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9Minetest is best
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11170620 Arsenault Love to All
12
13This is a copy of a letter that was sent today to John Arsenault.
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15Mr. Arsenault is acting as General Counsel for LTM, the company which owns PIA, which may or may not be a company that owns, or has merged with, Freenode. The relationships between the three entities need to be sorted out.
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17Full paragraphs in italics are annotations. However, short quotes in italics, mixed with regular text, are part of the letter.
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19I've dropped one word, “remotely”, from this copy of the letter, as it might be perceived as unnecessarily sarcastic.
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21This post will be moved to an LTM-PIA-Freenode page at some point.
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23ATTN: John Arsenault
24
25Thank you for writing.
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27You seem to be dodging most of the points raised in the initial letter to you. Or you've simply glanced at the letter and haven't actually reviewed it.
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29You asked for “any evidence you have of any actual crimes against children”. Unless you didn't actually review the initial letter, this is misdirection on your part.
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31I don't need to prove or disprove anything in this context because I haven't asked you to acknowledge that “actual crimes against children” occurred.
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33I didn't bring up the child sexual harassment issue, Mr. Arsenault. I considered the matter to be settled.
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35However, your direct or indirect client felt the need, not simply to bring up child sexual harassment, but to attempt to impose a gag order in connection with the subject.
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37A gag order that was to apply to websites that were entirely outside of Freenode's jurisdiction.
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39From legal, public relations, and practical perspectives, all three of these contexts, it's possible that this step was inadvisable.
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41The specific actions that I've commented on, and that you have little choice but to acknowledge occurred, were highly public and were logged by a dozen people.
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43Including the administrator at the heart of the matter.
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45The administrator is Fuchs, possible IRL name Christian Looslier, possible sexual orientation of gay, resident of Europe, involved with Ubuntu, unfamiliar with U.S. laws, and a tedious hard-ass, but only the first and last points are confirmed.
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47If the administrator claims that he's lost his logs, feel free to ask him if he contests the factual nature of anything that has been referred to or alluded to in past letters or website postings.
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49It might be fun. He and you would need to decide whether or not to gamble on logs from up to a dozen other people not surfacing as events proceeded.
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51If you didn't review the initial letter to you, it's suggested that you do so at this time.
52
53The question to be addressed presently is as follows:
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55Does LTM support, or disavow, the highly-public — and logged — statements and decisions of the Freenode administrator at the heart of the matter? Respond unambiguously, please.
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57Additionally, if possible, respond regarding other points that you've passed over.
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59Felony DDoS, to the tune of 150 GB of router logs alone in a few hours, is a separate issue. But let's focus, for now, on the requests made in the preceding paragraphs.
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61The final DDoS resulted in 150 GB, as in gigabytes, not megabytes, of router logs alone. I didn't even know that that was possible. But apparently, with rising bandwidth, it's common these days.
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63A few pieces of evidence suggest that Red-###, aka Iosif, aka “Daniel”, coordinated, or was involved in, that DDoS.
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65However, analysis of a letter that Red sent to Cloudflare management combined with other factors suggests that he might be just 14 years old.
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67Where does a kid, even these days, get that kind of firepower?
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69We have Red's POP, a Vodafone node in Dublin, Ireland, but the best we'll be able to do, in his case, is get a letter forwarded to his parents, assuming that he is, in fact, a minor.
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71There is no chance, surely, that Red or his friends will reveal something to IRC or in-game associates who aren't what they appear to be.
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73This reminds me. Readers who are interested in networks are invited to scroll down and review the 1-line socat script that was posted on May 28.
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75The test is to explain what socat is and what the script can be used for. If you're able to pass the test, and would like a Summer job, feel free to look me up.
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77I can be found on Freenode and other IRC networks though my Freenode nick is no longer OldCoder. Which is an issue, actually, that I plan to address with LTM, PIA, and Freenode.
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79I consider VPS and VPN to be educational. Would you like access to one of each?
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81The job is simply to play a game, to establish an identity, and to gather information. You'll need to learn IRC and Minetest.
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83PIA will approve, I'm sure, as they're a VPN firm. Perhaps we'll rent VPNs from them.
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85If you don't wish to answer the key question, that is your prerogative. I will, of course, communicate with other parties involved, in this event, to offer them the opportunity to do so.
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87Such communications with other parties will be, naturally, documented and may be posted online or distributed in hard-copy form to third parties who may be able to provide relevant information or for legitimate and reasonable purposes that are protected, unambiguously, under U.S. laws.
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89170620 Freenode Fun, Son, under the Sun
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91This is a copy of a letter that was sent today to John Arsenault of LTM, Jayson Quayle of PIA, staff at Freenode, and other parties.
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93Full paragraphs in italics are annotations. However, short quotes in italics, mixed with regular text, are part of the letter.
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95This post will be moved to an LTM-PIA-Freenode page at some point.
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97Arsenault's response to the first part below was reasonable. I haven't reviewed it closely, but he seems to be legitimate in this context.
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99To provide context, a surprising number of attorneys are casual about State Bar standards and State laws.
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101Mr. Arsenault is one of relatively few attorneys I've dealt with who is, or seems to be, in compliance with the type of law that is referred to here.
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1031. John Arsenault, have you committed a prosecutable crime in California?
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105This depends partly on the difference between General Counsel and In- House Counsel. I'm a simple, easily befuddled, Old Coder and don't understand such things. However, you don't seem to be licensed in California.
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107Isn't LTM a California-based company? Or, at least, a California Foreign Corporation incorporated in Los Angeles?
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109If so, are you licensed in the State? And, if the answer is no, have you committed a prosecutable crime, as opposed to administrative violation, by listing yourself as General Counsel for LTM? Or does the issue in question apply only to In-House Counsel? Is there a difference?
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111The California State Bar tells me that Out of State attorneys who act as In-House Counsel are, in fact, in violation of the law, unless they've both filed the paperwork and submitted the fees needed to operate legally in the State. They've been kind enough to express interest in the details of possible crimes.
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113My assumption is that General Counsel may be different, or that you're properly licensed, or that you have, in fact, filed the paperwork and submitted the fees.
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115If it is all right with you, though, may I confirm that this is the case?
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117Arsenault is apparently in the clear, in this context, but other attorneys that I pull this on sometimes evaporate instantly.
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119Last Fall, one of them, Rebecca, left a vapor trail. She was, whoosh, I'm out of here. I phoned her to make sure that she was all right. She was O.K. but she seemed focused on how I'd be able to use pretty much anything that she said.
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121Rebecca was replaced by an attorney, David, who boasted of arguing in front of State Supreme Courts.
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123David didn't have the State legal problem. But he didn't last long, either.
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125I caught him in a few slips. They were minor, but he was surprised that a civilian was able to spot them at all.
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127The real problem, for David, was that I didn't follow the script that he had in mind. I'm not really a script person. Not since 2012.
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129Eventually, I communicated with the heads of David's firm, one with about 30 offices nation-wide, and offered a few observations. They didn't seem inclined to contradict my points.
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131David disappeared at about that time. I missed him, though, so I called him on Christmas Day just to say Hello.
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1332. Addressing Jayson Quayle at PIA, a component of LTM, PIA has not acknowledged receipt of a letter sent, days ago, to address, in detail, concerns expressed by PIA. Nor has PIA responded to requests for confirmation of receipt.
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135There is, therefore, either a technical issue on PIA's side or an administrative one. Accordingly, it is appropriate to proceed to a new stage.
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137Legitimate and reasonable communication may now take place in other contexts, modes, or venues, including but not limited to communication at, to, or involving non-business street addresses and/or third parties of different types.
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139The process may not be rapid. However, the turtle in the proverbial race did have a point. And PIA is, after all, a business. The Old Turtle says, “follow the money”.
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141It's important, in situations involving multiple people, to get a feeling for where all of the pieces, so to speak, are located on the board.
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143LTM-PIA-Freenode is no exception. Additionally, I don't know the LTM story, yet, but it's starting to seem interesting.
144
145Jayson Quayle — I don't know if that's his IRL name — strikes me as a Salt of the Earth type. Jayson, if you like, I'll link you to an updated resume when it's ready. Obviously, I know what you do, professionally. The resume will serve to introduce me in this context.
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1473. I see that parties involved with LTM and/or PIA in the past or present include:
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149* Jon Roudier, Los Angeles CA, principal of LTM (more below)
150* Roger Ver of Bitcoin
151* Ted Kim of LTM
152* Rick Falvinge of PIA
153* Jayson Quayle, Head of Support for PIA
154* Isaac Elbhar, Manager of Operations, not clear at which level
155* Andrew Lee, apparently the founder of PIA (more below)
156* Sung Park, connected to both LTM and PIA
157
158Jon Roudier's business address, as of 1st Quarter 2017, was listed in public records as 1700 Queens Road, Los Angeles, CA 90069. The address in question, though, is not an office building but a mansion valued at $5M to $8M. The connection to Jon Roudier and/or LTM is unconfirmed.
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160Kaitlyn Lee, possibly Andrew Lee's wife or sister, seems to be involved with LTM and/or PIA directly or indirectly but this is unconfirmed.
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162The Lees seem to be strongly connected to the Los Angeles area, but there is an Indiana address to be checked. The address in question may be unrelated.
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164You'd be surprised at the things that people will talk about, sometimes, to total strangers.
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166There seems to have been some sort of litigation between Andrew Lee and Sung Park. It's not clear yet if this is current. At least one of the two parties, though, or possibly some of their past or present associates, might be willing to comment on LTM and/or PIA matters.
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168These are preliminary notes assembled, of course, for legitimate and reasonable purposes that will be documented, formally or informally, should the need arise.
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1704. I see that John Arsenault does something that he refers to as “content removal”. This sounds a bit like gag orders and takedown attempts.
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172I'd like to invite John, as a positive and productive gesture, to speak with some of the attorneys who have tried to implement such steps in connection with me.
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174If it will be helpful to John in the context of communication, research, or improved understanding, I'll be pleased to provide full names of attorneys, residence addresses, cell-phone numbers, dates of birth, and, to the extent that it is legal and appropriate, Social Security Numbers.
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176John Arsenault will need to certify, in writing, that he will use Social Security Numbers only in accordance with U.S. laws and for legitimate and reasonable purposes.
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178I like to be transparent and to promote positive social goals. As matters proceed, it should be understood, therefore, that I'll be pleased to post, for legitimate and reasonable purposes that are arguably protected under U.S. laws, on websites and domestic and international hosts numbering in the dozens, documentation related to every communication, step, person, occurrence, sneeze, or twitch of a finger involved.
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180I tend to snail-mail documents, for legitimate and reasonable purposes that are arguably protected under U.S. laws, to third parties as well. Or to have them hand-delivered, for legitimate and reasonable purposes that are arguably protected under U.S. laws, to entire neighborhoods.
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182For more information on that part, see the explanation that I offered recently on the Minetest site.
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184170616 LETTER TO FRIENDS HAS BEEN SENDS
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186Gang, Thomas Monroe asked a question last night and I've posted a response online for him.
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188Note: To read the response to Thomas Monroe, scroll down to the next section.
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190To those of you who have been reasonable or supportive, or who haven't taken a position as of yet, take the online response as FYI.
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192The rest of you, feel free to read it between the kicks that you aim at pets, the time that you set aside for spitting on women wearing hijabs, and the intervals when you go to Donald Trump rallies.
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194P.S. Loic Blot's email is bouncing and Cryin' Ryan has talked about technical issues. But we'll look into sensible steps.
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196Vanessa, I hope that you're well. But note that I've been kind, for 5 years, by choice. I'm not a punching bag, not since 2012, and this sh*t has gone on long enough.
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198Addressing the trolls, wish to mock and jeer and fling feces like monkeys? Sure y not. But monkeys end up on display in the zoo. Shall I demonstrate?
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200The full set of letters to LTM Corporate Counsel and PIA management will go online in due course. You might find them interesting.
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202LTM, if you're not familiar with it, is the company that owns PIA, which is the company that owns Freenode, which is the entity that is presently involved with the Minetest group in the context of multiple felony DDoSes and, on a fully documented basis, an attempted gag order related to child sexual harassment.
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204170616 THOMAS MONROE HERE YOU GOE
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206I've written about 15 pages of text tonight to respond to an inquiry from Thomas Monroe.
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208Most of the text isn't ready and won't be ready for a while. But I'll post this part since it's largely completed.
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210Thomas Monroe asked me what I'm fighting for. The answer is that I'm fighting for, or in connection with, six things.
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212F1. The murder of the OldCoder identity as the conclusion of the last in a series of escalating dogpiles.
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214Special thanks go to Craig Robbins, Perttu Ahola, and sfan5 for the dogpile in question.
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216The OldCoder identity was kind and helpful and had tried, for 5 years, to be useful and to earn tolerance or even acceptance.
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218Acceptance of things as small as differences in how one types.
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220But I'm talking to the people who burned old women because they must be witches, who disappeared the Armenians, who put the Jews in the ovens, who hanged the Blacks.
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222“He types differently. Burn the witch.”
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224Yeah, sure, you're modern. No similarities at all. God smiles upon you.
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226Did you ever read the anecdote about the father, mother, and child who made it over the mountains in one of the lesser European countries about 700 years ago?
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228I don't remember why they were traveling, but it was an accomplishment.
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230They wandered into a town and tried to introduce themselves. They were understandable but their speech was different.
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232The good folke pondered and decided that they must be witches.
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234The father and mother went into the flames first. The child, a boy the same age as our younger players, didn't quite understand. “Take them out of the fire”, he said.
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236The adults standing next to him weren't sure how to respond. So, like good Minetest folke, they put the boy into the flames as well.
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238I'm an idiot. 5 years invested by somebody who had perhaps 15 left to live. Smashed to pieces by trolls who mocked and jeered as they did it.
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240Easy come, easy go. Except that I'll be dead before I get back what's been stolen. Oh, well :-)
241
242The new identity has a different name. In a legitimate and reasonable sense, one that is consistent with, and arguably protected under, U.S. laws, it isn't kind or helpful. It is, however, an identity that is committed to goals.
243
244Commitment is good
245Let me share it with you
246Let love and humor ensue
247No need to be blue
248With you I'll be true
249Love and caring
250God is staring
251At the sight of your love so bright
252There is no plight
253Let me share it with you
254
255F2. The destroyed channel, #minetest-project, that was my concept and proposal, that did some good, and that I deserved thanks for as opposed to dogpiles, shunning, multiple shutdown attempts, and three separate DDoSes.
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257The MT trolls were so full of hate for the different that they couldn't help themselves. They couldn't let it be.
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259F3. The position of op in #minetest that was part of a deal. It wasn't a gift.
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261The deal was broken without notice or discussion when I tried simply to transmit a message to the ugliest little troll that the Minetest group has encountered since the start of the project.
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263Red Iosif “Daniel”.
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265Red was trolling. In fact, I was told later that this was the second time he'd trolled that day.
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267He'd /ignored me. I had no way to tell him to stop. So I proposed to /kick him and to put a warning message into the /kick.
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269sfan5 /kicked me instead for no reason that is apparent. I /kicked him and his bot in return. Subsequently, I found that my op had been deleted.
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271No explanation was ever offered to me. Gee, that was nice of you, Perttu.
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273The position belonged to me. I'm due recompense per the terms of the deal between Perttu and me in 2012. I'm not requesting recompense. I'm going to take it.
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275Ever wonder why I was so careful with Landmine? No, of course not. Most of you who were there are animals. Not sentient.
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277You don't think. If challenged, you don't respond with facts or logic. You fling feces. Such creative.
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279But I have the gestalt thing. It manifested at age 6. I could see Landmine. And I can see Red.
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281Landmine had a soul.
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283He did what was in his nature. But his nature evolved. I'd like to believe that he became the tree of possibilities that I once sang to him about.
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285For those who are curious, the song, which was extemporaneous, is at this link.
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287Red is something that Landmine never was: genuinely self-righteous. Fortunately, he's also over-confident.
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289The cash offered for full identity information related to Red is hereby upped to $3,000.00 USD. Information will be used for legitimate and reasonable purposes that are consistent with, and arguably protected under, U.S. laws.
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291Red himself is invited to apply for this offer. Surely the light of his brilliance will wash away any legitimate and reasonable risk to him.
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2933 grand seems reasonable. This matter has cost me 15 grand. The plans that I'd had for the next few years are gone.
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295I don't get to go to Germany to meet Metacognician. Possibly not even to Utah to meet Blue Dream. My book will take years longer. The physical pain and the exhaustion will need to hang around for now.
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2973 grand is only 20% more. And I do so look forward to the legitimate and reasonable purposes that are involved.
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299F4. To demonstrate that attempted gag orders can have the opposite effect. The irony is pleasing.
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301For what it's worth, folks, I have 5 years experience with what I refer to as:
302
303“gag order *this*, b*tch”
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305Did you think that the stories I've told over the past 5 years were senile soapbox? Geez. I've commented further on this issue some sections further down.
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307F5. To respond to Perttu Ahola's and Nathanael Courant's characterization of autism as something to be ashamed of.
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309I'd like to demonstrate what a “too detailed” autistic person with gestalt perception is able to do.
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311Pro Tip: Sometimes it's best to understand what you're mocking.
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313F6. To respond to mockery related to DDoSes and so-called “conspiracy theories” connected to Maciek Kasatkin.
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315It's simply a matter of good, clean, fun, of course. If the Minetest group enjoys a bit of laughter, it must be healthy. Perhaps I should seek to do the same.
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317I look forward to opportunities, in the months and years to come, to demonstrate that I have a sense of humor and that it's creative.
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319Gentle Ben Now and Then
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321I promise to handle things, moving forward, as gently and respectfully as I have with my own beloved mother. I assume that this is reassuring.
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323BTW I'll be posting updated information about the whore in question on Haggis Hell this Fall. I'll pay $1,500 for information that I'm missing.
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325Red, you're more important to me than my mother :D
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327The information will be used, of course, for legitimate and reasonable purposes that are consistent with, and arguably protected under, U.S. laws.
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329Box Full of Dox
330
331Regarding the gag-order irony issue:
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333When somebody tries to hit me with a gag order, which happens surprisingly often, there is a procedure that I follow.
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335The first step is to establish legitimate and reasonable purposes. For an example of that type of list, click here.
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337Then I hire detectives.
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339I conduct legitimate and reasonable research, including phone calls to third parties who may wish to offer their thoughts on issues.
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341It isn't possible to get communications with third parties barred, by the way. Not broadly and on an “a priori” basis.
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343In the most important legal cases where people tried to do that to me, they spent $100,000 USD and got a document from me in exchange, not even a formal settlement, in which I promised to f*ck them for the rest of their lives.
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345Those cases cost me my home of 25 years. But, when I need a boost, I imagine their faces as they read the document, as they learned what their attorneys had managed to do for them, what their money had bought them, as they understood, at last, the concept of legitimate and reasonable consequences.
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347:D
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349I snail-mail, for legitimate and reasonable purposes that are consistent with, and arguably protected under, U.S. laws, documents to neighborhoods.
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351In the 2012 to 2013 gag-order litigation, I was asked exactly how many households I'd communicated with in this manner. I didn't know the number. But it was a boatload :-)
352
353In some cases, I hire process servers or couriers to do something that is referred to as “neighborhood drop-off” in person.
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355There are subtleties involved. For example, sometimes I use a criss-cross pattern to increase the coverage area. The idea is that communication between local parties might help to fill in some of the gaps.
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357I do websites as well, of course, and email campaigns. I know how to set up DKIM to create new email servers that pass muster with the majors. Actually, I've written How-To guides on the subject.
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359Legitimate and reasonable communications with Churches and associated groups are part of the picture. Such parties are interested, sensibly enough, in questions that fall into their areas of expertise and responsibility.
360
361In the case of Minetest, new avenues for legitimate and reasonable communications exist.
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363I can ask kids in IRC or in-game to let me speak with their parents regarding the Minetest child sexual harassment part of the situation.
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365Whether or not they agree to do so, legitimate and reasonable goals, consistent with, and arguably protected by, U.S. laws, will be accomplished.
366
367BTW I posted a socat script on May 28 which any bright kid could use to enter Minetest worlds with random IPV4 addresses. Feel free to scroll down and check it out. It's only one line long. Linux is good.
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369So, see you, for legitimate and reasonable purposes that are consistent with, and arguably protected under, U.S. laws in perhaps 75% of the existing Minetest worlds in the coming quarters.
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371In short, friends, if I decide to get a message out, or to conduct legitimate and reasonable research, I'm not shy about doing so :-)
372
373Shyness was burned out of me when I met the actual Angel of Death.
374
375Didn't any of you, even one of you, listen to what I tried to explain over the last 5 years? I thought that I was being open and honest. But apparently I was talking to rocks.
376
377Note to Vanessa
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379Yes, the 1st DDoS isn't known to be connected to the MT group. Remember, I've offered to apologize for insisting that this must be the case.
380
381However, the 2nd and 3rd DDoSes certainly were conducted by Minetest trolls. In fact, the evidence suggests that our boisterous young friend, Red Iosif “Daniel”, was involved in the last one.
382
383Which, by the way, Vanessa, was no lightweight attempt for you to mock. It generated 150 GB (not MB) of router logs alone in just a few hours.
384
385Would you like to talk to the host, a genuinely kind man? I've known him for 5 years online. I met him in person in February. He said that it was a profound experience.
386
387He doesn't think that I should be ashamed of typing differently. He's more the type who, when he struck a deer with his car once, stopped and stayed with it, attempting to comfort it, as it died.
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389But I believe him to be genetically similar to a Risen Christ. The Minetest trolls can't make that claim. They're more the mocking, jeering crowd.
390
391A few weeks ago, I took the host in question to meet Red in IRC. The little troll seemed oddly reluctant to spout sh*t. It was unusual for him.
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393Servers are the life's greatest pleasures
394
395Folks, if somebody has, in fact, been f*cking with servers, step back, to the extent that monkeys are able to do so, and examine your assumptions.
396
397Pro Tip: I'm honest and forthright. Even the most mentally ill among you — Craig, I'm talking to you — should acknowledge this privately.
398
399In short, I spell out legitimate and reasonable steps that I'm going to take as though I'm talking to the slow-witted. Which, of course, is the case.
400
401For current issues, look to your own ranks.
402
403As a related note, it appears that Craig is, in fact, mentally ill in real life. It's not clear how I'm supposed to react to this. Well, actually, it is.
404
405Craig, let's play.
406
407170529 ON THE PATH
408
409<OldCoder> But what was it, really?
410<Kappelin> I have no clue
411<Kappelin> the dreams that I've been having lately, if I remember them, further confuse me
412<OldCoder> You can remember them... Decide to write them down and you'll wake up to do so
413<OldCoder> Or dream of doing this :-)
414<OldCoder> That happens
415
416<Kappelin> for example, if some problem arises in real life, and I find a solution in real life, the dream might have 5 what-if scenarios of other related problems which go unsolved
417<OldCoder> Oh, yes
418<Kappelin> even though real-life problem was solved
419<OldCoder> When I passed out earlier, I dreamed of fitting a curve to data based on current issues
420
421<Kappelin> the point I am trying to make is that lately my dreams have been entirely unfulfilling and unhelpful
422<Kappelin> to the point where it just clogs my mind
423<Kappelin> and so today I feel I'm starting to get some of that clarity back
424
425<OldCoder> Do you feel that weeks ago was related to a buildup of a physical illness?
426<Kappelin> definitely not physical illness
427<Kappelin> I just felt distracted and severely misguided
428
429<OldCoder> Do you have a path in sight now?
430<OldCoder> Oh, it feels so good not to be groggy
431<Kappelin> not as concretely as I'd like but I've put off the dread/lost feelings for now
432
433<OldCoder> Dread...
434<OldCoder> Feel no dread
435<OldCoder> There is no whirlpool
436<OldCoder> You're not at the bottom
437<OldCoder> Looking up at the surface
438<OldCoder> You walk a path
439<OldCoder> Destination unclear
440<OldCoder> But you're on the path
441
442<Kappelin> I need to surround myself with more/different people, not just colleagues and occasional friends here/there
443<Kappelin> meeting new people might be useful
444<OldCoder> In real life, you mean?
445<OldCoder> Yes
446<Kappelin> yes
447<OldCoder> Are you involved with volunteer groups?
448<Kappelin> not presently
449
450<OldCoder> Will this mean much less time online? It hasn't been much as it is.
451<OldCoder> But yes
452<OldCoder> Seek direct communication with people
453<OldCoder> But do not forget
454<OldCoder> People of all types who are friends
455
456170529 FUCHS REDUCHS
457
458Grandolf says:
459
460“if u dont make enemies ur a cowerd or worse”
461
462Fuchs, let's talk about the “misunderstanding” that you had with Grandolf.
463
464As a related note, you understand, I'm sure, that if PIA doesn't respond to requests for Corporate Counsel contact information, it'll be reasonable for me to phone PIA management at any number where management can be reached.
465
466This may include residential phone numbers.
467
468You understand, as well, that I operate on a transparent basis. Which means that I'll need to disclose steps taken, and information involved, as things proceed.
469
470Two points of information just for you. Well, just for you and for PIA management :-)
471
4721. The phrase “child sex harassment” carries more weight in the U.S. than most trite phrases PIA might try to use.
473
4742. In the U.S., the rights of private establishments are limited both by statute and by case law.
475
476Fuchs, you told Grandolf:
477
478“the original k-line (on your other connection) was set for the ##minetest-project spam in #minetest, however, it seems that this one here was set by a misunderstanding. I thus removed it and you should be able to reconnect.”
479
480What was the “misunderstanding”, Christian? :-)
481
482Did the “misunderstanding”, have something to do with the fact that you said, in public, that you personally will block people from Freenode if they list, on websites unrelated to Freenode, the real names of people who sexually harass children in game worlds that are also unrelated to Freenode?
483
484Christian - is the name correct? - that's interesting. So is the fact that you made this statement in public.
485
486170528 FREENODE FOLLIES ARE MORE FUN THAN DOLLIES
487
488You know, I'm sort of busy. The recent nonsense has cost me actual cash through lost time.
489
490It would be nice to have 72 hours straight without DDoSes, dogpiles, trolling, and childish attacks over here. But I gather that the expectation is unreasonable.
491
492All right. I like to be accommodating.
493
494Grandolf is a decent kid who's been in Minetest for 1 to 2 years. He's mentioned this little #freenode event:
495
496<Grandolf> any mods on?
497<Grandolf> HOW DO I GET A CLOAK?
498<Grandolf> oops
499<Grandolf> srry hit caps lock XD
500<Grandolf> how do i get a cloak tho?
501<gry> you would like it for your nickserv account as unaffiliated/grandolf, and you are aware a project may offer you an affiliated cloak afterwards and you can switch to that, yes?
502<Grandolf> ok
503<gry> just asking, as this is commonly needed information; a staff member would help you shortly
504<Grandolf> ok
505* Grandolf has quit (K-Lined)
506
507Um, #freenode, insane much?
508
509Grandolf adds that Red-Iosif-Daniel, the DDoSer, is following him around different networks and channels.
510
511My guess is that Red told #freenode that Grandolf was me. Which leads to an interesting question, one that I think we'll explore this Summer and Fall.
512
513BTW, #freenode, DDoS is a felony violation, in the U.S, where both PIA and you have legal exposure, of CFAA.
514Minetest Ponder
515
516If people are that trigger happy when I haven't even *started* to use, for legitimate and reasonable purposes that are consistent with U.S. laws, data brokers and VPNs to address the advocacy by #freenode of child sex harassment...
517
518... advocacy that #freenode has documented, itself, and has publicly boasted of, itself ... that's the best part, from a martial arts legal perspective ...
519
520How much disruption are #freenode people and Minetest trolls likely to bring upon themselves by themselves?
521
522Ever see The Monsters are Due on Maple Street? The link is:
523
524https://youtu.be/N2fFyIuMSwk
525
526This little occurrence brings a positive and productive thought, one related to legitimate and reasonable goals, to mind.
527
528I try to be useful. If kids or adults want to learn skills, I teach them skills.
529
530Let's find out if there's interest out there, among the different generations, in techniques used, for legitimate and reasonable purposes that are consistent with U.S. laws, related to VPNs, data brokers, Tor, Whon*x, and a special friend, low-end box set up on the other side of a Tor connection but not using Tor itself.
531Freenode Class
532
533Maybe the steps needed to set up low-end boxes as inbound mail servers should be included.
534
535To put it another way, Freenode blocks Mailinator, but it should be easy for a bright kid or college student to create an endless supply of Otherinators.
536
537Too easy. Freenode must have meta-rules in place to guard against this. We'll need to look into it for legitimate and reasonable purposes that are consistent with U.S. laws.
538
539As a technical note, if I included DKIM and SPF basics, and if the low-end box IPV4s weren't DNSBL'd, the servers would work in the outbound direction.
540
541But they'd only need to work in the inbound direction for Freenode validation and/or validation at typical websites.
542
543Modern stuff is fun :-)
544
545For those interested in legitimate and reasonable purposes related to Minetest, classes should cover UDP proxies.
546
547Folks, as a point of information, I started to test UDP proxies months ago. Somebody wanted me to review their world and I didn't usually do that. But I tried socat and it worked pretty well. Naturally, I didn't use the usual nick.
548
549So, which of the in-game nicks around you has been there for less than, say, six months?
550
551As a note to the kids:
552
553socat is nice
554and cheap at the price
555socat is free, see
556for you, Snowden, and me
557from socat, gee,
558there is no need to flee
559
560socat UDP-LISTEN:30010,fork UDP:11.22.33.44:30012
561
562The homework assignment is as follows:
563
564* study the socat man page or online tutorials
565* explain what to substitute for port 30010, for port 30012, and for the IPV4 address
566Freenode Friend
567
568Remember, remember
569What's good enough for Snowden
570good enough for Snowden
571good enough for Snowden
572Oh Lord, Lord
573It's good enough for me
574
575Before you start looking down
576Look up your family tree
577Know you've been related to Coders
578Just like me
579Freenode Friend
580
581Patience trumps abuse of process
582Q*bes and Whon*x are free
583No point in sighs, give yourself
584A legitimate and reasonable chance to see
585
586Remember, remember
587What's good enough for Snowden
588good enough for Snowden
589good enough for Snowden
590Oh Lord, Lord
591It's good enough for me
592
593:D
594
595170527 RED HAS U FLED
596Boy on crutches
597
598This is the first day since the night of the most significant DDoS that Red-Iosif-Daniel hasn't been lurking in Codernet, logging, mocking, and laughing.
599
600Red, I thought that you wanted to meet another one of my friends, an autistic priest, and mock him?
601
602To be clear, my priest friend is autistic as I am.
603
604When he was about 13 years old, kids like you beat up him and broke his bones. He had to leave school for a while. When he returned, he says, I was his only friend.
605
606Say, if you mock a priest and then go to Confession to talk about it, how does that work? Do you mock the Confession priest when you're face to face with him?
607
608Vanessa Ezekowitz, you seem just a mite persnickety. Does it have something to do with the fact that Freenode miscalculated, from a legal perspective, and I have the upper hand in legal contexts?
609
610By the way, say Hello to Abe. I seem to recall chatting with him once. I don't know if it was in IRC or on the phone.
611
612170527 RED HEAD IS CRUNCHIER THAN BREAD
613
614A young man who uses the nicknames Red, Iosif, and Daniel is at the heart of recent Minetest events.
615
616Red now claims that his real name is Daniel. This means that it probably isn't Daniel.
617
618The other day, Red DDoSed the server that hosts my IRC network and Minetest worlds. Then he joked about the DDoS in #minetest-hub. After that, he filed an anonymous complaint with Cloudflare.
619Red of Minetest
620
621Red now admits to being the person who filed the complaint. Which was worded as though it was written by a 12-year-old.
622
623I don't mean the complaint was sloppy. But it was written by somebody who was pretending to be an adult.
624
625A normal 18 to 22 year old wouldn't have bothered to pretend to be more adult than he was. I doubt that most 16 or 17 years would do so, either.
626
627This is either a mentally different college student or somebody in the 12 to 15 age range.
628
629The complaint has been mocked and shredded.
630Minetest laughter
631
632A few weeks back, Red trolled #minetest twice in one day. I threatened to /kick him. sfan5 /kicked me for that. Perttu deopped me over the incident.
633
634In short, Red is a likable lad. If we're able to de-anonymize him, we'll all share hearty laughter over the goings-on.
635
636Vodafone Minetest
637
638Red is located in the Dublin, Ireland area. Or he's been bouncing through there faithfully. He or his parents are Vodafone, Ireland customers.
639
640We have enough to initiate discussions with Vodafone.
641
642They won't reveal Red's identity. But enough has happened that we might be able to get a letter forwarded to Red's parents.
643
644This chat session has been edited for length and readability. If you'd like the unedited version, Red has it and will be happy to share it.
645
646<OldCoder> So, is Daniel your name? Or made-up?
647<OldCoder> The host is nice
648<OldCoder> Surely he doesn't know things that I haven't even started to learn
649<OldCoder> Come and learn from him
650<OldCoder> He's about old enough to be your father and my son. The timeless age.
651
652<OldCoder> I think of him as a Zen Master of this sort of thing. I never claimed to be anything in this context myself, Son. That was a reputation that others put on me.
653
654<OldCoder> Daniel?
655<Iosif> stop using my real name
656
657<OldCoder> I don't have it. Unless you are, in fact, Daniel.
658<OldCoder> Wait, a friend is coming here, Iosif
659<OldCoder> He is harmless
660
661* Warhol (~me@harmless.person) has joined
662
663<OldCoder> Warhol, Hi! :D
664<Warhol> howdy
665
666<OldCoder> Meet somebody who has just implied that his name is Daniel
667<OldCoder> He seems to be near Dublin, Ireland
668<OldCoder> He is very very skilled
669<OldCoder> Iosif, say Hi to Warhol. Be polite, he is very kind.
670
671<Warhol> Iosif: hi; nice to “meet” you
672<OldCoder> Iosif is an Irish name, Warhol
673<OldCoder> As is Daniel, I think
674
675<OldCoder> Iosif, Warhol had to handle a DDoS that you told #minetest-hub was “made up”
676<OldCoder> How would you know if the DDoS was or wasn't “made up” ?
677<OldCoder> And why would you feel the need to say such a thing?
678
679<OldCoder> If you like, you can go sometime to one of Warhol's networks
680<OldCoder> One of the ones that was DDoSed
681<OldCoder> Perhaps he'll show you around if you ask politely
682Coder trip
683
684<OldCoder> Iosif, I've rarely met anybody as kind as Warhol
685<OldCoder> I've met him IRL now. It was an odd experience.
686
687<Warhol> OldCoder: “odd experience” you mean because I had just driven thousands of miles in a white van?
688
689<OldCoder> Warhol, wasn't it polka dotted?
690<OldCoder> And no, I mean that...
691<OldCoder> Conflating one's mental picture of somebody that you know online with their physical presence requires readjustment
692
693<OldCoder> The color of your hair, your demeanor, I had it all correct. You were younger than I'd imagined, but by not so very much.
694
695<Warhol> You could have gotten my hair color from my last name
696<Warhol> :P
697
698<OldCoder> You'll grow into exactly the person I'd imagined and... The opposite. My mental picture went against the stereotype.
699
700<OldCoder> It's interesting to imagine. How the picture that I have of Iosif or Daniel might be correct or incorrect.
701
702Red of Minetest <OldCoder> I'm physically very tired
703<OldCoder> Let us lurk and allow Iosif to relax and perhaps talk to somebody that I'm sure
704<OldCoder> He'll be confident to speak to
705<OldCoder> As he is mighty indeed in his skills and his intentions
706
707<Warhol> Iosif: not sure exactly the context of this meeting but OldCoder suggested that we speak since we're both apparently interesting and intellectual people
708
709<OldCoder> That is sufficient context, Warhol, yes
710<OldCoder> You're both educated as well. Perhaps Iosif will teach you things.
711
712<OldCoder> We'll discuss the matrix issue later, perhaps tonight
713<OldCoder> I don't need to move the new VPS that is behind Cloudflare, I think, and it doesn't need to come back
714
715<Warhol> OldCoder: I'm probably out tonight until later but depends on how much I get done in the next hour here at work
716
717<OldCoder> Warhol, that is just fine :-)
718<OldCoder> I hope to chat later; your time is valued
719<OldCoder> Ping me and we'll discuss both the next technical issue and the matrix code
720
721<Warhol> thanks; text me if Iosif comes around and I'm AFK. Looking forward to meeting.
722<OldCoder> o/
723
724<Warhol> btw such a beautiful day but stuck in office :(
725<Warhol> could send picture but it's just an empty parking lot due to upcoming holiday
726Minetest Priest
727
728<OldCoder> Thanks for reminding me, Warhol
729<OldCoder> I need to visit John the Autistic Priest
730<OldCoder> He goes to Catholic and S.F. conventions at this time of year
731
732<OldCoder> Iosif, are you Catholic?
733<OldCoder> I have a friend of 45 years standing who is about 5 levels down from the Pope
734<OldCoder> Would you like to meet an elderly priest and to instruct him on ethics and behavior?
735
736<Iosif>
737https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissistic_rage_and_narcissistic_injury
738* Iosif (~nemo@minetest.ddos.troll) has left (Leaving)
739
740<OldCoder> Heh
741
742170526 TROLLS TOO BAD SO SAD
743
7441. The VPS host located behind Cloudflare has closed Red's complaint. Too bad, so sad. I've posted advice below which explains how the Minetest trolls can do better next time.
745
7462. Red has now met the previous VPS host, the one that Red DDoSed. Then mocked in #minetest-hub. A real person, and a good one, not a faceless corporation. The conversation will be posted later.
747
748170525 MINETEST SEX HARASSMENT
749
750Somebody whose writing reads a lot like Red's filed an anonymous complaint today with Cloudflare.
751
752Cloudflare disclaims responsibility for most website issues. In other words, they don't usually do takedowns. Instead, they forward complaints to other companies.
753
754They did so in this case. The VPS host on the other side got a copy, sent it to me, and said, basically, “'Sup”.
755
756The writer seems to be 17 years old. That would be about right for Red, though I'm starting to wonder if he's actually age 13 to 15.
757
758The writer signed his complaint, “Daniel”. That could be an Irish name, but it isn't proof of anything.
759
760I responded to the VPS host. Basically, I laughed at the complaint. Daniel, Pro Tip: Learn the basics.
761
762Addressing Daniel:
763
7641. Domain names are a trademark issue. Not a copyright issue.
765
766Even if Perttu had a trademark — which, as I understand it, he doesn't, just yet — he'd need to file a complaint himself, he'd need to demonstrate ownership of intellectual property, and he'd need to go through a trademark action.
767
768A trademark action in Court, not a l33t kid's scrawled anonymous letter.
769
770A Court action would be a problem. Because I intend to hold the trademark in at least one country around the world.
771
772Perttu could appoint you formally as a legal representative. But you'd need to de-anonymize. To me as well as to the Court and the companies involved.
773
774How about it, Daniel? Wish to state your full name and address?
775
7762. Once again, posting names from *public profiles* isn't “doxing”. Nor is it “harassment”. Nor is it any other magic word that will get a site taken down without you needing to identify yourself.
777
778“doxing” isn't even a real word. Not in the real world. You might as well have said “Pokemon Disgruntling.”
779
780When I say identify yourself, BTW, I mean to me as well as to the VPS host. I get copies of complaints. I study them carefully for anything that might be useful.
781
782Regarding magic, there's no such thing.
783
784There is something in genuine consciousness that is close. It's the only quality that I know of in the Universe which might be metaphysical in nature.
785
786Mindless trolls don't have it. You and the others don't have it. You're not real.
787
788The fact that I've been playing with paper dolls for 5 years is somewhat difficult for me. But, that's all right. I'll adjust my perspective.
789
790Paper dolls can be useful.
791
7923. I don't even know what “badmail” is. Are you referring to my promise to contact your parents if I'm able to identify you?
793
794What are you, anyway, a l33t 13-year-old as opposed to the 17-year-old troll that I'd imagined?
795
796I'm not trying to deprecate you, right now. I'm just saying that corporations don't take kewl buzzwords, buzzwords that no non-IRC adult has heard of, submitted by anonymous DDoSers, all that seriously.
797
7984. More importantly, kids who make anonymous complaints less than 24 hours after they've committed a prosecutable felony aren't in a strong position.
799
800I've offered to let the VPS host look at the previous VPS host's router logs. 150 GB of DDoS. If you de-anonymize, your goose is cooked.
801
802I can't get you hauled into Court from overseas, not without spending real money, but I can certainly phone your parents.
803
8045. Regarding the claim of false claims of child abuse, get real. You have no idea what you're talking about.
805
806For starters, the issue is harassment of children as opposed to abuse per se.
807
808The harassment in question wasn't committed by you (Daniel) though you're certainly harassing me.
809
810It was committed by the mid-30s mentally ill guy who I believe that you know about.
811
812And by his mid-20s lover, or pseudo-lover, who he seems to have fallen in love with when that one was a teenager.
813Minetest sex harassment
814
815For what it's worth, they bonded over Sonic. The younger one used to draw himself as a Sonic Kid. That's one of his actual drawings to the right or below.
816
817They were unusually “into” the character. I think that these Sonic Kid drawings may have been what interested the older man, who was in his 20s at the time, in the younger man when he was in his teens.
818
819I need to think about the right way to word things. But I can say that I don't want them speaking sexually to 9-year-olds in my worlds.
820
821It's a nice story that you, Fuchs, and the Minetest trolls have involved yourself with.
822
823One odd part, if the preceding isn't odd enough, is that the younger man is a British rock star and TV star now. No, he isn't the 14th Doctor :P
824
825I won't post their IRL names here now if they're comfortable with leaving things in a quiet state. However, I did post the names elsewhere at the time.
826
827It had nothing to do with Freenode, but these two men filed a complaint of “doxing” with Freenode.
828
829Christian Fuchs, if his first name is actually Christian, cited that complaint as valid and counted it against me a few days ago. He flatly refused to a review an attorney-vetted document on the subject.
830
831When I protested that this was unfair, he k-lined me.
832
833In short, Fuchs of Freenode covered up child sex harassment and abused his privileges to the point that any legal actions which Freenode attempts against me in the future are likely to go up the entity's collective *ss.
834
835Due to Fuch's actions, the principle of “legitimate and reasonable purposes” has kicked in. This is a gift to me.
836
837The issue is discussed in the Minetest book draft presented further down.
838
839The consequences are as follows:
840
841If Freenode staff located state-side doesn't respond to email, I pretty much have a legal right to “dox” them to the point where I can not simply gather, but post, certain types of personal information with decreased legal risks. I need primarily to document the legitimate and reasonable purposes involved.
842
843We'll see how that part goes this Summer. Watch this site or, perhaps it should be other sites, for Freenode residence phone numbers, snail-mail addresses, etc. If they can't be obtained, this will be announced.
844
845So, yes, I assert publicly that Christian Fuchs of Freenode supports, and is therefore involved with, child sex harassment.
846
847Fuchs acted on behalf of the Minetest trolls. The trolls are fine with this. They're using child sex harassment to their advantage.
848
849It's appropriate for me to return the favor.
850
851The word “harassment” by itself isn't magic. But the phrase “child sex harassment” is one that I can, and will, use in every possible context.
852
853Each member of the MT trolls group who accepts Fuchs' support of child sex harassment is a supporter of child sex harassment.
854
8556. So, nice try with the complaint, but no dice.
856
857If I do end up needing to move the box, though this isn't expected, I'll take it to one of the Free Speech hosts.
858
859See the next post below for details about what's coming.
860
861170525 WOLF WOLF
862
863I spoke with a P.I. this afternoon. He can get me standard background reports on Auke Kok and Vanessa Ezekowitz the day after I place an order.
864
865I haven't looked at Matt Gregory. I don't know if the name is real. But I'll place an order for him if he's in the U.S. and there's a match that looks close. I'll need to check to see if I have other friends among the trolls who happen to be in the U.S.
866
867I don't plan to place the first order until June. This has cost me too much time as it is.
868
869If I post parts of the background reports online, for legitimate and reasonable purposes that are consistent with, and protected under, U.S. laws, I'll probably move the front page, or the page involved, from behind Cloudflare to a disposable VPS.
870
871So, you won't have grounds to complain to Cloudflare or to a host that I care about.
872
873And, because of what Craig engineered the other day, you can't complain to Freenode, can you? :-)
874
875Wasn't that foolish? I'd have agreed to all sorts of things.
876
877You'd have needed to stop beating me up. And to stop saying that it wasn't happening when I'd listed everything that had happened.
878
879Other concessions would have been minor compared to these two things that you couldn't bring yourself to do.
880
881You'll be able to DDoS the disposable VPS or to seek a takedown from that host. But I'll know that the DDoS is coming. I'll also put up perhaps a dozen copies on pastebins or $2 low-end boxes.
882
883“Oh No. They haz taken down a $2 Box. What Ever Shall I Do.” O_O
884
885I guess that I might use Free Speech hosts. They host things like Nazi sites. I'm not happy to share hardware with those people. However, those hosts don't fold easy. There is also some synergy with your behavior.
886
887For every hour that the DDoS is running, I'll set up more copies for legitimate and reasonable purposes that are consistent with, and protected under, U.S. laws. Have fun playing Whack-a-Mole.
888
889Standard reports are simple to obtain. You can do this yourself. Not through a website. Those are bottom of the barrel quality.
890
891You'll need to talk to a P.I. and spend from $75 to $250 to get a decent report. One reason has to do with a conundrum that I've written about at Haggis Hell.
892
893In the U.S., the police don't want the major data brokers shut down. They use the services provided themselves.
894
895So, the data brokers are allowed to operate, but they try to limit public access to P.I.s. P.I.s then assume responsibility for deciding who they're going to work with.
896
897The difficult part is what comes after you have a standard report. Deep background research. I've written more about the subject of deep background research in the Minetest Book draft that follows this post.
898
899My own standard report, incidentally, will have incorrect information on it.
900
901I'm not presently located near geographic points that show up on it. Or in geolocation results. I've been using VPS tunnels and other options since before I went homeless.
902
903I'll give you accurate reports for my father, my mother, and my brothers, though, if that will help.
904
905The people in the U.K. and in Europe are going to be expensive. As Andrew Ward has pointed out, the laws are different there and P.I.'s need to follow them. But I've been through this before.
906
907Patience is requested as things proceed.
908
909Remind me to tell you the lost version of the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf someday.
910
911170524 YOU WANT DOX FOX YOU GOT BOX OF DOX
912
913Craig Robbins and sfan5 have repeatedly dared me to “do” something about two months of harassment and DDoSes that have been directed at the #-project channel, at this website, and at me.
914
915The only thing that I wanted to “do”, initially, was fork the MT community as opposed to the MT software. I wanted to give the community a voice.
916
917However, recent events have changed the situation. So, friends, as you wish.
918
919This is a rough draft of the start of a book.
920
921I figure I'll be able to get it to 150 pages once I start filling in the technical details and the information that I collect.
922
923Think of it as the outline for a book. The working title of the book is: Minetest.
924
925The fun part is that you're the characters. As a note for attorneys, the context is, of course, legitimate and reasonable purposes that are consistent with, and protected by, U.S. laws.
926
927The draft was written in just one sitting. I haven't even gotten up to piss.
928
929You folks call it “weird out” to be detailed. But, tell me, whether or not this is still rough, are you able to write this much, this well, in one sitting?
930
931Craig and sfan5, does the draft meet with your approval?
932
933I'll refine the different parts. This thing will stay here temporarily and then move to its own tab. Notes related to individual people will go into this document, into separate tabs, or both.
934
935Andrew Ward, I've responded a few sections further down to something that you've said.
936
937Let Me Greet You
938
939Did you know that there is more than one version of the story Boy Who Cried Wolf ? There is a version, not often told these days, where the villagers accuse the boy of being a wolf.
940
941I'd like to share the story with you sometime. The story and the twist ending.
942
943I'm not like Jordach. I don't get to erase the tape and edit it until it's perfect. I do experience different levels of integration between the two hemispheres of the brain.
944
945It has to do with terror and violent abuse, both at home and at school, that occurred concurrently for years.
946
947It was probably inadvisable for you to work quite so hard at waking up all of that. Especially after the things that happened in 2012.
948
949But it's all right. I'm glad to be here. I'm happy to have friends and goals to work towards.
950
951I'm in a good mood presently. The mood actually has a name.
952
953Let's say, just for fun, that I grabbed the kitchen sink on April Fool's Eve 2008. That I grabbed the sink and shook and shook for most of the night. That I was alive again after that after 30 years. That I knew my name.
954
955I'm a mood and I have a name. My name is The Homework Boy.
956
957I can say that I'm patient when there's a legitimate and reasonable project to work on, one that is consistent with, and protected by, U.S. laws.
958
959I'm pleased to meet you
960I'm pleased to greet you
961Let me show you what I can do
962
963I'm not supposed to be old. That isn't good.
964
965In the world where we live
966Time does not give
967Improvements
968Time costs a dime
969
970A leg and an arm
971Time it does harm
972A leg and an arm
973I have lost
974That is the cost
975Of time
976
977To the General Public
978
979If you're a member of the general public, this document discusses my experience in the area of “doxing”.
980
981The word, in real-life contexts, means skip tracing and deep background checks. Deep as in, you can't get the information from a conventional P.I.
982
983Conventional P.I.s will tell you that they have “sources”. The truth is that they mostly use cheap feeds to the major data brokers.
984
985I go deeper than that.
986
987As long as I'm writing to my friends, I might as well advertise. Review the experience discussed below. Feel free to send me requests for quotes.
988
989I can't do anything that legally requires a State license. I haven't applied for one.
990
991I also don't hack cellphones to look for photos of naked ladies to find out if a man is cheating on his wife.
992
993One woman actually asked me to do that. I told her to call a marriage counselor or a divorce lawyer, one or the other, not somebody like me.
994
995Speaking to the kids
996
997Some of you have known me for years. You know me as I am and as I'd like to be. Well, you know part of me. The rest is different but tries to be kind.
998
999When time permits, I'll post a discussion that I had the other day with Grandolf. We talked about learning to be a Coder. That type of thing is one reason that I've stayed with the project for 5 years.
1000
1001I'm still with the project, by the way. The trolls are the ones who have left it.
1002
1003Regarding what comes now, imagine that people who you'd helped, who'd seemed human and even nice, turned into incomprehensible figures.
1004
1005Figures who raved at you, shunned you, tried to chase you away, said that you “weird out” people, called you childish obscenities, and DDoSed you.
1006
1007How would you feel?
1008
1009Andrew Ward messaged me the other night. He tried to explain himself. He said something similar to this:
1010
1011“We were just trying to keep you from taking over our channels.”
1012
1013What, exactly, is that supposed to mean? For two months, the trolls have been focused on nothing but shutting down the #-project channel. I did nothing but try to save the channel.
1014
1015Better still, the head of the project, Perttu Ahola, said that it was because I communicated differently and that I “weird out” people.
1016
1017It's difficult to accept that.
1018
1019Let's Talks Dox
1020
1021Let's talk about a word that MT people have used recently. The word is “doxing”.
1022
1023MT people have said that I've “doxed” them.
1024
1025Actually, I've done nothing but post IRL names from public profiles and other sources that are right there in Google.
1026
1027That isn't even kindergarten level “doxing”.
1028
1029I'm going to demonstrate, for legitimate and reasonable purposes that are consistent with, and protected under, U.S. laws, how “doxing” actually works.
1030
1031Future drafts will go into key principles and will build on them. I'll include examples from my experience. This might evolve into a nice “doxing” textbook.
1032
1033SSN MisconceptioN
1034
1035We'll start with Social Security Numbers. Just one key issue to begin with.
1036
1037I'd like to clear up a common misconception. The misconception is that it's illegal to possess or distribute Social Security Numbers assigned to other people.
1038
1039In fact, it is legal, or sufficiently legal, for somebody both to collect and to distribute Social Security Numbers. However, the T's need to be crossed and the I's need to be dotted.
1040
1041There are all sorts of issues involved. For example, ISPs have Terms and Conditions that might prohibit this. Civil litigation can be used to demand takedowns of some types of personal information.
1042
1043Most importantly, disclosure of SSNs is, in fact, highly illegal under some conditions. There are State and Federal laws related to this issue. The laws have teeth.
1044
1045However, there are gaps in the teeth. If the rules are followed, you can do this. Allow me to spell things out.
1046
1047I do do this, for legitimate and reasonable purposes. I'll be doing it, for legitimate and reasonable purposes, in Minetest.
1048
1049See my essay on the subject at the following link:
1050
1051http://christfollower.me/page066.html#D151108SSN
1052
1053Secrets
1054
1055Over the past five years, starting in June 2012, I've learned how to collect data on subjects, what to use it for, and the importance of the fact that the purposes involved need to be legitimate and reasonable.
1056
1057I gather Social Security Numbers, the names and phone numbers of the parents, siblings, and adult children of subjects, the grammar schools that they attended, the Churches that they belong to, the legal trusts that they hide behind, where they garage their cars, the truth behind deaths (well, one death, it was a drug overdose), the false names that they hide behind online, their movements in real-time as they travel across a State, and medical conditions that they've hidden.
1058
1059The purpose of the grammar schools is, of course, to identify old friends who'd like to chat about their memories.
1060
1061I dealt with one teenage troll, years ago, by identifying his actual school *and* his identity from a YouTube video. I obtained email addresses for most of his class. I sent him the addresses and said:
1062
1063“Shall I write to these people and ask them if you ever pissed your pants in public when you were younger?”
1064
1065I thought that it was nice of me to include the email addresses with my letter. He didn't need to wonder if I had the goods or not.
1066
1067Apparently, the young man had, in fact, had a regrettable mishap of this type. He was more polite subsequent to this interaction.
1068
1069That, trolls, is “doxing” :-)
1070
1071Post a name from your profile? Grow up. “Doxing” is about finding out secrets. For legitimate and reasonable purposes that are protected under U.S. laws, of course.
1072
1073My Ballpark
1074
1075Folks, when you dog-pile somebody for two months, and then chase him or her away, do you actually expect him or her not to move to a venue where he or she can win?
1076
1077All that we needed to do was talk without the vituperation.
1078
1079red-###, you're a smug little troll. But you probably believe that you gave me a chance to address your concerns. You didn't do so. Instead, you said something similar to, “Why are you stealing?”
1080
1081Good grief. How to Win Friends and Influence People.
1082
1083Andrew Ward, you did the same thing. You could have said, in proper British tones, “Here now, what's all this about, then? Instead, you said “dick” and dropped carrier.
1084
1085The other night, both Andrew and Craig seemed interested in amicable discussions. So did others behind the scenes.
1086
1087Craig proved to be full of sh*t, malicious, the worst of what I've encountered this Spring. At the same time that he was talking positively in PM, he was typing “have you stopped beating your wife” scenarios in public chat. In front of a Freenode admin.
1088
1089However, the others struck me as sincere. We could have settled this.
1090
1091After the events of the other day, this isn't possible. And I have no incentive now to comply with Freenode rules, do I?
1092
1093In fact, I'm free to look for Fuchs' friends in the online gay communities and to find out how completely he's “out” IRL.
1094
1095Why in the world would I *not* use the gestalt thing, the primary gift that God has given me?
1096
1097The Past is a Blast
1098
1099I can't do magic. It might take years. But I'm good at catching small things.
1100
1101Yes, there will be 2 to 4 of me at a time in most significant public channels for years. And in MT worlds through UDP proxies from random IP addresses.
1102
1103MT UDP proxies are trivial, by the way. It's surprising that we haven't seen them more often, though perhaps you have and simply haven't mentioned it.
1104
1105Don't count on registration dates to be useful. I have a few alternate identities tucked away.
1106
1107I learned that lesson years ago. There was a troublesome website and I *didn't* have alternate identities. But I managed to get the website shut down by stirring things up with local Churches.
1108
1109It was a surprise. I'd never tried that before. But I sent letters that were technically true but calculated to be disruptive to perhaps a dozen Churches. About a week later, the website was gone. 10,000 people. Poof.
1110
1111Now I'm thinking about Internet Issues past.
1112
1113I'd forgotten how online worked. But somehow, when there was trouble, part of me knew what to do.
1114
1115Debts
1116
1117I'm concerned about Mr. Business and M.M. CodeLicker, Rainb, Pomifera, and others as well.
1118
1119You people are ****s. I'm not devastated over what's happened at Freenode. But there are people there who I can't allow to feel abandoned. It's going to be tricky to find them now on my own.
1120
1121You have debts to pay. But I'm helpful. Let me help you, in the months and years to come, to address the debts.
1122
1123Mr. Business
1124
1125I once managed to slip into an IRC channel disguised as a registered member. This was probably a decade ago in a prior online existence.
1126
1127I sat there and listened to the secrets until the real person tried to get into the channel. When they realized what was happening and who I was, it was great.
1128
1129This was in the IRC network that Mr. Business, who some of you have met, is from.
1130
1131Mr. Business and I share a birthday. Not the same year. I'm old enough to be his father.
1132
1133Mr. Business is mentally different and needs help. I've tried to be a friend to him. In 2014, he fell into a feedback loop that was dangerous. I phoned him in real life and talked to him until it was over. I've tried to steer him away from the feedback loop since then.
1134
1135In other words, I mixed IRC and IRL to help somebody.
1136
1137If you'd like to read a poem that Mr. Business and I wrote together, the link is as follows:
1138
1139http://haggishell.com/rhymes.html#D160916RHYME
1140
1141The link may not work correctly due to the page being large. Look for the poem on that page titled Black Wings Statue Sings.
1142
1143Minetest TG
1144
1145Another person that I'm concerned about is M.M. I'm referring to the younger of the two transgender Minetest people. He/she is close to making a final decision about the surgery and has asked me to comment on the matter.
1146
1147That's an IRL issue in IRC, b*tches.
1148
1149Moin Bitcoin Part 1
1150
1151The story that I'm proudest of is relevant to Paul's case and red-###'s case.
1152
1153There was somebody in Freenode #startups who was troublesome. I looked into his identity. He was like Paul and red-###. There was no way to trace him directly.
1154
1155That was just the start. I noticed something else immediately. This was somebody who drew others into conversations and got them to tell him everything. But he never said anything specific about himself.
1156
1157He'd been there for months or longer. But somehow nobody had ever noticed this. I went through the logs. The pattern held steady. There was nothing specific. He was a tabula rasa.
1158
1159He implied that he was some sort of important person who needed to be respected. He suggested that he was wealthy. The channel ate it up. But boasts of being rich are hardly useful information.
1160
1161Moin Bitcoin Part 2
1162
1163It took man-weeks of work to get him. What finally happened was something that you'd miss but that was like a siren going off to me.
1164
1165Wish to mock, trolls? Feel free. How I got the S.O.B. is that he used the first names of some people who are important in the Bitcoin world. In other words, he implied that he was one of their associates.
1166
1167It could have been an affectation. But these weren't really famous people. It struck me as a slip-up.
1168
1169I politely asked my friend if the first names were a clue. He left #startups immediately and, as far as I know, he never returned.
1170
1171Keegan
1172
1173I located Keegan, a mentally ill kid in MT who I've talked about before, without difficulties. He showed up, I think, in a newspaper article about hunting.
1174
1175It was more difficult to get phone numbers for his uncle and his school principal, but I did so. I talked to both people IRL, for about half an hour each, and had the boy pulled out of IRC.
1176
1177People in MT criticized me for that. Why? I did it to potentially save his life.
1178
1179The notion that IRC and IRL are separate and that this is a line not to be crossed is rubbish. Let me break the line into little pieces for you.
1180
1181I'm not giving you a choice, of course. In a legitimate and reasonable sense that is consistent with, and protected by, U.S. laws, you're my property now.
1182
1183I went public myself with everything, out of necessity, in 2012. It changed me and it freed me. Life is short. Stop being anonymous *ssholes. You'll be real instead.
1184
1185Real *ssholes, of course. But real. And accountable.
1186
1187Hm. Is there a chance that this project might catch the interest of kids who might like to help? Perhaps a Hacker Kids Brigade will rise again.
1188
1189Hacker Kids Studied PIDs
1190
1191For Haggis Hell readers, by the way, this is what happened to the original Hacker Kids. They're adults now, of course.
1192
1193* Mr. Meow: He's thinking of going into the Navy.
1194
1195* Shiing Shen: Disappeared. He had medical issues, so this is a matter of concern.
1196
1197* QuadCore: He told his parents, at about age 17, that he was bisexual. They were typical U.S. Fundamentalists. So, naturally, they disowned him and threw him out of the house. But he's doing O.K. presently.
1198
1199* Evan aka Bacos: He did something similar to what Jordach does. But he was open about it. At age 15 he made a conscious decision to delete his online persona both in effect and in his head.
1200
1201The last part is what reminds me of Jordach.
1202
1203* Skittles: Learned Python. Managed to land contract work without going to college. Concerned about how to keep work coming.
1204
1205* I remember that members of some forum decided to hide from me. How I got them was funny.
1206
1207There was no clue until one of them changed the nickname associated with one of his links. Or he deleted the link. I don't recall, but it was something like that.
1208
1209The idea was to hide the link from me. But, gestalt. The change stood out like a beacon. I had him and then the rest of them in minutes.
1210
1211I don't remember what this was about. I remember that people seemed more polite after they were no longer anonymous. One of them posted an apology for his behavior on a different forum.
1212
1213* There was the teenager who was worried about stories from the past. I talked about him further up.
1214
1215I don't think that I had his IRL name or even his geographic area. I think that I solved the case by matching account names on YouTube with account names on other websites. Something like that.
1216
1217* I've matched identities, at least once, by comparing artwork that people have posted to different sites under different names.
1218
1219Busy Little Troll is Droll
1220
1221red-### is a busy little troll. He knows about a couple of sites that I created to shoo away troublemakers. Don't you, red-### ? Or was it somebody else who liked to use the same small ISP in Dublin?
1222
1223Feel free to share the sites with the others. But one of them is down due to the May 24 DDoS. It wasn't on the servers that were affected. I broke it accidentally while trying to move things around.
1224
1225I think that red-### only has about 2 out of 5 such sites from the past year. He certainly has the one about the 30s mentally ill developer and the 20s rock star and TV star.
1226
1227Geez. Those two were foul-mouthed. It was tedious.
1228
1229That was the case that Fuchs cited. And the case that is going up Fuchs' *ss.
1230
1231I'm more proud of the work I've done on attorneys. I've made Super Attorneys metaphorically sh*t themselves. red-### did you find any of those sites?
1232
1233Minor Puzzle for Andrew
1234
1235Andrew, you removed your LinkedIn photo recently, didn't you? I'm not certain. It was gone, anyway. Did you figure out how I got a copy?
1236
1237No, it wasn't as simple as Google Image Cache for LinkedIn. Google had already updated. But I'm quite patient. I try to work problems out.
1238
1239Wherever you go professionally, you know, and regardless of the number of years that pass, legitimate and reasonable purposes that are protected under U.S. laws will continue to apply.
1240
1241Patience is a general principle with me.
1242
1243I'm working towards a book. Which is one of the legitimate and reasonable purposes. It's an iterative process. If I die prematurely, something should be ready.
1244
1245Until then, I'll be working on it. This means that research will continue til the end.
1246
1247So Long Daeken
1248
1249What I did with Cody Brocious, aka Daeken, in 2012 was pretty good. The part about guessing where his secrets were.
1250
1251Daeken is the hacker who had his 15 minutes of fame some years ago.
1252
1253Daeken conflated his father Dean, who was normal, with my father, Jim, who broke my mother's nose and terrorized me.
1254
1255My father, Jim, took me to Court to try to force me sign a gag order. Daeken considered this to be my fault and taunted me. So, I located and phoned his father, Dean, and had a nice chat with the man.
1256
1257Daeken threated me with “harassment” charges. So trite. When people use the word, usually all that they know about the laws involved is from TV. I like to take advantage of their ignorance. I usually end up shoving the word up their *ss.
1258
1259In this case, I asked Daeken what his friends from school would tell me about his past. Understand that there actually was something there. It was obvious.
1260
1261Daeken grew very quiet. He tip-toed out of my corner of Freenode shortly afterward.
1262
1263IRC people disapproved of these steps. I asked them what I was supposed to do instead. They didn't have an answer.
1264
1265Why should I sit there and let people treat me and others as punching bags when I can do something about it?
1266
1267Daeken Forsaken
1268
1269One funny part is that Daeken once challenged me to an extemporaneous rap battle. Here is what I wrote:
1270
1271Daeken, since you ask
1272Take me to task
1273So bluntly and rudely
1274I hear a rhythm with appeal
1275When I write I feel
1276I'm singing out loud to you
1277
1278The lines I write
1279In my sight
1280Are a song
1281If you can't accept that
1282Right off the bat
1283/IGNORE is where I belong
1284
1285So chill. Whitebread Hacker
1286Not a Slacker
1287I'll admit
1288But a drag is sort of
1289What you are
1290Go decode an abode API sub-par
1291
1292Senior hackers will understand the last line.
1293
1294Anyway
1295
1296Do some of you belong to forums elsewhere, do you visit alternative IRC networks, etc. ? I'll need to know about those venues.
1297
1298Don't post at Wikipedia or in forums unless you're a registered member. Your IPV4 is logged and that shows up in Google. I've actually managed to identify people in the past by matching up IPV4s that way.
1299
1300It didn't give me anything new for red-### and Paul. But they did, in fact, show up this way.
1301
1302Some of the kids have wanted me to try my hand at better AI for chat. I might just do that. Anything that will improve the rate of data collection will be useful.
1303
1304Sooner or later you'll slip up. What do you say? This will be fun, won't it?
1305
1306Detective Story
1307
1308As I said, I'm no magician. However, a police detective who'd investigated my sister-in-law — Virginia Chang Kiraly, feel free to Google her — once told me that I'd be good as a forensics specialist.
1309
1310It's a funny story. I'd followed clues that led me to phone the detective at home at midnight. The trail was valid, but I missed the fact that he'd moved. The person that I was really looking for had moved into his old house.
1311
1312The full story is at this link:
1313
1314http://christfollower.me/page050.html#D140201VIRGINIA
1315
1316Gossip is Good
1317
1318Regarding medical issues, I don't violate HIPAA. Instead, friends and neighbors of subjects tell me things. HIPAA has no jurisdiction over gossip.
1319
1320If somebody does something odd when they go to get the mail, a neighbor will see it through the window. If I phone and express concern, the neighbor spills the beans about whatever it is that is going on.
1321
1322This actually works. But, to make this work, you've got to use the right tone of voice.
1323
1324Closer associates talk about the romantic lives of subjects. And about troubles of different types.
1325
1326Shoving Things Up Things
1327
1328Gathering and disclosure of information is 100% legal under U.S. laws provided that legitimate and reasonable purposes are involved and that rules are followed.
1329
1330It may or may not be legal under U.K. laws. Andrew Ward, respectfully, so what? :-)
1331
1332Subjects can, and do, try to get restraining orders to prevent me from talking to their neighbors, family members, Church associates, and so on.
1333
1334However, they can't actually do this. There are fundamental principles in U.S. law that prevent this. The magic word is “consensual”.
1335
1336U.S. Courts are unlikely to issue Orders related to consensual communications with third parties. Minor children and other special cases would be the primary exceptions. Employers are a grey area. It depends on exactly what Plaintiffs allege and can demonstrate.
1337
1338So, Plaintiffs try to force people to sign gag orders as part of a settlement agreement. But I've never signed one and I never will.
1339
1340I spent a year in Court over this issue once. But, in that case, I forced the Plaintiffs to sign a document acknowledging that I was going to talk about them for the rest of their lives. They paid $100,000 to get that :-)
1341
1342Pro Tip: These days, I tend to shove vague allegations right up *sses. Actually, that's what I'm going to do with Minetest.
1343
1344DDoS is BoSS
1345
1346We come now to a key point.
1347
1348red-###, regarding the remark that you made earlier in #-hub about “making up another DDoS attack”...
1349
1350...and regarding your kind remarks after that in Codernet...
1351
1352My host, or one of them, and I spent two evenings dealing with three DDoSes.
1353
1354There were two DDoSes on May 23 and one on May 24. The May 24 DDoS generated 150 GB (not MB but GB) of logs for the router involved.
1355
1356We had a total of 3 IPV4 addresses for IRC in two days. I believe that you knew this.
1357
1358I've moved the website to Cloudflare. The IPV4 for the site has changed. And if you use your l33t Kiddie Toolkit, you'll be able to confirm that the router-level firewall has changed.
1359
1360If you were one of the DDoSers, you knew everything to begin with, of course.
1361
1362The nice part, for me, is that the multiple DDoSes combined with tactical mistakes that Freenode has made on the legal side give me something that I'll refer to as “legitimate and reasonable purposes”.
1363
1364Legitimate and Reasonable Purposes
1365
1366“Legitimate and Reasonable Purposes” is a principle that strengthens my hand in legal contexts.
1367
1368It works like martial arts. Do you know the part where you're not supposed to attack? You're supposed to wait for the other party to do so?
1369
1370My legal options for dealing with individuals who commit white-collar of crimes are limited.
1371
1372However, if those individuals attempt legal actions against me, I'm usually able to use “legitimate and reasonable purposes” related to the crimes to my advantage.
1373
1374If you'd like to see examples of legitimate and reasonable purposes in other contexts, visit the following page:
1375
1376http://haggishell.com/topics/legal/information_purposes.html
1377
1378I'll prepare a Minetest page of this type in due course.
1379
1380I Like Attorneys
1381
1382The skill of an attorney factors into results.
1383
1384However, in the past few years, I only recall meeting one attorney that I didn't think I could handle, as long as it was in my own ballpark.
1385
1386That was Harmeet Dhillon, my sister-in-law's attorney. She's pretty good and seems to have character as well. Feel free to Google her.
1387
1388She doesn't count because we weren't in a formal dispute. But I do respect her.
1389
1390Every attorney who's tried to frighten me since 2013 has ended up running away fast. Some of them had damp spots on the fronts of their trousers.
1391
1392If you'd like to get a serious assessment of me, feel free to phone the last attorney who tried to frighten me. This is a Super Attorney named David.
1393
1394I'll be happy to provide David's full name, business phone number, cell phone number, residence phone number, business snail-mail address, and residence snail-mail address.
1395
1396I might throw in, for legitimate and reasonable purposes that are protected under U.S. laws, David's birth-date, Social Security Number, and what his neighbors think of him.
1397
1398It's a serious offer. If you're interested, email me or see me in Codernet.
1399
1400If you do take me up on this offer, tell David I hope that he's doing well. I haven't talked to him since I phoned him at home on Christmas Day just to say Hi.
1401
1402Dox in the Box
1403
1404The next steps, on my side, include the “doxing”, for legitimate and reasonable purposes, of MT subjects whose IRL identities can be established and confirmed.
1405
1406This includes, for example, Auke and Vanessa. Who are, if I recall correctly, both presently in the U.S. I might be mistaken about Auke.
1407
1408Andrew, Nathanael, and Perttu have identities that are believed to be genuine. However, they're located outside the U.S. We'll come back to non-U.S. residents shortly.
1409
1410Craig and Matt give out their IRL names. However, their IRL names are unconfirmed. In other words, the names that they use might be made-up. These two subjects are cases for the longer term.
1411
1412I haven't looked at sfan5 yet.
1413
1414Paul and red-### are the two in the troll group who have gone to some trouble to conceal their identities.
1415
1416Paul is too tough a nut to crack. Even the March 5, 1966 birthday is probably fake.
1417
1418So, Paul, relax and speak freely in Freenode channels. Don't be concerned if new people try to get to know you. For the rest of your tenure in Minetest, you can certainly trust the new people around you.
1419
1420You could be suspicious of new people. That would be a shame, though, wouldn't it?
1421
1422red-### is overconfident. If he remains in Minetest and in Freenode, he'll slip up.
1423
1424Crazy like a Fuchs
1425
1426Christian Fuchs of Freenode and #freenode is an interesting case. But research will probably turn up the fact that the name is false.
1427
1428I'm not sure that the first name, Christian, is correct. And the last name, Fuchs, might be simply a Nordic word, or a play on a Nordic word, for Fox.
1429
1430To complicate this part, I'm going to need to pretend to be a gay man who needs advice from Fuchs or who wants to get to know him.
1431
1432I'll feel silly if he isn't actually the Fuchs who's associated with gay groups.
1433
1434The nice part, though, is that Fuchs is obsessed with “doxing”.
1435
1436If I'm able to obtain, for legitimate and reasonable purposes, personal information about him — more than the fact that he's apparently gay — he'll make additional mistakes.
1437
1438Non-U.S. Trolls
1439
1440Residency outside the U.S. has only limited implications as far as the legal side of things goes.
1441
1442The U.K. laws that Andrew Ward is aware of, for example, are largely irrelevant. They do have implications. However, the implications are minor and beyond the scope of this document.
1443
1444Non-U.S. residency does raise the cost of legitimate and reasonable research significantly. It'll cost a good deal more to deal with subjects who are located overseas.
1445
1446So, U.S. research is most cost-effective and therefore takes priority.
1447
1448Disclosure Disclosure
1449
1450I try to be transparency and to offer full disclosure. This isn't simply ethical. It helps to frustrate certain types of legal attacks.
1451
1452So, I'd like to disclose that I disclose information such as U.S. Social Security Numbers, within the bounds of both U.S. State and U.S. Federal laws, for legitimate and reasonable purposes, with people who are willing to assist with legitimate and reasonable research.
1453
1454To put it simply, I give out in Social Security Numbers in a manner that is legal and that most likely can't be stopped in Court.
1455
1456People are invited to read the SSN essay at Haggis Hell that I linked previously.
1457
1458Everybody Likes Gifts
1459
1460I disclose, and I solicit, other types of information more directly.
1461
1462I like to do mass snail-mailings. It's simple, cost-effective, and produces results.
1463
1464People ignore junk snail-mail. Ordinary envelopes, sent bulk rate. But they don't ignore big, fat documents mailed flat in sturdy 9"x12" business-class manilla envelopes.
1465
1466When people open the large envelopes and see the names of friends, neighbors, or family members, they're interested. They read the documents and sometimes they respond and provide useful information.
1467
1468Church Mail Holy Grail
1469
1470My favorite snail-mail story is about a Church. It happened to be a Church that two subjects belonged to.
1471
1472I visited the Church to speak with the office about joining the congregation. The person on duty was busy. So, naturally, I went to the waiting room.
1473
1474This was in 2014. I had to travel to get to the Church. It was a 2- or 3- day trip. The story is at Haggis Hell along with photos.
1475
1476I took a photo of the waiting room because it was artistically arranged.
1477
1478By coincidence, there was a mailing list tacked to a wall. The mailing list happened to end up in a photo that I took of the wall.
1479
1480I felt that it was legal to use snail-mail addresses which turned up in a photo that I'd taken of a wall.
1481
1482There were a lot of addresses. About 75. Too many to transcribe by hand. However, I was able to OCR all 75 snail-mail addresses using standard tools in my Linux distro.
1483
1484Digital cameras and Linux are two great tastes that taste great together.
1485
1486I added 25 snail-mail addresses that I'd obtained by other means. Then I snail-mailed 100 total 20-page informational documents.
1487
1488I was able to track the results through the use of a simple technical trick.
1489
1490I can say this much. 100 copies of a 20-page physical document in real-life mailboxes has more of an effect than 100 emails.
1491
1492Neighborhood Drop-Off
1493
1494I also hire process servers to deliver documents directly to third parties.
1495
1496There's an in-between approach that I use sometimes. I hire either a process server or a courier to do neighborhood drop-off.
1497
1498Neighborhood drop-off means that they leave printed documents on the doorsteps of perhaps two dozen households at a time.
1499
1500Attorneys should note that, of course, that distribution of documents using such approaches is done for legitimate and reasonable purposes that are consistent with, and protected under, U.S. laws.
1501
1502Clap-On Clap-Off
1503
1504My favorite story about couriers takes place in Texas. I hired a nice guy to deliver a document and a bottle of wine to my brother Tom Kiraly.
1505
1506Tom had purchased a new house in Austin that he'd hoped to hide from me through the use of a trust. But a detective that I hired was able to identify the person behind the trust. I have no idea of how he managed to do that.
1507
1508To be clear, I'd never ask a detective to get records by illegal means. But I trust their judgment about what is legal if they seem to be honest.
1509
1510I can only assume that the detective in this case worked hard and used proper channels.
1511
1512My courier went to a store for me and bought a bottle of wine that met my specifications. Now, he just had to get through the gate. Tom had chosen a gated community.
1513
1514I asked the courier how he was going to do this. He said:
1515
1516“Well, these gates have a secret. If you clap the right way, they'll open for you. It's like Clap-On Clap-Off.”
1517
1518He was teasing me, of course, but I believed him.
1519
1520I *am* autistic, you know. You b*tches have been beating up somebody, for two months, who tries to help, quite faithfully, and is kind, but is also naive when he's dealing with people who he trusts.
1521
1522It's an odd combination of characteristics.
1523
1524My IQ is 1.75 times yours. You've suggested that I need to demonstrate this and you seem to wish the demonstration to be interesting. So, I must accommodate you.
1525
1526At the same time still it's difficult, at times, even after I woke up 9 years ago, to navigate in your world.
1527
1528The courier realized, abruptly, that I was naive and explained that he was, in fact, teasing me. I wasn't offended and I still tell this story.
1529
1530Clap-On Clap-Off :-)
1531
1532The courier got through the gate multiple times but Tom was either traveling or unenthusiastic about answering the door. I told the courier never-mind and gave the wine to him.
1533
1534There are some nice photos of the bottle of wine and of Tom's house at Haggis Hell.
1535
1536In Closing
1537
1538So, Craig and sfan5, I don't intend to “do” anything.
1539
1540Well, actually, I'll both gather and distribute information for legitimate and reasonable purposes that are consistent with, and protected under, U.S. laws.
1541
1542I'll do this, probably, for 3 to 7 years. Think my attention span isn't that long? I've been dealing with a few cases for 5 years now. I haven't even started on some of the attorneys and I expect to spend 10 years on them.
1543
1544I trust that concerns are now relieved and that everybody is pleased.
1545
1546All is well. Puppies and kittens frolic.
1547
1548Fun and Friendly
1549
1550I'm not irritated by any of the following:
1551
1552* Being told by Perttu Ahola that I needed to leave #-project because I “weird out” people.
1553
1554* Being told by multiple people that the fact that I type differently makes me bad, that it's a choice, and that it's all right to treat me as an object.
1555
1556* Having Paul dump a PM into public chat that might have hurt somebody who mattered.
1557
1558* Mockery behind my back over the Maciek Kasatkin issue. Not fair discussion or honest debate. Just things behind my back.
1559
1560Jordach, I've been patient and helpful to you and others for 5 years. Are you willing to tell people the part about the edited tapes? I think that that was the metaphor that you used.
1561
1562It was difficult for you to talk about that part. However, the people who matter will be fine with it.
1563
1564* Being told by Nathanael Courant that it's all right to *be* autistic but that I must not allow autism to *show* because letting it *show* is a choice and autism is bad.
1565
1566* Nathanael Courant's refusal to address the preceding point. Nathanael, you're a coward.
1567
1568* Watching a new channel, #-hub, be created solely because I refused to leave #-project.
1569
1570* Seeing Shara go to run #-hub when she was the one who asked me to moderate the “sneak” fight that started all of this.
1571
1572* Shara's denial, to herself, of the reason that #-hub was created. The new channel must have meant a lot to her.
1573
1574* Being ordered by Matt Gregory to shut down #-project.
1575
1576* Being told by Perttu Ahola that I'd “ordered” Jack Coe to “harass” Paul.
1577
1578* Being told by Perttu Ahola that he was taking Paul's word for that story and, no, he didn't wish to hear what had actually happened.
1579
1580* Learning that people in #-project had been told to leave the channel because it was “shutting down”.
1581
1582* Being /kicked by sfan5 because I said that might /kick red-###. Who was trolling at the time and who actually trolled twice that day.
1583
1584* Being deopped in #minetest over that incident after 5 years. Op wasn't a favor to me. Perttu Ahola and I had a deal.
1585
1586* The silent treatment. Being shunned by people who lacked the cojones to explain what they were doing.
1587
1588* Not 1, not 2, but 3 DDoSes.
1589
1590* Being called a “dick” by Andrew Ward. Who is supposed to be the 2nd-nicest person in MT.
1591
1592* Having Andrew Ward explain two months of harassment with the following statement:
1593
1594“We were just trying to stop you from taking over our channels”.
1595
1596Andrew, once again, what is that supposed to mean? For two months, you and the others focused on trying to shut down my channel.
1597
1598* Being told by Craig Robbins and Vanessa Ezekowitz that I “lie”.
1599
1600* Craig Robbins' repeated statements to the effect that I should simply leave #-project if people didn't like me. And that whatever people did, no matter how inappropriate it was, was my fault if I didn't leave.
1601
1602* Craig Robbins' refusal to answer this question:
1603
1604If Black People are ordered not to use the White People drinking fountain, or if they are ordered to sit in back of the bus, do you hold them responsible for being beaten up or killed when they disobey those orders?
1605
1606Yes or No, Craig? Coward.
1607
1608* Craig Robbins' flat-out lie claiming that I'd said there was “danger” in #-project.
1609
1610* Perttu Ahola feeling free to tell me what to do, even now, while refusing to clarify what he says.
1611
1612* The recent events in Freenode.
1613
1614* red-###'s remarks on May 24 to the effect that the DDoSes were imaginary.
1615
1616red-### knows what happened. He fancies himself a kiddie hacker. He'd have tracked the changes in the IPV4s and he'd be aware of some of the other changes. He may have been involved in the final DDoS himself.
1617
1618red-###'s remarks confirm that he's a troll. But I was deopped simply for saying that I *might* /kick him.
1619
1620My Promise to You
1621
1622Surely I'm pleased by all of this. So, here is my commitment to each of the trolls:
1623
1624I will not use personal information related to your past, present, or future in any manner that I deem to be inappropriate.
1625
1626If I communicate with your parents, spouses, romantic partners, siblings, or adult children, past or present associates, Churches, organizations, social media venues, employers, the general public, or government agencies, either to solicit information or to distribute it, I promise to say only what I deem to be appropriate.
1627
1628This is my legitimate and reasonable promise to you.
1629
1630170524 FUCHS FELONIES TASTE LIKE MELONIES
1631
1632We're back again.
1633
1634The Minetest and Freenode DDoSers tried it again. 2nd DDoS in 2 days and the 3rd total. They're busy little beavers :-)
1635
1636They weren't able to touch the website. Sorry, guys :-(
1637
1638The firewall has been upgraded. IRC and the MT worlds have also been moved to a high-bandwidth network.
1639
1640The host says, “It's a good thing on my end since now I'll have higher performance software. This new system is so much better.”
1641
1642If he's happy, that's good. I like to make people happy. Perttu, Andrew, Craig, Auke, Paul, Matt, maybe someday I'll find a way to make each of you happy, personally and professionally, as well.
1643
1644170523 CLOUDFLARE THIS B*TCHES
1645
1646We're back.
1647
1648The Minetest child sex people hit us tonight with a multi-level DDoS.
1649
1650Christian Fuchs, the gay Freenode worker who is protecting child sex harassers, is now involved with felony DDoS as well.
1651
1652The 1st level of the attack was a conventional “thousands of connections” DDoS that originated, oddly, with just three IPV4 addresses:
1653
165447.17.74.92 50.245.47.101 50.248.176.226
1655
1656One or two of those addresses might have been at Comcast. This implies residential, but residential wouldn't support the level of DDoS that was achieved.
1657
1658If these are compromised PCs sold through a botnet dealer, I can't do much about it. But if these belong to the DDoSers, the Feds might be willing to take a look.
1659
1660The 2nd level of the attack involved VPSes at Amazon and other companies. It sought, apparently, to drive up CPU load through an exploit related to IRC.
1661
1662The website has been moved behind Cloudflare. It's safe for the time being.
1663
1664To protect IRC and the worlds, we'll probably block most VPS companies and, if necessary, any part of Russia or Asia that attempts a DDoS.
1665
1666Kids, feel free to ask Celeron55 (Perttu Ahola), Rubenwardy (Andrew Ward), Zeno` (Craig Robbins), VanessaE (Vanessa Ezekowitz), sfan5 (IRL name unknown), and nore (Nathanael Courant) why they needed to break your worlds.
1667
1668We're just asking, no particular reason, hey, sh*t, did anything happen to happen to one of your boxes? You never know, hard-working DDoS boxes might pick up something from touching the Internet :-)
1669
1670170523 CHRISTIAN FUCHS
1671
1672Wait wait wait... Fuchs of Freenode uses his real name? *And* he's queer?
1673
1674(No offense, gay pride people use the word. One of my friends turned out to be one of the early gay activists. And I was offering emotional support to two TGs in Minetest, or trying to do so, when this happened. Somebody please make sure that they are all right. Serious request. I'm concerned about M.M.)
1675
1676Actually, Fuchs might just be a Swiss or something word for Fox. I'm too tired to check.
1677
1678But, whether or not the name is real, is this Christian Fuchs, the Freenode-associated gay support group person?
1679
1680Gays don't molest kids any more than others do. But the public perception still leans that way.
1681
1682And Fuchs klined me because I protested his bias in favor of two child sex harassers.
1683
1684One of whom fell in love with the other one, about 6 years younger, when the younger one was just a boy.
1685
1686Um. If that's your real name, Christian Fuchs, brilliant move :P
1687
1688I told Fuchs that I'd submitted a report on the matter to attorneys who reviewed it and took my word over that of the two child sex harassers. I asked him to show me the courtesy of reviewing the document that the attorneys had accepted.
1689
1690Fuchs refused. He said that the report must be “baseless” and “made-up”. How would he know? He'd already made up his mind to give the child sex harassers a pass.
1691
1692Fuchs, you aren't important. My friends in Minetest are. But thank you for the gift.
1693
1694I've written to PIA, of course. PIA seems to be responsible for Freenode now. I've asked to talk to the attorneys there. They might ignore the letter. If so, we'll find out who's on the Board of Directors.
1695
1696A phone call or two to people at that level noting that child sex allegations are being mishandled ought to produce results.
1697
1698Not quickly. It can take a year to get this sort of thing done. But it'll be fun.
1699
1700I'll give PIA about a week to respond before I take the next step at that level.
1701
1702170523 STATUS REPORT
1703
1704It appears that Fuchs of Freenode has kicked me out of Freenode.
1705
1706This leaves me free to take appropriate steps. The trolls belong to me now.
1707
1708Andrew, our arrangement is now suspended unless you wish to speak with me at: irc.oldcoder.org
1709
1710Will somebody please speak with kline (a person, not an action) in #freenode and notify him that the matter is now moot? Or he can look into it.
1711
1712But kline is unlikely to be sympathetic as I'm PMg Fuchs and telling him that I'll speak with his mother. Assuming that she hasn't passed away; I don't know Fuchs's age.
1713
1714The subject will be the child-sex issue that I can truthfully state Fuchs is involved in.
1715
1716If I speak with Churches about the child-sex part, Freenode won't feel much pressure. But Fuchs might feel some pressure, personally.
1717
1718This assumes that Fuchs can be identified. He isn't important, though, right now. My friends in Minetest are the ones who matter to me.
1719
1720Regarding the “dox” issue: There has been no such thing yet. But this is likely to change in the months and the years to come.
1721
1722I'm not a kid who says that idly. Visit Haggis Hell. I hire detectives, for legitimate and reasonable purposes that are protected under U.S. laws, and I've done so for 5 years now.
1723
1724Andrew, sfan5, Craig, Perttu, Vanessa, Paul, red-###, the rest of those who have deprecated, bullied, or attacked...
1725
1726I proceed in strict accordance with the laws of the U.S. I do not respect, Andrew, the laws of the U.K. in this context.
1727
1728Within the limits of the law, I do what is necessary. The limits are broader than you might imagine. In the months and years to come, perhaps we'll have the opportunity to discuss this.
1729
1730Kindly note that upcoming promises to speak with your family members, where they can be identified, are not (a) a bluff (I've been doing this for 5 years), (b) “threats” of any type — say that and I can file for defamation, or (c) inappropriate or unethical.
1731
1732Did I mention that I've dealt with numerous attorneys over this issue? And that not one of them is enthusiastic about speaking with me again? :-)
1733
1734Naturally, I'll be back at Freenode by VPN. All of you are too dear to my heart for it to be otherwise. If Freenode wishes to falsely position this as a violation of CFAA, they're free to attempt to do so. But, really, it'll go up the *ss of whosever name is on the papers.
1735
1736The part about Freenode's support for child sex harassment will help with that.
1737
1738Regrettably, the idea of a settlement now seems to be impractical. It's too bad. But think positive. We'll find ways to work it out :-)
1739
1740Andrew, did you grow up near Bristol or did you move there from a distance?
1741
1742Auke, we were supposed to talk, a while back. You don't mind if I phone you at work or at home, do you?
1743
1744170521 THEY SAY ESCALATE IS GREAT MATE HOORAY
1745
1746The Minetest core devs have escalated things yet again.
1747
1748After the next step, they'll be out of options. They'll be playing in my ballpark.
1749
1750The latest attack is disheartening. I'd like to ask that the attacks on the community side of Minetest stop.
1751
1752These are the undoubtedly foolish expectations:
1753
1754    No more attacks on #minetest-project.
1755
1756    No more lying to people and telling them that the channel is shutting down. No more peremptory orders from core devs telling me to shut it down.
1757
1758    I'm proud of the channel. I said that it would work and it did. For over a year until the trolls came.
1759
1760    sfan5, I'm sorry, but I'm talking about you. Why did you and the others need so badly to murder something that was good?
1761
1762    And why did you need to attack me, after that, in #minetest ? That is what brought things to this new stage. I'd have been right to /kick red-###. Demonstrate integrity and admit this to Perttu.
1763
1764    People need to be told that it is all right to go to #minetest-project. I want some of the people who were chased away returned.
1765
1766    No further DDoS of minetest.org
1767
1768    I earned op status in #minetest. Perttu Ahola and I had a deal. I expect what I earned to be returned to me.
1769
1770    The deal cost me, Perttu. It was Fall 2012 and the legal cases were still in progress. I didn't have time to do as you asked. But I did it anyway. I served you and I served the community. You have an obligation to me. Honor the debt or I'll collect interest.
1771
1772    I expect Nathanael Courant to answer the question that I asked him. Or I'll find his parents — in France or not — and ask them why he isn't able to respond.
1773    image
1774
1775    Andrew Ward used an obscenity and broke off communication without discussion. This after he said that I'd helped him when he arrived. I expect closure with him.
1776
1777    Andrew, you owe this to me. Or you need to admit that you're shallow, selfish, and ungrateful.
1778
1779    People need to accept that I'm detailed and that I type differently.
1780
1781    I don't like being told — by Perttu, of all people — that I “weird out” people by being too detailed. How would you feel?
1782
1783    I'd like the nonsense related to my remarks about Maciek Kasatkin's being alive as opposed to dead to stop.
1784
1785    Discuss facts. Agree or disagree with positions. That part is fine. Talk behind my back and we're going to talk face to face.
1786
1787    I might add that Maciek has *told* me what happened. Are you able to read English? T-o-l-d. He has an explanation. It's a good one. But, as Vanessa likes to say, “*shrug*”.
1788
1789If these expectations aren't met, there will be consequences for some of the aggressors in real life.
1790
1791I'm explicitly promising, as opposed to threatening, to take legitimate and reasonable steps that, to be clear, are protected under U.S. and other laws.
1792image
1793
1794One step is simple.
1795
1796I'm going to phone, snail-mail, or email parents, siblings, or business associates of the trolls in this situation. There will be multiple legitimate and reasonable purposes involved.
1797
1798I don't advise making threats against me in connection with this point. For what it's worth, one b*tch spent $100,000 USD trying to stop me in Court. I made him eat sh*t.
1799
1800Don't mind the negative tone related to that person. It was my father and my abuser. I'm entitled.
1801
1802The point is, ever since he tried to shut me up and I made him eat excrementum meum sapidum et salubri, others have tried to shut me up. They've all ended up on the same diet. Perhaps you'd like to join them.
1803
1804I'll come back to this subject at the end of this post.
1805
1806On my side, I'm prepared to apologize for losing my patience with #minetest-dev. And to acknowledge I have no proof that it was one of the core devs per se who DDoSed me.
1807
1808I don't know what else is expected of me. I've been subjected to childish insults, cowardly attacks, every possible manner of deprecation. But nobody is making a genuine attempt to talk.
1809Minetest Happy Dance
1810
1811Attack without thought or fright
1812just because it seems right
1813Son, your flame will burn bright
1814Like Jesus, a soldier child
1815He was not meek or mild
1816
1817Hate and torture and kill
1818I'm sure it will give you a thrill
1819What you must do, you see
1820Is be all that you can be
1821Minetest Anger
1822
1823There seems to be violent rage, especially, on the subject of trademarks. Addressing the rage people, you didn't talk to me or get the facts before you fell into rage. So, to Hell with you.
1824
1825Andrew and red-###, that includes both of you. One of you said “dick” and the other said “stealing”. Neither of you allowed me a moment even to understand what you might be concerned about.
1826Minetest behavior
1827
1828You aren't the heroes of the story. You're young trolls. You've pissed on somebody when it wasn't called for.
1829
1830I have a message for Craig Robbins aka Zeno-.
1831
1832Craig is a sensible older Minetest person. Or he seemed sensible until all of this started.
1833
1834Craig, I don't want to think of you as a coward. So why do you say things, including PMs to me, and then refuse to discuss them?
1835
1836That is cowardly.
1837
1838Today, you said:
1839
1840<Zeno-> OldCoder, stop lying to Fuchs
1841<Zeno-> Shara is, of course, valued but to suggest that she has spent more time on the project than any of us core devs and other long-term contributors is just plain lies
1842<Zeno-> and “her role” is what any other person's role is
1843
1844You didn't read what I said. Don't make a fool of yourself. Read before speaking.
1845
1846Oh, too late. You quoted it, though you didn't read it.
1847
1848I said, “If something that I suspect related to her role is true...”
1849
1850I said *If*. Read, much? I guess not. It's easier just to be lazy and insulting, isn't it?
1851
1852I promised Shara that I wouldn't look into this. But if she is Octupus, she has sure as Hell as put in more hours, over 5 years, than most of the others put together.
1853
1854That makes two people I'd thought of as friends, Vanessa and you, who used the word “lying” today. Two in one day.
1855
1856Last night, I couldn't sleep. Scream in pain all night and all day. Actually, I muffled it.
1857
1858It's better tonight. I was able to get water and food just now.
1859
1860Last night, I learned that the Minetest core devs had summoned a Freenode admin, Fuchs, for... actually, the reasons weren't clear.
1861
1862As in the 2012 legal cases, there were allegations, but they weren't really stated. Things were mostly implied.
1863
1864I don't do vague. Try that and you belong to me.
1865
1866Fuchs and I were on different schedules, so we didn't talk directly. But he messaged that there were complaints about “doxing”.
1867
1868Which means the use of IRL names on this website. Which isn't a Freenode matter.
1869
1870But let's talks dox
1871Dox isn't ad hocs
1872It's a word
1873Don't be merde
1874Know what it means before you use it
1875
1876I've used IRL names that developers have posted themselves or that are in public news stories. With three exceptions, I haven't even *started* to “dox”.
1877
1878Two exceptions, Shivajiva and red-###, were anonymous trolls. The initial attempts to identify them IRL failed.
1879image
1880
1881The third exception, Octupus, is a special case.
1882
1883Octupus is a window into the space between normals and those who can perceive reality.
1884
1885He's right there. He's been with Minetest longer than I have. He writes Minetest mods. You've played with them. You chat with him in IRC.
1886
1887But, somehow, nobody but the neurodiverse can see him.
1888
1889CoRNeRNoTe could see him. In the years that followed, two neuro-diverse people perceived him as a flashing red alert. Metacognician, from Haggis Hell, and I often discussed what he might be.
1890
1891Most of you, the normals, are blind, though. Or color-blind in part of the spectrum of reality. It's fascinating.
1892
1893No, I make no apologies for talking about this part. What difference does it make to him or to you? You're reading this and can't understand what you're reading.
1894
1895In short: “Dox” ? Get a clue. If I “dox” you — for legitimate and reasonable purposes that are protected under U.S. and other laws — you're going to *know* it. BTW I usually post “dox” at Haggis Hell.
1896image
1897
1898Got dox, fox?
1899Don't balks
1900Walks the walks
1901Visit Haggis Hell
1902Where dox rings a bell
1903All day and all night
1904
1905This begs the question, though, of what, exactly, the core devs think that they're doing.
1906
1907In 2012, I was hit out of the blue with civil actions intended to do one thing, and one thing only: force me to sign a gag order.
1908
1909I never signed the gag order. I *did* co-write an agreement which stated, in effect, “You belong to me now, b*tches” and forced the other side to sign that.
1910
1911I've spent the last 4 years (litigation lasted 1 year) shoving the other side's actions up their collective *sses.
1912
1913I stood up for myself. It cost me my home. But I never gave up. Do you think that *you* can pressure me into agreeing to a gag order? Agreeing not to talk about what you're doing?
1914
1915Let's play.
1916
1917Vanessa was less together today than usual. It was like talking to somebody who was mumbling.
1918
1919To be clear, I'm concerned about Vanessa. This doesn't mean that it's been pleasant to talk to her recently.
1920
1921She said that I was “lieing” (her spelling) because I was claiming to have an “official” edition of Minetest.
1922
1923I didn't appreciate Vanessa's use of the word “lie”. I demanded that she justify herself.
1924
1925Vanessa cited the fact that git shows only a small amount of code contributed to the core server code by me.
1926
1927The amount that git reports is incorrect. I've contributed code through others. But this isn't the part that matters.
1928
1929The part that matters is that nobody has put continuous hours into the project for more years than I have except for Vanessa and Maciek-Landmine.
1930
1931I've earned better treatment than I've received this Spring.
1932
1933When this subject is discussed, Andrew Ward (Rubenwardy) comes to mind. He's been here since 2012 and has made a number of contributions. But he arrived six months after I did and hasn't put in nearly as many hours.
1934
1935I asked Vanessa if she was able to contradict this. She couldn't name anybody else. Instead, she said that I'd be “klined”. This is a term that means kicked out of Freenode.
1936
1937Vanessa wasn't able to justify, or even to explain, this threat.
1938
1939The discussion was one of the more pointless hours that I've spent.
1940
1941After hearing the threat from Vanessa, I asked a Freenode admin named, ironically, kline, to speak with me. kline agreed and this is what I told him. The text is lightly edited for length.
1942
1943This was extemporaneous. I thought it was good for off the cuff.
1944
1945Two months ago, I was asked to help moderate a fight in Minetest project channels. I tried to do so. In the end, I was told that I was too detailed. And that a channel I was running should be shut down.
1946
1947The channel was #minetest-project. It was authorized by the head of the project, registered nick celeron55.
1948
1949I refused to step down. Channel members were PMd. They were ordered to leave the channel.
1950
1951The core devs ordered me to shut it down. I was DDoSed. First time for my Minetest website.
1952
1953I was vilified. Freenode staff doesn't get into that, but it ties into allegations against me.
1954
1955I responded by posting the story online. It's going into an actual book.
1956
1957I included the IRL names of the core developers. Who had posted those names themselves as part of their profiles.
1958
1959I added that I'd had enough. I wasn't going to “fork” the project. Instead, I asserted ownership of the community side.
1960
1961I mean ownership in every sense, including senses that would count at Freenode. I have put more hours into the project for longer than anybody but two people.
1962
1963Last night, Fuchs showed up. Our hours don't coincide, so we didn't talk directly.
1964
1965He messaged that there were allegations against me. Ordered me to cease and desist things. He talked as though he believed the allegations. He didn't seek my side at all
1966
1967The allegations were vague. I don't like vague allegations. It comes down to disclosing IRL information about developers.
1968
1969This is on a website. It isn't a Freenode matter. I've been through this before, in Court, in other contexts...
1970
1971And I've won. It cost me 200 grand. What matters to me right now, though, is Freenode.
1972
1973I'm asking for fair treatment. Not, “Oh, 3 people hate him, he must be a troll”.
1974
1975I'm nearly 60. I've poured 5 years of effort into this project. I'm in the right ethically, legally, and, I think, under Freenode guidelines.
1976
1977I ask that no decisions be made based on innuendo and, TBH, blunt lies.
1978
1979They talk about how *I'm* “lying”. One of the heads told me an hour ago that this means the part where I claim to have an “official” community edition.
1980
1981That isn't a lie and isn't Freenode business.
1982
1983They also talk about how I'm “doxing”.
1984
1985Multiple parties have harassed me anonymously. I will, in fact, document IRL identities and actions — possibly for legal actions, which is no kid bluff, I've been dealing with this stuff for 5 years — and this is, again, not Freenode business.
1986
1987I've outlined the situation as simply as possible. You hear this sort of thing every day and it must be tedious.
1988
1989But I *am* old, sane most of the time, respectful of the structure of Freenode. I *have* tried to help people again and again here for 5 years. I'm asking for fairness.
1990
1991Everything I'm saying seems sensible to me. Not overblown, overwrought, TL:DR, or “drama”.
1992
1993Fuchs isn't available to talk due to time-zone difference. And he seems already to have made up his mind. I want the boundaries between Freenode and not-Freenode to be respected as far as administration goes.
1994
1995You don't care, at all — and this is fine — about project issues off of Freenode. Especially if they're nebulous.
1996
1997So, please help with a fair request. Could Freenode stay out of levels that don't concern it? I'll listen and respond respectfully to remarks about levels that do concern it.
1998
1999It makes no difference, possibly, but, again, I have 5 years invested in the current matter. I'll be dead in perhaps 3 times that. You and most of the people involved have decades left.
2000
2001Can you comment or help? I've spoken off the cuff and will fill in any gaps.
2002
2003kline responded as follows. I've omitted the personal note that he mentions.
2004
2005Well, firstly, thank you for an eloquent and complete recounting of your side of events, it has already raised and then answered questions i wanted to know
2006
2007ill briefly cover my answer in two points from a staff point of view, and one point from a personal one
2008
20091) for tonight, im not going to be doing anything other than making sure that your concerns are discussed by the staff team, with the aims of being fair to both sides and getting the complete picture
2010
20112) we do stay out of internal politics of other groups in matters like these, but sometimes we're asked to make decisions where those groups overlap with ours, such as where there's discussion over who should hold what rights to a channel.
2012
2013when this happens, we'll often ask to find out more about the project, all sides of the issue, and also find out a little about what the community feels as a whole.
2014
2015i hope with this in mind it may be clear that if we've been asking questions, it's only to increase our understanding, not to inject ourselves into not-freenode matters
2016
2017I'm busy, in physical pain, tired, and I need to work. But the core devs continue to attack.
2018
2019It isn't clear what they expect to happen.
2020
2021If this is about #minetest-project, and they succeed in having the channel shut down, they must know that it'll be a new debt accrued. A debt that they'll be held accountable for. Each on an individual basis.
2022
2023If this is about pressuring me to take IRL names off of a website, I became homeless a few years ago rather than agree to do that. I never submit to extortion.
2024
2025If they engineer things so as to block me from Freenode, what comes next is simple.
2026
2027In short, I have the right, protected under U.S. and other laws, to communicate, for legitimate and reasonable purposes, with real-life business associates or family members of these people to inquire as to why they'd behave like this.
2028image
2029
2030There are other steps to take that I've learned about. Learned the hard way. In real life, my life hasn't been like yours.
2031
2032I used to be shy. But I know the truth now. What you're supposed to do. Machiavelli figured it out centuries ago.
2033
2034You should have read your Machiavelli before you came after me. But that's all right. I've read it for you. And I understand the lessons.
2035
2036I've worked hard at this project, I've tried to help people, and I'm old. I've put 5 years into this project when I've only got about 15 more to live. I'm not going to write off that much time.
2037
2038Wish to keep pissing on me? Sure y not. But there is something to keep in mind.
2039
2040I'm not some pretend Internet figure. Unlike some of our friends, I'm here in the world, physically. And I've drunk enough piss.
2041
2042If you'd like to escalate, that will be just fine. What was your IRL name, again?
2043
2044170517 NEWS ONE CANNOT REFEWS
2045
2046It wasn't Brackston's world that the trolls shut down. I've been informed that it belonged to somebody named “unk”.
2047
2048red-### asked me today if I was the one who did this.
2049
2050There was some irony in the fact that he'd ask. He was the one who'd triggered the current stage of events.
2051image
2052
2053A few weeks ago, red-### attempted to start a fight in #minetest. Since he'd /ignored me, I had no way to caution him. I proposed to /kick him, since a text message could be passed that way.
2054
2055When I said that this was what I planned, I was speaking literally. But most of you aren't able to understand that. You don't want to understand it. You're normals, full of hate for the different.
2056
2057Or, more accurately, full of indifference. If somebody isn't real to you, things that you do to them aren't real.
2058
2059sfan5, for reasons that I can't begin to understand, objected to the proposed /kick and /kicked me. So I /kicked him and his bot.
2060
2061Later, I found that I'd been deopped without notice or explanation. sfan5 wasn't deopped. Perttu Ahola didn't respond to requests for explanations.
2062
2063This came after 5 years of service. And after 2 months of harassment and escalating attacks directed at me and at this site.
2064
2065I never should have tried to help with the fight about the Minetest sneak issue. But I did. This is the price that one pays for arrogance.
2066
2067I was asked to help. Shara asked me to step in. Shara, all debts are cleared. If you are what I suspect that you are, I had debts to you. You made a difference.
2068
2069But the debts are paid.
2070image
2071
2072I was asked to help. I owed the person, Shara, who asked me to do so. So I tried to do my best.
2073
2074But it was arrogant of me to assume that I, of all people, somebody who'd hidden from the world for decades, could deal with normals who were in the animal state. The state of rage.
2075
2076Dominus mihi ignoscat. Mea culpa.
2077
2078image
2079
2080Perttu, like Nathanael Courant (Attn Google: Nore of Minetest), is a coward. People of this type speak or proceed as they please and will not justify their actions because they must be right.
2081
2082It is how a nebulously imagined God has ordained things.
2083
2084The apparent hack of “unk's” world was done by people in that camp. The camp of the cowards who strike and hide.
2085
2086I indicated to red-### today that his question bordered on offensive. I didn't go into detail, but the reasons for my feelings should have been clear enough.
2087
2088I'm about three times red-###'s age. I'm a decade older than Perttu and Nathanael put together. I've worked hard for decades, hard enough that it should have killed me.
2089
2090I've worked hard on this project for five years. During a period when I should have focused elsewhere. The stories that I've told aren't just stories. There was a price to be paid for my involvement.
2091
2092What age are you, most of you, 16 to 24 ? You have no idea of what can happen. How bad it can get.
2093
2094I paid the price.
2095
2096I proceed as I deem appropriate. In this context and in the broader fight that I'm in. A fight that a few of you know about. But I don't handle things the way that these people do.
2097image
2098
2099As a separate note, my guess at red-###'s age has dropped from college to High School. If this is correct, though, he's well-read for his age.
2100
2101Most High School students aren't familiar with Everett-Wheeler. Though, of course, he might have Googled the names.
2102
2103One piece of advice to red-### has been, and remains, to read Howard Bloom's book, “The Lucifer Principle”. Web searches will turn up books with very similar names. So, to be clear, I'm referring to this one:
2104
2105https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lucifer_Principle
2106
2107The book explains the behavior of these people. The ones who look in the mirror and say, “There stands a hero”.
2108
2109170515 TECH UPDATE RIGHT HERE MATE
2110
21111. The Minetest Modding Book is now mirrored here.
2112
21132. Andrew Ward can't be troubled to check his assumptions before beating up somebody who's tried to be useful. But he has plenty of time, it appears, to set up VPS folders dedicated to yours truly.
2114
2115The relevant VPS IPV4 is presently 95.132.133.8. Location is the Ukraine. The associated hostname is:
2116
2117vps.rubenwardy.com
2118
2119The folder that caught my attention is named: oc_20170515
2120
2121The oc part could mean “Oxen Cart” as opposed to “OldCoder”. If this is the case, I regret jumping to conclusions :P
2122
2123Andrew's been working on smartphone apps, both Android and iOS, at GWS Media since March [2017]. He's doing so while pursuing a Master of Engineering at the University of Bristol. We wish him luck in these endeavours.
2124
21253. Somebody has patched a world at minetesthosting.com to make it say:
2126
2127“Access denied. Reason: you are using an unofficial client. Use the official client from minetest.org”
2128
2129Players are locked out.
2130
2131I thought that this was Brackston's world, but Brackston says he's just a player there. I'll need to double check what I was told originally.
2132
2133This is a typical step, regardless, by the haters in the Minetest group.
2134
21354. The last two months have been like this, day after day.
2136
2137Folks who like to mock people for typing differently. Dogpiles. DDoS. A channel created specifically to deprecate me. People who I've tried to help for 5 years behaving like monkeys with the feces-throwing habit.
2138image
2139
2140But a new broom sweeps clean.
2141
2142One approach might be to talk to Microsoft. This would take months to set up. I don't have time to spare for this right now.
2143
2144However, the Minetest situation could be positioned multiple ways. There's room to maneuver in this context.
2145
2146If I managed to get Microsoft's attention, the outcome, whatever it might be, wouldn't be likely to leave the status quo in place.
2147
21485. The long document below will be moved to its own page. It'll be expanded to provide more details related to Minetest's past, present, and future.
2149
2150BY HOOK OR BY BOOK:
2151
2152This is an evolving letter to Julian aka Lord Fingle, a Coder in Australia; Brett aka CoRNeRNoTe, another Down Under Debugger; and Octupus, somebody who is difficult to explain.
2153
2154This document will probably become a section of the book that a few people know about.
2155People are invited to email me at oldcoder@yahoo.com with thoughts on the following subjects. I can also be reached in Freenode or Codernet (irc.oldcoder.org) under the nick OldCoder.
2156
2157    Minetest
2158
2159    FOSS projects or group projects that you've been involved in
2160
2161    Were you committed and/or emotionally involved with projects?
2162
2163    Were individual contributions to projects recognized or were they taken for granted?
2164
2165    Was one part of the group favored? Did it have disproportionate control over decisions?
2166
2167    How do FOSS projects below critical mass in size manage to survive?
2168
2169    Are normals more likely than the neurodiverse to fall into rages over minor issues?
2170
2171    Autism
2172
2173    Hatred of the different: nature or nurture?
2174
2175    Evolutionary Psychiatry. See Howard Bloom's book, The Lucifer Principle.
2176
2177Letters or remarks in them, or in IRC, may be quoted or otherwise used.
2178
2179Mellow Hello
2180
2181Electrical banana
2182Is gonna be a sudden craze
2183Electrical banana
2184Is bound to be the very next phase
2185
2186This is a mellow hello
2187(Quite rightly)
2188This is a mellow hello
2189(Quite rightly)
2190This is a mellow hello
2191
2192Lord Fingle, good day.
2193
2194I'm Cc'g this to CoRNeRNoTe. He's the one who's located in your country. He's been supportive and has offered assistance. This letter is going to others as well. I can't say that all of them have been helpful.
2195
2196This is a business letter as well as a personal one. Let's call it 1/4 business and 3/4 personal. At any rate, I'll be offering you and others formal proposals in the future. It's best if I go over everything up front.
2197
2198The parts that analyze people aren't intended to be cold. I care about some of them. However, things have gone awry and changes need to be made.
2199
2200The Minetest core devs and their sympathizers, as a group, are harsh and arrogant. The word for it, these days, is “haters”.
2201
2202Everybody, including Celeron55 (Perttu Ahola), has been aware of the issue. In 2015, Perttu asked me what to do about the situation. We'll come back to my response in section 6.
2203
2204The arrogance was directed, most recently, towards autism. These people are focused on the fact that I, personally, type differently. They say that I “weird out” people by being “too detailed” and by “typing differently”.
2205
2206I'm not going to accept that. Not after 5 years of contributions.
2207
22081. Introduction.
2209
2210Julian: I deferred the answer to your question, “How are you” or similar. The answer is as follows:
2211
2212Physically, I can't walk well, at times, and my hands don't always work. This is an issue tonight. However, this side of things has improved since 2014.
2213
2214I'm classified as “disabled”, enough so to get a parking placard, but not enough to qualify for state funds. To qualify for state funds, a disability needs to be continuous.
2215
2216I lost 75 pounds in one year, 2012 to 2013, due to stress related to a family legal matter. I regained most of the weight, but I'm trying to repeat the accomplishment now in a healthy manner.
2217
2218I'm behind on real-life work, but I'm catching up. I remain a transient, but I've accepted that. I'm working, as a side project, on legal steps related to the family matter.
2219
2220I travel periodically to visit real-life friends who have stood by me. Last night, I attended somebody's 39th birthday party. We talked about the importance of time. In a week or two, I'll go to see other people.
2221
2222In short, I'm proceeding sensibly. Minetest is one of the few threads where things are out of order. I'm going to need to do something about that.
2223
22242. Minetest and Eidy.
2225
2226It's time to assess the Minetest situation and to make plans. I'm referring to the Minetest project per se. However, some of this will be relevant to the Eidy project as well.
2227
2228In short, I'm not going to “fork” Minetest. I propose to transform it into a project that is under the control of a formal non-profit business venture.
2229
2230I'd like Eidy and other edutech or gamedev projects to be part of this.
2231
2232Due to multiple factors, which are discussed in the next two sections, my plans have a high probability of success.
2233
2234Financial success is unlikely, but it isn't ruled out. For example, if things are handled properly, a buyout by Microsoft may be possible. However, to be clear, this isn't the primary goal.
2235
22363. Factors that increase the odds of success.
2237
2238Minetest is low-hanging fruit. It's just sitting there, waiting to be useful. Nothing is there to prevent this except for one wildcard. I'll discuss the wildcard in Appendix B.
2239
2240The factors involved include the following:
2241
2242* Minetest's licenses give away the project. They present no significant obstacles.
2243
2244If license obstacles are added due to the sending of this letter, it's too late, really. This would be locking the barn door after the cows are out. Moo!
2245
2246* I expect to be able to obtain the trademark to the name “Minetest” in one or more countries.
2247
2248CoRNeRNoTe has offered physical presence in Australia. This may increase the odds of success there. I can probably establish physical presence in Germany and other countries in Europe as well.
2249
2250Trademark issues are discussed further in the next section.
2251
2252* Some of the key figures in the project are anonymous and wish to stay that way. In the event of legal disputes, most of these people will simply evaporate.
2253
2254* Some of the non-anonymous people have no stake in the project, emotionally speaking. They'll disappear the moment that project issues affect them, in any significant way, in real life.
2255
2256“sofar” (Auke Kok) is one example. He's actually explained how this works to me.
2257
2258* A few people are in poor health. Some aren't expected to live past the short or medium term. VanessaE (Vanessa Ezekowitz) is one example. This group lacks the physical and emotional resources needed to deal with issues that are stressful.
2259
2260Appendix A tells part of Vanessa's story.
2261
2262* I, for my part, went through the fire in real life for a year, 2012 to 2013. I went from shy, hiding from the world, to putting everything out there.
2263
2264Even before 2012, I was involved with multiple startups. Situations were often difficult, but in each case, I stayed the course for as long as possible.
2265
2266In short, when the going gets tough, I don't disappear.
2267
2268* I happen to like sorting out business and/or legal matters.
2269
2270As a related note, most attorneys don't impress me. Harmeet Dhillon, my sister-in-law's attorney, is an exception. Most of the others that I've encountered, even the $400 USD per hour people, take shortcuts. That's risky when people deal with me.
2271
2272I have a small ability. Actually, it's the basis for most of what I can do. I see inconsistencies as tangible objects. Often, I can see what they mean. I used to use it just to code. But I learned in 2012 that it's relevant to business and legal matters as well.
2273
2274For those who've read my weblog, I'm referring to the gestalt thing.
2275
2276I've dealt with multiple hostile attorneys, four or five, since 2013, primarily in contexts related to age discrimination. I've pointed out ways in which they've violated the rules. They've run away quite fast :-)
2277
2278* My net worth hit zero in 2013. But I tend to bounce back from such things. I've been both “rich” and “poor” before. And one advantage that I have, in Minetest contexts, is a willingness to invest money.
2279
2280Perttu and the core devs -- all of them put together -- are unlikely to spend more than a pittance, in actual dollars or in Euros, on marketing, establishing connections with the majors, legal actions, or paid developers.
2281
2282I'm willing to spend money on all of that. Especially paid developers.
2283
2284And I have a possible route to VC funds; it runs through one of the heads of a brokerage. I traded $10M over the years with his firm. He'll probably at least listen to proposals.
2285
2286Add all of this up. Consider the matter objectively. If it comes down to competition or disputes, as opposed to changes and cooperation on the part of the core devs, who do you suppose is going to win?
2287
22884. Minetest trademark issues.
2289
22904.1. One of several ironies related to the situation is that I discussed trademark issues with the head of the project, Perttu, over a year ago.
2291
2292Perttu didn't object to the proposal that I acquire the Minetest trademark in the U.S. All that's really changed, in this context, is that I plan to seek it in multiple countries now.
2293
2294People have talked about this step with uninformed rage. However, I've learned, over the years, not to expect facts to matter to most normals.
2295
2296The fact that Perttu and I discussed this step previously isn't going to make a dent in the self-righteousness that these people are displaying.
2297
22984.2. As a related note, I'm as entitled to the trademarks as most people are. Very few people have been with the project as long as I have *and* have put in as many hours as I have.
2299
2300Perttu himself has put in very little time for years. In legal proceedings, I'd be able to subpoena core developers who've stated this themselves.
2301
23024.3. The trademarks aren't essential, but they'll be useful.
2303
2304If I do obtain them, I'll probably be able to replace the Minetest releases in the Google Play Store and the Debian-Ubuntu repositories with releases controlled by the non-profit.
2305
23065. About XPrize.
2307
2308One thing that I'd like to do is look closer at the details of the non-profit that Soultest (Joseph Yeung) was putting together.
2309
2310Joseph was your primary competition, in the Minetest world, for the XPrize trophy.
2311
2312In Winter 2016, Joseph asked me to join his XPrize project. I added a few others. We worked on the project for a few months.
2313
2314If you didn't know the details, Joseph was a mid-level education official in Asia. He was serious. He took a leave of absence, started the paperwork for a non-profit, and planned things out.
2315
2316He disappeared abruptly. It wasn't like him. I have real-life contact information for his brother, but I haven't asked him what happened. Joseph was serious enough that his disappearance might mean that he's injured or dead.
2317
2318We lost Don Batman (Don Michaud) as well. He was in physical pain. I don't remember if he asked me not to talk about this. If he did, I apologize for doing so.
2319
2320I dropped out of the XPrize competition due to the loss of Joseph and Don. I didn't have the heart to continue.
2321
23226. Fall 2015 to Winter 2016.
2323
2324As context, the Minetest core developers, or “core devs”, have always had the perspective that they *are* the project. This exchange between sfan5 (real-life name not checked) and Shara (identity is a special case) is illustrative:
2325image
2326
2327<sfan5> and in all honesty i am getting tired of this
2328<Shara> Break it in a way that doesn't alienate so many people.
2329<sfan5> unless there is disgreement in the dev team the second PR will be the best you see
2330<sfan5> have fun doing your hostile fork
2331<sfan5> have fun seein the fork die
2332
2333And sfan5 is one of the *nice* ones :-)
2334
2335sfan5 has been a harsh and thoughtless S.O.B. in the current matter, but, historically, he's shown signs of courtesy. This is something that some of the others have never exhibited.
2336
2337I approached Perttu on multiple occasions, starting in Fall 2015, about the issue of core-dev hostility. I noted that the issue was distressing to Vanessa and that we couldn't afford to lose her.
2338
2339Perttu acknowledged the problem. In short, addressing the core devs, Perttu is pragmatic. He *knows* that you're, to use Andrew's word, “dicks”. But he likes the fact that you'll work for free.
2340
2341Perttu asked me what to do.
2342
2343In Winter 2016, I proposed the creation of a new Freenode channel, #minetest-project. The new channel was to act as a place where Minetest contributors could meet with core devs on an equal footing. Ultimately, the channel was to serve as a steering committee for the project.
2344
2345My proposal is at this link:
2346
2347https://minetest.org/proposal.html
2348
2349Perttu agreed to my proposal. I created #minetest-project (or #-project for short). The 1st part, meeting ground, was a success. But the core devs never took the 2nd part, steering committee, seriously.
2350
23517. Spring 2017.
2352
2353In April 2017, I was asked to moderate some fights related to a lesser-known Minetest feature named “sneak”.
2354
2355The Minetest core devs had decided to, in effect, delete the feature. A few of them, sfan5 in particular, hated a glitch that went along with it.
2356
2357The problem was that the core devs were arrogant. They laughed at, or even mocked, the concerns of the community. See the quote from sfan5 in the preceding section.
2358
2359I was busy and tired.
2360
2361However, the person, or identity, who asked me to help, Shara, had contributed a great deal to the project, and had never asked for much. I was obliged to do as she wished.
2362
2363I took part in discussions in #-project.
2364
2365I proceeded lightly. Instead of kicking or banning people, I tried to persuade them to calm down. For that, I was deprecated. Eventually, after a week that was stressful, I did kick and/or ban roughly two people. I was deprecated for that as well.
2366
2367Consistency isn't a hallmark of this group.
2368
2369Events played out as follows:
2370
2371* One person said that sfan5 might be an agent of Microsoft seeking to damage the project. I was somehow blamed for that remark even though I was asleep at the time.
2372
2373* Perttu said that I “weird out” people due to typing in too detailed a manner. He used those exact words.
2374
2375* Perttu suggested that being detailed was a choice on my part. When I responded to that, naturally, my response was detailed. He remarked, “Oh, my God, what did I just say” :-)
2376
2377I understand the beliefs of normals who consider autism or other neurological conditions to be a “choice”. However, due to events 5 years ago, events which rendered me homeless due to such beliefs, I'm no longer apologetic about the issue.
2378
2379* Perttu asked me to relinquish Founder status of the #-project channel. The idea was that I was supposed to quietly disappear because I was different and might “weird out” people.
2380
2381I refused.
2382
2383* Several other people echoed the concern that I type, in their view, oddly.
2384
2385They didn't care that I was born autistic and that it's natural for me to be detailed. I felt as though I was a child again, being beaten up, knocked unconscious, sliced open with a knife, for reasons that I scarcely understood.
2386
2387Nore (Nathanael Courant) was especially unpleasant. He said that the issue wasn't about my being born detailed but, instead, about the fact that I had the temerity to actually talk in a detailed manner.
2388
2389Nathanael's distinction struck me as being similar to saying that, if I was Black or Jewish, I ought to hide from people who hate Blacks or Jews so that they wouldn't be offended by the sight of me.
2390
2391I asked Nathanael to respond to that point. So far, he's been too cowardly to do so.
2392
2393image * For what it's worth, this is a photo of a young man named Nathanael Courant. He uses the nickname “Nore”, and he's located in France, where our Nore lives.
2394
2395Additionally, the Nore in the photo was a silver medalist in what seems to have been a computer science competition or event. This is consistent.
2396
2397However, it isn't confirmed that this is our Nore.
2398
2399The photo was apparently taken circa 2015. If it *is* our Nore, he looks age 18 in the photo, so he'd be age 20 now.
2400
2401* Shivajiva (he conceals his IRL identity) revealed that he'd considered me deranged for a year due to my position that Real Bad Angel, a supposedly dead Minetest developer, might still be alive.
2402
2403The difficult part about this was Shivajiva had pretended to be friendly for all that time. I didn't appreciate being patronized. Debate would have been preferable.
2404
2405* Perttu created a new channel, #minetest-hub, or #-hub for short, to replace #-project.
2406
2407#-hub was created solely to remove me as Founder of the project's steering committee channel. I'd refused to resign, but moving the steering committee to a new channel had the same net effect.
2408
2409As one of the ironies of the situation, Shara assumed the mantle of one of the heads of the new channel.
2410
2411Shara is uncomfortable when I mention the sole reason that #-hub was created: to evict me. But if she or anybody else doubts the facts, they can simply ask Perttu this question:
2412
2413“Would #minetest-project have been shut down if OldCoder had agreed to step down as Founder?”
2414
2415Perttu is many things. He's not cold, just brusque. He has a sense of humor. It's subtle, but it's there. He's arrogant and he rushes to judgment; in these respects, he's a typical normal. But he isn't a conscious liar.
2416
2417Go ahead, Shara. Ask him the question.
2418
2419* Members of the #-project channel were PM'd and told that #-project was “shutting down” and that they should go to #-hub instead.
2420
2421* Paramat (Matt Gregory) ordered me to shut down #-project. As though he had any right to do so.
2422
2423* WilkGr (his real-life name is supposedly Jack Coe) PM'd me and asked me why I was unhappy with Shivajiva.
2424
2425I believed Jack (if the name is correct) to be age 24. Not a kid. So, I was abrupt.
2426
2427When I said that Shivajiva had said things with the intention of deprecating me, Jack questioned this. I told him that he'd need to talk to Shivajiva if he wanted more answers. So he did.
2428
2429Shortly after that, Perttu told me that Shivajiva had accused me of “ordering a 14-year old boy to harass him” (or similar wording).
2430
2431So, Jack was apparently a decade younger than I'd believed. Regardless, I was furious at what happened next. I asked Perttu if he wanted the facts. Perttu, bless his Finland-temperature heart, said “No”.
2432
2433Ultimately, Perttu agreed to listen to the facts. But this incident was over the top.
2434
2435Shivajiva has done a decent job of concealing his real-life identity. His first name might be Paul. He claims to have been born on March 5, 1966, but the date is probably a lie. He lists professional websites that never existed. He geolocates to Preston, England and London, England, but those are probably VPSes.
2436
2437He has a daughter born circa 2009; that one part seems to be true.
2438
2439We'll see if “Paul” drops clues in future discussions. I once identified somebody who'd taken far more precautions. In years, he'd never said anything about himself. But eventually he slipped up.
2440
2441He turned out to be one of the big names in the Bitcoin world. I mentioned this and he left Freenode rather abruptly.
2442
2443I feel that “Paul” has behaved unreasonably. When his identity is established, perhaps he and I will discuss the matter further.
2444
2445* My Minetest site, minetest.org, was DDoSed.
2446
2447It's possible that the DDoS was coincidental. Vanessa cited the fact that she was DDoSed as well as evidence that the attack hadn't been orchestrated by the core devs.
2448
2449However, I was attacked with a conventional DDoS. My host said that it looked like a typical DDoS package, the type that people purchase. The attack on Vanessa was different. It was designed specifically to target Minetest servers.
2450
2451So, I feel that the issue is undecided.
2452
2453I'm prepared to let it go. I've even offered previously to apologize for being too direct about unproven suspicions. But it should be acknowledged that I did have reason to suspect the core devs.
2454
2455* I went to the core dev channel, #minetest-dev (or #-dev for short). I demanded to know if the core devs were behind the DDoS. They said that the issue was off-topic for #-dev. But where else would I have asked it?
2456
2457The issue would have been appropriate for #-project, but they'd effectively killed the channel. I assume, now, that they expected me to raise the subject in #-hub, a channel that was created specifically to demote me.
2458
2459Sure, that level of humiliation would have been just fine.
2460image
2461
2462* During the #-dev discussion, “sofar” (Auke Kok) said that I'd had a good 5 years with Minetest and so I should just leave the project. The logic in his reasoning escapes me.
2463
2464Auke made other remarks as well. They'll be addressed in due course. I'll need to think about this.
2465
2466I'm concerned about Auke's “mental stability”. It's possible that people at Intel or RedHat have noticed issues with him, but I haven't asked anybody there yet.
2467
2468By the way, Auke, there's a German-language article about me in “Intel Magazin” (sic, that edition drops the “e”).
2469
2470* I agreed to drop the subject of the DDoS. However, despite this, I was banned from #-dev -- after 5 years of contributions -- hours later. No discussion was offered before this step was taken.
2471image
2472
2473* Rubenwardy (Andrew Ward) is a long-term Minetest figure. I apparently helped him when he joined the project. I don't recall because I've tried to help numerous people. But he does recall and has told me this.
2474
2475In the end, though, none of my attempts to be useful mattered. Not assistance that I offered to Andrew or assistance that I offered to anybody else.
2476
2477Andrew told me, abruptly, that I was a “dick”. He didn't care what the facts were or wish to discuss anything that had happened.
2478
2479Andrew aims to be fair and helpful. He's failed at this and is a disappointment.
2480
2481* Amaz (his real-life name is apparently Charlie Jordan) has helped me as opposed to the other way around.
2482
2483Charlie (if the name is correct) stands out because it's his personal goal to be as pleasant as possible. It's a constructed persona, but one that is likable. I've only seen the mask slip once and he was abashed about that.
2484
2485Charlie hasn't told me that I'm a “dick”. He's simply left instead. Sure, why not.
2486
2487* red-### (he conceals his identity and uses multiple numbers) talked about how I was going to “steal” Minetest. He didn't even try to discuss his concerns before he used the word.
2488
2489* red-### tried to start a fight in the #minetest channel. I was told later that he actually tried to do this twice that day.
2490
2491Specifically, red-### started to talk about “sneak people” (or similar wording) in what appeared to be a negative manner. This was a reference to the battles of a month before.
2492
2493I tried to warn red-### that the subject wasn't welcome. But he'd /ignored me. I stated publicly that I might /kick him. The idea behind that was that the /kick operation would allow me to state a message that he'd be able to read.
2494
2495sfan5 /kicked me instead. I responded by /kicking sfan5 and his bot.
2496
2497To read a little more about our friend red-###, click here.
2498
2499* Perttu, apparently, deopped me in #minetest after that. After 5 years of service in that channel. He removed a status that I'd earned in 2012 by dealing with the Landmine situation. There was no discussion of the matter.
2500
2501This brings us up to date. The short version of all of this is, “Enough is enough”.
2502
25038. In closing.
2504
2505Julian: If I remember correctly, we're of the same generation. Time is precious to us. I understand what it meant to spend as much time on a Minetest project as you did and to see the dice come up snake-eyes.
2506
2507Look at the situation on my side.
2508
2509I've contributed to Minetest for 5 years. I have perhaps 3 times that time period left to live.
2510
2511Under the circumstances, it isn't possible to wave away that much time. There is no alternative but to double down and attempt to make something useful come of this.
2512
2513Projects that are based on the codebase but build momentum of their own are one option. Your project (Eidy) or an umbrella project that encompasses it might be part of that.
2514
2515Appendix A and B below are optional reading. However, they may be of interest.
2516
2517Regards, Robert (the Old Coder)
2518
2519Appendix A. Vanessa.
2520image
2521
2522I told Vanessa, once, that I loved her. It was true, though it wasn't a romantic gesture. I'll define love sometime. I'm better equipped than most people to do so.
2523
2524I can say that part of it is not wanting to imagine life without somebody or something.
2525
2526Maciek respected Vanessa. He asked her to choose a fork of his over Minetest. She turned him down, partly for technical reasons; the fork used Redis and she disliked Redis.
2527
2528If Maciek did, in fact, fake his death, I believe that this was one of the reasons that he decided to do so.
2529
2530The Real Bad Angel identity had outlived its usefulness. The fork, and Vanessa with it, were probably the only things that would have led him to keep it going.
2531
2532Vanessa wasn't well. However, she remained determined, hard as nails, a creator and a contributor. This Appendix tells part of her story.
2533
2534<OldCoder> It is your first dress?
2535<VanessaE> that's correct. the red one was 'off the rack' as was the black one you've seen. the pink one was made to order (but is a little loose in places — I will adjust some time later). The silver one is hand-made by me.
2536<VanessaE> Next is metallic gold vinyl
2537<OldCoder> That will be... not subtle. Which is fine.
2538
2539<VanessaE> it's a much stretchier, slightly thinner, and far more durable fabric that the silver-grey
2540<OldCoder> Adjust style to match, then
2541<VanessaE> yes
2542
2543<OldCoder> I believe in Art
2544<VanessaE> *nod*
2545<VanessaE> when it comes to clothes, I go all out when I can
2546<OldCoder> Indeed
2547
2548<VanessaE> REDACTED this “fade into the background” sh*t
2549<OldCoder> The idea of controversy or difficulty made you tired last year... I noticed
2550<VanessaE> yes
2551<OldCoder> So my blog was not enjoyable for you
2552<VanessaE> eh?
2553
2554<OldCoder> That was my impression
2555<VanessaE> oh, naw
2556<VanessaE> not “not enjoyable”
2557<OldCoder> It is my Art. My way of REDACTED fade background. :-)
2558<VanessaE> more like “this is all right”
2559<VanessaE> if you know what I mean?
2560<OldCoder> Not really. I am literal. :-)
2561
2562<OldCoder> Though I sing now. In text.
2563<VanessaE> I don't know how to say what I'm thinking
2564<OldCoder> It is fine.
2565
2566<VanessaE> it's your work, it's interesting, but just not my specific field of interest maybe?
2567<OldCoder> I'm not referring to the technical site
2568<OldCoder> But to the one with poems and legal maneuvers and photos of cats and my family stalking me...
2569<VanessaE> right. that's the one I refer to.
2570<VanessaE> you've shown me posts from it.
2571
2572<OldCoder> But it is not my “work”... the posts are about Phenek in Finland and his trip to Spain
2573<OldCoder> Mr. Meow and his kitty cat
2574<OldCoder> And what it was like
2575<OldCoder> To grow up hunted at home and at school
2576<OldCoder> It is not really “work” or a “field”
2577
2578<OldCoder> It is the place where I have learned to sing again
2579<OldCoder> I can hear the song now
2580
2581<VanessaE> right
2582<VanessaE> my memory sucks :P
2583<OldCoder> I assume that it's the medical issue. Hold on to what you can.
2584<OldCoder> Artwork or photos may help
2585<OldCoder> You are doing it right. Live the way you should now. Not in a future that is uncertain.
2586
2587<VanessaE> my memory has been crappy since the 90's
2588<OldCoder> The medical issue?
2589<VanessaE> (carbon monoxide)
2590<OldCoder> Permanent damage?
2591<VanessaE> I think so
2592<OldCoder> You seem pretty sharp
2593
2594<VanessaE> my mind's been fuzzy ever since
2595<OldCoder> You are a Coder
2596<VanessaE> believe me, this is nothing like I used to be
2597<OldCoder> What happened, then?
2598
2599<VanessaE> it was winter, we were doing routine stuff in the shop, I was running a forklift that had a bad engine. no one realized that the carbon monoxide was building up until one of the guys started getting dizzy.
2600
2601<VanessaE> I got nauseous
2602<VanessaE> went to go sit down for a while, but it only got worse, and fast
2603<VanessaE> I went to the boss to tell him I was feeling really lousy
2604<VanessaE> before I could get there, I started to hurt, like I was having a heart attack
2605<VanessaE> started to black out but stayed awake, blood pressure went into the 200/100 range or something equally ridiculous
2606
2607<VanessaE> had hyperbaric treatments, didn't do much good
2608<VanessaE> been fuzzy ever since
2609<VanessaE> its gotten a little better over the years
2610<OldCoder> There was some permanent damage. But you can Code. And create Art of other types.
2611<VanessaE> yes
2612
2613<OldCoder> Your quality of life is acceptable. You are glad to be here and you can create.
2614<VanessaE> yes
2615<VanessaE> in the meantime
2616<OldCoder> You can have friends, too
2617<VanessaE> I've taken a new opinion of life: don't give a sh*t if I stand out, and if I do, G*d damn it make it worth the looks :-)
2618
2619Appendix B. Landmine and Maciek.
2620
2621B.1. There are wildcards in the situation. One of the wildcards is a friend. Let's call him Octupus for now. The names Landmine and Maciek will also work.
2622
2623It's time to talk about where Octupus fits in.
2624
2625Where he fits in is at the heart of things. He's told me that he doesn't “take sides”, but that isn't the point. Regardless of the final outcome of current events, the project isn't going to continue precisely as it has been. Change happens. Decisions related to the project's future are going to need to be made.
2626
2627And Octupus's decisions are likely to have more of an effect, in the end, than Perttu's decisions.
2628
2629It's also time, simply, for me to talk about this.
2630
2631Most of the following isn't secret any longer. “Paul” saw to that when he dumped a PM about this subject into public chat. With no thought given to the feelings of the person in question.
2632
2633B.2. To answer a question that's come up at least twice, and that I consider to be silly, no, I'm not talking about myself.
2634
2635The events that I'm going to talk about started before I'd even heard of Minetest.
2636
2637My arrival in Minetest was an accident that postdated both Landmine and Maciek. Mr. Tux, who still stops by IRC occasionally, was there at the time and will confirm the circumstances.
2638
2639In mid-2012, I was the technical director of a FOSS gamedev project named Facade. This was Xavier Sythe's Facade, the project that is now called Nanoforge, not the Facade that won at the 2006 Slamdance Festival.
2640
2641I was involved in a 2nd FOSS project as well. I don't remember the name of the 2nd project.
2642
2643I went to Minetest to retrieve a mentally ill teenager, Keegan, who'd gone from one of the projects to Minetest and was causing problems. There is a little more about Keegan below.
2644
2645For those who are curious, a screenshot of Facade follows.
2646Facade aka Nanoforge game
2647
2648As a related note, I went public regarding my identity and my life in 2012. Everything has been out there for 5 years. Much of what I say about myself as well as others can be checked.
2649
2650B.3. As a note to my friend:
2651
2652Yes, I know that Octupus is gone. Let's think of him as somebody that you may have known. I'm using the name because it simplifies things.
2653
2654A rewrite isn't necessary. Don't delete the past again. Make corrections going forward. This is what I'm trying to do, myself.
2655
2656To put it another way, the current session matters. It isn't a scratch tape any longer. It's something that you can, and should, work with.
2657
2658Do you remember what I told you four years ago? Four years ago this week, actually. My feelings are the same now as they were then:
2659
2660Thank you!
2661And I hope your own purpose evolves
2662That there is a tree
2663Of branches of people and purposes
2664It is an amazing thought
2665We can all be many things
2666And purpose is what we should strive for
2667A tree
2668Puts out branches
2669Reaches for the sky
2670To grow is what it should try
2671For
2672Before
2673the end
2674image
2675
2676B.4. Octupus is helpful. He's also creative. He and I co-wrote a story in 2013. Here's the link:
2677
2678http://oldcoder.org/general/artwork/watercodia.html
2679
2680The hero of the story is named, of course, Octo :-)
2681
2682As Landmine -- who he has been -- Octupus is dangerous as well.
2683
2684He intentionally provoked Keegan to rage and laughed about it. And Keegan had access to guns in real life. I had to contact the boy's school and his family. He was taken out of IRC temporarily.
2685
2686No, I don't apologize for mixing IRC and IRL. This was a real person with real weapons.
2687
2688B.5. Octupus has used multiple names. This isn't unusual. But he's used more than a few and, in some cases, he's used them for 2 to 5 years.
2689
2690He's dedicated to the project. More so than anybody else. He did the initial versions of a number of Minetest mods under different names. Five years later, he continues to innovate.
2691
2692This is an unusual person. When we first talked, he told me that he'd never talked to another human being until he was 14 years old.
2693
2694I don't know if it's true or not. But it's consistent with the explanation that he offered me recently.
2695
2696None of this, the people part, is a normal game. This isn't a troll. His explanation, if it's true, is wonderful.
2697
2698B.6. Over time, I observed, in PM, some of my friend's registered-nick changes. As you may be aware, this is a feature of Freenode that can be used to track who is who.
2699
2700Additionally, some of his alter egos told me what they were. This could have been a game played by several people. However, very few people will coordinate this type of game for years.
2701
2702Better still, two of the alter egos phoned me in real life. I believe that the two voices were the same person, though this is a subjective assessment.
2703
2704The two voices were those of Landmine (Misael Roman) and Real Bad Angel (Maciek Kasatkin).
2705
2706Maciek persuaded me, in his phone call, to move to Poland. I actually made shipping arrangements and priced the plane ticket before I learned that none of it was real.
2707
2708People are surprisingly arrogant, at times, in their remarks about my remarks concerning our departed Angel of Code.
2709
2710My response to them is:
2711
2712Hey, this guy talked me into flying to another country and moving in with him. I got as far as making the shipping arrangements and pricing the plane ticket.
2713
2714This was IRL and not IRC.
2715
2716I was vulnerable at the time. I nearly died twice. The game that he was playing would have finished me. Where do you get off criticizing my positions or my feelings related to somebody who affected me IRL?
2717
2718I confronted Maciek in late 2015, shortly before he died or faked his death. Here's an excerpt from the discussion. This is condensed. There's a bit more on my weblog.
2719
2720<OldCoder> Reality is both objective and subjective, Maciek. But there are things that are physical, things that have mass and are present in the world.
2721
2722<OldCoder> What I'd like to know... I think I can phrase this right:
2723
2724<OldCoder> Suppose that I'd spent the last of my funds to go to Poland, taken the flight, gotten on the train... Would there have been a physical person present at the train stop in the small town?
2725
2726<OldCoder> Or would I have stood there alone on the platform, realizing that I was about to die?
2727
2728<Maciek> i had a physical place at my home set up for you
2729
2730<Maciek> it was you who decided that “im not real”
2731
2732<OldCoder> I did not decide this. I have not decided it now.
2733
2734<OldCoder> This is a loose end in my life; deciding what was and remains real... What I learned after reviewing things you had said... was that nothing you'd said about the Law was true.
2735
2736<OldCoder> At about the same time, I received a phone call... from somebody who was not real. A real-world phone call, not online chat. The voice was constructed.
2737
2738<OldCoder> I saw other things during this period that strained the boundaries of what I'd known. I met the Angel of Death twice. Did you know about that? The touch of His wings as they brush across your face...
2739
2740<OldCoder> I came to understand the extent to which physical reality matters. And the extent to which it does not.
2741
2742<OldCoder> Additionally, try to understand the extent to which one can change after coming to understand...
2743
2744<OldCoder> that most people don't give a f*** about physical reality.
2745
2746<OldCoder> I never decided for sure whether or not you were physically real. You didn't fit the pattern that Octupus and his friends...
2747
2748<OldCoder> Sokomine is him, isn't she?
2749
2750<OldCoder> ...had at the time. He did not try to be gruff older Coders...
2751
2752<OldCoder> But there were anomalies in our phone call, and what you said about the Law was not true.
2753
2754<OldCoder> Ever since then, I've wondered, what would have become of me if I'd flown? My guess is that it would have been the end of me. There is something else...
2755
2756<OldCoder> Whoever and whatever you are, Vanessa respects you, and she is tired IRL these days. Speak as kindly to her as possible when you can and help her to feel needed and respected.
2757
2758<OldCoder> This is something we all, all those who can feel, need, and to feel is, ultimately, what is required to be real.
2759
2760The photo below captures some of the feelings that I have about all of this. I refer to it as “So Bright the Illusion”.
2761So Bright the Illusion
2762
2763B.7. My friend has acknowledged, in public chat, that he'd been Octupus in 2013. Read the logs for the day that things exploded. And Octupus was Landmine.
2764
2765B.8. Here's a short but interesting list of Minetest people. Each person is likely to be at least one of the others.
2766
2767* Landmine: 2012 to circa 2014: Landmine was a notable figure.
2768
2769Around Spring 2012, a “boy” was banned from the Minetest forums. I don't recall his name. But he activated a dormant identity that he'd created some months before. The identity was named “Landmine”.
2770
2771Landmine had a real-life name (Misael Roman), a country (Mexico), and a fleshed-out background. There was a college, there were photos, there was even a preference for Asian women.
2772
2773But he wasn't real. Or, at least, Misael Roman, the putative real person, wasn't Landmine.
2774
2775Real or not, Landmine was memorable. I had associates, at the time, who had connections to the federal government. They told me, independently, that Landmine, under the Misael Roman name, had made a watch-list of low-level potential threats.
2776
2777Landmine suspected that I'd uncovered his real-life identity. He pressured me, even threatened me, until I turned over everything that I'd found. When he saw that it was just the Misael Roman data, he heaved a sigh of relief.
2778
2779He wasn't in Mexico. And, for those who understand the point, he wasn't in Poland either.
2780
2781Landmine used VPNs to express, in #minetest, his unhappiness with events. He was loud for months.
2782
2783I think that he's expecting me to proceed similarly now. One of his likely alternate identities has commented on this point. However, I expect to proceed in a more subtle manner.
2784
2785More subtle at times, anyway. I'll proceed as I deem to be appropriate. Just as every normal that I've ever met does.
2786
2787The situation in 2012 was serious enough that Perttu granted me op privileges in #minetest. This was in exchange for my promise to deal with Landmine. What Perttu and the others didn't understand was that the right way to deal with things was simply to be honest and fair.
2788
2789Honest and fair are concepts that normals talk about. They rarely engage in such practices.
2790
2791Regardless, I earned the op privileges. Perttu's revocation of the privileges, without discussion, was unreasonable. It calls for a response. I'll find my own small ways to demonstrate how I feel.
2792
2793In an amusing note, at one point, the pretend “boy” from the forums, the one who was Landmine, criticized me for failing to stop Landmine quickly enough.
2794
2795* Octupus: 2012 to 2015: My friend has admitted publicly to being Octupus. And Octupus was Landmine.
2796
2797It's interesting to note that Octupus always geolocated to the Cayman Islands, which was where he was supposed to be. Just as Landmine geolocated to Mexico, which is where *he* was supposed to be.
2798
2799But my friend is located in the U.K. And he's admitted to being Octupus.
2800
2801This means that he's been maintaining IP addresses at fixed locations in specific countries since 2012 or before.
2802
2803* The Red Mood: 2012: He claimed to be Landmine. The manner of “speech” that he adopted when he did so was consistent. However, this isn't proof.
2804
2805* Jeija: 2012: There was a “J” person who was probably one of Landmine's alter egos. I don't remember who it was for sure. It might have been Jeija.
2806
2807I can say that “J” claimed to live with several young ladies. They were him, of course. He brought one of them to IRC. She told a boy, Mr. Tux, that she “loved” him. That was taking things too far.
2808
2809“J” claimed to know the full story about Landmine. He said: “There are two men, one older and one younger. The older one controls the younger one.”
2810
2811One interpretation might be that the older man was Maciek Kasatkin (Real Bad Angel) and the younger one was Misael Roman (Landmine).
2812
2813I don't think that “J” meant that Real Bad Angel and Landmine were physically different people. I think that this was about the same type of relationship that Landmine and Octupus had.
2814
2815Landmine was Octupus. But, at one point, Landmine ordered Octupus to disappear. Octupus did so and then he came back.
2816
2817I asked Octupus why he came back. His response is pasted below in the next section.
2818
2819Technical note: Octupus's effective age in this discussion is just 7 years old, but it ranged from 7 to 21 over the next few years. As the core identity evolved, Octupus grew up.
2820
2821The RBA referred to here is, of course, Real Bad Angel; i.e., Maciek. As a note to Octupus, yes, things did get better.
2822
2823Q. When you write in the private channel or in PM, and I receive a message from Octupus; are the things that are said how you actually feel at the time? Am I dealing with a genuine Octupus in some sense of the word genuine? Do the questions make sense?
2824
2825Q. If the questions do not make sense, do not be concerned
2826
2827A. let me read it again
2828
2829A. sometimes
2830
2831Q. Sometimes. I will ask about the second issue. Then that will be all about the matter for now.
2832
2833Q. If this is complicated, do not answer. No need today. There was a Octupus who told me he was not allowed to “socialize” any longer. I said he should proceed as was best. But Octupus reappeared. Am I talking to physically the Octupus who talked about “socialize” ? If so, why did you come back?
2834
2835A. because
2836
2837A. ifelt bored not talking to any1
2838
2839Q. You have skipped part of the answer. If you don't wish to answer it is all right. Are you the same Octupus who said that to me?
2840
2841A. its good to think postitive
2842
2843Q. I have tried
2844
2845A. things will get better you will see
2846
2847Q. I am evolving. I am not perfect. Nobody is. But I am trying to make the right decisions these days.
2848
2849A. ok
2850
2851A. Yes coder i am the same Octupus that was scared of the fish with the big teeth. the reason i really came back was i wanted to have a conversation with ppl.a nd i wanted to have a friend i could trust.also i got bored of talking to no1.
2852
2853Q. I am working with RBA right this minute on his next change
2854
2855A. cool
2856
2857A. alright
2858
2859A. Im happy
2860
2861A. im helping and doing something construstive
2862
2863* MarkV: 2013 to 2014: He was part of the Landmine group. This was one of the people who I identified using registered-nick changes.
2864
2865As a related note, MarkV hung out with, and possibly was, one of the people who was DDoSing Freenode at the time. He brought the DDoSer to my channels. Freenode questioned me about this. I don't recall what I told them.
2866
2867* Puka: 2015 to 2017: No proof of identities. But he tends to appear and disappear in sync with disappearances and reappearances by certain other people.
2868
2869* Compunerd: 2014 to 2015: I spoke with Compunerd for months. He seemed perfectly normal.
2870
2871One day, I offered to let Compunerd read some chapters from a book in progress that I was working on. He was replaced by Octupus the next day. And Octupus hadn't visited for two years.
2872
2873This doesn't prove anything. But the timing of Octupus's reappearance was interesting.
2874
2875* Phox and T.J. Beylik: 2014 to 2017: These two people may have nothing to do with Octupus and Landmine. However, they're probably each other.
2876
2877* AlyssaV, APileOfSticks, and similar names: 2015 to 2017: She's on the list for the benefit of people who have concerns related to her.
2878
2879I don't know what to make of this person. She doesn't seem to be Landmine. Her reasons and behavior are different. But this is probably an eccentric man as opposed to a girl.
2880
2881Alyssa insisted on talking, early on, about her identity and the identity of her “father”. In fact, her nick was her full real-life name, both first name and last name. This was one of a number of red flags.
2882
2883Her “father” actually existed. He was an author who focused on Robin Hood novels.
2884
2885I could have phoned him and asked him if he had any connection to the “girl” who claimed to be his daughter. Or whether or not he *was* the “girl”. But I didn't want to get into whatever real-world game Alyssa was playing.
2886
2887Alyssa displayed signs that she was actually her “father's” age. Then, one day, she talked about things that Santa Claus had done to her. I banned her immediately.
2888
2889She apparently went to “Paul's” servers after that. “Paul” has told me that he also suspected her of being a role-player. But “Paul” lied to me for a year about his views on the Maciek issue. So, it's difficult to know what he really thought.
2890
2891I allowed Alyssa back onto my servers, under other names, upon her promise of acceptable behavior. I even voiced her in the #-project channel.
2892
2893Perttu complained, after that, about the behavior of “children” in the channel. The ironic part is that one of the “children”, Alyssa, was probably a 40-year-old man.
2894
2895As the saying goes, “You can't make this stuff up”. I'm done with pretending that this sort of thing doesn't happen and with apologizing for talking about it.
2896
2897It's a reality that people who run public servers of any type need to be aware of and to deal with.
2898
2899* Sokomine: 2012 to 2017: Sokomine is likely to be the same person as Octupus, The Red Mood, Landmine, and my friend.
2900
2901I took samples of her text to somebody, a Zen-like neuro-diverse type, who's good at some types of analysis. He spotted an odd habit of Sokomine's immediately. He said that the habit demonstrated that Sokomine was a man and not a woman.
2902
2903I mentioned the habit to Sokomine. If I remember correctly, she never did it again.
2904
2905The fact that Sokomine made the change suggests that she's one of the roleplayers in Minetest. It doesn't prove that she's in the Landmine group, but there are other signs which suggest that this is possible.
2906
2907* LAD or Laugh All Day: 2012 to 2016: LAD is in the Landmine group. Not definite, but high odds.
2908
2909There is no strong evidence. However, he and Octupus both did the same unusual thing a few months apart. I'll withhold the details for now.
2910
2911Additionally, a neuro-diverse person, somebody who could spot things, visited my channels one day. He saw LAD and immediately PM'd me to say “What the Hell is THAT??” He couldn't parse LAD at all.
2912
2913The “Laugh All Day” part resonates with something that The Red Mood told me. He used to say, “I'm a deaf-mute. But my girlfriend says that I laugh better than anybody she knows.”
2914
2915* Nekogloop: 2012: There is no solid evidence that connects Nekogloop to Landmine.
2916
2917However, Nekogloop told me some interesting and possibly relevant things once.
2918
2919He said that he was a man pretending to be a boy pretending to be a cat.
2920
2921I asked him what that was like. He said that it was like being deep underwater, so deep that you almost couldn't see the surface. But you could look up and tell that it was there.
2922
2923Additionally, on one occasion, Nekogloop and Landmine had an unusual public debate. I had the impression that it had been scripted or that one person was acting out the two sides. I think that somebody else, probably CoRNeRNoTe, felt the same way.
2924
2925This said, Nekogloop may simply have been an ordinary roleplayer.
2926
2927* Real Bad Angel (Maciek Kasatkin; also Maciej): 2012 to 2016: The odds are that Maciek was, and is, several of the people on this list.
2928
2929Is he the same physical person as Landmine? I talked to both of them on the phone, in real life, and this was my sense. But the only facts that are close to established is that he's dead, in one sense, and alive, in another.
2930
2931To put it another way, Maciek isn't coming back. However, the person that he's become, something that he tried to explain to me recently in PM, will see this letter.
2932
2933* Shara: I don't know and I don't want to know.
2934
2935I value Shara. I appreciate things that she's done. Over a year ago, I told her that I wouldn't look into this issue as far as she was concerned.
2936
2937However, this said, Shara needs to decide for herself what is right and what is wrong.
2938
2939I know that what I've described above seems wrong to me. It isn't selfish to say that people have been unfair and that I feel cheated out of what I've earned.
2940
2941I won't simply write off a good chunk of the last part of my life.
2942
2943Perttu and Shara, both of you, I want that which was taken from me without cause back.
2944
2945(end of document)
2946
2947NEWS 170429:
2948
2949A new world, OldCoder Capture the Flag, is up and running at:
2950
2951Server: minetest.org     Port: 30017
2952
2953This world is presently based on an unmodified copy of Rubenwardy's CTF modset.
2954
2955An experienced CTF player says that it's a pretty close match, and replacement, for Rubenwardy's CTF world, which has shut down.
2956
2957Map, goals, and rules are the same as before.
2958Minetest Capture the Flag
2959
2960NEWS 170428:
2961
2962The answers to red-002's questions have been moved to the unsorted page for now.
2963
2964As an update, red-002 seems to have acknowledged that he mis-read the “/tracker” link that he talked about before.
2965
2966NEWS 170427:
2967
2968* Minetest, the Community Edition, would like to welcome red-002 of Dublin as a reader.
2969
2970* The ServerError: Lua: Invalid float vector dimension range error cropped up in Lord of the Test (LOTT) on the morning of April 27.
2971
2972I'd never seen this error before, but encountered it twice in the space of a few hours - in two totally different Minetest _games.
2973
2974LOTT's _game hadn't changed much in months. Conclusion: This may be related either to a core bug or to a core fix that exposes a common bug in old _game code.
2975
2976NEWS 170426:
2977
2978This post will be moved to a new modding section in due course.
2979
2980I was asked recently how to make Quest Test mobs spawn Experience Orbs if you fought such mobs and won.
2981
2982It proved to be trickier than expected. Both Quest Test and Experience had bugs.
2983
2984This post provides fixes for the bugs as well as the code needed for the requested feature. It also outlines, for novice Minetest modders, how I approach issues of this type.
2985
2986The first step was to create a test world.
2987
2988In this case, the test world was based on Mineville, the new standard Minetest _game, plus Quest Test, Experience, and playereffects, which Quest Test requires.
2989
2990It was clear in advance that I was going to be modifying Quest Test and that the modified Quest Test was going to depend on Experience. So, I added an experience line to Quest Test's depends.txt file.
2991
2992I didn't include TenPlus1's Mobs Redo API.
2993
2994TenPlus1's Mobs Redo API has a hook for mob death named on_die that would work well for the desired purpose.
2995
2996But the request was to make this work for Quest Test, which has its own Mobs API.
2997
2998I omitted a few of Quest Test's dependencies. In practice, world hosts would need to add all of them.
2999
3000I booted the test world and ran into a problem. The world crashed repeatedly with this error message:
3001
3002ServerError: Lua: Invalid float vector dimension range 'x' (expected -2.14748e+06 < x < 2.14748e+06 got -nan
3003
3004This problem turned out to be related to Quest Test Mobs API code that had been inherited from older mods.
3005
3006Simple fixes didn't work. In the end, I rewrote parts of the function involved. The patch is provided further down.
3007
3008The next step was to try to get Quest Test mob deaths to create Experience Orbs.
3009
3010Quest Test's Mobs API code was in a file named qt_mobs/api.lua.
3011
3012The code omitted on_die or similar hooks but did include a standard Minetest on_punch function. And the on_punch function included code to implement object drops on mob deaths.
3013
3014Eureka. In theory, this was all that I needed. I implemented the requested feature by adding new code to that part of on_punch. The new code was just two lines long:
3015
3016local pos = self.object:getpos()
3017minetest.env:add_entity (pos, "experience:orb")
3018
3019At the point where the code was added, self.object was guaranteed to be the entity object associated with a dying mob.
3020
3021I spawned some Quest Test mobs and battled them to the death. But nothing special happened. The new code simply wasn't called.
3022
3023I'd added the new code to the mobs code that implemented drop objects on death. So why wasn't it called at the same time that objects were dropped?
3024
3025The answer was simple. A test showed that Quest Test's mobs didn't actually drop objects on death. The code for this was present, but it didn't line up with the Minetest Lua API.
3026
3027I fixed that issue. The patch is provided further down.
3028
3029Quest Test mob deaths spawned Experience Orbs. Success. Except for the fact that Experience Orbs caused crashes when I asked a player to test the new code.
3030
3031Oh, well.
3032
3033The Experience Orbs crashes occurred because the Experience mod didn't create a required data file in some cases. So, I patched that issue. The result was a working _game.
3034
3035Screenshots of a Quest Test mob and Experience Orbs created by battles with such mobs are shown below. Patches and ZIP files are provided after the jump.
3036
3037This particular mob is the deadly Crystal Man. Quest Test includes a few additional creatures, such as the Nether Zombie, the QT Alien, and Quest Test's versions of the Pig and the Snowman.
3038Minetest Crystalman Mob
3039Minetest Experience Orb
3040
3041To browse or download a patch file for the Experience changes discussed above, click here.
3042
3043To browse or download a patch file for the Quest Test changes discussed above, click here.
3044
3045The patch files are in standard Linux patch-file format. Note: They won't display well on phones.
3046
3047To get the ZIP files for the complete modified mods, including my changes, use this link for Experience and this link for Quest Test.
3048
3049My versions of the mods are not necessarily synced with upstream. They'll work with copies of Mineville downloaded at the same time. However, they may not be compatible with minetest_game.
3050
3051Note that minetest_game is deprecated.
3052
3053NEWS 170423:
3054
3055* I was asked recently, how do you make Rubenwardy's awards mod dispense actual prizes as opposed to status bumps?
3056
3057Well, first, I'd like to note that the mod should be named Rubenawardy :P It stands to reason, right?
3058
3059But, to dispense a prize, just edit the Lua register_achievement call for the award that you'd like to prize-ify and add a prizes line similar to the one shown below.
3060
3061The prizes line goes in the settings list outside of the trigger block.
3062
3063This particular example gives the player a diamond as an award for digging his or her first dirt.
3064
3065awards.register_achievement ("awards_dirt", {
3066    background  = "awards_bg_mining.png"    ,
3067    description = S("Mine your first dirt") ,
3068    icon        =
3069"default_obsidian.png^awards_level1.png"    ,
3070    prizes      = { "default:diamond"  }    ,
3071    title       = S("Dirt")                 ,
3072
3073    trigger  = {
3074        node   = "default:dirt" ,
3075        target = 1              ,
3076        type   = "dig"          ,
3077    } 
3078})
3079
3080NEWS 170421:
3081
3082A dedicated and friendly group of upstream trolls DDoSed minetest.org on Friday. To ensure uninterrupted service, we're moving to Cloudflare for now.
3083
3084This will mean that world addresses will need to switch from minetest.org to some other hostname so that the website can continue to operate.
3085
3086Thanks for confusing the kids, friends, and for disrupting worlds that have been in place for years.
3087
3088TO IA TEAM:
3089
3090This notice certifies that Robert Kiraly is the current owner of the domains minetest.org, minebest.org, and minebest.net, and that email from oldcoder@yahoo.com regarding these domains is to be taken as authoritative.
3091
3092The Old Coder's 5-year anniversary is right around now. People forget that he's been here all along. Just for fun, news entries from 2012 have been added to the old-news page. To visit the page, click here.
3093
3094NEWS 170419:
3095
3096* It's our understanding that upstream Minetest has broken things again. The solution is simple: Run Minetest, the community edition, the one with sneak, improved games, and soon 64x64 skins and complete, ready to host, worlds.
3097
3098The one that listens, the one that adds your own stuff, and the one with an inclusive philosophy.
3099
3100Or you can run the unstable Minetest that breaks your worlds. The one that talks to you like this:
3101
3102<sfan5> and in all honesty i am getting tired of this
3103<Shara> Break it in a way that doesn't alienate so many people.
3104<sfan5> unless there is disgreement in the dev team the second PR will be the best you see
3105<sfan5> have fun doing your hostile fork
3106<sfan5> have fun seein the fork die
3107
3108It's your choice. But feel free to offer Minetest, the friendly version, your own mods, drawings, Blender models, suggestions, and requests. We won't make fun of your concerns or talk about how your efforts should die.
3109
3110For now, contact is by Freenode IRC in #minetest-project. PM OldCoder there for voice. A minetest.org email address will be set up.
3111
3112NEWS 170418:
3113
3114* The Old Coder needs to focus on IRL work and other matters for the rest of the month.
3115
3116* VaultTowers suggests that Minetest, the official community edition, prepare Snaps for use in the Ubuntu Store.
3117
3118Our response is, sure, but we might be able to force Debian to change the default package instead. This would switch Debian, Ubuntu, Mint, and related distros to the appropriate version of Minetest.
3119
3120NEWS 170415:
3121
3122* Moontest zoomable maps have been added to the zoomable maps system. To go to that section, click here.
3123
3124These maps only cover the Lunar underground through low orbit. Earth will be added at a later date.
3125
3126The 1st screenshot below shows DFeniks' and T.J. Beylik's Sky Palace, which floats in the sky a little to the east of Moontest spawn. To see a zoomable map of the area, click here.
3127
3128The 2nd screenshot shows Moontest Funland. To see a zoomable map of the area, click here. The circle to the left, or west, of Funland is the Flower Jar, a tall greenhouse.
3129Moontest Sky Palace
3130Moontest Funland
3131
3132NEWS 170414:
3133
3134* In Minetest, zoomable map generation requires a data file named colors.txt. This file provides color definitions for Minetest nodes.
3135
3136Vanessa hosts a copy of the file that holds about 15,700 definitions. It's outdated for some purposes, so minetest.org is pleased to announce that an updated copy with 23,040 definitions is now available.
3137
3138To download a ZIP file containing the updated colors.txt file, click here.
3139
3140If you need Vanessa's version for compatibility reasons, a mirror of that file as it was in April 2017 may be obtained at this link.
3141
3142NEWS 170413:
3143
3144* Updated Landrush zoomable maps have been added to the zoomable maps system. To go to that section, click here.
3145
3146The 1st screenshot below shows parts of 4 subterranean levels of a large Landrush complex by NiQo. To see a zoomable map of the complex, click here.
3147
3148The 2nd screenshot below shows the Harpold Community Center. To see a zoomable map of the area, click here.
3149
3150Update: A new colors.txt data file is available. For more information, scroll up to the 170414 news section.
3151Minetest Landrush Subterranean Complex
3152Minetest Landrush Harpold Center
3153
3154NEWS 170412:
3155
3156A new world named Mandelbox, possibly just temporary, has been launched. This is a fractal world based on code by Mator the Eternal. The layout is a little unusual. I've taken the liberty of adding strawberry cake as one of the fractal palette nodes.
3157
3158The world is presently located at:
3159
3160Server: minetest.org   Port: 30028
3161
3162For screenshots, see below.
3163Minetest Fractal Mandelbox
3164Minetest Fractal Mandelbox
3165
3166For old news, click here.
3167Introduction
3168
3169Minetest is a free blocky game for all ages and a fun and flexible game platform for developers.
3170
3171The project is, regrettably, associated indirectly with child sexual harassment. We'll discuss the parties involved in due course.
3172
3173Minetest can be used by itself on your home computer or Android phone. Or you can visit other people's worlds in your home or school network or out there on the Internet.
3174
3175Minetest is similar to other games that involve mining and crafting, but it is separate from those games and has its own personality.
3176
3177One of Minetest's features is that its worlds can be very large, up to about 60,000 by 60,000 by 60,000 blocks.
3178
3179There's plenty of room to dig, build, fly about (in worlds that have rocket ships), and explore.
3180
3181But the program's most important feature is its flexibility. Ages 13 to 93 can learn to extend the game, add new features, and even create new animals or monsters.
3182main screenshot
3183Downloads
3184How to get Minetest for Windows
3185
3186For now, we're distributing one Minetest ZIP file for both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows. Click on this link: minetest.zip
3187
3188Two games are included: CloneCraft and Mineville. These are discussed later on this page.
3189
3190This version has LuaJIT: Fast is a blast. It also has legacy sneak; this is a feature that some players prefer to upstream sneak.
3191How to run Minetest for Windows
3192
31931) To install the program, first delete your old copy of Windows Minetest, if you have one. Save any files from it that you want to keep.
3194
3195Unpack the new ZIP file. If you're a kid, get a parent or a friend to help with this part.
3196
31972) Go into the new minetest folder. Run the minetest.exe file in the bin directory under that.
3198
31993) To play CloneCraft, click on the Singleplayer tab, then on the 1st icon on the bottom, then on clonecraft, then on Play.
3200
3201To play Mineville instead, click on Singleplayer, then on the 2nd icon on the bottom, then on mineville, then on Play.
3202
3203Note: The icons may move around if you install or create more Minetest games.
3204
32054) To visit Minetest worlds on the Internet, click on the Client tab instead of Singleplayer.
3206
32075) If you play in singleplayer mode and want to add a privilege, execute a command similar to:
3208
3209/grant singleplayer noclip
3210
3211Specify the privilege that you want, instead of noclip.
3212
3213To grant yourself all privileges, execute:
3214
3215/grant singleplayer all
3216
32176) If you create a new CloneCraft world, instead of using the one provided, be sure to select mapgen v6 and not v7. Or you won't get trees.
3218Minetest for Linux
3219
3220To get the source tarball in TBZ format, click on this link: minetest.tbz
3221
3222If possible, build both servers and clients using this tarball.
3223
3224Build scripts and Linux binaries will be added here later.
3225Minetest for Android
3226
3227We've got a copy of Lord Fingle's enhanced Android Minetest codebase and plan to merge it. Android APKs should be available after that. Possibly both here and in the Play Store.
3228
3229Source code details
3230
3231Minetest core source code is based on a git upstream. Presently, the core tree is identical to git as of 170404 except for two changes:
3232
3233* localplayer.cpp and localplayer.h have been reverted to restore legacy sneak.
3234
3235* The following patch is used to make player-joined messages modifiable:
3236
3237core17040301.txt
3238
3239Features and differences
3240
32411) This edition of Minetest has legacy sneak.
3242
32432) The Windows ZIP file comes with two new games, CloneCraft and Mineville.
3244
3245CloneCraft is similar to a well-known game that involves mining and crafting. It's based primarily on MineClone 2 by Wuzzy. The forum thread for MineClone 2 is located at:
3246
3247https://forum.minetest.net/viewtopic.php?t=16407
3248
3249Mineville is a successor to minetest_game. It's discussed in the next section below.
3250
32513) New minetest.conf settings based on octacian suggestion: (*)
3252
3253joinedtext1=Hooray,
3254joinedtext2=has returned
3255
3256These two settings will change the player-join message to be something like: “Hooray, ElfTron has returned”. There is no provision yet for random messages, but this could be added easily.
3257
3258(*) Not in Windows ZIP file yet.
3259
3260Notes on Mineville
3261
3262Mineville is a successor to minetest_game. Here are some of the changes:
3263
3264* Unified Inventory instead of sfinv. Reasons: As of Spring 2017, sfinv doesn't have a craft guide. It also may not be compatible with some mods.
3265
3266* Modified creative mod, to maintain compatibility with Unified Inventory.
3267
3268* Farming Redo instead of farming.
3269
3270* Add a number of lightweight but useful or fun mods such as abriglass, areas, bookex, cozy, flowerpot, handholds, intllib, rotate, xban2, and xdecor.
3271
3272* Add one mod that leans towards heavy but is just 1 MB in size: a light version of ambience.
3273Zoom into Minetest
3274
3275For maps of a few tourist attractions, click on these links.
3276
3277Allow a few seconds for a map to load. You can use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out. Or you can click on the + and - buttons in the upper left corner. To scroll a map, left click and drag.
3278
3279Blank areas are usually areas that haven't been generated yet.
3280
3281Finerealms ChainLynx
3282Finetown
3283 
3284Finerealms Hill Valley 1955
3285Finerealms Howlsylvania
3286Finerealms Little Italy
3287Finerealms Pukaton
3288Finerealms Sokotello
3289Finerealms New York
3290Finerealms Flying Base
3291Finerealms Statue of Liberty
3292Finerealms Stadium
3293Finerealms Zegaton
3294Landrush Fuinur Dome
3295Landrush Harpold Center
3296Landrush NiQo Complex
3297Landrush Spawn City
3298Meowtest Spawn City #1
3299Meowtest Zen Pyramid
3300Moontest Funland
3301 
3302Moontest Lunarville
3303Moontest Moonkitten Base
3304Moontest Sky Palace
3305Redcrab Makalu
3306 
3307Redcrab Mystery Object
3308Redcrab Fort Modesto
3309Redcrab Desert City
3310Redcrab Las Vegas
3311
3312In the Flying Base area, the Flying Base, created by Sparky, is the plane-like object in the middle.
3313
3314CoffeeCrafter's continent in Redcrab, which includes the city of Makalu linked above, is amazing.
3315CoderBlox are Not Ad Hox
3316
3317CoderBlox World is launched. This is a simple mgv7 world, presently with ambience, floatlands, and lightning, but no mobs. Screenshot is below. The world is located at:
3318
3319Server: minetest.org   Port: 30027
3320
3321Thanks are due RobbieF of Category 5 TV.
3322main screenshot
3323More Minetest Stuff
3324
3325For a nice resource list started by TvAnenna (aka TVAntenna), click here.
3326
3327Mods and _games will be added here.
3328
3329A screenshot gallery and list of interesting worlds will be added here.
3330
3331A preloaded Minetest media cache will be added here.
3332Earthlings
3333
3334CoRNeRNoTe, who contributed to this site, asks that you watch Earthlings, a free multi-award winning film that aims to make the world a better place.
3335Notices
3336
3337IRC chat:
3338
3339#minetest-project in Freenode.
3340
3341#minetest-general in the network irc.minetest.org. This channel has some of the OldCoder worlds in it.
3342
3343Privacy policy:
3344
3345This site collects information related to visitors. The information is used for such legitimate and reasonable purposes as are deemed appropriate.
3346
3347CSS:
3348
3349The CSS used by this page is based on Minetest Bootstrap Theme by CoRNeRNoTe, the author of Minetest Skyblock.
3350
3351License:
3352
3353Hosted content that does not belong to others, and that is not otherwise licensed, is placed under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0.
3354
3355The rights-holder, for such content, is OldCoder. Where other licenses are stated, those licenses take precedence over this notice.