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Tumblr takes the hipster Internet offline Saturday

The micro-blogging site will make a multitude of animated GIFs and many of the memes that make life worth living unavailable this weekend.

Eric Mack Contributing Editor
Eric Mack has been a CNET contributor since 2011. Eric and his family live 100% energy and water independent on his off-grid compound in the New Mexico desert. Eric uses his passion for writing about energy, renewables, science and climate to bring educational content to life on topics around the solar panel and deregulated energy industries. Eric helps consumers by demystifying solar, battery, renewable energy, energy choice concepts, and also reviews solar installers. Previously, Eric covered space, science, climate change and all things futuristic. His encrypted email for tips is ericcmack@protonmail.com.
Expertise Solar, solar storage, space, science, climate change, deregulated energy, DIY solar panels, DIY off-grid life projects. CNET's "Living off the Grid" series. https://www.cnet.com/feature/home/energy-and-utilities/living-off-the-grid/ Credentials
  • Finalist for the Nesta Tipping Point prize and a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Eric Mack
2 min read
This is what hipster democracy looks like. Tumblr

When some of you stumble home from kicking off the weekend early Saturday morning to finish things off with a nightcap in the form a delicious GIFwich, prepare to be sorely disappointed.

That's because Tumblr -- home to some of the hippest, snarkiest, weirdest, and most ironic and meta micro-blogging in the universe -- has gone all pro-active in announcing that it will be going down in Saturday's wee hours for some maintenance and upgrades.

"We are preparing for any issues that may arise and want you to expect your blogs to be unavailable starting at 4 a.m. EDT this Saturday (Oct. 6), and to come back online slowly over the next few hours," writes Tumblr engineering VP Blake Matheny.

Come back online slowly? Ouch. To make things worse, Tumblr once went down for more than a day during "planned maintenance." Hence the reference to "issues that may arise."

For those of you addicted to animated GIFs and other visually driven meme-crack, this could be a problem.

The only solution is an ounce of preparation. I suggest hitting the best of the best NOW -- Smokin' Jay Cutler, The Amazing iOS 6 Maps, and even the bewildering but intriguing Maximum Buttitude -- to print out a few posts and plaster them around your kitchen.

It may be the only way to make it through Saturday morning. Well, except for Twitter. And Facebook. And Pinterest. And Temple Run. And awesome stuff like this on Crave.