Westeros: Updates http://www.westeros.org/Updates/ Updates for Westeros, the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' domain. en webmaster@westeros.org Copyright 2011 2011-12-16T16:21:08+00:00 Techie Gear for Game of Thrones http://www.westeros.org/Updates/Entry/Techie_Gear_for_Game_of_Thrones/ http://www.westeros.org/Updates/Entry/Techie_Gear_for_Game_of_Thrones/ The HBO Store has recently added quite a few new items… in the form of laptop, netbook, tablet, phone, and MP3 player skins featuring the words and heraldry of the various great houses. Have to say, the Baratheon iPhone/iPod “phone and MP3 player” skin is actually quite striking. We’ve also added links to the heraldic coasters and a mug set in the last few days.

Presently, the store also has a free shipping offer going on if you use the code FREESHIPDAY at check out.

]]> Westeros 2011-12-16T15:21:08+00:00 New Game of Thrones Items http://www.westeros.org/Updates/Entry/New_Game_of_Thrones_Items/ http://www.westeros.org/Updates/Entry/New_Game_of_Thrones_Items/ Thanks to a tweet from HBO UK, we realized that quite a few things have been added to the HBO Store in the last weeks, items prominently featured on our store page for fans of HBO’s Game of Thrones. Some hoodies have turned up—I guess this is the right season for them—and there’s quite a few collectables, from house posters to shot glasses(!) and now what strikes me as the coolest of them all, a dragon egg paperweight that looks rather cool.

HBO’s finally listing the Bluray and DVD as well, though without any box art or release information. We’ll be keeping an eye on that, to say the least. (And before you ask, the US HBO Store remains US-only so far—sorry!)

]]> Westeros 2011-11-07T17:50:08+00:00 Nameserver Change http://www.westeros.org/Updates/Entry/Nameserver_Change/ http://www.westeros.org/Updates/Entry/Nameserver_Change/ We’re experimenting with a new nameserver host for all Westeros.org sites. We’ve switched to Cloudflare, which uses its nameservers to cache static content (images, scripts) on its servers distributed across several continents, and to serve that content from the server nearest to the user. This should, in theory, improve site performance and marginally improve server load, as the server will spend less time pushing images and scripts and have more time to churn through the database which powers Westeros-proper, the wiki, and the forum.

For most of you, this change should happen in the background and will require no action from you. However, in some cases your ISP’s domain name server may change in an incorrect fashion, or your own computer may be holding on to outdated information. This may lead to your not being able to reach some Westeros sites but not others.

In this case, we recommend flushing DNS on your computer (if on a Windows PC: Start -> Run -> cmd -> ipconfig /flushdns; for Mac OS X users, please see this.) That should correct the problem in many cases. If your own ISP’s name resolver is at fault, usually they will update their records in anything from 2 to 4 hours. Please be patient and try again after that time (making sure to use ipconfig /flushdns again).

If problems persist, please e-mail webmaster@westeros.org and we’ll try to help you resolve them.

]]> A Forum of Ice and Fire & A Wiki of Ice and Fire & Blood of Dragons & Westeros 2011-10-02T08:23:37+00:00 Spanish Language Interview with Westeros http://www.westeros.org/Updates/Entry/Spanish_Language_Interview_with_Westeros/ http://www.westeros.org/Updates/Entry/Spanish_Language_Interview_with_Westeros/ For Spanish-speaking fans, the Miami-based website Café Fuerte has posted an interview with one half of the Westeros.org duo, Elio (aka me), concerning George R. R. Martin, the fans, and more. Enjoy!

]]> Westeros 2011-09-30T16:13:31+00:00 Forum Passwords Reset http://www.westeros.org/Updates/Entry/Forum_Passwords_Reset/ http://www.westeros.org/Updates/Entry/Forum_Passwords_Reset/ Due to a possible bug or exploit, the A Song of Ice and Fire forum has had all passwords reset. No vital data or private information was lost or compromised, but we wanted to make sure that there was no way someone could access accounts despite this.

To get a new password, just use the ‘I forgot my password’ option and have it send a validation e-mail to you, which on response will provide you with the new password.

If you no longer have access to the e-mail with which you registered on the forum, please contact us at webmaster@westeros.org with your login name and an updated e-mail address.

We should caution that we’re not absolutely sure that the bug/exploit will not be a problem again in the future, but we’re taking steps to make sure that if this happens again, we’ll be able to fix it in a more permanent way.

]]> A Forum of Ice and Fire 2011-09-10T18:45:37+00:00 Online Chat with Patrick Rothfuss http://www.westeros.org/Updates/Entry/Online_Chat_with_Patrick_Rothfuss/ http://www.westeros.org/Updates/Entry/Online_Chat_with_Patrick_Rothfuss/ One of the cool things that has developed pretty much from the get-go with the fandom at the A Song of Ice and Fire forum and its predecessors on EESite and EzBoard is a very robust Literature sub-forum, where others works of literature (both in and out of genre) are discussed by passionate readers and fans.

The forum’s won some recognition in this regard, both from fellow fans (Patrick St. Denis of the popular Fantasy Hotlist review site has repeatedly named it his favorite discussion forum on the web) and from authors (a number of whom have joined the forum over the years, either for a few brief words or for a longer period of enagement, such as Richard K. Morgan, R. Scott Bakker, Joe Abercrombie, Jon Sprunk, Daniel Abraham, Brandon Sanderson, Scott Lynch, and ... well, more; not GRRM, though, we should add!)

Now, we’re adding one more author to the list: Patrick Rothfuss, the author of the very popular “Kingkiler Chronicles”, starting with his award-winning The Name of the Wind and this year’s NY Times #1 Bestseller The Wise Man’s Fear. Rothfuss is, suffice it to say, quite a well-regarded author on our forum, and in the general community, and with good reason: a talented writer with a knack with prose, a complicated lead character, and a richly-realized setting, Rothfuss is among a “new” crop of fantasy authors who are pushing fantasy into the mainstream.

Rothfuss will be visiting the forum for our first ever author chat, on August 6 at 4 PM Eastern (that’s 1 PM Pacific, 3 PM Central, 9 PM UK, 10 PM CET), at the forum. The thread where questions can be posted and Patrick will give his responses can be found here, and will open up a few minutes early so as to allow fans to get in a few initial questions for Patrick to work with. The only ground rule for the discussion is that Patrick would prefer not to have spoilers from his series (or GRRM’s, actually!) in the thread, so bear that in mind when posting questions.

Joining the forum is easy, and it supports Facebook and Twitter logins, so please, feel welcome! and start thinking up questions for the chat!

]]> A Forum of Ice and Fire 2011-08-05T17:00:52+00:00 New Interviews in the So Spake Martin Collection http://www.westeros.org/Updates/Entry/New_Interviews_in_the_So_Spake_Martin_Collection/ http://www.westeros.org/Updates/Entry/New_Interviews_in_the_So_Spake_Martin_Collection/ The So Spake Martin  collection of interview links, correspondence, and more has been growing by leaps and bounds of late. Today, we’ve added two new entries: a link to an excellent interview at the Sydney Morning Herald, and a transcript of a Q&A with Martin at the Redwood City signing, led by Tad Williams. The transcript comes by way of his Twitter account and his wife, Deborah Beale.

]]> The Citadel 2011-08-01T18:26:08+00:00 Signing Reports and More http://www.westeros.org/Updates/Entry/Signing_Reports_and_More/ http://www.westeros.org/Updates/Entry/Signing_Reports_and_More/ We’ve posted a signing report from last night’s Union Square signing, with reports of the crowd having hit about 1,800 fans showing up for the event (more than twice the crowd that showed up for A Feast for Crows).

There’s a number of other entries in the So Spake Martin collection, linking to various interviews and on-line chats that have been published over the last days. Make sure to check them out!

]]> The Citadel 2011-07-15T17:24:17+00:00 Signing Report from Burlington http://www.westeros.org/Updates/Entry/Signing_Report_from_Burlington/ http://www.westeros.org/Updates/Entry/Signing_Report_from_Burlington/ The So Spake Martin collection has been updated with our first signing report in awhile, courtesy of a member of our A Song of Ice and Fire forum. According to the estimate there, some 1,500 people have turned up—not quite as many as the 2,000 in Slovenia, but early days yet!

There’s some interesting details, both about Game of Thrones and the novels, and a hint about what may be in the next novel, The Winds of Winter, so read the report!

]]> The Citadel 2011-07-12T23:49:44+00:00 Forum Fundraiser http://www.westeros.org/Updates/Entry/Forum_Fundraiser/ http://www.westeros.org/Updates/Entry/Forum_Fundraiser/ It’s that time again—each summer we run a bit of a fundraiser to help pay back our wonderful host, Rachel (aka Sparks), for giving the community a place to hang out. It’s been especially challenging this past couple of months, with activity surging thanks to the TV series and now the imminent release of A Dance with Dragons. Sparks has worked like a trooper to keep everything running, and is in the early stages of moving things to a more powerful server.

I don’t even want to think about how many words have been written on the site, how many hours have been spent on it, how many people have made new friends—it’s the finest forum I’ve ever been part of, and that’s because of the community of fans who’ve helped to shape it.

So, if you can spare a few dollars, please contribute! You can pay directly via Paypal, or use any major credit card (sorry, we have no alternative payment options). And if you’re concerned about privacy, there’s an option to donate privately, we believe.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and to consider contributing. We appreciate it!

]]> A Forum of Ice and Fire 2011-06-28T19:01:22+00:00