Stoppage time

[Sorontar]

Welcome back! It's great to see you all here at the ground today. There have been some delays due to unforeseen circumstances but it seems that all is right and dandy now, so let's continue where we left off...

In the meantime, being technically minded and wondering why all of society shouldn't have a Babbage machine by their side (or inside), what strange happening befell Brass Goggles? Can anyone enlighten us?

Furthermore, does the "News" bar mention Spare Goggles? It is currently mentioning @brasstech (a Twitter account - https://twitter.com/brasstech). Who is running that?

Thanks to all that look after BG, in the past, now and the future.

Sorontar

[Rockula]

And....we're back in the room.

[Cora Courcelle]

Ah, here we are again.
(I did wonder if that was The Final Curtain and am so glad that we have an encore).

[RJBowman]

Is this all archived somewhere so that it can be accessed if the forum does die?

[J. Wilhelm]

I think it's time that we start creating *more* connections that will allow all members to communicate with one another even if Brassgoggles is down. Efforts to have aleatory Facebook and Twitter accounts have failed n the past because many people in Brassgoggles shun other online platforms.

Most of the members who do use Facebook, have simply over time abandoned Brassgoggles and left for some steampunk Facebook group. Those who like Twitter (like me) are even fewer, and I never get ever any contact from Twitter. There are two Twitter Brassgoggles accounts, one official (Proteus) and one unofficial both technically oriented (used to disseminate downtime information) - I operate neither, so my hands are tied, and the accounts are nearly useless.

I have a Facebook account which I never use and hate due to all the political garbage and spam. In the past (more than 6 years ago) I rarely used it to communicate with my now disbanded Texas Steampunks / Seaholm Steam & Diesel group. Some members have died, other suffered life calamities like spouse death, and then abandoned the group (there are three other much larger Steampunk groups in Texas- that I know about).

Anyhow, I don't know what else do in the meantime other than urge everyone to register at https://sparegoggles.forumotion.net/ which was unlocked by long time member Phoebsky so that new applicants could register there.

[Rockula]

I concur.

There is supposed to be a transition happening from Proteus, who rarely if ever visits the Forum anymore, and a new key holder for this domain.

But news is scant on when or how this is going to happen.

And the whole Forum may be rebooted at a new location.

So if anybody wants to be sure of staying in touch with others on this Forum during blackouts, upheavals or migrations, I recommend getting yourself over to Spare Goggles and registering as a back-up.

Go here https://sparegoggles.forumotion.net/ and do it.

If this place goes down and you haven't you'll be in the dark.

[Synistor 303]

There were a few of us at SpareGoggles - and it was reassuring to have that, because most of us have no other way to contact each other but via the forum, so if the lights went out we would all disappear to each other. I would urge everyone to set up a SpareGoggles account so there is at least a contact place...

[RJBowman]

There is a Brass Goggles group on Facebook, but no one from here seems to be there.

[J. Wilhelm]

There is a Brass Goggles group on Facebook, but no one from here seems to be there.

I don't remember if I registered there or not. Probably not. My handle name is different in Facebook. I was able to leave a message in the public page one time when BG was down.

[Banfili]

There is a Brass Goggles group on Facebook, but no one from here seems to be there.

I point blank refuse to "do" Facebook, so that is out, but I am on Spare Goggles already. Goo to have a belt as well as the braces!

[Deimos]

There is a Brass Goggles group on Facebook, but no one from here seems to be there.

I point blank refuse to "do" Facebook, so that is out, but I am on Spare Goggles already. Good to have a belt as well as the braces!

Ditto on both counts.
Am already registered on Sparegoggles....no FB for me....I'd rather chew glass  

[SeVeNeVeS]

I do have a farcebook account, but never go there, I hate it, full of trackers, ads and bullshit, no twitter, twatter, tiky toky, or other so called social media.

Spare Goggles is the option I choose for when we have a blackout, so I would have to agree with previous statements, if you are a member here, sign up................NOW and quickly, just in case the the lights go out permanently, before the new take over..........when ever that might come to fruition.
 

[Deimos]

I do have a farcebook account,...

HAHA...just noticed that....spot on!   

[SeVeNeVeS]

I do have a farcebook account,...

HAHA...just noticed that....spot on!    

The ONLY reason I signed up is I have family in the US (2 nieces and a brother) and an Uncle in AUS.
Now, my uncle is a racist, hates Irish (they did shoot him in NI, so I sorta understand that one) Islam and is convinced Covid is a plot etc etc........ Boring.
My Brother never posts and my 2 nieces post insignificant rubbish, honestly, NOT interested.........Boring
I haven't logged in for over a year and really don't intend too for Very long time.
I catch up on my Mums Ipad weekly when I pop round with the shopping, that's enough for me and facebook.

[Rockula]

I do have a farcebook account, but never go there, I hate it, full of trackers, ads and bullshit

I use Facebook.
It's the easiest way to have conversations and keep in contact with all my friends and relatives all over the world.
But I've installed FB Purity and get no ads at all and it blocks most of the trackers.

I can't do much about the bullshit though...   

[SeVeNeVeS]

I use Facebook.
It's the easiest way to have conversations and keep in contact with all my friends and relatives all over the world.
But I've installed FB Purity and get no ads at all and it blocks most of the trackers.

I can't do much about the bullshit though...  

I had to do it, I logged in, 2 minutes with a scrolling mouse aaand logged out, that's another years worth done then.

[Ottens]

I deleted my Facebook, too. It's an awful company that doesn't care about the privacy of its users.

In addition, Facebook groups are an impractical way to keep in touch with people and have long-term discussions. I wrote a blog post last year about why message-board communities are superior. It's really too bad so many people have switched to Facebook, which makes it hard to sustain message boards anymore. But I haven't lost hope people will eventually realize Facebook is a bad experience and come back.

I'm keeping the Never Was Lounge online for as long as it takes. We've been up for 13 years and haven't been offline for one day in that time.

I also recommend Spare Goggles as a back-up.

[J. Wilhelm]

Facebook is a disaster. Politics Central, even from Steampunk sources (propaganda). Their schizophrenic interface does limit how you communicate with other Steampunks. Basically it's impossible to have a concerted exposition of any topic and a discussion. Mostly what I see on Steampunk groups is event announcements so I guess it's useful to organize meetings in the calendar, but that's about the most you'll ever do, so I'm inclined to believe that the intellectual level of the Steampunk experience (history, alternative history speculation, online exposition of artefacts, etc.) has gone down as a result. There's no way I could talk about the things I do in Brassgoggles in Facebook, other than post videos and such (like I do on Twitter anyway).

I forgot to add above that I too keep up with a very few number of family members across the border. They never contact me, and it's always me doing the talking. It seems they're not too interested in hearing from me, so I've been tempted to do what Mr. Ottens did and just close it, but then if something happens I have no phone numbers to contact them or Steampunk folk I know. If I find my old grandfather's phone directory, I might try to contact them, and then I'd close Facebook for good.