This has been a hectic two days with a botched move to a new server (fixed) and an update to the latest version of UBB threads and a stupid decision on my part to shut down the political discussion board that has been hosting a debate for more than 26 years.

RR is NOT SHUTTING DOWN! The board is open again while I work out some problems with layout and appearance.

Please be patient as I try to work out these final problems.

Jeez, Doug. You bring a tear to my eye.

Maybe we should get an administrator and start accepting new members again? I know a pretty reasonable evangelical christian who might like to join...

And yeah...Doug...thanks...this place means a lot to me. I'm still happy to help out any way I can.

Hizzah!!!!!!! RR is back.

To be honest Doug. I was really sad about RR leaving and not being a part of my life any more as it has been for the past 16 years.

I'll be the administrator for the time being. It will make me have to pay more attention to the place. Thanks to the moderators who have hung in there, maybe we can get things going again.

Is it possible to put out an email blast saying that RR is back, alive and kicking, to all registered non-banned Members?

So I assume this a freeware forum program running on the new server?

Nossir.

Doug bought the update, installed it, moved us to the new server, did countless hours of work rebuilding the page. We are complete, intact, updated, and our future here assured for the time being.

I haven't spoken with Doug. I have never spoken with Doug. We have a private forum for Mods and Admins to talk about administrative stuff...he puts the same announcements there but hasn't answered my replies.

He's a busy man and hasn't been an active member of this forum for a decade. I'm just thankful he did all this for us.

I wish he'd come back and hang out a bit and I'm going to try to make an effort to spend a little more time over on the news side. The whole concept of this forum was that we would read the news there, then come here to rant about it.

It's probably possible and I thought Jeffery might be able to figure those controls out. We haven't had a pilot who knew how to fly this thing since Skyhawk died.

Can we get some funding mechanism going to help defray his costs? I don't think ReaderRant does that much for Doug. Those of us who use it might want to help pay for it.

Doug has turned down previous offers.

We drove from visiting granddaughter in Charlotte NC to Syracuse today. Only 11 hours, and now we get to experience another Spring. NC spring almost makes NC summers worth it! If your are up in the Blue Ridge you get the incredible Springs without the worst of the Summers!

TAT

Greger, I'm sorry if I have failed to reply. Bad move on my part. The past year has been madness at a level that few of us ever have dealt with. In some ways, it is worse than anything I faced on battlefields. That’s no excuse. Will try to do better.

RR runs on UBB Threads, which is not freeware and it was several upgrades past due, which is why it took so long to get it working again after the move. The site runs on a dedicated server, not a web hosting service, which it always has. Not the cheapest way to do it, but it allows more flexibility. Most my websites run on dedicated machines, especially Capitol Hill Blue, which uses a separate database server.

I've tried to avoid that over the past 26+ years but may have to consider some help in the future. If you notice, ads no longer appear on RR. Most major ad companies consider political forums dangerous territory and make it clear that their ads cannot appear on such forums. Let me think more about, but thank you for the offer. Others did offer when we were offline, but I was able to get it back and running without financial help. Let's hope I can continue to do so.

No worries, Doug, we don't have a lot moderator issues these days and there are none currently that need addressing.

You've done a beautiful job re-assembling the page and I'll certainly give you a shout if anything I can't handle comes up.

I have been so oblivious lately that I hadn't followed the travails until now. What kind of Moderator does that make me?

But, here's the reality for me: My eldest sister died unexpectedly in March, and I have been named the administrator of her estate. That has absorbed most of my attention since, and most of my appearances have been drive-bys. I don't think that is an acceptable approach, but is, alas, the reality.

I relish my role as Moderator, and the conscientious give-and-take this forum represents (which seems unique on the web), but there, honestly, hasn't been that much complicated moderating need of late. We're a pretty cohesive bunch, and I think I may be the most cantankerous amongst us.

I'll try to do better, but it may be another month or so before I'm back to "normal". Be well, all, and keep RANTING!

Sorry for your loss. Serving as an executor is a lot more complex than people realize. I've been executor for both my stepmother and my mother. I'm still managing multiple trusts from my mother's estate. That's actually going to be several years until her youngest granddaughter reaches 25. I just hope I can get her stuff out of storage and distributed to the heirs soon.

Wow! Accidently clicked on the link to ReaderRant on my favorites bar. And, lo and behold, it is not a dead link!

Glad it's back and sad I missed the last four months.

You got some catchin’ up to do, buddy-o, better git yore assingear!

RR never went away - just some of the Ranter did.

I sent you several emails hoping you'd get one.
Glad you're here!
You WERE very much missed.

I had no idea. So sorry about your sister! 💔

I made enough of a mess of things as it was.
As someone else said the other day, you can have people who are excellent workers and yet they're not cut out to run the joint.
When I got the keys handed to me everything blew up and I was at a loss to figure out what to do, and mutiny was the result.
I was so humbled by that experience I stayed away for months, embarrassed.

Give me nine cameras, twenty talent, a mess of crew and gear and I'll give you a live multi-camera show and I'll pull it off without a hitch.
That doesn't mean I have the ability to run a debate forum.

And I am sorry I made a mess of things, a blast announcement inviting old members back was always a top priority, but I was never able to make it happen, at least not to the level I was hoping.

Apology not accepted... on the grounds of there being nothing to apologize for.

And if you try it again, I'm coming to kick yer ass, and I know where you live!