[this is bad]

May 23, 2002 5:23 AM

[this is bad] Now you can buy your way onto Filepile.
posted by johnnydark (84 comments total)

hey bastard! you're not supposed to talk about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!
posted by drgonzo at 5:37 AM on May 23, 2002

The circle has been broken. But Cory broke it first.

You are both bad men. Very very bad men.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:41 AM on May 23, 2002

Ebay brings out the whore inside all of us...
posted by BentPenguin at 5:57 AM on May 23, 2002

for $40. Ouch. FP is good but not that good.
posted by nedrichards at 6:40 AM on May 23, 2002

Why is this bad, exactly?

Selling something is "whoring"?? I thought it was "american"? That's what microsoft says, anyway. :)
posted by benh57 at 6:42 AM on May 23, 2002

Filepile shouldn't be about selling and buying. It should be about sharing. And Cory is a success-driven egoist who would sell out just about anyone for a publication credit.
posted by johnnydark at 6:49 AM on May 23, 2002

Minor irritation, but why is it that when you try to view a file and don't have an account, you're told to create a new one at [link], which then tells you membership is closed and to go somewhere else to find out the reason?
posted by Su at 6:58 AM on May 23, 2002

Filepile has long since ceased to be about sharing, it's about elitism with some sharing on the side. The thing that has amazed me is that there isn't an alternative Filepile anywhere.
posted by shagoth at 6:58 AM on May 23, 2002

a mefite who shall remain unnamed wrote me a few weeks ago and told me how much he loved my blog and that he was going to pull some strings to get me into filepile. never heard anything after that. [shrug]. i'm just not l33t enough i guess!
posted by quonsar at 7:03 AM on May 23, 2002

They open it up for new members once in awhile. I was lucky enough to catch a day about a year ago when new memberships were allowed.

The bad thing is though, even with limited membership, you still get the "Server Busy" graphic with every link you click.
posted by schlaager at 7:06 AM on May 23, 2002

I happen to have an account because one of my old coworkers (adampsyche) told me to sign up a little less than a year ago. Until now, I never realized how special and desired an account is. I almost feel guilty for only looking at it once every few weeks and not appreciating the pile. If you're one of those people dying to be a member and feel shut out, don't sweat it. As nedrichards said, it's good, but not $40 good.
posted by Werd7 at 7:18 AM on May 23, 2002

It's nothing to do with elitism. The reason you get the "server too busy" messages is because there are already a shitload of users. André doesn't get paid to run it, so it's only fair that he can stop new users being created, because there's nothing worse than going over your server limits.

But yes, I concur with shagoth and am surprised that something similar hasn't popped up. Unless there is something similar that we just don't know about.
posted by animoller at 7:47 AM on May 23, 2002

And Cory is a success-driven egoist who would sell out just about anyone for a publication credit.

Well, that would explain all the hyper-commercial fiction I've been writing, especially the Star Trek novels.

BTW, who are you and what have I ever done to offend you?
posted by doctorow at 7:55 AM on May 23, 2002 [1 favorite]

It's just a shame that that $40 (or more!) isn't going to go to Andre to actually support FilePile. I wonder if he'll consider selling new accounts, to pay for additional servers/bandwidth.

I was once thinking of building a music-only FP clone (even wrote the code for it), but once I really thought about how hard (and expensive) it would be to get such a thing hosted (not to mention the legal issues), I promptly gave up. It really made me appreciate what he's doing with FilePile.
posted by Eamon at 8:01 AM on May 23, 2002

wow, never knew how desirable a fp account was.. i stopped going a bit ago because of too many server busy messages.. this is motivation for me to drop be again.
posted by lotsofno at 8:06 AM on May 23, 2002

Well, that would explain all the hyper-commercial fiction I've been writing, especially the Star Trek novels.

Well, yeah. How else are you going to afford that beowulf cluster of xServers for BoingBoing?

(Besides -- the money's in Buffy novels now, silly)
posted by eriko at 8:07 AM on May 23, 2002

(Besides -- the money's in Buffy novels now, silly)

Make that Buffy vs Britney novels.
posted by srboisvert at 8:14 AM on May 23, 2002

I can't fathom where all this filepile hatred is coming from, and I especially cannot fathom why anyone would slag Cory.

First off, did everyone forget that I sold a usernumber to MetaFilter before? (it started as a joke, but still)

Filepile is elitist? What the flying fuck are you talking about? Its membership is closed because it's a nightmare on bandwidth and system resources to run. Since it's also free, there's no way to support it indefinitely with user signups open. Need I also remind anyone the irony of claiming elitistm when MetaFilter is also blocked to new users?

There isn't a clone of filepile floating around because the bandwidth is expensive and only someone with a free t3 line they don't mind being maxed out could run one. I doubt we ever see a filepile clone that is open wide to the public because it's impossible to scale while affording it.

And Cory is an egoist? He writes a great blog (which no one is forced to read), articles here and there, and some sci-fi books. How does that make him a bad person or a sellout?

The bottom line is that filepile is not about buying and selling now, someone took it upon themselves to sell their ID. As far as I can tell, it's not Andre doing it. Anyone on MetaFilter could have done that ages ago. It does nothing to change the site, it's just that some member is selling their ID (probably for a laugh). Filepile can't be open to the public because the cost of running it would be insane. How many broadband sites are there now that allow for large video and audio downloads? CNN.com got rid of their video and is charging for it now.

By the way, people making big donations to MetaFilter for the past few months have been able to get userIDs from me. I never said anywhere that I would accept it or make it a new policy, but people began sending in $20 and asking for a signup, so I thanked them for supporting the site and giving towards the new server (which is going to be shipped tomorrow to New York) and gave them what they asked for. Does that make me an egoist or a sellout?
posted by mathowie at 8:21 AM on May 23, 2002

The thing that has amazed me is that there isn't an alternative Filepile anywhere.

There's BabePile and Swoptimo, however Swaptimo is also closed for new membership.
posted by Hankins at 8:31 AM on May 23, 2002

Have any Mefites sold their usernames? I can't imagine that someone wants to post so bad that they would pay for it, but who knows.
posted by jonah at 8:32 AM on May 23, 2002

[this may be offensive]

I don't know what 733t-ism you are referring to. I have a great deal of fun with the Web site, and though any community has more active and vocal members (hmm...), I never felt that I wasn't welcome, and most of my posts there have been voted fairly.
posted by adampsyche at 8:37 AM on May 23, 2002

For what it's worth, I'd much rather read Cory's "success-driven egoist" comments, than JohnnyDark's Guide to rape drugs for potential rapists.
posted by Hankins at 8:39 AM on May 23, 2002

You can have my FilePile username when you pry the mouse from my cold, dead hand.
posted by briank at 8:44 AM on May 23, 2002

I would sell my user name but I can't remember my frickin' password. There used to be an area to email and ask them to send you your pass if you forgot it but I don't see it anymore. They probably figured good riddance to me because if I can't get in I can't take up bandwidth.

Well good for them, they will never get to see the likes of "hair pie" or "worship nyomi" again.
posted by bunktone at 8:45 AM on May 23, 2002

I can't remember my frickin' password

Same here. I signed up early and only used it once. It doesnt hold that much attention for me. If you really want some of the files, especially the mp3s, just use WinMx or some other file-sharing program to get them.
posted by vacapinta at 8:50 AM on May 23, 2002

I don't understand all the hubbub, bub. I got my acct like a year ago - don't hit the busy icon very much, and it seems like a bunch of fun & entertaining people sharing files. Why all the subtext?
posted by luriete at 8:51 AM on May 23, 2002

Cory - you probably already figured this out, but Johnnydark is essentially the Jeff K. of filepile and mefi. And boingboing as well, apparently.
posted by GriffX at 8:56 AM on May 23, 2002

There's an old saying: The difference between a slut and a bitch is that a slut will sleep with everyone. A bitch will sleep with everyone except you.

I think what we have here is a big pile of sour grapes, with FilePile as the bitch. Inclusion (and hence, exclusion) automatically sparks the ire of those not on the inside, and whether it's elitism, a meritocracy, nepotism, or just blind luck, those who want and can't have will bitch about the lucky ones who have what they want.

At the moment, elitism can be bought for a paltry $37. That's a bargain.
posted by kfury at 9:00 AM on May 23, 2002

hi!

its just a website. but i would need about $3k to even consider giving up my account.

for what its worth, andre claims the selling is funny and fully approves.
posted by mantid at 9:04 AM on May 23, 2002

Bah! Stay away!
posted by pigasus at 9:09 AM on May 23, 2002

I find the claims elitism funny, coming from a group of people who seem to race to 'expose' double posts and other 'transgressions' against the MetaFilter.

*shrug* Whatever gets your honey to suckle, I suppose.

And, frankly, claims of elitism always seem to come from those excluded from the group and who so desperately want in. (No, I don't have an FP account but, I'm not complaining.)
posted by Dark Messiah at 9:15 AM on May 23, 2002

And, frankly, claims of elitism always seem to come from those excluded from the group and who so desperately want in.

Gee ... you think?
posted by rcade at 9:38 AM on May 23, 2002

yep. i signed up as well, awhile ago, to post a message or something, and uh, i can't seem to get in anywhere.

guess they don't like fish fetishists.

i cry myself to sleep every night.
posted by fishfucker at 10:02 AM on May 23, 2002

its just a website. but i would need about $3k to even consider giving up my account.

The unmentionable file trading site ceased to be useful about 8 months ago. Server timeouts and overloads have made it virtually useless. To that end, I'll offer my uid to anyone willing to pay $500 which I would turn around and give to Andre, for the upgrade and upkeep costs of the site.

And anyone slagging Cory for mentioning it is an idiot who doesn't have any clue whatsoever.
posted by crunchland at 10:05 AM on May 23, 2002

I only ever achieved Dangerous, I never achieved Elite.
posted by stx23 at 10:14 AM on May 23, 2002

The unmentionable file trading site ceased to be useful about 8 months ago. Server timeouts and overloads have made it virtually useless.

Although in the past this was true, whenever I've popped in during the last few months, I've never gotten a single timeout, even in the middle of the day.
posted by mathowie at 10:16 AM on May 23, 2002

I'm very happy with FilePile, and the friends who I've turned onto the site seem to enjoy it as well.

Mind you, I probably wouldn't have paid $30 for it, but I believe I definately get that much value out of it. Pictures and movies which make me smile, or think. And great stuff to share at the office. And self expression with a closed audience.

It really is a fun site.
posted by jmccorm at 10:19 AM on May 23, 2002

Although in the past this was true, whenever I've popped in during the last few months, I've never gotten a single timeout, even in the middle of the day.

Indeed, when the server got clogged this week, everybody noticed because it had been the first major backlog in a long time. 8 months ago is like an eternity in FilePile time.
posted by briank at 10:21 AM on May 23, 2002

I've had pretty good luck accessing files, too. And if the server is busy (esp. Friday afternoons -- no surprise there), then I just check back later.

Personally, I think ~$40 is a bargain for a membership given all the entertainment I've gotten out of that site.
posted by nstop at 10:28 AM on May 23, 2002

If you're looking for a 'music filepile' check out Emergent Music.com.
posted by mgoyer at 10:29 AM on May 23, 2002

maybe elitist isn't the right word, exclusive is. and yes, metafilter is also exclusive. which is sorta sad, but there's really no solution. paying for the privilege of having a membership is elitist.
posted by rhyax at 10:31 AM on May 23, 2002

People who don't like the Pile obviously don't get it.

Most of the community wouldn't want them around anyways.
posted by catatonic at 10:32 AM on May 23, 2002

Although in the past this was true, whenever I've popped in during the last few months, I've never gotten a single timeout, even in the middle of the day.

Well, even better then. The offer still stands. $500 for my uid, made payable to Andre. Interested? Drop me a note.
posted by crunchland at 10:33 AM on May 23, 2002

it's about elitism with some sharing on the side
They open it up for new members once in awhile.

I think you're seeing the tension between Andre and Jack. Andre's always been really open about it, but Stamp is a dick who'd have closed us all out if he got the chance. Which, of course, wouldn't make the pile very fun.
posted by anildash at 10:33 AM on May 23, 2002

Same here. I signed up early and only used it once. It doesnt hold that much attention for me. If you really want some of the files, especially the mp3s, just use WinMx or some other file-sharing program to get them.

the pile can be both funny and disgusting. I'm trying to cut back on the pile.

But--the above post raises an interesting idea. Why not make some sort of filepile p2p? Because what is interesting with FP is the moderation and the creative/weirdo users. Roll that into some sort of p2p client and you solve the bandwidth prob.
posted by mecran01 at 10:55 AM on May 23, 2002

BTW, who are you and what have I ever done to offend you?

methinks someone is envious. it's actually a syndrome that i've dubbed "kottke blast radius". jason links you so therefore you must be "better than him". nothing but player hatin' going on.

actually, you scrounge up plenty of good crap which keeps me coming back [and borrowing the occasional link off you for my blog].

boingboing.net = good links, good commentary
johnnydark.blogspot.com = shocking ego driven drivel
posted by boogah at 11:02 AM on May 23, 2002

Die, thread, die.
posted by tranquileye at 11:12 AM on May 23, 2002

I'm Andre from FilePile.

Mail me today with the phrase that pays:

"Andre is a success-driven egoist who would sell out just about anyone for a publication credit."

To [e-mail] and I'll hand you an account.

I'll hand out at least 20 accounts.
posted by perplexed at 11:18 AM on May 23, 2002

i dedicate my filepile account to the former members of OLEF BERSERKER!

hi andre!
posted by the_ill_gino at 11:25 AM on May 23, 2002

I bit, feel it's a fake though, lets see :) Everybody happy now.
posted by bittennails at 11:30 AM on May 23, 2002

now look what's happened

metafilter account being auctioned off to benefit filepile
posted by chacal at 11:32 AM on May 23, 2002

that's just sick.
posted by the_ill_gino at 11:33 AM on May 23, 2002

Does that mean you are giving away 40? ;-)
posted by adampsyche at 11:33 AM on May 23, 2002

anil,
i thought jack stamp helped code filepile, or is that some sort of alter ego?

also, i hope mantid and crunchland make loads of cash to donate to andre and jon.

filepile great
don't hate,
participate

yes, that was embarrassing.
posted by donkeysuck at 11:52 AM on May 23, 2002

Well, well, perplexed is Andre. I should check out users more often, I guess I'm rich now, huh.
posted by bittennails at 11:58 AM on May 23, 2002

Aiyee! I posted that from home, drove to work, and all the filepile accounts have been taken.

For the next Filepile giveaway, get on the FilePile notify list.

(Damn, I should have charged..)
posted by perplexed at 12:44 PM on May 23, 2002

Cory's a sellout? Man, heaven forbid that anyone actually try to make a living from their writing or attempt to get their stories published. By that measure, can I be a more frequent sellout than I am these days?

I think the answer here is something along the lines of Filepile 2: Vengeful Upstream. That is, if someone has the bandwidth to spare.
posted by ed at 12:44 PM on May 23, 2002

Well, Filepile 2: The P2P Software, would be a napster-like application where everyone hosts their files, and then people can rate and comment on them.

I'd love to write it, but I'm far too busy to handle all the programming it'd require. If another C++/PHP programmer is out there with a good amount of network exp., I'd love to hear from you.

The FilePile Giveaway is over.
posted by perplexed at 1:23 PM on May 23, 2002

What are the rules for filepile I keep hearing about? #1 is obviously not to tell new people about it. I think this is what pisses people off the most, not that memberships are closed:

"You gotta check out this cool site...oh wait I'm not supposed to tell you about it. "
posted by jeblis at 1:25 PM on May 23, 2002

Outlander is coming for you all!! Make you time.
posted by roboto at 1:26 PM on May 23, 2002

Okay, so what are the chances of me getting my account back?
posted by bunktone at 1:27 PM on May 23, 2002

Filepile 2: Electric Boogaloo. Why can't this happen? If someone were to organize a PayPal drive, I'm sure there would be more than enough people to contribute to it.
posted by ed at 2:06 PM on May 23, 2002

I love Andre! Apparently I was caller #1 and was awarded a free account. Long live MeFi! I mean, FilePile! Eh hell, they can share the accolades.
posted by BlueTrain at 2:20 PM on May 23, 2002

Not a fake... caller 17 here. I feel like I finally got the golden ticket to the Wonka factory. Thanks, Andre!
posted by pzarquon at 2:55 PM on May 23, 2002

What are the rules for filepile I keep hearing about? #1 is obviously not to tell new people about it. I think this is what pisses people off the most, not that memberships are closed

Not big on the pop-culture references, are ya jeb?
posted by CrazyUncleJoe at 3:08 PM on May 23, 2002

Btw, I'm selling account number 46 for $500 (or more!). If anyone's interested, let me know.
posted by kchristidis at 3:49 PM on May 23, 2002

There are a couple filepile clones out there, but they're specialized like babepile.com. I know someone who pieced a filepile clone minus the frills in no time. The problem is finding that much bandwidth. Filepile has something like 2mbs going for it and its constantly being used and then some. If someone yells loud enough that they have the bandwidth then the filepile cloners will come a runnin'.
posted by skallas at 4:27 PM on May 23, 2002

How does that make him a bad person or a sellout?

My very very bad men thing above was a joke, whether johnnydark's was or not. Sheesh. I was riffing on the "Rule #x : You don't talk about Filepile" thing, which of course is a riff on the Fight Club thing, and I thought it would be amusing to do it in the voice of Baboo from Seinfeld. Clearly that was a wee bit obscure.

To be clear : Filepile is one of the greatest things in the history of mankind, and I would die to protect a single bit of it's massive dataflow from besmirchment. And Andre is a great and glorious sungod. And Cory too!

Now, am I forgiven, oh great and glorious Oz?
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:28 PM on May 23, 2002

Jeez, what a suck up.
posted by crunchland at 5:09 PM on May 23, 2002

And goopy! All hail goopy!
posted by briank at 5:17 PM on May 23, 2002

dear matth and corey,

it's not called selling out, it's called cashing in.

:D
posted by jcterminal at 5:54 PM on May 23, 2002

I know someone who pieced a filepile clone minus the frills in no time.

That was me. It took about 2 evenings to work out all the basics in PHP. I'm working on fleshing the clone out to have some of the frills...

If you've got the bandwidth to spare, drop me a note and we can unleash cloned kitty and porn goodness upon the internet (with Andre's permission of course).
posted by Neb at 6:00 PM on May 23, 2002

The unmentionable file trading site ceased to be useful about 8 months ago. Server timeout and overloads have made it virtually useless.

I've been using it almost everyday since it's inception and I don't find it so bad that I'd turn away from it. The again, maybe I'm just and elitist bastard clinging to the only thing that gives my life meaning. (note sarcasm)

Calling Andre an egotist is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. He is incredibly generous and humble, seeing as how anyone in his position could milk it for all the fame it's worth, he seems to actually avoid it. but then again, I do want to have his babies. (note lack of sarcasm)

Either way, I don't care if someone makes a few bucks off their unused username. life will go on.
posted by Hackworth at 8:55 PM on May 23, 2002

And outlander will own your soul. it's already happening, there is no escape.
posted by Hackworth at 8:57 PM on May 23, 2002

I can't fathom where all this filepile hatred is coming from

I admit it, I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder about FilePile. I keep looking to see if Andre has opened it up for new accounts, but I'm always too late. [Just as I am apparently too late for the offer he made today..] It's the same feeling you get when there are no more seats left at the cool kids' table.

"Aww shucks, I didn't want to sit at your stupid table anyway."

I think that's where it's coming from.
posted by Hildago at 8:59 PM on May 23, 2002

Thanks for the ego boost all... I feel special now.
posted by canoeguide at 10:34 PM on May 23, 2002

i don't think i can add much to the supportive comments about file pile, except that andre torrez has bent over backwards (not forward, but you could ask i suppose) to make the site a fun place for as many people as possible at one time. and the whole "rules of file pile" thing started out as a joke, kids. go rent yourself a copy of fight club.

i'd gladly pay a subscription fee to use the site. not only do i get to participate in a creative, collaborative community that goes beyond mere file trading, but file pile is actually paying my bills. thanks to a friend i made through the pile, i landed an 11K web development contract with his company. i'm starting to feel like when i finally wrap up the job, i should tithe a portion back to the pile. :)
posted by nyomi at 12:28 AM on May 24, 2002

Thank you, andre. I shall now embark on the adventure of deconstructing my life even further via Filepile :)
posted by bittennails at 5:22 AM on May 24, 2002

open bracket forward slash sarcasm close bracket
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:41 AM on May 24, 2002

Not surprisingly, I didn't even get a nibble on the uid offer. Maybe $500 was too overwealming. Or the fact that Andre gave away what I was selling -- that egoist bastard! Would anyone like to give him $100 for my uid?
posted by crunchland at 5:42 AM on May 24, 2002

eyere: outlander, what do you think of this metafilter/filepile controversy?
outlander: eyere, This will not cause anything for us, but the problem will come badly of this!
eyere: so you don't think any good can come of this then outlander?
outlander: eyere, I do not think you know who I am.
posted by eyere at 6:27 AM on May 24, 2002

woohoo...I was caller #18, I finally got a FilePile account.
posted by patrickje at 10:11 AM on May 24, 2002

I have 5 more accounts ready for pickup.
posted by perplexed at 5:39 PM on July 16, 2002

Stop trying to buy our love.
posted by waxpancake at 10:21 PM on July 18, 2002