Starship Asterisk*

Posted: **Mon Feb 11, 2008 7:58 am**

For what it's worth I would simply like to state my opinion:

I'm a huge fan of APOD, though I'm not so fond of the recent addition of the "digg it" button in the middle of every page since some time last week. It's simply a distracting and pointless little thing that really shouldn't be there. I love how APOD looks almost exactly the same as it did nearly 13 years ago. There's no need to change anything and the "digg it" button is simply an annoying reminder of what a silly little cyberspace it is that we live in.

Anyway, thanks for letting me share my opinion.

Keep up the great site.

Posted: **Mon Feb 11, 2008 8:19 am**

Just another way to shove advirtising down our throats, , , , grrrrrrrr ! !

Posted: **Mon Feb 11, 2008 3:23 pm**

In reply to the first two messages above, I second the motion and must say, "I can dig it!" I don't like seeing the little button where I am SO used to not seeing one. But, having read up on"Diggs" it's a pretty cool concept that gives every news article and everything it's applied to a chance to run on top of the list of "must see" articles and such with only input from users. (that's everybody that views it). Basically it's a ratings system. for more information go to http://www.digg.com/ and click on the ABOUT button at the top left of the page. It'll give you a quick, to-the-point rundown of what it's all about.

CLEAR SKIES

Posted: **Mon Feb 11, 2008 4:24 pm**

rollovermikey wrote:In reply to the first two messages above, I second the motion and must say, "I can dig it!" I don't like seeing the little button where I am SO used to not seeing one. But, having read up on"Diggs" it's a pretty cool concept that gives every news article and everything it's applied to a chance to run on top of the list of "must see" articles and such with only input from users. (that's everybody that views it). Basically it's a ratings system. for more information go to http://www.digg.com/ and click on the ABOUT button at the top left of the page. It'll give you a quick, to-the-point rundown of what it's all about.

CLEAR SKIES

They also have 11 jobs available if anyone out there is looking for work:

http://www.digg.com/jobs

Posted: **Mon Feb 11, 2008 5:14 pm**

For what it's worth I would simply like to state my opinion:

I like both APOD and the forum very much but the forum contains some of the biggest complainers I have ever seen. From ranting about APOD pics being too terrestrial to now complaining about 'digg' buttons.

Don't you think that some of you are taking APOD and yourselves just a little too seriously? It is just a website that shows astronomy related pictures of the day.

For a group of people who I believe are 'forward thinkers' one wonders why such a small change such as a digg button upset you.

Don't take what I say personal, just think about it.

Posted: **Mon Feb 11, 2008 7:03 pm**

craterchains wrote:Just another way to shove advirtising down our throats, , , , grrrrrrrr ! !

As far as I know, this is just a link to the Digg rating system. I'm pretty sure APOD doesn't get any money from it. Rather, Digg.com uses that link as a means of rating articles. The more articles that are "dugg" the higher up they appear on digg.com, which is basically a news site.

It's supposed to be a way of sharing interesting sites with other internet users.

Posted: **Thu Feb 14, 2008 12:23 am**

Funny how its filtered at my work with the Websense utility our internet is piped through. =b

So I never knew what it did until you just told me. >.<

But does APOD really need some cyberspace ratings thing to help people find APOD articles???? I discovered APOD years ago through Google by just typing in Astronomy Pics.....

And if a member of APOD forums cannot express their view about what's on APOD, then maybe APOD shouldnt have members, or make all topics in this 'discussion forum' NOT allow posts. =/

Which would be pointless in a 'discussion forum' where posts about things you wanna discuss are posted. ergo: the Digg It button on the APOD articles. So maybe don't bash someone's opinion when its just that... an opinion which is welcomed in a discussion forum. Isn't it???

=D

*big smile*

woohooooo! Lunar eclipse next week! =)))

Posted: **Thu Feb 14, 2008 2:29 pm**

Can't say I see any "Digg It" button either. Guess my conservative security settings have paid off again.

-Noel

Posted: **Thu Feb 14, 2008 2:37 pm**

NoelC wrote:Can't say I see any "Digg It" button either. Guess my conservative security settings have paid off again.

It's right above the "Tomorrow's picture:" caption.

Posted: **Thu Feb 14, 2008 2:46 pm**

Not here it isn't.

I have set Internet Explorer to not run scripts by default in the Internet Zone, and though I have set the APOD site to "Trusted", apparently the Digg It button comes from somewhere else.

If you are running scripts from just any Internet site by default you are opening yourself to all kinds of problems.

-Noel

Posted: **Thu Feb 14, 2008 3:15 pm**

NoelC wrote:I have set Internet Explorer to not run scripts by default in the Internet Zone, and though I have set the APOD site to "Trusted", apparently the Digg It button comes from somewhere else.

If you are running scripts from just any Internet site by default you are opening yourself to all kinds of problems.

My security level for Internet Zone is set at medium-high and is set to prompt before running any script. However, I still see "xx diggs | digg it" above "Tomorrow's picture:". I don't think it is a script running, just links to digg.com.

Posted: **Thu Feb 14, 2008 5:20 pm**

Thumbs up on Forum: It's often informative and often entertaining (fun). So what if it spawns tangents and whiners - there's always the next thread.

Thumbs down on digg: Nobody needs outside help finding APOD (beyond the existing ability to find it by name or topic through a search engine). APOD isn't in it for the money and therefore has no reason to take cheesy measures to boost traffic. And anything named "digg it" is prima facie cheesy and an offense to the eye. It looks like the first step down the slippery slope into purposeless promotion and a cluttered web site.

Posted: **Thu Feb 14, 2008 8:55 pm**

Here here... I'm here for the excellent astronomy related images and explanations of what we are seeing, along with the links within the explanations that help me actually understand alittle more of what I'm seeing.

"Cannnn youuuuu diggg it?!"

Posted: **Thu Feb 14, 2008 9:16 pm**

bystander wrote:
NoelC wrote:I have set Internet Explorer to not run scripts by default in the Internet Zone, and though I have set the APOD site to "Trusted", apparently the Digg It button comes from somewhere else.

If you are running scripts from just any Internet site by default you are opening yourself to all kinds of problems.
My security level for Internet Zone is set at medium-high and is set to prompt before running any script. However, I still see "xx diggs | digg it" above "Tomorrow's picture:". I don't think it is a script running, just links to digg.com.

It's a script

Code: Select all

<script type="text/javascript">
digg_url = 'http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080214.html'; digg_skin = 'compact'; </script>
<script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script>

It writes in the extra HTML to provide the link and button. There's several reasons they might have done it this way, including because it gives them more info about which sites are providing the link, it makes it easier to provide the "digg" count, or even (unlikely) because it makes it easier for users to block it.

Some ad blockers will also keep it from showing up, FYI.

Posted: **Fri Feb 15, 2008 5:32 am**

apodman wrote:And anything named "digg it" is prima facie cheesy and an offense to the eye. It looks like the first step down the slippery slope into purposeless promotion and a cluttered web site.

Wow... BBCNews.com uses digg it. Other sites either use it or are at least linked to it from the Digg It site: pbs.org, newscientist.com, both Nasa and ESA, nationalgeographic.com

Anyone that gets upset over the DiggIt link is really taking APOD and themselves a little too seriously. Suck it up and get over it already.

Posted: **Fri Feb 15, 2008 6:06 am**

I can DIGG IT
You can DIGG IT
He can DIGG IT
She can DIGG IT
They can DIGG IT
We can DIGG IT
so lets DIGG IT
Can you DIGG IT baby?

Posted: **Fri Feb 15, 2008 9:29 am**

BMAONE23 wrote:I can DIGG IT
You can DIGG IT
He can DIGG IT
She can DIGG IT
They can DIGG IT
We can DIGG IT
so lets DIGG IT
Can you DIGG IT baby?

Hey!
You!
Yes you, over there sniggering away. Stop that and behave!
This is a serious forum for science type geeks and chaps - and not for general silliness! This is far too silly and must stop immediately!

Apologies to Graham Chapman (RIP)

Posted: **Fri Feb 15, 2008 6:38 pm**

Space can be silly too sometimes...

Like how the moon doesnt wanna show us its backside, prolly cuz its so big... now thats just silly.

Show us your rump shaka, Luna! =b

*watches the Pentagon missile fly overhead to strike the runaway spy satellite*

Posted: **Fri Feb 15, 2008 8:28 pm**

Arramon wrote:Space can be silly too sometimes...

Like how the moon doesnt wanna show us its backside, prolly cuz its so big... now thats just silly.

Show us your rump shaka, Luna! =b

*watches the Pentagon missile fly overhead to strike the runaway spy satellite*

And there REALLY gonna blow it up because of "

toxic fuel"

Posted: **Fri Feb 15, 2008 8:48 pm**

No, it'll be a training exercise/operational test of the Navy Aegis Anti-Ballistic Missile System.

As long as the tank fittings fail on re-entry, the fuel should burn up anyways. Hydrazine is very unstable stuff. Supposedly there is still some hazard after it's burned, though. I'm not sure if that's just ammonia by-product or if there can be some hydrazine left over when it doesn't burn in the presence of a catalyst.

They won't really blow it up either. The missile is a kinetic impactor. It just runs into it at a few thousand miles per hour.

Posted: **Fri Feb 15, 2008 10:34 pm**

Somebody's been taking management lessons: if anyone doesn't fall down on their knees and worship your tacky little idea, just accuse them of being upset, taking things too seriously, etc. It's all in the management how-to book along with about every third installment of Dilbert. And you hold National Geographic up as an example? I watched an NGEO "documentary" on their cable channel last night, and it was the worst excuse for television I've ever seen.[/quote]

Posted: **Sat Feb 16, 2008 3:58 pm**

The digg link is tacky and unnecessary.

Posted: **Sat Feb 16, 2008 4:02 pm**

Just more garbage to litter a web page.

Posted: **Sat Feb 16, 2008 6:49 pm**

We are people, not trained monkeys. We express ourselves well and creatively in this Forum to each other. When we see a great APOD, or one of particular interest to a friend, or one of great general interest, we express ourselves directly to our friends and say in our own words, "hey, look at this." We are individuals who create our own rules of expression as we go, and we like it that way.

Now for the "man against the machine" lecture, but it's not the machine I view here with jaundiced eye, it's those who would lead their own kind into subservience to the machine and to (benign?) interests with commercial potential that attach themselves to the machine.

They tell me if I want to express myself I should do it on YouTube. If I am a throwback with no video to share, I must at least express myself on MySpace. Now if I want to recommend an APOD, I should become that trained monkey and click on the easy link with the cool name, reducing my individual expression to one more click on the heap and becoming an unpaid micro-cog in somebody's incipient on-line empire. I guess I'm just not modern, because that strikes me as something other than forward progress. Sure you can click and express too, but this whole pitch is aimed at your lazy bone and it will surely degrade someone to monkey status before long - don't let this tragedy happen to you!

Posted: **Wed Feb 20, 2008 12:09 am**

huh? did you just call me a monkey???? O.o

oh wait.. that digg link doesn't work for me...

I'm monkey immune!

oo! aa!

*scratches head and throws a stinky one at apodman*

Starship Asterisk*

I Don't "Digg It"

I Don't "Digg It"

heheheh

Silliness