The Off Topic Topic

[Neil]

A bit of a moan here, is it possible for the mods to start accepting membership requests again as I think there's one or two people I know who  want to sign up.

I can set them up if you were to give me a username and email address for them.

The problem with opening general registrations is that I end up with 100-150 Chinese, Bangledeshi and Russian spammers to deny every day, besides the ones that get caught up in the IP bans.  Maybe I should ask vM if we can get some sort of human verification-type test on the registration screen.

[jimmy olsen]

A video that Caliga and Lettow will love!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIt_hedcBTc

[Admiral Yi]

What's the reason for the IP bans Neil?

[The Brain]

What's the reason for the IP bans Neil?

Sanity?

[jimmy olsen]

Check your PMs Yi

[Admiral Yi]

Check your PMs Yi

Jeez, what took you so long?

[jimmy olsen]

Check your PMs Yi

Jeez, what took you so long?

Hey, I did it before she got here didn't I?

[Caliga]

A video that Caliga and Lettow will love!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIt_hedcBTc

[The Larch]

The owner of Geno's Steaks is el deado.  One guess as to the cause.

Was that the one with the "English only" sign or the other one?

[The Larch]

Hey! 

Gibson Guitar plant in Nashville, Memphis raided today

Federal agents are in the process of raiding the offices of the Nashville-based Gibson Guitar Corporation.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents began executing search warrant this morning on guitar factories and corporate headquarters in Nashville and Memphis, according to Nicholas Chavez, special agent in charge with the Fish and Wildlife.

Chavez said the raid included both the corporate headquarters on Park Plus Boulevard and a factory on Elm Hill Pike.

The Memphis Commercial Appeal reported tourists arriving to a Gibson Guitar factory in downtown Memphis this morning to find the doors locked and agents inside.

No arrests have been made, he said.

Chavez said the raid stems from a Texas case, but declined to offer more details.

"We can't get into specifics right now," Chavez said. "This is an ongoing investigation."

Gibson officials couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Gibson was also raided in 2009 for possible violations of the Lacey Act, which bans the importation of endangered plants and wildlife. Federal officials seized ebony and other woods they said were prohibited under the act. Gibson has said in the past it was "fully cooperating" with the investigation.

I guess that hundreds of pictures of agents posing with bitchin' guitars faking a solo were made during that raid. 

"No Starway!"

[CountDeMoney]

What's the reason for the IP bans Neil?

Probably too much Russian spam.

[The Larch]

Peek & Cloppenburg will open their new Austrian flasghip store next week after a construction time of two years. The posters on the construction site claimed how proud they were to have their new store in the Vienna's historical Inner City, a UN World Heritage site . . . which is probably why their building looks like this:

It's not like the buildings from the rest of the street are national monuments or something. 

[Eddie Teach]

Check your PMs Yi

Jeez, what took you so long?

Hey, I did it before she got here didn't I?

Yi trying to set you up with his sister? 

[The Brain]

Don't poke where you post.

[Ed Anger]

The owner of Geno's Steaks is el deado.  One guess as to the cause.

Was that the one with the "English only" sign or the other one?

Yep.