Patterico Has Been Hijacked

Patterico's domain registration has been taken over rather high-handedly.  If you can find his site (with a ".net", not the old ".com", and well worth looking for) you will find good stuff like this.

Comments

[Rick Ballard]

Patterico and his guest bloggers (DRJ, WLS and Karl) have been doing an excellent job.

TM - Could you change the address on the hot link on the side bar? While you're at it, the Belmont Club address needs a fix as well, Seixon is a dead link and Squiggler is now Pal2Pal.

[Unfounded Speculation]

The key to this story is that 1&1 is involved in an ongoing conspiracy with DomCollect and Sedo to steal domain names belonging to 1&1’s own customers! Yikes! DomCollect, Sedo, and 1&1 are all owned by the same German umbrella corporation: "United Internet AG"

No one would sign up with 1&1 Internet, Inc. if they knew 1&1 was conspiring against them! 1&1 keeps that fact a secret when communicating with its (potential) customers–that’s wire fraud.

1&1 provides to DomCollect the domains that are about to expire, that it chooses not to renew (either because the rightful owner forgets to pay 1&1’s renewal fee, or, in Patterico’s case, for some other reason, because he DID pay the renewal fee on time)

Then DomCollect registers those domains–stealing them. DomCollect takes advantage of 1&1’s contractual relationship with its customers, in order to cheat those customers.

Then DomCollect uses the “Sedo Domain Parking” squatter ad service to put ads on the stolen web domain, and uses Sedo’s phony “auctions” to ransom the domain back to the true owner by putting it up for auction where ANYONE could buy it. (The true owner is put in fear that some 3rd party will buy the site, and it will be even harder to get back.) That’s extortion.

It’s nasty, nasty, nasty, and it’s totally illegal. It’s extortion and wire fraud–two RICO PREDICATES (extortion and wire fraud). That’s right–1&1 Internet, Inc. is a RACKETEERING-INFLUENCED AND CORRUPT ORGANIZATION! It’s mobbed up!

[Charlie (Colorado)]

You know, when we came up with DNS and domain naming 20 years ago, no one had any idea it would be anything like this.

Sort of like using 32 bit internet addresses... no one thought "hey, we could run out in 20years."

[Neo]

Scotch Tape emits X-Rays .. who'd a thunk it

[im]

phosphorescent waves

[JJ]

The "Journalist Admits Bias" by Michael Malone is particularly good at Patterico.NET

Money quote on page 4:

So why weren't those legions of hungry reporters set loose on the Obama campaign? Who are the real villains in this story of mainstream media betrayal?

The editors. The men and women you don't see; the people who not only decide what goes in the paper, but what doesn't; the managers who give the reporters their assignments and lay out the editorial pages. They are the real culprits.

Bout time someone started in on the editors. They all have a severe case of "a priori-itis."

[bio mom]

Idle thought: How long will it be after Obama, should he win (I hope not), is president for the repeal of the 22nd ammendment limiting presidential terms to 2. I truly believe this will happen. Like Bloomberg in New York, we will be told the country just needs Obama at this critical time (when is it not a critical time?)and we cannot keep him from running for a third term. Just bet on it.

[andycanuck]

Patterico's old domain has been re-established but he's looking to find a new provider, for some strange reason. IIRC, he thinks it'll take a month to move to the new provider.

[sophy]

We all love game, if you want to play it, please cheap penya and join us.