Newbies and Guests - Welcome.

[Jotunn]

This section of the forum is intended for unregistered guest posting - or at least, that's what it was intended for before the spambots made that untenable. Instead, this has become a section where unfamiliar new registrants may post and introduce themselves. Eventually, some of you may be vetted and granted access to the main forum.

[Phoenix]

Merlin has not logged in on SF for almost two weeks.  Forum is virtually inaccessible.  Was able to see your message announcing this forum via a workaround.

Any news from anyone?

[Jotunn]

Merlin has not logged in on SF for almost two weeks.  Forum is virtually inaccessible.  Was able to see your message announcing this forum via a workaround.

Any news from anyone?

Merlin's been trying to get a hold of Don with no luck. I'm reluctant to try contacting him because I figure if anyone can reach him, Merlin would have by now, and I don't want to start bombarding him with a big pile of messages to sift through. I hope he's doing OK, but the fact that the forum is crashing for so long now suggests otherwise.

[Phoenix]

I figured as much.  Worst of all, I don't think any provisions have made to even archive the forum if Don is unable to continue.

At least that much was done with VNN... or so I understand.

Odd that Chloe has not got back to Merlin if Don can't.

[Jotunn]

Odd that Chloe has not got back to Merlin if Don can't.

Yeah, I don't really know what to expect. Hopefully they're well.

But one possibility to consider is that they decided not to put up with the headache and hassle of running the forum, and weren't able to find anyone willing and able to take the reins. And frankly that's enough of a headache that I wouldn't blame them if it were the case. For all that Stormfront is an invaluable forum, Don's efforts in creating and sustaining it were never anything that he really owed to anyone; just something he chose to do for us of his own free will, time, energy and effort. If he's decided to retire from it... so be it.

[Elizabeth]

Merlin has not logged in on SF for almost two weeks.  Forum is virtually inaccessible.  Was able to see your message announcing this forum via a workaround.

Any news from anyone?

Merlin's been trying to get a hold of Don with no luck. I'm reluctant to try contacting him because I figure if anyone can reach him, Merlin would have by now, and I don't want to start bombarding him with a big pile of messages to sift through. I hope he's doing OK, but the fact that the forum is crashing for so long now suggests otherwise.

Hello Jotunn.  I'm glad to hear that you are in touch with Merlin and that he is okay.  When I read that Merlin hasn't logged in on Stormfront since November 24th I was worried about him.  I tried to send a private message to Don Black asking him to check in on Merlin and to please fix the wonky forum but when I clicked on submit I got a database error message.  Then I remembered an email address for Don Black that he gave me a long time ago to use to send an e-giftcard to update my Sustaining Membership and I sent him an email message from my main email address.

[Phoenix]

Odd that Chloe has not got back to Merlin if Don can't.

Yeah, I don't really know what to expect. Hopefully they're well. 

I hope Merlin is able to find out something, even if he has to pay them another visit in person.

If he's decided to retire from it... so be it.

Agreed, but to leave the forum in this corrupted, inaccessible state is almost criminal.  There's 30 years worth of valuable material on there.  Worse yet, if the server bill goes unpaid, does it all just disappear?

What a tragedy.

[Jotunn]

Worse yet, if the server bill goes unpaid, does it all just disappear?

It might. I have noticed that I'm frequently getting the "as a registered user, you are bypassing the 'server busy' message" notification across the top of the page - when I'm the only member logged in and only thirty guests are online. This suggests that bandwidth is already not being paid for.

[Phoenix]

Oh great.  Why do I suddenly feel like a Tibetan monk who is about to see his sand painting he worked on for 16 years erased?

To prepare for what now seems to be the inevitable, I registered with Gab.  I had been browsing as a guest for a few days when, as luck would have it, Torba decided to make big changes to the forum including requiring all users to make an account.  Many people are not happy about it.  I tried X, but didn't care for the format or the predominantly mainstream character.  Gab isn't perfect, but it's a smorgasbord with something for everyone.

[Elizabeth]

Worse yet, if the server bill goes unpaid, does it all just disappear?

It might. I have noticed that I'm frequently getting the "as a registered user, you are bypassing the 'server busy' message" notification across the top of the page - when I'm the only member logged in and only thirty guests are online. This suggests that bandwidth is already not being paid for.

    Oh, no.  That is horrible.  How much is the monthly bandwidth fee?

[Jotunn]

Oh great.  Why do I suddenly feel like a Tibetan monk who is about to see his sand painting he worked on for 16 years erased?

That might not be the best comparison. The whole point of the sand painting is to emphasize the ephemeral nature of life. They don't feel sad or regretful when it blows away.

Today, while I was at work, I called the West Palm Beach police department and requested they do a wellness check on Don and Chloe. I directed them to the only address I was aware of - on Lakewood Drive - and they called back and said the house had been visibly abandoned for at least several months. So I'm wondering if anyone knows of a more recent address.

I texted Merlin and told him about this effort; he hasn't gotten back to me yet.

[Jotunn]

    Oh, no.  That is horrible.  How much is the monthly bandwidth fee?

As I recall, it was the bulk of Stormfront's regular monthly cost, somewhere in the neighbourhood of three thousand American dollars.

I'd better hope my humble little forum here doesn't start getting the kind of traffic Stormfront saw on a daily basis, as I doubt I could afford to sustain it.

[Elizabeth]

Oh great.  Why do I suddenly feel like a Tibetan monk who is about to see his sand painting he worked on for 16 years erased?

That might not be the best comparison. The whole point of the sand painting is to emphasize the ephemeral nature of life. They don't feel sad or regretful when it blows away.

Today, while I was at work, I called the West Palm Beach police department and requested they do a wellness check on Don and Chloe. I directed them to the only address I was aware of - on Lakewood Drive - and they called back and said the house had been visibly abandoned for at least several months. So I'm wondering if anyone knows of a more recent address.

I texted Merlin and told him about this effort; he hasn't gotten back to me yet.

Did the police get to check inside the house?  Maybe Don and Chloe died in the house?  Maybe they were murdered?  Or kidnapped and murdered? 

[Phoenix]

They don't feel sad or regretful when it blows away.

Not about my contributions.  What was that old Kansas song,  "Dust in the wind"?  Or "Así es la vida," or as my father would've said, "You'll have that in the internet forum business."  Or finally, "Oh well.  Stuff happens."  I just feel bad for Don. I'm sure he didn't want it to end this way.

I'd better hope my humble little forum here doesn't start getting the kind of traffic Stormfront saw on a daily basis, as I doubt I could afford to sustain it.

I don't think many people were able to see your post about this forum.  I'm surprised Elizabeth did.  I had to use a little trick I picked up from my brief stint as a "facilitator" to access it.

If you want to drive traffic, make a post on Gab.  I was pleasantly surprised at how many WN's and NS's are on there.

[Elizabeth]

    Oh, no.  That is horrible.  How much is the monthly bandwidth fee?

As I recall, it was the bulk of Stormfront's regular monthly cost, somewhere in the neighbourhood of three thousand American dollars.

I'd better hope my humble little forum here doesn't start getting the kind of traffic Stormfront saw on a daily basis, as I doubt I could afford to sustain it.

There were a few Stormfront members that seemed to be well off that could help pay Stormfront's monthly cost. 

I'm not well off but I will help with what I can for this new little forum of yours so it does not disappear.