ISF Death Clock

[arthwollipot]

It's not VBulletin any more. It's Xenforo, which has been the plan from the start. It's quite different and it's broken more than a few things, but it's working and the broken things are slowly getting fixed.

[stanky]

not mine.

i think they're getting worster.

(dang lumbago)

[Admin]

I also continued to use forums.randi.org as the most common way of accessing the site. That no longer works. At least, it didn't when I tried.

Well, fuck me. Your using that portal means that someone is still paying for randi.org, so I went and had a quick look. I thought it had just died off - no income, no nothing, and had presumed the domain would have lapsed.

A bit of investigation tells me that it has continued on for a while and someone is still paying for it so far. The site is live and says:

Starting in 2016, we will be making grants to non-profit groups that we believe are promoting activities that encourage critical thinking and a fact-based world view.

That was even true, with grants made up to the end of 2022, when the last 990 on record shows:

Total revenue: -$35,258

Total assets: $193,494

Total giving: $150,000

Which, according to my maths means that as of 1/1/23, the organisation had zero income, and assets totalling $43,494, so the gifts will have dried up and I was merely a few years early in my thoughts of its death.

I had a conversation with Will Self when he contacted me around 10 years ago, not too long before Randi retired. I had no idea who he was until later on then went "Fark!". Bloody good bloke.

Will had also been a huge Randi fan and was jointly lamenting with me what an abject shame Randi couldn't take the step up and turn JREF into an organisation with respect and gravitas. Anyone know a planet in need of promotion of critical thinking and avoiding conspiracies?

He was doing research for a paper he was writing, but I think he never went through with it, in the end feeling like me - what's the point?

As the man in Goodfellas said A Crying Shame.

[arthwollipot]

FYI: Darat says he's going to put a poll up to see whether the membership wants to keep the Like function. He's already disabled things like trophies. I'll let you know when it happens.

[Admin]

Sounds good to me. I may go and vote - I don't need to tell you which way.

[arthwollipot]

You certainloy don't.

[stanky]

quarky says Happy Halloween to any there who knew him.

[grayman]

quarky says Happy Halloween to any there who knew him.

A Happy Halloween to him as well.

[Admin]

quarky says Happy Halloween to any there who knew him.

The wee problem with that is that to say so at ISF is a bannable breach of the rules.

Stupid, but true.

Thank god the Kiwi attraction to Halloween is drying up as we do Diwali instead in late October.

[arthwollipot]

Technically but halloween greetings are not the purpose of that particular rule and I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be enforced.