Turbulent Regime Changes at Princeton FML

It's official: the third generation of Princeton FML moderators has arrived. A quick rundown of recent events ...As any faithful FML reader knows by now, Mod 1.0 Raymond Hsu '11 recently passed the mantle to a pair of new moderators (their identities remain as yet unknown). Mods 2.0 announced the beginning of their term on January 4 and few readers were happy to hear it, if the +/- differential is any indication.Last night, however, Mods 2.0 put an untimely end to their reign: both of them resigned within four hours of each other, citing "work and life as being too overwhelming, that they weren't prepared, that they were thrown in at the harshest time possible, etc."* Hsu reflected further on their decision: "I'm disappointed to see them go, but I completely understand their reasons and do not resent them in any way." Their term, albeit brief, saw plenty of grumbling. Many commenters criticized their moderating style and the infrequency of updates. They were also the (perhaps unwitting) subjects of one of the most unpopular posts in the site's history. As for their legacy, that is for the history books to decide; if nothing else, their six-day term will probably be one of the shortest in the annals of Princeton FML.And as those moderators stepped down, a new duo rose to the challenge. Hsu handpicked them -- one of them had been a finalist in the Mod 2.0 selection process -- and Mods 3.0 officially announced their arrival on January 10.I contacted one of them, who, like his predecessors, wishes to remain anonymous, except to specify that he is a a "he," and that he is a sophomore. When asked to comment on his appointment, Mod 3.0 said he was "[e]xcited but a little apprehensive, like a first-time bridesmaid." He said he wasn't intimidated by the timing (tomorrow is D-Day, after all), but conceded that "any new mod is on pretty shaky ground after the general dissatisfaction of last week."There is good news, however: his moderating style has already garnered comparisons to Hsu's. Mod 3.0 was quick to praise the ur-Mod, and added that his "goal is to moderate well enough that people forget that I'm not Ray.""I want to keep the site running smoothly without drawing a lot of attention to myself. People only really pay attention when something's going wrong," he said. He also expressed his eagerness to use html tags again, "now that Myspace is functionally dead."As we inexorably slide into Dean's Date, the biannual peak of campus procrastination, we wish him and his fellow Mod 3.0 the best. Many students will be counting on them to supply the precious commodities that we've come to love and expect from Princeton FML: a reliable and amusing time-waster, a voice for our collective miseries, and a way to avoid that blindingly white empty page on Microsoft Word for as long as possible.* UPDATE: One of the Mods 2.0 also cited a commitment to varsity athletics, according to Hsu.