BAUT may be slow for a few hours...

[The Bad Astronomer]

BAUTers-

My latest blog post (Top Ten Astronomy Images of 2006) has been simultaneously hit by both Slashdot and Digg (it's on the main page on both!). For those of you who are not g33ks, this means we are getting slammed; my traffic has increased by a factor of 30!

Since BA and BAUT sit on the same server, you may see some slowdowns on BAUT. Worse, if the memory gets used up I may need to reboot the server, so BAUT will go down for a minute or two. But there shouldn't be any other problems.

However, if this keeps up, after I go to bed there may be issues. If you cannot connect and this problem persists, email me (b a d a s t r o "at" b a d a s t r o n o m y "dot" c o m). I'll get on it first thing in the morning.

Sorry about this!

-Phil

[Frog march]

see, it is already getting slow, look how you said the email address.

[Kaptain K]

Also made the first page of Netscape "hot stories".

[Doodler]

Hehe...

Brings back memories of the day you were Farked.

[The Bad Astronomer]

I submitted my page to Fark, but ironically they turned down. :-)

[Fraser]

The server lasted the night with only one major slowdown. I think it's going to make it.

[Sticks]

Originally Posted by The Bad Astronomer

BAUTers-

My latest blog post (Top Ten Astronomy Images of 2006) has been simultaneously hit by both Slashdot and Digg (it's on the main page on both!).

Is it safe to visit the blog or do we run the risk of getting infected as well?

[danscope]

Originally Posted by The Bad Astronomer

BAUTers-

My latest blog post (Top Ten Astronomy Images of 2006) has been simultaneously hit by both Slashdot and Digg (it's on the main page on both!). For those of you who are not g33ks, this means we are getting slammed; my traffic has increased by a factor of 30!

Since BA and BAUT sit on the same server, you may see some slowdowns on BAUT. Worse, if the memory gets used up I may need to reboot the server, so BAUT will go down for a minute or two. But there shouldn't be any other problems.

However, if this keeps up, after I go to bed there may be issues. If you cannot connect and this problem persists, email me (b a d a s t r o "at" b a d a s t r o n o m y "dot" c o m). I'll get on it first thing in the morning.

Sorry about this!

-Phil

Hi Phil, Thank you for your dedication and hard work. It is most appreciated.
Press on,young Sir, for the future awaits you.
Best regards, Dan

[Swift]

Good choice for the back-lit Saturn photo as # 1. It was my desktop at work for months.

[Lord Jubjub]

What's up? Is there a sudden lag? I've been unable to create a thread today. I keep getting memory error messages.

[Fraser]

Can you give me the specific error you're getting?

[The Bad Astronomer]

We're having some other server issues now, but we're staying on it.

[Frog march]

"Computer, if you don't open that exit hatch this moment, I shall go
straight to your major data banks with a very large axe and give you a
reprogramming you'll never forget, is that clear?", Hitchhiker

[Kaptain K]

Originally Posted by Fraser

Can you give me the specific error you're getting?

Database error
The database has encountered a problem.

[mickal555]

Originally Posted by Sticks

Is it safe to visit the blog or do we run the risk of getting infected as well?

huh?

[Sticks]

Originally Posted by mickal555

huh?

Yesterday my anti virus on a scan picked up something, I have "cleared" one site, and as Phil said the blog had been hit with "Slashdot and Digg" before I go b ack to his blog now, I need to know if it is safe to do so or will his blog infect my maching.

I think the infection my anti virus was W32A or something like that, I was kind of in a blind panic as I let Avast put it into the chest and then went and deleted it.

[Tog_]

Originally Posted by The Bad Astronomer

BAUTers-

My latest blog post (Top Ten Astronomy Images of 2006) has been simultaneously hit by both Slashdot and Digg (it's on the main page on both!). For those of you who are not g33ks, this means we are getting slammed; my traffic has increased by a factor of 30!

Sticks, Slashdot and Diggs are not viruses or anything genuinely malicious. They are just really popular sites that dont seems to carry links to the BAblog all that often.

Effectively, we are used to being advertised on the side of a few buildings downtown. That day the blog was advertised on the Times, the Radio, ans 3 TV stations. It just means that there will be a huge increase in traffic, resulting in a slower oad time. No viruses, just crowds.

[Sticks]

[Blob]

Coping with enormous volumes of traffic in short space of time - a problem web experts call ‘flash crowds’ - is a challenge the world’s most popular websites face on a regular basis.

Read more

[ToSeek]

Originally Posted by Blob

Read more

NASA borrowed a bunch of servers from various companies for the Mars rover website in order to keep up with demand during the landings and early operations.

[Van Rijn]

I get a kick out of the use of the term "flash crowds" - Niven coined that term in stories about the effects on society due to teleport booths where you could go anywhere in the world in an instant. Years ago I had noticed the similarity in the real world situation, and I've heard others mention it too. Apparently, the term has stuck.