Don't worry about it.

But on the scale of oddness with 1 being not at all and 10 being wack, shifty poll numbers are a 3.5.  Diaries showing up in the middle of the recent diary list- now that's odd, at least an 8 if only because it gave 'jotter' fits.

Then the site goes down again.  My wandering eyeballs stray to that green place that I use when I can't express myself in my customary manner and there he is all dancing around proud like.

The one I really feel bad for is Boo.  His core is in fact disaffected kossacks, but he was getting a lot of newbies attracted by the overall politeness of his site and his golden rule "Don't be a prick".

Everything I said is true, if you go the kuro5hin site and have a suitable platform you can set up your own drag0n Tribune complete with poll.  Markos does have PERL gurus that he pays what I am sure are hefty sums AND he releases that code back to kuro5hin.  One of those gurus is 'ct' and if you look around after a major upgrade (or crash) you'll see his handle.

Me, I have no PERL or any other kind of marketable skills, that's why I'm trying to get a job as a cabana boy in Ottawa.  If I did, I might download the source and shake my head in it just for giggles.  Once upon a time I fixed a bug in the SBT Payroll module that way (bastard stiffed me on my fee too, which is why I don't do custom programming anymore).

My main point is, as I always tell my customers, that it's not at all amazing when computers screw up.  Nope, what's amazing is that they work at all.

Looking bad?  Appearance of impropriety?  You know, I just don't take it that seriously.  Most people who leave do so for their own reasons, one of which is "I disagree, strongly".  And the vast majority also don't feel the need to make a big deal about it so they can feel justified in their martyrdom.  Some of the posts will still be around and if you read them you will see that Diebold polls are just an excuse for suicide by police.   He doesn't even really believe it, he's just posturing in front of a mirror.

I've made myself just as obnoxious as I possibly can since I joined in April.  Kos, Armando, DHinMI, Plutonium Page, Hunter, Meteor Blades, Bob Johnson, Bob Johnson's dog (if your name is not on this list and should be, please accept my heartfelt apologies) I've pissed 'em all off, or at least I've tried to.

Yet here I am.  Tada.

I've decided I just don't have the energy to get banned and join the elite what, eight?  I'm sure I could count high enough if I took off my shoes.

I have seen magical things happen (disappearing comments are mere card tricks, anyone can do them with enough practice).  I will revise and extend my toes to include persistent trolls who usually reveal themselves in just a few posts.  Removing comments and Deleting diaries are the mark of the adept, but I believe kos when he says no one gets banned except by him.

I like to think that every real magician does their homework.  I know that most of us who deal in illusion do not.  Sigh.

But back to wacky polls ('melvin' you are soo right, my arguments are circular and elliptical).  Umm... there are artifacts on this site.  In my collection of odd is an extended conversation with 'tlh lib' in a deleted diary using the comments tab of my page.  That is a 9.

My substantive advice is to go here and choose 'Tech support'.  If you are saying that self selected internet polls are inaccurate, my 30+ years in Marketing Research and my 10,000 line crosstab program agree.  If you think that 7 people disappeared overnight, I know where to find several designs for a tinfoil hat.  Me, my room is a Faraday cage.  It really screws up my wireless network though.