Great news!! There's still hope I will have a puppet Angel (that doesn't remind my of Abe Lincoln - not that he was a bad guy or anything but...)! Yeeeeeeees! many happy :) here!

Passion | October 23, 15:46 CET

Good news.

SeanValen | October 23, 15:54 CET

Yeah!! I want one (maybe 2). :^)

jewel | October 23, 16:24 CET

To quote Oz:
"Gladness."

Flair | October 23, 16:24 CET

Well, lets hope so.

I can't but help get somewhat suprised when toy companies go to all the trouble of making the thing, without it seems studying the photographic reference of the original puppet. I mean it's hardly brain surgery is it.

I'm going to blow my own trumpet here, and say I think that I made my version look a least a little more like the original then they have, judging by the evidence so far........

http://tinypic.com/dxtuh

sueworld2003 | October 23, 18:02 CET

Well, now I'm bummed! The first one was so bad I could justify not buying it. If this one looks good, I'll not only have to buy one for myself but for my two daughters as well! Sigh! I'm going to be so poor!

Sueworld2003 - very good likeness! Maybe you should contact this company and ask them if they need a designer for the doll!

Firefly Flanatic | October 23, 18:58 CET

Wow I'll bet that Matt guy has been busy answering upset emails from folks. Here was his reply to my email:

"I was worried when I first saw that picture, too. Then I saw the actual
prototype and got to play with it. I honestly think the "Clint Eastwood"
resemblance is due to a poor picture/angle/lighting. Changes HAVE been made since that original prototype and I'm working on getting new and updated images out to the fans.

I'm also hoping for a "Battle Damaged" version with removable nose.

Let me know if you have any other questions."

Thanks,
Matt

Willowy | October 23, 20:02 CET

So why, when I click on the link does it think I am Willowy? Is this a link that should be changed? I don't think you want us all to posting as you, do you Willowy?
edited to add All fixed now

[ edited by Lioness on 2004-10-23 18:54 ]

Lioness | October 23, 20:33 CET

Well, it certainly couldn't look any worse.....

"Well, now I'm bummed! The first one was so bad I could justify not buying it."

Hehe, and if they make a good one now, yer a goner! Face it.

"Wow I'll bet that Matt guy has been busy answering upset emails from folks. Here was his reply to my email:"

Wow he actually replied huh? Nice, I must say. And the removable nose would be funny! I'll have to act out that scene with it, hehehe.

EdDantes | October 23, 20:34 CET

Yay!!

Mal'sGal | October 23, 20:51 CET

Hmm, what's that Lioness? I didn't put a link in my post. Do you mean the original link up above to Slayerverse? I didn't put that there either. What's happening?

*all confused*

Willowy | October 23, 20:57 CET

The link contains a PHPSESSID, which is PHP's abbreviation for PHP Session ID.

PHP sessions are used to store information about a user in memory on the server -- they're like the server-based equivalent of cookies. They start when the user visits the site, and they're destroyed programatically some time later -- up to the developer, really, and it's not necessarily when the visitor leaves the site. The default in ASP.NET, which is what I specialize in, is twenty minutes, but there's no saying that holds true in PHP.

Most of the time PHPSESSIDs can be left in links, because the data they contain is fairly harmless -- when I've done PHP development, my Session data has only contained whether the user was logged in or not and the username itself was being passed along via POSTDATA from page to page. Usually the PHPSESSID is passed transparently and you don't see it as part of the link, but [insert technical explanation here] Slayerverse isn't doing that. This wouldn't matter except that their PHP Sessions apparently contain the equivalent of the "login cookie" from LiveJournal or Whedonesque.

This means that anyone using a link with a PHPSESSID from someone who is logged in to Slayerverse is using that user's Session data, which can be very dangerous. At present my link says I'm logged in as MrFloppy, AND when I clicked "Change Password" to see if it would work I DID get the Change Password screen. I'm not going to change the password because that would be a Bad Thing, but the fact that I have the ability to is also a bad thing.

Anyway, the point of all this explanation is that it's the PHPSESSID that's doing this, and Ghost Spike, the sooner you see this and edit the link to remove the PHPSESSID data, the better. The link still works without it and it doesn't pass along a user's login information.

janeway216 | October 23, 21:29 CET

Holy cow, janeway216. Thanks so much for the info. I, too, am logged in as Mr. Floppy when I got to Ghost Spike's link. That's some scary stuff.

A question: if the PHPSESSID is passed along transparently and you can't see it as part of the link, how do you edit it out so as to prevent Mr. Floppy-type situations? Or if passed transparently, would such a situation not arise? A techno ignoramo here, sorry.

phlebotinin | October 23, 21:40 CET

These guys are missing a marketing bonanza...I'd have bought half a dozen (at least) for Christmas presents...jeez, they had more than enough time, it seems to me...

Chris inVirginia | October 23, 21:40 CET

Good point about missing Xmas, Lizard.

If the revamped (hee hee) puppet is really good, I shall start scrimping and saving immediately. Must have.

phlebotinin | October 23, 21:42 CET

Edited the link now, I wasn't logged in at slayerverse or anything so it's strange that people were getting logged in as different people.

Ghost Spike | October 23, 21:48 CET

If it's passed transparently, the situation doesn't arise -- in my experience. Without trying to drown you in technical stuff, there's two ways to pass data from page to page -- one where you see stuff in the link, and one where it's packaged into the data that the browser sends along when you click on a link. Normally the PHPSESSID is packaged into that data, and since it's not included in the link it's not a problem -- your computer doesn't have a PHPSESSID to package up and send along. With this link, however, it's in the link, so Slayerverse is explicitly being instructed to use *this particular* PHP session.

Probably a good idea in the future for people to delete the PHPSESSID from links they post from Slayerverse.

janeway216 | October 23, 21:53 CET

Ah, thanks for the clarification, janeway216. Excellently explained.

I wonder who Mr. Floppy is, if he isn't Ghost Spike. Poor Mr. Floppy.

phlebotinin | October 23, 22:05 CET

I'll get in contact with the Slayverse people about this, I'm sure they would want to be aware of the problem.

Simon | October 23, 22:10 CET

"Well, now I'm bummed! The first one was so bad I could justify not buying it." - Blwessels

"Hehe, and if they make a good one now, yer a goner! Face it." -EdDantes

I know, I know, if it's a good one I won't be able to help myself.

Firefly Flanatic | October 23, 22:24 CET

Awww, I wanted my own David Fury!

[ edited by Caleb on 2004-10-23 22:54 ]

Caleb | October 24, 00:09 CET

So I was logged on as Willowy as she was the last one from Whedonesque to go to the site?
Lioness

Lioness | October 24, 00:27 CET

The security problem in Slayerverses login system will be fixed by tomorrow, thanks for the heads up everyone.

[ edited by Faith on 2004-10-23 22:36 ]

faith1984 | October 24, 00:29 CET

Thank goodness! I've wanted a puppet Angel ever since I saw the trailers for "Smile Time". But if it had to be the peice of rubbish it was before....I so don't think I would've bought it...

Tainted Goddess | October 24, 03:55 CET

Has anyone seen: http://www.weelittlepuppetman.com/ - I think this person is a fan who happens to make very good puppets of both Angel and Spike. A bit pricey, but the puppets look very nice.

killinj | October 24, 05:32 CET

I checked out the fan puppets, the Angel one is ok but the Spike one just doesn't look quite right. No kidding about being pricey but I guess its because each one is hand made.

If the new Puppet Angel looks more like the one on the ep I'll really have to reconsider purchasing it. I already get lots of flak for being a Buffy/Angel fan, I can only imagine what the family & friends will say if I buy a Angel puppet...

Question: I know Jewel Staite's mom - used to work with her a while back. She's the one who pointed me to Whedonesque. Anyways, when I told her I was a fan of Joss she said "Oh, you are a Whedon-weenie." Anyone else heard us called that?

cookie_dough | October 24, 06:01 CET

this calls for the Dance of Joy!

redtenko | October 24, 06:06 CET

Yikes! Those are some pricey puppets!! I guess they need to be to cover the lawyer fees and fines when they get sued for copyright infringement!

Firefly Flanatic | October 24, 09:35 CET

Very pleased to hear that Puppet!Angel is getting an extreme makeover (paging Carson Cressley!) and I hope we get to see the new and improved photos soon. I wonder if he'll come with the requisite Irish long sword, or am I going to have to fabricate that little jewel myself?

Wiseblood | October 24, 10:01 CET

I'd love it if they made 3 versions of the puppet. One just as he was when first changed into a puppet, one with the cuts on his face (this one should come with the sword) and don't forget 'vamp puppet Angel'. He was cool! I'd buy them all if they looked right.

jewel | October 24, 16:45 CET

I think he should have little removable parts, like a muppet does!

That way we could make him become vamp puppet Angel with a few little eyebrow bulges and some little felt fangs. Same thing with the scratches, and don't forget the nose! heh heh, oh I'm thinking about this way too much...

Willowy | October 24, 18:32 CET

Willowy: "oh I'm thinking about this way too much...

You and me both. Little removable parts would be too much fun.

jewel | October 24, 18:52 CET

Little removable parts would be too much fun.

You know, if Whedonesque was like, oh, just about any other fan board, this line of discussion could become downright filthy. Because for some reason, I started wondering about whether Puppet!Angel would be anatomically correct...

What? Why are you looking at me like that?

Wiseblood | October 24, 20:59 CET

Too funny, Wiseblood, too funny. Eh em.

We had some friends come over last night who had never seen the Smile Time episode and so we watched it. There are some priceless lines. A favorite was: "I'm gonna tear a new puppet hole in you, b**ch!". I may have to watch it again today.

jewel | October 24, 21:08 CET

Thanks for that site address, killinj. The prices are steep, but I want a good puppet Angel for the office. Be good to break the ice with.

Madhatter | October 24, 21:56 CET

Two years later, thanks to Google I read this!
I'm Mr.Floppy there XD XD (well, I'm Mr.Floppy everywhere, except here :P)
Now I understand the login problems I had those days.

[ edited by Angel TheVampire on 2006-10-02 21:18 ]

Angel TheVampire | October 02, 23:12 CET