Slog - Comments on How We Got This Week's Issue to the Printer http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print Tuesday is the busiest day in The Stranger's production cycle--the day the paper goes to the printer. Yesterday afternoon, in the middle of the usual stress, our phones went blank and some of the lights in our offices went out. A second later, Dan Savage looked up from his computer and said, "Why can't I get on Slog?" A transformer across the street had just blown. In addition to the power we'd lost--some departments had it, some didn't (the phone system had lost power)--we'd lost internet and email access. This posed a special problem: Without the internet, we couldn't get... Copyright 2008 Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:46:58 -0800 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:46:46 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by Chris from N.O. Woohoo! My boy Brian G. gets a call out on SLOG.

]]> Chris from N.O. http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109458 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109458 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:51:16 -0800 Comment by menelaus22 so are you chuckleheads going to fire your sys admin for not creating a real redundancy plan or what?

All this horseshit is totally preventable with the most basic redundancy plan.

]]> menelaus22 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109476 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109476 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:01:36 -0800 Comment by Mr. Poe Ok.

]]> Mr. Poe http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109481 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109481 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:02:42 -0800 Comment by michael strangeways it's like a DVD extras disc but without Peter Bogdanovich's irritating commentary.

]]> michael strangeways http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109487 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109487 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:05:45 -0800 Comment by Ryan on Summit Wear Helmets.

]]> Ryan on Summit http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109495 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109495 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:08:54 -0800 Comment by paulus why does this amuse me so?

]]> paulus http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109498 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109498 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:11:00 -0800 Comment by Plastic Hecht works for The Stranger and has plastic grocery bags in his home? Shame!!! Shame!!! Shame!!!

]]> Plastic http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109504 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109504 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:16:51 -0800 Comment by Monty Huh, no pics of A. Birch Steen throwing a tantrum?

]]> Monty http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109514 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109514 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:23:39 -0800 Comment by Epimetheus "van usually used to distribute the paper" and I thought it was distributed by bicycle, boy, do i feel like a fool

"So we found a bunch of plastic grocery store bags" Could any snarky comment from me really add anything to that?

]]> Epimetheus http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109516 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109516 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:24:02 -0800 Comment by Little Red Ryan Hood @2 I can't see an alt weekly having off-site fail over or a generator in the basement.

]]> Little Red Ryan Hood http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109520 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109520 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:27:13 -0800 Comment by COMTE So, what you're saying is that we can pretty much expect the entirety of this week's edition to appear in next year's "regrets" issue?

]]> COMTE http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109531 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109531 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:32:24 -0800 Comment by Catalina Vel-DuRay The color of the hard hat, not the car, tells you everything: White hats are bosses. Yellow hats are workers.

For example, I have a white CL car, but a yellow hat. I am absolutely nobody's boss. In fact, I'm pretty much the bottom of the barrel, hierarchy-wise.

But I'm glad your power got put back up. They really should add that part of the hill to the downtown network.

]]> Catalina Vel-DuRay http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109532 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109532 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:32:49 -0800 Comment by Cato the Younger Younger And this is special because?????

]]> Cato the Younger Younger http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109541 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109541 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:37:05 -0800 Comment by kid icarus I love it -- great story. Thanks for all your hard work!

]]> kid icarus http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109546 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109546 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:39:04 -0800 Comment by tsm Come on, you guys are a professional operation now. At least spring for a generator.

]]> tsm http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109560 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109560 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:45:44 -0800 Comment by it'smarkmitchell It's a heartwarming tale of a spirited group of newspaper people working against time and the odds to get that issueout on time!

Naomi Watts is unspeakably nuanced in her starring role as real-life Managing Editor Bethany Jean Clement!

Wonder at Edward Norton in the role of his career as publisher Tim Keck!

And in a role originally offered to Heath Ledger, Zach Ephron dons a kooky tie and is transformed into Wunderkind editor Christopher Frizelle.

Look for Robert Downey Junior in a surprise cameo as sex-columnist Dan Savage!

]]> it'smarkmitchell http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109563 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109563 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:49:25 -0800 Comment by Whitworth Fag @16, that is called a "straight to video" release. Then off to the $2.99 discount bin at Blockbuster Video.

]]> Whitworth Fag http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109568 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109568 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:52:51 -0800 Comment by rss you still have a print product?

]]> rss http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109592 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109592 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:03:45 -0800 Comment by Gomez I must say, Stranger heads, for all the crap I give you... this was a truly impressive salvage job in what, for many, would've been an impossible situation. Excellent work.

]]> Gomez http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109596 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109596 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:05:22 -0800 Comment by Fnarf Kick-ass story, and a great off-the-cuff recovery. Moving the whole production to the living room -- genius.

It's totally unrealistic to expect a small office like that to have a generator backup, but it's NOT unrealistic to at least have some UPS/battery backups so you can shut down, or even work for a half hour. They're not that expensive. I really, really hope your servers are on one.

]]> Fnarf http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109610 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109610 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:12:37 -0800 Comment by Anthony Hecht Fnarf @20: We have lots of battery backups, but not every machine is on one. The servers of course are. They give us enough time to shut them down gently, but not much more. Once SCL pulled the plug completely, we were sunk, as the batteries had already been strained in the first outage, and powering up several power-hungry Mac Pros is more than those batteries can do.

If we had moved all of our batteries around the office, we might have been able to get a few machines up for long enough to move some files around. It was easier to just move the computers to a reliable power source.

]]> Anthony Hecht http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109625 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109625 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:21:45 -0800 Comment by Joe M Way to go, and you still managed to slog election night to boot. The two dailies, with all their redundant IT glitter, covered nothing on their websites last night except for raw results.

Good thing for gas-powered private vehicles and plastic bags.

]]> Joe M http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109629 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109629 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:25:31 -0800 Comment by infrequent great story... thanks!

]]> infrequent http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109663 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109663 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:37:07 -0800 Comment by Angelika Reminds me of the days of my highschool paper/yearbook crew! Great job to everyone, and it all sounded like fun too! Can't wait to get my hands on the new Stranger tonight!

]]> Angelika http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109687 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109687 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:52:00 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle You know, if you used a real OS like Linux or Mac, you would have finished rendering and saved the file a heck of a lot quicker.

Just sayin.

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109720 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109720 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:06:12 -0800 Comment by Drawmark Hey would it be unrealistic to have bicycle messengers on standby to power up the office with Gilligan style bike generators?

Come on Stranger. Get your sh#t together.


Great job and story.

]]> Drawmark http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109728 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109728 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:11:09 -0800 Comment by PA Native You guys proofread?

]]> PA Native http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109735 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109735 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:14:05 -0800 Comment by donte looks like some of your bikers need helmets.

outside of that, that's a great feat you pulled off. nice work!

]]> donte http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109746 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109746 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:22:00 -0800 Comment by patrick You shouldn't have bothered. I didn't even feel like reading it.

]]> patrick http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109763 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109763 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:31:35 -0800 Comment by elswinger Wasn't this an episode of Lou Grant about 30 years ago?

]]> elswinger http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109766 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109766 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:32:43 -0800 Comment by yelahneb Chris Kraft: "This could be the worst disaster NASA's ever experienced."

Gene Kranz: "With all due respect, sir, I believe this is going to be our finest hour."


- NASA Flight Directors, "Apollo 13"

]]> yelahneb http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109794 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109794 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:51:41 -0800 Comment by Anthony Hecht @25 - Look at the pictures more closely.

]]> Anthony Hecht http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109807 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109807 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:59:26 -0800 Comment by michael strangeways Zak Efron does NOT have an enormous whatchamahoosits...he's not fit to play the part in any sense of the word.

]]> michael strangeways http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109831 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109831 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:25:57 -0800 Comment by um more importantly... THE LIQUER STORE WAS CLOSED!!!

]]> um http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109849 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109849 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:36:24 -0800 Comment by Syawegnarts Unionize. That'll show Tim and Dan who has the power NEXT TIME.

]]> Syawegnarts http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109861 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109861 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:43:20 -0800 Comment by Fnarf @25 - .

]]> Fnarf http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109867 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109867 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:47:44 -0800 Comment by Mary T Um yeah, @25, we're all Mac here. But even Macs don't work without power.

]]> Mary T http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109927 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109927 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:42:37 -0800 Comment by Nay I have the only PC in the oo-o-ooffice, 'cept for Tone, but his is just for testing. :P

]]> Nay http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109937 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109937 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:05:46 -0800 Comment by borgboi @33, Christopher Frizelle has an enormous whatchamahoosits?!?! Is that what you're implying here, Mr. Strangeways?

]]> borgboi http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109939 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109939 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:11:19 -0800 Comment by We are powerless! Way, way, way too much detail here. Is all of that bold type so necessary? I'm sure it was exciting for the Stranger gang, but not that captivating for anybody else, sorry.

My power went out a few months ago, and I was on deadline too. Do you want the 1200 word version? I know you'll dig it. And I have several awesome photos of me and my dead computer that I could show you. See what I mean?

]]> We are powerless! http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109955 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1109955 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:32:48 -0800 Comment by Liston 40 - Yes!! Link to your blog.

]]> Liston http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1110004 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1110004 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 19:57:59 -0800 Comment by Sam Good work all of you. What a damned stressful time.

]]> Sam http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1110060 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1110060 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 21:53:25 -0800 Comment by Bran Is it just me or is the Stranger's print edition a bit small these days?

Just a few years ago Savage would run a weekly comparison of the Stranger and the Weekly's print editions. Of course the Stranger was always the larger of the two. These days they're both very small.

Sad to see the dead tree versions of newspapers wither away...

]]> Bran http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1110087 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1110087 Housekeeping Wed, 20 Aug 2008 23:21:32 -0800 Comment by Christin Nice! Boo to the people who read it and then bitched about reading it--some of us love a behind-the-scenes story.

Out of curiosity, what's the story with having individual sections saved to personal hard drives as well as the shared drive?

I mean, obviously it saved some asses in this particular situation, but it seems like a recipe for shit getting out-of-sync and bad-redundant really quickly; if I started saving work-in-progress to my personal hard drive instead of the shared drive, I'm fairly sure my coworkers and boss would drown me.

]]> Christin http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1110119 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1110119 Housekeeping Thu, 21 Aug 2008 07:21:08 -0800 Comment by Cathy Resmer Very impressive. Hi to Shena from Burlington, VT!

]]> Cathy Resmer http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1110208 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1110208 Housekeeping Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:06:24 -0800 Comment by Grant Brissey It was an exiting adventure in publishing, and we all kicked ass.

]]> Grant Brissey http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1110740 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/how_we_got_this_weeks_issue_to_the_print#c1110740 Housekeeping Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:46:46 -0800