Willing to donate?

[exitwound]

If there's anything at all that I can do to persuade you to part with a few dollars (or euros, or pounds sterling or rupees as the case may be), please by all means PM, IM or email me to inquire about the possibility of hiring me for consulting work, making specific improvements to this site or any other (including your own!), anything else under the sun....

I am starting up several new projects that will require considerable up-front investment on my part. Additionally, they will pave the way for TBH to move to a new, much faster dedicated hosting setup with a faster server, MUCH bigger 'net connection, and most importantly.....vBulletin at long last :-)

So, above and beyond the previous calls for donations/contract work that I've put out.....now is the time! If you can spare even a few dollars, every cent will help me get closer to my goal of breaking 10,000 registered users for TBH and building a hosting facility capable of offering each one of those users their own weblog, hosting space, nifty features and lots of cool surprises!

Of course, there's also the option of buying some of my stock of random electronic/computer accessories, Macs, all kinds of stuff.

The easiest way to donate outright is to use PayPal; my paypal address is "x@xerces.com". I also gladly accept snail-mailed checks/mo's and even cash.....PM me for a safe drop address.

If there's anything else I didn't think to mention above, but you believe might be a smart way to build capital for this massive upgrade -- again, please don't hesitate to drop me a line!

Big things are happening..... 8) :beer: 8)

[nuggy]

Big things are happening..... 8) :beer: 8)

we shall see.

My dear Exit.
my CC info isn't valid anymore.
You had one week to use it, but you never did.
Sorry, not my fault.
regards
Eric

[hussein_005]

We have safe houses too, am always looking for new drop boxes though, where's yours located lol ?

[hussein_005]

test not

[Ono]

.....

[snoopydog]

You have a section called Council of Elders where sponsors can post.

If I sent a donation, would that make me a sponsor?

If so, what extra benefits would a sponsor get? Would it come with a sponsors-only title? Access to other sections that are off limits to non-sponsor members? What is the cost of becoming a sponsor?

TIA

Also, would that allow one to have a better avatar, more PM storage space, advance their chance of becoming a mod, things like that?

With promised benefits, one would more likely choose to become a sponsor.

[exitwound]

You have a section called Council of Elders where sponsors can post.

If I sent a donation, would that make me a sponsor?

If so, what extra benefits would a sponsor get? Would it come with a sponsors-only title? Access to other sections that are off limits to non-sponsor members? What is the cost of becoming a sponsor?

TIA

Also, would that allow one to have a better avatar, more PM storage space, advance their chance of becoming a mod, things like that?

With promised benefits, one would more likely choose to become a sponsor.

Those are very good questions!

There aren't any formal restrictions on what a Sponsoring member could be offered. I have been keeping our options open so that each Sponsor can name their price and what they want for their investment. Certainly, all of the things you mention above are possible.....

Basically, anything that is reasonable, "fair," and possible within the way that our board software works, is on the table.

[snoopydog]

You have a section called Council of Elders where sponsors can post.

If I sent a donation, would that make me a sponsor?

If so, what extra benefits would a sponsor get? Would it come with a sponsors-only title? Access to other sections that are off limits to non-sponsor members? What is the cost of becoming a sponsor?

TIA

Also, would that allow one to have a better avatar, more PM storage space, advance their chance of becoming a mod, things like that?

With promised benefits, one would more likely choose to become a sponsor.

Those are very good questions!

There aren't any formal restrictions on what a Sponsoring member could be offered. I have been keeping our options open so that each Sponsor can name their price and what they want for their investment. Certainly, all of the things you mention above are possible.....

Basically, anything that is reasonable, "fair," and possible within the way that our board software works, is on the table.

Well, come up with some rules and maybe even different levels of sponsorship, and what each level entitles a sponsor to, and people will pay what they want. Like maybe at the

20 dollar 'bronze' level, you get a sponsors-only title and access to a new sponsors-only section where sponsors and mods can post at.

50 dollar 'silver' level, you get all of the above plus increased pm space and a larger avatar allowance.

100 dollar 'gold' level, you get all of the above plus your hat in the ring for a mod job.

Set the levels, set the privileges associated with the levels, and if members want them, they will pay for the level of entitlement that they want.

Of course, they would then be paying members on the board, and as such should be guaranteed that they would never be bannd like a nonpaying member could be.

Just some thoughts.

[snoopydog]

And maybe it could work like if I paid 20 dollars for the bronze level, and a month later sent in 30 more, I could advance to the silver level, and a month after that I sent in 50 more to reach the gold level. That would work for those that can't pony up the full 100 in one lump sum.

[Mac]

the paypal will not accept my or badgirl's card info *perhaps because they are british???* at any rate this morning we both tried to send a little your way and were unsuccessful. Would you accept a cheque or a money order and if so, can you pm your mailing address?

thanks
jim and baddie

[crackmonkey]

If there's anything at all that I can do to persuade you to part with a few dollars (or euros, or pounds sterling or rupees as the case may be), please by all means PM, IM or email me to inquire about the possibility of hiring me for consulting work, making specific improvements to this site or any other (including your own!), anything else under the sun....

I am starting up several new projects that will require considerable up-front investment on my part. Additionally, they will pave the way for TBH to move to a new, much faster dedicated hosting setup with a faster server, MUCH bigger 'net connection, and most importantly.....vBulletin at long last :-)

So, above and beyond the previous calls for donations/contract work that I've put out.....now is the time! If you can spare even a few dollars, every cent will help me get closer to my goal of breaking 10,000 registered users for TBH and building a hosting facility capable of offering each one of those users their own weblog, hosting space, nifty features and lots of cool surprises!

Of course, there's also the option of buying some of my stock of random electronic/computer accessories, Macs, all kinds of stuff.

The easiest way to donate outright is to use PayPal; my paypal address is "x@xerces.com". I also gladly accept snail-mailed checks/mo's and even cash.....PM me for a safe drop address.

If there's anything else I didn't think to mention above, but you believe might be a smart way to build capital for this massive upgrade -- again, please don't hesitate to drop me a line!

Big things are happening..... 8) :beer: 8)

did you say macs?

[TheRocketeer]

Since he is trying to get some sleep right now, I will speak for him.

He is selling several computers, both PowerPC and Intel Macs.

The PowerPC Macs are a PowerMac G4 (dual 800MHz) for about $400 and a PowerMac G5 (Dual 2.5GHz, pimped to the gills for high end pro work) for about $2,000.

The Intel Macs are a Mac Mini (upgraded to 2GHz Core Duo which is faster than any shipping Mac, with pimped out specs) for $1,200 and a 20-inch iMac (2GHz Duo, pimped out specs) for $1,600.

All are priced at least $100-$200 beneath the going rate for these computers with these specs on CraigsList/eBay.

I am trying to help him sell the machines as a favor in lieu of a bigger donation to his get-well fund that Gaius is running. Before I was shooting for a finders-fee (which he is still offering to anyone who can find a buyer for one or more of the computers) but after our tear-jerker of a conversation tonight I couldn't possibly accept money from him knowing what I do now about his horrible situation.

I am more amazed every day that somebody with so much pain and stress on his plate is putting so much work into a site like this. It makes it all the more special that this place has such a nice atmosphere and doesn't fall apart the moment that he has a problem. Most other sites I know are complete wrecks and totally dependent on the Admin :rolleyes:

[crackmonkey]

so does that mean i get a finder's fee for getting myself to buy one?

[TheRocketeer]

so does that mean i get a finder's fee for getting myself to buy one?

LOL.....no, but I'm sure that EW & co. would happily offer you whatever incentives they could think of, and everyone at Xerces would pucker up and firmly kiss yer ass :mrgreen: :bighug:

EW also has a pretty huge stock of random computer & tech items. If you bought a computer and wanted a bonus "gift" with it I bet he, or someone else from Xerces, could probably come up with something you like :)

[exitwound]

Yeah....what he said.

Seems like all you two have been talking about lately is me! I've really gotta get my shit together if things have gotten that bad :rolleyes: :slap: 

I would love to sell as much of the stock of technology that I have here as I can. The capital items are the two Macintel machines, the G5 and the G4. I have a few other computers that I own but they are either very unusual systems (an old Apple Network Server 700/200, which is a massive corporate server that IBM built for a couple of years to run a special version of BSD UNIX instead of the old Mac OS) or they are dedicated servers. Probably not worth selling, although I'd part with the ANS for a mere $100 if someone is willing to pay the shipping -- which is steep, since the machine needs its own pallet-type reinforced box. Could be a little more than $50.

Mainly I'm focused on trying to take these amazing computers that I have built, and sell them to people who can really benefit from switching to the Mac, or if they are already Mac users, can enjoy this revolution that has occurred with the Macintel transition. These really are the best Macs, by far, that I have ever owned.

I wouldn't be asking for $1,200 and $1,600 respectively if they weren't the best damn computers I've owned -- with the possible exception of my very similarly configured MacBook Pro, which will be my sole machine once I sell these off.

I would *much* rather sell these two Macintel machines, especially, to TBH'ers or other good friends because then I can provide a really personalized and in-depth support experience with that computer. I mean, it's well worth it to me right now to get a decent price for these machines (even if a bit below market, since this is after all "friends pricing") and be able to do things like provide support to the new owners right here on TBH, via iChat, Apple Remote Desktop, and all the tools that I use in my own work with consulting clients and most of the Xerces partners.

I think that any type of computer user could get a tremendous amount of extra value out of that "feature"....since it could be something as unobtrusive as me providing a fast fileshare to you full of the latest free software and cool Mac-related files et cetera. Or as in-depth as me lending a hand with just about any project relating to your Mac that you could think of. After all, I've spent 15+ years as one of the Mac world's most (in)famous personalities....I might as well get good use out of all those flamewars and ego trips! :rolleyes:

[rastaman]

I will. How? I dont own a credit card. Let me know by Pm or however you like. I guess Banks trans or western union.

[exitwound]

I will. How? I dont own a credit card. Let me know by Pm or however you like. I guess Banks trans or western union.

You don't need a CC to send a PayPal donation....you can either get your own Paypal account and transfer money into it using a Bank Transfer/e-Check, snail-mail us a Check, Cash or MO....or, wire it using Western Union.

I think that it may also be possible to send a bank transfer without having your own Paypal account.

Drop me a PM with your preferred method, and I'll happily give you the information that you'll need (mailing address, etc).....thank you in advance for whatever help you elect to give. We can certainly use all the support we can get!

[rastaman]

You don't need a CC to send a PayPal donation....you can either get your own Paypal account and transfer money into it using a Bank Transfer/e-Check, snail-mail us a Check, Cash or MO....or, wire it using Western Union.

I think that it may also be possible to send a bank transfer without having your own Paypal account.

Drop me a PM with your preferred method, and I'll happily give you the information that you'll need (mailing address, etc).....thank you in advance for whatever help you elect to give. We can certainly use all the support we can get!


Trust me!!! I do not own a credit card and I do not want one. Tell me how to trans some coin and I will do it Thursday. I am who I say I am. You have my ip and it will show NWT. Northwestel on a grid, line whatever. My honesty has always gotten me into trouble. From 8 to 5, I bounce off a wireless connection who must in some form get it from NWT. This is a one horse area.
I cant lie. I can procrastinate. Now it will be in Canadian funds and thats pretty close these days in Utopian terms but I will try to make the adjustments based on Alaskan numbers. My days are filled friend. How is a couple hun or so? I ask this in the open and will do it Thursday. The moment I logged on this eve, I was hit with a pm but have not opened..but the Staff here knows that. I'm stoned and to make a long story short I will gladly kick in. I have no concern with receipts and tax writeoffs.

[exitwound]

Trust me!!! I do not own a credit card and I do not want one. Tell me how to trans some coin and I will do it Thursday. I am who I say I am. You have my ip and it will show NWT. Northwestel on a grid, line whatever. My honesty has always gotten me into trouble. From 8 to 5, I bounce off a wireless connection who must in some form get it from NWT. This is a one horse area.
I cant lie. I can procrastinate. Now it will be in Canadian funds and thats pretty close these days in Utopian terms but I will try to make the adjustments based on Alaskan numbers. My days are filled friend. How is a couple hun or so? I ask this in the open and will do it Thursday. The moment I logged on this eve, I was hit with a pm but have not opened..but the Staff here knows that. I'm stoned and to make a long story short I will gladly kick in. I have no concern with receipts and tax writeoffs.

Oftentimes the bank fees for changing currency can be outrageous; Paypal does that fairly painlessly, but that would require a card of some kind I'm fairly sure.

I'm trying to come up with a way to lose as little in the transfer as possible.....I'll let you know as soon as I have a clear idea of what the best option would be.

[crackmonkey]

most check cashing places and quite a few large stores like wal-mart and such are now carrying single-use credit cards one can buy and use online for just this sort of thing...

[exitwound]

most check cashing places and quite a few large stores like wal-mart and such are now carrying single-use credit cards one can buy and use online for just this sort of thing...

That came to mind when I was making my previous post above.

I didn't end up mentioning it, because I have to carefully conserve my typing/sitting at the computer time -- my condition is flaring very badly again, I puked my guts out repeatedly yesterday morning for no immediately apparent external reason (I have carefully kept my pain med dosages as low as humanly possible) and I am feeling symptoms in such numbers & severity as to even eclipse last December's horrible flare that sent me to the ER twice.

I won't be going to the ER again no matter what happens unless it is clearly life-threatening or I have no choice; no amount of pain will convince me to go there begging for narcotics and having to accept whatever inadequate meds they give me -- then, like clockwork, I will be kicked out on my butt during the next shift change and all three of us (my wife, myself and our year and a half old son) will become sick with some flu or nasty cold a couple of days later.

Xan could even get another ear infection, which I just couldn't bear.

Certainly not when I am not even getting any real benefit out of the bargain; the ER docs are well-meaning enough but they just aren't accustomed to administering Dilaudid (hydromorphone) in the dosages that I need under those circumstances. They are used to mostly dealing with people who have acute injuries -- not chronic pain conditions, and tolerance scares them terribly. Even with an obviously middle-class wife & baby son in tow, they just can't bring themselves to treat my real needs and ignore the politics. Every possible effort is made to get me out of there with a minimum of milligrams dispensed.

The buggers even screwed me on the take-home meds; the first time I asked for none and got none....the second time I asked quite gently & politely, didn't push in the least, and was given all of SIX 2mg (the smallest dose available; I currently get almost this many 8mg tablets per day now) pills that were supposed to be used over the next two days, with a prescription for another six that I could get from my regular pharmacy.

But enough about my pain management nightmares. I have a few small rays of hope out there amongst the endless complications, hoops I'm made to jump through, et cetera....there's a new medication that if I can just MAYBE get MaineCare to pay for, I may be able to get my pain levels down without putting us further into debt again.

Because I would like, even if primarily only to prove a point to & score some points with my doctor, to cut back on the instant release Dilaudid. I'd rather be taking an effective "base" time-release medication and not need the short-acting pills. Especially when the name is one that carries so much political baggage. The new long-acting med I'm hoping to start taking, Opana ER, is a lot less loaded of a name than Oxycontin or Dilaudid that's for sure.

Anyhow. As for those temporary cards....they are great for people who don't want to get sucked into the "virtual money" game. They are perfect one-time, secure payment systems and I would happily help anyone figure out how to use one -- even if it's not for making a donation. I just plain think they're a smart idea and would like to see more of y'all using them when it makes sense.

Personally I wish that I had been able to avoid the credit card game. As it is, we are relatively responsible about it and really only have two credit accounts -- our platinum mastercard from our bank, and the $1,000 overdraft protection on our checking account. But carrying a total of almost $7,000 of debt (plus some outstanding medical bills ~$2500 that we have been promised will be taken care of and won't cost us a dime but the process is still going on and the debt is still on our credit reports) is a bitch and the interest makes me want to put my head through a wall. {Don't worry, I won't.}

With the demands on our finances over the past three years....a major move with overlapping rent at two different homes for four months(!), a ~$10,000 wedding that only a couple of thousand we got any help with, a pregnancy--birth--baby's-first-two-years which is a big strain on all aspects of our lives of course, especially when it's coupled with me being in disabling severe chronic pain.....and the expense of more than a year of aggressive medical treaments & tests without insurance or any other coverage except a prescription discount card that thankfully saved us about 30% off our truly astronomical pharmacy expenses.....well, suffice to say that it's fortunate that we have the type of business that pulls decent (if unpredictable & erratic) revenues while also having a lot of write-off-able expenses that can keep our personal costs down and so forth. While also being at least somewhat compatible with my condition. Otherwise we would be screwed....to say the least.

For a lot of reasons I like the idea of a future where I can spend a lot of my time on my creative projects like the Sci-Fi web series that I'm always talking about as well as this forum....and be able to derive most if not all of my income from direct donations/subscriptions/consulting contracts and only use the most minimal advertising to provide a minority buffer.*

Being able to work directly for my web site readers/members/visitors and consulting clients gives me a lot more reason to be passionate about my work and to do the things that I enjoy doing. Otherwise people won't be willing to support it! Advertising tends to support quantity over quality, and donations the opposite.

[crackmonkey]

if you arent already, you should get a copy of your medical records and hit two or three pain clinics... theyll give you whatever you want in whatever dosages you ask for about once a month, so hit 4 and you might have enough to get you through the month. the er can only prescribe enough for a couple days by federal regulations, while a pain clinic can do so for one to three months at a crack... and they dont have to be on the fed. narcotics database for some strange reason.
oh yeah, and get a copy of dragon naturally speaking.

[rastaman]

Oftentimes the bank fees for changing currency can be outrageous; Paypal does that fairly painlessly, but that would require a card of some kind I'm fairly sure.

I'm trying to come up with a way to lose as little in the transfer as possible.....I'll let you know as soon as I have a clear idea of what the best option would be.

Yeah ok. I just want to kick in so let me know.

[exitwound]

one of those one-time pre-paid cards would be an option...then the currency exchange issue is resolved because you can then take that one-time card # and plug into my paypal donation system which will do the currency exch. for us for free!

[rastaman]

one of those one-time pre-paid cards would be an option...then the currency exchange issue is resolved because you can then take that one-time card # and plug into my paypal donation system which will do the currency exch. for us for free!


Our bucks are pretty close and I live a half hour drive away from Alaska. I can do Western Union to. I do not concern myself with " exchange rates" on this continent. You asked for help and I offered to do so.

[exitwound]

Our bucks are pretty close and I live a half hour drive away from Alaska. I can do Western Union to. I do not concern myself with " exchange rates" on this continent. You asked for help and I offered to do so.

Oh; I just meant that when I've received foreign currencies in the past it's cost me a huge portion of the money to get it exchanged by my bank, that's all. I was just looking for ways to make it simpler & more efficient for us both; whatever works for you is fine by me.

There's also snail mail; but WU would be fine.

[kidcanuck]

EW, look into this.

http://www.internationalmale.com/affiliate.asp?MSCSProfile=Ticket%3DE75CAA60-C721-45FC-A375-E05174DF6CA8%2539187.906620370%200%3B

[Tori]

Hi exitwound, I am so sorry to read about your chronic pain and with a baby under two...I can only imagine. My youngest must be close to your son's age.

I volunteer for a non-profit (I'm the psychotic co-founder too) and we're about to get ready to do a large family volunteer day event. We currently have a website run 1/2 basic html and 1/2 Joomla but I really was hoping to have a clear registration in place when we're ready to do so.

Ideally, if they could donate at the same time they register, and select options like, purchase t-shirt or volunteer resource booklet or entire goody bag for event with places to list their sizes, etc. that would be wonderful.

So I'm wondering if you do this sort of thing? In the first post here you mention that you do contract work? Can you write in java, php or another language that would allow for this to happen? Also, how much would you charge and how long would it take? It would be great if I could donate to you while also helping the non-profit at the same time.

Of course, we're far from rich or I would offer you enough money to purchase the meds you need but hopefully we can work something out if you do work like this?

I'd need this done by September the latest. Family Volunteer Day is Nov. 17th but when school gets back in we'll be working really closely with schools to gather registrations and the like.

[exitwound]

Hmmm! That's an interesting idea.

I don't normally do a lot of back-end development (i.e. writing all my own Java/PHP code), but I am a whiz at finding "off the shelf" programs/scripts/code to apply to clients' projects and I am fairly good at HTML/design/graphics and managing servers (systems administration). I also have a fair amount of experience helping organizations like yours tie in PayPal's donation buttons and other functions into web sites.....

Ultimately, the fact that I don't do all my own custom development could actually be an advantage for you because people who do, tend to charge a LOT of money due to the large amount of time and effort that goes into doing things that way.

Most of what you are talking about could be achieved by a combination of adding a PayPal donation button (which would take them to a separate web page in a new window -- assuming you want to use Paypal for the donations; as you may know, people don't actually have to have their own Paypal account to make a donation using PP's system. They can use any major credit card) and an "email form" which would submit the other information you wanted to make available to you over email. Going that route wouldn't require too terribly much time on my part and would probably cost you a tiny fraction of what any competent developer would need for doing it custom from the ground up.

This does seem like a possibility; I have experience with most popular CMS/Portal engines, like Joomia, and I've done similar projects for others in the past. The main question would be how tightly you want it integrated, and whether using Paypal is sufficient for you or you would want a completely customized "merchant account" based payment system of your own.

But it does seem like a very real possibility! And getting it done within the next 30 days or less seems very reasonable. We could agree on a ballpark budget and then I would arrive at my exact fee based on the actual hours I worked (with a guaranteed cap so you would know that it wouldn't cost you more than $XXX).

If you'd like to give me some more details and the URL of your web site in a PM, or email (x@xerces.com) we can refine the proposal and hopefully nail down the details.

[Tori]

Hmmm! That's an interesting idea.

I don't normally do a lot of back-end development (i.e. writing all my own Java/PHP code), but I am a whiz at finding "off the shelf" programs/scripts/code to apply to clients' projects and I am fairly good at HTML/design/graphics and managing servers (systems administration). I also have a fair amount of experience helping organizations like yours tie in PayPal's donation buttons and other functions into web sites.....

Ultimately, the fact that I don't do all my own custom development could actually be an advantage for you because people who do, tend to charge a LOT of money due to the large amount of time and effort that goes into doing things that way.

Most of what you are talking about could be achieved by a combination of adding a PayPal donation button (which would take them to a separate web page in a new window -- assuming you want to use Paypal for the donations; as you may know, people don't actually have to have their own Paypal account to make a donation using PP's system. They can use any major credit card) and an "email form" which would submit the other information you wanted to make available to you over email. Going that route wouldn't require too terribly much time on my part and would probably cost you a tiny fraction of what any competent developer would need for doing it custom from the ground up.

This does seem like a possibility; I have experience with most popular CMS/Portal engines, like Joomia, and I've done similar projects for others in the past. The main question would be how tightly you want it integrated, and whether using Paypal is sufficient for you or you would want a completely customized "merchant account" based payment system of your own.

But it does seem like a very real possibility! And getting it done within the next 30 days or less seems very reasonable. We could agree on a ballpark budget and then I would arrive at my exact fee based on the actual hours I worked (with a guaranteed cap so you would know that it wouldn't cost you more than $XXX).

If you'd like to give me some more details and the URL of your web site in a PM, or email (x@xerces.com) we can refine the proposal and hopefully nail down the details.

Thanks for reading!

We currently use Network for Good and Just Give as ways to collect donations. I believe Network for Good allows payment with Paypal. The problem with using Paypal is that they charge a lot and they do not issue a tax exempt receipt on auto like the others do.

I'll send you some info via pm but before you take a lot of time out to even investigate this I want you to know that the non-profit is poor and so am I. I would try my hardest to scrunge together some funds but it wouldn't be a lot. If it's a lot of work involved please don't take it on because 1. Given your pain I really don't want to put added stress on you and 2. I didn't think it would be complicated--but it sounds as if it might be.

[diamondgypsy]

Hi exitwound, I am so sorry to read about your chronic pain and with a baby under two...I can only imagine. My youngest must be close to your son's age.

I volunteer for a non-profit (I'm the psychotic co-founder too) and we're about to get ready to do a large family volunteer day event. We currently have a website run 1/2 basic html and 1/2 Joomla but I really was hoping to have a clear registration in place when we're ready to do so.

Ideally, if they could donate at the same time they register, and select options like, purchase t-shirt or volunteer resource booklet or entire goody bag for event with places to list their sizes, etc. that would be wonderful.

So I'm wondering if you do this sort of thing? In the first post here you mention that you do contract work? Can you write in java, php or another language that would allow for this to happen? Also, how much would you charge and how long would it take? It would be great if I could donate to you while also helping the non-profit at the same time.

Of course, we're far from rich or I would offer you enough money to purchase the meds you need but hopefully we can work something out if you do work like this?

I'd need this done by September the latest. Family Volunteer Day is Nov. 17th but when school gets back in we'll be working really closely with schools to gather registrations and the like.

Great post!!