MetaChat - WTF?

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29 September 2006

WTF? I used to have a blog about 2 years ago, but I let the domain lapse, so it was consigned to oblivion. Today I idly clicked on an old link to it and a page of old entries popped up. None of the hyperlinks work, but it's there. How the hell did this happen?

post by: jonmc at: 08:26 | 20 comments

Are the NSFW links on the left top column yours? If not a link farmer is using a cache of your blog on your old domain to increase their page rank.

In theory your could C&D them as you own the copyright to your words even if they own the domain.

posted by Mitheral 29 September | 08:45

what links? are you seeing a different page than me? There are no working links on what I'm seeing.

posted by jonmc 29 September | 08:55

I don't see links on the page either, but view the source. And if you have Firefox, click somewhere on the page and pick View Page Info and then go to Links, to see which ones on the pages are active. Looks like a porn spammer named popularpages.net bought your domain.

posted by iconomy 29 September | 09:00

FYI:

Registrant:
Howard Crow
5432 Magazine Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70115
US

Registrar: 995DISC
Domain Name: COCKEYEDABSURDIST.COM
Created on: 12-OCT-05
Expires on: 09-OCT-07
Last Updated on: 12-SEP-06

Administrative, Technical Contact:
Crow, Howard cockeyedabsurdist.com@mcspike.info
5432 Magazine Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70115
US
504-897-5155

posted by iconomy 29 September | 09:03

I sense a disturbance in the force.

posted by brainwidth 29 September | 09:18

In Firefox, click "View > Page Source" and you will see their "partner sites" which are all pr0n.

You can certainly try the C&D. You have the info iconomy posted above. You own the words technically, but the domain is no longer yours.

posted by terrapin 29 September | 09:22

That's some weird source. I can't figure why the table of pron links at the beginning doesn't display (in firefox at least). There's some odd javascript in the head tag that seems to try to (indirectly) source another javascript file that in turn seems to want to source itself and do nothing else.

Then there's a call to the javascript function "start()" (where start() is defined I cannot see) before the actual (old) content begins. Very odd, but I'm pretty sure Mitheral is right.

posted by danostuporstar 29 September | 09:25

I'm actually not that bothered. I was just kind of stunned to encounter my old words. I was a funny bastard.

posted by jonmc 29 September | 09:27

This is what I'm seeing:
≡ Click to see image ≡

I've got NoScript installed and turned on by default which is probably why I'm seeing it and you all aren't.

posted by Mitheral 29 September | 09:29

Oh ya, the porn links (or at least one of them) work. You owe me a eyeball brush jon.

posted by Mitheral 29 September | 09:31

I'll take a guess as to which one you clicked on, since all but one seem pretty tame.

posted by jonmc 29 September | 09:34

Oh I've seen worse, it was more the shock than anything else I guess. I can trace the steps in my head:
1) New tab your old blog.
2) "Oh, some link farmer is using a cache of Jon's site to up his page rankings", I think to myself.
3) "Weird that the links wouldn't work."
4) Before I can stop them my fingers run over to the side bar and click a link to verify.
5) Boom! Stuff I'm not really prepared for before my first Coke.

posted by Mitheral 29 September | 09:56

My school/work computer's denying access, alas. I'd love to read some of your old stuff, though, jack. How much of it is there? Can it be copied/downloaded? I always felt bad that it was gone, into the ethernet, as it were. Must have been surreal to find it like that. With porn, though. How perfect. ; )

posted by Pips 29 September | 10:00

just one page, pips dear.

(also, check your email)

posted by jonmc 29 September | 10:01

It's the jonmc Bachelor Days Memorial Page.

posted by JanetLand 29 September | 10:04

Only one page... bummer. : (

(sentcha a reply, by the by... lookin' forward... FRIDAY!!!)

posted by Pips 29 September | 10:13

This guy has and is making money off your words, without compensating you. You have a claim here. Find a lawyer and pursue it.

As I suspect you're not the only victim, it sounds like a class action suit could be possible (but only if the guy has money, naturally). As a class representative, you could collect some real damages.

Go find a lawyer.

posted by orthogonality 29 September | 12:08

orthogonality, can you tell us how the javascript works?

posted by danostuporstar 29 September | 12:20

Find a lawyer and pursue it.

That costs money to start, and won't win much (years down the road, after judgements and collection actions ... maybe).

Or you could just contact the host's DMCA rep. Should be gone in a day or two.

posted by dhartung 29 September | 16:15

I doubt he's making much money off of this, if any. Just another internet spam site. Pretty lame.

Also the links don't show up for me at all in the new firefox.

posted by delmoi 30 September | 02:14

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