DW Help?

[thefourthvine]

Dear DW people -

I have a weird problem with my reading list, namely: every first embedded video in a post turns into Sesame Street: TJ Counts to 40 by 10s (except with an added apostrophe I can't include because it kills my soul) and every second embedded video in a post turns into a box full of fish that I unfortunately can't link you to.

For a long time - for a really embarrassingly long time - I thought that everyone on my list was just posting the Sesame Street clip and the box of fish, and I thought there must be something deeply awesome about them that I was missing. Because, you know, a lot of times people will post embedded video without enough commentary to make it clear that they don't in fact want you to see Sesame Street and some fish. But recently bravecows posted this, and her text made so little sense with the accompanying "Now here's a song about FORTY!" and, of course, the fish - her "too many dicks" comment is particularly disturbing if you think she's talking about that fish box, as it happens - that I opened her post in a new tab. Where it turned out that she had actually embedded videos that made perfect sense with her text.

I have tried restarting Firefox, rebooting, and clearing my cache. Any other suggestions? I can live with this, but honestly, if I go the rest of my life without thinking a person I greatly admire is singing all day about fish dick even though the fish don't have any music, I will be just that much happier.

(I guess there must be a support thingy somewhere on DW, but I never had any luck with that at ALL on LJ, so I am being avoidant, there. Does anyone actually have personal experience of success with support over here?)

Confused love,
TFV

Comments

[juniperphoenix]

Okay, first, that is a hilarious problem to have; and second, I have only had one experience with DW support, but it was a very good one. I'd recommend you give them a try.

[thefourthvine]

Thank you! Um, yes, it's a fairly amusing problem. And apparently it isn't DW at all, but Firefox - this is a Known Weirdness with no known solution, sadly.

Ah, well. At least now I will know to click through when people embed good ol' TJ and the fish.

[odditycollector]

For a long time - for a really embarrassingly long time - I thought that everyone on my list was just posting the Sesame Street clip and the box of fish, and I thought there must be something deeply awesome about them that I was missing.
Laughing so hard it took me 5 tries to finish reading this post.

[thefourthvine]

I AM GLAD MY TROUBLES COULD AMUSE YOU, KAREN.

[fish_echo]

I've actually had a support ticket answered with useful information, fwiw.

On the other hand, if people also put a link to a non-embedded video, that would help too...

[thefourthvine]

I have spent a great deal of time longing for people to put in links as well as embeds; in my old browser, I could never even see the embeds at all, not even enough to click through, so I never saw any of the videos people posted unless they provided a link. Links: they're uncommonly sensible!

[renne]

I am seconding going via DW support. LJ support is not even in the same ballpark.

(I am so intrigued by the box full of fish, you have no idea. Is it something like this?)

[thefourthvine]

It's - no, not really. It's more like a Flash animation thingy, and you're looking at the fish from the top down. It's just a box full of moving fish. *hands*

[zvi]

Support tries to be very helpful, and if they can't figure out what's wrong, they will file a bug so a developer can poke at the problem.

My unofficial suggestion would be to try logging in and out of both Dreamwidth and Youtube, and to get rid of any Youtube cookies you had.

[thefourthvine]

Looks like abbylee already knew the answer, which is that it is a Firefox weirdness, and the only reason it never happens to me on LJ is that I've never clicked on an embedded video from my friends page there - I always open a tab first. This is how to keep this from happening to you, apparently.

But next time, I will woman up and try support. Turns out some of my friends are there!

[quinfirefrorefiddle]

...send...help.............

....can't....breathe......

::gasp::

Okay, no, I have no idea how to fix that. But... oh. my. heavens.

[thefourthvine]

Turns out it is a Firefox thing, not a DW thing, and it can't be fixed, so it's a good thing it's amusing.

[jmtorres]

Depending on what browser/system I'm checking my droll/flist from, I regularly have youtube videos repeat from entry to entry, like the browser can't be bothered to load a bunch of different youtube videos and just makes them all the same thing. For me, opening the entry page brings up the content the person actually embedded.

[cereta]

*Points up.* I have that all the time. I frequently just have to load the individual entry.

Also, I take blame for TJ. But you have to admit, it is a cute song!

[jesse_the_k]

Not only are the support people helpful, and quick to respond, but they will probably pee themselves with delight as they figure out why this is happening. It's gotta be cache/cookie related somehow.

http://www.dreamwidth.org/support/

[thefourthvine]

In this case, I got an answer so quickly that I won't even need to go to support. But in the future, I will remember that they are helpful, and go to them. (Sadly, this is not a DW bug; it's a known Firefox bug and it isn't fixable. I'm going to be spending more time with TJ and the fish.)

[libitina]

I've had this happen, too, but I hadn't noticed it being exclusive to dreamwidth (it might be, but I haven't noticed).

But I do not get fishes where dicks should be. I just find that when I have two friends posting embedded videos on the same day, I am going to have the first one's video showing up not only for the first poster, but also where the second one's video should be.

It has happened to me often. And usually ignoring it for a while fixes things (so probably caching in there somewhere as a problem). I solve far too many of my computer related problems by sticking things in a naughty corner until they are better behaved.

[cathalin]

I do not get fishes where dicks should be.

I'm sorry to comment jump, but this is one of the best sentences I have ever read on the internet.

[cathalin]

LOLOLOLOLOL OMG

*dies*

I think... I think it is Earthling. Causing his own Reality Vortex.

*nods. i'm really good at tech stuff*

[mrkinch]

I have the problem in LJ. If you view the video while viewing comments, i.e., click into the post (which probably forces a reload), it should come up properly. I assume it's a cache/reload problem of some variety. Hope this helps.

[abbylee]

I feel like I need to state that I know this answer because of LJ Support.

It's a firefox bug. You will probably have some luck if you turn placeholders on. But it's a firefox bug with caching and it's a fucking PAIN IN THE NECK.

[abbylee]

(I can give you more details if you want, btw.)

[happydork]

I go the rest of my life without thinking a person I greatly admire is singing all day about fish dick

You know, the image of bravecows wandering through her professional day singing about fish dick is one that brings cheer to my heart.

[dhobikikutti]

This. I think she would look utterly charming while doing so.

[rachelmanija]

This is the best technical support request EVER.

[bravecows]

no no no, but singing about fish dick was EXACTLY what I was doing! :( The videos in the new tab were the wrong videos. :( :(

[kass]

I have no answers for you, but fwiw, I have found dw support to be extremely quick and helpful.

[vass]

This is not on topic, but: DO NOT WATCH HOW TO TRAIN A DRAGON. I am sitting here with my netbook on my lap watching it with a bunch of friends, hoping none of them notice how hard I'm crying. Suffice it to say that the dragons are modelled on cats, and that the Vikings hurt them. A lot. I know it has a happy ending, but I'm not sure I can watch this, and if I can't, you certainly can't.

[erika]

How are you watching it on your netbook? I thought it wasn't out on DVD yet? If you got the good torrents, spill!

[j00j]

I have found DW support to be extremely helpful. Also, based on my experience in IT support and with other support people I know, DW support will probably be extremely entertained by this bug (seriously, that's hilarious), yet compelled to fix it immediately because clearly *something is egregiously wrong*.

[watersword]

DW support includes me. And I can tell you we are going to be GLEEFUL about getting this bug, especially if you explain it the way you have here.

(although it does look like you have a good explanation already upthread. damnit!)

[rydra_wong]

I was thinking of commenting to mention that sometimes you don't even have to open a request, DW Support will spontaneously turn up in your journal and fix things *g*.

[birggitt]

Well, I've been living with that since I was only in LiveJournal.
I always though it has to do with some FF add-on and never thought more about it, but at least in my case, the YouTubes I got were different each day. Why FF decided one particular YouTube should be showing up all over my f-pages, is something I have no clue about.
And about DW Support, I only once needed them, and they were both, quick and helpful.

[starwatcher]

.
Reiterating what others have said about DW support. I've sent in report requests three times. The longest wait for an answer was maybe six hours.

In one instance, the fix required several back-and-forths, and DW fixing a bug. The same support person stuck with me through the whole thing, and they got it sorted out.

In other words, DW support is head, shoulders, torso, and knees above LJ support. Don't hesitate to contact them.
.

[adalger]

I now have in my had, ttto "Fish Heads" by the Talking Heads, this:

Fish dicks, fish dicks,
Spurty squirty fish dicks

...

You get the picture.

[foursweatervests]

That is a hilarious problem. Hilarious.

Okay, now that I'm done cracking up...a) rebooting is good, b) cache-clearing is good, and double-check that you've deleted any and all cookies. C) You can try deleting firefox (and actually deleting it, including all your settings. This can mean different things if you're on a mac or a pc.) and downloading it once more, or d) you can check to see if you're behind on your firefox updates.

Good luck!