From reid at mejac.carlsbad.ca.us Sat Dec 6 18:42:28 2025 From: reid at mejac.carlsbad.ca.us (Brian Reid) Date: Sat, 06 Dec 2025 10:42:28 -0800 Subject: [Leica] Leica Users Portraits In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <72d7c97cebde93cdd199e853525f8877@mejac.carlsbad.ca.us> I have spent a lot of time working with Steve's daughter to get access to his Pbase account so I can get the images and put them somewhere that is likely to last longer. No joy so far On 2025-11-23 10:07, Sonny Carter via LUG wrote: > Believe it or not, Steve?s page of LUG portraits still exists. Many of > these are no longer with us. > > I?m totally surprised that I?m still with us and actively taking and > posting images. > > Anyhow if you want to smile and maybe shed a tear or two, take a look. > > https://www.pbase.com/kididdoc/some_leica_photographers > > > Regards, > Sonny > www.SonC.Com/Look From reid at mejac.carlsbad.ca.us Tue Dec 23 15:02:34 2025 From: reid at mejac.carlsbad.ca.us (Brian Reid) Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2025 07:02:34 -0800 Subject: [Leica] Is the gallery down? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <770dcf43a0e771e7686705c5f912639e@mejac.carlsbad.ca.us> The gallery server computer is hugely overloaded. There is an AI robot in China busily downloading every image from it, using about 60 simultaneous connections. On 2025-12-23 06:12, Sonny Carter via LUG wrote: > I can?t look at Don?s pics. > > Regards, > Sonny > www.SonC.Com/Look > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information From reid at mejac.carlsbad.ca.us Wed Dec 24 16:44:53 2025 From: reid at mejac.carlsbad.ca.us (Brian Reid) Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2025 08:44:53 -0800 Subject: [Leica] Happy Christmas In-Reply-To: <6cf13ba9-e876-4ec8-bc7e-01fd960d95da@summaventures.com> References: <6cf13ba9-e876-4ec8-bc7e-01fd960d95da@summaventures.com> Message-ID: Peter, thanks for the note. Everyone: don?t forget to submit something to the yearbook. http://leica-users.org/yearbook/submitting.html In past years I have sent out incessant reminders. This year I?m not going to be that pesky. Only because there is no evidence it works. From reid at mejac.carlsbad.ca.us Wed Dec 24 17:51:45 2025 From: reid at mejac.carlsbad.ca.us (Brian Reid) Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2025 09:51:45 -0800 Subject: [Leica] Is the gallery down? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <32577ddd19dd93fe49a4d565a3e7c873@mejac.carlsbad.ca.us> Today again the gallery has a heavy load. Today there is an AI bot in Brazil that is downloading every image, but it is being nicer than was yesterday?s Chinese download, and is using only 20 parallel streams. From reid at mejac.carlsbad.ca.us Wed Dec 24 23:32:25 2025 From: reid at mejac.carlsbad.ca.us (Brian Reid) Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2025 15:32:25 -0800 Subject: [Leica] Is the gallery down? In-Reply-To: <4589ACFA-FF39-4556-9C04-2B0C05E1F379@chriscrawfordphoto.com> References: <32577ddd19dd93fe49a4d565a3e7c873@mejac.carlsbad.ca.us> <4589ACFA-FF39-4556-9C04-2B0C05E1F379@chriscrawfordphoto.com> Message-ID: There are hundreds of different IPs in use, so blocking them is futile. I turned off the server. We shall see if it goes away. I suspect it will be stubborn. On 2025-12-24 09:56, Christopher Crawford via LUG wrote: > Why don?t you block the IP that the bot is coming from, and if not > possible, shut the server down until it goes away, instead of letting > it steal LUG members? photos? > > Christopher Crawford > Fort Wayne, Indiana > > My Portfolio > https://chriscrawfordphoto.com > > Learn From Me > https://crawfordphotoschool.com > > Watchmaker Chris > https://watchmakerchris.com > >> On Dec 24, 2025, at 12:51?PM, Brian Reid >> wrote: >> >> Today again the gallery has a heavy load. Today there is an AI bot in >> Brazil that is downloading every image, but it is being nicer than was >> yesterday?s Chinese download, and is using only 20 parallel streams. >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information From reid at mejac.carlsbad.ca.us Thu Dec 25 05:44:26 2025 From: reid at mejac.carlsbad.ca.us (Brian Reid) Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2025 21:44:26 -0800 Subject: [Leica] Is the gallery down? In-Reply-To: References: <32577ddd19dd93fe49a4d565a3e7c873@mejac.carlsbad.ca.us> <4589ACFA-FF39-4556-9C04-2B0C05E1F379@chriscrawfordphoto.com> Message-ID: Every time I turn the gallery server on again, it immediately got flooded with AI bots stealing images. So I have turned it off for the night. It is currently 21:45 California time, so it?s going to stay off until my morning. Maybe the pirates will turn their attention elsewhere, and maybe they won?t. The torrent that arrived most recently was mostly from Russia. On 2025-12-24 15:32, Brian Reid wrote: > There are hundreds of different IPs in use, so blocking them is futile. > I turned off the server. We shall see if it goes away. I suspect it > will be stubborn. > > > On 2025-12-24 09:56, Christopher Crawford via LUG wrote: >> Why don?t you block the IP that the bot is coming from, and if not >> possible, shut the server down until it goes away, instead of letting >> it steal LUG members? photos? >> >> Christopher Crawford >> Fort Wayne, Indiana >> >> My Portfolio >> https://chriscrawfordphoto.com >> >> Learn From Me >> https://crawfordphotoschool.com >> >> Watchmaker Chris >> https://watchmakerchris.com >> >>> On Dec 24, 2025, at 12:51?PM, Brian Reid >>> wrote: >>> >>> Today again the gallery has a heavy load. Today there is an AI bot in >>> Brazil that is downloading every image, but it is being nicer than >>> was yesterday?s Chinese download, and is using only 20 parallel >>> streams. >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Leica Users Group. >>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information From reid at mejac.carlsbad.ca.us Thu Dec 25 15:33:44 2025 From: reid at mejac.carlsbad.ca.us (Brian Reid) Date: Thu, 25 Dec 2025 07:33:44 -0800 Subject: [Leica] Is the gallery down? In-Reply-To: References: <32577ddd19dd93fe49a4d565a3e7c873@mejac.carlsbad.ca.us> <4589ACFA-FF39-4556-9C04-2B0C05E1F379@chriscrawfordphoto.com> Message-ID: <972924f03172fa531d90499b9cc621f8@mejac.carlsbad.ca.us> I?ve turned it back on. The thieves seem to have gone somewhere else. Merry Christmas to everyone, and don?t forget to submit to the yearbook. http://leica-users.org/yearbook/submitting.html On 2025-12-24 21:44, Brian Reid wrote: > Every time I turn the gallery server on again, it immediately got > flooded with AI bots stealing images. > So I have turned it off for the night. It is currently 21:45 > California time, so it?s going to stay off until my morning. Maybe the > pirates will turn their attention elsewhere, and maybe they won?t. The > torrent that arrived most recently was mostly from Russia. > > On 2025-12-24 15:32, Brian Reid wrote: >> There are hundreds of different IPs in use, so blocking them is >> futile. >> I turned off the server. We shall see if it goes away. I suspect it >> will be stubborn. >> >> >> On 2025-12-24 09:56, Christopher Crawford via LUG wrote: >>> Why don?t you block the IP that the bot is coming from, and if not >>> possible, shut the server down until it goes away, instead of letting >>> it steal LUG members? photos? >>> >>> Christopher Crawford >>> Fort Wayne, Indiana >>> >>> My Portfolio >>> https://chriscrawfordphoto.com >>> >>> Learn From Me >>> https://crawfordphotoschool.com >>> >>> Watchmaker Chris >>> https://watchmakerchris.com >>> >>>> On Dec 24, 2025, at 12:51?PM, Brian Reid >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>> Today again the gallery has a heavy load. Today there is an AI bot >>>> in Brazil that is downloading every image, but it is being nicer >>>> than was yesterday?s Chinese download, and is using only 20 parallel >>>> streams. >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> Leica Users Group. >>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Leica Users Group. >>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information From reid at mejac.carlsbad.ca.us Fri Dec 26 02:04:00 2025 From: reid at mejac.carlsbad.ca.us (Brian Reid) Date: Thu, 25 Dec 2025 18:04:00 -0800 Subject: [Leica] Is the gallery down? In-Reply-To: <0bf74c7b-90cc-477d-8a8d-553d2fcbccb2@iol.ie> References: <32577ddd19dd93fe49a4d565a3e7c873@mejac.carlsbad.ca.us> <4589ACFA-FF39-4556-9C04-2B0C05E1F379@chriscrawfordphoto.com> <0bf74c7b-90cc-477d-8a8d-553d2fcbccb2@iol.ie> Message-ID: <244a4fe7ad67bed663c91b6b754175e3@mejac.carlsbad.ca.us> I also host the Large Format Photography site. I don?t contribute to it (the largest-format camera that I currently own and use is a Q2) but I help operate it and own its server computer. It has a vast number of huge pictures (most of them shot on 8x10 film). They often see 15,000 simultaneous connections from thirsty AI bots. On 2025-12-25 16:39, Douglas Barry wrote: > Well Brian, it is Happy Chaosday today and, unfortunately for all of > us, probably for the remainder of our lives. > That downloading by multiple bots is what we, over here anyway, call a > pain in the hole, but not really surprising, as any comforting notion > of privacy these days vanishes faster than morning frost in the > Sahara. What new horrors await us in 2026? > Thanks for trying to defend our honour and our images against > overwhelming odds. Have a happy christmas and a prosperous new year - > and the same goes for all Luggers out there. > > Douglas > Blind busy, but sadly not in the photographic area at the moment. > > > On 25/12/2025 05:44, Brian Reid wrote: >> Every time I turn the gallery server on again, it immediately got >> flooded with AI bots stealing images. >> So I have turned it off for the night. It is currently 21:45 >> California time, so it?s going to stay off until my morning. Maybe the >> pirates will turn their attention elsewhere, and maybe they won?t. The >> torrent that arrived most recently was mostly from Russia. >> >> On 2025-12-24 15:32, Brian Reid wrote: >>> There are hundreds of different IPs in use, so blocking them is >>> futile. >>> I turned off the server. We shall see if it goes away. I suspect it >>> will be stubborn. >>> >>> >>> On 2025-12-24 09:56, Christopher Crawford via LUG wrote: >>>> Why don?t you block the IP that the bot is coming from, and if not >>>> possible, shut the server down until it goes away, instead of >>>> letting >>>> it steal LUG members? photos? >>>> >>>> Christopher Crawford >>>> Fort Wayne, Indiana >>>> >>>> My Portfolio >>>> https://chriscrawfordphoto.com >>>> >>>> Learn From Me >>>> https://crawfordphotoschool.com >>>> >>>> Watchmaker Chris >>>> https://watchmakerchris.com >>>> >>>>> On Dec 24, 2025, at 12:51?PM, Brian Reid >>>>> wrote: >>>>> >>>>> Today again the gallery has a heavy load. Today there is an AI bot >>>>> in Brazil that is downloading every image, but it is being nicer >>>>> than was yesterday?s Chinese download, and is using only 20 >>>>> parallel streams. >>>>> >>>>> _______________________________________________ > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information From reid at mejac.carlsbad.ca.us Fri Dec 26 17:25:26 2025 From: reid at mejac.carlsbad.ca.us (Brian Reid) Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2025 09:25:26 -0800 Subject: [Leica] Is the gallery down? In-Reply-To: <0713d431-3aa2-4c66-a090-2a55f29a0b81@summaventures.com> References: <32577ddd19dd93fe49a4d565a3e7c873@mejac.carlsbad.ca.us> <4589ACFA-FF39-4556-9C04-2B0C05E1F379@chriscrawfordphoto.com> <0bf74c7b-90cc-477d-8a8d-553d2fcbccb2@iol.ie> <244a4fe7ad67bed663c91b6b754175e3@mejac.carlsbad.ca.us> <0713d431-3aa2-4c66-a090-2a55f29a0b81@summaventures.com> Message-ID: VPNs sometimes help clients, but rarely servers. If a server is to provide access to something, it must have a well-known and accessible IP address. Whether that address is behind a VPN or not must be transparent to any client wanting to access the server. Switching a server to a VPN will not change the behavior of its users. On 2025-12-26 09:21, Peter Dzwig wrote: > Is it worth considering putting both behind different VPNs (i.e. > Different server virtual addresses)? > > Peter > > On 26/12/2025 02:04, Brian Reid wrote: >> I also host the Large Format Photography site. I don?t contribute to >> it (the largest-format camera that I currently own and use is a Q2) >> but I help operate it and own its server computer. It has a vast >> number of huge pictures (most of them shot on 8x10 film). They often >> see 15,000 simultaneous connections from thirsty AI bots. >> >> On 2025-12-25 16:39, Douglas Barry wrote: >>> Well Brian, it is Happy Chaosday today and, unfortunately for all of >>> us, probably for the remainder of our lives. >>> That downloading by multiple bots is what we, over here anyway, call >>> a >>> pain in the hole, but not really surprising, as any comforting notion >>> of privacy these days vanishes faster than morning frost in the >>> Sahara. What new horrors await us in 2026? >>> Thanks for trying to defend our honour and our images against >>> overwhelming odds. Have a happy christmas and a prosperous new year - >>> and the same goes for all Luggers out there. >>> >>> Douglas >>> Blind busy, but sadly not in the photographic area at the moment. >>> >>> >>> On 25/12/2025 05:44, Brian Reid wrote: >>>> Every time I turn the gallery server on again, it immediately got >>>> flooded with AI bots stealing images. >>>> So I have turned it off for the night. It is currently 21:45 >>>> California time, so it?s going to stay off until my morning. Maybe >>>> the pirates will turn their attention elsewhere, and maybe they >>>> won?t. The torrent that arrived most recently was mostly from >>>> Russia. >>>> >>>> On 2025-12-24 15:32, Brian Reid wrote: >>>>> There are hundreds of different IPs in use, so blocking them is >>>>> futile. >>>>> I turned off the server. We shall see if it goes away. I suspect it >>>>> will be stubborn. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On 2025-12-24 09:56, Christopher Crawford via LUG wrote: >>>>>> Why don?t you block the IP that the bot is coming from, and if not >>>>>> possible, shut the server down until it goes away, instead of >>>>>> letting >>>>>> it steal LUG members? photos? >>>>>> >>>>>> Christopher Crawford >>>>>> Fort Wayne, Indiana >>>>>> >>>>>> My Portfolio >>>>>> https://chriscrawfordphoto.com >>>>>> >>>>>> Learn From Me >>>>>> https://crawfordphotoschool.com >>>>>> >>>>>> Watchmaker Chris >>>>>> https://watchmakerchris.com >>>>>> >>>>>>> On Dec 24, 2025, at 12:51?PM, Brian Reid >>>>>>> wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Today again the gallery has a heavy load. Today there is an AI >>>>>>> bot in Brazil that is downloading every image, but it is being >>>>>>> nicer than was yesterday?s Chinese download, and is using only 20 >>>>>>> parallel streams. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Leica Users Group. >>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information