The inmates are running the asylum!

I just posted this in the forums:

Hi all. I am breaking my radio silence (ignore that mononomial pretender) to provide the assembled populace with some confirmation that the LL moderators have arrived at work this morning and seem to be taking action against that crazy Spanish spammer.

Except that in their panic they appear to be lashing out in all directions in a pretty uncontrolled fashion!

My evidence for this? Well, I just tried to get inworld for the second time in about a month (the festive season and a month long bout of barosinusitis has kept me away) and although twelve hours ago I was able to log on (I said hello to Connie in the Hangout and confused a couple of n00bs) when I tried just now (soon after 8am SLT) I got the message that I could not log on from this computer. That means that the IP has been banned. Drastic eh?

I did receive, yesterday, an email update on my previous half-hearted ban (which came and went in June last year - I was merely asking which post had caused offence so I could ensure that I did not repeat myself, but at the moment they are unable apparently to substantiate my "crime") but that would not warrant an IP ban, nor would anything else I have done recently, particularly since I have not even been posting here for a couple of weeks.

You wanna know what I think has happened? When Mr W Engineer was hitting the straps last November or so I created an alt called Wasted Venom (the name just seemed SOOOO right!) and submitted a sarcastic post (I am not sure why I bothered; he does a good enough job of sending himself up as it is) and hey presto, the alt was - along with other of Mr Engineer's alts with the "Wasted" first name - almost immediately permabanned (unable to logon inworld or to the forums) with NO explanation received whatsoever from LL. I ignored it at the time, as Wasted Venom was a one-trick pony throwaway alt, but it seems the consequences have come back to bite me, as I reckon LL have checked all the IPs that Wasted Engineer has been using in his ridiculous and foulmouthed recent campaign, and mistakenly included Wasted Venom's IP, ie mine, in a permaban.

I know I have no evidence for such a paranoid and incompetent over-reaction, but I *AM* epsychic in these matters. Anybody have an alternative explanation? Other than random incompetence, that is.

I have sent an email off to support as recommended in the "Failed Logon" message and will let you know here (assuming that my forum rights aren't withdrawn at some point - remember that LL and Jive do not seem able to take concerted action regarding bans) if there is any update on the situation.

Pep (On the basis of experience, the next update will be in six months time.)