If our master database experiences a hardware hiccup, it’s like
you’re stuck on your loungeroom floor unable to move because you’ve
slipped a disc. We’re fixing it now, and will be as quick as we can.

Update:
The discs that make up the Flickr spinal cord are getting themselves back inline, straightening out the kinks with a nice downward dog.
This takes a little while whenever we get up off the floor. (What i’m trying to say is that the database servers take a little while to get
in synch with each other again after a period of downtime. This is why
the site seems a bit slow after a massage.)

But! As an extra special treat, while the site was paralysed, we
were able to do the database updates we were going to tonight at 7pm in
the meantime, so no downtime tonight!