Random Rants LXIX: Life is a Dismal Chore

[aimeeandbeatles]

Photobucket now wants around 400 dollars a year to be able to hotlink images. This applies retroactively and all the images are replaced by stupid speedometers.

I use Imgur myself, but it's mostly the older blogs and forums that aren't updated anymore that suffered. Example in case.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

And why won't imgur suit your needs?

If I just wanted to post a photo in a normal post, Imgur would be okay.

But I run several RPG and Doctor Who forums, and all the banners and icons and backgrounds are hosted on my Photobucket account and Photobucket is no longer willing to host images this way unless they get paid an exhorbitant amount of money. I've already been paying them $39.99 USD/year for several years, so as not to have to put up with ads and there isn't any bandwidth limitations. Now Photobucket wants TEN TIMES that much, assuming you pay it in one lump sum. They want the amount I've been paying per year to now be paid per month.

There's no way I can afford that, nor can most other people who run small forums or who just want to host some avatars or banners there and use them on forums. So I need a new host that's willing to allow third party hosting for things like banners, icons, avatars, and smileys. I also need to make sure it allows private albums, since some of the smiley artists are only willing to allow me to use their images if they're not in a public album.

So far Photobucket worked beautifully - no privacy problems, I could set up specific albums, not an issue when hosting avatar contests on TrekBBS (easier to just store the entries in my own account rather risk the entries not showing up if the participant used a temporary service that expires after a short time).

Now, it's not going to work beautifully, and I refuse to pay that insane price. They've removed the lower tier accounts - it's either pay the $399/year or never share your images.

They're grandfathering accounts that were in good standing on June 1, 2017. We have until December next year to "upgrade" as long as our accounts are paid up.

I squeaked this by ONE DAY. My account expired June 2, and I had it updated and paid for another year not two hours after receiving their email. Then a couple of weeks later this whole mess was announced.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Honestly, at the rates they're charging, it's cheaper just to go with Amazon Web Services and use that for hosting. Plus they have a free tier (free only for a year, but still not bad).

 

[Takhisis]

I've posted it in the original Civ3 thread. PM me for any further requests, if you would.

Link or it didn't happen.

 

[Zkribbler]

I'm writing some song lyrics. Others have put on Christmas carols. I'm finding it nearly impossible to write over them. I want to scream to turn that <snip> music off but what kind of inhuman monster would say such a thing? Bah! Humbug!

Moderator Action: Please don't evade the auto-censor. It exists for a reason, as do the Inappropriate Language rules. - Vincour
Please read the forum rules: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=422889

 

[Valka D'Ur]

1. Go where nobody is playing Christmas carols (hard to do this time of year, granted).

2. Unless you're also composing the original music to go along with the lyrics, it should be fairly easy to "tune out" (no pun intended) the offending Christmas music.

3. Get into the spirit of the season and write some Christmas filks.

 

[Snerk]

My PC/studies/work/desk/whatever chair is killing my back. So I've bought a much better one off the Norwegian equivalent to ebay. Was pricey but less costly than further back issues. Won't arrive for another week or so though. :/

 

[Lohrenswald]

the Norwegian equivalent to ebay

double vee double vee double vee period find period NO

 

[Snerk]

That's the one. Here's hoping I'm not getting scammed.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

My PC/studies/work/desk/whatever chair is killing my back. So I've bought a much better one off the Norwegian equivalent to ebay. Was pricey but less costly than further back issues. Won't arrive for another week or so though. :/

I just bought a new chair a few days ago. Staples had a sale on chairs, so I went to the store to sit in several of the floor models to see which would be most comfortable and not apt to fall apart. Must also be reasonably cat-proof, so that let out the leather ones (she doesn't care what the furniture is made of when she scratches it).

So I found one, went home and ordered it online. It arrived two days later, and is sitting here in front of me, in its box, waiting for a friend to help me put it together on Monday.

 

[Arakhor]

It's double-you.

(It's also full stop, but I'll give you a pass on that one.)

 

[Snerk]

I just bought a new chair a few days ago. Staples had a sale on chairs, so I went to the store to sit in several of the floor models to see which would be most comfortable and not apt to fall apart. Must also be reasonably cat-proof, so that let out the leather ones (she doesn't care what the furniture is made of when she scratches it).

So I found one, went home and ordered it online. It arrived two days later, and is sitting here in front of me, in its box, waiting for a friend to help me put it together on Monday.

I pretty much did the same thing. Went to a bunch of stores, including Staples, found one that suited my needs. Went home and bought it online at a lower cost. Still quite pricey though. But I needs it.

 

[Lohrenswald]

It's double-you.

(It's also full stop, but I'll give you a pass on that one.)

Dra meg baklengs inn i fuglekassa

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I pretty much did the same thing. Went to a bunch of stores, including Staples, found one that suited my needs. Went home and bought it online at a lower cost. Still quite pricey though. But I needs it.

You bought a Staples chair on eBay and it was cheaper? Including the shipping? I just bought it from Staples. Shipping was free and I got it in two days. The delivery guy got slightly lost between the parking lot and the front door, but at least he didn't quibble about actually bringing it to my suite and setting down in a clear space where it'll be out of the way.

The shipping costs are why I don't order on eBay anymore unless I can't get it on Amazon. It's like the U.S. doesn't want to let so much as a molecule out of the country if it's a U.S. seller.

That's also why I've never claimed any of my tangible NaNoWriMo winner's goodies, btw. I can't afford the shipping.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

More than once I've bought something from eBay where the shipping cost more than the object itself.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

More than once I've bought something from eBay where the shipping cost more than the object itself.

How often did you get dinged for customs fees? I think I've had Canada Post turn up at my door twice over the years, wanting $$. In one case it was because somebody noticed I bought $250 US of Star Trek fanzines and must have decided that was worth the bother of collecting, and the other time was so long after I'd bought something from deviantArt that I'd forgotten about it, they decided to show up and demand $$.

Apparently they can turn up on your doorstep at any time with 7 years of your purchase, although in most cases they don't bother (or at least Canada Post hardly ever bothers).

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Fortunately, never.

 

[Arakhor]

Dra meg baklengs inn i fuglekassa

"Pull me back into the bird crate"?

 

[Cutlass]

On the one hand I'm feeling kind of restless. On the other hand, I have no ambition, there's nothing I really want to do inside, and there's a heavy storm going on outside.

 

[Lohrenswald]

"Pull me back into the bird crate"?

backwards, rather than back