The good people at BoingBoing have upgrade to Movable Type 4.0, and with that upgrade comes the return of comments. The new site has an improved look with better readability and (to my eye) fewer ads. In addition, they’ve hired Joel from Dethroner and Gizmodo fame to run BoingBoing Gadgets, a new sub-site focusing on personal electronics. Welcome improvements all around.
But nothing that changes ever improves without a few mistakes, not even BoingBoing. In order to bring back comments without feeling the pain of comment spam and interminable flame wars, BB has taken two steps. The first, and something I think we all wish we could do, is to hire Teresa Nielsen Hayden of Making Light to manage their comments. Great move. The second step was to require commenters to choose between being anonymous (cowards) or creating an account at BB. That’s right, one more account with a username and password to forget.
What’s sad is that there are at least two better options. The worse of the two is to set up TypeKey authentication. Yes, it’s another username and password, but at least it’s usable across multiple sites. I have a TypeKey account just to be able to comment at the Dooce.
The best solution, which Movable Type 4 supports, is OpenID. This open authentication system allows users to authenticate through a number of different methods (for instance, by having a free LiveJournal or Vox account), and MT’s support is very flexible.
So please BB, please open up a little. Don’t make me get a special account just to comment on your pages (okay, I already did, but still).
BoingBoing and Slashdot are both linking to this story about the world’s last ninja. Let’s take a loook:
But he also has watched his legacy co-opted by goofy caricatures such as “Mutant Ninja Turtles” and schlocky Hollywood send-ups like “Beverly Hills Ninja.”
“I think it’s pathetic,” Hatsumi says of the ninja’s modern image.
Wow, how tragic. Our modern cynicism and lack of respect is tarnishing the true spirit of ninjitsu. What best exemplifies that spirit?
Legend says that during one battle, Takamatsu snatched an eyeball from a would-be Chinese bandit.
Oh yeah: eyeball snatching. Get bent Hatsumi. We’re talking about assassins here, not artists or poets. Ninjas are nothing more than deadly prostitutes, pal, and in fact they’re lower than prostitutes, because at least they make somebody happy.
TangleBones: the only website willing to take on the ninja menace.
As mentioned on BoingBoing, the State Department encourages photographs where the applicant is relaxed and smiling.
I thought the point of passport photos was to identify people while traveling. Shouldn’t the photos be taken after you’ve been awake for 26 hours, crammed into a cattle car, carrying the legal limit of luggage, arguing with customs agents, and wrestling with a screaming toddler?