site banner
naraburns  nihil supernum  2yr ago (text post)   4607 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for November 20, 2022

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

2
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

Can someone who understands computer explain how kiwifarms managed to come back with even its .net address intact?

I thought they'd had their domain registration stolen and were being null-routed by all the backbone ISPs, but I can access them reliably again. Is the owner just a wizard, or is there something to the old "the internet routes around censorship" line?

I've never seen a single organization hold up under the full weight of the blob before. It's honestly awe-inspiring to watch.

They got their registration registered with a reliable provider, and as for being null-routed it was either a rogue employee or more likely Null himself fucked up lol. You gotta remember, it's just one guy flying by the seat of his pants. Even this website has more cumulative competence I suspect (though idk, maybe Null also has a secret cabal of nerds advising him).

it was either a rogue employee or more likely Null himself fucked up lol.

According to Null, the problem resolved itself without his intervention somehow. Liz Fong Jones did take credit for somehow making a top level provider add an exception just for kf so make of that what you will.

Funny thing is: at least one Russian ISPs blocks kiwifarms too.

Might that just be general censorship with Russia being an authoritarian regime that’s increasingly keen on cutting itself off from the outside world?

It's not a random site site chess.com, blocking kiwifarms is antithetical with "keen on cutting itself off from the outside", it's a world practice

KF was blocked by Roskomnadzor (Russia's FCC equivalent) for hosting an meme of Santa saying "ho-ho-holocaust" in 2020.

What is this place?

This website is a place for people who want to move past shady thinking and test their ideas in a court of people who don't all share the same biases. Our goal is to optimize for light, not heat; this is a group effort, and all commentators are asked to do their part.

The weekly Culture War threads host the most controversial topics and are the most visible aspect of The Motte. However, many other topics are appropriate here. We encourage people to post anything related to science, politics, or philosophy; if in doubt, post!

Check out The Vault for an archive of old quality posts. You are encouraged to crosspost these elsewhere.


Why are you called The Motte?

A motte is a stone keep on a raised earthwork common in early medieval fortifications. More pertinently, it's an element in a rhetorical move called a "Motte-and-Bailey", originally identified by philosopher Nicholas Shackel. It describes the tendency in discourse for people to move from a controversial but high value claim to a defensible but less exciting one upon any resistance to the former. He likens this to the medieval fortification, where a desirable land (the bailey) is abandoned when in danger for the more easily defended motte. In Shackel's words, "The Motte represents the defensible but undesired propositions to which one retreats when hard pressed."

On The Motte, always attempt to remain inside your defensible territory, even if you are not being pressed.


New post guidelines

If you're posting something that isn't related to the culture war, we encourage you to post a thread for it. A submission statement is highly appreciated, but isn't necessary for text posts or links to largely-text posts such as blogs or news articles; if we're unsure of the value of your post, we might remove it until you add a submission statement. A submission statement is required for non-text sources (videos, podcasts, images).

Culture war posts go in the culture war thread; all links must either include a submission statement or significant commentary. Bare links without those will be removed.

If in doubt, please post it!


Rules


Recommended Posts And Communities

Recommended Realtime Chats