arrow_circle_left arrow_circle_up arrow_circle_right
The Banter Page
help
If you're wanting to get something off your chest, make general comments about the server, or post lonely hearts ads, then this is the place for you.
arrow_circle_up
Thanks Dan. I agree with your comments particularly around the lack of technical solutions for proactive automated moderation.
MCiOS
[rab] MCiOS? Google thinks I want MCIPS or Military Criminal Investigative Organizations.
MC in Outer Space
spam filter
[rab] Darn, I can't get past the Spam filter despite putting answers in the little field under the main one.
filter
Are you using a capital at the start? Just the surname.
[blamelewis] It's not case sensitive and uses a 'contains' test rather than an 'equals'. For example, if "Potato" were one of the accepted responses, "59g gmlXs!poTAtowiBBle88" would work just fine.
[Dan] good to know! But how did you know my password?? ;)
I've just read OfCom's allegedly helpful page for small site owners and I have to say I can't say I blame rab for his decision. Both onerous and vague at the same time.

That said, some friends of mine have been promising, re the OSA, that we'd see a huge wave of site closures off the back of it, and I have to say that not many so far have been publicised. Perhaps, like this one, they're going uncounted or unreported, but it is interesting that a lot of services have apparently decided to make a go of it.

Things like this remind me of other legislation that was meant to curtail exploitation or cavalier profiteering by "the big guys" but which do get applied to small voluntary efforts with chilling effects on certain activities. Examples from the past would be copyright, child performance licensing, minimum wage (especially when volunteer roles become overly regimented and start to fall into the scope of employment), disclosure and barring (not because it's a bad idea but because in practice large backlogs occur) and various bits of health and safety. This seems to be the latest example in that it's understandable why the legislation exists even when it has dumb effects in the wrong places. A lot of people have been harmed by the way social media are misused by some, and you have to have some sort of enforcement backstop to that when people can operate anonymously and therefore beyond the reach of enforcement against them as individuals. Conversely, the anon internet has had significant social benefits for people whose interests, personalities or way-of-seeing-the-world fall outside the mainstream, because we're less likely to make satisfactory social connections in our immediate geographic community. But do people like that need anonymity? Not always, but I can think of several scenarios where it helps, especially given that online bullying, and harrassment that crosses over into the real world, are among the real harms I mentioned above. Interesting times.
By instinct and long habit, I didn't mention that the potential bad actors against anonymous minority groups might also include governments. Having grown up in a country where the government tends to do more of its harms through mistakes than through intention, I guess I've always had a lot of faith that authorities would ultimately want to see fair treatment. That faith is beginning to be profoundly shaken.
[Bad Actors]
I think it is prudent to assume that at any given time, it is 100% certain that /some/ governments will always be members of the list of bad actors. That has to be taken into account at a fundamental design level.
Got it!
[blame lewis] It FINALLY let me post. I figured it was the same password as here.
In case life overtakes me and I don't get to post here again just to reiterate massive thanks and respect to rab for creating and maintaining this place. Having posted this I'll probably be back every day until the shutdown :)
[blame] Agreed! Thank you so much to rab for many years of Little Pleasures. (and footnote to above, given today's announcement of the abolition of NHS England I wonder how far behind OfCom might be...)
The End is Nigh
Oh goodness, it's galloping up, isn't it? Do please drop me an email, anyone who cares to: simon_smith&zen,co,uk, after making the necessary adjustments Huuuge thanks to rab; I'm gonna miss this place a lot
Taking this opportunity to say Goodbye to this site and express my shock, horror, amazement, astonishment, surprise, anger, sadness, thankfulness, and custard. And a merry Christmas to you all.
Special Years
It's been a blast. I've laughed and been impressed in equal measure. Thanks dear Rab x
Say It Ain't So
Tom, Tom, Lend me your grey mare
I wanna go back to Whitticome Fair
With Bill and Jan, Peter and Dan
Harry and Pete, on the moors we'll meet
All down along out along lee
All down along out along lee
For he's a jolly good fellow
rab, thank you for over 2 decades of selfless hospitality. We can never repay you <3
Thanks, rab, for keeping this playground open for us all, all these years. It has been a part of my life.
Timekeeping was never my forte
I genuinely thought this was happening next week, and was planning to have a bit of a shutdown party where we finish off all the games.

Oh well, I guess this is the last post. Thanks everyone for your kind words and understanding. I wondered initially if I was over-reacting, and maybe it will be ok for the little guys in the end. The essential problem is that we don't exist as far as legislators are concerned, which I guess makes sense as most of them probably thing that the internet and Facebook are one and the same.

Want to play? Online Crescenteering lives on at Discord