Patrick

Hey all, just wanted to say that we're still on track here. Going to be a wild, probably somewhat bumpy ride, but I'm excited to go on it! Thanks, Patrick

I mowed through a couple of things from the library in the last few days: Moriarty the Patriot 16 manga, which was just released in English on July 2. Stranger Things: The Voyage graphic novel, which I didn't realize, but was just released in July, too. This led me to put a hold on some of the other Stranger Things comics as they do some fun things to fill in the universe.

Thanks so much for the replies and support, DarthPenguin, John, Brian, Ken, and Fat Cobra! It means a lot. We're inching closer...

Hello, Thank you for visiting KarateForums.com. We recognize one member every month as the KarateForums.com Member of the Month for their positive contributions to this community. Our honoree for May is... DarthPenguin for the second time! This gives us a great opportunity to recognize DarthPenguin on reaching the 1,000 post milestone yesterday! Thank you for all of your amazing contributions over the years, DarthPenguin. Of course, it's not just the quantity, but the quality and the kind way you treat your fellow members. It is appreciated. Thanks, Patrick

Hey all, Following up on our announcement on May 21 and the member testing period that went from May 31 through June 18, with staff testing prior to that, I'm happy to announce the next step in our migration to new community software. On Thursday, September 5 at approximately 10pm Eastern, I will take the site offline. At that point, I and a developer friend of mine will start to work through our long migration document. This will ensure that the process goes smoothly and that all community contributions are properly and thoughtfully preserved. After which the site will be opened. Passwords We have worked really hard to ensure that your information will be preserved. The most challenging piece of this is your password. I didn't want you to get locked out of your account. Through testing, we have a high degree of confidence that your password will work. Once we ironed out the issues, all passwords that have been tested have worked. The New Site That aside, the site will have a lot of similarity to our current one, as that was the goal. But it will include all sorts of new, handy additions. Yes, some things might not be where you expect them. It'll take some time, but it's an important step for us, in modernizing the site in reasonable and smart ways, while preserving the community for the future. Timeline My hope is that we will reopen on Saturday, September 7. In the best case, we might be able to open on Friday. I think the "good" worst case puts us at a Monday launch. While the very worst case means we don't actually migrate, have to stop, back up, and figure out what happened. In which case, I would simply put the current site back online. But I doubt that will happen. Once the site is down, you'll be able to find a status page at https://www.karateforums.com. I will be updating this page as things progress, so please feel free to check back periodically to see how things are going! It's going to be a lot of work, both in the migration and after, where we have to update our habits, our documentation, and make adjustments, but I'm excited to launch this new site for the community. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we make it happen. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Thanks, Patrick

Even though it's a story, I still like discussing it like it is a serious thing. I make it a habit to buy-in. I think this is a great point. Why are they still even allowed? The ... conveyance of the honor probably shouldn't be happening.

Hey DarthPenguin, sorry for the confusion. We're catching up. https://www.karateforums.com/motm.php Thanks, Patrick

Sorry to hear about the injuries, Shojiko!

Hello, Thank you for visiting KarateForums.com. We recognize one member every month as the KarateForums.com Member of the Month for their positive contributions to this community. Our honoree for April is... wildbourgman for the third time! February 26 marked 10 years that you have been a member of our community, wildbourgman. That's an amazing amount of time, and we're grateful to still have you after all these years. Thank you for all of your contributions. Thanks, Patrick

I've added spoilers to the title of this thread just to be safe. Fighting next to a saw blade when you have a kid on the way at age whatever Johnny is is definitely an interesting move... really?! Haha, but that's the show. I can't resist it. I was kind of annoyed about how they picked the squad to send to the tournament. Just alternate picks or something. Finding a flag in the woods doesn't have anything to do with the brutal fighting they engage in.

Thanks for adding that, Ken!

Wow, what a story. Thanks for sharing it with us, JazzKicker.

Thanks for the update, Bob. Sounds like good news overall and positive progress. Your next appointment is my birthday, so I'll look forward to more good news.

Hello, Thank you for visiting KarateForums.com. We recognize one member every month as the KarateForums.com Member of the Month for their positive contributions to this community. Our honoree for March is... RJCKarate for the second time! June 19 marked 18 years that you have been a member of this community, Reece. I'm so glad that you are still with us. Thank you for all of your contributions over the years. Thanks, Patrick

Thanks all. It was a little hard to picture at first, but I thought the interactions were fun. They included all of the cover art and variants at the end of the book, and I really liked these two covers: https://www.midtowncomics.com/product/2218156 https://www.midtowncomics.com/product/2226956

Thanks for the update, Ken!

I think this counts? I was able to read the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Stranger Things collected series during my holiday travel. It was fun. A lot of great artwork.

Hello, Thank you for visiting KarateForums.com. We recognize one member every month as the KarateForums.com Member of the Month for their positive contributions to this community. Our honoree for February is... sperki for the second time! April 19 marked 15 years that you have been a member of this community, sperki. It was great to see you pop back up recently. Thank you for all of your contributions over the years. Thanks, Patrick

Congrats on making this changes, Ken! I didn't have the scare you did, but several years ago, I decided I was trending in the wrong direction (weight, cholesterol, etc.) and decided it was time to make adjustments. I did a bunch of things, numerous gradual efforts, and it made a difference. So, I hope you find the same! Will second Brian in the fact that eventually, logging my food became part of this. Yes, to keep the calories where they needed to be, but also to get a real sense of how much I was eating. At one point, I would have never thought I would log my food, but I am currently on a 2,621 day streak, haha. I kept it simple, though. I only log food with calories, don't get into macros (just for my own sanity), and don't log water, sleep, etc. May or may not be right for you, but regardless, all of this effort is good! Happy for you. Patrick

Testing has now concluded. I want to publicly say a big thanks to DarthPenguin, KarateKen, and Zaine for their time in offering feedback, reviewing the new site, and identifying issues to address. I'd similarly like to thank all of our staff - aurik, bushido_man96, Nidan Melbourne, sensei8, and Wastelander - for doing the same. Between all of their efforts, along with the time I and my engineer friend have spent testing, I feel very confident that we're ready to make this new site a reality. Our next steps are to finalize our migration process, in reflection of this feedback, and schedule a time to take the site offline. I'll obviously keep you all in the loop. Please stay tuned for a new announcement with details! Thanks, Patrick

Congrats!

Wow! That is a lot, Ken. Glad you are alright - and that you are now back on track with tests, appointments, etc. Hope it all looks good from here.

We are now closed to new testing participants. Testing remains ongoing. Thank you to everyone who has volunteered and offered feedback. Once we have a clear timeline as far as when the migration will happen and when the site will come online, I will provide an update in a new announcement. I am going to leave this thread open for now, for any additional questions. Thanks again, Patrick

Thanks Ken! All set. Sent you a PM with some details.

Hey all, Testing is going well! I'm really getting excited about the new site. I wanted to call out that I have decided to close the window for participants a week form today, on June 11. Testing will remain ongoing, but if you'd like to raise your hand, you have 7 more days to join. Thank you! Patrick