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Posted on: 08-12-08 01:06 PM Posted by: Paul Carleton
First off I wanted to apologize for all the down time the last couple of months. We recently upgraded our forum software and while some of the problems we had were due to the upgrade and fine tuning we had some additional issues with our server setup as well. We have also been the victim of some rather vicious attacks on our server from one or more sources.
Sunday and Monday of this week, we were under a Denial of Service attack.
This may not have been only limited to the last couple of days and very well may have been going on for some time now.
I had my provider monitor our server yesterday and he caught an attack on our server by someone trying to close us down. They managed to crash us Sunday night and when we got back up Monday morning they attacked us again. My provider trace down the source of the attack to at least 10 IP's that were targeting us.
We also may have had issues with the Mirror on our Dual Hard Drives so they rebuilt our RAID and updated our Kernel on our server. This will hopefully speed things up.
It seems a bit faster to me at this time. Is it loading faster for you guys?
Lastly I would like to apologize for not being on the SPoT as much lately. I have been very strapped for time so I have not been able to participate much. I love the SPoT and I consider you all to be my friends. We recently lost some of our Editors because they felt I wasn’t doing enough around here to support all of you and to support them. It was very sad to see them go but the hardest thing about it was to see people leave who had been with us for such a long time, which I trusted and considered to be friends, who left with such hard feelings towards me.
Unfortunately as much as I would like to put in a lot more time here, due to the time it takes to keep this place going it has seriously impacted my real Job over the years, which I depend on for my livelihood. I have had to spend the last 8 months trying to rebuild that business which has not been easy, especially with the recent slowdown in the economy, which my job as an Estate Planner is closely tied to. I am going to have to continue to keep working on building my business backup so I don’t foresee any improvement in my postings in the forums.
Since the downturn in the economy has also affected the Spot’s sources of revenue, Club Memberships and Advertising from our Sponsors, which is what keeps us going, I had to cut back on paid technical support and have to do most of the troubleshooting myself. So what time I do have, I have to spend it trying to keep the SPoT working and dealing with customer support behind the scenes. I have already put in about 5 hours this morning behind the scenes on troubleshooting, customer service and getting the SPottie Idol Contest up and going. The SPottie Idol Contest had been delayed due to all of the problems we have been having. Starting August 15th, 2008 we will begin the search for our first SPottie Idol. See the other post I made in the Announcements section for the details on this.
On a positive note, I want to thank all those members who have continued to show their support, especially those Editors and Moderators, who volunteer their time, and who continue to cover for me while I have not been able to. If I have been guilty of not supporting you enough or telling you how much I appreciate your support and hard work, then I apologize.
I also want to thank the loyal membership base that have showed their support over the years and continue to do so. Frankly we wouldn’t be here without your support and as long as you continue to support the SPoT I will continue to try to do my best to keep it going and running as smoothly as possible.
While it has been a bit slow on the SPoT lately, summer has always been that way. Hopefully as we head into the fall and the Holiday Season things will pick up. The SPottie Idol contest should be a lot of fun and I am looking forward to seeing how that progresses. Do you have what it takes to become the 1st SPottie Idol???
PS: An update on Winston.
Winston continues to do well after his spinal surgery where he had 6 discs removed. He is back up and walking on a limited basis. This is a big improvement considering the Neurologist only gave him a 5 percent chance we would ever walk again.
All 11 Puppies which were born the day after Christmas are all well. Most have gone to their homes and we kept a couple as well.
This was another reason this year has been a tough one on me. Teaching Winston to walk all over again and keeping 11 puppies alive. Half where so small when they were born that they were not expected to live. Luckily all 11 are doing well!
Posted on: 08-12-08 12:10 PM Posted by: Paul Carleton
Do you have what it takes to become the next SPottie Idol?????
First off sorry for the delay in getting the contest started. Due to all the down time we have been having the last couple of months, we had to delay the start of the contest. It is hard to have a contest if the contestants can’t get on to post. So Starting in August 15th 2008 and running until the end of September, the SPoT is going to hold an audition and competition to find the top 10 SPotties, one of which will eventually be crowned the next SPottie Idol!
During the Audition period we are going to narrow down the list to the following 3 groups.
The top 6 Club Members (Paid Members)
The top 2 “Free” Members (Non-Paid Members)
The top 2 “Moderator/Editors”. (Myself Excluded) Since the Editors don’t get paid here and they put in a heck of a lot of work they deserve a shot at your vote and support for “SPottie Idol”.
Those Members who contribute the most in postings to the SPoT and make it into the top categories for each group will be our finalists and move on to the next level. The members will then vote each week in order to narrow down the Top 10 until we get to our 1st Annual SPottie Idol of 2008!
We will have prizes for the top 3 finalists.
Prizes and Details on the contest are still in the works but here is what we have so far:
SVS – 2039PC Plus
AXIOM - Custom finish Burled Walnut M3 speakers
Carada – Criterion Series Projection Screen – Size TBA
Best Deal Cables - Home Theater Package – Cables TBA
Thank you to SVSound, AXIOM Audio, Carada Projection Screens and Best Deal Cables for their support.
To see a list of the top posters and to check your status here is a link to the page that shows our top posters.
This is not the official list as the script is not completely finished at this point and does not make a distinction as far as what group you are in. I am working on refining the lists but I don’t want to delay the contest any longer waiting for the list to be fined tuned. This list is as of August 1st , 2008. When the contest starts I will reset it to August 15th, 2008. It at least gives you an idea of where you are at on a daily basis.
So you have a couple of days to start gearing up for the auditions! Spread the word!
Notes and Disclaimers:
Contest Rules and Disclaimers:
Rules and Prizes are subject to change.
The top 6 Club Member spots are reserved for paid club members. Memberships must be current and up to date. Due to issues with our software some members may show that they are Paid Club Members but they actually are not. If your membership expired or payment failed there sometimes are issues with the software that may cause problems with permissions not being reset properly. Your Club Dues must be current on September 30th 2008. If you have any doubts that your Club Membership is valid please contact me so I can verify your status. Your Status will be checked and verified by me before the final list of finalists is selected.
Posted on: 06-11-08 01:27 PM Posted by: Paul Carleton
Well, our server was down for about 20 hours. First there was a major Storm in New Jersey that put the power out. Also there was going to be a scheduled down time for next week where they were going to change our servers to new racks, I had them do it today.
All is fine. We are not closing and I did not pull the plug and I did not sell the SPoT, despite what the rumors have been flying around that we were.
Posted on: 05-06-08 11:04 AM Posted by: Ralph Potts
Daniel Hillard (Williams) is no ordinary father, so when he learns his ex-wife (Field) needs a housekeeper, he applies for the job. With the perfect wig, a little makeup and a dress for all occasions, he becomes Mrs. Doubtfire, a devoted British nanny who is hired on the spot.? Free to be the “woman” he never knew he could be, the disguised Daniel creates a whole new life with his entire family.
