Ghost Master

So I bought this game on Saturday for 97p from Tesco and I haven't been able to stop playing it, which is why I haven't blogged. I tend to only buy old games, (1) because they're cheap, (2) because they're guaranteed to be compatible with my newer system and (3) I like retro. So I've begun testing wordpress for this blog, for compatibility with the existing content I have on the server. I've just had to purchase another database for the testing itself which is a bit annoying, but my plan is to have this temporary setup before I start surfing for a new web-host. So far I found a real good sounding web-host which is compatible with the values of this site (and paranoia that one time something I publish will cause me to be shut down): nearlyfreespeech.net You pay only for your server and bandwidth usage, they give you a private mailbox (so your own address is not revealed), a special phone and fax and a custom email address. Here's a statement on their FAQ (my bold emphasis): "If you wish to host a controversial site in the US, it behooves you to know the law, particularly this one, and how to use it to your advantage in the event of a dispute. You should also be prepared for a downtime of some or all "allegedly infringing" material for a couple of weeks if the copyright owner wants to fight. We adhere to the entire law very closely. We do not generally pull the plug on an entire site if, for example, someone claims that a single graphic is infringing. We do our best to remove only the content that the copyright owner specifically identifies as allegedly infringing. We allow and encourage the use of the "putback notification" process when material is incorrectly identified as infringing. But we do not automatically terminate a member's service merely for receiving a complaint alleging infringement. (However, actually infringing someone's copyright does violate our TACOS and will generally result in immediate termination.) Keep in mind that while we aren't lawyers, neither are we idiots. We can tell the difference between people harassing our members via the DMCA and cases where our service is genuinely being misused, and we can adjust our attitude accordingly. Fortunately, both of these cases are very rare. Of course, not all complaints are DMCA complaints. We very much enjoy "I hate that site. I demand you take it down!" messages, of which we receive a very large number (from, ironically, a relatively small number of people). Other than pointing and laughing, however, we tend not to respond to such demands." Pretty awesome huh? Unfortunately they take payment in US$ so I need to contact them to discuss that, not sure what the risks are in terms of the exchange rate or how I'd go about paying. If anyone knows of a UK equivalent, I would love to know. Lyc0s offer a pretty good service in terms of support and installation but something I read in .NET magazine recently by a Lyc0s executive caused me concern in how they would handle a copyright or libel complaint. As you can see I mention no names and have taken precaution to hide keywords! See you on the new blog... Technorati Tags: ghost master, gaming, libel, copyright, web hosting, privacy, dmca, free speech

Yesssss!

death (9x) sex (5x) crap (3x) dead (2x) drugs (1x)

Forums Are Open

This Post Is Rated: F for Friendly. Contains information related to the operation of Abandon All Fear. I have just finished setting up the Abandon All Fear Forums. The code was free from phpBB and automatically installed with the software offered by my hosts. It's a basic forum, I haven't done anything to change the scheme apart from swapping the header image. I'm receiving on average about 30 visitors a day, so I'm not expecting the forums to take-off soon. From now on at the end of most blog posts there will be a link to discuss the post in the forums. This allows for more reader interaction, contribution and for subject matter to grow beyond the initial post. I don't have false expectations and I'm aware I may be jumping to forums a bit too early, but I reckon AAF forums have the potential to provide a place where: Both people with and without faith can engage with like-minds on faith, politics, culture and current events. Debate is encouraged between people of faith and those without. Blog posts can be discussed and extended upon. The community and post and read experiences, examples, information and how-to's on fighting the fear (legally challenging authorities that abuse their power). There are many forums and websites that already specialise in different areas, such as consumer action and speed cameras, which I link to often. AAF is not seeking to compete with these sites, they have far more experience and have helped Alex Fear greatly. AAF seeks to bring it all under one roof, providing first hand experience from Alex Fear and directing those in need of more information and details to these excellent resources. The forums will hopefully allow anyone else to bring their experience and references to the more specialised source like these. Hopefully we can all inspire and be inspired to take civil action, putting justice and mercy first before predatory systems and the database and tick-box culture. Please feel free to register in the forums and create new threads under the appropriate headings. If there is no appropriate heading, or you think something should be added, make a suggestion. Finally, if this works I will need moderators and I am looking people to write for this blog- details in this post. Technorati Tags: abandon all fear, forums, discussion, politics, social justice, database culture, tick-box culture, predatory systems, civil action Your thoughts? Don't just comment... discuss it in the forums.

Shout Out To Those I RSS

This Post Is Rated: F for Friendly shout out. Just finished updating a new page purely for a list of blogs I read, rss or occasionally visit. In no particular order or preference. Here are the blogs. I will be modifying the links page to feature websites only, however some of these may soon cross over to resources. The objective here is to turn AAF into a conglomerate of non-professional advice, information and experience on challenging corrupt or pharisaic authorities that make the decisions and rules for us to live by, but don't necessarily follow the rules themselves.

What Do You Fear?

Fear is a powerful, unpleasant feeling of risk or danger, either real or imagined. - Wikipedia. All of us experience fear at different times for different reasons, it has the power to take over and control our thoughts and actions. It can affect who we are and who we become. Fear comes in many forms: mortal, and psychological. Abandon All Fear exists as a testament to overcoming fear. It is a statement, a statement of truth about standing up against intimidation and the dark powers and principalities. It is about speaking truth, regardless of cultural sensibilities. It is about the experience and journey, of being an overcomer. Fear of God doesn't mean living in the shadow of a judge or higher power, it means being filled with a higher power and fearing nothing else on this earth.