# Could We Have A Detailed Explanation for the Long Outage? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 5, 2019, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-have-a-detailed-explanation-for-the-long-outage/838195 "2019-08-05T22:46:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-have-a-detailed-explanation-for-the-long-outage/838195/61 "2019-08-06T17:58:01Z")
> [@dba\_Fred](#): > > It looks like I picked the wrong week to quit watching _Airplane_. More appropriately I fell back on _The Longest Day_. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-have-a-detailed-explanation-for-the-long-outage/838195/62 "2019-08-06T18:14:44Z")
> [@PoppaSan](#): > > so where again is our off-site meet up place again? this was like the 20 hour power outage when you realize the phone doesn’t last as long as you thought and it is really nice to have a hot meal once a day and the ice cream dripping in the freezer is not good and maybe you should get a small generator. and this time you don’t put it off until the day after the next time it happens. Several of us met up at the Giraffe Boards. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-have-a-detailed-explanation-for-the-long-outage/838195/63 "2019-08-06T18:17:04Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Do you know there are other web pages besides The Straight Dope??? > [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Cuneiform tablet on its way via horseback dispatch rider. > Quiet, you! :D:cool: ---
**Author:** ![JimNightshade](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jimnightshade/32/3354_2.png) [@JimNightshade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimNightshade)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-have-a-detailed-explanation-for-the-long-outage/838195/64 "2019-08-06T18:20:55Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > Just like us ------- but in jackboots. And with fashionable coffee mugs. 😃 Hey - my coffee mug aint fashionable! ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-have-a-detailed-explanation-for-the-long-outage/838195/65 "2019-08-06T18:30:24Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > What is this “outside”? It’s a place of both beauty and terror, a place where it’s intensely, blindingly bright for about half the day, and totally dark the other half. During the year the temperatures can vary from absurdly hot to incredibly cold. Sometimes water or ice falls from the ceiling, and the air can move in currents strong enough to blow things around. It’s infested with an endless variety of hostile life forms that run, slither, and fly, most of which hate humans and attack them at any opportunity. It’s a barren, hostile place filled with dirt and bugs, completely lacking in armchairs or appliances, and clearly not a place where humans were ever meant to be. What we know about it comes from a combination of unmanned remote-sensing instrumentation like window thermometers and a few brave explorers who have ventured into it for brief periods with suitable protective gear, and returned with harrowing tales of adventure. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-have-a-detailed-explanation-for-the-long-outage/838195/66 "2019-08-06T18:51:59Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > Copy and save the image from the thread on FaceBook; I did. It really was a nice “you’re screwed” page. Yes it was nice and pretty. I actually still had it on my phone so I uploaded that to imgur, here: [SDMB Outage 2019-08-05 Mon - Album on Imgur](https://imgur.com/a/tJHKZ6l). Yeah, nice and pretty. A likely planned and unannounced outage. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-have-a-detailed-explanation-for-the-long-outage/838195/67 "2019-08-06T19:01:52Z")
> [@JimNightshade](#): > > Hey - my coffee mug aint fashionable! [Here](https://www.amazon.com/really-drinking-alone-stemless-glass/dp/B01CQCGF80/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=if+the+cat+is+home+wine+glass&qid=1565118050&s=gateway&sr=8-3) is mine. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-have-a-detailed-explanation-for-the-long-outage/838195/68 "2019-08-06T19:08:59Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > It’s a place of both beauty and terror, a place where it’s intensely, blindingly bright for about half the day, and totally dark the other half. During the year the temperatures can vary from absurdly hot to incredibly cold. Sometimes water or ice falls from the ceiling, and the air can move in currents strong enough to blow things around. It’s infested with an endless variety of hostile life forms that run, slither, and fly, most of which hate humans and attack them at any opportunity. It’s a barren, hostile place filled with dirt and bugs, completely lacking in armchairs or appliances, and clearly not a place where humans were ever meant to be. What we know about it comes from a combination of unmanned remote-sensing instrumentation like window thermometers and a few brave explorers who have ventured into it for brief periods with suitable protective gear, and returned with harrowing tales of adventure. Dang, Wolfie, you sure wax poetical. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-have-a-detailed-explanation-for-the-long-outage/838195/69 "2019-08-06T19:47:12Z")
For me, Outside is where my Amazon deliveries come from. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-have-a-detailed-explanation-for-the-long-outage/838195/70 "2019-08-06T19:53:12Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Dang, Wolfie, you sure wax poetical. 🙂 “Wolfie”? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-have-a-detailed-explanation-for-the-long-outage/838195/71 "2019-08-06T19:58:15Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > “Wolfie”? :dubious: It’s what my friends call me. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-have-a-detailed-explanation-for-the-long-outage/838195/72 "2019-08-06T20:04:41Z")
I thought the preferred appellation would be “Pup.” ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-have-a-detailed-explanation-for-the-long-outage/838195/73 "2019-08-06T21:55:16Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > It’s what my friends call me. 😃 Yay!🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-have-a-detailed-explanation-for-the-long-outage/838195/74 "2019-08-06T22:44:55Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Yes it was nice and pretty. I actually still had it on my phone so I uploaded that to imgur, here: [SDMB Outage 2019-08-05 Mon - Album on Imgur](https://imgur.com/a/tJHKZ6l). > Yeah, nice and pretty. A likely planned and unannounced outage. It does look that way—in which case, it was not nice not to give us advance notice as many sites do. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-have-a-detailed-explanation-for-the-long-outage/838195/75 "2019-08-06T22:58:51Z")
That “maintenance” splash screen has been around for months, at least. It occurred randomly over that time along with the 502 or 504 errors. It wasn’t prepared specifically for this outage. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-have-a-detailed-explanation-for-the-long-outage/838195/76 "2019-08-06T23:11:01Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > That “maintenance” splash screen has been around for months, at least. It occurred randomly over that time along with the 502 or 504 errors. It wasn’t prepared specifically for this outage. Good to know, though I’d never seen that form before yesterday. Yesterday every time I tried to access the SDMB, that’s what was displayed. I did not get any other errors or messages. And, notice I said “_likely_ planned and unannounced outage.” Emphasis mine. Until we hear from TPTB I’ll stand by that conclusion. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-have-a-detailed-explanation-for-the-long-outage/838195/77 "2019-08-07T00:43:50Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > do you think you’re owed one? Since I pay for my membership here, yes, I think I’m owed an explanation at least as good as the one I get from my cable company (“We are experiencing service interruptions in your area and are working to solve the problem.”) ---
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-have-a-detailed-explanation-for-the-long-outage/838195/78 "2019-08-07T00:46:47Z")
Who does the maintenance? Do they have a phone number? This is the Straight Dope… the answers should be more forthcoming! ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-have-a-detailed-explanation-for-the-long-outage/838195/79 "2019-08-07T01:35:07Z")
That “maintenance” splash screen on [boards.straightdope.com](http://boards.straightdope.com) directed me to [www.straightdope.com](http://www.straightdope.com). Which was displaying trashed html garbage. So no, it didn’t look like planned downtime. And my google search for The Straight Dope is now back to returning “Straight Dope Message Board - Powered by vBulletin” as the first result, after that briefly tumbled to 7th. “The Straight Dope, The Inside Story of Sport’s Biggest Drug Scandal” (An Australian book which was at my number 2 for a long time) has now fallen off the first page, and Wikipedia, which was at my number 1 for a long time as fallen to #2. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-have-a-detailed-explanation-for-the-long-outage/838195/80 "2019-08-07T01:56:05Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > Since I pay for my membership here, yes, I think I’m owed an explanation at least as good as the one I get from my cable company (“We are experiencing service interruptions in your area and are working to solve the problem.”) When I’m working on a network problem, every damn phone call I have to take about “Why isn’t this thing fixed yet?” delays my repairs. Do you want the guys to take half an hour to design a sprightly message that explains the problem in detail? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-have-a-detailed-explanation-for-the-long-outage/838195.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-have-a-detailed-explanation-for-the-long-outage/838195.md?page=5)