(The following is an announcement by groverXIII, the creator of The Number of the Blog. Something new is coming, but one very good run is over. Comments please.)
This was most decidedly not how I wanted to ring in the second birthday of The Number Of The Blog.
Faced with an expiring hosting agreement, I set about trying to transfer the site to a new, established hosting account. I figured it would be easy, right? Wrong. Between a lack of experience and some issues with the new host and the old host, I ran into a tremendous amount of trouble, in the process losing a massive chunk of the many, many posts TNOTB had accumulated. As things went on, the site itself ceased functioning, and I honestly have no idea what I could do to restore it. As I reached my wits’ end, I finally decided it was time to put the site down.
Now, you’re probably wondering why I gave up so easily. I have a couple of reasons, actually, starting with the burnout I’ve been dealing with over the past months. This gives me an opportunity to relax a bit and recharge my batteries for the oft-hinted Next Stage. Those of you who are familiar with TNOTB will now likely have deduced that the Next Stage does not, in fact, represent the continuation of The Number Of The Blog as a website, and this is quite true. This was, in fact, the plan all along, that TNOTB would cease to be (although we had hoped to maintain an archive of the site’s posts for everyone). This hiccup here actually does not affect the Next Stage one bit, and in fact might make things a little easier for myself in that respect. That, my friends, is the main reason that I’m throwing in the towel on TNOTB.
In the meantime, Islander has kindly agreed to let us crash on the NCS couch, and so you should be seeing plenty of guest posts from the TNOTB legions in the coming weeks. As for my TNOTB family and all seven readers who didn’t already write for us… thanks. You guys are the reason that I kept TNOTB going, and you’re the reason for the grand plans we have for the future. I’ve had a blast.
134 Responses to “THE NUMBER OF THE BLOG IS DEAD . . . LONG LIVE THE NUMBER OF THE BLOG”
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It’s been fantastic being a part of TNOTB over the past year and a half, and I couldn’t be more thankful of your efforts, Grover, on the site, you are the reason why it was good. I will genuinely mourn the site. It’s been a blast.
The Number of the Blog is Dead, Long Live The Number of the Blog.
It’s been good having you aboard. You’ve introduced me to a ton of great stoner bands, something I am quite grateful for, and I assume you’ll be along for the ride with the Next Stage.
NOOOOOOO!… Krom! Krom! Krom! D:
Well, whatever plans you guys have for the future better be awesome…
“The Number of the Blog is Dead. Long Live The Number of the Blog.”
I think you’ll like what we’ve got in store.
Well, one hopes it involves at least Ziltoid and Brent. One has been reading (almost) ever since Ziltoid joined as a writer.
Ziltoid and Brently shall both be involved, I can assure you of that much.
gutted to hear the news… tnotb has been a staple of my daily internet procrastination for over a year now.
just wanted to say great job and i’m looking forward to the mysteriously named ‘Next Stage’
Long Live The Number of the Blog.
Glad we could contribute to not getting anything done! Stay tuned, because we’ll be back.
I must admit to not reading TNOTB as much as I should have, but you had a great cast of writers, so I’m sorry to hear it’s gone.
That said, bring on the Next Stage! (Is it going to be metal centric porn distribution?)
The Number of the Blog is Dead. Long Live The Number of the Blog!
No porn distribution, although it will be metal-centric. I can promise that much.
Well, that sucks. TNOTB will be missed. Good luck with the Next Stage!
The Number of the Blog is Dead. Long Live The Number of the Blog!
Things are moving along, slowly but surely. Trust me, you’ll hear about it. Thanks!
I know something new is coming, but this still makes me sad. grover, you and your crew created something memorable and you’ve been a great ally to this site.
Here’s a story about grover: To help celebrate the first anniversary of NCS, grover created the site banner you see at the top of every page here (including the nasty-looking “reverse” banner that’s up here today). Did it without being asked, out of the goodness of his heart. That’s the kind of dude he is.
One remembers this “story”.
Yep… I’m cool like that. We’re all one big, fucked-up family in the metal community, and I’m happy to have been able to help. INTERNET GROUP HUG
Wow, as a network Administrator I feel your pain.
May black spirits infest the bowels of your old host.
The same black spirits that ate my damn site, preferably.
I think they already did! Pretty sure that was the problem…
I’m genuinely heartbroken right now. Not sure what to say other than see you around, TNOTB
Thanks, man. Stay tuned, because we do have big plans.
While it’s a terrible way for TNOTB to go out (posts gone forever) I’m still looking forward to the NEXT Stage. I just want to say that due to the friends I made with the staff, TNOTB is what inspired me to take my site to the next level. And by next level I mean not be on a Google blogspot anymore but an actual legit site. It was fun being the “old” guest on podcasts and the occasional post and even though TNOTB was getting more and more popular it didn’t go to Grover and the gang’s head. It was and always should be about sharing a love for the metalz and arguing (discussing) it’s every facet.
The Number of the Blog is Dead. Long Live The Number of the Blog!
You’re a good man, Rob. You’ve done a nice job with TDM, and if I helped inspire that, then so much the better.
While my wallet will thank you, my ears certainly will not. TNOTB had become my defacto “go to” site for net music. You will most certainly be missed.
*new music
Good to hear it. I’ll keep some guest posts coming and will hopefully keep the new (and net) music coming!
My nWo joke was strangely prophetic.
I never would’ve pegged you for a pro wrestling fan.
That, and the way you brushed off a potential turf war, saying that you write there, not here, looks pretty ironic in hindsight.
My worst fear has come true, I don’t even know what to say. At my work place, people knew TNOTB as the black site, that I opened first thing in the morning. Grover, DGR, Gaia, Quigs, Ziltoid, Tr00 Nate, and everyone else at TNOTB, thanks for all the good times. I will miss all of you. I will still keep the site alive in my favorites. Thank You,
666 The Number of the Blog 666.
Haha… Thanks, man.
Going out on a “crash and burn” is way more metal than just stopping the posts anyway.
The Number of the Blog is dead. Long live the Number of the Blog!
I have left a brief but (I think) fitting memorial.
http://www.alsowolves.com/2011/12/raise-your-horns-for-fallen.html
Thanks for everything!
We were never the most metal site out there, but I can’t argue with your observation that this was a metal way of going out. It’s the blog version of the Scorched Earth Policy.
While this sucks, I’m sure what you do next will be equally awesome.
TNotB + NCS could be a match made in Hell too.
\m/
Yeah, I’ll try to keep things metal (more or less) in my guest posts here.
Wow, that’s a bummer; I was a fan from the beginning, always enjoyed the site. Best of luck in future metal endeavors, I hope you guys continue to write in other venues.
Thanks man. And don’t worry, we’ve got big plans.
No!!! Sorry to hear about this, Grover. Please keep me updated with your Next Stage and good luck.
-667-
Thanks, man. Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll hear about the Next Stage when the time comes.
Damn, that really sucks. TNOTB was an everyday internet stop for me for over a year now. I’ll miss it and hope that the writers keep on going and providing me new music to tickle my earholes. I found more great new bands from that cyberplace than any other since I started reading and still looked back at old posts for stuff I had missed.
On the bright side, during the downtime I finally discovered what a quality site NCS is, so it’s nice that you guys are in cahoots. Anyway, thank you Grover and all TNOTB contributors for feeding my metal habit for the last year+.
The Number of the Blog is Dead. Long Live The Number of the Blog!
It was great to have you as a reader, man. You’ve been with us for quite some time, and it’s always been appreciated.
This was rather unexpected, but fitting due to this “next stage”. Always sad to see a website that I’ve been following for more than a year go down like this though. If you’re interested, I began to compile the artists featured in the “free shit” section before the crash. It’s very incomplete, though.
Yeah, unfortunately the Wayback Machine doesn’t have much on our site, either. It’s a pity that I didn’t keep a better archive of the free goods.
This was rather unexpected, but fitting due to this “next stage”. Always sad to see a website that I’ve been following for more than a year go down like this though. If you’re interested, I began to compile the artists featured in the “free shit” section before the crash. Unfortunately, I only got up to the first few months of the site’s existence.
wow, commenting fail 🙁
Ah pff, good riddance. The editors for that site were a bunch of assholes anyway.
I know, right? Seriously, what a bunch of hipsters.
Yep. Total bunch of hipsters. :/
Speaking of hipsters, where the hell is Ziltoid? We already know the top three on his list: “Dwellings” by Cormorant, “Parasignosis” by Mitochondrion and “Guilty Pleasure” by Brokencyde. No news of the rest…
Did he OD on Brokencyde or something?
He overdosed on a combo of Brokencyde’s, Korn’s, and Skrillex’s latest releases. He now speaks only in wobble bass and goes completely psychotic at the accusation of ‘bro-step’.
December was just being a shit month as usual, so I had to go into hibernation. You got the top 2 right. The new Brokencyde is just not shitty enough to make my list. Bunch of mainstream sellouts, IMO. But damn, the Kornstep album is mighty good for drinking. Might just hit my list, despite the fact that I have a biliion criticisms of it.
I’m so sad to hear this, as a writer for TNOTB for nearly 2 years this was my gateway to blogging. While I’m sad to see it go, we are in for plenty of big things soon. R.I.P. TNOTB.
Yeah, you’ve been a great asset to TNOTB. At least we’ve got your expertise for the Next Stage.
It’s really quite sad to see you guys go. I fell in love with your site almost immediately after a friend introduced me to it and have been a regular reader for quite some time. I was quite excited with the new contributors who seemed quite talented. Can’t wait for the next stage, keep us posted huh?
Definitely, man. Definitely.
My Condolences for your loss Grover. Your site and all your writers were awesome. Although I only began reading a relatively short time ago (~6 months), It significantly supplemented my daily allowance of good music vibes. This Sucks. At the same time, this NCS/TNOTB “Crossover” has so much Ass-kicking potential.
This is like that time in Transformers Beast Wars where they found the Ark on prehistoric earth and Predicon Megatron head blasted Optimus Prime (dick move) and the only way to preserve Optimus/Secure the timeline/Save alll of fucking existence was for Optimus Primal to combine Prime’s spark with his own, thereby super-transforming him into a super monkey robot jet god thingy Optimal Optimus.
NCS is now Optimal Optimus.
So, you’re a little bit of a Transformers fan, then? You wouldn’t by any chance happen to be this guy, would you?
All kidding aside, thanks. I think that this will be a good thing in the long run, as you all will see.
“The vast gates to hall up high
Shall stand open wide and welcome you with all its within
And Oden shall hail you bearers of a pounding hammerheart”
TNotB may be gone, but it’s spirit will live on! I will always remember the great posts, from the 5 Great American Death Metal Bands, to the Pick Up the Pieces SMS. I discovered so many new bands through the various weekly columns and irregular posts. Thank you Grover and may the host that ate the site suffer a plague of locusts.
The Number of the Blog is dead! Long live The Number of the Blog!
Man, I’m going to miss that American Death Metal post. That was some good fun.
Someone should write a Fucking Metal Haiku in TNOTB’s honor. It would be fitting.
The blog is now dead
Won’t miss those fucking assholes
Thank god it’s over
I hated TNOTB and anyone ever associated with it.
In fact I can now reveal that it was my Machiavellian machinations that took the site down in the first place and have kept it from being resurrected. I also dismembered and raped Ziltoid. In that order.
Cue evil laugh… MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!
Curiously enough, when one first read your comments on TNOTB, one wondered whether it was actually Ziltoid under another name. But eventually, your extreme megalomaniacal insanity became clear. [Ziltoid possess this in a different form and to a lesser degree]
As my nemesis he is my dark reflection. Or vice versa.
I’m far too lazy to create a different name and post under it.
Ziltoid!!
How did you escape my flying brain-bots???
Will definitely miss you, TNOTB, but looking forward to seeing what the future will bring…
Thanks.
Noooooooooo! I still haven’t finished Quigs’ 100 Best Movies Of The Decade.
You’ll have to hit him up for the full list, it seems. Terribly sorry.
TNOTB has been a daily stop for me for bout a year & 1/2. sad to see it go but am intrigued by this next step. good luck to you all \m/
Thanks, man. You’ve been another long-time reader, which I’ve always appreciated.
What? Nooooo … gutted. I loved that site. Introduced me to so many great bands.
The Number of the Blog is Dead. Long Live The Number of the Blog!
Many thanks. It’s always nice to get some love from our blogging peers!
Bummer, guess I will have to use No Clean Singing as my metal fix now, hope to see you guys blogging here.
Yeah, we’ll be around. fear not.
R.I.P. TNOTB, cant wait for whats next
Thanks, man. Rest assured, we’ll keep you guys in the loop. Keep putting out the great tunes!
Well… finding this on NCS was certainly unexpected… can’t wait for what you have planned though! Good luck with the next stage, grover!
Well, it was pretty unexpected in general for me, I ‘spose.
TNOTB and NCS have been bros for a while. They seemed like a logical choice to make the announcement.
Every time the same thing goes on, you find something interesting and then its gone. ok, after seeing a post about apex twin’s ambient works I was really intrigued and excitted to find out about your blog. I also was a stoner sunday regular reader. So good luck with your plans, and may the next year be better than the last.
Many thanks. I think our future plans will expand our already diverse tastes even further.
Great to finally hear some news! Good luck with.. whatever you are doing as the next big thing. AND HURRY UP WILL YA! ;D
We’re working on it, slowly but surely. Delays happen, unfortunately.
Keep on working hard! 😀
T’was a great year and a half writing for TNOTB. Even though I’m a lazy bum who can barely find enough content to make more than a post per week, I have to say that I loved my time there. Everyone on staff made it an awesome place to write for. Of course, you fellows writing infinitely more than I did and doing a ton of work behind the scenes (namely grover and DGR) deserve most/all of the credit for it being as good as it was. It will certainly be missed. Thanks for everything, guys. You gave me an outlet to be an elitist asshole through, and that’s one of the most important things in life for me. 🙂
But the new shit’s going to be great, so don’t think we’re gone. I’ll even reveal a secret about our future: We’re getting an inflatable bouncy castle!
Ziltoid, I always enjoyed reading your posts and I think you filled a very important niche at TNOTB. When you say something sucks I tend to take it with a grain of salt, but when you say something is really good I always check it out because I usually end up agreeing. So thanks man!
I’ll give you this… you always kept things interesting, even if you were the one that brought in the trolls like GDubya. Recruiting you turned out to be worthwhile, definitely.
“Next Stage”, eh? That sounds suspiciously like an R&B group.
(please let it be an R&B group, please let it be an R&B group, please let it be an R&B group…)
Thank you SO MUCH for bringing me into the fray. It’s been a blast, and I’m really looking forward to your R&B group.
I’m looking forward to having you in the R&B group. You can be the dude with the funny facial hair, if you want, unless you’d rather be the dude with the frosted tips in your hair.
I’m going to miss you guys. Cheers, and good luck with the Next Stage. Horns of respect. \m/
Many thanks. \m/
NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! N-O-O-O!
I’ve been visiting the site since 2010. I can’t believe it’s gone. Will Tr00 Nate still continue his Wintermoon Wednesday column on here?
That’s up to Nate, although knowing how he is about self-motivation, I wouldn’t hold my breath. 😀
It’s sad to see it go. I think I may have visited at least once a day since it first came up. Since then I have only visited 2 metal blogs regularly, TNOTB and HBIH, needless to say I will check NCS out more and anticipate the “next stage.” The Number of the Blog is dead. Long live the Number of the Blog!
Thanks, man. You’ve been one of our long-suffering readers, and that has been greatly appreciated.
Welcome, I has brought me many hours where I should’ve been doing something else. I’m eager to be suffering again.
Was great writing for TNOTB, even though it was only for 1 month. Looking forward to being part of the “Next Stage”!
And yes, those daily TNOTB columns should find a new home in NCS!
That will feed Islander’s secret desire to slack more and make him look magnanimous at the same time. 😀
slacking off + appearing magnanimous = win
It was good having you along for the ride, brief though it was!
This is sad news. Came upon the site a year ago to look for best of 2010 and was truly looking forward to another Best Of Series Damn man.
Still think numberoftheblog was a pretty sick name and had gathered its little cult, Hope Next Stage doesn’t stray too far from it. Good luck my man!
Stick around — there are some Best of 2011 articles from TNOTB writers coming your way at this site. Tr00 Nate’s has already been posted here, and the next one will appear at NCS tomorrow.
My list is coming very soon, as soon as I finish typing it up!
Sad to see you go, picked up many good bands for Metal Bandcamp from TNOTB.
Good to hear you have great plans for the future.
Fear not… I’ll try to keep the free goodness flowing!
I’ll crack a 40 tonight in the site’s honour.
Make sure you pour one out, homie.
Holy shit, this just ruined my night. I’ve been reading TNOTB since its creation and seeing it go is a lot more devastating than I thought it would be. Whatever you guys do, I’ll still keep following and reading.
Goddammit…
Sorry to have ruined your night, but definitely stay tuned.
I’ll miss you lot.
We’ll miss you too. All the long walks on the beach, nights spent staring deep into each other’s eyes…
Stick around… like I’ve been saying, we will be back, better than ever. Big plans.
Now it’s more like Mourning Wood.
The Number of the Blog is dead – long live the Number of the Blog!
Mourning Wood… Brilliant!
Totally ran with that joke when I did a week of In Mourning posts for Morning Wood.
Fine! Good riddance!
pfff…..last line of my post got cut off.
/skulks away to cry in the corner
HA!
/101
SEE YOU IN HELL, HESH!
(You got us to a second page of comments… nice!)
Which was a first on this site, as far as I can remember. But I think it’s kind of cool for anyone coming here to see everything without having to click back to the older ones, so I just changed the setting so all the comments will stay on the same page.
WOOT. Most commented post ever… let’s do this!
WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO AT WORK NOW?
There’s always masturbation. Just cut a hole in the left pocket and leave yourself plenty of leg room.
Unless you’re a righty. The question then is, what does he do with the other 7 hours, 59 minutes, and thirty seconds of his shift?
Plus as an added bonus– assuming you are paid hourly, you would be getting paid for the time spent doing so. And technically, if you get paid to do something, that makes you a professional, right?
damn, late to seeing this. TNOTB ruled. i’m glad NCS has welcomed you guys with open arms, and always excited to see what you’ve got in the pipeline from both an entertaining and well criticized pov!
Thanks, man. Much appreciated!
You guys introduced me to a whole new genre of metal..I’m grateful for that! Look forward to the new site!
*Goes back to lurking…*
No need to lurk. Comment, be friends. We’re a community here.
Sad to see you guys go, but I’m really happy that it’s not the end. Wishing you all the best of luck and please keep us posted. 🙂
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. God fucking dammit.
🙁
🙁 good luck in all your future projects guys!
wtf…this sucks….make a new blog ……found many good bands on your site