The Death of Uncommon Descent?

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  1. Over the last month, UD has been down more often than it has been up. In addition, Barry and News have been AWOL, leaving the keys to the kingdom to a pompous, arrogant, sermonizing narcissist. My apologies. That was uncharitable. It appears that Gordon Mullings, the Montserrat messiah, has been left to clean up after the party.

If UD does go the way of the dodo, I worry about Bornagain77 and Kairosfocus. Two individuals whose entire meaning for existence appears to be centred on their UD personas. Hopefully they have other outlets for their “sky is falling” rants.

222 thoughts on “The Death of Uncommon Descent?”

  4. Sad soul that I am, I’ve had a look at the archive for Uncommon Descent and it is far from complete. If you choose one of the years, you get the last 15 OPs of that year. I haven’t checked every year (2023, 2022, 2012, I’m not that sad a soul) which for 2012 covers the last week (assuming a steady production rate of OPs, that’s around 2%).

  5. Alan Fox:
    If you choose one of the years, you get the last 15 OPs of that year. I haven’t checked every year (2023, 2022, 2012, I’m not that sad a soul) which for 2012 covers the last week (assuming a steady production rate of OPs, that’s around 2%).

    This probably means that all my contribution to UD is gone. And it is good this way. And no, I am not going to verify.

  6. I must admit I’m also a little concerned about how this will affect KF and BA77 since they had such a heavy intellectual and emotional investment in the site.

    RIP UD ID

  7. FWIW, I’ve kept most of my more major posts as text files over the years. Don’t know whether I will ever make use of that.

  8. Alan Fox,

    It would be interesting to get an updated IRS Form 990 from DI to see where it stands financially. The quick unravelling of UD may be a symptom that things are not all rosy in Seattle, but that is simply speculation.

    In another vein, I would hope that UD at least archives my jokes, I put a lot of thought into some of them…….

  9. Alan Fox:
    Sad soul that I am, I’ve had a look at the archive for Uncommon Descent and it is far from complete. If you choose one of the years, you get the last 15 OPs of that year. I haven’t checked every year (2023, 2022, 2012, I’m not that sad a soul) which for 2012 covers the last week (assuming a steady production rate of OPs, that’s around 2%).

    Actually, most of the pages seem to be available via the page number bar at the foot of the page (sometimes), and most seem to have comments (not the O’Leary ones, obviously).

    On the home page, 1767 pages are indicated. Only five pages are immediately clickable, but you can also enter a specific page such as
    https://www.uncommondescent.com/page/101/.

    If you click on a year in the archives, a different page count is shown for that year. By selecting one, I found that it’s possible to enter URLs such as https://www.uncommondescent.com/2020/page/75/

    And on that page, you will a link to the infamous “Pass me a Corona!” page – which is the only one I have found that has no author and no comments. You may remember it because it featured a rare public apology (See also Web.archive saved page)

    Edited to fix the worst of the typos.

  10. FYI. As of Wednesday morning, 4/12, I think, new comments on posts that were archived at that time are not being added to the archive. Everything after that date is dead as far as the UD archive is concerned, I think.

  12. Inveterate Trekkie that I am, I am also reminded irresistibly of the scene from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country where Spock’s protege Valeris visits him in his quarters and asks why he has a painting by Marc Chagall of Adam and Eve being expelled from the garden of Eden hanging on the wall. He explains that it was there as a reminder to him that all things end.

    Why he would need a painting by a twentieth-century early modernist French artist to remind him of something he must have known full well isn’t explained.

  13. SeverskyP35:
    I was able to post a couple of comments at UD today 04/16/2023

    It’s bizarre. I just looked and see your comments. How the regulars carry on as if nothing is up is really odd.

  14. New comments are showing up, but they aren’t be adding to the new archive. And I agree it is odd that KF et al are just acting like nothing has changed. I am once again somewhat perversely caught up in the existence of UD.

  15. I think Jerry and perhaps others don’t understand that UD is being abandoned. He’s puzzled that comments since April 12 are not showing up on the new site. I think they are in denial! 🙂

  16. aleta,

    I am seeing the archive, and not any of the more recent comments, What URL do you use to see the more recent comments?

    By the way, the most recent 15 or so posts of the year display on the front page after you select the number of the year from the block of numbers of years. But the list of numbers down below those 15 or so: 1, 2, 3, 4, …, 1767 take you to earlier posts for that year and previous years.

    Or is there something I don’t understand?

  17. I’d appreciate it if someone would tell me how to blockquote and insert italics. I’m still trying to figure out the idiosyncrasies of this site. Thanks in advance……

  18. chuckdarwin:
    I’d appreciate it if someone would tell me how to blockquote and insert italics. I’m still trying to figure out the idiosyncrasies of this site. Thanks in advance……

    Those are easy. Put something in italics by using a left angle bracket, the letter i, then a right angle bracket. That opens the italics. Then the something you want italicized. Close the italics with a left angle bracket, a forward slash, the letter i, then a right angle bracket. For a block quote, the process is the same except you substitute the word “blockquote” instead of the letter i. For boldface, use the letter b instead of i (this doesn’t work for all browsers, so use the word “strong” instead of the letter b, – that’s a more modern way to do it.)

    Now I need someone to tell me how to create a link. Do you have to go through the complete formal html, or does this site provide a shortcut to do the link for you?

  19. To Joe. I think the archive is frozen after the morning of April 12. Everything posted at the old UD since then is not being archived at the new UD, and will probably vanish when the whole old site disappears.

    The old site is just uncommondescent.com, and the new site is http://www.uncommondescent.com. The archived site lists comments most recent first and doesn’t number them.

  21. For links, use this: “less than sign”a href=”actual url goes here”>what you want to display goes here</a"greater than sign"

    Or, better, use this [a href=“actual url goes here”]what you want to display goes here[/a], but replace [ with the less than sign and ] with the greater than sign.

  22. aleta:
    For links, use this: “less than sign”a href=”actual url goes here”>what you want to display goes here</a”greater than sign”

    Or, better, use this [a href=“actual url goes here”]what you want to display goes here[/a], but replace [ with the less than sign and ] with the greater than sign.

    Thanks. I take it the quote marks around the actual url are required. If not, I can always edit to omit them.

  24. I did a little research. The DNS record for uncommondescent.com has two A records, one for just uncommondescent.com which points to a hosting company in New Jersey and one for http://www.uncommondescent.com/, which points to a company called WPEngine in Austin, Texas. The View Source for the second site mentions discovery.org and the first doesn’t.

    It doesn’t seem likely someone is going to keep paying for hosting for the site in New Jersey for very long.

    I’m also curious why the old site is up and down all the time. I can’t think of a possible reason for that.

    This is the end of an era. I’ve been posting about Dembski and on Dembski sites for a long time, but the era of odds-and-ends people discussing ID on an ID-friendly site, as opposed to no-comment places like ENV, seems to be almost over.

  25. aleta,

    Thanks for your research. I get basically nothing at the “old” site, and the “archived” version at the new site. But some people here are reporting that they see new comments at some version of the UD address. Which version? How can I see that?

    I am sad to see them go because, as you note, Evolution News allows no comments. UD was such a rich source of deluded arguments that it was always available when I needed an argument to debunk (either at TSZ, or later at Panda’s Thumb).

  28. It seems that Uncommon Descent is still going strong, though it’s the site loading has been wonky for the past week or so.

    It appears that rumors of the death of Uncommon Descent have been greatly exaggerated.

  30. Do we assume that the old site will continue – at least intermittently – until it is no longer being paid for and has not been archived since April 12?

  31. Joe Felsenstein: I am sad to see them go because, as you note, Evolution News allows no comments. UD was such a rich source of deluded arguments that it was always available when I needed an argument to debunk (either at TSZ, or later at Panda’s Thumb).

    And why would you “debunk” something from UD on pandas?

    You must be aware that pandas is censoring anything slightly inconvenient. Oh right, you’re a “moderator” there.

    As far as tsz, since you got your arse kicked a couple of times you adopted the cancel culture. Do you honestly think that it will save “evolution”? No chance.

    I dare you to open pandas to debate. What are you afraid of? I also dare you to “debunk” my latest post (or any other) right here at tsz. Not on pandas were you’re out of reach. What say you? I promise to be gentle. Deal?

    As far as EN, you certainly can address them on pandas and they can do the same to you. A very boring dialog of the deaf… I sometimes look at pandas for nonsense to debunk. Too bad it’s all repetitive brain dead mantras. But to be fair, UD and EN are pretty weak too. Oh well.

  32. Re Sev: yes, I think it will probably keep running until the next bill comes due and goes unpaid, but nothing that is going on now will be archived. That’s my guess.

  33. Nonlin.org,

    The reason people don’t bother with your writings is you are not worth the effort. Sorry to be blunt but you make it quite obvious you cannot be convinced that evolutionary theory is a brilliant explanation for the observed facts of biology, so there is no point in anyone wasting effort on that score.

    What is also obvious is that you are in a minority of one. We don’t need to debunk your stuff because nobody takes you seriously. You have no traffic at your own blog, you were ignored at Uncommon Descent and you are ignored here.

    Consider that everyone considers you a crank because that is the impression your internet persona displays.

  34. Alan Fox: Sorry to be blunt but you make it quite obvious you cannot be convinced that evolutionary theory is a brilliant explanation for the observed facts of biology, so there is no point in anyone wasting effort on that score.

    You wish Alan Fox. Exactly how many people have you convinced with your “brilliant” (haha) explanation? Let me tell you how many : zero, none, not one person. Be honest and stop writing obvious nonsense like that.

    And you can check the history of science. You will see that “brilliant explanations” are not needed 200 years after the original hypothesis if true science. If not, you have to find excuses over and over for why you have no experimental evidence. At some point – which has passed a looooong time ago – your excuses become ridiculous.

    Alan Fox: What is also obvious is that you are in a minority of one.

    Not really. You’re arguing with others too.

    Alan Fox: We don’t need to debunk your stuff because nobody takes you seriously.

    That’s demonstrably incorrect. Look it up. I have had many interesting discussions with your superiors. Too bad they always lose the argument. It’s all above your head anyways.

    Look Alan, you’re harmless like a little bunny. You seldom have an intelligent argument, you never learn, and are quite repetitive. I wish I could help you.

  37. My personal favorite was nonlin’s unique take on 2LoT; he reached maximal derp ’round about page 10…
    Yet he still wonders why nobody takes him seriously.

  38. Nonlin.org: . I have had many interesting discussions with your superiors. Too bad they always lose the argument. It’s all above your head anyways.

    Just because someone grows tired of arguing with you and leaves the argument, it doesn’t mean that you’ve won.

  39. Kantian Naturalist: Just because someone grows tired of arguing with you and leaves the argument, it doesn’t mean that you’ve won.

    In his mind, he won before he started and nothing anyone can produce could conceivably change this. Sometimes he says something so stupid that an intelligent correction is informative for those of us who are not specialists in those areas. But that’s uncommon; he’s generally limited to unimaginative insults.

  40. I think Uncommon Descent is finally officially dead: as of 1315 (EDT, UTC -4), I checked Uncommon Descent and was automatically redirected to the archived site. (I’m not even sure this HTML tag works.)

    It’s the end of an era.

    It’s a bit weird for me, personally. I’d been posting under various pseudonyms at Uncommon Descent since 2012 or so. That’s over ten years of commenting there — at first as (I think) carlos, then Kantian Naturalist, and finally as PyrrhoManiac1.

  44. I’m having withdrawal already. I guess this makes TSZ my methadone.

  45. I’m seeing the same re-direct now

    I’m feeling withdrawal symptoms too. Maybe we should form a support group for recovering contributors. I vote we call it UDicts Anonymous.

  46. LOL, to Sev. UDicts Anonymous!

    I permanently left as a commenter a few months backed, but still lurked. I’ve been posting anonymously on various forums, starting with ARN through ISCID and on to UD for 23 years. Feels weird to have UD just not there even though it was very good for me to quit commenting.

  47. DNA_Jock,

    Your replies used to be somewhat thoughtful. Now all you do is link to nowhere. I don’t want to be an alarmist, but that could be a sign of mental decline.

    Kantian Naturalist: Just because someone grows tired of arguing with you and leaves the argument, it doesn’t mean that you’ve won.

    True. But you’re here to argue. If you grow tired, that’s probably because your argument is weak.

    It’s not your fault you’re on the losing team. Oh wait, maybe it is. Anyway, I’m just the messenger. I could do no better arguing for “evolution”. Therefore, not my personal ‘win’. It is what it is.

  48. The archiving of UD has the problems that the numbering of comments has been lost, and also the dates/times of the comments. Readers will probably come to realize that the comments on a thread are in reverse order in the archived version. But when someone writes that they are responding to “kf at 149” it will be hard to find that earlier comment. And there will be no easy way to see whether a reply is immediate or long-delayed.

    And of course, with the DI, there is always the worry that they will remove inconvenient material (so far I don’t think they have).

    There is another archive. One can go to the Wayback Machine at archive.org and type in “uncommondescent.com”. It is in the original site layout, with comments in their original order, numbered and with date and time. So far it is caught up to April 8. I would expect that within the next week or so it will include material through April 12.

  49. SeverskyP35: I’m feeling withdrawal symptoms too. Maybe we should form a support group for recovering contributors. I vote we call it UDicts Anonymous.

    Oh yeah, sign me up.

    I mean, for decades I used Uncommon Descent to distract myself from a gnawing void in my being. Now that it’s gone, what am I supposed to do? Go to therapy, make friends, exercise, and find meaning and purpose in my life? Fuck that! I need someone to feel superior to and I need it now!

  50. I just realized that I posted this OP on the same day that Dembski posted his note on UD ending.

    KF must be shedding tears. Who will he preach his doomsday conspiracies to now?

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