This is a bit of a heads-up and an apology to regular Barbelith users who are going to the site today and finding that it is completely unfunctioning. Barbelith has grown in scale enormously over the last six years to the extent that it can no longer properly function on a pair.com shared server. Mainly this is a problem with the sheer number and size of the database requests that it generates. Anyway, the upshot of all of this is that I need to move it and the rest of my online empire to a dedicated server, which means more monthly costs and a fairly substantial amount of organisational work in the meantime. Unfortunately, I’m also on holiday in San Francisco at the moment (my first holiday for nine months or so), I don’t have regular sustainable access to the internet and this is is not the kind of large-scale enterprise that I want to undertake in net cafés over wifi or sitting in the back of Starbucks. So unfortunately, as of this afternoon, Barbelith will be closed for at least three or four days, and potentially for a full week.
I’d just like to apologise to all of the regulars for this annoyance – I promise I’ll sort it all out on my return to London (if not before). In the meantime, if you want to donate to the server fund to keep Barbelith running then you can do so by clicking on the button below. Sorry again.
41 replies on “A quick apology to Barbelith users…”
No problem, Tom – it’ll be good to get away from the Beast for a while 🙂 Shall donate soonly.
Have fun in San Fran!
No prob Tom.. Keep up the good work:)
chill
keep up the excellent work…
Thank you for the heads-up and for posting this notice! Echoing Harald – I really appreciate your work!
Good job it’s hot weather over here. Does this mean that Barbelith’s frying..?
😉 You shouldn’t worry about it until you get back, Tom. You are on holiday, afterall.
Get spending, guys.
I agree with Boboss, you enjoy your holiday, in the meantime we’ve always got Cross & Flame… 😉
(As usual, any Barbeloids that want to contribute but don’t have Paypal can do the cold hard cash method by emailing me)
Hey, no worries, Tom, and again, thanks for everything. And some fool saw fit to give me a credit card, so I can now do the PayPal thang.
And yes, just concentrate on enjoying your holiday. We’ll “see” you when you get back!
I’m looking forward to seeing Barbelith back but not at the expense of you holiday! Have fun!
Enojy your holiday and don’t worry about the site!
Echoing what everybody else has said – don’t worry about it right now. It’ll probably do the board good for people to be forced into taking a break from it, anyway.
Pocket Barbelith is still available over at the Delphi forums, for those who are suffering.
No worries Tom. To be honest, I’ve got a mystery here to solve. When I couldn’t access ‘lith today, I got up from my computer and there was this incredible light coming in through the windows…has anyone else seen this huge, golden dayball in the sky? 🙂
Enjoy SF. Lovely town.
I’ve got work to do anyway, so one less distraction is welcome news.
Thanks for the heads up and for the great job steering the ship…
What??! But I NEEEEED to bitch about the New Avengers!!
Have a good one and stay away from the strip clubs. Give City Lights my love and have a pint on me… and if you see the Buddha in the road at least have the deceny to buy the man a pint as well.
I’ve bought a lottery ticket, so fingers crossed….
Enjoy your holiday Tom, and thanks for everything. Oh, and “Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair…”
Refugees!
There is haven on THE MOON!
I’m doing my best to be, err, engaging over there. The local fauna are used to less gravity.
Sorry to hear about the fall-down, but it’s comforting to know our Tom is on the case. Just donated some cash… Barbelith will live on forever!
Have a great holiday, and good luck with the server move!
Long live Barbelith!
Thanks for all your hard work. Some Paypallage is headed your way. Now relax and enjoy your vacation, dammit!
Hello
If I donate some money, may I join in the fun?
Get well soon anyway
x
No worries dude enjoy your holiday, we’ll keep and it’ll be even sweeter when it returns. Paypalage already sent.
Well, in the meantime, people can always go and read about my adventures in the US of A, which be here:
http://www.cheekymonkey23.blogspot.com
Enjoy the FUCK out of San Francisco. And if you’re backpacking, I highly reccomend the Green Tortoise…
http://www.greentortoise.com
Yeah, I started reading a book yesterday. I kept looking for F5 before I remembered the page-turny business. We need to be forced into RL now and then.
Don’t worry about it, enjoy your holiday.
By the way, I don’t have one of them credit card things. Is there any other way I can make a donation?
Relax and enjoy your vacation, Tom. Barbelith is getting one as well, and everyone will be better off for it.
Sad to see it down but hope you are enjoying the vacation anyway. I was just in SF a month ago. Have a great time.
Interestingly I should be able to donate soon. So after the second paycheck of my new job I’ll chip in a small amount. Even though I don’t use the site nearly as much as I once did I have eaten up a lot of your bandwidth over the years.
Have fun in Frisco! Don’t eat too much instant rice…
Have fun in SF. I’m sure the Barbeloids will occupy themselves with something else accordingly.
Enjoy SF, and try not to fret about the board till you get back.
I’ll echo everybody else.
San Fransisco Sans Barbelith? Enjoy it. I’m sure you earned it.
Thanks a lot and have a great holliday, no problem…
“Barbelith has fallen over…”
Why do we fall, Barbelith?
Boy do I feel guilty about joining a few weeks back and hardly posting. ^_^U
Hey I like that barbelith takes a holiday at the same time I do! Cool tom enjoy your holiday!
fucks sake!
I love you guys. I didn’t realize till today how damn much I miss Barbelith. Have fun in SF, Tom. Seriously, it kicks ass. Don’t worry about Barbelith.
can we not just use this as barbelith?
/comics:
grant morrison is gallus, alan moore za fanny.
/tv, films, blah:
in big brother eugene is much more presentable whn he drapes textiles across his body
/headshop:
made a murder sigil last night. you are my target.
/gathering:
my place, now, if ye fancy
/books:
valis.valis.valis.valis.valis.valis.valis.valis.v
alis.valis.valis.valis.valis.valis.valis.valis.va
lis.valis.valis.valis.valis.valis.valis.valisssss
/conversation:
hogarden is a poof. don’t you think?
… the ‘lith … like an old friend i didn’t fully appreciate till they didn’t answer the phone anymore… makes me appreciate all your hard work, tom, more than i have done in the past … will try and donate through the wonders of paypal soon …
h
Since I can finally be heard by barbelith, I wanted to say (if barbelith gets back up and running) PLEASE would you iron out your registration process? I really wanted to be able to post for something crazy like four months or more but could never do it because I couldn’t register. This was sad. Furthermore, leaving registration closed kinda sucks. Barbelith is not about elitism! (i hope). So, pretty please, think of those of us who have lurked for so long… all we want is to be able to post!!
Luverly thanks Tom.
Ah, I’m off to Tanzania tomorrow, so I might be able to access the placey when it’s back on, and I’ll try and sort some fundage for you at some point soon, Tom (’bout time I did.)
Enjoy the G8 an’ ting, folks.