USMC362 - Bro, come on man, seriously. Look at all these accounts of yours that we had to ban...

USMC362, bro, seriously. Look at what you're doing. Take a moment and have an honest look at what you're doing.

This isn't normal. Anyone can see that.

Look at how many times you've tried coming back after your permaban only to get banned over and over again.

This is all you, my friend:

V.Marrone
Close_Encounters
Pitstop23
Dreamer_785
patrick.parisi
scarletfire92
foxfire_68
cts_v59
ravenite72
comfycakes
Thumper_12
suffolkcounty
Phoenix_river
Close_Encounters
UptownGirl
Bud_Lite
Breaker19
samadurai
playpal_07
Glassman
usmc32162
usmc_362
DanReed
Firewall620
Maricopa
Dreyer.R
Prowler5
jarvis32
Trucker78
ytgbbh
7x7x7x
Pax-il
Reffler.R
blue007
Nexus
Robert_56
Janice620 <--- alleged wife.
DapperDan
microman
Harlon21 <--- allowed but broke trust
Northstar2320
Northstar


Look at this. Is this how you want to represent yourself. As a former US Marine even?

You know in your heart of hearts that this is not right. Please, I implore you to speak to someone. You have my email, you can speak to me if you like. I can even recommend someone perhaps.

Why is this being made public? Because, brother, without context, some might get the wrong idea about why they see some of these names banned since it doesn't appear from posts that there was a ban worthy offense committed. They don't have the background on your original account, USMC362, that lead to a permaban. This might cause fear and confusion in posters and give them the wrong idea about our forum rules, policies and enforcement thereof. They may think, "well golly, what can I post without fear of getting banned?" But that's not why your accounts are being banned.

The rule that you are continuing to break is not just that a permaban for your original account named USMC362 means permanent ban, but that you are creating and posting from multiple accounts often simultaneously.

Now I get that you want human contact and to be part of a community with common interests. I do. And, against my better judgement, I helped you for a while do just that. But you messed that up in the oddest of ways. You betrayed the trust. Now you show not only a lack of integrity (think broken promises, yes you know what I mean), but that you need help. Look at that list. Sit back and look at it for a while. Ask yourself, "what am I doing? Why am I really doing this? Why did I betray the trust of people who tried to help me? Why did I lie to them?"

There are almost 40 aliases on that list. 40.

40. Think about that. Is that rational? Is that indicative of a stable, peaceable mind? Is that indicative of one who takes responsibility for their actions and owns up to the consequences?

What does that look like to you? Honestly. Don't immediately think to defend or justify yourself. Think first to honestly look at yourself and take inventory. Consider also that for every account you make that you are potentially taking away a username someone may have wanted to use for their own account.

It is a sincere hope that through reflection and introspection, you begin to address the issues which manifest themselves in this manner.

I believe with all sincerity you can be better than this. That you want to be better than this. That this is not the person you want to be nor the one you set out to be. You got caught in a downward sloping obsessive spiral. But you can get out of it. You can be better than this. It's in you. I've seen a glimpse of it. You just have to want it. You should not fear being the best you, you can be. There is only but to be gained from being a better you. Think back to when you were better than this. You can be that guy again. There's nothing standing in the way of that except your fear that you might not measure up again. But you can. You just have to want to.


May reflection and introspection during the holiday season bring you a new beginning and a better you with peace, contentment and a sound mind.

NBR Staffer,
Deuce dot Zero

 

ah yes the infamous forum stalker..

 

Hmm...I wish to have no beef with anyone. Since this much has been posted, I am just curious, what was his original offense that gave him the permaban on his USMC362 account?

 

We have a general policy to not disclose what lead up to a premaban. But it was perhaps 2 years ago that things came to a head, last straw kind of thing. USMC362 was also temp banned on Tech|Inferno for a time. I'm guessing this might be a repetitive pattern on other forums that he may frequent. But I can't verify or confirm that.

At the end of the day, he's still a human being with all the requite failings that go along with being human. But this type of aberrant behavior hurts the community. Without context, when posters see a lot of member names suddenly turn red (indicating a ban has occurred), one might think that we're near randomly banning a lot of posters when in truth it is only a few with various issues who continually create multiple accounts.

 

Strange, it can`t be his posts in the open forum since they show a guy who participate in real discussions and he shared various benchmarks from his Alienware

http://forum.notebookreview.com/search.php?searchid=3902891

 

Don't be fooled. We have many tools and criteria that we use to determine shill/multi accounts. The majority do not escape detection as the majority cannot help but to reveal who they are, one way or another. It's also a common psychosis they exhibit.

 

Many tools? Like a program that goes through the posts of members and finds similarity like: big letters, length of posts, smileys used and such? That would be cool, but I don`t think even the sites with the strongest security have that available.

MAC adress maybe? Nah, I really don`t care.

Anyhow, this might be interesting to you 2.0.
Hi to all - Page 3

 

You don't need a program. Stylometry first started with human intel. What's programmed into stylometric algorithms amounts to an expert system - or all the stylomety humans have discerned over the centuries and associated with not just words, but known psychosis.

Even though it's an old thread, just goes to show how much this individual needs help. He's crying out for it but may not realize it. Seriously, who does that? Who obsesses for almost 2 years (could be longer) over a ban and keeps generating account after account after account knowing they will eventually be banned? That's indicative of a serious psychological, emotional and perhaps if one believes, spiritual problem.

 

Just a reminder that a huge fraction of his posts have been deleted, so they're visible only to moderators. Looking at the current public post record doesn't even capture the tip of the iceberg.

 

Wow! Was wondering when this thread was going to make it's way to the surface....

Was wondering if i was going to make it this far at one point. LOL!


As to the topic....I think it's because he wears his heart on his sleeve instead of his chest and then conversations tend to go astray from that point on. The simplest of things get misconstrued and he tends to want to attack first instead of understand what is really being said.... I have seen many conversations end up like this...
But I do hope for the best for him though. When he isn't doing that, he is an alright guy.

 

40 aliases? Damn.

 

Never heard about stylometry before so I admit I had to look that up.
Sounds like you are indeed indentifying users based on what I thought was way out of any standard forum`s league.

According to one article I just read

Science of Stylometry a Weapon Against Hackers, Trolls, Malware

Thats scary stuff right there. I didn`t know you guys had tools that could check that. Pretty interesting though.

Anyhow, as for his ban avoid and the multiple account. I think you think too much like a moderator and less like a user. If a guy is pissed about a site, and have a program that can easy switch between proxies (I`m guessing he use TOR), and if that individual have sort of given up getting the ban lifted, some people like to create havok. Or amuse themselves with checking out how long they can ban avoid before getting banned again. Some do that, other result to spam. Some hide and doesnt reveal themselves, and participate with PM to other members instead.

But yeah I agree with you, 2 years and all those accounts sounds very extreme. Even for someone with too much free time.

I understand. I guess it takes quite a bit of effort from the trolls to get perm banned. Timed ban is one thing, perm ban isnt something inflicted by the trolls overnight I guess.

 

As USMC362 he did some stuff I don't understand, and I agree that having 40 alias user accounts is a bit over the top. I don't consider him a stalker or a troll, and I don't believe anyone that knows him well would think that about the man. I have to agree with John... he is a good guy. Did he makes some mistakes? Yup, absolutely... more than a few, in fact. Thankfully, there is such a thing as forgiveness or we would all be in a world of hurt.

My thoughts are that this thread should now be closed. If it has served its original purpose, there is no point in kicking a guy when he is down. Further questions and comments at this point probably won't serve a good purpose.

I saw where at least one person was trying to send me a PM. I have that turned off temporarily, as I am trying to get some time-sensitive things taken care of at work and will be enjoying the holidays with family. I'll turn that forum feature on again as soon as I have more discretionary time. (I don't want to ignore anyone's requests for assistance by leaving it turned on.)

Happy Thanksgiving to all that live in a place that celebrates this holiday.

 

I think it is indeed time to close this thread!

 

I can see how you might think that I'm thinking like a mod. Partly true with regards to upholding forum rules but I was thinking like a person who put himself in the shoes of another in order to illicit a better sense of empathy for that person. So let me give you a bit of background to perhaps change that perspective.

I was the mod who allowed him back under the name Harlon21 unbeknownst to the rest of the mod team at the time. Together, USMC362 and I came to an agreement with terms that allowed him come back with the understanding that he must maintain good behavior, contribute positively, and most importantly, steer clear of anything that can associate himself with his former banned accounts. The name he used then was Harlon21. I did it because I don't particularly agree with lifetime bans. In my personal life, I've been in the orbit of people whose lives changed so radically that they have become an altogether different and better person. So I can't help but to believe in second chances. It's why I've fought for a number of users who were permanently banned but lost each and every case. Why? In every instance, they validated the point of having lifetime bans.

Fast forward to about 7 or so months later after I allowed him to come back. During that time, other mods figured out who he was but agreed with the terms we settled upon (something I am assuming, you'll see why). Little by little he reveals who he was. Adds back an old avatar which commemorates Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima. Adds back his old sig. Not the brightest thing of course even though those particular items didn't break any forum rules. But in doing so would alert other mods not in on the rouse to begin to suspect something familiar about them. But everything else was going swimmingly where Harlon21 was concerned. Then one day he randomly asks to have his name changed from "Harlon21" back to his old forum name "USMC362" (which was permabanned years ago) in the change your name thread.

Imagine my dismay. I put myself out there to help a fellow human being realize their desire and arguably a need. Then he repays the favor by committing an act which can be interpreted as a brazen maneuver. As I willfully participated in a rouse designed to circumvent and violate forum rules, I felt that the only course of action was to come clean to the mod team about my complicity in the matter and accept any punishment that might have resulted from my participation. Even losing moderator status if it came to that. I had no particular reason to come clean at the time other than that is was the right thing to do as there was nothing to implicate me with regard to my participation. This is when I learned that a few other mods already knew about the rouse but allowed him to stay nevertheless.

I banned his Harlon21 account out of sense of duty. It pained me to have to do it given that he actually was a well behaved and contributing member during his tenure as Harlon21. Plus I like the guy. He is a good guy when you get to know him. But rules are rules. Since I helped to break them, it was just that I should have to return to upholding and enforcing them. Even if it would have been the last act I committed as a mod.

At this point, there was no case I could possibly make to allow him to continue. His actions validated the concept and rule of permabans being permanent.

It would seem as if I got off Scott free in that while he lost his ability to continue under Harlon21 or any other account, I'm still here as a member of the community and retained moderator status. But the truth is, I lost all credibility with regards to my personal position against the concept of permabans. What point could I now raise against the concept? What examples could I point to as a successful redemption? Especially when even under the best of circumstances, that being a mod secretly allowing and fostering a permabanned member to return under a new account, the poster in question could not even validate the possibility of a successful redemption? He even promised that if he couldn't return, he'd stop creating accounts.

But here we are...