Does anyone else keep getting timeouts when accessing the site? I get cloudflare warnings saying the host is down, but it seems fine.

Nope. But I haven't visited since last time.

Seems to be okay now.

Thought I'd chime in and ask something. So hlp was down for so and so right... And this place didn't see a visitor. Was there another backup forum or did everyone flood IRC?

SG Is no longer a port of call for HLPers, and most of the newer members don't even know we exist. But it doesn't matter, SG is pretty much a retirement home now anyway..

That started well but ended with a bleak outlook. I miss simplier days. Social media is a thorn and reddit is a means with no end

Fah! Reddit is a shadow of its former self

The HLP Discord is where most people were hanging out during the downtime. I don't think there are very many people left who use the IRC channel.

Damn but it's been a while since I poked my head in here though...

I think I heard of discord once before this and it just seems like a replacement with more integration that isn't 20+ 30+ years old.

Everytime I hear reddit mentioned I think quora.. oh and I just visited reddit feels like a generic news site

I'm going to bombard you with down arrows because you don't exist inside my echo chamber! Reddit in a nutshell

Also hey Top Gun! Good to see you.

Lol 81 user activation requests. I'm guessing each and every one of them a spam bot.

So this still exists. Hi!

Howdy Matt. Yes. Yes it Does!

How can a bot get past captcha and I can't stupid images

Well the registration requires admin approval anyway, so you couldn't create an account here without telling me first.. Kinda sucks, but there is now a queue of 500 bots! So that gives you an idea of just how many spambots use this site.

Btw: If someone reading this wants to create an account, you're gonna have to find some other way to let me know..

I'm assuming it's to do with the forum software. What would be a simple solution to this problem? Thought of some tricky methods that only maybe sophisticated bots could get past. It really shouldn't be a challenge for a person

Well the Q&A method works best, but some spambots are actually real people (likely low paid freelancers) and they just breeze through and start spamming soon after a fake reply to a topic.

It's surpising so many come here, given that the forum is dead, but I guess it's more to do with how much organic traffic comes through the server as a whole (even if most of it is bots).

Correction:The Q&A method DID work well, but it seems like the bots can get through it now - strange that, considering many of the questions normally couldn't be answered by a bot.

Since it doesn't seem to be working, rather than disable registration entirely, I've created a three step system that should help..

New system seems okay. If the bots are in fact people, can't really do anything about that. A fixed day count rotational Q&A but injected with some reverse polarity questions - and thinking I'm on the right track when I'm not and it's still correct

Seems to have worked - was getting dozens of bots per day, now haven't had a single one.

Hopefully regular users (if any exist) can still successfully register.

Give it time! Skynet will takeover

In that case I'll have to recruit Summer Glau to lead the resistance. Yum

Had to drop in for February

March!

Cowabunga.. too much?

Just completed two weeks hotel quarantine. Weird feeling, was like a realllllyyy long layover, lol.

Back in Korea for now

1 room? 2 weeks! cliché

Is Taiwan a country? Wiki says it is

In no way is this a comparison but.. if I bought an island off the coast of oz can I call myself a country? or do I have to apologise to Australia

Hey look, we're not dead!

Hows the land of totally a demcocratic upsidedown world doing?

Hi, all

Don

Bollux! *Don't feel locked down under!

Howdy Neo!

Out with Dan first!

Despot.

Seems we're getting a lot of those.

Luckily I live in the county of Fort Knox

*-security

..and just about everything else the real 1 has. Anyhow late Merry Christmas to ya all, and Happy New Year 2s

I sometimes forget this place exists