HA! yes, if an LJ issue can actually grasp my attention, it must be ... oh look, a kitty!

I agree with you, the fundamental vibe of LJ is just different to FB, and it's silly to pretend it's not. I think you're on the money about the 'testing' -- quite often 'research' ends up meaning 'my mates', and I suspect that may be the case here.

Go and play with your books! I am going to finish my new Pratchett!