Ars Technica Article

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Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 1:44 am

I didn't see it mentioned here, but if it has been, apologies for doing so again (I did a search but only found an Ars Technica related post from 2006).

Anyways, from May 11th:

http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2009/05/baiting-nigerian-scammers-for-fun-not-so-much-for-profit.ars

Looks like they interviewed folks on here. Well done!

Regards,

Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 1:51 am

Great article, but the comments have degraded into... well maybe you should see for yourselves..

Did not know bitter could go so far, oh well.

Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 2:40 am

@Ishkabibble: It was posted a little while ago. You have fallen in to one of our classic traps. Had you found that thread and posted in it, we'd have banned you for posting in an old thread. Instead, since you've started a thread on a topic that's already been discussed, we'll ban you for that.

Oh the power! Sooooo sweet! Wink

Great article (mostly), predictable comments. Publicity like that is great for raising awareness. Great job to those who contributed. Thumbs up

Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 3:40 am

Why, back in my day, being banned was a good thing, and we liked it.

Cheers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo

Regards,

Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 4:24 am

Yeah I've been popping into that article and chatting up that berrymike guy. It's actually pretty entertaining! Laughing

Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 5:47 am

He is, one over fed troll...

lies, deceit, vile villians every one of you, just ask berryhead, he will set
you all straight, just ask damnit....just askkkk!!!!!

oh sorry, I forgot where I was for a moment.

um...so where IS the brain washing software kept??

Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 6:22 am

We keep in a safe and take it out when we think you're ready. I then inject you with sodium thiopental. We tape your eyes open and make you watch nothing but re-runs of The Golden Girls. Our secret weapon is Bea Arthur (RIP)

Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 6:34 am

blah wrote:

Yeah I've been popping into that article and chatting up that berrymike guy. It's actually pretty entertaining! Laughing

Sadly surprised at how much sympathy someone will have for a Nigeria scammer being put out, yet so little for the harm done to their victims. You're jerking around criminals, but somehow "that's bad" ....becaaaause?!

"They're poorer than you, and victims deserve it"

I suppose that is why there are Darwin awards. You wonder why you don't hear about more people just not making it far enough in life to breed before getting their candle snuffed out. We truely are a generation so much dumber than our parents.

Well done keeping the debate alive - it surely must be educating the silent majority on there reading it.

Kudos by the way blah for being able to elicit an entire page out of berrymike with so little in return. He's really on an irrational rant.

Regards,

Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 7:58 am

Debating the ethics of scambaiting is a lesson in futility. People will think what they want to think and there is nothing anyone can say to change their minds. Some people do research of their own, take on baiting for a few weeks and are able to form and educated opinion.

Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 8:10 am

Thanks for relinking the article, the old thread had a more cryptic name, this is nice and clear.

Blah, are you really still playing with a troll? Poor boy hasn't realised that the nature of successful baiters such as yourself is to play a looooonnnnggggg game, so all your baiter skills play out nicely in opposition. Anyway, drop references to eater in the comments now and again to catch readers who flowed on from the article and need reminding where to come for level-headed discussion Smile

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 3123

I got sick of the guy - I wasn't talking to a brick wall.

Otherwise, Jacqui put together a nice article, and I was pleased I at least helped to rope in 722 new visitors.

Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 9:23 am

i have seen the net bring out the best in people but also the worst . best thing to do is ignore the people that won't listen. from what i have read round here and in other places you will never make a lad hugger into a baiter sadly .also some of those stupid comments could be posted for purposes of trolling .

great article though well worth a read .

Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 11:13 am

I popped in mainly to add a link to this forum (bottom of page 5).

Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 2:42 pm

^^^
You should join in the fun! It's cute watching berrymike chase his own little tail! Laughing

Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 10:48 pm

I feel a little sorry for "berrymike", he's clearly agrieved and clearly feels justified, but it does seem a bit of a bizarre rant. I mean, at that other site he mentions, well whilst claiming the strong community here at Eater is small (?!), the numbers speak for themselves. Utterly bizzarre!

Then when he gets into the whole secret society thing, well I'm just not sure he really realises how, erm, paranoid/loopy/whatever he sounds. Well I have a secret baiting society of 2 (with my invisible friend), you're welcome to join (the secret handshake is fancypants, but the subscription fees are crippling, be warned). Rover as supreme overlord of Alpha Centuri 2, or whatever it was? It just seems so unlikely to me, the man has a company to run so also being the baiter equivelent of the Grandfather of the Masons (what would they do? Bait each other?), again just doesn't sound plausible.

Maybe he's right, maybe Rover shoots lasers from his eyes or whatever, maybe you're all in one big secret gang conspiring against me, but he doesn't sound particularly well structured in his arguments, instead choosing unsubstantiatable claims and hyperbole over evidence or reasoning. Mildly entertaining for the first few posts, but it gets old and sounds increasingly unhinged as he goes on! Blah, I salute your patience!

Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 11:25 pm

^^^^
It's a bit like baiting a slightly more intelligent lad really. I enjoy his little mini-rants and scripted replies. I just want to pinch his little chubby cheeks! Laughing

I was really hoping to get that Dark Empath guy over here. He's a real bastard and I think it would be amazing to see him pick up a few pets from the surplus forum and apply that heartless attitude towards them!
Hopefully I can sway him towards giving it a shot! Very Happy

*edit*

removed the word "dick" and replaced it with "bastard". Laughing

Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 11:51 pm

I don't mean to butt into this conversation, but I just read through the last few pages of comments on that article and I feel the majority of them fall into that would-be-funny-if-it-wasn't-so-pitiful category.

Lad-huggers I can tolerate... just barely, but I can. You know, free speech and all that crap. But conspiracy theorists just piss me off to no end. Those guys seriously need to stop watching Michael Moore films, move out of their moms' basements, and get jobs.

Posted: Fri May 22, 2009 1:22 am

Nurse Nasty, I was sure it was Gilligan's Island reruns.. but if its really
The Golden Girls, I guess thats ok too, cuz Bea Arthur was hot...

Blah, I think you pushed berryhead over the top with that last troll feeding...

Posted: Fri May 22, 2009 6:07 am

^^^

Jeez, blah, that was funny Laughing

You're right, he is very Lad-like; you can always reel Lads in with a reference to money, this kid rises like a trout to any phrase containing the words 'eater mod'......... Laughing

Posted: Fri May 22, 2009 7:46 am

'berrymike' is none other than ex-eater member banned for manipulating other members of this forum. Besides being a deranged lunatic and being banned from every scambait site in our community, he's harmless. No-one cares what he says. You can all see for yourself how insane his ranting has become. He acts like a lad, and should be treated as such. He's great entertainment, but seriously mental.

Just don't give the moron any attention. He thrives on it. The funny part he thinks someone other than himself cares. Everything he says is true, especially the bit about where all of eater is responsible for global warming, killing all the pixies, his imaginary friend 'Loopy the Rabbit' leaving, and the current economic crisis. Rolling Eyes

Posted: Fri May 22, 2009 9:28 am

LOL. What a mentalist. When I get banned from Eater (for being too awesome) I'm gonna have to go on a crusade of shitfuckery just like that guy has.

Be warned Eater. Cross me and you pay!!!

Posted: Fri May 22, 2009 9:43 am

i recognise the names he has stoeln too . if this is some kind of secret society i did'nt have any problems joining . god help you for letting me in Smile

Posted: Fri May 22, 2009 10:09 am

Yeah, we get cool decoder rings and secret handshakes. The dental plan is crap, but the food and drinks are free.

Posted: Fri May 22, 2009 10:19 am

^^^^
Eater killed all the pixies? Why? And why weren't we told? Is this something that happened in the Dark Room? Now I see why Berrymite is getting so angry!

Posted: Fri May 22, 2009 10:26 am

Some idiot started chanting 'I don't believe in fairies. I don't believe in fairies.' Which was in retaliation for the pixie-kin not co-operating with us in have lads arrested for rainbow stealing. It was a revenge attack. We don't talk about it much, only during our devil worship gatherings every Tuesday.