Local internet service providers may consider blocking an American from taking part in online discussions following one of the worst cases of "flaming" seen in this country.
Local internet service providers may consider blocking an American
from taking part in online discussions following one of the worst
cases of "flaming" seen in this country.
Local internet service providers may consider blocking an American
from taking part in online discussions following one of the worst
cases of "flaming" seen in this country.
A mysterious figure calling himself "Bertie the Bunyip" has upset
local Usenet newsgroups after a bizarre campaign that has included
posting fake photographs of a topless Queen Mother.
If someone burst into a cafe or pub and started yelling obscenities
and abusing everyone in sight, you might expect the manager to throw
them out or call the police.
But neither of these remedies is available to the newsgroup users, who
are desperate to rid themselves of what is known on the internet as a "troll."
Trolls get their kicks from baiting other people using online
discussion
forums.
"Bertie the Bunyip" is believed to be a commercial pilot living in the
United States.
He claims to have been similarly hounding newsgroups in the United
States for three years, despite complaints to the FBI and a libel
action
against him.
After local users unwisely responded to his taunts, the Bunyip's
replies
soon spread to the nz.comp and nz.politics newsgroups.
New Zealand politicians - including some ministers - are believed to
use
the politics group.
In the past few days, the American has paralysed the most popular of
the
local forums, nz.general, which is read by up to 50,000 people.
Bunyip's antics have prompted some users to stop using the newsgroups.
Bunyip changes his identity characteristics every 30 or 40 posts, so
it is difficult to check him using e-mail or newsreader software
blocked senders' lists.
David Farrar, a newsgroup user and information technology adviser to
National Party leader Jenny Shipley, described the "flame" war as the
worst outbreak of its kind he had seen on New Zealand discussion
groups.
Applying sanctions against Usenet users could be extremely difficult,
said Mr Farrar.
Bunyip has been using a Seattle-based newsgroup service called
Altopia, which has a liberal policy on what it will allow.
"One of the problems of newsgroups is that they are about as close to
anarchy as anything can get," he said.
"If you get a person going rogue, as this Bertie the Bunyip has, you
would normally complain to their internet service provider.
"Unless it is causing actual harm, they don't see it as their job to
police it."
Xtra systems support specialist Richard Stevenson said he could easily
filter the messages from Xtra's news server - one of several providing
Usenet feeds in New Zealand.
But he would not decide to do so himself.
Mr Stevenson said he had not yet had to remove individual posts but
had occasionally, at the request of the Department of Internal
Affairs, blocked newsgroups that were related to child pornography.
He was not concerned about Bunyip's rights to freedom of speech.
"He's got to get it into his skull that [news servers] are private
property."
Mr Farrar believed that if Bunyip persisted for more than a couple of
weeks, local internet service providers might agree to remove him from
New Zealand servers.
But it was more likely that Bunyip would disappear quite quickly if
ignored.
My provider forwarded all of his whiney komplaints about me,to me, BTW.
hilarious!
Eeyore <rabbitsfriendsandrelations@hotmail.com> wrote
george wrote:
You are demonstrating your ignorance as to how the Internet and
especially news groups work.
No. I'm demonstrating the ignorance of NEWSPAPERS about how the
Internet and especially newsgroups work.
I know EXACTLY how they work myself.
Thus explaining your tremendous success in getting me TOSsed.
James Robinson wrote:
Eeyore <rabbitsfriendsandrelations@hotmail.com> wrote:
Local internet service providers may consider blocking an American
from taking part in online discussions following one of the worst
cases of "flaming" seen in this country.
< snip >
That article is seven years old. Hasn't had much effect, has it?
It was for background info on Bertie only.
He has actually pretty much stopped disrupting groups now though along
with his idiot 'meow' friends.
James Robinson wrote:
Eeyore <rabbitsfriendsandrelations@hotmail.com> wrote:
Local internet service providers may consider blocking an American
from taking part in online discussions following one of the worst
cases of "flaming" seen in this country.
< snip >
That article is seven years old. Hasn't had much effect, has it?
It was for background info on Bertie only.
He has actually pretty much stopped disrupting groups now though along
with his idiot 'meow' friends.
Bertie the Bunyip wrote:
Eeyore <rabbitsfriendsandrelations@hotmail.com> wrote
george wrote:
You are demonstrating your ignorance as to how the Internet and
especially news groups work.
No. I'm demonstrating the ignorance of NEWSPAPERS about how the
Internet and especially newsgroups work.
I know EXACTLY how they work myself.
Thus explaining your tremendous success in getting me TOSsed.
I never seriously tried. You yourself behaved in the groups I've
encountered you in except for one occasion when I sent a shot across
your bows.
Didn't do it again did you ? Nor have you forgotten it either !
Incidentally, even matey boy Chris Caputo of Altopia has changed his
policy to stop flooding now.
Graham
alt.usenet.kooks removed
On Jan 20, 6:27.am, Eeyore <rabbitsfriendsandrelati...@hotmail.com>
wrote:
Local internet service providers may consider blocking an American fromsnip
taking part in online discussions following one of the worst cases of
"flaming" seen in this country.
A strange character indeed, and the nz link is interesting, is he a
Kiwi perhaps? I had often wondered if Bertie might be an Aussie,
the bunyip being an Australian folkore character after all, and
theres not really much difference between a Kiwi and an Aussie
(apart from about 10 IQ points ,the inability to say the number six or
to play cricket and of course the great , lets call it rappour , they
have with their sheep ). No offence Kiwis, I am just seeing if I can
flush him out !
Eeyore <rabbitsfriendsandrelations@hotmail.com> wrote in news:4792593F.781A0C10@hotmail.com:
george wrote:
Eeyore wrote:No. I'm demonstrating the ignorance of NEWSPAPERS about how the
Local internet service providers may consider blocking an AmericanRubbish.
from taking part in online discussions following one of the worst
cases of "flaming" seen in this country.
You are demonstrating your ignorance as to how the Internet and
especially news groups work.
Internet and especially newsgroups work.
I know EXACTLY how they work myself.
Thus explaining your tremendous success in getting me TOSsed.
However that wasn't the point of the post.
Which is antoher excellent example of how clueless you are.
For fuck's sake, moron, I used to use that as my sig file!
Remember?
Did oyu actually think it would embarass me?
The point is, it doesn't matter if I were Joe Stalin, Satan himself or
even Maggie Thatcher.
Bertie the Bunyip wrote:or
Eeyore <rabbitsfriendsandrelations@hotmail.com> wrote in
news:4792593F.781A0C10@hotmail.com:
george wrote:
Eeyore wrote:No. I'm demonstrating the ignorance of NEWSPAPERS about how the
Local internet service providers may consider blocking an AmericanRubbish.
from taking part in online discussions following one of the worst
cases of "flaming" seen in this country.
You are demonstrating your ignorance as to how the Internet and
especially news groups work.
Internet and especially newsgroups work.
I know EXACTLY how they work myself.
Thus explaining your tremendous success in getting me TOSsed.
However that wasn't the point of the post.
Which is antoher excellent example of how clueless you are.
For fuck's sake, moron, I used to use that as my sig file!
Remember?
Did oyu actually think it would embarass me?
The point is, it doesn't matter if I were Joe Stalin, Satan himself
even Maggie Thatcher.
Might be different if you were Winston Churchill, though...
The point is, it doesn't matter if I were Joe Stalin, Satan himself or even Maggie Thatcher.
Might be different if you were Winston Churchill, though...
On Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:49:37 -0600, Rich Ahrens <rma@iphouse.com> wrote:
The point is, it doesn't matter if I were Joe Stalin, Satan himself orMight be different if you were Winston Churchill, though...
even Maggie Thatcher.
Yeah, did you notice that you never see them together? :-)
Ron Wanttaja wrote:
On Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:49:37 -0600, Rich Ahrens <rma@iphouse.com>
wrote:
The point is, it doesn't matter if I were Joe Stalin, Satan himselfMight be different if you were Winston Churchill, though...
or even Maggie Thatcher.
Yeah, did you notice that you never see them together? :-)
Come to think of it, I've never seen Bertie in the same room with
Oliver Cromwell either.
But it was more likely that Bunyip would disappear quite quickly if
ignored.
But it was more likely that Bunyip would disappear quite quickly if
ignored.
The Bunyip is no different than a virus-infested file -- if you don't
open it, it's invisible and harmless. Thanks to killfile(s), I
haven't seen any of his drivel in weeks, and it's simply wonderful.
Without his acidic personal attacks on everyone and everything,
rec.piloting is still chock-full of good aviation stuff.
On Jan 19, 7:56 pm, Bertie the Bunyip <S...@rt.1> wrote:
sockpuppe...@gmail.com wrote in news:a962c3ea-0160-440a-8218-
d5d343aba...@m34g2000hsf.googlegroups.com:
Been done.
alt.fan.bertie-the-bunyip
Bertie
We live in an amazing world.
Truly.
But you can propogate any newsgroup you like, particularly in the
alt.heirarchy. I didn't do the AFBTB group, but a friend set it up as
quick as it took to type this.
Bertie
dont be silly, you don't have any friends
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