I was sorting out my calendar. It always helps to occasionally figure out where I’m going and where I am, and it’s also helpful for my wife, in case she’s wondering where I got to. These are my travel plans for the next several months, in case anyone wants to hunt me down.

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Yesterday, I posted a link to our “FtB Customer Service Department”. This was intended as a joke — we don’t have such a thing — to mock the idea that we do have such a thing. We don’t. Unfortunately, it backfired on me: some of you saw it was in fun and sent in very complimentary messages about FtB as a whole (thank you very much), and some people sent in serious technical concerns which I’ll have to forward to the appropriate parties (note that we already have a link for that sort of thing, Technical Support), and a few people sent in wacky demands and apparently didn’t understand that we don’t have a central authority.

Here’s the full story on authorities at FtB.

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Some people have demanded that we provide a direct line to the Executive Committee, the Complaints Department, and Customer Service for Freethoughtblogs, so that if you really want to yell at the Director and all those people who control the content on this blog network, you can do so. We hear and obey. There is a new email address that you can use to get access: FtBCustomerService. Send your concerns there, and the people in charge will deal with it appropriately.

The Executive Committee is very busy, and the Director is both secretive and occupied with making sure each blog meets specific standards, so please only use this email address if your concerns are very important.

Elon Musk is naming two of his drone ships using the Iain M. Banks ship naming conventions. They are the “Just Read the Instructions” and the “Of Course I Still Love You.”

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The FtBCon discussion of the psychology of trolls was interesting, but one thing I think it could have used is some appreciation of effective trolling strategies. Look at what they’ve accomplished with wikipedia; they have driven some people off the internet, and the ongoing online harassment is at least a distraction to many of us. This is the real threat: that trolls are working to dominate the discussion, and sometimes they succeed.

Greg Laden is talking about one way trolls work: the Serengeti Strategy. He cites Michael Mann on this topic.

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Wikipedia is preparing to throw the last bits of their credibility down the waste disposal. In a long running and contentious internal debate between feminists and a flurry of throw-away gamergate accounts, an arbitration panel made up almost entirely of men has decided to prohibit anything but the gamergate position. Mark Bernstein has an excellent summary.

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We’re taking advantage of the Pharyngula IRC chat room to provide a venue for free-flowing discussion of FtBCon panels this weekend — it’s a bit faster and more interactive than just leaving comments on YouTube videos (which is a bit like throwing jewels into a cesspit, anyway). But I should let you know that the IRC channel does have a Code of Conduct, and a large number of moderators to enforce it. Read and obey.