Salon's original social network and conversation mecca, Table Talk, has always been a lively but somewhat secluded part of the Salon domain. Ironically, all the dynamic conversations there are brought to the attention of the rest of the world whenever they are not available. Table Talkers begin to blog, post to Facebook and tweet about their predicament.

Here we go again! Table Talk will be gently taken offline for about three hours on Wednesday June 30, starting at 7:00 pm US Pacific Time so we can repack and reload the database. (You asked for international specs on this and you got them: that's starting at 2:00:00 hours UTC.)

How will we all debate our political points, exchange juicy celebrity gossip, get help with our travel plans and play our limerick-by-committee game? Perhaps for a few minutes we'll make do by saying hello here in the Salon Letters comment space instead.

Table Talk wouldn't be the gem of the web that we enjoy here without the devotion and patience of all the TTers. Thanks for all the passion and quality you put into living online with us.

If you're not a Table Talker at this time and would like to be, simply sign up for Salon Premium and you will be able to create a Table Talk login. But be careful. It could become a way of life.

We have good news for Android users: Salon is now available as an Android app! With this app, you can easily keep up with the latest news, see what's popular, jump straight to your favorite section or blog, bookmark stories to return to later, and even get quick access to videos we've recently featured on the site. All for just a buck ninety-nine! Check out the video below -- which Google has generously shared with us -- for a sneak peek at the app, then head to the Android Market to download it today. Once you've installed the app, be sure to add the home screen widget, which will alert you to new stories the moment they appear.

We're proud to announce our new content partnership with the Art of Eating, the beautiful, thoughtful, idiosyncratic, opinionated and erudite food quarterly by Edward Behr. Every other week or so, they'll be sharing with us a favorite from their archives or something new that's been piquing their interest and itching to be put into the world.

We're especially proud to be the Art of Eating's online partner, as it continues to focus its own energies into producing the most beautiful print object it can.

Salon's won its share of Webby awards over the years, going back to the early days when Tiffany Shlain and Maya Draisin ran them from San Francisco. We picked up the People's Voice award for best Web magazine in 2006.

This year we've been honored with a nomination for best news site, along with the New York Times, NPR, the BBC and Guardian. It's high praise just to be mentioned in that company, whether we win or not. We can also win the People's Voice award for news, if enough of our audience votes.

So what are you waiting for? It's easy: Begin by registering here (it'll only take a second). Then you can vote for sites within all of the categories, or simply go here to vote for Salon in the news category.

We wouldn't be here without our devoted audience. Thanks for all you do -- and if you can take another minute to vote, we'd be grateful.

The fine folks at Participant Media have offered some select passes for Salon readers interested in seeing an advance screening of "Casino Jack," the upcoming documentary from Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney ("Taxi to the Dark Side," "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room"). The Jack in question is one Jack Abramoff, and the film is billed as "a twisting tale in which a small group of charming con men use the power of the purse, the zealotry of religion and bare-knuckled political brawling to loot the American government for fun, ideals and profit."

Editor Joan Walsh made an appearance this afternoon on MSNBC's "Ed Show," where she vigorously debated the new Arizona immigration law with Republican strategist John Feehery. She went on to talk about Rahm Emanuel's mayoral hopes and Kelsey Grammer's right-wing TV channel, which launches this summer. Check out the clip below.