Sitting-Duc

These forums are hosted in Canada and not on free speech per-say; it has always been moderated and your ability to message on them is gifted from the likes of Rugger and myself. There is no magic constitution on here; just what a few random people from different corners of the world decide together... but rest assured if you ever have issues connecting to them it's likely me wanting to take a break from reading your messages and fucking with you. 
VPNs are great, but you you are effectively shifting the trust from your ISP (private company) to the VPN provider (private company). You trust that the VPN provider does what they say and doesn't log your activity, hides your originating IP and keeps their software up-to-date and secure.
Any website host can/will/may block VPNs to *protect* themselves. We do it to varying levels on this site and our servers; yes VPNs can provide a privacy protection to their users and most of the time it's fine, it really doesn't matter that a VPN service is used. But at the point that someone using a VPN starts to use it as a 'shield' to protect themselves so they can do "wrong"; be that activities such as spam, hate speech, racism, gore, or hacking attempts - it's at that point a host starts to block all users of the VPN or just generally the usage of VPNs.
But that's a complete aside to the original topic of this thread... but I like the topic as it interests me 

These forums are hosted in Canada and not on free speech per-say; it has always been moderated and your ability to message on them is gifted from the likes of Rugger and myself. There is no magic constitution on here; just what a few random people from different corners of the world decide together... but rest assured if you ever have issues connecting to them it's likely me wanting to take a break from reading your messages and fucking with you. 
VPNs are great, but you you are effectively shifting the trust from your ISP (private company) to the VPN provider (private company). You trust that the VPN provider does what they say and doesn't log your activity, hides your originating IP and keeps their software up-to-date and secure.
Any website host can/will/may block VPNs to *protect* themselves. We do it to varying levels on this site and our servers; yes VPNs can provide a privacy protection to their users and most of the time it's fine, it really doesn't matter that a VPN service is used. But at the point that someone using a VPN starts to use it as a 'shield' to protect themselves so they can do "wrong"; be that activities such as spam, hate speech, racism, gore, or hacking attempts - it's at that point a host starts to block all users of the VPN or just generally the usage of VPNs.
But that's a complete aside to the original topic of this thread... but I like the topic as it interests me 

If you think AI isn't going to affect your football (VAR), your beer (supply chain logistics), or your sex life (don't ask), you’re in for a very confusing decade.

Obviously I'm biased - but much of this is straightforward marketing; you experiement with a bunch of product lines, see what sticks and then push forward with them and remove the ones that don't work or have no future. This isn't the first time Microsoft has discontinued or changes strategies.
"Everything has gone to shit" - or, we are pushing out a huge increase in product features at the same error ratio but that results in a higher 'number' of noticed issues overall.
Windows and consumer is a tiny portion of the AI related product lines I would think.

My bad, you both had bans in the past - AI changed some code for 'Active Bans' and didn't get the expiry dates right so your previous bans were reapplied. Should all be good now.

My bad, you both had bans in the past - AI changed some code for 'Active Bans' and didn't get the expiry dates right so your previous bans were reapplied. Should all be good now.

My bad, you both had bans in the past - AI changed some code for 'Active Bans' and didn't get the expiry dates right so your previous bans were reapplied. Should all be good now.

My bad, you both had bans in the past - AI changed some code for 'Active Bans' and didn't get the expiry dates right so your previous bans were reapplied. Should all be good now.

You don't need any paid for subscription. Just ensure that you are using a modern client to connect to your emails. You likely will have received the email if you had recently or had a client configured with an outdated mechanism (or it was simply sent to all).

You don't need any paid for subscription. Just ensure that you are using a modern client to connect to your emails. You likely will have received the email if you had recently or had a client configured with an outdated mechanism (or it was simply sent to all).

Today, let's see what  wildthing has to say about his experiences with attending XI Fests:
So, wildthing, many Fests have you attended?   11
Oh, wow!  That's all of them so far!  What got you interested in going? Meeting the faces with the voices in the game.
Do you travel by plane or by car? Car
Which fest has been the furthest for you to travel to? How far was it? Who cares they are all worth it and a blast.
Which location has been your favorite? All of them. The best group of idiots you will ever meet.
What is your favorite or funniest Fest memory? When everyone was sitting down for breakfast and sitting was asked how he would like his eggs. A confused look on his face he replied “cooked?”
What is your favorite Fest activity? All of them for not only do I get to spend time with idiots but also the friends and family I have made of the years.
Why should someone go, who's never been?  If you don’t go you miss out on the good times with everyone and how these people have also stepped up to the plate and have helped members out in need. It is a family reunion every year and a lot of fun for everyone. Watch out for Wildthing; he always has his chicken or monkey handy.
Thanks, wildthing, looking forward to seeing you this year at Fest #12  

Have them give you their user name. If they have it setup in their security settings to allow it you can find by their phone number or email. 

Liked Budman's idea so came up with this  lol

in game

 

I am so glad I got to meet a lot of you and I wish I could have came up earlier instead of 10pm lol 😂 but thank you all for welcoming me!! 

For those who don’t know, my father passed away in June. We were very very close and spent multiple days together every week, especially after my mother passed about 6 years ago. It’s been incredibly difficult these past few months. A few things happened the day he passed and it’s really mentally has taken a huge toll on me. 
This Fest was so nice because I was able to see my 2nd family and just enjoy the company and not have my mind wondering back to certain things. It really helped knowing those people are there for me no matter what. 
Then to show what kinda love and support I have from this awesome family. I opened my mailbox today to find this, that 
@BlackRose
@WldPenguin
@loaderXI
 
And Blackroses husband made for me 
Thank you all for this 
I sent it to my family members and they all loved it! 
 
It’s amazing the family bond we have here  
Thank you so much for this 🙏🙏🙏
 

I haven't the time anymore to dedicate to the website (haven't in a while) and it is a disservice to XI for it to stay unchanging. Hopefully brining Totty on will bring some change and life into the forums and add some improvements over time. 
I will continue to be involved but taking more of a back seat and focus on the infrastructure and Portal. Will surely break stuff though 🙂

I haven't the time anymore to dedicate to the website (haven't in a while) and it is a disservice to XI for it to stay unchanging. Hopefully brining Totty on will bring some change and life into the forums and add some improvements over time. 
I will continue to be involved but taking more of a back seat and focus on the infrastructure and Portal. Will surely break stuff though 🙂

I haven't the time anymore to dedicate to the website (haven't in a while) and it is a disservice to XI for it to stay unchanging. Hopefully brining Totty on will bring some change and life into the forums and add some improvements over time. 
I will continue to be involved but taking more of a back seat and focus on the infrastructure and Portal. Will surely break stuff though 🙂

I was going to remove the stats as multiple months went by without anyone visiting the site - it's a load of work to keep it going as it is legacy, especially as there is an extreme minority that use them.

I was going to remove the stats as multiple months went by without anyone visiting the site - it's a load of work to keep it going as it is legacy, especially as there is an extreme minority that use them.

I was going to remove the stats as multiple months went by without anyone visiting the site - it's a load of work to keep it going as it is legacy, especially as there is an extreme minority that use them.

Old PC was getting on for 10 years since I built it so thought it time for a shiny new one...
Specs are:
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
16GB Corsair Vengeance 3200MHz
Samsung 980 Pro 1TB + 2TB HDD
ASUS 3060Ti Dual
ASUS Prime B550M-K
CoolerMaster 212 RGB Air cooler
Corsair 750W PSU
Running Windows 11 
All housed in a CiT Raider case
Oh... And pretty lights too!!

The temptation to edit it down to 2999 is strong...

The temptation to edit it down to 2999 is strong...

The temptation to edit it down to 2999 is strong...