Need to clean up.

[NewAgeOfPower]

So, I was wondering how our membership/activity was doing, given the new life this forum has acquired.

I saw this, and almost smiled.



Well... wait... So I doubled back... sure enough...



Houston, we have a problem spambot infestation.

[Buster's Uncle]

They've always been there - longer than I have, many of them.  The ONLY problem they cause is cluttering the member list.  They've never gotten past the capcha on the first post.

Now, as it happens, my partner/the owner and I were discussing this very thing for this very reason the last two days.  We'd rather leave many bots alone than mistakenly delete a human - But I am The Mighty BotSlayer and my bot-sense is strong.  It sounds like I'm joking, but some jokes are also true. 


My credentals as The Mighty BotSlayer are simple, but awesome; I was a moderator at WPC for 3 months, and was responsible for aproximately 1/2 of all bot -bannings ever at WPC in its 3.5 years existance -  I certainly out-banned the other 10 or so people on the staff at the time combined by a multiple of many.


So I've basically already talked sisko into this - we're talking about something to do with the maybes, and I'm inclined to show slightly more mercy to the ones who claim to be girls, just in case.  Also, it's not a high priority, our plates always being full of more urgent matters.  But something's gonna happen, and you've just validated my arguments for dusting off the ol' banhammer nicely by posting this.

So thank you, NAOP, for giving me this opening for making this announcement. 

[NewAgeOfPower]

Why are you going to be more merciful to female bots???

If you ban someone who hasn't posted in years, and its NOT a bot... Not a big loss.

[Buster's Uncle]

Yes to the second, but still a loss.  I try to take the long view and plan for contingencies - you never know when someone will turn back up, out of the blue.

To the first, this place is a locker room; I need to talk Buster's Aunt into signing up and posting occasionally.  Having a cool girl regular is just very very good for a forum - I've seen it in action.  Not going to spare female bots; going to err more often on the side of mercy when I'm not completely sure - my bot-sense is strong.

[Green1]

At least they are not as bad as wiki bots. Gawd. Those particular bots are persistant. They would erase and add bs articles which were spamvertisements to increase link tos and were written using SEO to fool google. Did not help that the guy who had root was absent and did not give two craps leaving us sysops to suffer.

I will take good forum tools and a supportive root over over older wikimedia and a non-caring root any day.

[sisko]

right folks, i reckon there's a need to clean up the memeberlist. the problem is we don't have yet the right tool for that and i'm a bit afraid to go edit directly on the database table. so we're experimenting. the first step was to delete the accounts that generate error messages on notifications..

[Buster's Uncle]

And BTW?  I'm aware that claiming to be a girl in the profile is actually more evidence of a bot's bothood.  They do it exactly to try to get the slack girls often get on gaming forums -I've seen that in action, too- and and on the other hand, I doubt we've got many real women joined.  The Mighty BotSlayer takes it into account.

[Green1]

There are women that game, but they are attracted to RP MMOs. Sci Fi and for some reason TBS 4x does not attract as many. In World of Warcraft on some RP servers, there are up to 30 percent actual females.

Perhaps our spambot friends over in China and India who hope to pay thier 40 dollar a month rent off of associate marketing figure we are all lonely grognards. In some cases, they are correct. I have seen personally in my gamer days gamers get on planes and travel hundreds of miles just to have the chance to bag a gamer girl.

[Buster's Uncle]

Well, Buster's Aunt is an authentic Female Woman, and she has joined us, so good job on that to me.

Yes boys, she's single - and she's a PhD.

[Green1]

I see "white knighting" in our future. lol.

Most of the "hookups" I have seen in my gaming career often involve drunken vent conversations over a years time.

But hey, I got to perform an in-game and RL wedding for two folks on an RP server in WoW. She was a CNA in California and he was a small busssiness owner in Australia. She moved to australia and has probably plopped out 2 or 3 babies by now with him. The guild master was from Singapore and actually showed up to the IRL wedding.

I have also seen horror stories. A buddy of mine that used to live in New Orleans sweet talked a girl from some small town in Kansas to hop on a plane and come to New orleans. He usedthe size and charm of New Orleans to seduce her. Unfortunately, after about a year it turned out niether of them wanted to work but sit in thier underwear playing MMOs. She was the only one with a job and kicked his butt to the curb when they had to move to Minneapolis after Katrina. She moved in with a wealthier gamer with a job. He ended up somewhere in North Carolina after bumming money to get the hell out of Minesota.

[Buster's Uncle]

While this is a great crowd of wonderful people, we're also a bunch of geek mutants, and you guys ain't good enough for my sister, so hands off. 

[Green1]

I do not know BU. I have Cajun Powers infused into me through osmosis and spending my 20s working with Paul Prudhomme, Emerill, the Sclafanis, and many other famous chefs.

A week ago, I managed to get some alligator from a buddy of mine who knows someone who works the boats out of Manchac. I made an awesome alligator pizza. Just now, I used real Leidenhiemer french bread and made a poboy that puts to shame what any of you Yankees could comprehend.

j/k. BU... please.. not the..hammer...

I am happy to get any geek to shoot the breeze with. What biological parts they have or have not is inmaterial to me.

[Buster's Uncle]

  BOY, DID YOU JUST CALL ME A YANKEE?

She got her doctorate at LSU, so lived in Red Stick for years, and loves southern Louisiana food - that's not a bad opening gambit to try.

[Green1]

BOY, DID YOU JUST CALL ME A YANKEE?

She got her doctorate at LSU, so lived in Red Stick for years, and loves southern Louisiana food - that's not a bad opening gambit to try.

LSU? Funny you mention hallowed ground! I am going to be offline coming up because I just recieved an offer to have rent PAID by LSU to further my education even at my age. I may accept because New Orleans is kicking my arse right now with NY type rents and southern type payscales. Only thing is it involves moving to Red Stick. Not nearly the charm of my adopted home city, but LSU produces armies of scientific badasses. I am hyped. Sorry if I assumed you were a Yankee.

[Buster's Uncle]

I've never mentioned the Old North State, but I thought my southeastern origins were obvious in our religious discussion.  Not a lot of Southern Baptists up north.

Many would say that Red Stick (you know we're confusing people with that, right?) is not as crazy chaotic as N'Orleans, and has enough charm.  I couldn't say, but I did like it better a bit inland.