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SphynxCatVP
31 December 2010 @ 11:59 pm




PURPOSE OF THIS LJ
This LJ is for notices of official site updates and community news, plus whatever else seems to fit along the same lines. As such, updates may be erratic depending on what else is going on in my life at the moment (though I often will be logging in to read more often than I actually post.)

FRIENDS LIST INFO
Feel free to add me, and I will add you back (unless you're a spammer or have stuff on your LJ I feel isn't safe for most R-rated audiences).

I may occasionally add random people either who's writing I enjoy reading, OR who I believe are part of the real vampire community, so if you see [info]sphynxcat_news pop up in your list of people who've friended you, that's why, especially if I just added you to be able to read your public posts without an expectation of reciprocal friending. :) If you don't wish to be listed on my friends list, simply ask (comment to this, or any other entry of mine you see) to be removed and I will do so as soon as I am able.

In any case, please understand there is no offense intended by my friending you, it is NOT meant to indicate that someone is part of the online vampire community when they really -aren't-, and you are under NO obligation to friend me back.

IMPORTANT NOTE - LANGUAGES:
If you are not a native speaker of English, be aware that I really cannot read any language other than English unless I can find a good translation tool. If you can point me to an online tool with at least some reliability, that would be great. If you can't, and you wish to friend me anyway, that's fine too - just be aware I probably won't comment on your entries as a result of the language barrier.

SCREENING
All comments are screened for this entry. Doesn't mean you can't post, just means spammers don't have an automatic free ride. :)
 
 
SphynxCatVP
Be warned, these are LONG once you click in through the LJ cuts. Saw this on Medscape and figure I'd pass along for anyone who wants the nitty gritty of this nasty thing that's going around. The Medscape article is dated September 25, 2009, so it's fairly current as of this writing.

[My explanations of lesser-known medical terms are in these square brackets.]


Clinical Features of H1N1 Influenza )

Complications of H1N1 Influenza )

Contagiousness:

Infectious period:
The duration of shedding with novel influenza A (h1N1) virus is unknown. Therefore, until data are available, the estimated duration of viral shedding is based upon seasonal influenza virus infection.. Infected persons are assumed to be shedding virus from one day prior to illness onset until resolution of symptoms. In general, persons with novel influenza A (H1N1) virus infection should be considered potentially infectious from one day before to 7 days following illness onset. Children, especially younger children, might be infectious for up to 10 days.

(I've seen another site reference a study - without a link, dammit - saying that patients MAY be contagious for up to 16 days (!!) after coughing stops. So it sounds like it's possible to get the flu from someone who didn't honestly expect they would still be contagious.)
 
 
SphynxCatVP
06 September 2009 @ 04:21 am
Had to share teh funneh!



(Myrbree): "You too can be a vampire just like Edward! Just rub on Edwards SuperDuper Vampire Glitter and you will become a vampire just like him! No joke!"

(Myrbree): "Disclaimer: superduper effects take a year to set in. You must use the glitter gel every day for the transformation to take effect. Each tube contains real blood from a real vampire and the blood soaks into your skin and into your bloodstream. Thus turning you into a vampire safely."

(Myrbree): "each tube contains 100% organic ingredients and each tube contains a one month supply. After a years worth of use you will notice a thirst for human blood and you will stop aging and the ability to throw cars across the country. Get your tube of Edwards SuperDuper Glitter Gel and be on your way to stalking the night an immortal today! Chicks dig it!"
 
 
SphynxCatVP
17 August 2009 @ 06:15 am
Just added a section for conferences to the support grouping in my site. Transcripts of past IRC conferences are located there - including, now, the Vampire Aging conference from 2005. Menus have been rearranged a little bit in this section for better presentation.

Also added an event listing for Sangi's upcoming IRC chat on my special events page in the "Interact" section.
 
 
SphynxCatVP
11 August 2009 @ 12:40 am
** All updates are noted with a "NEW" marker on the site pages **

Added OrthaeVelve's Sanguine Feeding Lecture

Added an anecdote from OrthaeVelve

Added Sarasvati's article on whether a medical cause for vampirism is practical

Shuffled some things from the general vamprism page to the anecdotes page

Resorted categories on the general vampirism page

Added link to Vyrdolak's article "Communing with Vampires"

Added links to conference transcripts from VVC public meetings and VVC global chats


clicky to visit my site
 
 
SphynxCatVP
05 August 2009 @ 06:36 am
I have added 3 articles to my site this morning. (Ya'll can stop fainting now... :) )

One by Musidora on being a donor, and two from LadyCG - one on long term blood storage, and one on donors.

All three are linked off my site's Bloodvamps page.
 
 
SphynxCatVP
03 May 2009 @ 11:58 pm
I went through and did some initial updates and link checks for the site.

This especially applies to the webboards page - it's gotten a thorough check and weeding of old/dead/spam-laden links.

If you have a forum/webboard/etc. you want to see included, let me know the name and URL. If it looks appropriate, I will add it to the list.
 
 
SphynxCatVP
09 April 2009 @ 01:59 pm
For those who ARE otherkin who may be reading this post...

If you were looking for a site with otherkin info - not a forum, but an informative site...

What types of information would you want to see?

I know specifics can be difficult to nail down between species, but I'm looking for overall types, subject headings as it were.

Thanks. :)

(Yes, this is xposted in my personal LJ)
 
 
SphynxCatVP
12 January 2009 @ 08:21 pm
Done:
1) Added Russian translation button since that's getting more popular among visitors
2) Cleared out old "new" markings
3) Added Media section (Yes, inspired by the VVC's media page)
4) Updated site stats for those who are curious
5) Minor updates to a few articles

In progress:
6) Link checking and verification
7) Webring updates / verifications

Wander over and see... :)
 
 
SphynxCatVP
25 December 2008 @ 12:43 pm
I've been doing some minor cleanup on the site this week, pulling things that don't work and some minor tweaking.

If there's suggestion for things to include as I move on to cleaning up the linkrot and adding new content, please feel free to let me know. :)
 
 
SphynxCatVP
13 December 2008 @ 05:45 pm
I will be working on integrating this LJ into my site. I'll be doing some cleanup and tweaking, so expect some deconstruction dust kicking around. :)
 
 
SphynxCatVP
05 December 2008 @ 03:47 pm
I've gone through and updated the FAQ's pages, cleaned up a couple links, gone through most of the FAQ files and made minor tweaks here and there for readability or to update contents.

I'll slowly be going over the rest, little bit at a time, as my sanity allows. :) Announcements will be made here as things are done and uploaded.
 
 
SphynxCatVP
25 October 2007 @ 08:10 pm
Ok, that's it... things are just tooo chaotic RL.

Until further notice, I am....

..... ON HIATUS .....
 
 
SphynxCatVP
05 October 2007 @ 01:43 am
Still having some connectivity problems. Those of you waiting to get in touch with me, please be patient.

Thank you.
 
 
SphynxCatVP
30 December 2006 @ 09:09 pm
No, I'm not dead. :P

I've updated the reciprocal links page on my site with a couple new links, and cleaned out a LOT of dead ones.

The ones either dead or no longer linking to me for whatever reason are the following: )

If your site or page is in this list and you want me to add it back to my reciprocal links page, simply let me know where you have a link to me on your site. If your site has complex, unusually-named or php-based navigation methods, it's possible I simply couldn't find it (and if that's the case, then you should really think about how you design your site navigation!)

Updates will resume for my site, but at a slower pace than in the past, at least for now. I have too many irons in the fire, and things that actually PAY my bills have to come first. The site will stay up regardless, it just means that I may not get to it as often as I'd like.
 
 
Feeling rather: accomplished
 
 
SphynxCatVP
20 October 2006 @ 09:51 am
For those who haven't already seen it, and have webrings, they have substantially changed their service offerings.

Anyone owning more than 2 rings AND/OR with memberships in more than 5 other rings WILL BE CHARGED MONEY.

Theoretically, they won't force a choice until January 15th 2007, however they're also saying (in their forums) that they won't charge your account before November 1, 2006.... confused? So's a good portion of webring members.

Anyway... if you have a webring membership and haven't checked in for a while, you might want to do so NOW and decide whether this applies to you, and whether you care what rings they believe you should keep if you exceed these limits.

(xposted to [info]sphynxcatvp as well.)
Tags:
 
 
Feeling rather: irritated
 
 
 
SphynxCatVP
30 December 2005 @ 04:11 am
There's what's known as a 0-day Windows exploit (exploit discovered before a patch is ready) in the wild. Some websites are already exploiting it, and it's only a matter of time before it becomes an exploit used in email (whether as spam or as the product of an installed virus) and files.

This is a hack of the Windows MetaFile format - Thus all Windows machines are vulnerable, and this is a cross-browser suseptibity.

Snippet from the page: "Note that this WILL temporarily disable the "Thumbnail" view in Windows Explorer and Window's Image and FAX viewer. This is by design, since these viewers are no longer safe to use until a non-vulnerable file has been produced by Microsoft and installed."

For details, go here. This page also includes details on how to disable the vulnerable component.

It is recommended that you reboot after disabling the component to prevent anything already in memory from being affected.
 
 
SphynxCatVP
27 December 2005 @ 02:28 am
"...Shin Buddhism cautions us to always remember that, even if we do awaken to the Dharma and to our true, egocentric nature, we don't become "better people." We're still egotistical, judgmental, impatient, fallible and arrogant. In that sense, Buddhism is really beyond ethics, beyond "right and wrong," because it accepts, with compassion, that to be human is to be flawed. However, though we don't become "better" (more moral) people, we do gain insight. As mentioned above, what can change is the way we look at our lives and our relationship to others. We can come to see that our lives and, indeed, all life, is both interdependent and precious. This insight can have a profound and transforming effect on how we live our lives."

Snippet ganked from here.
 
 
SphynxCatVP
20 December 2005 @ 04:55 pm
Just because it seems to be necessary... :)



Good Research Practices
Good research practices use what is called the "scientific method" for determining whether a theory or conjecture is valid, or at least has merit. It is based on evidence rather than belief.

What is this "scientific method"?
  1. Observe and describe a phenomenon or set of phenomenons.

  2. Create a theory or conjecture to explain the phenomenon(s).

  3. Use what is theorized to predict repeat performances of said phenomena.

  4. Experiment to see whether the theory is correct by discovering whether the criteria will actually duplicate the same set of results. Properly performed experiments will have the most reliable results.

What is the typical process like?
  1. Define the question

  2. Gather information and resources

  3. Form hypothesis

  4. Plan experiment

  5. Do experiment and collect data

  6. Analyze data

  7. Interpret data and draw conclusions that serve as a starting point for new hypotheses

  8. Communicate results

Key points to note:
  • If the experiments bear out the hypothesis it may come to be regarded as a theory.

  • If the experiments do not bear out the hypothesis, it MUST BE REJECTED OR MODIFIED.

  • The key in the description of the scientific method just given is the predictive power of the
    hypothesis or theory, as tested by experiment.

It is often said in science that theories can never be proved, only disproved. There is always the possibility that a new observation or a new experiment will conflict with a long-standing theory.


COMMON MISTAKES:
  • Ignoring data which does not support the hypothesis.

  • Failure to account for errors in the method used to run the experiment.

  • Mistaking the hypothesis for an actual explanation, without performing proper experiments.

  • Bias towards a specific result or specific set of results.



Selected links for further understanding:

http://phyun5.ucr.edu/~wudka/Physics7/Notes_www/node6.html
http://koning.ecsu.ctstateu.edu/Plants_Human/scimeth.html
http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/scimeth.htm
http://www.accessexcellence.org/AE/AEC/CC/chance.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_method
 
 
SphynxCatVP
04 December 2005 @ 03:25 pm
Site-related news:
  • The interviewers *really* came out of the woodwork this year. In response to many emails, I have set up my own "Press Room" section on my site. This can be found under the "about" tab.

  • One of my articles - Maintaining Good Health - was published under the title of "Healthy Vamps" in LadyCG's book "Practical Vampyrism for Modern Vampyres". If you are interested, the book may be purchased via Amazon or other retailers, using the ISBN number 1-4116-4299-6.

  • Another article, Grounding & Centering 101, has been accepted for the December 2005 issue of VC Magazine, and may currently be viewed here for the rest of this month. (Check the VCMagazine archives after the end of this month, and look for "December 2005".)

  • I have also agreed to what is probably my first interview ever (and a joint interview with Memory And Dream, too) - the results can be viewed over here.


New Links for October and November )
 
 
SphynxCatVP
14 November 2005 @ 02:34 pm
The Nightwatch interview with two community members is now up and available for downloading.

The upside is it's just an .mp3 file, so it only takes winamp or some other compatible player.

The downside is it's HUGE. About 105MB. So... be warned.
 
 
SphynxCatVP
08 November 2005 @ 11:46 pm
I got a plug on the Night Watch show tonight! W0000t!

Archive of the show is expected to be online sometime tomorrow or the next day, but I don't know how long the archives stay up.
 
 
SphynxCatVP
08 November 2005 @ 12:47 am
Looks like he put the "original" content back up - the bloodlines site some of us are familiar with.

However....

Be careful which you click, because the fetish link is still on that main page too.
 
 
SphynxCatVP
03 November 2005 @ 05:51 pm
Have you seen the A&E special "The Secret Life of Vampires"?

If not, click here for info on how you can.