End Of The World Predictions

This 2012 website makes me sick – Well, sometimes it does!  There have been times when the pressure has been so great to finish a project that I have had to burn the midnight oil for days on end.  As a result I have got myself run down, and then (because of this) sick. This has happened three times during 2012 and resulted in me having to take time off work on each occasion.  It took 25 hours one weekend to make the most recent 2012 End Of The World video, not counting the promotion of it.  I crashed and burned the next day like a giant asteroid hitting the earth.  Alright, that was a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point.

Having a normal 40 hour a week day job as well as this 2012 website project means that I have to steel time wherever I can get it.  And it has taken a lot of time over the last five years: thousands of hours.  That said, I can honestly say that it’s all been worth it and I would do it again.   But I think I’ll take a break first.

Hate Mail – I have come to the conclusion that there are a lot of sicko’s out there just needing a cause to attack so they can get some kind of cathartic release by spewing up vile, hate fueled language into someone’s unsuspecting face.   I will not repeat anywhere, the kind of language that I have encountered.   I will also not let this kind of attitude drag me down.   The real challenge has been that sometimes, in the midst of the vulgarities, there is actually a comment that has some genuine content in it which would benefit me to listen to.  

So when I have replied (I didn’t always), I’ve tried to be objective and to acknowledge legitimate points no matter how they were vomited out.  As I have done this, I have tried to focus on a proverb from the Bible that says, “A quite answer stills anger”.   You may think, why waste your time and believe me I’ve asked myself the same question. Sometimes it has been exactly that: a waste of time.  On other occasions, it has brought the most unexpected, humble and sincere apology and has been followed by some constructive and friendly conversation.   So you never know when you’re going to make a difference.

DOS  ATTACK – there have been times when the Internet Server for the website hosting company I use for the 2012 site has gone down.  Not good.  It means that nobody can access the 2012 website.  This is because the host’s server has been deliberately overloaded by a DOS (Denial of Service) attack through some very nasty people.   I don’t like those people.  At times this has resulted in the loss of thousands of visits. More than once, this has happened at the exact time that I had just launched a big promotion for the 2012 website – Grrrrrr. 

The first time the host’s server went down and I couldn’t access ANY of my websites, I sent my web host a very strong message telling them to get their act together as their poor service was costing me.   I then found out that on that occasion some contractors on a construction site had cut the main server cable and it had nothing to do with the web host!  I got it wrong by making an assumption and being too focused on justice, for me.

Misunderstood – This one really irritates me.  You work hard to outline the 2012 predictions and explain them for what they are: false predictions based on lies, myths and bad science.  Then you get emails accusing you of saying that the world is going to end!  I haven’t figured this out completely yet but I do know that one of the reasons is that people simply don’t take the time to read the information you wore yourself out putting together.  Lazy?  Possibly?  People wanting more videos and not text?  Maybe? 

Sometimes it's because people have misread something (because they were a young person or poorly educated or English was not their primary language – I take my hat off to those who know more than one language).  For others, it was because they had come with a preconceived idea of what the site might was about.  In both situations, people were generally quite thankful if you took the time to explain with a gentle answer.  Patience goes a long way. So does accepting that what may be clear to you, may not be clear to others.

A Good Confession – If it were not for the support of my wonderful wife, my family, my friends and some Facebook friends (but especially my wife and some close friends and family) the 2012 site could not possibly have gone as far as it has.  My wife at times has taken up the extra work load in our home and encouraged me to see a project through to the end (often because this was with a weekend deadline).   She has been behind this project all the way.

We have also received financial gifts from people whom I know wish to remain anonymous. If not for these people I could not have done any of the videos (ok, so one or two I really wish I hadn’t done because they were so bad) and I could not have advertised through Facebook.   This last month, was the first time in five years that I have spent money on advertising (for one video and the 2012 website).  I have done this to help the site to finish well as we head to the finish line on December 21, 2012. I hope you'll join me and drop links to the site all over the Internet along the way.

What happens to this website after December 21, 2012?  That's a good question.  I thnk this will be the subject of perhaps my last blog.   

My next blog will have five more confessions from a 2012 Doomsday Webmaster. One of those is entitled, “The Thin Red Line”.  This will be out in about 5 days.   See you then.