Since we launched our new Flash™-powered site and media player on February 11th, we've been busy fixing bugs and helping our beloved spacefans migrate to the new service.
Some of the bugs were pretty obscure and most users never ran into them. Others affected more people and required immediate fixes. And a few fell into "we can make this better" category; not really broken, but perhaps unclear or confusing — something we wanted to improve right away.
The worst issue was caused by conservative network administrators at various companies (and the Pentagon!) who blocked the electronic "port" that Flash uses to communicate with your computer. (It's that message about Port 1935 you see when the player is loading ). Once we figured out what was happening, our Flash programmers came up with a fix right away, but it took over a week to install it, test it, and roll it out to our main site.
ALL BETTER NOW.
Really. We've had about 10 days of almost completely problem-free operation. Our support experts Leyla and Joseph are starting to breathe normally again, and we are slowly turning our attention to additional upgrades and improvements. We're also bringing a second Flash server online to improve our delivery to people overseas and to backup our primary server. It's all very geeky, but it makes for a more reliable, problem-free service.
Finally, today we introduced a new service plan: $12 a YEAR for access to the new shows on Sunday.
"But drSpace," you ask, "I thought the show was free on Sunday."
Well yes, it is, but so many of you were streaming it (up to 8 times!) on Sunday, that the cost of providing it free has become really difficult for us. See Why Pay? for the full story.
Rather than taking away the free show, we're hoping that at least 1,000 of our Sunday listeners will sign up for the new plan and help defray the cost for everyone else, including folks who've lost their jobs lately and need the program more than ever. You can see the details on our PLANS page or here.
We're emailing about 15,000 of our Sunday listeners today with news about the new plan. While we're at it, we're holding our first-ever "contest" or "raffle" or whatever you want to call it.
From the new $12/year subscribers we will pick 15 and give them free upgrades to our AAA, Radio Channel, or This Week Anytime subscriptions.
Like the army who need "a few good men," we just need "a few good subscribers" to give Hearts of Space a firm financial foundation during these crazy "fast times."
Safe Journey :: Stephen Hill aka drSpace
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