Admins: Forums are so easy to start your own
look at an example created in just under an hour
extremeultimatepro(Dot) Com
I love the Wizard Of Vegas forum but simply sending a PM to the members so they can address and correct the issue is much more professional.
I hate to see the internet being flooded by new forums opening up because of Power tripping Admins.
Quote: varmentiI hate to see the internet being flooded by new forums opening up because of Power tripping Admins.
Since you're the only one who has such an issue, perhaps it's not the admins who have the problem?
Better yet, why not start your own forum? Then you and gr8 can play to your heart's content.
Just out of curiosity why did you post that question in this thread?Quote: FaisalState your opinion on whether you think it is worth the risk to double on soft 16 i.e. ace + 5 against 2 to 6, as 3 of potential 5 cards to better hand ranging from A to 5 are already taken, leaving only 2 cards out of 13 i.e. about 15% chance. Substantiate your answer. (Ok, not to sound completely ignorant, assuming this is on a fairly low count when the dealer is less likely to bust.) How do you think this compares with the dealer's odds of potentially obtaining a more favorable hand under these conditions? I value your reply, as I'm still quite new at this. Thanks.
__________________
FSL:
In the meantime, I'm not familiar with any situation that calls for doubling the hand in question against a 2.
Quote: 1BBWell, at least I got to welcome him to the forum. Any idea what happened?
I'm guessing IP match.
Quote: 1BBWell, at least I got to welcome him to the forum. Any idea what happened?
It's a bot. I've been dealing with it for many months. All those bans you referenced at DT? 75% of them is this bot. It copy/pastes a random post from another member and plops it in any ol where. This particular one was taken from the "Double Trouble" thread from Sept of '13.
I usually get him right away, ban, and flag, and no one's the wiser. But I signed off early last night and he got by me =p
Quote: FaceIt's a bot. I've been dealing with it for many months. All those bans you referenced at DT? 75% of them is this bot. It copy/pastes a random post from another member and plops it in any ol where. This particular one was taken from the "Double Trouble" thread from Sept of '13.
I usually get him right away, ban, and flag, and no one's the wiser. But I signed off early last night and he got by me =p
Why do people bot???
Quote: FaceIt's a bot. I've been dealing with it for many months. All those bans you referenced at DT? 75% of them is this bot. It copy/pastes a random post from another member and plops it in any ol where. This particular one was taken from the "Double Trouble" thread from Sept of '13.
I usually get him right away, ban, and flag, and no one's the wiser. But I signed off early last night and he got by me =p
Why would someone do that? At least I didn't waste too much time with a long response. No wonder some are leery of new members.
Quote: 1BBWell, at least I got to welcome him to the forum. Any idea what happened?
Are you protesting the banning of a bot?
Quote: FaceIt's a bot. I've been dealing with it for many months. All those bans you referenced at DT? 75% of them is this bot. It copy/pastes a random post from another member and plops it in any ol where. This particular one was taken from the "Double Trouble" thread from Sept of '13.
I usually get him right away, ban, and flag, and no one's the wiser. But I signed off early last night and he got by me =p
Thank you for you efforts and your vigilance! I don't understand the motivations of people who deploy bots, but bots are certainly a problem for most major websites.
Quote: petroglyphWhy do people bot???
I'd would love to know.
Some I can understand. Some do it for advertising. Just set a program loose to nail thousands of forums at a time? That's efficient. But this particular bot has never provided a single link in it's 40 or so appearances.
Some just do it to sow discord. They'll spam, or it'll be sort of an argument program. Just sociopaths that like to cause chaos. This one never does. This bot never makes more than one or two posts, and it's always a copy/paste of a previous post.
That's all this one does. Every 4-10 days, it creates an account with a sig, copy/pastes a random post from the forum, and plops it wherever it wants. And that's it.
Maybe someone is just testing their skills? I dunno.
Quote: gordonm888Thank you for you efforts and your vigilance! I don't understand the motivations of people who deploy bots, but bots are certainly a problem for most major websites.
You're welcome =) I don't either. I'm just thankful it's not crazy disruptive.
Oddly, this one came from the Frankfurt area. All 15 or so in DT came from Punjab, Pakistan.
I wonder if the NSA is hiring? I've some privacies that need violating =)
Quote: gordonm888Thank you for you efforts and your vigilance!
+1. Thanks to you, Face, and the other "Greenies" who keep this place running smoothly.
Five-hole? ;)Quote: FaceBut I signed off early last night and he got by me
I read that around 40% of facebook posts are bots.Quote: FaceMaybe someone is just testing their skills? I dunno.
I don't understand but if they get the click count up they can charge more for ad space. Maybe it is like you mentioned they are just practicing.
I don't get it, but that's ok. I don't even get why someone wants to keep up with multiple id's, I can barely keep up with one.
I suppose if I was to get another "handle" I could argue with myself, that would be like keeping it in the family. I would hope that the argument didn't escalate to a physical confrontation like in "Fight Club". )
Did you know that the stock market is made up of bots trading at light speed? I think 97% +/- of stocks are held less than 3 seconds. The fed creates money out of digital air, loans it to tbtf banks at .00 something %, and they in turn buy stocks raising or lowering the price of everything. Any mom and pop or retirement account is at the mercy of bots trading in nano seconds.
The market was a pricing mechanism, it is now a propaganda mechanism which affects real lives. And the "Bigs" skim a little on each transaction, it is actually a global casino where the value of the lives traded are raised and lowered at the whim of a machine. "Skynet" is self aware, and narcissistic.
Quote: Joeman+1. Thanks to you, Face, and the other "Greenies" who keep this place running smoothly.
Five-hole? ;)
You're welcome, as always. But I think this was more of a "pulled goalie" situation. Doesn't count against my GAA ;)
Quote: petroglyphI read that around 40% of facebook posts are bots.
Ugh. FB is such a cesspool now, and only maybe 30% of that is my fault for befriending the whackjobs I have. The mindless click bait and stupid sites of garbage completely ruined it. I got 2 friends who just opened their first B&M restaurant in d/t Manhattan (Dan and John's Wings, for authentic "from Buffalo" wings), and it's still the only way we can efficiently plan our football games or advertise for my race team, otherwise nothing would make me happier than to bin it for good.
Quote: petroglyph
Did you know that the stock market is made up of bots trading at light speed? I think 97% +/- of stocks are held less than 3 seconds. The fed creates money out of digital air, loans it to tbtf banks at .00 something %, and they in turn buy stocks raising or lowering the price of everything. Any mom and pop or retirement account is at the mercy of bots trading in nano seconds.
The market was a pricing mechanism, it is now a propaganda mechanism which affects real lives. And the "Bigs" skim a little on each transaction, it is actually a global casino where the value of the lives traded are raised and lowered at the whim of a machine. "Skynet" is self aware, and narcissistic.
I'm waiting for one of those mass coronal ejections to hit again like it did in the late 1800's. An EMP the likes of which we can barely comprehend, and all satellites and computers get instantly fried. Hope rudeboyoi is ready. I know I am. Which reminds me, I need to get AZD's address before it happens so I don't have to rebuild alone =)
Quote: petroglyphAre you protesting the banning of a bot?
There is no smiley face so I'm assuming that you're asking a serious question. I had no way of knowing that it was a bot or I wouldn't have responded. Would I have welcomed a bot to the forum? Hardly. It seemed like a legitimate blackjack question. When I saw the name in red, I merely asked what happened. Upon learning that it was a bot I asked why someone would do that. Clearly no protest or even a hint of protest that I can see. Did it appear to you that I was protesting?
The theory of spam is you only need a few customers out of spamming thousands of people.
Quote: 1BBThere is no smiley face so I'm assuming that you're asking a serious question. I had no way of knowing that it was a bot or I wouldn't have responded. Would I have welcomed a bot to the forum? Hardly. It seemed like a legitimate blackjack question. When I saw the name in red, I merely asked what happened. Upon learning that it was a bot I asked why someone would do that. Clearly no protest or even a hint of protest that I can see. Did it appear to you that I was protesting?
Nah man, I was definitely kidding you. I thought that would be obvious.
I was having fun at your expense, sorry.
Quote: rxwinePerhaps it's programmed not to post ad links right away, as maybe that works better overall.
The theory of spam is you only need a few customers out of spamming thousands of people.
I thought so, too. But I've left one unbanned at DT to test that conclusion, and after that one post, it's been completely silent. To be continued, I guess.
Quote: FaceI thought so, too. But I've left one unbanned at DT to test that conclusion, and after that one post, it's been completely silent. To be continued, I guess.
"Doomsday spammer"
The spammer died years ago; but the spam machine is just going on by itself. Somewhere in the foreign Republic of whatever.
Quote: petroglyphNah man, I was definitely kidding you. I thought that would be obvious.
I was having fun at your expense, sorry.
I thought so and there's no need to be sorry. It was pretty funny. I just though I'd better get in front of it before the people who love to malign me used it as an excuse to pile on. You can always kid and joke with me.
Quote: FaceI thought so, too. But I've left one unbanned at DT to test that conclusion, and after that one post, it's been completely silent. To be continued, I guess.
It may be ironic that we are talking about this in a thread that varmenti started. Do you remember when it started? When varmenti went out, he threatened to do dns attacks to kill the site. Maybe a simple bot is the most he could muster up.
Quote: GWAEMaybe a simple bot is the most he could muster up.
No, he was a high ranking Apple official with access to the iPhone 8. I'm sure he could bring down the CIA, should they dare cross him.
Quote: FaceNo, he was a high ranking Apple official with access to the iPhone 8. I'm sure he could bring down the CIA, should they dare cross him.
Lmao, I forgot about that. Oh the memories. I am friends with one of his 9 Facebook pages. He has not mentioned gambling on Facebook since he "left" this site. I truly wonder what was with him and what happened.
One word.Quote: GWAELmao, I forgot about that. Oh the memories. I am friends with one of his 9 Facebook pages. He has not mentioned gambling on Facebook since he "left" this site. I truly wonder what was with him and what happened.
Quote: FaceNo, he was a high ranking Apple official with access to the iPhone 8. I'm sure he could bring down the CIA, should they dare cross him.
Took down NORAD with an iphone, lol.
Quote: FaceYou're welcome =) I don't either. I'm just thankful it's not crazy disruptive.
Oddly, this one came from the Frankfurt area. All 15 or so in DT came from Punjab, Pakistan.
I wonder if the NSA is hiring? I've some privacies that need violating =)
Thanks for taking the time to explain all this, Face. I don't know much about bots or why people want to disrupt forums.
The word transparency is often bandied about here but it's refreshing to see that you actually walk the walk rather than just talk the talk.
I have mentioned in the past that some sites have automatic safeguards in place to stop these kinds of things in their tracks but I suspect that it's more complicated than a few clicks on a keyboard. Any thoughts on that?
A couple of side questions if I may.
Could you explain how flagging a post works these days? It was clear four years ago but not so clear now. Does it still work? Can administrators see who flags? Finally, why can't I flag the post of an administrator? Is it a perk of the job? Are they "above the law"? Not trying to be a wise guy here. I really would like to know.
Quote: FaceSome just do it to sow discord.... Just sociopaths that like to cause chaos.
That's all this one does. Every 4-10 days, it creates an account ....
Are we talking Bots or Baccarat players?
What do baccarat players and bots have in common?Quote: TankoAre we talking Bots or Baccarat players?
They are fun to nuke, easy to spot, and have nothing interesting to say.
Quote: 1BBThanks for taking the time to explain all this, Face. I don't know much about bots or why people want to disrupt forums.
The word transparency is often bandied about here but it's refreshing to see that you actually walk the walk rather than just talk the talk.
I have mentioned in the past that some sites have automatic safeguards in place to stop these kinds of things in their tracks but I suspect that it's more complicated than a few clicks on a keyboard. Any thoughts on that?
A couple of side questions if I may.
Could you explain how flagging a post works these days? It was clear four years ago but not so clear now. Does it still work? Can administrators see who flags? Finally, why can't I flag the post of an administrator? Is it a perk of the job? Are they "above the law"? Not trying to be a wise guy here. I really would like to know.
You're welcome, and thanks for the critique. Good or bad, it's helpful to hear how you're doing.
Automatic safeguards are above my pay grade. This is the only forum I've had a part in, plus I'm pretty computer illiterate. The only way my simple mind could come up with would be to have a program that automatically busts identical IP's. Of course, with people sharing apartments or logging on from the same casino wifi, innocent members would surely get caught up in it making the idea more harmful than helpful.
Looking on the bright side, I think we're making strides. I'm sure you remember the many incarnations of Logan/Singer. Many of those dupes lasted weeks if not months, over hundreds of posts, many of which were downright horrible. Now a dupe is maxing out at maybe 2 or 3 days, and often gets busted as soon as a lazy admin rolls out of bed. I think we've come a long way.
As for the rest, stay tuned. I'll get back to you in a bit.
Flagging works same as it always had. Flagging puts "points" on a thread. Get enough points, the thread vanishes. Senior members have more points behind their flag button, new members have the least. And, of course, mods have a "one and done", not requiring any additional input. Basically, if it was clear four years ago, it's clear now. No details have changed, and it still works.
I personally cannot see who flags, but I've never asked if we were able to. Actually, I should amend that to say "I've never looked to see if I could see, and probably wouldn't recognize it if I saw it" lol. Other than "ban", "flag", "edit", and "split", I use and understand very little of the rest of it =p
As for not flagging admins, I dunno. Perhaps it was just standard and an afterthought, a sort of "you can't fire the boss" sort of thing. After all, it was pretty much only Wiz (owner) and JB (programmer) who were Green at the time of the flag button (I think, anyways. I think BlueJay had gone Blue by then). I don't know if there was an actual reason behind it, but again, I've never thought to ask. I guess it makes sense, though. Other than you and maybe EB, mods are most likely be the target of blind vengeance. Might as well give those in the line of fire at least some protection =)
Hope that answers well enough. Sorry for the delay. I had some fishing to do =)
Quote: FaceOK, 1BB. I'm back.
Flagging works same as it always had. Flagging puts "points" on a thread. Get enough points, the thread vanishes. Senior members have more points behind their flag button, new members have the least. And, of course, mods have a "one and done", not requiring any additional input. Basically, if it was clear four years ago, it's clear now. No details have changed, and it still works.
I personally cannot see who flags, but I've never asked if we were able to. Actually, I should amend that to say "I've never looked to see if I could see, and probably wouldn't recognize it if I saw it" lol. Other than "ban", "flag", "edit", and "split", I use and understand very little of the rest of it =p
As for not flagging admins, I dunno. Perhaps it was just standard and an afterthought, a sort of "you can't fire the boss" sort of thing. After all, it was pretty much only Wiz (owner) and JB (programmer) who were Green at the time of the flag button (I think, anyways. I think BlueJay had gone Blue by then). I don't know if there was an actual reason behind it, but again, I've never thought to ask. I guess it makes sense, though. Other than you and maybe EB, mods are most likely be the target of blind vengeance. Might as well give those in the line of fire at least some protection =)
Hope that answers well enough. Sorry for the delay. I had some fishing to do =)
Thank you, that's good to know. I recall flagging posts and having them disappear right before my eyes but that hasn't happened in years. I'm not one to flag and I reserve it for the most egregious posts such as the fake ID guys.
Rule 5 of the first set of five rules prompted my inquiry on whether administrators had access to who flags.
Now you have the Green Machine. And if I may toot our own horn, the fact that we've been getting nailed by bots for 4 months and they've only recently been being noticed by the membership tells me that I and my comrades have been doing a pretty good job keeping things clean =) We've historically had very few issues, so having three whole people added to the clean up crew has probably made flagging by members mostly unnecessary. Plus, it seems many people make it a point to vocalize when they flag, and I've hardly seen any of those claims lately. It makes me think flagging in general has been in decline. This is not to encourage anyone to cease flagging, just commenting towards your comment about Rule #5 v1.0. Basically, I don't think it's being abused, and I have no reason to believe it's ever has been.
It's 85* in the valley today! I've got some fishing to do =)
Quote: 1BBThank you, that's good to know. I recall flagging posts and having them disappear right before my eyes but that hasn't happened in years. I'm not one to flag and I reserve it for the most egregious posts such as the fake ID guys.
Rule 5 of the first set of five rules prompted my inquiry on whether administrators had access to who flags.
I believe the points needed to kill a thread via flags went up at some point... it was once just two 'senior' members, but pretty sure it's not that easy any more.
Quote: Face
And if I may toot our own horn, the fact that we've been getting nailed by bots for 4 months
Seems like it would be easy to stop auto signups .
Have a multi-digit number that changes every 24hrs on the forum rules page or the top/bottom of some forum page. I don't think bots are smart enough to know what page something is on, though they may be able search the sign-up page. Just don't put such a thing there.
Require the number for signing up.
Edit
It seems like most sign up pages include such a code ON the sign-up page. Too easy.
I wouldn't use a captcha either, as I'm sure some bots are programmed to look for them on a site.
Quote: thecesspitI believe the points needed to kill a thread via flags went up at some point... it was once just two 'senior' members, but pretty sure it's not that easy any more.
I think that's the case now. It just doesn't seem the same.
Should I ask about the secret administrator or quit while I'm ahead? :-)
Quote: 1BBI think that's the case now. It just doesn't seem the same.
Should I ask about the secret administrator or quit while I'm ahead? :-)
I always go with the latter, but we are on a new level now, so let your heart be your guide. Dbl :-)
