The Rules (Don't worry; they aren't bad)

I'm not one to rule with an iron fist. In fact, I'd prefer to delegate any moderation to some trusted moderators. Even with that, this place has a relaxed atmosphere.

Registration

You must be at least 13 years old to register here. That's because of some legal thing, I think. I'm not sure.

Conduct

Just be nice. I'm not a fan of political correctness so I won't get all uppity unless stuff gets outright hateful, racist, or sexist. I don't go by the "Tumblr" definition of hate speech but please try to follow the golden rule.

Don't post links to anything illegal or pornographic.

Your privacy

This site uses cookies. Cookies are delicious and also give the Internet wonderful functionality. They also have privacy implications, so I'll let you know straight-up about how this site uses them.

The cookies allow you to log in to the system and keep track of your credentials for that purpose. It's always a good idea to clear your browser cache and cookies regularly but keep in mind that you'll have to log in again if you do.

When you register, you'll have to provide a valid e-mail address but I don't care if you use a fake name and provide inaccurate information in your profile. That's totally okay and, being a privacy nut myself, I respect your decision if you do that.

This site does track IP addresses and your user agent string for security purposes, just so you know.

I do not share or sell your information with any third parties.

Your password(s) are encrypted and cannot be retrieved. If you forget your password, I can change it for you, however.

Summary

Here's the tl;dr: Don't deliberately cause trouble. Feel free to express your opinions. Don't do anything illegal. If you have any questions, please ask.

ADDENDUM:

Witch hunting is not allowed in these forums.

What is witch hunting? Witch hunting is the act of making unfounded or unsupported accusations against one or more people. Witch hunting is not permitted in these forums, regardless of whether or not the targets are members here.

Anyone involved in making false or unsupported accusations against others here will receive a temporary ban. Continued witch hunting may result in a permanent ban.

I regret having to make such rules but recent events have forced me to intervene.

ADDENDUM

Although these forums are mostly inactive and serve mostly as an archive, there is an additional rule that really should have been added here years ago.

Having free and open discussions is important but I've found that anything related to politics tends to go horribly. While we haven't had any problems related to this (yet), in the event that these forums ever do become active again, I introduce the following guidelines:

1) No partisan politics. If a science or current events discussion touches upon politics, please refrain from getting into any political aspects. Examples include "it's all [political party']s fault" or "[political leader] is / was so dumb they mess things up". None of that is welcome here.

To be clear, this applies to both sides equally and the only reason I'm posting this now is because I noticed that this hasn't been mentioned in the forums rules and guidelines until now.

2) If religion is discussed, no proselytizing. We must accept that people have different beliefs and that should be respected here. Do not push any religion or lack thereof; no pressure should be implied for anyone to believe a certain way.

Additionally, although the risk is mostly gone now, we have to be careful about "medical misinformation" (any statements that contradict the official position on medical issues) especially with regard to recent pandemics, vaccines, medical treatments, or any diseases. This is because my web hosting could be shut down if I allow these kinds of discussions.