RationalWiki talk:Site support/Archive1

What is this, a Canadian pimp?
What is this, a Canadian pimp? --Kels 22:58, 21 May 2007 (CDT)
 * This is my broke ass asking for money. Please. ColinRtalk 23:01, 21 May 2007 (CDT)
 * I will pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today. --Kels 23:04, 21 May 2007 (CDT)
 * Paypal address? --Jtl 23:14, 21 May 2007 (CDT)
 * No, seriously. It's a great project, and it does cost money. Linus (plot evil tech) 15:36, 26 May 2007 (CDT)
 * How much for a sysopship? Heart ♥  Gold tx 15:42, 26 May 2007 (CDT)

Actually, if you're serious about taking Donations, you might want to make the "Donations" link lead somewhere, maybe to a place with a PayPal link. --Kels 15:54, 26 May 2007 (CDT)
 * What exactly are these donations for? Bohdan 23:09, 11 August 2007 (CDT)
 * Pay Colin back for his initial purchase of the hosting space and domain name, we need some money for some "specialized tech support", and to start saving up for purchasing another year hosting/domain name. Any left over and we can toss it into Ad Words as some people have wanted to do. 23:12, 11 August 2007 (CDT)
 * Aren't you and this "Colin" the same people? Bohdan 23:13, 11 August 2007 (CDT)
 * Absolutely, I am Andrew Schlafly too. 23:20, 11 August 2007 (CDT)
 * Ah, what I am going to tell you might confuse you. I am User:tmtoulouse. Bohdan
 * All your user are belong to us! are 3 users in the internet, one is TK and the other two both hate him, everyone else is one of their socks. 23:37, 11 August 2007 (CDT)


 * That I do not believe! It is a well-known fact that fun:TK is actually the sock of Ed Poor! --Ë. 01:32, 12 August 2007 (CDT)
 * Does that mean you are also a sock of Ed Poor? ollïegrïnd  07:28, 13 August 2007 (CDT)

Seriously, a Paypal account link would be useful! Genghis Khant 15:58, 22 August 2007 (CDT)
 * That' what the "donate" button leads to. human be in 16:02, 22 August 2007 (CDT)
 * Yes the button should take you to pay pal, is it working? 16:09, 22 August 2007 (CDT)

Can whomever's in charge of this confirm when they get a small contribution from a guy named Paul? Thanks PFoster 16:00, 22 August 2007 (CDT)
 * Yes I can confirm it, and thank you! 16:09, 22 August 2007 (CDT)

Some of this money should be spent on beer and skittles. Atheists can't be trusted with donated money, as they have never been taught deceit is wrong. I'm sure the kitty will be completely empty of that $43.09 by the end of the night. Doggedpersistance  17:55, 22 August 2007 (CDT)

Damn it. I want my ten bucks back. PFoster 17:57, 22 August 2007 (CDT)

Proposed "accounts" table to put on donation page or subpage
Note: New transactions go at the top for ease of reading current balance.

Submitted for possible use. human be in 17:49, 22 August 2007 (CDT)


 * Here is the break down of the costs, we owe Colin $75, then we will need another $75 for paying for another year of hosting, plus $10-$15 to renew our domain name. Then we are looking at an estimated $50 to pay for the "premium support" we may need from siteground over the next year. If you want to magically work that information in there. 18:25, 22 August 2007 (CDT)

Wow, how are we ever going to get that much money? Atheists won't give us the steam off their piss, so I have no idea how we're going to survive. Doggedpersistance  18:32, 22 August 2007 (CDT)

How much have we got now? Just checking in. Have any atheists contributed any money, or will we have to rely on the evangelical creationist community's generosity? Doggedpersistance  18:35, 22 August 2007 (CDT)

Oooh! Money's FLOODING in. We'll be like teh googles or something next. Doggedpersistance  19:08, 22 August 2007 (CDT)
 * Media empire here we come.

I can the the front-page Conservapedia story now: "Rationalwiki for Profit!!!" BTW, does Assfly pay for that site out of his own pocket, or what? PFoster 19:13, 22 August 2007 (CDT)
 * Mom gives him an allowance to keep him out of the house. human be in 19:24, 22 August 2007 (CDT)

PayPal seems to be down for the moment. Bastards.--PalMD-Ars longa, vita brevis 19:28, 22 August 2007 (CDT)
 * Keep it coming folks! Thanks! User:PalMD


 * Beotch, I gave us another pi dollars, 'cause I wuz bored! human be in 02:31, 30 August 2007 (CDT)
 * Do these #s have any validity left?--PalMD-Berate Me 19:59, 13 September 2007 (MDT)
 * No once I have the site situated in a new long term home I will be updating where we are at and what we need. 20:06, 13 September 2007 (MDT)
 * I sort of updated them, but we need a better system that T can update on the page itself. human be in 20:28, 13 September 2007 (MDT)

Here is the break down so far, we had $153.24, there were $30 in setup charges and then we paid for a months hosting at $50. So we paid out $80 leaving us with roughly $73.24. Our hosting is good till October 12th and we have enough to pay for one more month till November 12th. 13:23, 18 September 2007 (EDT)

Whine
I noticed that paypal had a link after donating that said "return to (RW).com". But it didn't, it was still paypalwhore.com, or something like it. Anyway, I'm done bitching. human <font color="#00AA00">be in 02:33, 9 October 2007 (EDT)

I tried to make a credit card donation and it kept repeating that all required fields were not complete. The problem field was the number recognition box. I tried with spaces, without spaces, upper and lower case and still no go. I hope there is enough money to get that repaired, otherwise I cannot give you any. Further And where is the "One Time Donation" option hidden?&mdash; Unsigned, by: Remarcsd / talk / contribs
 * Clicking on the white button that says "make a donation" will let you make a one time donation of any amount. - Icewedge 14:08, 13 October 2007 (EDT)
 * yes the white button should be the one time donation link...and I have no idea why captcha is not working but if its after you click the buttons thats on paypals end not mine so I can't do anything about it. 17:06, 13 October 2007 (EDT)
 * That would be the white button that is exactly the same colour as the screen background, and without any border, shading, writing or other visible means of being detected, such as the cursor changing shape when it moves over it, right?
 * Hmm...no...there should be a button under the other too with the text "make a donation" that uses a "raised button" image. 18:33, 13 October 2007 (EDT)
 * All I have there is two grey 1mm squares side by side which do not do anything. However, on this computer the editing icons at the top of the edit window do not appear--I get only the textual description, which still deoes the edit--so I will try again tomorrow on the computer at work to see if it is any better.

Tis the season?
A bit of a request, with the trip home and various expenses surrounding the seasonal bribes to keep friends/family happy I am hurting a lot in the money department. The December and January bills for hosting are having to go on my credit card as I can't pay out right for them. Current donations total about $17 a month, our monthly expenses are a little over $60. I have put about $90 on my credit cards to keep the site going. Anyway, if any you guys out there haven't been totally sucked dry of cash flow consider giving a little bit towards the "keep me sane" fund here at RW. 11:12, 31 December 2007 (EST)
 * Yes, I'll get something to feed the kitty ready in a day or two. We should add a reminder to recentchangestext for a few days that it's another month gone and time to chip in some Pi again for those who can afford it. <font color="#DD00DD" face="comic sans ms">human  22:48, 1 January 2008 (EST)
 * I just tossed three pies into the kitty. I hope a few others are/will as well! <font color="#DD00DD" face="comic sans ms">human  22:17, 3 January 2008 (EST)
 * OK, I threw you a bone...I hope others do as well. And may the wife spare me...she isn't fond of teh tubes.162.82.215.199 15:42, 17 January 2008 (EST)
 * Oops...i think she's pissed. I hope the payment went through...--PalMD-Did that sound a little harsh? 14:20, 18 January 2008 (EST)

Update
Trent - you want to update the info here with the latest info you posted over on Main Page:Talk? It might be good to turn this into a bit more of a guilt-trip campaign for the readers, maybe by keeping a tracker on Pi Pledges and monthly receipts vs. bills? I still see no reason why you should have to pay for everything. <font color="#00F0A20">DogP  21:05, 5 May 2008 (EDT)
 * Heh, we should start a "Hate the ads? Buy some Pi!" leafletting campaign... <font color="#DD00DD" face="comic sans ms">human  21:34, 5 May 2008 (EDT)
 * Do we really only have 4 Pi-Pledgers? Or does this page need updating? [[Image:jollyfish.gif|25px]]<font color=Blue>Genghis   07:45, 13 May 2008 (EDT)

Donation
I just made a US$31.41 donation. Surely there are others that can give five or ten bucks. 08:18, 13 May 2008 (EDT)
 * Wow - You're makin' me look bad, Edge...I just took a Pi Pledge, and I challenge all other socially-awkward, misanthropic, curmudgeonly bookworms (you know who you are) to do the same...PFoster 11:18, 14 May 2008 (EDT)
 * You didn't have to mention me specifically.&mdash; Unsigned, by: ... / talk / contribs 11:21, 14 May 2008 (EDT)

I just discovered we do in fact have paypal... I will bother my parents to let me use it and hopefully donate a couple of dollars. Uchiha KATON! 11:45, 14 May 2008 (EDT)

All that matters to me is that the site keeps going. $31.41 isn't really that much to me (actually it's my second $31.41 donation). I take great hope from the (seeming) fact that we seem to be skewing young here. So, I'm willing to do more than my fair share for the site. 15:15, 14 May 2008 (EDT)
 * Heh, yeah, $31.41 is less than the cost of one overdraft fee bbookkeeppiinngg eror for me... <font color="#DD00DD" face="comic sans ms">human  15:34, 14 May 2008 (EDT)

Suggestion
Rather than piddling about with Pi-Pledges, and begging for donations one of our Google Ads has given me the idea that we should revamp the site and turn it into "[http://www.profitgodsway.com/ A Christ-Centered Business..." [with] "...Massive Profits"] - (Now I've quoted them you may even notice the ad at the bottom of this page). What do you think guys and gals? Do we stay with cheap lulz or shall we shoot for the moon with a clear ethical conscience and retire to somehwere warm with a big yacht? <font color=Blue>Genghis   08:01, 22 June 2008 (EDT)
 * Can we get the island and the luxury yachts and keep making bad jokes? <font color="#DD00DD" face="comic sans ms"> ħ uman  14:08, 22 June 2008 (EDT)
 * Once you've got the dosh you can do what you jolly well like! [[Image:jollyfish.gif|25px]]<font color=Blue>Genghis   14:24, 22 June 2008 (EDT)

Lost in the tubes?
I donated 10$ yesterday yet it only says 5$ have been donated. I sure hope the service fee is not 50%! Anyways, how does this bar thing work, does it go automagicaly or does Trent update it manually? - Icewedge (*bleet*) 23:40, 22 June 2008 (EDT)
 * As long as the donation is given by following the link on the chip in it will update automagically. Thanks for your donation Ice, it came in as an "e-check" which can take up to 10 business days to "clear" it won't update with your donation till it clears. 23:47, 22 June 2008 (EDT)
 * I believe the lowly $5 was my doing. 23:51, 22 June 2008 (EDT)
 * Eheheh... I believe I just payed a quarter of our expenses.  00:29, 23 June 2008 (EDT)
 * RA, for someone still at school that is very generous of you. Well done. [[Image:jollyfish.gif|25px]]<font color=Blue>Genghis   04:40, 23 June 2008 (EDT)

That "e-check" scam is paypal violating current banking laws (playing the "float" for the interest, which was finally legislated away years ago). But since they aren't a bank... scurrilous, I say! <font color="#DD00DD" face="comic sans ms"> ħ uman  00:35, 23 June 2008 (EDT)
 * It says $60 donated now. <font color="#DD00DD" face="comic sans ms"> ħ uman  00:36, 23 June 2008 (EDT)

Woot!
100% donations achieved. 13:10, 26 June 2008 (EDT)
 * Wow, excellent! Trent, you should add in "through Jan 09" now... <font color="#DD00DD" face="comic sans ms"> ħ uman  15:54, 26 June 2008 (EDT)
 * Aye, but probably not for a bit, let me get back to Canada, figure out the google adsense deal, and asses the situation and see how best to move forward. Will be a little while. But a big thanks for everyone! 17:31, 26 June 2008 (EDT)
 * Good point. perhaps in late Nov-early Dec you could something similar for the first quarter of 2009, when you've had a chance to see the adsense trends for even longer. <font color="#DD00DD" face="comic sans ms"> ħ uman  19:36, 26 June 2008 (EDT)

Ding! 4pi from anon! 69.216.120.64

Czechs and money orders
Trent, you should specify who they make the C/MO out to. You might have trouble depositing czechs made out to "Rational Wiki", for example. <font color="#DD00DD" face="comic sans ms"> ħ uman  14:27, 6 November 2008 (EST)

I'm Sorry
I really want to donate, but I really can't miss any of my money. (Before any of you starts to complain that I must be able to miss something, YOU try to live of €475 a month (roughly $600 US), paying for everything used.), and I just wondered if there was any other way I could help out. InaVegt 15:00, 6 November 2008 (EST)
 * Believe me I am sympathetic, my stipend has had me learning how to flavor potatoes so I don't get bored eating them day in and day out. The main contributions to this site being an active member in our community, the funding comes second to that and no one should feel obligated to give if they can not afford it. tmtoulouse 15:12, 6 November 2008 (EST)
 * Conversely, don't feel guilty for giving us several hundred dollars. So what if sick, dying children in Africa needed that money?  Are they your friends?  No, we are!    16:09, 6 November 2008 (EST)

C'mon folks! I'm only a doctor. Don't make me give Trent all my hard earned USDs!-- -PalMD -- 07:59, 7 November 2008 (EST)


 * It's wealth redistribution, Pal, get used to it. I'll toss in a fiver.  Stile4aly 18:07, 10 November 2008 (EST)

Ten Yuessian smackeroonies flying your way, RatWiki!. Totnesmartin 17:50, 10 November 2008 (EST)

I just tried to kick some cash your way but was kicked back by Paypal? Is the ChipIn link all set up correctly? <font color="#00F0A20">DogP  03:33, 11 November 2008 (EST)
 * It works fine.--<font color="#000066" >Tom Moore fiat justitia ruat coelum 04:17, 11 November 2008 (EST)
 * Paypal was fine with mine. Totnesmartin 17:17, 11 November 2008 (EST)
 * Of course when the dollar was circling the drain my GBP went a bit further! Silver Sloth 17:32, 11 November 2008 (EST)

Suggested donation
Since this new drive will pay for the site for a whole year, and save (I think) about 15% or so, I would suggest that those who would ordinarily cough up pi dollars each month or so think of kicking in 10pi - a 2 pi savings over our normal membership dues. Also, with your 10pi donation, you will receive a most excellent Gay Hitler tote bag and a "disappearing Andy face" tea/coffee mug! Oops, that last sentence is all lies... <font color="#DD00DD" face="comic sans ms"> ħ uman  17:53, 11 November 2008 (EST)
 * MOAR!  <font color="#00F0A20">DogP  11:15, 10 December 2008 (EST)
 * Will it go on after Jan 1st? Because that's when my disposable (light-up-a-big-fat-cuban-with-a-£10-note-disposable rather than I-need-to-eat-sometime-this-week-disposable) income starts again. <font color=red face="Tahoma"> A rmondiko V  User_Talk:Armondikov 11:20, 10 December 2008 (EST)

How Much
I clicked one thing before clicking this... how much is actually needed in the latest drive? SuspectedReplicant (talk) 00:01, 8 September 2009 (UTC)


 * Ideally a few hundred dollars at least. Need a device with an auto-ping feature or else if the modem or network switch goes down there is nothing I can do to reset them....but I could get some protection for less than a $100 if need be. Basically, I am tossing it out there to see what support I can get and will tailor make the solution for what I can afford based on donations. tmtoulouse 00:04, 8 September 2009 (UTC)


 * Well I have supplied less than a $100 for your protection... although how 100 packets of prophylactics will make the site more reliable I can't say... SuspectedReplicant (talk) 00:13, 8 September 2009 (UTC)
 * May I be the first to observe this questionable sequence of events? I'm not saying that Trent purposefully took down RW in order to extract money from over-reliant users who he knew would be unwilling to endure a similar, subsequent inconvenience, I'm just saying I'm afraid that Trent purposefully took down RW in order to extract money from over-reliant users who he knew would be unwilling to endure future inconveniences. Will Trent address this controversy? Will he release his itineraries and server logs? Time will tell. &mdash; Signed, by: Neveruse513 / Talk / Block 00:23, 8 September 2009 (UTC)

Suggestion 2
I mentioned this when we were on teflonpedia: I personally have always been against running large websites from a home PC for the exact reasons we witnessed. I do have a linux reseller account and so if you let me know what the space / bandwidth requirements are and whether you can set up MediaWiki on a shared account (e.g. no root access) then I'd happily donate a slice of my webspace. We can then have this backed up to somewhere like Trent's server or or a filestore which we can create a mirror from (e.g. on an EC2 instance) in case anything goes horribly wrong.

I'm somewhat of a failover expert at the moment because I've just finished implementing my recovery plan for our company, which involves: All with SMS notifications to us guys in IT when it does fall over. 14:45, 8 September 2009 (UTC)
 * 1) Database mirroring to a mirror server hosted on EC2
 * 2) File mirroring using S3Sync to said mirror server
 * 3) Witness server monitoring of database mirroring for automatic failover
 * 4) Nightly offsite backups, as well as manual tape backups
 * 5) Bespoke mirroring app which detects failover and swaps DNS records to the mirror, and then constantly checks the status of the principal server and fails database and DNS back over when it comes available again
 * I don't know the precise figures, but Trent did say that it was the equivalent of several hundred dollars per month in hosting and bandwidth. I'm not sure about media wiki on a shared account, all it needs is an up to date PHP install and access to the server's command line. If you can get that without root, then it's fine. However, I've tried installing various packages on my research group website without root access and mostly, they don't seem to work although I never really tried hard. 14:55, 8 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Any ideas on the bandwidth? 100Gb / month? 1Tb / month? I'd have to check what my total bandwidth is. If it's only about 100Gb then on a dedicated EC2 server that would cost $17 per month. A reserved instance would work out at $227.50 per year for the reservation and $262.80 for the usage, so total monthly cost would be $57 per month. Is that feasable? I'd be willing to chuck $15 / month towards that. The other advantage is that you could store everything on EBS disks, so if the server crashed for whatever reason you just boot up another instance, mount the volume(s), copy config files and you're back up. 15:05, 8 September 2009 (UTC)
 * The word "plug" comes to mind... 15:08, 8 September 2009 (UTC)
 * What, for me or Amazon? If for me then I only use my reseller for my accounts and a couple of friends, so I'm not advertising, and if for Amazon then yes I am a fan of their EC2 service, because the downtime is massively less, the 'machines' are far more reliable, and the cost is very low compared to a dedicated / managed server. 15:11, 8 September 2009 (UTC)

The issue is not bandwidth, bandwidth is cheap. The limiting resource factor is CPU cycles and RAM. RW needs a dedicated server, during peak traffic times it has no problem maxing out the processor, meaning that on shared hosting every other website on that server would need to go off line, or RW would. Most shared hosting services take the more parsimonious approach of shutting down the offending site instead of everyone else.

If someone is willing to donate a dedicated server I will look into switching, but the specs needed to run our website at its peak are non-trivial and if we continue to grow so will those specs. Running RW on our own server is much cheaper and infinitely more flexible when it comes to the need to expand and grow. The cheapest hosting plan I can currently find that would meet our needs is just under $200 a month. I can not afford that, and so had to come up with a solution. Hence, why we are were we are. tmtoulouse 16:46, 8 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Lay my fears to rest with a public denial, travel documents, itineraries, server logs, sworn affidavits, etc. and I will mail you a new AMD Shanghai. &mdash; Signed, by: Neveruse513 / Talk / Block 18:49, 8 September 2009 (UTC)
 * At this time I have no further information available in regards to your inquiry. tmtoulouse 18:51, 8 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Well, think about it. I'll buy it...I just need that extra bit of entertainment to justify the expense. &mdash; Signed, by: Neveruse513 / Talk / Block 19:01, 8 September 2009 (UTC)


 * I don't know how useful this will be, but there's some information on UESP's server setup here, here and here and probably in one or two other places like this, which details how it's paid for, although finding everything is almost impossible because I just realised none of it has categories. I know the types of site are very different, and so are the volumes of data they serve, but there may be something that suggests alternative arrangements for RW. SuspectedReplicant 19:10, 8 September 2009 (UTC)

I didn't transfer the site to a personal dedicated server on a whim. I explored many options, both in terms of the cheapest available commercial hosting, to different ways to finance the site. I got sick of having to ask for money all the time, and the advertisements just sucked even if they brought in a little more consistent money. Right now I can keep RW up and running myself, its per month cost is at a level I can afford. Commercial hosting I can not afford, meaning that without substantial monthly donations we risk everything. Some day I hope to be able to have more than a 900 dollars a month to live on, at which time a range of additional options might become available. For now, I have to come up with solutions that minimize the risks of losing the site, it is a balance between infrastructure, up time, convince, and money.

As long as I am in Hamilton the current arrangement is pretty much perfect, as any downtime can be fixed in a matter of a few minutes to a few hours at the most. But I travel, and will be traveling more and more as time goes on. To me the best possible solution is to add some hardware infrastructure to increases the automation and remote administration options for the server. If we had a pc watchdog or power management device installed then the 3 week downtime would not have happened. At this point it is far easier to pay a one time $200-$300 price tag for new hardware than to try and move back to commercial hosting at $150-$250 a month.

And this doesn't even begin to take into account issues of scalability and growth which also were a major part of my decision to move to a personally managed server. tmtoulouse 19:26, 8 September 2009 (UTC)

Status
Fair enough, I think the argument for keeping the server as a home PC is a good one, considering the circumstances. What is the donation status? Do you have enough yet or do you need more? I'm a bit skint at the moment but will donate £10 in return for Goat. 12:31, 9 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Yeah, it'd be nice to have a running total and what you intend to spend the sweet, sweet cash on. I've been meaning to chuck in 30 dollah or so of my own, the vicarious smell of box fresh electronics will motivate me to extract my wallet. -- 13:03, 9 September 2009 (UTC)


 * We are currently at $124.96 USD, we need about $200 to get what we need to restart the server (parts+shipping). Also right now the network switch is a generic piece of plastic made in china. I wouldn't mind getting that replaced with a solid netgear switch as I think it is the weakest point in the network infrastructure. Also something made the server turn itself off, so there maybe some hardware glitch there that I haven't tracked down yet that may need replacement. So all in all another $150-$200 to cover what I think we need. I could always through up a "chipin" so it will track the donations for what we have left. tmtoulouse 16:01, 9 September 2009 (UTC)
 * See, now I feel guilty you don't have Hovind-style millions and had to donate my 10 * floor(π). Also, you'll find a) Network switches are much of a muchness, there's pretty much no way you can do it wrong. b) Netgear are much reduced from their heyday. I have a Netgear 8 port 10/100 switch from their glory days in the late 90s, but these days their products are plasticy shite. Never, ever, ever buy anything from Netgear that either has software running on it or needs software on your PC written by Netgear contractors to work. Took me way too many years, and way too many purchases to figure that out. I got an ADSL router from them once that the firmware wouldn't accept any IP range that had a a 255 as one of its dotted decimal components. Very awkward since the range assigned to that network had a 255 in it. When I called support and shouted at them, they didn't even understand why that would be a problem and refused to even consider fixing it. Shits. Give your money to Linksys or something. -- 16:31, 9 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Not sure if everyone remembers, but when we first switched to the new server the infrastructure I had setup kept dropping connections all the time. It was pretty bad. So I wanted to try a switch instead of a router to see if it helped, I got the cheapest one I could find to test it out. There was not a Latin alphabet character on the box, manual or the device. But it worked wonders. However, one of the ports on the switch doesn't work at all and a I can figure out what that third red LED is trying to tell me. It is working, it is just the one piece in the puzzle that I am the most worried about as it was cheap, not totally functional out of the box, and with random lights that I don't understand because the directions were written in Mandarin. I don't have to replace it certainly, but if I were to guess at what will break next it has my vote. tmtoulouse 16:37, 9 September 2009 (UTC)


 * Networking gear is supposed to have cute blinking LEDs, they're to make you feel manly. Same with the white noise from fans. -- 18:55, 9 September 2009 (UTC)
 * I've got a switch sitting in my attic if it's of any use. No idea of a make/model without checking mind.  Worked like a dream when I actually had it connected. <font color="#000099">Worm  (<font color="#000099">t  19:17, 9 September 2009 (UTC)
 * I've got an unused 3com 10/100 switch but it would probably cost more to post it over there than buy a new one, alas. –SuspectedReplicantretire me 19:21, 9 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Heh, I've got a ye-olde CentreCom rack mount 24 port managed 10 base T switch, with additional single 10-Base-2 connector and AUI port. You kids probably don't even remember what those are. You can have that if you want :D -- 19:27, 9 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Well if we're scoring points... I have an original IBM Network set in a box 10 feet from me. Designed for the 8088-based PC and working solely on NetBIOS (int 05ch - remember dat?) I don't believe it's compatible with anything else, but it's probably worth a few bob these days. –SuspectedReplicantretire me 19:35, 9 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Hah ha, foolish mortal. You cannot beat me at nerddom. I have an honest to god working econet set up with a BBC micro and a linux box connected to it, such that the linux box proxies certain protocols through to the internet. -- 19:38, 9 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Agh! Your hardware may be geekier than mine, my nemesis, but I own a book called "The C Programmer's Guide to the NetBIOS" and wrote commercial software based on its contents! –SuspectedReplicantretire me 19:45, 9 September 2009 (UTC) (Oooh! It's worth £100 new! )
 * I have a copy of microsoft Fortran around here somewhere... instructions and floppies are in storage somewhere, I use the 3-ring binder complete with vintage logo design for my song lyrics. Hmmm, do I spy a MultiCalc User's guide on the shelf too?  I do.  I also still have my CARDiac thing and a guide to time-shared basic on the HP2000A.  And three programs on punched tape from that era. All useless, of course.  23:57, 9 September 2009 (UTC)
 * As far as a switch goes, can you pick one up on fleabay with local pickup near to where you live? (P.S. I've just thrown you $20, and would remind you that using a person's real name on teh interwebs is a contrevention of the unofficial internet act 1999) 07:51, 10 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Oh, and I expect goat in return. 09:42, 10 September 2009 (UTC)

Has yellow box had any effect?
Just curious - since we made the donations box a little punchier, has it in any way increased the flow of cash into the RW coffers? <font color="#00F0A20">DogP <font color="#993300">Marmite Patrol 16:12, 15 December 2009 (UTC)
 * Let's hope so. Jim and Tammy Faye Baker and Benny Hinn would be proud.  RobSmithdon't bother me 04:26, 1 February 2010 (UTC)
 * I sent away to Benny Hinn and got a piece of poly blend with a hand shape screenprinted on it and an ampule of "annointing oil." Trent don't do that. 04:32, 1 February 2010 (UTC)
 * He sent me oil. 04:35, 1 February 2010 (UTC)
 * He sent me Astroglide®. 05:23, 1 February 2010 (UTC) CЯacke ®
 * (EC)It is a yellow box requesting donations. We are not emotionally blackmailing people, we are not claiming that salvation is only available through giving us money. We just would like people that enjoy our website to chuck a few dollars our way. How is Conservapedia paid for by the way? 04:33, 1 February 2010 (UTC)
 * Conservapedia doesn't run beg-a-thons. And unlike Air America, conservative thought is commercially competative in the marketplace of ideas -- meaning people are willing to support it with thier cold, hard earned cash.  RobSmithdon't bother me 04:38, 1 February 2010 (UTC)
 * Or their rich parents' money. 04:40, 1 February 2010 (UTC)
 * Amusingly, Rob, RW is supported by people's warm, hard-earned donuts. CP is paid for by Andy, who never let on what the site's finances are/were when asked.  But I suspect those poorly educated homskollars kash4klasses money helps.  06:00, 1 February 2010 (UTC)
 * In theory Andy could set up a trust fund for 10-20 grand (that would still probably be over kill) to support the website indefinitely and it will never be subject to the market forces of ideas. 06:04, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

Actually I think there is now only 1 regular supporter left, a few odd donations here and there. The support comes when I post something saying we need money now, then we get a good response. Not asking for money now, just saying the donation sticker doesn't seem to really bring much in. tmtoulouse 06:06, 1 February 2010 (UTC)
 * Sorry about that. I had to cut my support when my scholarship ran out, but I also stopped giving money to orphan girls in China, so it is not like you were being singled out. The one I am having trouble getting rid of is this bloody environmental group who have every reason in the world to keep debiting my account. 06:09, 1 February 2010 (UTC)
 * Not calling anyone out on anything, just informing. Support is plentiful when the need is called out, and the need is not high right now. Last couple of months it has been high, and people supported us and got us through that hump. Here is hoping there is no need for much help any time soon. The consistent donations are a nice touch because it accumulates a balance that can be tapped in emergencies but our users have come through whenever we have needed it so far. Also not having to pay $250-$300 a month in hosting fees help. Etaroced (talk) 06:14, 1 February 2010 (UTC)
 * Ever think of free tote bags or coffee mugs like PBS? I can get you a good wholesale deal.  Or maybe Soros can help.  If he's willing to support terrorists (cp:Soros) he'd probably have no problem with RW.  RobSmithdon't bother me 06:39, 1 February 2010 (UTC)
 * Got any yellow dresses Rob? That'd help. Acei9 06:42, 1 February 2010 (UTC)
 * I keep forgetting to cash my checks from George Soros, why do I always think they are fake? 06:43, 1 February 2010 (UTC)
 * I have a check waiting from Jennifer P, I couls pass that along. Totnesmartin (talk) 10:27, 1 February 2010 (UTC)
 * There's an idea. Put the girl in the yellow dress inside the yellow box. Add the caption, "Enlarge your penis, reduce your bank account." RobSmithdon't bother me 13:11, 1 February 2010 (UTC)
 * Rob, perhaps you could ask the people at CP to help us out. After all, Christians are supposed to be more charitable than atheists. 13:19, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

Goat
Just thrown you another $20, and expect more goat in return. 08:17, 10 May 2010 (UTC)

Question
The template reads, additional funds to put into place other future operations including offsite backup and a freely available nightly content dump .

Question: What do you need "additional funds" for something that is "freely available"? Thank you. nobsdon't bother me 03:13, 16 May 2010 (UTC)
 * I don't it means "free" as in "no cost" so much as "readily available". Also, Soros' checks come in so sporadically and unpredictably that we need to fill in the gaps with working class hero's cash.  06:24, 16 May 2010 (UTC)
 * Geez, if he can support a Weather Underground terrorist like Linda Evans, what's the problem with cutting a check for a couple a hundred bucks for you guys? (hey, look who's just underneath Linda Evans on Soros own website, the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, which as I understand consists of two people, the guy listed there and the Maoist Obama Green Czar & 911 Truther, Van Jones).
 * Rob, it's a couple grand every month to keep us fortified in our bunkers. We are low on Soros' totem pole, sadly, so he often plays "catch up" every few months or so.  Sadly, we have to pay our own damn bills between stipends.  If only he'd pay in advance as we asked him to, or just set up a regular bank-to-bank automatic payment.  Alas, we have to fight on our own while we await remuneration.  08:03, 16 May 2010 (UTC)

Join the supporters of RationalWiki with your donation
This will mean giving donors the option to be listed, of course. Wikimedia does this automated by software, when we're you're all rich of course - David Gerard (talk) 22:02, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

Checks and cheques
What currencies are accepted? I presume checks and cheques will be a minimal part of the influx, but anyway - David Gerard (talk) 15:36, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Again
Just donated yet another $20. How long does it take to show up in the fundraising control? By the way, I still haven't received my goat from the last two payments. Cough up you bastards! 21:35, 31 August 2010 (UTC)
 * It appears right away but depending on your cache settings for your browser might not show to you. You can clear your cache and reload the page and it should display, or wait for your cache to roll over depending on your settings. And thanks, the goats were let loose with instructions to find donors but there may have been problems with their head magnets, I will look into it. tmtoulouse 21:38, 31 August 2010 (UTC)
 * Be sure you do. 21:42, 31 August 2010 (UTC)