At 12/30/08 03:17 PM, Little-Rena wrote: Anyway, off that note, I leveled up a few days ago to level 30, just never posted, been quite tired recently so not done much.

Same. I actually leveled to 30 yesterday, or maybe 2 days ago. Never really posted; some people are good at that here.

Anyone planning anything for new years?

Meh, just going to the yearly neighborhood party. It's really only for a couple of houses at my end of the street (my street runs between 2 others, stopping at each one). It rotates from house to house each year, and it's always fun.

As for my resolutions, I plan on:

1) writing at least 3 more short stories (you can read the ones I've already written on my blog, comments welcome)

2) Losing some weight, gain some muscle

3) Getting a better social life

4) Winning the Mock Trial tournament, especially after my team pulled the plug last year at the last minute when it looked like we were heading to a royal fucking. The year before that (when I wasn't on the team) we won everything.

5) Getting a Platinum Trophy on a PS3 game

6) Getting at least a 1500 on the SAT's on the 2 sections that actually matter

7) Applying to some colleges

That's all I got right now. It's a living document.

At 12/30/08 12:16 PM, Ismael92 wrote:

At 12/30/08 12:10 PM, Coop83 wrote: http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/47 6390
Hardcore Slideshow, use thy whistle

You were faster than me...

Yeah, I can do that when it's blindingly obvious :P

At 12/30/08 03:17 PM, Little-Rena wrote:

At 12/28/08 07:20 AM, Dream-of-Duke wrote: Stuff

You know, I've never really spoken to you, seen you a few times posting in Wi/Ht but that's about it and you seem to come across as quite arrogant.

Yeah, that's Dookey for you.

Anyway, the New Year's Resolutions part has a few old friends back to join in the fun, plus a few new bits and pieces:

1) Work out at home, to save money, trim down and bulk up.

2) Start saving for a house with my girlfriend - this should be started on Saturday :)

3) Complete my course, in order to prove my worth in my current job / get a new job, should this one go tits up.

4) Enjoy life - I've been wrapped up in a few bits and pieces that have made me a little down over the course of 2008, so 2009 must surely be better for me.

5) Enjoy my stat whoring - I can see this account making it past 100,000 Points this year and that will be something awesome for me, personally.

At 12/31/08 06:24 AM, Coop83 wrote:

Anyway, the New Year's Resolutions part has a few old friends back to join in the fun, plus a few new bits and pieces:

1) Work out at home, to save money, trim down and bulk up.

2) Start saving for a house with my girlfriend - this should be started on Saturday :)

3) Complete my course, in order to prove my worth in my current job / get a new job, should this one go tits up.

4) Enjoy life - I've been wrapped up in a few bits and pieces that have made me a little down over the course of 2008, so 2009 must surely be better for me.

5) Enjoy my stat whoring - I can see this account making it past 100,000 Points this year and that will be something awesome for me, personally.

Wow Coop...sounds like we are strangly similar paths in life. I need to start working out after being laid up for way too long with my ankle (fracture/3rd degree sprain in Aug). I have started saving money for my upcoming immigration/move to Vancouver. Working on my Master's degree. Enjoy life - you couldn't be more right. I have been down and out for so long....the side of me that I don't like was taking over. Turns of events have made me realize this....and it's like a lightbulb had been turned on. Life is looking up already. And yes...I'm enjoying my Stat Whoring....especially the number of Blams I was able to snag yesterday. WOOHOO!!!:)

At 12/31/08 09:16 AM, cadreamer wrote: I'm enjoying my Stat Whoring....especially the number of Blams I was able to snag yesterday. WOOHOO!!!:)

Is it just me or a lot of crap was submitted yesterday?

Anyway as I said I don't make new year resolutions. I think it's cool that people want to change things about their lives to make it better, but I always thought that if I wanted to change something about me, I would do it right now instead of waiting until new year :P

At 12/31/08 09:24 AM, Ismael92 wrote: Anyway as I said I don't make new year resolutions. I think it's cool that people want to change things about their lives to make it better, but I always thought that if I wanted to change something about me, I would do it right now instead of waiting until new year :P

But hey, making your New Year's Resolutions make you motivate to change not only your daily tradition but your life as well, but not as guaranteed as the others. Also, my New Year's Resolution, I guess so, is that I'll maintain to study hard, to be a BETTER person and this is weird but, I'll try to help my parents when it comes to chores.

WELL, HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE...

***salutes***

Is it necessary to salute here or am I just just following this tradition way back from the NGPD?

At 12/31/08 09:16 AM, cadreamer wrote: And yes...I'm enjoying my Stat Whoring....especially the number of Blams I was able to snag yesterday. WOOHOO!!!:)

Congrats, I don't think I got that many yesterday, I seem to miss the times when more flash get blammed, either that or it doesn't add most of them to my total, haha. I know I've voted 1 and 0 on quite a few things yet I still only end a day with maybe 10 blams at the most, it's very annoying.

New Years resolutions, I'm not going to make any. I could have gone out today for New Years but I need to get myself some better ID, my friends don't seem to like drinking in anymore, they like to be out and about, which gets dull after a while.

At 12/31/08 02:16 PM, Little-Rena wrote:

At 12/31/08 09:16 AM, cadreamer wrote: And yes...I'm enjoying my Stat Whoring....especially the number of Blams I was able to snag yesterday. WOOHOO!!!:)

Congrats, I don't think I got that many yesterday, I seem to miss the times when more flash get blammed, either that or it doesn't add most of them to my total, haha. I know I've voted 1 and 0 on quite a few things yet I still only end a day with maybe 10 blams at the most, it's very annoying.

New Years resolutions, I'm not going to make any. I could have gone out today for New Years but I need to get myself some better ID, my friends don't seem to like drinking in anymore, they like to be out and about, which gets dull after a while.

It is totally annoying when you vote appropriately on flash and it still gets thru. I have to go back and check as there was one crap flash submitted yesterday and the author admited it was his first flash and that when he submitted it in 2006 it was blammed very quickly....he wanted to see if it would pass now with absolutely no updates. I haven't gone back to check on it because that's just looking for something to piss you off.

I think I managed to get about 40 blams yesterday....which was nice.

At 12/29/08 09:05 PM, bananasrus09 wrote: I, bananasrus09, would like to enlist in the Elite Guard Barracks.
Anything specific I have to do?

Welcome to the Barracks! I'm the Barracks Recruitment Officer, Supreme Commander Slash Firestorm. It's my job to examine new prospective recruits and see if they've got what it takes to join the EGB.

Let me explain how the recruitment process works.

Currently you are in "Standby Status" while your case is considered. During this process, me and the other Barracks members will take a look at your record---posting quality, review history/quality, flash record, etc---and see if there are any problems.

Don't worry, we're not too strict about these things; we just want to make sure that you have a decent posting record (not too many one-liners and no flaming/spamming), don't make abusive reviews or rulebreaking flash, etc..

After a period of discussion amongst the Barracks members, I will make the final call. Assuming that no objections are raised, this Standby Status should only last approximately 24 hours. I will PM you with the final verdict.

In light of your high ratio of saves to blams (over 5:1) and rapid rise through the ranks, I must make sure that you're aware of the Barracks' voting policy. We don't tell people how to vote here, nor set some group definition of what good flash is. However, our policy is for each individual member to vote based on what their definition of quality is, whatever that may be---no voting simply for protects (or blams, though the former is the more typical problem). While we are competitive with our B/P gains, we don't do this just for stats. If you can keep that principle in mind and follow by it, there won't be any problems.

Anyway, Barracks members can go to the appropriate thread for discussion. Remember that you must be signed in to view/vote, and speak now or forever hold your peace.

At 12/31/08 06:05 PM, SlashFirestorm wrote:
Welcome to the Barracks! I'm the Barracks Recruitment Officer, Supreme Commander Slash Firestorm. It's my job to examine new prospective recruits and see if they've got what it takes to join the EGB.

Let me explain how the recruitment process works.

Currently you are in "Standby Status" while your case is considered. During this process, me and the other Barracks members will take a look at your record---posting quality, review history/quality, flash record, etc---and see if there are any problems.

Don't worry, we're not too strict about these things; we just want to make sure that you have a decent posting record (not too many one-liners and no flaming/spamming), don't make abusive reviews or rulebreaking flash, etc..

After a period of discussion amongst the Barracks members, I will make the final call. Assuming that no objections are raised, this Standby Status should only last approximately 24 hours. I will PM you with the final verdict.

In light of your high ratio of saves to blams (over 5:1) and rapid rise through the ranks, I must make sure that you're aware of the Barracks' voting policy. We don't tell people how to vote here, nor set some group definition of what good flash is. However, our policy is for each individual member to vote based on what their definition of quality is, whatever that may be---no voting simply for protects (or blams, though the former is the more typical problem). While we are competitive with our B/P gains, we don't do this just for stats. If you can keep that principle in mind and follow by it, there won't be any problems.

Anyway, Barracks members can go to the appropriate thread for discussion. Remember that you must be signed in to view/vote, and speak now or forever hold your peace.

Thanks. Yea, I kinda hate that ratio, and can't seem to get to get blams I usually vote 0 on stuff from spammers or groups like the Food Force, but it always seems to pass... And I got a new computer and pretty much spent my whole (last) week on the computer. I expect the pace to slow down due to school starting soon. I'm not a save whore, just to put that out there.

Happy New Year 2009, fellow EGB crew!

First, a little business: Noticed that we have a spammer named "Vrejvax" dumping more crud on the portal. According to his last post on his account, he may be quitting on his own. But if he doesn't, maybe we need to take a good look at his "work" and remove those that are below par?

It's strange - there are so many people with real talent that take the low road and spam, just to get their names and stats up; but if they worked their skills into something original that they could be proud of, well, in the long run, wouldn't that be better for both them and us? I guess it's all a matter of maturity and self-control.

And, yes, I have been posting and reviewing more. Looking back, I obviously don't know how to say anything briefly. I guess that's because I can go on and on and not get interrupted by my better half. (Yes, I'm married - but this place is actually good therapy for me!)

Well, enough of that. As for New Years resolutions: I'm going to try to keep things in perspective better, keep family first, take care of my health and realize that nobody takes me seriously, so why should I? Let's face it, God has a sense of humor. Don't believe me? Let see, there's the platypus ("That'll give Darwin something to think about!"), the bumblebee ("Yes, it can fly, but, no, I won't tell you how!") and Republicans ("Let's mix evil with stupid, drop the IQ a bit, and see what they do - oh...oh...ohno...drats, that didn't work at all!)

Don't mind my sense of humor. I poke fun at everything, and I'll take it, too.

Anyway, I wish everyone here a safe and happy New Year, and may 2009 be better for all of us than 2008 was! Now, go enjoy some R & R with your family - I will be!

Take care, all!

** Salutes **

At 12/31/08 02:58 PM, cadreamer wrote: I think I managed to get about 40 blams yesterday....which was nice.

I didn't manage to get that many Blams (more like 25 or so), but yeah, I pulled off a big B/P spree yesterday. And it shows, too, on my new badge of Corporal. I think, for the year as a whole, I pulled in about 3,500 or so, not bad for a guy who spent most of the summer watching anime when he could have been here. I'll aim for another 3,500 in 2009, which would put me at Master Sergeant one year from now. So, what's everyone else's B/P goal for next year?

At 12/31/08 09:59 PM, SoulMaster71 wrote: So, what's everyone else's B/P goal for next year?

I want to hit 10000 B/P so that would be about 6900 B/P for the year, I think I can pull it off.
So yeah, its 3:53am and everyone is leaving my house, mates, family and shit like that. Just had a 4 hour game of Trivial Pursuit, no one won... Again...

Happy New Years :3

Prosperous B/P'ing for another year :D

Happy New Years Guys!

I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm going to be on vacation from Janaury 1st-4th and then i start school and have exams. So for the month of January I might be pretty inactive...

John~

Happy New Year do you all! of course with the various different time zones, its not actually New Year on Newgrounds yet. It is here in England I'm five hours ahead so its around 4.13 in the morning here. Lovely to see all the happy news post. Next month I would be here for a year the time go by so fast. Well my goals for blams would be have more maybe 3000, I do blam despite my saves being higher. I have gained a decent amount of b/p this week.

Vrejvax is submitting so more crap here

• 

  by <deleted>

  Under Judgment

  (Everyone)

Yes his news post says he will stop but that's uncertain. Agree about YouTube unfair policy SoulMaster71 again happy new year EGB salutes.

Happy new year to one and all. Let us welcome in the new year with some whistle blowing:

• 

  by <deleted>

  Under Judgment

  (Everyone)

At 1/1/09 09:13 AM, Coop83 wrote: Happy new year to one and all. Let us welcome in the new year with some whistle blowing:
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/47 6707

Good work Coop83 my last post meant thanks for all the happy new years posts. The user who submitted it looks like it may have been hacked the account dates from 2001. Maybe another of LordZeebmork alts. Only if you see the comments on page. I find seeing the date 2009 weird and hard to get used to loads of thread for The New Year. Odd that an old account from 2001 would be submitting stuff now though.

Hey guys, Happy New Year from the Emerald Isle! Hope 2009 treats all of you well, and may this year be a happy and prosperous one for you all.

As for the EGB, may 2009 be a year of successful defense of the Portal, as well as an enjoyable one for all in our ranks.

At 1/1/09 09:25 AM, phantomlassuk wrote: The user who submitted it looks like it may have been hacked the account dates from 2001. Maybe another of LordZeebmork alts.

OK, I think you're on the right track with the hacking (the word YEEK appears on the page, [LoD] stuff too), but that just doesn't seem like Zeeb to me. Maybe it is, but I don't exactly think so. Actually, the way that page looks kinda reminds me of sQueef/50vmp, possibly one of the best pure artists among the spammers.

Since it kinda got swept away on the last page, here's a reminder:

Discussion on bananasrus09 can be found at this thread. All EGB members are able to vote and discuss any endorsements or concerns.

THAT MEANS DO IT LOL.

That is all.

At 1/1/09 07:44 PM, SlashFirestorm wrote: THAT MEANS DO IT LOL.

Done.

And happy new year to all. Wish you the better for next year everybody.

really short post... let see

and luck in the next ng year guys, keep protecting the portal and voting fair
we won't surrender against the spam

Lt. General aldlv.
*salute*

I have expressed my opinion regarding the new application on the forum and I hope it is taken into consideration.

On a lighter note, I am now at the magnificent level of 35.

Greetings, EGBC!

Well, 2009 is off to a strange start. Had a few days off from work, and all of my family from out of town left early to beat out the bad weather, so I had some extra time to watch the portal. I've noticed that blams seem to be hard to come by - even with voting down obvious crud, things are still sliding though. Guess there's no accounting for taste when it comes to being a stat whore, huh?

On a similar note, I have noticed that "ICEAN" has been posting only saves at a ridiculous rate. I mean, I know I've been on the portal a lot, but I do sleep sometimes. So I did a little bit of calculating, and although I have no proof, it appears he(?) is on 24/7/365 and voting up everything that comes in. Now, either multiple people are monitoring the account, or he is running some sort of bot to just blindly vote 5 to everything that pops up.

If you figure on an average of 120 saves a day (some higher, some lower), and then divide that into his current save count, you get 141 or so days. Going back on the calendar, that puts you at 8/14/2008 or so - which happens to coincide with his last post / review.

IMHO, he started a "save-bot" around that time, and just makes sure that it keeps running - but really doesn't contribute to the portal at all. In fact, he's actually helping the spammers by voting everything up.

So, my questions to you are this:
1) What is Newgrounds policy on vote-bots?
2) How do we know if he's running a bot versus sharing the account with others?
3) Does this behavior violate any rules of Newgrounds?

I know that IP addresses and log-in times can be tracked, so it shouldn't be too hard to find out if it's from a single user (one IP) or multiple - and if it's been one long login or he's been on and off a few times.

Just curious. But if he is running a bot, and then passes it around the spammer community, we could have perpetual "Clock Days" where everything coming in passes - and defeats the purpose of the EGBC!

Where do we go from here?

Thanks for listening!
*Salutes*

At 1/2/09 10:30 AM, byteslinger wrote: IMHO, he started a "save-bot" around that time, and just makes sure that it keeps running - but really doesn't contribute to the portal at all. In fact, he's actually helping the spammers by voting everything up.

So, my questions to you are this:
1) What is Newgrounds policy on vote-bots?

As far as I am aware, Newgrounds as a whole is opposed to the use of Voting bots. fixit and yaya12 are the most well known of the early machines on this site and steps were taken to stop their programs from working.

2) How do we know if he's running a bot versus sharing the account with others?

As standard members of Newgrounds, we don't

3) Does this behavior violate any rules of Newgrounds?

Not that I'm aware of, but such behaviour is frowned upon.

I know that IP addresses and log-in times can be tracked, so it shouldn't be too hard to find out if it's from a single user (one IP) or multiple - and if it's been one long login or he's been on and off a few times.

Well, technically I'd be regarded as a syndicate, as I vote on submissions from anything from 2 to 5 IP addresses in a single day, due to work, my girlfriend's home IP, my home, and a few friends / family IPs

Just curious. But if he is running a bot, and then passes it around the spammer community, we could have perpetual "Clock Days" where everything coming in passes - and defeats the purpose of the EGBC!

In theory, this is possible, but if it were the case, then the scores would already have rocketed and many more spam submissions would have passed judgement. I'll point out that my Blam numbers are actually climbing, so it can't be all bad news.

Where do we go from here?

Well, the first thing is to stop calling this place the EGBC - We're the EGB (Elite Guard Barracks).

Secondly, maybe after extended discussions within the Barracks, we contact some admins and see what their thoughts are on it. We might get some progress made on it like that. I'll try to ply Tom with some English Hospitality on the 17th and see what we can do from there.

At 1/2/09 01:50 PM, Ferris95 wrote: What I am trying to say, sir, is that I would like to join the Elite Guard Barracks, sir!

Three years experience is all well and good, but with the best will in the world, we cannot accept you without the prerequisite 2,500 B/P points in order to obtain Private.

Membership of the EGB is not a part time job - it requires dedication and a firm, but fair hand. Go to the Where is / How to forum and look for Rage's Gift to you: Abusive Reviews. From there, you can start to repair that garbage whistle of yours and then, while you get up to Private, you can work at it and have both ready to join this Barracks.

Once you've dealt with these two, hopefully we will be able to move you into the selection process.

At 1/2/09 01:32 PM, Coop83 wrote:

At 1/2/09 10:30 AM, byteslinger wrote: IMHO, he started a "save-bot" around that time, and just makes sure that it keeps running - but really doesn't contribute to the portal at all. In fact, he's actually helping the spammers by voting everything up.

So, my questions to you are this:
1) What is Newgrounds policy on vote-bots?

As far as I am aware, Newgrounds as a whole is opposed to the use of Voting bots. fixit and yaya12 are the most well known of the early machines on this site and steps were taken to stop their programs from working.

Cool. But does this mean someone else has figured a new way?

2) How do we know if he's running a bot versus sharing the account with others?

As standard members of Newgrounds, we don't

Hmm, didn't think it would be that easy... :(

3) Does this behavior violate any rules of Newgrounds?

Not that I'm aware of, but such behaviour is frowned upon.

I would imagine so. So while it may be unethical, it's not illegal. Still, it's just as bad as spam.

I know that IP addresses and log-in times can be tracked, so it shouldn't be too hard to find out if it's from a single user (one IP) or multiple - and if it's been one long login or he's been on and off a few times.

Well, technically I'd be regarded as a syndicate, as I vote on submissions from anything from 2 to 5 IP addresses in a single day, due to work, my girlfriend's home IP, my home, and a few friends / family IPs

Yes, I check in from work and other places myself - but my account (as is yours) is only being used by one person at a time. Nothing wrong there...

Just curious. But if he is running a bot, and then passes it around the spammer community, we could have perpetual "Clock Days" where everything coming in passes - and defeats the purpose of the EGBC!

In theory, this is possible, but if it were the case, then the scores would already have rocketed and many more spam submissions would have passed judgement. I'll point out that my Blam numbers are actually climbing, so it can't be all bad news.

I guess you're right. My blams go up and down, but I haven't seen any "all pass" day since Clock day, so he's probably the only one. So I got a little worried...

Where do we go from here?

Well, the first thing is to stop calling this place the EGBC - We're the EGB (Elite Guard Barracks).

My apologies. It shall be EGB from now on! *smacks side of head with phonebook*

Secondly, maybe after extended discussions within the Barracks, we contact some admins and see what their thoughts are on it. We might get some progress made on it like that. I'll try to ply Tom with some English Hospitality on the 17th and see what we can do from there.

Thank you for your kind reply. I appreciate the response.

Take care!

richler reporting sir, im a Sgt. First Class i have served in the portal for 1 year and 5 months... im trying to do the best i can to protect the portal

richler hello there you will need to wait till SlashFirestorm comes on here your higher then me I'm only Sergent. My b/p not so good today only 2, guess I have got slack in that area. byteslinger I have never heard of voting bots those accounts seem to be long inactive despite the huge stats. So what is a Voting Bot? sorry i know the name sounds obvious, but I was not unaware of its existence till now. I only vote on what I think that's the best way. I have not checked out the portal, but (The Food Federation) FFF-- for short was submitting lots of spam. I don't get much b/p per day but I check for things. Talking of users on spam submissions when you see score of 10s you get suspicious lots of alts. I would like to see this user you talk of. SlashFirestorm I voted on that user.
byteslinger

At 1/2/09 11:14 PM, phantomlassuk wrote: richler hello there you will need to wait till SlashFirestorm comes on here your higher then me I'm only Sergent. My b/p not so good today only 2, guess I have got slack in that area. byteslinger I have never heard of voting bots those accounts seem to be long inactive despite the huge stats. So what is a Voting Bot? sorry i know the name sounds obvious, but I was not unaware of its existence till now. I only vote on what I think that's the best way. I have not checked out the portal, but (The Food Federation) FFF-- for short was submitting lots of spam. I don't get much b/p per day but I check for things. Talking of users on spam submissions when you see score of 10s you get suspicious lots of alts. I would like to see this user you talk of. SlashFirestorm I voted on that user.
byteslinger

Hello, Phantomlassuk.
To answer your question, a "Voting bot" is actually a program that runs on a user's machine, and constantly checks for new entries into the portal. Then, with additional logic, manages to load up the flash entry, scan that page, find the "Vote 5" button, and somehow submit a "click" to it. Think of it as a ghost writer that will press keys for you. If you had a voting bot, you could sign on and let it run under your account, and blindly vote "5" to everything that shows up. Theoretically, you could also always vote "0" to blam everything, but since about 70% of everything that hits the portal generally passes, you get more B/P points by voting it all up.

The bot is generally a very slick piece of code, custom designed for a specific website. From the Newgrounds side, there is no apparent difference if you voted manually or if the bot did it, so the only way to detect it is to see excessive votes over a long period of time.

The user I think may be running a vote-bot can be seen at: icean.newgrounds.com . He has 24 blams, and that never changes, but his saves climb 120+ or more a day. He has no active reviews or forum postings for almost 5 months. I spend a lot of time on the portal, and I do run the occasional review or forum post; and part of being in the EGB is to fairly vote on entries, and blam the spam. I've had my near 100 B/P days, and I've had days where I made only 10-20 points. That's just part of life. But when you seen the activity on this other guy's account, well, it just seems kind of fishy.

Hope that helps a bit. Please feel free to PM me if you want - glad to be of service!

Major ByteSlinger, over and out!
*Salute*

Just wanted to let you all know that I'm back from England and I hope you all had a merry christmas.

I feel there are too many save worthy entries in the portal, its hard to get my blams up when there the amount of good flashes greatly surpasses the bad ones, and I don't feel missing out on the save points.
I'm not including spam submissions because I vote 0 on them anyway.
I wish there were more noobs on the portal, more crap to clean up.

Also, about the whole bot business, it would have to a pretty well scripted program to do all of that shit, couldn't someone just tweak the portal guard program and make a bot with that?

Its just a notion.