Last of the big updates.

Well, that was fast. All the changes I wanted to make that I mentioned in the previous post, were made fairly quickly in today's update. I didn't go through the descriptions yet, though. That's something I'll save for later. Two things made updating the site quick and easy: (1) I found a copy of my unkempt HTML file that was very close to the last version that had been on the server, which last version was made 17 December 2010, and (2) I discovered that the program I'd been using was one Balthisar Tidy, a GUI port of HTML Tidy for Mac OS X, the latest, and likely last, version of which is a Universal Binary. (Fun fact: Freehostia hadn't been mucking around with my code. The strange CSS I saw had been done by Balthisar, as it cleans up everything.)

Content-wise, here are a few things that changed:

• I added "Which Ween Costumes," which was added a week after "A Decemberween Mackerel," and which I apparently never added to the Text Listing.
• Basically all the red text is gone, by which I mean has been commented out.
• The blog's shoutout has been changed to match its current name.
• Episode titles have been cleaned up.

Now all that's left is to get the toon and game descriptions as good as I care to make them, which means pretty damn good, and make sure all running times and release dates are accurate as per The Wiki.

Jump back, run forward.

I.

Hey, remember when I thought The Brothers Chaps would start updating Homestar Runner again in Spring 2011? That was a good one, wasn't it? (Spoiler alert: They didn't. The site hasn't been updated since 22 December 2010.)

Back when I thought 2011 would see the end of The Great Homestar Runner Hiatus, I said TBC were working on a "feature film" called Monster Safari. Other than that blog post and a clip on the production company's website, I haven't been able to find anything about the cartoon. That doesn't mean Mike and Matt haven't been doing things. Or at least it doesn't mean that Matt hasn't, because he's been writing and directing for Yo Gabba Gabba! and The Aquabats! Super Show!, and occasionally working on Gravity Falls.

Seeing as it's been two years since the last update to Homestar Runner, and three years since its last regular update, I hold out zero hope for there to be future updates, or at least for there to be semi-regular ones. Last February the Wiki posted a photo from one of Matt's tweets teasing an eventual new sbemail, and that's about it. I think they'll do one big-ish toon, or maybe a handful of emails, but not for quite a while. My advice? If you want HSR updates to resume, lobby for all the shows Matt's working on to be cancelled. (Spoiler alert: That was a joke. Please don't.)

II.

On my end of things, apparently the Text Listing's XHTML is no longer valid. I used a downloadable program in Mac OS X that was a port of HTML Tidy, which port was written for PowerPC (including the bash script of it), and because I'm running Lion, I can no longer run PowerPC programs, only Universal Binaries or those written for Intel. (Though I just saw there's a Java version, so I might give that a go.) I used to be able to do valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional by hand, but because I haven't written HTML by hand regularly since high school, not so much anymore.

There are a few things I want to change on the Text Listing, all of which are minor:

• Get rid of the "Oh happy day!" text banner underneath the site's name and tagline.
• Change the blog's name to The Homestar Runner Text Listing: The Blog underneath the Welcome list.
• Get rid of the Newest addition(s) section, because the toon listed there is two years old.
• Get rid of the superscript (NEW) preceding the title of "A Decemberween Mackerel" in its spot in its table.
• Clean up episode titles and descriptions to match my current style of capitalization and grammar.

Other than that, everything's pretty much dead. Graduated, dumped, and hours cut, what else is there to do but come back to an old project and finish it up? Though the fact that Freehostia appears to have bastardized my code, combined with my not having an old copy of the index page on my hard drive, will make it a bit more interesting.

Oh happy day!

Well hey there, folks. I've got some good news for you. The Brothers Chaps have updated HomestarRunner.com. And it's not an "update" like the one when they posted their new calendar, it's a full-fledged, honest-to-God cartoon. Not just a cartoon, mind you, but a holiday cartoon, a Decemberween cartoon. It's called "A Decemberween Mackerel." Go on and watch it. Visit the wiki page if you want to read a line of dialogue you didn't understand. Check out the Text Listing and see that I actually updated it.

So what do I think of "Mackerel"? It's rather good. It's not quite as good as "A Death-Defying Decemberween" or "Homestar Presents: Presents," but it definitely holds its own. Seeing Marzipan in a major role for the first time in years was definitely appreciated; Homestar's cluelessness was amusing at every point; Senor Cardgage as a main character was unexpected and worked well; and Strong Bad's conclusion at the end fit with the non-sequitur-ness of it all. Timing in this cartoon was tight, and the voices sounded like they did four or five years ago, right when they were at the tail end of their prime.

It's a nice break in the hiatus. Hopefully we'll see more come the new year. Peace out, y'all.

UPDATE ^{(12/17, 8:57PM EST)}: If the resolution on the official page is too big for your monitor, try it in Grey Small-O-Vision or Corkboard Small-O-Vision ^(11:47PM).

Halloweener

Wow, the Brothers Chaps didn't update for Halloween this year. I don't know what this means for Homestar Runner, but I sure hope it doesn't mean the good times are over. The characters are too quirky and TBC's humor too fun for the website to not be a creative force for another ten years.

Long time comin'

"Long time comin'." Get it? You know, instead of "Long Train Runnin' "? Sorry, I just had that stuck in my head 'cause the Marching Chiefs played it at halftime yesterday. Go 'Noles! What was I talkin' about? Right, I was telling myself to stop acting like Kerry James Evans. That guy's a badass, by the way. Just thought you'd want to know.

Speaking of know, you know what all this pointless rambling means. I've finally updated the Text Listing! Head on over and see for yourself. Seeing as The Brothers Chaps haven't been doing regular updates since November 2009, and there hasn't been any new material since "Xeriouxly Forxe" and its accompanying menu, I figured I'd look productive and all by adding everything that's been added to HSR since April 2009 to HSRTL. And if you followed that sentence without any trouble, congratulations, you're Hunter S. Thompson reincarnated. Go read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Do us all a favor.

And do me a favor and don't get all pissy about TBC's lack of updates. They're working on a feature film entitled Monster Safari. If they miss Halloween this year, we know the site's done. If not, we know it's still near and dear to their hearts, and we'll probably see regular updates resume in the spring. Longest hiatus ever for them, and I hope it never happens again. Peace out.

Updates forthcoming!

Mi molto dispiace, ma I've been ridiculously busy these past two weeks or so, and so I've had no time to update HSRTL. I will catch up, though, sometime tonight or tomorrow.

Goin’ away.

In case that someone actually uses the Text Listing, and in the even less-likely case that someone checks the Text Listing Blog, allow me to make an announcement: To my knowledge I will not have access to a computer at all next week, meaning that if the Brothers Chaps update HSR at any time from March 8th through March 14th, the Text Listing will go unchanged.