Amazing how little some of those houses and scenes have changed. Neighborhood seems to have improved a bit, even if it has lost a bit of its spare elegance to mature foliage.
Do you really have that painting hanging in your kitchen? There must not be a Mr(s?) Martin in the picture then. That or the SO must be very accommodating.
Wow, I have one busy week, then no time to browse the Jalop until Sunday, and I find my world turned upsidown. Crap. At least Jalopnik will be worth looking at on the weekends. During the week? Not so much anymore.
Hey Mur; you could start your own site you know. That would fix those Gawker dweebs.
jduffy13 : Not no more DOTS, just fewer DOTS. somibear : I sympathise with you about finding out Murilee's true gender. I suspected for a long time before I finally figured it out...a lot like the Santa Claus thing. Read the sordid details here: [jalopnik.com]
I've always assumed that this is the same Murilee Martin. God help us all if there's really more than one! [www.amazon.com]
OK, first I was like I KNEW IT! I knew from that ominous earlier post!
Next I was grief stricken. Less Murilee! That's like asking us to breathe less air!
Then I felt selfish glee--I've been so busy at work--I've had to miss whole days of Jalopnik--but now on the weekends I can wallow in DOTS and PCH and whatever else comes along.
Then I wondered if we can somehow adopt Murilee. Any ideas, anybody? Or we can take turns adopting him for a week?
Then I thought, Ray, how can we help Jalopnik?
Can some one of your clever lads or lassies set up a zombie system that will just relentlessly click away on everything on Jalopnik?
Wasn't there already a weekend editor? Are they still working there? Shouldn't this person be mentioned somehow, too?
Maybe there wasn't a weekend editor in the first place; I'm not sure, I smoke a LOT of weed, so my memory is kind of, kind of, sketchy.
Nothing is perfect, nothing pleases everyone, but Jalopnik I love you. Murrillee, you are a treasure, and you've made me fall in love with Alameda as well.
On the one hand this sucks because, well, less Murilee can never be good.
On the other hand this is a brilliant move from a business standpoint. Despite the rabid fervor of the comentatiat a relatively small portion of page views (and thus ad revenue) comes from Murilee's posts. Does that mean they're bad posts? Hell no, they're brilliantly entertaining reads but the fact is, outside the Jalopnik Comentariat (which, we have to remember, makes up a minuscule portion of Jalopnik's total readership) there aren't a whole lot of people interested in cars likely older than they are on an island they will likely never visit, nor are they interested in a bastardized Fiero that isn't even drivable. You really have to remember we're "weird" and, comparatively, small in numbers, they don't make their money on us, they make their money on the hordes of people looking at the new cars, the top ten lists, the "booth professionals", and the random-nearly-naked ladies... are these the most original articles, no but they're what pay the bills and what the typical idiot looks at while they're working.
So, by moving Murilee to the weekend they have negligible impact on their weekday pageviews and they actually get some weekend content... which means the opportunity for weekend pageviews... which means weekend ad revenue.
@something_unique_and_descripti...: Did you enjoy MTV more when it had music videos or now? Did you like TLC more when it actually had programs about science or now when it is all weddings, babies, and large families? Did you enjoy CNN better when it was a half hour news program or do you prefer the pre-made fluff pieces and talking heads with 5 minutes of current news an hour of the current CNN? How about a third of the front page of a newspaper filled with ads and references to items in the metro and homes sections inside with the requisite fewer articles and shorter word counts?
I dread the thought of the destination that Nick Denton will take the jalop to if he only continues to think about how to maximize page views and favor content that resonates with ad people.
@mzs: FWIW, I haven't watched MTV since long before Jackass or Pimp My Ride showed up (even then it was just Beavis and Butthead that I watched), and TLC ceased to be relevant about the time they exchanged educational programming for "reality" programming. I've given up on many things (G4 TV springs to mind) that were once important to me when they headed for LCD-ville, so I'm already half adjusted to it. (LCD = Least Common Denominator, for those who might wonder)
Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face. was starred
Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face. was unstarred
@mzs: I didn't say I liked it, I just said it made business sense. If the options are Murilee on the weekends and at-work-timekiller / pageview-bait during the week or no Murilee at all... I think we all know which we'd rather have.
As for the rest, I'm 23, so as far as I can remember MTV never really played music, when I was in grade school they had the occasional snippet of some godawful "music" on in between the ads, but... I live on the ass-backwards side of Washington so by the time the local cable picked up TLC it was already shit, and I try to avoid the news as the town I live in is soul crushing enough that I really don't need any help to get suicidally depressed.
I too first surfed in to Jalopnik on a DOTS post. I read every headline and at least glance at about 2/3 of the stories. I enjoy many of the non-Murilee posts, but I hate to admit the other writers' identities run together in my mind. I think DOTS hit a high point with the '84 Skylark and not one commenter opined that it didn't belong. I know you're not going anywhere, Murilee. But all of us have seen this happen over and over in the "work environment" and people who find themselves halfway out the door often next find themselves all the way out. They don't very often find their way back in.
@scottcom36: And, thanks to Murilee, even though I'm 3000 miles away in snowy Maine, if I ever find myself within a days drive of Alameda, I'm coming for a look around. I bet it wouldn't take very long to come across and recognise a DOTS car. It might take 20 years, until I retire, but I'll make it.
@scottcom36: You're right in several different ways, here (I'd love to visit, too, though I'm in New Hampshire) - I joined because of Hoon of the Day, myself, but stuck around for DOTS and PCH.
@Cognitive Friction: I just checked that out. 98% of readers are male? Unfortunately, highly believable.
I'm going to miss Murilee, just as I've missed Davey, Jonny, Spinelli and Bumbeck in the past. But I'm still here, and I'm guessing that I'll remain here.
@Cognitive Friction: "Jalopnik's readers are brand-conscious and brand-hungry, always waiting for the next hot thing to drive their way." WTF?! Apparently I've been in the wrong place for these last 3 years+, and nobody bothered to tell me. Either that or Gawker's hoping none of the advertisers actually clicks through to see for themselves.
Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face. was starred
Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face. was unstarred
@Ford Tempo Fanatic: The power steering pump of the Tempo we had in Drivers' Ed. would kill the sad little engine at full-lock when idling. Since that introduction, full redemption has never been achieved.
But, I do appreciate your steadfast dedication to the cause.
@beercheck: See thats the thing! No two Tempos have the same problems, each is special in some way. I've had to replace the engine block heater, O2 sensor, and MAP sensor in the past month. I figure some day (after I have replaced or fixed every piece of that engine) it might not have any problems. Its a sad day when you've spent over $2,000 on a car that is worth $1,000 at most.
Welcome to my world with my shitty little Saturn. It is officially worth $1800 according to KBB, and yet I have put close to $5500 in the past two years to get it in good running shape.
Take from the idiot who has already made the mistake first hand: do only what is absolutely necessary to keep the car running, and save the rest of your money for a down payment on something better.
@beercheck: That happened to my Volvo exactly once - as I was moving it out of the way of the snowplow. Both the 240s I've owned have been just fine once you yelled at them for a minute, though.
@pauljones: Thats the messed up part of it. I am perfectly happy with my crappy-ass Ford. Every sensible, practical part of me says to let her go. Just can't. I'd say half of my income goes to fixing the Tempo, then the rest goes to college and my secondary car. Which is a '94 Chevy truck right now, and next summer it will be a 1973 MG Midget. Either way (Midget or no), the Tempo stays. Even if it means losing the deposit on the partially restored MG, I don't think I could give this shitty little car up. I dunno what it is, but every time I've considered ridding myself of this burden (Tempo) I just find an excuse to keep it longer.
08/03/09
08/03/09
"Hey, Murille, don't beat me up again..."
(http://www.cordeliasdad.com/lyrics.html)
08/02/09
08/02/09
08/03/09
02/15/09
02/15/09
Hey Mur; you could start your own site you know. That would fix those Gawker dweebs.
02/12/09
how about Murilee and Johnny do a Blog!
i'll do the australia coverage
yea!
02/12/09
www.autofiends.com
02/11/09
somibear : I sympathise with you about finding out Murilee's true gender. I suspected for a long time before I finally figured it out...a lot like the Santa Claus thing. Read the sordid details here:
[jalopnik.com]
I've always assumed that this is the same Murilee Martin. God help us all if there's really more than one!
[www.amazon.com]
02/11/09
02/11/09
Next I was grief stricken. Less Murilee! That's like asking us to breathe less air!
Then I felt selfish glee--I've been so busy at work--I've had to miss whole days of Jalopnik--but now on the weekends I can wallow in DOTS and PCH and whatever else comes along.
Then I wondered if we can somehow adopt Murilee. Any ideas, anybody? Or we can take turns adopting him for a week?
Then I thought, Ray, how can we help Jalopnik?
Can some one of your clever lads or lassies set up a zombie system that will just relentlessly click away on everything on Jalopnik?
02/11/09
Enthusiasts love her, but the general public just Doesn't Get It. It's a goddamn shame.
02/11/09
Maybe there wasn't a weekend editor in the first place; I'm not sure, I smoke a LOT of weed, so my memory is kind of, kind of, sketchy.
Nothing is perfect, nothing pleases everyone, but Jalopnik I love you. Murrillee, you are a treasure, and you've made me fall in love with Alameda as well.
02/11/09
That made me laugh out loud, so you're hearted. I think. Sometimes I think you've been sharing with the hamsters.
We don't have a weekend editor, as far as I know, which is why our weekends are drier than the proverbial nun's downstairs.
02/11/09
On the other hand this is a brilliant move from a business standpoint. Despite the rabid fervor of the comentatiat a relatively small portion of page views (and thus ad revenue) comes from Murilee's posts. Does that mean they're bad posts? Hell no, they're brilliantly entertaining reads but the fact is, outside the Jalopnik Comentariat (which, we have to remember, makes up a minuscule portion of Jalopnik's total readership) there aren't a whole lot of people interested in cars likely older than they are on an island they will likely never visit, nor are they interested in a bastardized Fiero that isn't even drivable. You really have to remember we're "weird" and, comparatively, small in numbers, they don't make their money on us, they make their money on the hordes of people looking at the new cars, the top ten lists, the "booth professionals", and the random-nearly-naked ladies... are these the most original articles, no but they're what pay the bills and what the typical idiot looks at while they're working.
So, by moving Murilee to the weekend they have negligible impact on their weekday pageviews and they actually get some weekend content... which means the opportunity for weekend pageviews... which means weekend ad revenue.
02/11/09
I dread the thought of the destination that Nick Denton will take the jalop to if he only continues to think about how to maximize page views and favor content that resonates with ad people.
02/11/09
02/12/09
As for the rest, I'm 23, so as far as I can remember MTV never really played music, when I was in grade school they had the occasional snippet of some godawful "music" on in between the ads, but... I live on the ass-backwards side of Washington so by the time the local cable picked up TLC it was already shit, and I try to avoid the news as the town I live in is soul crushing enough that I really don't need any help to get suicidally depressed.
02/11/09
I think DOTS hit a high point with the '84 Skylark and not one commenter opined that it didn't belong.
I know you're not going anywhere, Murilee. But all of us have seen this happen over and over in the "work environment" and people who find themselves halfway out the door often next find themselves all the way out. They don't very often find their way back in.
02/11/09
02/11/09
02/11/09
[advertising.gawker.com]
Murilee's writing doesn't fit what Gawker wants Jalopnik to be. At all.
02/11/09
I'm going to miss Murilee, just as I've missed Davey, Jonny, Spinelli and Bumbeck in the past. But I'm still here, and I'm guessing that I'll remain here.
02/11/09
02/11/09
"Jalopnik's readers are brand-conscious and brand-hungry, always waiting for the next hot thing to drive their way."
I like trees.
02/11/09
02/11/09
02/11/09
But, I do appreciate your steadfast dedication to the cause.
02/11/09
02/11/09
Welcome to my world with my shitty little Saturn. It is officially worth $1800 according to KBB, and yet I have put close to $5500 in the past two years to get it in good running shape.
Take from the idiot who has already made the mistake first hand: do only what is absolutely necessary to keep the car running, and save the rest of your money for a down payment on something better.
02/11/09
02/11/09