MSN Messenger (or Windows Live Messenger or Microsoft Messenger or whatever the hell it wants to call itself) is being sucky to me right now. When I tried to login earlier tonight, I got a system error message from Messenger that some upgrade to the network required that I change my Windows Live ID before being able to log in again. I thought it was just a weird error, so I just closed out Messenger and waited a few minutes. Tried logging in again and got the same message. Tried a different account, same thing.
So, I clicked through to the Windows Live help pages and found out how to change my Windows Live ID. It wasn’t completely clear why I would ever have to change it. It just gave me directions to do it and assured me that all of my account information would remain intact. I tried it on one of my alternate accounts to see if anything would go wrong. The ID change was simple. All of my contacts were still on my list, and my account settings were the same. However, all of my contacts were now offline, which almost never happens. There’s always at least one or two people online.
I decided to give it an hour to let the network update and went to get some dinner. When I came back, everyone was still offline. I IM’d one of my friends on another IM system to see if they could see my MSN account online, and it turned out I was gone as well, even though I was actually signed on (managed to add one of my other accounts to the list). I searched through MS’s help pages some more, and it looks like it can take up to 48 hours for the ID change to propagate through the network and into my contacts’ lists. How annoying.
I tried switching back to my original Windows Live ID to see if I could get my contact list to behave again, but the system sent me the same error message again. I finally gave up and changed the ID on my normal Messenger account. Two of my contacts finally showed up, so maybe they have to re-login to see my changes. I guess I’ll just have to wait it out and hope everything transitions smoothly.
One thing I find very interesting is that my two main Messenger accounts are both using .Mac email addresses. No one else I know ran into this issue ever, and they’re all using Hotmail or Gmail accounts. I wonder if that has anything to do with the sudden change… [/me enters conspiracy theory mode]…
On Sunday, I was one of the official photographers for the 6th Annual Buskers’ Festival at Pike Place Market. The festival featured over 35 Northwest street performers on 3 stages over the course of 7 hours. There were singers and dancers, magicians, storytellers, and a slapstick comedy act that nearly destroyed one of the stages. Most of the performers were based in Seattle, but several traveled in from around the state and one even flew in from Paris.
As was expected, the weather was less than optimal, being overcast and dull most of the day with a few light showers mixed in. While the gray skies made photographing the event difficult, the weather did not dull the festivities one bit. The performers showed off the best they had to offer. The crowds hung around in the rain to cheer them on. Everyone was just in generally good cheer all day.
The good cheer definitely had its impact on me. I was a bit annoyed with the horrid lighting conditions and nearly gave up shooting early into the event, but seeing the happy crowds and talking with the excited buskers gave me motivation to stick around and make the most of the situation. I didn’t get my best work out of the event, but I sure did have fun shooting it.
I got to hang out and chat with many buskers I had not met before. I had total freedom to shoot wherever and whomever I wanted. I had some great conversations with locals who attend the event every year. I was even sucked into participating in one of the comedy acts during which my 20mm lens was kissed by a performer, I had water spat at me (in jest, of course), and a trick raining umbrella dumped water all over my head. Definitely a fun and memorable day.
Some highlights from the festival are available in my Flickr photostream. If the Pike Market Performers’ Guild likes my work, one or two of those images (and others that I have not uploaded yet) might make it into press material for next year’s festival.
No, I’m not becoming a wedding photographer. There just happened to be a really cool wedding celebration at Kubota Garden during a Seattle Flickr photostroll. I was borrowing Rick’s 10.5mm fisheye lens and took this shot of the singing/drumming circle. The lens was awesome. The women were even cooler for letting us photograph them.
In case you were tired of all the F-Stop stuff I’ve been writing about lately, here’s one of my recent self-portraits for 365 Days. This one is day 256. It was partially some practice constraining lights in my bathroom, but it was mostly an excuse to photograph my new kick-ass polka dotted shower curtain from Ikea.
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