For the last week, I’ve been getting multiple, daily requests to crash this poll: Do you think Sarah Palin is qualified to serve as Vice President of the United States? We already did it. Other groups have also been crashing it, and it’s also been hacked, last I heard it had votes in the millions, votes cast by scripts, not people. The poll is passed on. It is no more. It has ceased to be. It’s expired and gone to meet its maker. It’s a stiff. Bereft of life, it rests in peace. It is an EX-POLL. It has been so thoroughly crashed that our purpose is done, its credibility is undermined, devastated, and blown to flinders. Only an idiot would use this poll to justify an opinion any more, that is, other than an opinion that internet polls are useless.
So you can stop nagging me now, everyone. Find a better poll that hasn’t yet been blasted with a cyberpistol.
It’s apparently such an ex-poll that the link is… stunned.
‘E’s restin’.
this poll wouldn’t boom if we put 4000 volts through it!
Sounds like it should show up in a McCain ad soon.
Let all polls be raptured or Left Behind at the Deranged Museum and shoved down Ham’s gullet.
My bad. I was one of those requesting the crashing. :(
I’m a long-time reader and lurker, but I couldn’t resist making a first comment with this question.
How about a nice slug?
It’s OK. I think this poll got on some right wing mailing list, forwarded everywhere, and horrified lefties who ran into it all rushed to ask me to counter it. I’m not trying to dissuade people from sending me info, it’s just that this particular poll is scorched toast right now.
But but but I didn’t get to VOTE in it yet!…
Oh, you can still vote…but unless you’ve got an automated script to cast a million votes, you aren’t going to make a dent anymore.
Thanx PZ for calming my nerves, I was all, “BUT BUT, PBS!!!!??? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. . .”
OK, let’s CRASH THIS POLL!!!!!!
All together now!!!!! Go Go Go Go…
No, it’s pining for the fjords.
Is it just me or does the world need way more Python references? Nudge nudge know what I mean?
Maybe if it had been nailed to the perch…
But somehow “Yes” is winning?
I don’t call that crashing it. Anyone following the link you give still gets to the site, where it is showing 52% YES.
The fact that the result means nothing isn’t much of an achievement for you: it never did mean anything.
Palin-lovers will still get encouragement from seeing this result, which they will take seriously.
This poll is startlingly easy to hack. So much so, I don’t really want to (re) post how to do it because it’ll likely just be picked up by the freepers. If you are really interested hacking it, lave me your e-mail address from this comment at dKos:
http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2008/9/20/9624/71652/27#c27
But seriously, PZ is right. The poll has no credibility remaining, which means our job is pretty much done.
My bad. I was one of those requesting the crashing. :(
Seconded!
Beautiful plumage, though.
I just got this one in my email. Palin is leading.
Total Votes: 44993983
Well, it’s been thoroughly crashed by two sides, each using scripts to get millions of votes in.
The poll is so easily hacked that each side is adding votes like crazy. I don’t think one can do much about it at this point. It’s too bad that the Palin supporters figured out how to hack the poll though.
Oops … sorry. I was in a rush and didn’t compare the URLs.
I don’t call that crashing it.
you must have been thinking that only ONE side can crash polls.
I trust it’s a bit clearer, now?
Ken Ham: You rang?
Kent Hovind: Ooo. A new citable source!
Kirk Cameron: If Sarah Palin isn’t ready to be president, then why don’t we see any crocoducks? Wait. What’s a poll?
try pooping in one hand and putting palin’s VP qualifications in the other and see which one gets filled up first.
Heh,
I got the notification about this poll from my democratic club just today.
Where were they last week when it showed up here?
It appears to have gone viral.
They’re practicing for November.
I see you are quoting the right Palin for the job!
I was just thinking the other day about how much I love the word “flinders”.
This poll hasn’t had a cyberpistol taken to it yet! You could crash it. Poll is on the right side bar. =D
I love poll crashing!
Can we have a special place just to post polls?
thank you kindly
Palin for president! The other one, that is. How could I resist with all the references. A nudge is as good as wink to a blind bat!
Now if only more people would pay attention to PBS’s non-poll related content…
Here is a poll worth crashing. The Victorian State government(Australia) is talking about compelling Catholic doctors and hospitals to honour their oath and treat all patients on need rather than religious belief (specifically abortion). Its the thin end of the wedge of course, next it will be Jewish doctors refusing to treat muslims, anyone with an STD or a gay with HIV will be considered worthy of death. Then when the Jehovah’s Witness doctors stop performing blood transfusions……
At least leeches have proven to have real medical uses, pray doesn’t show up so well.
(poll is on the left sidebar under related coverage)
http://www.theage.com.au/national/archbishop-in-abortion-law-threat-20080922-4lsl.html
This one IS current
btw, this one is already showing a healthy 66%
errgh – that poll is slipping. Now only 58% against giving the Catholic Church a free pass (again).
yeeesh.
Is it just me or does the world need way more Python references? Nudge nudge know what I mean?
-Bruce at #14
Hear Hear! Well spoken Bruce!
“But the palindrome of Bolton is Notlob…”
Wait. What? PALINdrome???
I feel thoroughly admonished :( (hangs head in shame)