on 3 May 2003 : 17:55, Fleischman sez:
Totally lame! Did these guys ever tell you that you would eventually have to pay or are they just hittin' you up now 'cause they need the cash? If they never told you, then screw 'em. Friends don't do that. Move your site. If they did tell you, then pay up sucka.
on 3 May 2003 : 18:23, tj sez:
How much space/bandwidth do you actually use?
You can get 60 gigs of space with 400 gigs of bandwidth on a dedicated box for $99 at rackshack.net (not that I use them).
on 3 May 2003 : 20:35, justin sez:
I know I'm over 600 megabytes of file storage, maybe closer to a gigabyte. And I think there's about a gigabyte per day of traffic coming through here, about 100 k a second or so. But that might be slightly high. Either way, professional hosting solutions would probably cost a comparable amount.
Fleischman - I had some inkling that I would have to pay. But it was informal. So almost a year ago, they said, we're thinking of charging about $75 a month. And then I said "Wow!" There was no further conversation until I got the bill. That was today, and I'm looking at a vast, empty bank vault called "Justin's cash" and thinking, hey, could I get some money from the same internet that generates the traffic?
on 3 May 2003 : 21:38, Fleischman sez:
Hmmm, remember that chick who went online begging people to help her pay her credit card debt? I heard it actually worked.
Of course, she was hot...
on 4 May 2003 : 03:15, sammi sez:
on 4 May 2003 : 08:05, Taylor sez:
Ask your Mom for the money.
Take advantage of the situation you are in.
Others do not have your luxury.
Not that there is anything wrong with your rich parents situation.
You did not ask to be born into it.
So go for it.
on 4 May 2003 : 10:37, Christine sez:
Aw -- it's okay. Some of us have been reading Justin's page for years and years. Lots of enjoyment! Put a few dollars in the bucket!
on 4 May 2003 : 10:42, justin sez:
I earn a living writing articles, kind of. My Visa card is now shouldering most of my expenses, since the pay for freelancing is not too high, and the market for paid speakers has been thin lately as well. There are other jobs out there, consulting, maybe even a full-time position as a writer, critic, gadfly, strategist, wonderer. But I need more time to invest in a writing/communications career.
This is probably worth a separate post; bascially, I'm using my Visa card to finance my career development. I'm learning and writing as my debt expands. The idea is that some day, I will be able to make as much as I need to thrive. But first I need to hone my skills and develop a reputation. I'm confident: someday, I should be able to shoulder the expense of a web site, no problem. Maybe I'll even be able to pay to host many other web sites.
In the meantime, I'd rather ask my readers for help, for some support. My Mom has more money than me, for sure. She's helped me out in the past, and I'm grateful for that. But should my Mom pay for hosting my web site? That seems like a cop-out.
I have given many dozens of dollars to many different web sites, cartoonists, software developers looking for support online. I believe in supporting independent publishing. I don't ask about their circumstances; if they ask, and I have the money, I think of it as a subscription or support. I did it more when I had more money, like income redistribution between web citizens.
on 4 May 2003 : 10:51, chunks sez:
Hmm... $75 a month seems like it should be a rounding error for someone who recently bought a $900 television set. Maybe just eat in three more times a month? It is fine to beg for cash, but it seems like it shouldn't be too hard to pay the tiny monthly fee that basically provides the window for your livelihood.
on 4 May 2003 : 11:09, justin sez:
Hah! Touche - this is like the public accounting for a non-profit. "Hey you want more donations? What about that gold-plated toilet seat and the chauffered trips to the drug dens of Cedar Rapids?"
The TV is a research tool - I used it all yesterday to read subtitles on a Japanese PlayStation 2 game I'm writing up. I could have maybe read them on a smaller TV. But we pick and choose our tools. If you don't trust my judgement, don't donate! Maybe I should invest in an accountant.
on 4 May 2003 : 13:09, steve sez:
PAY YO BILLS
Whining about having to pay for bandwidth is one thing, attacking Justin is another.
Justin needs to pay his damn bills like everyone else on the planet, and needs to quit whining about it and begging for cash.
Those attacking him for being a jackass who is a rude, inconsiderate asshole are right in fact, but need to get a grip. While he may be a shithead for stiffing his net providers, nobody has the right to persecute him unless he owes you money.
Justin, just pay your damn bills and there will be no arguments here.
on 4 May 2003 : 13:16, steve sez:
"The TV is a research tool - I used it all yesterday to read subtitles on a Japanese PlayStation 2 game I'm writing up."
OK. I'm hoping that is a joke and you don't REALLY expect everyone to believe the tv is a "research tool".
Tell us that is sarcasm, please. If in fact you were serious about buying a 900 dollar tv, well....
well, i'll wait until you properly dismiss this claim.
on 4 May 2003 : 13:27, kurt sez:
Hm. Guess J's gonna have to break down and do what the rest of us academics/artists/writers do: GET A DAY JOB.
You can start by registering at a temp agency.
Reality comes for all of us sooner or later.
on 4 May 2003 : 14:52, James sez:
To Sammi, Chunks, Steve, Kurt -- why are you people even reading this page if you are going to be so ugly to Justin? The very fact that you are here shows that he is providing you with value. And yet you mock him for asking us to contribute money, so he can continue to provide this value.
It seems petty, hypocritical, and cruel for you to mock him on his own website, when you are clearly drinking up what he has to offer. He's only asking that you chip in a little, in recognition of what he gives you.
on 4 May 2003 : 15:22, Joan sez:
Reality? What isn't real about striving to have a career that you enjoy? I thought that was the whole point of this site: To be an example. Exploring and exposing what it is like to make the attempt. To share the daily challenge of pursuing work that inspires you and keeps you up at night; of making a life that you can share with someone you love, who is also striving not to settle for a job they hate and a life not fully lived.
You all obviously read the site, so you must find it useful in some fashion, why the sudden outburst of criticism? If you don't want to support the site, don't - that is the ultimate way to express your opinion. But there is no need to get nasty about it.
on 4 May 2003 : 15:30, chunks sez:
jeez james and joan, don't be such dorks, no one is making fun of your crippled mothers, they are just posting comments to some guy's web site. also, no one was ruthlessly mocking j-lo, they just said "pay yo billz" and "hey bub, you have a $900 TV set, $675 should be a drop in the bucket."
on 4 May 2003 : 16:23, jason sez:
I'm actually kinda shocked that anyone has the gall to tell Justin how to spend his money. Well, not shocked; people have been pulling that shit on me for years now. The whole "he just bought a new motorcycle, so he can afford to buy me dinner" thing. And to mention that he comes from a rich background is just way out of line.
Fuck off, you cheap bastards. If you don't like his site, don't read it.
on 4 May 2003 : 16:52, wayne sez:
Maybe next time Justin walks across the Golden Gate Bridge you supportive readers can "moblog" him:
-it's not as far as it looks!
-don't be a chump, jump!
-chandra's still mad at you, do it!
Breaking his balls is fine, but fyi, he was one of the last people on the web to ask for donations.
The thing about you haters is this: If you actually made him feel bad about himself enough to give up his dreams, and then he lived a miserable little life and wrote about it here, you wouldn't read the site anymore because you already know what that is like.
on 4 May 2003 : 18:48, James sez:
Chunks, Justin is providing some interesting writing which you obviously enjoy reading (since you read the site). He figured, "hey, I am providing this content; maybe the people reading this site would be willing to help out by chipping in a little, so I can continue to provide this content."
Your attitude seems to be, "Since Justin bought something for himself, who is he to ask for donations?" That's stupid. The cost of the TV is irrelevant. He is asking for people who read the site to help him by paying a little for the hosting. It is the enjoyment of YOU AND ME that is causing him to have this bill -- the bandwith that you and I generate.
Why do you read the site if a request for donations offends you so?
on 4 May 2003 : 19:05, chunks sez:
sigh. the check's in the mail, i guess. I didn't get offended by his request for donations, i just wondered why he couldn't afford $675. That should be chump change for anyone working in tech, especially hot jet setting journalists. However did you survive in tokyo so long? when i lived there, 7 benjamins was a week's worth of drinks.
on 4 May 2003 : 19:42, Mr. Taylor B. Golding sez:
This is my original post:
"Ask your Mom for the money.
Take advantage of the situation you are in.
Others do not have your luxury.
Not that there is anything wrong with your rich parents situation.
You did not ask to be born into it.
So go for it."
Posted by: Taylor on May 4, 2003 08:05 AM
Now why do I deserve this?
"And to mention that he comes from a rich background is just way out of line.
(I didn't want to mention the rest of it)"
Posted by: jason on May 4, 2003 04:23 PM
He comes from a rich family.
So what. The answers easy.
Most good rich families try to help their kids make it.
At least Justin could try to perhaps getting his PHd, with his families help.
I find nothing wrong in mentioning his rich family.
Alot of people come from rich families. Its a fact.
As for people posting being purveyors and not paying, I'm not stupid enough to give in. Why? This is not my problem. I am just an observer neither friend or foe.
I mention this to clear my name from being dragged through the shit/mud.
If Justins got Money problems, he needs a benefactor, a sponser.
We live in a capitalist world (right now) for a reason.
As for this quote:
"The thing about you haters is this: If you actually made him feel bad about himself enough to give up his dreams, and then he lived a miserable little life and wrote about it here, you wouldn't read the site anymore because you already know what that is like."
Posted by: wayne on May 4, 2003 04:52 PM
Quite too deep don't you think. Quite alot to put on others you do not know.
Justin should have a pay per view system if all else fails. (just my 2 cents)
Anyway, enough, I will post no more on this subject.
I never CRITICIZED Mr.Justin Hall in anyway.
I just made a plausable suggestion.
To find that by mentioning his rich background,
Justin is a victim, I find incomprehensible.
on 4 May 2003 : 20:34, Fleischman sez:
on 4 May 2003 : 21:03, Christine sez:
If you don't support Justin, you have every right to NOT read his website, and to NOT donate to Justin.
But -- I don't see anything wrong with Justin asking for donations. It's just a request. He may have other means, and he may have to get a "day job," but I'd love to see a pioneer of this medium stay focused and make it with support from his readers -- why not support independent publishing?
When I was a kid, I told myself if I make a few bucks, I'd do what I could to be any sort of "patron of the arts." Now's your opportunity.
And if you don't agree, then just don't donate!
Simple.
on 4 May 2003 : 21:20, Sean sez:
Hah, man Justin I really do feel sorry for you. The audacity of some these people is ridiculous. I guess that's the danger of having commentary on posts. Coming from an webcomic background, I fully understand the need to support independent web content with donations, and support you in your decision to ask us, the privileged readers of your website, to help you out. How can you go at someone for asking for donations when you're the ones eating up his bandwidth and reading about his life? If anything, every reader who comes here should be responsible for the bandwidth bill, not Justin. He didn't ask you to come here and read about his life, you just surfed on over here and now you're bitching in a fucking comments section about how he comes from a rich family (what does that have to do with anything???) and how he shouldn't be asking for money on his website. If you don't want him asking for handouts, stop coming to links.net and eating up his bandwidth which he now has to pay for out of pocket, and which amounts to a lot more than a lot of your personal websites will ever cost.
on 4 May 2003 : 21:30, Christine sez:
on 4 May 2003 : 21:52, Fleischman sez:
on 4 May 2003 : 21:57, Christine sez:
on 4 May 2003 : 22:04, chunks sez:
on 4 May 2003 : 22:21, stuzzy sez:
Hey Justin,
I would be happy to donate to your site, and will do so soon. I understand the realities of the situation here and have enjoyed your site over the years. Perhaps it is time to consider a few carefully, tactfully placed ads to offset the cost of the site. While I could understand reluctance to this idea, there is no reason for you not to cash in on your celebrity on the web. You have a reputation on the web, you could use it to your advantage. With the amount of traffic you pull through here you could probably pick and choose your advertisers and have major influence on ad size and parameters of said ad. You could have ads for web companies only? Just an idea. Perhaps it is time you started cashing in and maybe even eking out a small profit from this site. If it could be done tastefully I think perhaps you could do it. Perhaps set a model for a self sustainable blog. I'm stoned.
on 4 May 2003 : 22:34, stuzzy sez:
I would not mind looking at ads on your site, knowing the bill needs to get paid somehow. Cashing in is the American way. Hell man you spent all these years working to build credibility and now you have some. Time to cash in! This may sound bad but hey, we all have to make money somehow. Corporate sponsors maybe?
On a side note, you must have some pretty thick skin by now since you put up the posting feature. Not sure I could put up with some of this crap. Still stoned
on 5 May 2003 : 00:15, benjamin sez:
I agree with Christine. These comments blow this topic way out of proportion. There's nothing wrong with Justin asking his virtual community for some help with cash in hand.
on 5 May 2003 : 07:32, James sez:
Fleischman, do you have a web page? If so, would you mind sharing the URL? I would like to look at it.
on 5 May 2003 : 09:21, justin sez:
Fleischman has a site here; he had an advertisement here back a year or two ago.
on 5 May 2003 : 11:57, Damanda sez:
Wow.
I wonder if anyone remembers how Justin unselfishly awarded round trip airline tickets to anywhere in the world for people coming up with a good concept for a website, over a year ago. The original award was for the best entry, but Justin ended up giving the award to the top two contestants. The guy's a patron of the arts and although my car insurance is expired and my car is as of march unregistered for 2003 (due to lack of funds), i'll be sure to kick him down a couple of bucks as soon as my paycheck clears. I'd like to consider myself a patron of the arts too.... even if that only means dropping a dollar in the hare krishna's hat on hollywood boulevard every once ina while or buying some band's t-shirt thats on tour.
Yours in poverty,
Damanda
on 5 May 2003 : 12:07, Fleischman sez:
Hey Justin, if you'll read my comments a little more carefully you'll notice that I never attacked you for requesting donations (re-read my first post). I just thought all the whiney comments from the peanut gallery were annoying. So your attempt to make me look bad for asking for donations for my film a while back are fruitless. Nice try though.
on 5 May 2003 : 12:17, Fleischman sez:
Sorry Justin. I got a little hot when I saw your response and wrote before I clicked on your link. I thought you were trying to chastise me for asking for donations myself a while back. My bad. Anyway, it was just all the whining from the SQUARES that seemed ridiculous. So let's just forget about that last post, ok?
on 5 May 2003 : 12:30, justin sez:
Fleischman you're a hot fellow!
Let's stop this talk of SQUARES - I are one! I find SQUARES people no more objectionable than people prone to hot flashes.
on 5 May 2003 : 12:57, Fleischman sez:
on 5 May 2003 : 13:16, chunks sez:
sorry i made fun of the squares. nothing wrong with beards, recumbent bicycles, and linguistics professors. i'm thinking of organizing a petition to ban leafblowers in my neighborhood. but first, i gotta go practice my french canadian folk tunes on the squeezebox.
on 5 May 2003 : 17:34, jonathan sez:
on 5 May 2003 : 20:02, kurt sez:
What's wrong with a little criticism?
I don't get it. It's like when Simon speaks on "AMerican Idol" (admit it, you've seen it), and everyone freaks. But his criticisms are right on. No one would get anywhere if they took Paula Abdul seriously.
I think J. can take handle anything I might dish out.
I love his site, by the way, and I've defended him against criticism in other places.
I know what it's like not to get paid what you're due. Trust me on that.
I call it as I see it: J's had a good streak of luck -- sperm-lottery luck, mainly.
Thousands of creative people have to wait tables, teach community college, drive cabs, temp, etc. to do what they love. I just suggested that it may be his time to join us for a while.
He might even learn something.
Pink slips are on their way. You'll get yours soon. It's the economy.
That's the reality I'm talking about.
on 5 May 2003 : 21:18, James Home sez:
he's sure to learn something from condescending waiters and temps: people take it personally when you don't accept a reality as confining as theirs, and won't miss an opportunity to get a quick jab in when you're down if you hand them the mic in a public place.
hurrah for user-generated content! hang in there, buddy.
on 6 May 2003 : 06:59, Anonymous sez:
Hi folks,
I am a 5 or 6 year faithful Justin reader. I would be happy to donate to the arts if I weren't unemployed like everyone else.
Regarding this TV - some people plan a budget, which is big enough to include a big TV, and then have a surprise, like an internet bill. This is nothing to criticize someone for.
I remember once thinking I could just manage to afford a pricey plane ticket, then I bought it, and soon after I got ripped off on the hotel and had to pay a "surprise" $300. It sucks. It happens.
Better to have a savings or be independently wealthy, or be a perfect financial planner, but otherwise it's okay to ask people to help out. Nobody needs to donate if they don't want to.
on 6 May 2003 : 21:57, shady sez:
ugh. that was alot of useless comments. here's my contribution to the pile of stink.
ads on your website won't work. ask aol. they just researched that. your best bet is what you recommended to yourself:
an accountant and donations. i'm sure if you made it easy enough, the donations would come in. i also think you could find better hosting...especially within academic circles.
oh, and if you saw xmen one, you should see the sequel. especially if you've read the comic book. *shrug* just a side note.
on 7 May 2003 : 11:03, jonathan sez:
I disagree. I do think you can get at least $675 bucks from some ads over the course of a few months. Justin isn't AOL, after all. This is a personal site.
You reach a pretty targeted, saavy, web crowd. Same as gamegirladvance. Cheap sponsorships = bandwidth costs.
on 7 May 2003 : 21:03, bsharp sez:
good lord, these comments.
hell, i made my donation simply because i envy and aspire to justin's lifestyle of wanderlust; my thinking is that if he's forced to get a day job as a result of these bills, it will shatter my illusion that such wanderlust can be self-sustaining, so if he is avoiding reality, then i join him in doing so!
plus, i enjoy the site.
on 7 May 2003 : 22:52, Mark-Paul sez:
I'm in favour of helping. You know, I'm reading Howard Rheingold's book now on "Smart Mobs" [which I first learned about here, from Justin] and he talks about the power of group cooperation. He also kind of busts Justin [dude you told us you were studying] for being somewhat limited in his Japanese-speaking abilities [when Howard went to visit and interviewed people on the street and Justin helped; something to the effect of: Justin's spirit more than made up for his lack of fluent speaking skills] which made me laugh out loud like you do when you catch a friend in a little white lie, except then I remembered me and Justin [Justin and I] aren't really friends except it seems like we are because of his Web writings all these years which makes it seem kind of cool to help out. But, don't get me wrong, it's also cool to give him hell for living high on the hog only to find out his "bandwidth friends" are just money grubbing capitalists anyway which has to make him and us wonder who your real friends are after all.
Justin has given me plenty to think about over these many years; given me a good, hearty laugh more than once, made me feel a part of many of his adventures, made me wish I really did know him on occasion, almost made me cry [okay I admit it] when he offered that tribute to his friend/not friend Duncan who ended it all back a ways, introduced me to ideas of his and others that I probably wouldn't have come upon on my own, and inspired me to keep track of my life's explorations [although not yet open to the public and still struggling to be as eloquent, elegant, and honest in style and form as he is]. He's even acknowledged some of the comments I've posted on his web site a time or two which does count for something.
So, now he needs some cash. Well, it's not the first time, but that's alright. Everyone needs to reach out from time to time. But, you do waste your money too freely, Justin. But, I'm not one to be too critical. I acknowledge the high cost of "research tools." The last lap top I got with all that cool video editing capability which I'm not even using yet but which is sooo cool is one good example. The X-box is another example. All those DVDs I buy, some still shrink-wrapped, is another. And all the books. Oh boy! Well, you get the idea and I don't want anyone to think I'm jumping on the bandwagon and asking for money on Justin's site [if Justin has any leftover cash he might consider me].
One idea I have Justin is... and you usually don't like my ideas that much. At least you haven't seemed to in the past, but I'm cool with that. But, my idea is... what about selling t-shirts; you know, start trading a bit on your "celebrity." I mean I don't think I would buy one. I'm not into wearing celebrity brands on my body. But, others, especially loyal women readers would, I bet. That way, those of us that are comfortable contributing in a PBS/NPR type of way can and those that feel they need something very tangible in return could get the t-shirt. It could help to diversify your supplemental revenue streams.
It's just an idea and much better than out-and-out advertising.
Anyway... thanks man, for all that you do! See you online...
-=[Mark-Paul]=-
on 8 May 2003 : 09:30, alison sez:
I have been a follower of links.net for many, many years. When I saw Justin's plea for donations, it made me realize that although there was a time that I would have happily handed over my hard earned, much needed cash, that time is no more. Rather than view this site almost daily, I now tune in bi-weekly, just to see if by chance there is some new content that appeals to me. I never followed Justin for his geekdom, but rather for all the interesting private life moments he was willing to divulge. Am I blind or are those all gone? I don't blog, I don't game, and unfortunately, I don't get entertained by links.net anymore. Either Justin has become much more of a robot and less interesting, or he has decided to keep his private moments private. What I shame. Thanks for all the good years.
on 8 May 2003 : 14:09, nobody, I guess sez:
Would it be viable to run your own server? When you got on the web in the early nineties, weren't you serving the pages yourself?
What is the cost of running one's own server these days?
on 9 May 2003 : 07:15, Sugah sez:
In response to alison's post, I agree, I tune in a lot less to links.net lately. Maybe it has gotten worse, maybe I am growing out of it. Or, when he started, his content was pretty subversive for the web, but now very personal blogs are a dime a dozen.
Although I can't help but noticing... during the Amy days, he spoke freely about their sex life and his feelings for her. Now that Jane is around, you KNOW they have a pretty intimate relationships physically and emotionally, but he never writes about it. His weblog is all business. Reading any of Jane's weblog entries, you wouldn't guess that Justin was anything more than a brother or a friend. Her one and only entry about him, a journal entry, had an impersonal stylized and edited feel.
What was fun about reading Justin (and what's fun about reality tv and the like) is the idea of seeing something highly personal that is usually kept hidden in most other forms of media and daily interaction with people. Something uneditted and honest.
Now, with Jane around, there is a whole undercurrent of Justin's life that he MUST think a whole lot about but he chooses to keep private, between him and Jane. His entries are more mainstreamed and academic. That's cool, more power to him, but it certainly makes his weblog less enticing.
This is a bit off topic for the bandwidth question. Forgive me!
-A 5 plus years justin reader
on 9 May 2003 : 19:37, Damanda sez:
The one thing I miss about Justin's backintheday writing is EMOTION. Anguish! (wah...Chandra hated my radio show) Indignity! (I'll have you know i am suing the city of san francisco for false arrest!) Abject horror! ( I realized that
I have friendships that are primarily pot based. Gatherings like these, watch people's eyes, their eyes watch the drugs.
no drugs, the party's on hold.
conversations like
I was so stoned I fuckin'
I smoked so much that I fuckin' ) Hatred! (How/why did Kim ditch me? Fuck. I feel. I feel rejected. I goddamn fucking handwashed and dried my goddamn long sleeve shirt with the jam stains on it. Took a bloody bath, and a shower. I made myself ready, ready, ready. I waited (in my still wet shirt) in the cold wet drizzle of Belfast Saturday night for her. One hour. One hour. Like I had nothing more inspiring/uplifting to do on my last night. I feel like taking one of those pitiful fuckers and escorting him into the bathroom with the promise of my young flesh and then plunging a knife into the fat stomachs and seeing what they ate for breakfast.) ...and just goddamned freakishness (uh...why the fuck would someone who has no sexual partner experiment with sexual enhancement drugs and then masturbate themselves into a urinary tract infection???!!!...) I don't care what the hell he does in his sex life and I think it's silly not to help him out solely because you like to read about sex and he doesn't write about it any more. I DO miss his formerly freakish life, though. I have no interest in games. (other than pinball which is actually more like a sport!) I very little interest in going to Japan anytime soon, but I'll send him some dosh cuz I still do check in here...and still do find most of his writing fun and interesting. I just don't sputter in disbelief at news of his world anymore. Guess we all have to grow up, huh?
on 9 May 2003 : 20:17, Christine sez:
Yah, I miss Justin's raw experiences and his writings. I miss the emotion too (my best guess is he still has them, he has just put down firmer boundaries is all). They were more moving to me as a reader, and I felt more connected to his site. I am not really into games either, and relish the few entries he has nowadays about his neighborhood and food (that's about as "personal" as he gets on his personal website nowadays).
Still, he is Justin! And I was happy to donate -- I'm still checking in everyday, because I feel like "my boy" is growin' up!
on 9 May 2003 : 21:59, Fleischman sez:
I too would like to see more of a personal nature return to Justin's posts. If he doesn't though, no biggie. I will still check in here on a daily basis. Why? Because Justin inspired me when I first saw him in Home Page (sorry Justin, I know you hate it) to really explore the net. Since then, his adventures have been genuinely intriguing and have have continued to inspire. Will I donate? No. Why? Quite simply because I am a poor student. But my support for the site will not end. Thanks Justin and keep doin' what yer doin'.
on 9 May 2003 : 23:43, justin sez:
I feel honored that anybody reads me and that anybody would send me money or think about it. My web site is changing as my focus of study or lifestyle changes. I mean I experimented hard with a great many things early in my life. Now I don't experiment as much, I watch my friends and families move in small ranges of physical gesture with tinier hunger. And do I want to pull their flesh back and expose them, from my angle sitting just off to their left? It was easier when the internet was read by about twenty people, none of whom I wrote about. Seriously - I get about a letter every four months "Hello Justin, I just searched on my name on google and you have to remove that shit you wrote about me long ago right now." it's enough to make you want to write fiction, or to develop other means of writing that exercise your desire to develop and promote understanding without cornering the market on digital observance of desperation.
on 9 May 2003 : 23:56, justin sez:
Either way, the development of context and placement of self in situations continues online and off. So I write, here and elsewhere, as long as I live. I have morphed from being a guy who wrote guides to weird web sites, to a guy who wrote revealing poems about his life, to a guy watching the "digital revolution" unfold, to a guy who conducted sex experiments on himself and shared the data, to a guy who chained himself to video game controllers and took notes, to a guy who travelled to tokyo backalleys and rural snowdrifts in japan, to a guy who is partnered with a beautiful and brilliant musician teacher sexy scholar writer game player. All along the way I have had some folks saying "awesome! fun to watch! inspiring!" and other folks saying, "what happened to the other shit you were doing before that was way cooler?"
You can not live and help but wonder why - what is motivation, what is media, what is control, what is self, what is other. I'm constantly experimenting and probing and thinking and sharing. I'm glad to see that you folks, other people online are too. And I'm honored that as I continue to morph and work I can participate in that conversation.
on 10 May 2003 : 01:02, Tommy sez:
Well you state your friend which was "hard up for cash" by asking you for money for usage of bandwidth, etc. But yet, you ask for money from us to donate to you, which would make you 'hard-up for cash'. I've got an idea... Mr. "Justin" - If you're hard-up for cash, why don't you simply put your domain name for sale? Afterall, it is a common-word domain and those are sought after. Sell it, relocate your site to another domain/host. JustinsLife4u.com perhaps?
P.S.: That is, if you don't owe money for registration of the domain aswell.. oh wait, if we don't owe money for domain registration.
on 10 May 2003 : 17:05, Strob sez:
Gambatte kudasai!
After 2 months in Tokyo, I left my girlfiend back there to return to my hometown, Quebec city just to hear that I have lost my job. It seems that sometimes shits happens. As soon as I get a job, I will buy your book and I'll even think about sending you some money to pay this fucking bill. I hope sincerely that you will be online for a long time again.
on 12 May 2003 : 20:13, Video-Link sez:
Dude;
It makes me wonder why people consume, and then bitch about having to pay..!! If they wanna read a newspaper or buy a magazine subscription thats their decision to choke-up some chump change. The cynical side of me thinks you've done this 'little experiment' to see what peoples reaction is.. (and write about it) or indeed the call for donations is on the up-and-up.. either way by all means somebody gotta pay the freight.. just like anything else in life..!! Good Luck on your continued adventures man.
PS;
Maybe absurd to suggest but.. the MT crew should be pretty happy that you turned Joi onto blogging..!! Maybe theres some potential of 'free hosting for life' rewards?!? Just an after-thought.
on 13 May 2003 : 00:55, Tom sez:
Justin:
I recently switched from Earthlink to iPowerWeb.com who provide 500MB storage and 30GB/month for $7.95/month. It sounds like you're over their basic storage limit, but the $75/month you're now paying seems excessive by comparison.
on 13 May 2003 : 09:05, Brandon Marchand sez:
on 19 May 2003 : 12:21, kurt sez:
guess I better punch in with an I've-read-you-for-years-and-you-were-way-more-interesting-when
comment. There.
J's been great for learning about the web & its potential (and its horrors). if you have money to throw around, you could do worse than to throw it at this site.
it's sort of past useful/interesting for those who aren't all that interested in games or Japan, I think.
i'm sticking to the get-a-job principle. (snottily put or not -- maybe those of you who like to attack my style should read my content now and then).
i never said give up the dreams: just that sometimes you have to pay the bills by taking some crummy part-time work. it happens. J's been luckier than most writer-types in not having to teach or enter data or do heavy lifting or whatever.
on 20 May 2003 : 10:57, alison sez:
ok, so i guess after reading that i am clearly not the only one out there thinking that links.net has lost most, if not all, of its entertainment value. That said, i have a few more thoughts. (these may seem like they are slamming justin, which is not my intention, but oh well.)
has anyone noticed that things got dull arouned here the minute justin fell in love with jane? (does anyone even know how they met?) we all know that amy was great for justin in terms of his voice and his creativity, etc. their break-up was sad, but compelling for sure. and the woman justin was dating in japan before he met jane.. she didn't have much input (i'm not sure she spoke english) but still, those times were good. then comes jane and everything shuts down. I'm not blaming her, (well, maybe a little.) but i think that she has justin wrapped around her little finger. did you notice how when justin was splitting with amy that over and over again he reiterated how filthy her smoking habit was? endlessly, right? well guess what? on jane's website she lists her vices, and right up there- you guessed it-smoking. justin has not made one peep about it.
justin is jane's bitch.
i am sorry to go off the topic so grossly, but it really is all related. my subscription to entertainment weekly all of a sudden switched to science digest, with no warning at all. the bill just came way too late..
on 20 May 2003 : 19:02, Taylor sez:
>justin is jane's bitch.
Posted by: alison on May 20, 2003 10:57 AM
Now that's being critical.
All I say is this,
"Ask your Mom for the money.
Take advantage of the situation you are in.
Others do not have your luxury.
Not that there is anything wrong with your rich parents situation.
You did not ask to be born into it.
So go for it."
Posted by: Taylor on May 4, 2003 08:05 AM
And I get roasted for it.
Well, where are all the jason's & wayne's harping now?
on 21 May 2003 : 14:49, jane sez:
my god, this thread has really devolved.
justin's twenty-eight now, he's not nineteen as he was when he started links.net, nor twenty-four as when he was breaking up with amy. at some point, as i think we all know from re-reading high school journals we may have kept, we grow up. emotional angst becomes easier to deal with, after the fourth or fifth break-up. and things which used to be endlessly fascinating (sex, drugs, jane's addiction) are no longer as all-important. justin doesn't listen to jane's addiction anymore, he rarely experiments with drugs, his sex life is now private. what he's doing is mostly living a quiet life thinking, reading, and writing, which he tells us about. i can't believe that some of you think there's something wrong with wanting to keep some parts of life private.
he's evolving, as i hope we all are (clearly some of us on this thread have some evolving left to do). if you want to read salacious material, there's plenty of other people's lives to examine online. just because justin chooses not to do that anymore makes him no one's bitch, but his own man.
for allison: i've smoked three cigarettes in six months. justin sometimes gives me shit about it, not online but to my face, which is undeniably more effective. don't talk shit about what you know nothing of.
as for all that crap about the back-due bills: justin has no intention of not paying the bills. but to be hit somewhat suddenly with that amount with little notice simply means we hadn't budgeted for it. in the future the hosting bills will be part of the plan. i may point out that justin gives a lot of money, when he can, to sites he likes. he has hosted many advertisements for free on a site which still gets thousands of unique visitors a day. as Damanda pointed out, he's also donated his miles to send two people on trips around the world. i certainly don't think it's out of line to ask if there are any likeminded people out there who might want to pitch in to keep links.net afloat.
i can't believe i'm stooping to this inane discussion, but narrow-minded observations like that really tick me off. jesus, why don't you all go do something with your lives instead of complaining about how justin lives his?
on 21 May 2003 : 16:19, Christine sez:
Jane -- bravo! I totally respect Justin's decision (conscious or not) to set boundaries in his personal life. His earlier writings were more intimate (but I did enjoy reading them), and I did feel more bonded to him -- but like I said before, I feel proud of "our boy" growin' up (being in his same age bracket, I feel like I've grown up alongside him too). I too have become much more private over the years, and more selective in what I choose to share with the general public.
It's Justin's choice to share what he wants on _his_ site. It is not _our_ site.
Just like choosing to give money or not -- if you don't like his content, then just don't read it and leave him alone to create.
on 23 May 2003 : 15:37, Craig sez:
So Jane suggests that we should go do something with our lives? Does anyone find this hilarious?
The fact of the matter is that Justin has banked on links.net to get gigs, jobs, recognition, sex, publicity for his friends -- you name it. And so has Jane. Shouldn't she have more respect for the fans of links.net?
Links.net is geek entertainment. Period. It's not Thomas Pynchon or even Romenesko. Indeed, half the writing is about computer games while the other half is about living as an affluent flake. For Jane to be so sanctimonious about "links" is ridiculous. We're talking fluff here.
Jane thinks this thread is silly? How about two wealthy kids devoting themselves full-time to computer games and expensive technology while people starve and wars rage and civic discourse breaks down. Yes, it's silly. It's even stupid. But we like stupid and silly things -- it's entertaining. I hope they keep it up. I need my distractions. I need my fix. But Jane, don't take this thing so seriously.
And Justin, good luck with finding your new age financial planner!!!
-Craig
on 23 May 2003 : 18:42, justin sez:
I believe Jane was reponding in part to the people who had personally attempted to hold her liable for this site becoming increasingly boring. If people are bored reading Links.net, only I am responsible.
Certainly the people posting comments here are doing their best to keep things lively. Whew! My Biscuits Are Burnin'!