Do you think the domain name for this forum is set to automatically renew?
It expires on the 18th of this month.
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Do you think the domain name for this forum is set to automatically renew?
It expires on the 18th of this month.
That will be a test to see if the site owner is still around? :-(
I have unfortunately been a member of another forum that 'ceased to exist' which led to the fracturing of a pretty close community. I am wondering whether this forum needs a contingency in place for this possible event such as details of an alternate forum that might accommodate us all to avoid the pangs of seperation anxiety.
No way of knowing that I am aware of. Besides, the forum owner could be contemplating a change. Another forum that I am on went to a cloud server recently. My guess might be that it was an economic decision. Given that the present moderators have stated quite clearly that they have had no communication with the forum owner in some time, I suppose we shall just have to hold a vigil and see if the light stays on after the 18th of October.
If indeed the site closes on the 18th, I would be seeking refuge in the scienceforum.org site, which is very close to this one and is in essence its child via Bunsen and Beaker
It wouldn't necessarily vanish on the 18th. There would likely be a number of warning notifications sent to the domain name owner for the next few months or so (a grace period). If there's no action taken by the owner, it'll be nuked. He's probably had notifications of impending expiration already.
Then there's the hosting package to consider...
I agree with Paleoicheum about seeking refuge at the thescience forum.org site in the off chance that this one gets nuked. Another forum I was on expired and they were not given any grace period.
Thanks for the headsup guys. That site looks like a fine site to reside should the pin ever be pulled from this forum. I will keep it in mind. :-)
How long has it been since anyone heard from the owner?
That is bad news. Let us hope this forum does not end that way.
Failure to contact admin dates back to the beginning of June 2014, when moderators tried to contact him concerning the sudden inability to give likes.
I have it in my head that the site owner lives in India. Does anybody else have this info, or did I just imagine it? I've no idea where I got that from specifically, but I'm sure it was mentioned here before many moons ago.
I thought the same thing so it must have been mentioned in some thread or other (it's not the sort of thing I would assume without reading it somewhere and the odds of two of us imagining it are slim...)
There is a phone and a fax number in that registration data Scoobydoo1 posted. Has anyone tried calling it?
I think that's just GoDaddy/DomainsByProxy contact info. Owner must have wanted to keep his details hidden.
I think your assessment has a high probability of being correct. According to the exchanges in the second link, it would appear that there is a grace period of 19 days after the expiry date, unless of course, notice has been given that the service is no longer desired by the owner. Then it would be lights out on schedule, I would surmise.
+1.4806242599 Is Associated With 3,641,791 Domains
https://productforums.google.com/for...ps/GHLgLjaYXh8
~ Oh, ~ Time which might or might not be real shall reveal all or nothing.. I will just sit over here and watch.. >>>>>![]()
Perhaps we should lay plans for the potential apocalypse? There is the simple expedient of the .org site. Or we could raise some funds and yada and yada and have a like button again!
Longshot: ask Skinwalker or (In)Sanity to ask Bunsen or Beaker who they sold the site to.
You did not imagine it. It took an elaborate Google search to find the contract that was posted by admin in this thread from 2012.
The contract states that this site was bought by a corporation in New Delhi in 2011, for the sum of 5,500.00 USD. It was signed by Sahil Gupta, the director of the corporation.
Link to contract: https://www.dropbox.com/s/91go2fhrjw...rum_Signed.pdf
Last edited by Cogito Ergo Sum; October 9th, 2014 at 05:15 PM. Reason: Fixed the price.
Awesome sleuthing, Cogito Ergo Sum. I am suitably impressed.
The company seems to have a Facebook account also but as a non-member of that entity, I cannot see beyond the front page. No dated activity on that once since June 1st, 2013.
The second link is ...interesting...
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Impac...=page_internal
http://impactomatic.com/
Apparently his company Impact Softech Private Limited is still in operation, at least as of last month according to the India Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
Impact Softtech Private Limited currently have 2 Active Directors / Partners: Sahil Gupta, Rajeshwari Gupta, and there are no other Active Directors / Partners in the company except these 2 officials.
The first named is the signatory to purchasing the site.
Impact Softtech Private Limited information
Nice work CES. Is this you?
![]()
Does that all not seem strange to you? A corporation with an inactive Facebook page that has a website that has not been finished since its creation in 2008? What does this corporation do? Why did they buy this website? The more I think about it, the less it makes sense.
Originally Posted by Zwirko
I could use a cigar, to be honest.
Last edited by Cogito Ergo Sum; October 9th, 2014 at 09:26 AM. Reason: Fixed a sentence.
Yes, Cogito.
It does seem more than a little odd, which is why I posted the links.
I wanted to see the reactions of others, without putting my spin on those results.
I think Admin's introduction thread explains his motivation for acquiring the forum: New Admin's Introduction
I’ve created my account for the science forum.org in preparation to jump ship, should this site go under on the 18th. I notice a lot of member names from that site are also regular from here, or used to be. Must be like a home from home. I hope they have a Like button![]()
There is a reason of sorts why the two forums look similar and have an overlap of members. When this site was sold the first time round one of the original co-owners set up the .org site. I don't think many people were too happy with the new owners and so jumped ship. The new owners then sold the site to the current owner, who appears to have gone awol.
The .org site should try and buy the domain of this site on backorder (assuming someone else has not done so already) and move back in.
I would argue that the .org site is the original site since it has the original theme and forum software
I originally setup the .org site when Bunsen and Beaker bought the .com from (In)Sanity and B&B turned out to be a couple of tools. Dicks, really. They were actually run out of her by the members that didn't stand for their shit -and they sold to the new admin. Sahil turned out to *not* be a tool or a dick, so I didn't really press the "Come-to-the-dot-org-site" thing hard.
But we're there. If you want to see what TheScienceForum was like before B&B bought it and "upgraded" to vBulletin, pay a visit. You'll recognize a few names, I'm sure.
Hi SkinWalker, nice to see you again.
Can I ask you if you have the ability to change usernames on the .org site? I called myself "Plastid" there a few years ago, but that name creeps me out a little bit for some weird reason.
You know, if you personally offered to leave forever for a certain amount of money (obviously not a really huge amount) it's entirely possible that many users of this forum would contribute to those ends.
How about it, who is willing to pay Robittybob1 to go away forever?
I need about 200 K to have enough to by my Mum's farmlet. Anyone willing even to give me a loan and I'll go away forever if that is what you want?
But we'd better get it organised before the 18th in case the site crashes. It might be all fixed if it does crash, we'd all be gone forever.
I'm in, where do I sign up?How about it, who is willing to pay Robittybob1 to go away forever?
If the site does go down... one of us could just purchase the domain and start it back up. Its never good when a forum's admin is no longer active.
I am somewhat concerned that the "clientRenewProhibited" flag is set on the domain registration. Not sure why anyone would do that for a site like this one.
I imagine it would be illegal to clone/archive the site content? It'd be a shame to see the content go, there has been some good discussions here.
I was thinking more along the lines of cloning the entire site with a hackers tool such as HTTrack. Probably illegal to do that, especially if one were to put it back online.
~ Excuse me for being a little thick, but.. If the founding fathers of this site, or the owner can not be motivated to revisit the site how do you imagine it will survive.. ? When it clearly has been stated that the warrant expires on the 18 th of THIS month. Will the site still be operative after the 19 th.. Can it be made to work, should we all go to the some other site.. ?
That "the science forum .org" or thescienceforum.com or "spacetheuniverseandeverything.com" alternate, and I want for a continuation is not my own solo view.. As a community of friends has been established is clear.. is it all to just be lost.. I have no administrative authority and do not want for such, but will this site just stop working.. Could we have some clarity please..
I see one of the mods stepped down and a vote for replacement is underway.. will there be a forum to moderate over ? Is this all just B S ? Please come back at me...
Astro,
It might end on midnight of the 18th. It might not. Or the next day. Or it could linger on for weeks or even perhaps a few months. Or the owner might reappear and apologise for getting folks worried. At this point nobody really knows anything for sure.
If the site goes, I wonder what you will take from it?
Should it happen I'd just like to thank some of you guys for being sympathetic about my cancer problem. Actually I had good news yesterday. They couldn't find evidence of any cancer or metastasis after further tests. It gives me reprieve until early next year when the tests start again.
If I see you on another forum I'll log in as Ygen (Dr. Ox's assistant in the Jules Verne novel A Fantasy of Dr. Ox).
Great news Ox.
Here's hoping next year's tests continue all clear.
The support of a community, even a virtual community, has benefits that science is only beginning to comprehend.
I am so glad to hear your news, Ox, and thank you for sharing with us.
If October 18th should result in this venue terminating, I may be found on several other science forums under the same name, also as Under the Rose and Labelwench.
I somewhat enjoy the uncertainty. It combats boredom, and tastes of quantum mechanics.
If this forum goes down indefinitely, then I will probably join the science forum that member SkinWalker talked about in post #37.
Same username, same avatar.
I will likely join the other site as well if this one goes down.
That being said, would there be a way for us/someone to renew the site/take ownership without contacting the current admin?
Isn't it hosted at Go Daddy? Some info at this link.
www.thescienceforum.com - Thescienceforum | Website Information
Hey!
I found contact info for the site owner.
Any of you admin sorts have a budget for contacting him?
Sahil Gupta
NA
Plot no. 71, 3rd floor, Sector 12A, Dwarka New Delhi
New Delhi, Delhi 110075
INDIA
Telephone: 919971332444
Email:![]()
The name can be ordered now on backorder. Someone else may have done so already since it's quite a valuable name I'd imagine. I'm starting to think the owner is not alive since I'm pretty sure he could sell that name for at least a couple of hundred currency units, possibly more.
If a forum member did manage to buy the domain, al we'd have then is the name. The site content would be still be kaput though.
This thread has allowed me to contemplate how strange of creatures we are to form attachments to objects, whether tangible or virtual. I have come to quite distrust this 'virtual reality' and have gone back to maintaining manual records and back-ups of data which I value.
It is an interesting exercise because it reminds me that all of are words are indeed as writing on water. We but disturb the water for an instant, before it carries on, taking our thoughts and words with it. The water flows, and we but flow with it. What little choice we have may sometimes guide the craft slightly, but we really cannot for long resist the flowof life.
How much would the domain name cost?
To register through normal channels would not cost much. A few dollars or pounds up to about £15 or so per year. An owner selling to a private buyer who wants it would be asked to pay more, I think.
The current owner paid $5,500.00 for this domain as per the links provided by Cogito Ergo Sum in post #26.
As for acquiring the name if it becomes available, I came across an article that gives some advice on the topic.
How to Buy a Domain Name That's Already Registered at WhoIsHostingThis.com.
I have sent a mail to that address. Let's hope he gets it! Good job Schez!
Thanks, Callie.
I could have done so myself but it should have more priority coming from one in a position such as yourself.
No doubt the owner is a busy person with many irons in the fire and this forum may just be a hobby or a whim.
I would think they might be surprised to learn that the community here values this space greatly.![]()
Good news! Sahil is alive and well.
He has been dealing with a few issues, but the site was never in danger of going down. It is set to renew automatically.
He is also aware of the like feature not working. He is making arrangements to have someone take care of any technical issues we might have.
He asked me to list some of the problems we have been having. Apart from the like feature, has there been any other problems?
Excellent!!
Please give my regards to Sahil and a big thank you for the pending technical support. Of the forums I frequent, I observe that positive reinforcement (a 'like' or 'rep' feature) is a building block for the forum community. It is a way to acknowledge that, "Yes, I read your post," even when sometimes one is too busy to research or reply. In a purely academic setting, perhaps these small accolades are of lessor value but in a forum which encompasses more than pure science, I see it as a valuable tool.
Thank you for getting right on that, Kalster. All the drama in this thread, lol, looks a lot different in hindsight, but still I see it as having been a valuable insight into how much this forum means to many.![]()
Off topic trolling deleted by moderator.
Last edited by Harold14370; October 10th, 2014 at 02:14 AM. Reason: delete trolling
Thanks for following up with the owner Kalster. That's great news indeed. All good from me aside from the 'like' button. :-)
A flap about nothing then. I feel a little embarrassed about causing so much "tension".
It's all worth it for a "like" button.
Don’t be.
You warned us yourself it was only speculation, and your thread resulted in us all knowing the admin hasn’t abandoned the site, or the broken ‘like’ button. Plus, if the site ever does shut down (even just temporally) I now know I can turn to TSF.org for backup. So it's all good![]()
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