Airline tickets anyone?

[Snarky]

they're back...

[srmalloy]

On 1/26/2023 at 6:21 PM, Yomo Kimyata said:

You are the wind beneath my wings.

No, that's just the bean burritos they got from Taco Bell.

[Techwright]

I've been blessed to miss these little events...so far...*raps knuckles on antique desk*... I'm curious though.  Some of the comments have me thinking some of you believe that a person is doing this.  I've seen other forums invaded like this, years back admittedly, that were chalked up solely to bot action.  The creators that set them loose were probably unaware of which forums they'd infected.  Is that what's happening here or is there some giveaway that clearly suggests deliberate human targeting of these forums?

 

If it's humans, they're a sorry lot.  It's not like we have scads of people to manipulate into buying things.  Targetting forums with a million members plus seems more advantageous to their goals.

[Ruin Mage]

2 minutes ago, Techwright said:

Is that what's happening here or is there some giveaway that clearly suggests deliberate human targeting of these forums?

There's no real proof that someone set this up. The most likely answer is just random super bot invasion.

The reason I half-assedly run with the theory that someone is behind this is simply for the funny.

[WanderingAries]

[Luminara]

5 hours ago, Shadeknight said:

There's no real proof that someone set this up. The most likely answer is just random super bot invasion.

The reason I half-assedly run with the theory that someone is behind this is simply for the funny.

I think it's some script kiddie fucking around with a new toy.  A Google search shows the same spam on multiple small forums, but it's not widespread, it's not hitting big sites, and it's not constrained to just one forum software.  It's all very recent (nothing before a couple of weeks ago), too.  The sites I'm looking at show the same slow, lackadaisical approach to the attack that we're seeing, nothing of the scale that a real attack would entail (hundreds or thousands of accounts all posting simultaneously).  Someone with a small botnet or a single bot, testing it, finding out what it can do.  That it goes dark for several hours between attacks suggests that it's either rotating targets, hitting a site for a while, then moving on to the next one in the list, or the user hasn't figured out how to fully automate it yet and has to be in front of the computer to make accounts and start the bot working.  My gut tells me it's the latter.

[GM Crumpet]

5 hours ago, Luminara said:

I think it's some script kiddie fucking around with a new toy.  A Google search shows the same spam on multiple small forums, but it's not widespread, it's not hitting big sites, and it's not constrained to just one forum software.  It's all very recent (nothing before a couple of weeks ago), too.  The sites I'm looking at show the same slow, lackadaisical approach to the attack that we're seeing, nothing of the scale that a real attack would entail (hundreds or thousands of accounts all posting simultaneously).  Someone with a small botnet or a single bot, testing it, finding out what it can do.  That it goes dark for several hours between attacks suggests that it's either rotating targets, hitting a site for a while, then moving on to the next one in the list, or the user hasn't figured out how to fully automate it yet and has to be in front of the computer to make accounts and start the bot working.  My gut tells me it's the latter.

Sounds very plausible. Baby hackers have to start somewhere I suppose. The sad part is there is a small but vulnerable minority who despite all the warnings and information available they still fall for it. I see it on Facebook where blindingly obvious fake pages are shared "just in case". No Karen, they aren't giving away RV's/ Massive TV's/ free coffee and donuts for the first 1000 likes and shares.

A while ago it was "before and after" pics of some thin woman next to a fat woman saying this slime in a jar helped them lose 10 stone in a month. It was shared everywhere. That kind of weight loss is impossible unless you are extremely sick or you've had extreme surgery. When I had covid and covid related pneumonia I didn't eat for three weeks and barely drank. I lost 2 stone. No amount of keto crap would have made the weight loss any greater. Yet people still fell for it in a big way.

[Snarky]

40 minutes ago, Krimson said:

It's definitely possible, and somewhat painful, to lose the equivalent of 3 Stone in a month. I've done it twice.

i think of the muscle loss that is ionevitable.  that hurts.  i work hard to maintain and if lucky add a bit of strength.  (i'm an old vampire)  but losing weight fast is just a recipe for losing strength.

[SeraphimKensai]

Following the tangent: This post is making me want to go to the gym. Sadly I'm on baby duty so I can't. I guess push-ups, sit-ups, side straddle hops, and flutter kicks will have to do.

 

I had to Google the ratio of pounds to stones, and most I ever lost in a month was 24 pounds (1.7 stone) using HIIT, intermittent fasting, and a Paleo diet paired with a side of light running 3x 5k's a week.

 

Correcting course: yeah it does seem to be a something akin to a script kiddie. Mostly harmless unless someone is stupid, but annoying. Reminds me of the old days of AOL chatbots like Fate and prior to that firing up the old war dialer.

[Snarky]

2 minutes ago, Krimson said:

I work in a bakery, so a good portion of my job is lifting metal objects, and the weight loss came from two bouts of illness so not a lot of choice there. Heck, I've lost over 20 lbs in the last year doing nothing at all. Over 300lbs 15 years ago, just under 175 right now. I have muscle mass. 😄

glad you are strong!  I am trying to get back to my strength of two years ago.  I am more 'fit' now but I had bigger lifts then by far.  with poor technique it turns out, so ...injuries.  But I am creeping back into it again.

[Clave Dark 5]

13 hours ago, Krimson said:

I work in a bakery

Can I have some muffins?

[DoctorHugh]

When my plane tickets didn't come through on time, I emailed a complaint to Customer Support.

 

Anybody know how I can reach Customer Support directly for the complaint status?

Edited January 30, 2023 by DoctorHugh

[Snarky]

42 minutes ago, DoctorHugh said:

When my plane tickets didn't come through on time, I emailed a complaint to Customer Support.

 

Anybody know how I can reach Customer Support directly for the complaint status?

You need to go to Grandville.  there is  short line right off the ferry.  they will help you.  Line moves fast.

[Lines]

I certainly appreciate it. Over the last week or so I've just been refreshing the general discussion forum and all my needs have come to me.

[Etched]

Kinda like the spam sittin in Guides.. RIGHT NOW.

[Etched]

I vote @Snarky as a GM to monitor the forums. I understand that all the GMs have a life outside this game and needs cool down time away from the game/forums. They do an outstanding job and i'm sure they could use some help with the Planeful of spam hitting our forums recently. Prolly a bad idea but I have a feeling Snarky isn't going to take their crap.

 

@Etched

[roleki]

I'm doing my part by spamming the KLM Airlines forums with requests for Fire Farm builds.

[SeraphimKensai]

1 hour ago, Etched said:

I vote @Snarky as a GM to monitor the forums. I understand that all the GMs have a life outside this game and needs cool down time away from the game/forums. They do an outstanding job and i'm sure they could use some help with the Planeful of spam hitting our forums recently. Prolly a bad idea but I have a feeling Snarky isn't going to take their crap.

 

@Etched

Luckily enough @Snarky does not have a life, he's undead. Just don't expose him to garlic or sunlight and we should be good.

[Etched]

1 minute ago, SeraphimKensai said:

Luckily enough @Snarky does not have a life, he's undead. Just don't expose him to garlic or sunlight and we should be good.

Understand. Pizza night with @Snarky out. 

[srmalloy]

I was curious after seeing the latest pile of airline spam, and it appears that (850)970-1200 is a major spam bot, judging from the number of completely unrelated sites that return hits on the phone -- sites in the US, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Poland, etc. Doing a few reverse phone searches identifies the number as a rewards scam.

[Snarky]

3 hours ago, Etched said:

I vote @Snarky as a GM to monitor the forums. I understand that all the GMs have a life outside this game and needs cool down time away from the game/forums. They do an outstanding job and i'm sure they could use some help with the Planeful of spam hitting our forums recently. Prolly a bad idea but I have a feeling Snarky isn't going to take their crap.

 

@Etched

I have been told i am not supposed to have authority over others.  Something about power corrupts 

[Doomguide2005]

34 minutes ago, Snarky said:

I have been told i am not supposed to have authority over others.  Something about power corrupts 

It's okay  we want you to suck the life right out of them

[Snarky]

10 minutes ago, Doomguide2005 said:

It's okay  we want you to suck the life right out of them

Yes!!!! Corruptors Rulz!

[WanderingAries]

[srmalloy]

3 hours ago, Snarky said:

Something about power corrupts 

Exactly. Power corrupts, and absolute power is kind of neat...