, so I have to assume that it is being generated from an outside source. If anyone out there has some helpful suggestions please let me know how to stop this because at this point it beyond my skill level. If you have gotten anything like this, please understand it’s not from me. My subject lines will always have the word “FILK” in it somewhere.
As for the online store…. Ever since the server crash last year, the online store has not worked correctly. I have been trying to patch things, but it keeps generating random strange errors for people who try to buy things. Even thought I have reinstalled the software, the problems continue to show up and more and more with alarming rates. I can only conclude that the problem is somewhere in the database itself. This means that I’m going to have to reinstall both the software and rebuild the database and start over from scratch. With over 150 items, most of them albums with 15 plus songs, you can imagine how much I am looking forward to inputting all this data again. (Insert eyes rolling here)
So this is a warning to everyone that you can expect the online store to be offline for a while. Because paid work has to come first I do not have any idea how long this is going to take. I would like to say two weeks, but I don’t know at this point. For those people who have orders and problems in the system I will be either sending them out or contacting you (assuming that you get my e-mails). If you have placed an order and don’t hear from me, please contact me and include “FILK” in the subject like so I’ll know it’s not spam.
Please accept my apologies for the store being down, I don’t like having to do this, but nothing I’ve done has fixed the problems. Hopefully this will eliminate all of the difficulties people have had with the system in the past few weeks.
With good luck the next newsletter will announce the reopening of the online store.
Eric Gerds
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2) Up coming Filk Conventions
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FilkContinental 2007
http://www.filkcontinental.de/2007
September 28 - October 1, 2007
Guests: Dandelion Wine
Freusburg Youth Hostel
Kirchen-Freusburg, Germany
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Ohio Valley Filk Fest 23
http://www.ovff.org/
October 26-28, 2007
Dublin, Ohio
Guest of Honor: Michael "Moonwolf" Longcor
Toastmistress: Marty Coady Fabish
Honored Listeners: Bob and Anne Passovoy
Interfilk Guest: Ellen "Blade" McMicking
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3) Pegasus Ballot - 2007
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The Ballot is now online!
http://www.ovff.org/pegasus/2007finalballot.html
I will start to put together a radio show for Filk Radio featuring these songs so that you can hear the whole song. Look for that later this month.
Pre-convention voting is open until midnight Pacific Time on Monday, October 22, 2007. (This means that mail-in ballots must be received by that date, too.)
Winners will be announced at: Ohio Valley Filk Fest 23
Best Filk Song
A Thousand Ships - Katy Dröge-Macdonald /Juliane Honisch
Like Their Feet Have Wings - Gwen Knighton
Rich Fantasy Lives - Rob Balder / Tom Smith
Second-Hand Songs - Jonathan Turner
Uplift - Andrew Eigel
Best Classic Filk Song
Black Davie's Ride - Cynthia McQuillin
The Elf Glade - Meg Davis
Falling Down on New Jersey - Mitchell Burnside-Clapp
Ship of Stone - Don Simpson
Still Catch the Tide - Talis Kimberley
Best Performer
Dr. Mary Crowell
Seanan McGuire
n'Early Music Consort
Playing Rapunzel
vixy & Tony
Best Writer/Composer
Dr. Mary Crowell
Bob Kanefsky
Talis Kimberley
Benjamin Newman
Debbie Ridpath Ohi
Best Dorsai Song
The Destroyer - Bill Roper
Drink to the Health of the Dorsai - Marty Burke
Green Hills of Harmony - Hal Frank
Music Has A Strong Magic - Gytha North
Shai! - Steve Simmons /Steve Macdonald
Best Song of Home
Emerald Green - Michelle Dockrey / Tony Fabris
Go Home - Mich Sampson / Marilisa Valtazanou
Home - Rand Bellavia / Adam English
Home Is Wherever (Lullaby) - Anne Passovoy
Will Ye Come Back Home - Mike Richards
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4) The HUGO Awards winners for 2007
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At the World Science Fiction convention they vote each year on the BEST in Science Fiction. Below are the winners for this year 2007. To see past years and more information check out: http://dpsinfo.com/awardweb/hugos/
* Best Novel: Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge [Tor, 2006]
* Best Novella: “A Billion Eves” by Robert Reed [Asimov’s Oct/Nov 2006]
* Best Novelette: “The Djinn’s Wife” by Ian McDonald [Asimov’s July 2006]
* Best Short Story: “Impossible Dreams” by Tim Pratt [Asimov’s July 2006]
* Best Related Non-Fiction Book: James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B Sheldon by Julie Phillips [St. Martin’s Press, 2006]
* Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) Screenplay by Guillermo del Toro. Directed by Guillermo del Toro [Picturehouse]
* Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Doctor Who - “Girl in the Fireplace” (2006) Written by Steven Moffat. Directed by Euros Lyn [BBC Wales/BBC1]
* Best Editor, Long Form: Patrick Nielsen Hayden
* Best Editor, Short Form: Gordon Van Gelder
* Best Professional Artist: Donato Giancola
* Best Semiprozine: Locus ed. by Charles N. Brown, Kirsten Gong-Wong and Liza Groen Trombi
* Best Fanzine: Science-Fiction Five-Yearly ed. by Lee Hoffman, Geri Sullivan, and Randy Byers
* Best Fan Writer: Dave Langford
* Best Fan Artist: Frank Wu
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5) The top 10 countries listening to Filk Radio
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1. United States
2. Canada
3. Norway
4. Germany
5. Italy
6. United Kingdom
7. France
8. Guam
9. New Zealand
10. Japan
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That’s all the News for now.
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Want to get this and other filk news via e-mail about twice a month? Then sign up on the mail list at www.filk.com and get the filk.com E-newsletter.
Please put the word “FILK” in your subject line when sending me an e-mail. It is a good way for me to pick it out of the spam.
Also tell your friends about the website and filk radio.
Eric Gerds
DAG Production
www.filk.com
Home of Filk Radio
Or you can write to us at:
Filk.com
P.O. Box 90233
Los Angeles, CA. 90009