When I started this blog and podcast several years ago, I really had no idea where this would all be going. And, for the first year or two, our numbers (podcast subscribers as well as web site visitors) were pretty dismal. But lately I have watched those numbers climb ever so slowly as the days, weeks and months flew by, and they’re now at a pretty respectable level. Not quite OVER NINE THOUSAAAAAAAAAND, but getting there. So, yeah, we’re movie’ on up in the world. Unfortunately these larger numbers have begun to strain our resources, namely server capacity, as can be evidenced by the increasingly slow and sluggish Otaku no Podcast website. Clearly it’s high time to make some changes around here.

Actually, the first of these changes happened several weeks ago. As some of you may know, we’ve had our domain name registered through Go Daddy. I was reasonably happy with their service, and was willing to give them a “pass” on some of their more controversial aspects (their “sexy” advertising, etc.). But all that changed when it came to light that they supported the destructive legislation known as SOPA, a very disturbing piece of legislation that, if passed, could pave the way to loss of Internet freedoms and privacy. They have since backed down (somewhat – their language is still very wishy-washy); however this has eroded their credibility in my eyes to the point where I wanted to stop giving them my business. As of several weeks ago, all Otaku no Podcast-related domains are now off of Go Daddy and are registered through Hover.com, an excellent registrar who opposes SOPA. Over the next few weeks I will be moving my other domains (those used for personal means as well as other projects I’m involved in) to Hover. (Note: the Otaku no Podcast website has been hosted for quite some time at 1and1, who are on the record as opposing SOPA.)

Anyway, the real change will be coming over the next week or two, in that we’ll be moving the website onto a new server with significantly larger capacity (but still hosted at 1and1 – I’m quite pleased with their service so have no inclination to switch). At the same time, I’ll be doing some “behind the scenes” work, restructuring the code that runs everything, to make it run smoother and better (things that I’ve been meaning to do for a while now).

So, over the next week or so, as I migrate the site’s code and data over to the new server, you may start to see some strange things happen around here: silly “test” posts, missing pages, missing audio/video files, or perhaps even the dreaded “404 Not Found.” I’ll try and keep this to a minimum, but, in a move as large-scale as this, there are a thousand and one ways that things could go horribly wrong; so let this serve as fair warning.

(Of course, I’ve managed to say in 1,000 words what really only needed about 10. Such is the way with me. Oh well.)

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

Related posts:

1. Otaku no Podcast server is back online after an unknown amount of downtime
2. New Year – New Website
3. New server

You’ve no doubt heard of social news sites such as Digg or Reddit. These sites allow users to submit news stories, and people can vote them up (digg them) or down (bury them). This “social curation” lets the really interesting, timely and/or cool news items bubble up to the top, while the less interesting or boring stuff sinks to the bottom.

Well, since (to my knowledge) there is no such site dedicated specifically to topics that we otaku would find interesting (i.e. anime, manga, Japan, etc.), I decided to take it upon myself to start one! (OK, actually it was just an excuse to play with a new bit of server software.)

The site is still a bit bare right now; that’s because, well, we need people to submit stuff!! So go ahead and register yourself an account and submit a story or three, and vote up/down other peoples’ submissions already!

Click for J-List now!

Related posts:

1. Announcing a new anime convention for the Central California area
2. Announcing the Otaku no Podcast YouTube Channel
3. Announcing the Labor Day Weekend Otaku-thon of Doom!

Well unfortunately doing this in my own home is, erm, not bloody likely.  (If you’ve seen my home, you’ll know why.)  But I can do it to the Otaku no Podcast website!  So let this be a warning to you that, over the next few weeks/months, you may start to see some changes in the Otaku no Podcast website.

I’m not doing this just to annoy you, or because I want to play with some new bit of WordPress code.  (Well, ok, I’ll confess, I actually am playing with a new bit of WordPress code.)  But it’s for a good reason.  I’ve found a new WordPress theme, Atahualpa, that offers a tremendous level of flexibility in terms of the ability to configure and customize things without having to directly hack on the wordpress theme code, which is what I had to do with our previous theme when I wanted to add something custom like a “subscribe to podcast” link or an ad banner or whatnot.  Basically, the practical upshot of all this is that you, the user, will end up with a much prettier, more functional, and faster website, whereas I, the webmaster and server guru, will end up with something much more manageable.

Don’t fret however.  I’ll be confining most of my, erm, experimentation on my personal blog and website, and will only update the Otaku site once I have something that is stable, works well, and looks good.  Look forward to it!

In the meantime, yes, I’m still working on Anime on the Cheap, Part 2; I’ve also gotten into the anime review groove (thanks to my recent work on the Anime Secret Santa project) and have started writing up some reviews of other anime series I’ve completed recently.  You can look forward to those appearing gradually on the website in the coming weeks/months.

Finally, I hope everyone had a great holiday season, and I wish you all the best for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

Related posts:

1. Moving to a new server; there may be some podcast/website issues over the next week or so (Updated)
2. New server
3. Announcing the new Otaku News Central website!

PC dating-sim games @ J-List

Related posts:

1. Photos from Comic-Con
2. Eureka Seven feature film to be screened on September 24
3. Anime Expo 2009 photos on Flickr

To that end, we have a really nifty new site based on the uber-popular WordPress blogging engine.  I’ve done a lot of research and found that WordPress offers the most flexibility with the least amount of effort (very important for a lazy otaku such as myself), and has some pretty darn fine looking themes if I do say so myself.  (Right now we’re still using the default “Kubrick” theme, but I’ll be playing around with it in the days and weeks to come, making it look even cooler.)  WordPress’s “Akismet” plugin offers excellent spam protection (but at a cost – you have to register for a free account if you want to post a comment.  Sorry folks, them’s the rules.)  Also the PodPress plugin makes adding and managing podcasts a breeze.  (Plus it provides nifty Flash-based player applet so that you can play back podcasts right on the web page.)

Not everything is back in place yet.  The nifty “subscribe via iTunes” link, for one, isn’t there.  (However, this podcast is still listed in the iTunes directory.)  Also I’m still in the process of re-adding the Google AdSense stuff, the forums, etc.  Those will slowly come online within the next few days.  But, at least, the basics are up and running.

Oh yes – and a new podcast is coming, just as soon as I can find the time to edit it.  (It’s all recorded, just need to cut out my more embarrassing flubs.  )

Related posts:

1. Moving to a new server; there may be some podcast/website issues over the next week or so (Updated)
2. Otaku no Podcast server is back online after an unknown amount of downtime
3. ChibiCast #0019 – Post server migration test boo