(no subject)

[spatch]

I stopped being ambivalent about Fark today when I learned they effectively slashdotted poor growf's server (which hosts spatch.net) and cost her $240 in bandwidth overages in TWO DAYS.

So CAT TOWN and all the other great stuff hosted will be down while the webserver is being recompiled with mod_throttle, and I do believe Fark referrals will be blocked afterwards, too. It's just as well, really.

Usedta be I didn't like Fark all that much because some of its users had the collective IQ of a batch of turnips.

Now I just hate Fark because with the exception of finding one or two friends I thought were lost to the world forever, being linked there has brought me and my pals nothing but stress, annoyance, heartache, financial problems, and acid reflux.





Folks, you know my rule: I only do things for as long as they're fun...

Comments

[cheezdanish.livejournal.com]

Jesus. That is the suckiest thing ever. We should make Drew Curtis pay for that shit.

[grendelyn.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry your sudden fame is so contentious.

I hope we are always fun for you...

... loyal fans :(

[spatch]

I don't begrudge you wonderful Cat Town fans one bit. Not a single bit! I love you all and I don't want the Cat Town fun to end at all.

I just got very discouraged when "sudden fame" hit. Especially when it hit what was always meant to be just a silly little hobby thing to make me and my friends laugh. And I start doing things like yelling at people about it.

I'll get over it. There's still ideas left I want to do, and hopefully they'll just keep spawning more and more.

[fancycwabs.livejournal.com]

Actually, you (or growf) should send him a cease-and-desist-and-by-the-way-you-owe-us-$240 letter, which will likely be either ignored or responded to badly. It will, however, function as evidence in a civil case, should this nonsense occur again to the tune of even larger bandwidth overages.

[spatch]

Seeing as how fark referrers will be blocked, it won't happen again. And sadly I don't have fees to go a-lawyerin, nor do I particularly want to.

Vigilance is the proper thing for any "next time."

[nathanjw]

The whole business of being charged for bandwidth but not having very good controls over how it's used has always seemed like a bad arrangement to me. Not like I have any great ideas to make it better, though.

[ctartchick.livejournal.com]

I don't know how to make it better, either, but I do know that there are a number of very good hosts now that give (almost) unlimited bandwidth for a very reasonable price. My husband switched to such a server after /. discovered his website and pictures of a backyard roller coaster. Places like that are becoming more prominent for just that reason.

One thing that does bother me, though, is seeing people start to refuse referrals from certain sites. I understand why, but I find so many fun and interesting sites on Fark.com every day that as such things become more common, people like me will be unable to find the fun sites anymore.

[grumqa.livejournal.com]

I hope so too. You're keeping the shark well at bay; the whole Dogville thing was great.

[phonemonkey.livejournal.com]

I'm really sorry, Spatch.

Such a stupid fuckwitted sad thing to do.

And if this sort of thing does make you decide that Cat Town is No Longer Fun To Do, fair enough. In a regrettable way.

[dcart.livejournal.com]

I hope the animal hat gang don't get retired. I'll have to start another petition and we both know that you can't fight the collective WILL OF THE PEOPLE!!!!!!

[ungratefulninja.livejournal.com]

Spinoff! Spinoff!

[fancycwabs.livejournal.com]

I's thinking more along the lines of:

Dear Drew,

Thanks to your linkage, my site generated $240 in bandwitdth overages in two days.

Have you considered asking permission before sending your minions over from the nether realms? (Or, in your vernacular, "greenlighting a site?")

Just a thought,

Hugs & Kisses,

Spatch.

p.s. A donation to Abbie the Cat's Mad Crazy Pledge Drive would go a long way towards easing the bad feelings--I don't have a TotalCatTown, y'know.


TotalCatTown...now THERE'S an idea...