YouTube stopped embedding a while ago. -- demoting bit rot and degrading user experience

[gps]

You need ...

.

Yeah ... right.

YouTube stopped embedding a while ago.

Ben: https://tinyurl.com/ycm7fl6k

Jordan: https://tinyurl.com/kd9swkl

Sam: https://preview.tinyurl.com/ybypvpkm

Though I replaced all the youtube links with tinyurl links I suspect that other url shorteners might work too ... and perhaps url obfuscators, anything with gets the string `youtube' out of visibility to the vBullitin code used to display `content' posts.

-----------------------

The larger issue seems the deterioration of functionality.
This forum may have started out as a metaphorical *Twentieth Century Motor Factory* it seems to have experienced bit rot and sabotage ... just since I started posting in earnest a few months ago.
Frankly, I'm a bit un-nerved that we've got a user named Ragnar as a sysadmin benefactor.
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Ragnar+atlas+shrugged

Not that I suspect Randian Objectivists the way I do Free masons or a coven of foaming-at-the-mouth rabid feminist SJWs exchangeing sub_rosa `favors' with sys admins at one-or-more OTHER INTP groups ... but I DO believe that some of us would be better off if we had ways to both DOWNLOAD and UPLOAD content to this forum without buggy, sabotaging javaScript-implemented malware.

INTPcentral was brought down by saboteurs who made accessing the group's content frustrating, problematic, and/or anoying; then some folks with BETTER vBullitin and javaScript SkillZ managed to run off with most of THAT forum's participants.

How do WE -- each of us -- forstall bit rot, detect phishing schemes, malware and such and KEEP THIS FORUM not only GOING, but non-repugnant enough to drive users to other watering holes maintained by would-be Randian Objectivists ... or perhaps just those manifesting Chicago-style cronyism and impolitics as usual?


Does ANYBODY know ... can anybody tell/inform me and others -- how we can UPLOAD `posts' via FTP, wput, minimalist HTML, or such so -- for example -- someone clever enough with javaScript can sabotage the would-be `advanced' editor (de)selectable via one's Control Panel?

It's getting to the point that it's easier for me to format post-quality markup via emacs org-mode -- youtube videos links included -- than via an edititor provided here at this site.
I'd love to have a way to do an end-run around the hassles of trying to compose and post/upload via the features/tools available here.

If we can't keep our own Twentieth Century Motor Factory going here we may find ourself at the tender mercies of Sabateurs and Pirates who can't create quality 5-star threads but CAN use ways and means to make the EXPERIENCE repugnant enough to demote the Critical Mass of group dynamics to the point of dissolution.

What else is BROKE and how might we FIX IT or offer users work arounds?

 

[Jennywocky]

.
INTPcentral was brought down by saboteurs who made accessing the group's content frustrating, problematic, and/or anoying; then some folks with BETTER vBullitin and javaScript SkillZ managed to run off with most of THAT forum's participants.

Well, no one really stole those members from the site. It was all members who chose together to leave. Ptah was a regular member for quite awhile, and the members decided together to abandon ship because they were tired of all the tech problems that Haight wasn't resolving nor allowing others to resolve. The site really was floundering technically speaking.

But yeah, that's the problem here too. Things keep slowly falling apart / aren't working, so it makes it less likely for folks to stay around. I mentioned last week I wasn't even able to use the editing window to make posts because my content wasn't getting sent when I clicked Submit Reply (it just read the box as an empty window) until I downgraded the editor to something more basic.

I mean, what are you expecting? Ragnar owns / holds the site, so either he figures out a way to upgrade / improve the experience (or finds someone to partner with to help), or I guess members filter away to other sites where the infrastructure is stronger. Is there another solution on the table that you're aware of, besides those two possibilities?

 

[Ptah]

I stole nothing. I just created a new ship on which our members could sail, and many boarded it from our by-then-sinking ship. The old sinking ship, INTPc was left to rot by its "ownership" and eventually fully sunk. And way to take shots at me, gps, in forum you think I won't see it, ha.

That aside.

Perhaps INTPforum here would consider upgrading the vBulletin version (to 4 or 5), or changing to other forum software altogether? vb3 is pretty antique and outdated, if not also outmoded by now.

I mean, if it works, great. If not, then... not.

Just my 2c.

 

[gps]

Many agree that negligence on the part of Dr. Haight entailed or required that you and yours steal nothing.
Opportunity knocked.
Misery created a niche for a new provider in the INTP social networking market.

Now you and your cronies have madmin privileges at INTPcomplex instead of INTPcentral's (mis)management junta.
meh!

And -- no -- the solution or `fix' might not entail upgrading to yet another INTJ structured vBullitin version.
Though I could see where someone with vBulletin management skills would wish to retain it's software for obvious reasons.

I'm looking to do an end-run around the infected, buggy, don't-work-right features which prevented me from posting for a week and Jennywocky was kind enough to post a work-around.
That week off triggered not-so-fond memories of when I was disallowed from posting to a group in which had previously falsely believed I was a member in good standing.

Feel free to take the rat line back to your cronies vessel, Captain Ptah.
I'm looking for hull techs and damage control techs to keep THIS party barg afloat.

Likewise, just my 2c.

 

[Ptah]

So, gps, which are you out to do more? I mean, by word count devoted one way or the other alone it seems you're much more interested in maligning me/my site than providing constructive criticism and/or suggestions to INTPforum here. Entertaining, I must say. And reminds of why you got temp banned back when, too.

Anyhow. More to the point...

As for YouTube embeds, etc. I don't know how it works in vb3, but I imagine it may be possible, similar to how it is vb4... either configure a custom bbcode tag in the AdminCP and/or modify some of the pertinent templates or php code to get a working video embed bbcode tag going?

In vb4, it is usually a matter of just using the AdminCP to customize a bbcode tag, then, say rebuilding the post index -- or just forgoing that, and letting "new" posts take advantage of it (rather than applying the tag to all historical posts retroactively).

 

[Hadoblado]

I've been stressing urgency to Ragnar, we wanna move before there's nobody left. But the guy is busy.

Most of the activity of this forum takes place on discord these days.

 

[gps]

So, gps, which are you out to do more?

I mean, by word count devoted one way or the other alone it seems you're much more interested in maligning me/my site than providing constructive criticism and/or suggestions to INTPforum here.

Ptah I know this will be impossible for you to grasp, so I'm saying it in front of those who your cronies with madmin privileges in another group can't presently prevent me.

IT'S not about YOU, you flaming self-centered all-important `deity'.!
There's not enough time in my day to squander on thought about how you and your cronies manifesting whatever those not having the good sense to vote with their feet tacitly allow.

Entertaining, I must say.

Alas, could I only remember a time when you said anything interesting.
You have me at lost there.

And reminds of why you got temp banned back when, too.

Got?
As if somebody with admin privs fucking with my account -- unpublished unnotified of a `ban' constitutes a `got' banned qua `banned'?

Your paternalistic horse shit excuses for BAD BEHAVIOR on the part of your cronies is summarized by `got' something or other someone with admin privileges unilaterally DID, subjectively, unprofessionally, non-transparently ... and which you tried to spin AFTER THE FACT as if `got temp banned'?
How quaint.
How lame.
How generous of you to spin the bad behavior of the weasel bastard who did it and then you yourself for not banning him -- after removing his admin access -- for abuse of power.


And what did Thevenin and Hermione `do' to `get' voted-with-their-feet-to-fuck-OUT-OF-THERE in no small part in response to the BEHAVIOR of your junta and those who passively sat by as the old look-and-feel of INTPcentral was transmogrified into something repugnant enough to walk away and refuse to participate in the abomination which was left?

-- a rhetorical question --

I personally don't give fuck about you, your expressed opinions, or those who participated in INTPcentral as mere mortals who were either selected-by-you or allowed madmin privs BEFORE you all became Orwellian Animal-farmish more-equal pigs with madmin privileges elsewhere.

As bad as Dr. Haight's ownership WAS negligent, the subjective shoot-from-the-hip capriciousness of your cronies summarily granted admin privs by YOU was and remains MORE repugnant to me and perhaps those I cared about who have departed under YOUR junta's mismanagement.
The group dynamic `moved on' along with too many of the better, former participants.

Anyhow. More to the point...

As for YouTube embeds, etc. I don't know how it works in vb3, but I imagine it may be possible, similar to how it is vb4... either configure a custom bbcode tag in the AdminCP and/or modify some of the pertinent templates or php code to get a working video embed bbcode tag going?

In vb4, it is usually a matter of just using the AdminCP to customize a bbcode tag, then, say rebuilding the post index -- or just forgoing that, and letting "new" posts take advantage of it (rather than applying the tag to all historical posts retroactively).

As to your question

So, gps, which are you out to do more?

I don't KNOW who all aside from Ragnar -- supposedly -- has access to the AdminCP to even attempt your suggestions.
As a user I've been trying to come up with ways of doing work-arounds, end-arounds, and methods I and perhaps programming-skilled users can employ to both download and upload posts without more directly, without the flaky state of the vBulletin software getting in the way.

At the rate it's going it's looking like I'm not going to have access to even my own content at this site any more than I do at the off-line, defunct INTPcentral.

 

[Ptah]

Me: Which is gps out to do more? Bag on me and/or my site or constructively address his issues with this site?

gps: replies with a post 3/4ths of which bags on me, despite claiming it isn't about me/intpx, and doesn't give a fuck about me/intpx.

*applause*

p.s. if you want your content from INTPc, I have it. If you want your content from this site, scrape it if you're that worried about it.

Meanwhile, INTPf seems to be in well enough working order from what I can tell. Granted, I'm not that active around here, but, still.

 

[QuickTwist]

I can't use the full editor to do a lot of things. Something as simple as using italics font should just be a click of a button, but no, I have to use the BBCode to even do that. I suppose I should be grateful that italics even works at all, but with some of the other sites I frequent, this site has seen better days.

 

[gps]

Has any one HERE and presently participating ever tried other forum software enough to form comparisons?

I used Diaspora a few years ago -- not that I'm advocating either `going there', moving content there; I"M NOT -- and found the use of #hashTags BETTER than threads with posts mono-posted and subsumed under only one parent thread as with vBulletin structuring.

I've also found myself thoroughly exasperated over the years of using yahoo groups, vBulletin groups, and LinkedIn in that DICKWEEDS with admin privs CONTROL my content ... whereas had I posed to pastbin, dropbox, or such I'd still have access to my OWN content ... if for no other reason than fixing my copious typos or fixing links to content removed sometime after posting as per bit rot.

It would be WONDERFUL if we could translate the content of this site into more of a peer-to-peer implementation which allowed user-participants to manage their own posts like one can while editing one's own wikipedia page or pastebin-like hosting service.
What do you all think of this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distributed_social_network ?

Can those who care ween ourselves off dependency upon the Dr. Haights, Ptahs, and Ragnars of social networking as per the roles they play out via vBulletin systems which (mis)use the centralized control -- not peer-to-peer -- paradigm?

Everything I've read about the NT/Rational temperaments indicates that we do NOT respect those in positions of authority ... especially when they are NOT `authorities' in a subject so much as power-tripping fools acting like parents we were ambivalent -- at best -- as we were growing up:
https://www.google.com/search?q=NT+...g.mozilla:en-US:unofficial&client=iceweasel-a

How -- please brainstorm -- might we as individuals manage our own content, if no one's else's as per supporting legacy threads and posts which others no longer are around to do so?

How can we link to each other's content as per subscribers on a per-post basis while disallowing those paternalistic horse's asses with `mod' and `admin' status supposedly do so on our behalf ... as if children powerless and incapable of such on our own?

No offense to mods here; I'm trying to promote peer-to-peer interOperations which allow the interactions of equal status peers for emergent, ad_hoc `threads' without more-equal admins and mods engaging in social engineering which allows THEIR biases to favor this while censoring that, their preferred politically correct euphemisms over in-your-face `inappropriate' -- because THEY say SO -- language.

I suck at spelling and grammar!
I cringe when I see stuff I typed in the heat of the moment and didn't notice the first dozen times I re-read it.
It would be really valuable to me to be able to edit my own posts at any time in the future without pestering administrators or mods for the permission to do so.

Also it seems that many of my thoughts belong somewhat in more than one thread.
Do I post to my own thread on shell scripting, that of BurnedOut or the Coding thread of Serac?
If/when #hashtags are allowed one can tag to all the would-be `threads' which apply.

Are there free and open source apps which run on the servers of THIS site which can host THE SAME CONTENT which allow #hashtag posting and access, user maintained content, and core features ... although perhaps not all the bells and whistles of vBulletin software?

What OPTIONS might we have available to us for preserving the content of this group, allowing us to retain the group dynamic which finds perhaps 8 to 12 participants are on-line, and -- of course -- participation to grow as frustrating obstacles and turn-offs are removed?

 

[QuickTwist]

I still remember when the mentions went capoot.

 

[gps]

Me: Which is gps out to do more? Bag on me and/or my site or constructively address his issues with this site?

gps: replies with a post 3/4ths of which bags on me, despite claiming it isn't about me/intpx, and doesn't give a fuck about me/intpx.

I knew it.
I cared about Thevinin, hermione, 99problems and some of those still there -- despite the trashed group dynamic -- as I had meaningful interaction with THEM.
Had I contact information to reach THEM and a watering hole around which we could interact that would be WONDERFUL.

It was NEVER about anything having to do with you or YOUR site personally, Ptah.
You bored the ass of me in INTPcentral, bored the ass off me as you swaggered around YOUR SITE.
And it infuriated me when you selected dickweeds and butt buddies to grant admin and moderator privileges to (mis)use as per whim and personal preference.
I did appreciate the efforts of the `sanitation engineer' in implementing papert logo ... although not sistamatic for splitting a thread in which she as a participant was losing a debate and politically spun those undermining HER paradigm as if those in opposition could be subsumed under `what teachers are doing wrong'.

But I'm not talking WITH those I enjoyed talking with; I'm talking with the deity for whom it's ALL ABOUT.

When a watering hole is manifested which allows me to talk with those I WANT TO while avoiding power-tripping you and your power-tripping cronies I'm anticipating less annoyance and more satisfaction.

I believe the implementation of Peer-to-Peer social networking may just offer a means for leveling the playing field and promoting discourse among co-equals while ignoring self-proclaimed deities and their more-equal pig buddies.

I'm hoping ... however tentatively.

 

[QuickTwist]

I knew it.
I cared about Thevinin, hermione, 99problems and some of those still there -- despite the trashed group dynamic -- as I had meaningful interaction with THEM.
Had I contact information to reach THEM and a watering hole around which we could interact that would be WONDERFUL.

It was NEVER about anything having to do with you or YOUR site personally, Ptah.
You bored the ass of me in INTPcentral, bored the ass off me as you swaggered around YOUR SITE.
And it infuriated me when you selected dickweeds and butt buddies to grant admin and moderator privileges to (mis)use as per whim and personal preference.
I did appreciate the efforts of the `sanitation engineer' in implementing papert logo ... although not sistamatic for splitting a thread in which she as a participant was losing a debate and politically spun those undermining HER paradigm as if those in opposition could be subsumed under `what teachers are doing wrong'.

But I'm not talking WITH those I enjoyed talking with; I'm talking with the deity for whom it's ALL ABOUT.

When a watering hole is manifested which allows me to talk with those I WANT TO while avoiding power-tripping you and your power-tripping cronies I'm anticipating less annoyance and more satisfaction.

I believe the implementation of Peer-to-Peer social networking may just offer a means for leveling the playing field and promoting discourse among co-equals while ignoring self-proclaimed deities and their more-equal pig buddies.

I'm hoping ... however tentatively.

I don't really want to get involved, but IF what you are saying is true, how is this different than anywhere else you would go where power is involved? I assume you know no one is without bias and as such people still have their biases whether they inherit power or not. How is this different?

 

[gps]

I can't use the full editor to do a lot of things. .

You and me too.
The full editor stopped allowing me to post ANYTHING for week or more.
I was left passively reading what those remaining had posted.
I happened across a post by Jennywocky in which she told one and all how the CP could be used to select a lower functioning editor.
I tried it; it worked.
Now I can NOT easily insert links, use bold italics, or underline or even easily create code blocks or spoiler tags via icon; I type the tags out manually.

Thus my desire to use wget to download posts and something akin for uploading posts in a way which allows me to bypass trivial bullshit such as which of 3 JavaScript-implemented editors are associated with my account as selected via the equally JavaScript-implemented CP.

It's getting down to the point were the site is more of a database repository of threads and posts than much more high functioning than that.
So if the GUI look-and-feel stuff is not only NOT working but failing so badly that it doesn't even allow database functionality in the composing and uploading of `posts' ... where do we go from here?

 

[gps]

I don't really want to get involved, but IF what you are saying is true, how is this different than anywhere else you would go where power is involved?

I assume you know no one is without bias and as such people still have their biases whether they inherit power or not.

How is this different?

I can start off with the location-location-location metaphor implied by `anyWHERE else you go'.
Though we suffer like bookstores that punted to Amazon when they dug in their heels at malls which failed and went bankrupt as Amazon thrived and took their business.

We are NOT at a physically spacial place; we ARE each located in our own places in space time but CAN telecommute via the web.
Thus my mentioning https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distributed_social_network

Do you recall when ICQ was -- and still can be -- used to do peer-to-peer interaction without the need for a centralized hub?
Distributed Social networking works like that; not a centralized location-location-location `site' requiring a `login' process granting access to said centralized site.

If you and I were corresponding as we are now, records would be kept -- posts -- which other users could access, link-to, and otherwise used to create and modify new records located distributively.

If somebody gets a wild hair up their ass or decides to intervene on behalf of a delicate snow flake, play messiah, power tripper, favor-earning political operative or such they CAN'T by sabotaging the centralized log-in process as one of Ptah's cronies with admin privs did with my account for two days without informing me that I was being fucked with ... and which Ptah attempted to spin post_hoc a few posts ago as his crony was implementing an as-per-policy `temp ban' other than manifesting a vendetta based on petty jealousy, vindictiveness or such.
I could log in but everything which took place after allowed in by username and password happened so soooo slowly as to waste my time while having no definite, positive indication that some official, formal sanction or censorship was in process ... as if it were, rather than one of Ptahs cronies abusing the power he had been granted by Ptah as sysadmin.

Non transparent scumbaggery and abuse of power which Ptah has just attempted to fob off as if a `temp ban' in an attempt to mask and politically spin what HIS cronies unilaterally DID as if part of standard operating procedure in sharp contrast with the ILLEGAL violation of `fair and equal application of the laws' can't be done when peer-to-peer co-creation of content can be crafted without said centralized log-in process.

If somebody attempts to keep one of us from entering, say, an exclusive club the one allowed INSIDE the club can telecommute past the spatial sieve to manifest virtual face-to-face interaction.
Peer-to-peer social networking kinda works the same way.
An asshole and his cronies may WANT to play `door man', `club owner', social engineers, messiah for snow flakes ... power trippers; but because there is no central `club' -- watering hole -- extant they can't set up a door man and use scumbaggery and douchbaggery of various sorts as per door men and owners as if `honest brokers'.

It's never bothered you that a mod participated in a thread in which the mod could smite you using a mod club ... ban you, perma ban you?
How does peer-to-peer co-equal debate or conversation take place when one party in the debate has more-equal status?
Short answer: it CAN'T.

All this said, when there is NOT centralized control over access to a centralized data base the non-administrators can't be tempted to abuse powers they don't have.

What if files or `content' also contained editable links to both `to' and `from' client and customer posts, respectively ?
If posts can be distributed in such as way as to link to other inter-linked posts a distributed virtual `site' might be manifested ... one which power-tripping door men and `club owners' can't limit access, control, social engineer ... fuck with.


I don't now if this adequately addressed your question; i hope it does.
Good question, QT.
Thanks for asking.

Cheers!

 

[QuickTwist]

*snip*

I don't now if this adequately addressed your question; i hope it does.
Good question, QT.
Thanks for asking.

Cheers!

The short answer is no, you didn't answer my question. I understand what you are saying and the complexity of such things, but that is not the same thing as it actually being different here than elsewhere where there is an element of power that is given to someone.

FWIW I want to remain a neutral party in this. I realize what you are saying, and I'm likely to take what you say as more than a grain of salt; I have always been impressed by the thoroughness that you use when communicating what it is that you are saying. And I'm likely to not think you are just some crazy nut job because the evidence seems to be contrary to that line of thinking, however..

As these forums need to be privately paid for, given that there are no ads to add a surplus to the site in general, I feel it is prolly within the owners rights to conduct their sites in the way they wish to. It may not be fair, but that is what I can only rightfully conclude from these conversations. That doesn't mean that if something were to happen to me in terms of unfairness with regards to the leadership of such endeavors that I would just take it lying down- in truth I have my own problems with this site as well that go beyond technical workings of the site - but I have enough wherewithal to know when I am overstepping my bounds and I do know there is a point that one must make compromises if one is to be apart of a site such as this unless I feel it better that I should leave.

 

[Stigmata]

I stole nothing. I just created a new ship on which our members could sail, and many boarded it from our by-then-sinking ship. The old sinking ship, INTPc was left to rot by its "ownership" and eventually fully sunk. And way to take shots at me, gps, in forum you think I won't see it, ha.

Some of us were forced upon the ship in shackles and stripped of our names. We were told the old forum master would no longer have us, and we'd been auctioned off and sold to a softer, yet more stern master.

He does have a slight messiah complex, as he watches atop his throne as us lowly subjects build pyramids in his image.

At times, I do miss my old home -- Even despite the old master's penchant for ritual killing and abandonment, yet I can't shake this sense of optimism I feel about how things could can be different now -- perhaps even, dare I say, better.