taste_buds
Holidays provide a built-in excuse for indulgent entertaining. This all-purpose foodie community covers everything from homemade hangover cures to dinner party menus. Need quick advice? Get five-minute snack suggestions, low-fat ingredient substitutes, and even measurement conversions. Delicious recipes garnished with humorous advice. Yum.

tags: taste_buds

naturesbeauty
Always on the lookout for compelling images, we were delighted to discover this flourishing community of artists who share a love of nature. Honoring the subject with photographs, paintings, sketches, prose, poetry, and other creative works, you'll be simultaneously riveted to your monitor and inspired to run helter skelter towards the nearest wooded dale.

tags: naturesbeauty

Tweaks and enhancements

• As a number of you reported, a service interruption impaired sending and receiving notifications for a couple of days. This was due to an avalanche of snowflake cookies. We've removed the free snowflake cookie and unclogged the pipeline. Timely notifications should resume shortly. Please note that there's a backlog in our queues, so you'll be getting earlier notifications first. For more details, check out this post at lj_maintenance.
• In anticipation of the new year, we've embarked on a self-improvement kick to boost our backend (pun semi-intended). This will allow us to offer you a holiday promotion in the next few weeks (yes, we're listening and working very hard to make it happen). We sincerely appreciate your continued patience and support.

Holiday vgifts are here!

We've added some fantastic new vgifts to help you spread holiday cheer. We also hope you'll honor AIDS Awareness Month by purchasing virtual red ribbons. Priced at $2.99, we'll donate 100 percent of gross proceeds to IAVI.org (the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative) to support the development and global distribution of an affordable HIV vaccine.

Introducing: LJLimericks

We cordially here do invite you
To craft a fine limerick. Might you?
Each week, a new theme,
Then a poll, that's our dream
Winner posted on news to delight you!

In honor of all the brilliant writers on LiveJournal, we've created a brand new community: ljlimericks! Each week, we'll enter a handful of limericks into a poll (which we'll tuck snugly under an LJ-Cut). The winning poem will be published in the following newsletter. In addition, the author will receive a virtual blue ribbon! If you have the time, come drop us a rhyme. Please keep the "Nantucket" stuff on the downlow, since this is a youth-friendly community. Our first prompt is: Insomnia in winter.

Photos of the week

We're back with more incredible images from our global photography community. Congratulations to sempre_marseeya, who has been awarded a virtual blue ribbon as the winner of our second lj_photophile poll.

We hate to squelch your creativity, but, as a courtesy to other users, please post only one photo at a time and keep the main photo no larger than 350x350 (so images display properly via mobile and on friends pages). You can link to a larger image and/or post photos under a cut. Just so you know, we select photos for the poll blindly, based on user comments and staff feedback. Please continue to vote, comment, and, of course, enjoy. You can check out the week in pictures and view more awesome user content after the jump!

( Read more... )

Curtains

Thanks, again, for joining us. Stay warm and safe out there!

tags: handmade_gifts, holiday vgifts, lj_photophile, lj_spotlights, ljlimerick, notification fix, snowflake cookie avalanche, writer's block

backpacking
Want to embrace your wanderlust on the cheap? If you're tall on adventurous spirit, but short on funds, this community can help you plan a trip to anywhere. Offering plentiful tips on how to travel light, you can post about bargain hotels and hostels if you're into urban exploration or discuss camping gear and mosquito netting for the great outdoors. Hitch your backpack, pitch your tent, and carpe diem!

tags: backpacking

Online streaming here (RAW).

EDIT: RAW version by [Zero-Raws] | Torrent

Subbed version by [ES] | Torrent

tags: kobato, kobato-tv-anime, news

The January issue of Newtype magazine will announce that Code Geass will get a manga adaptation to be serialized in Kadokawa's monthly shonen magazine Shounen Ace. The manga will be drawn by Tomomasa Takuma.

This is part of the new Code Geass project that is planned for 2010, first announced during the Kiseki no Tanjoubi event (more info here).

The new project will also feature new music, products and visual works of the Code Geass franchise.

So far there won't be any direct CLAMP involvement in this new project, except that they will remain being credited for being the franchise's original character designers.

AnimeNewsNetwork has more information about the upcoming new releases of Code Geass.

And here is something cool to share. A reader e-mailed me with this drawing that CLAMP did for the wedding of Mika Kikuchi and Yuuji Kishi (Mokona and Fuuma's seiyuus in Tsubasa). You might remember when I posted about their engagement a few months ago.

The wedding took place on December 4 and here is the drawing that CLAMP did for the occasion:


I knew they would draw Mokona marrying Fuuma xD

Also, Nanase Ohkawa attended the ceremony and here she is making a toast for the couple:



For more pictures of the ceremony, check this link.

tags: code geass, nanase ohkawa, news, other

**FINAL EDIT Thu Dec 10 02:15:47 UTC 2009**

So there is the final update... Over the past day we have processed around 11 million jobs out of the 12 million that were in queue at that time. Please bear in mind that over this past day, more jobs for notifications are also created. So while the queue has been dropping, we are still not fully caught up at this point, due to backlog and new jobs. We have roughly 3 million jobs still pending that involve the notification system in some manner. We had hoped we could have fully cleared the queue in a day, but unfortunately we can't clear it too quickly, since we need the rest of the site to operate normally. From our current perspective on the amount of jobs that are left in queue, and how many it has processed thus far, we believe it will take around another 8 - 12 hours to process everything.

And finally some answers to some questions:

( Read More and Get Some Answers... )

location: Under a Rock mood: grumpy tags: notification system

freeskiers
While some of us long to escape the cold, dark stretch of winter for hot tropical beaches, for others, there's nothing quite like whoooooshing down those shimmering sugar alps. If you're fond of freestyle skiing, get ready to slide down the slippery slopes in good company. This passionate, international community shares travel/gear tips, anecdotes, photos, and videos for those who can't get enough of the sweet stuff.

tags: freeskiers, skiing, snow, travel, winter sports

seasonal_icons
Need some extra twinkle to decorate your place? Check out these dazzling holiday-themed icons. If you're an artist, you can post your own creations, provided you abide by the simple rules (which is to say, all cheer and no politicking). Be sure to comment and give credit if you wish to borrow a little spirit (no direct links, please). If you're feeling a touch of humbug this season, this is an instant shot of festivity.

tags: design, holiday icons, season_icons, userpics

handmade_gifts
High on creativity, but low on cash? You'll find tons of brilliant suggestions for do-it-yourself crafts sure to please everyone on your holiday gift list. Offering detailed instructions, photos, budgets, timelines, and active support, you'll soon turn spare remnants of fabric and time into cherished keepsakes. Be sure to search entries and read user guidelines before you post for help!

Oricon has released a list of the Top 50 best seller comics in 2009 and CLAMP appears in the 49th position with XXXHOLiC #14, which sold 488.106 copies.

You can check the full list here (1~25) and here (26~50).

Congratulations to CLAMP and XXXHOLiC!

tags: news, ranking, xxxholic

Sunrise announced at the event "Kiseki no Tanjoubi" that Code Geass will have a new project in 2010. The event was held this Saturday in Japan to celebrate the birthday of the character Lelouch.

It is still not known whether it will be a new TV series, a movie or an OVA series, or even if CLAMP will be involved. More information should be announced in 2010. Stay tuned!


The text in the image above reads:

"新コードギアス プロジェクト始動決定！
New Code Geass project announced!
2010年に続報を待て!!
Wait until 2010 for more information!!

これは新生……新たなる誕生の日なのだ。
This is a reborn... It's the day of a new birth.

今日より、ギアスは新たな段階を迎える。
From today on, Geass shall reach a new level.

近いうちに、おまえたちは新たなギアスにかかるだろう。
In the near future, we will take you to a new Geass.

希望せよ。待望せよ。熱望せよ！
You wished for this. You eagerly waited for this. You yearned for this!

忘れたか。
Did you all forget?

ギアスとは、願いに似ているということを。
Geass is like a desire.

そう。
That's right...

お前たちが願えば、ギアスは再び……

If you wish for it, Geass will, again...

Special thanks to syaoranmew for the translation!

EDIT: for more information about the event, check out this report.

tags: code geass, news

LiveJournal: The First Decade

Just in time for holiday shopping, we're thrilled to announce the release of our ten-year anniversary anthology. Published by Blurb.com, the book showcases a decade of extraordinary talent drawn from LiveJournal users around the world. This must-read compilation features stories, memes, photos, comics, editorials, graphic content, and more, including:

1. Excerpts from Oh No They Didn't (a/k/a ohnotheydidnt), the largest community on LiveJournal, covering celebrity gossip, entertainment news, and pop culture
2. A look at post-Katrina New Orleans from the journal of Poppy Z. Brite
3. Gripping narratives, including a poignant reverie on a blind date
4. Photography that spans the globe, ranging from old-fashioned Polaroids to underwater photography
5. Mouthwatering dishes from food_porn

What began as a late-night inspiration back in Brad Fitzpatrick's college dorm in 1999 has grown to encompass nearly 25 million users worldwide, with journals and communities covering every conceivable hobby, passion, and topic. To get your copy, please visit the Blurb Bookstore. For updates and entries from book contributors, please join lj_turns10.

Tweaks and enhancements

• You can now ban a user from all of your communities and journals at once. To access this feature, hover over the person's userpic and choose Ban user everywhere from the drop-down menu.
• Follow LiveJournal on Twitter!

Give a little to help a lot!

In honor of National AIDS Awareness month, we've added a new charitable vgift. For each red ribbon you purchase for $2.99, we'll donate 100 percent of gross proceeds to IAVI.org (the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative) to support the development and global distribution of an affordable HIV vaccine (we'll cover credit card fees). You can read more about IAVI at lj_cares. While we're on the subject, we raised $740 from our November fundraiser for Love Without Boundaries, which supports emergency healthcare and adoption of Chinese orphans. We thank you for helping us help others.

Photos of the week

We're back with more incredible pictures from our super-talented LiveJournal photographers. Congratulations to ilya_gorokhov, who is the winner of our very first lj_photophile poll.

We hope you'll continue to post, vote, and comment! A gentle request: Please post only one photo at a time and limit size to 350x350 (so images display properly on friends pages). And now, without further ado, get ready to cast your ballot and view more awesome user content after the jump!

( Read more... )

Curtains

Thanks, again, for joining us. Stay safe and snug out there!

tags: aids vgift red ribbon fundraiser, blurb, livejournal: the first decade, lj_photophile poll

Just a quick follow-up about the second week of sales of Tsubasa #28. It dropped to the 12th position in Oricon's ranking:

• Oricon Weekly Ranking:

11/24~11/30

1st - Nodame Cantabile #23
2nd - REAL #9
3rd - Yotsubato! #9
12th - Tsubasa #28

Also according to Oricon, Tsubasa #28 sold additional 66.736 copies in its second week, making a total of 261.873 copies sold so far.

tags: news, ranking, tsubasa

**EDIT Thu Dec 3 23:24:15 UTC 2009 **

Hey Everyone, we are about to run the last alter job that we need to on our database servers. This will effect userpics / scrapbook / vgift images for the next few hours. Have no fear, your images aren't lost, there is just a really intensive process running on the servers which store the information for mogilefs. Thank you for your understanding and all the LJ love...

Hey LJers,

I just wanted to let you all know that we are going to be performing some mogilefs maintenance over the next few days. We will be upgrading our current version to latest stable as well as changing some db config information to better handle the amount of files we are currently hosting. This shouldn't cause a big impact on site stability, but you may see some minor delays with userpic / scrapbook images appearing or other requests associated with our mogilefs. We would love to not have that happen, but unfortunately with some of the steps we need to take we have to cause a delay with images. I figured this was a better solution than taking down all of LiveJournal because well lets face it, we all need our daily LJ fix ;)

Thanks,

location: Jumping out of a perfectly good plane mood: dirty music: Bad Religion - Stranger Than Fiction tags: mogilefs, upgrade, userpics

Title: Teaser
Characters: Prowl x Bumblebee
Warnings: None
Description: Prowl wants to meditate. Bee wants to play. Bee can be a pain in the ass.

( art behind the cut )

mood: creative tags: draw, fandom:transformers, pairing: prowl/bumblebee, slash

backpacking
Want to embrace your wanderlust on the cheap? If you're high on adventurous spirit, but low on funds, this community can help you plan a trip to anywhere. Offering plentiful tips on how to travel light, you can post about inexpensive hotels and youth hostels if you're into urban exploration or discuss camping gear and mosquito netting for the great outdoors. Hitch your backpack, pitch your tent, and carpe diem!

Online streaming here (RAW).

EDIT: RAW version by [Zero-Raws] | Torrent

Subbed version by [ES] | Torrent

( Comments )

tags: kobato, kobato-tv-anime, review