Very interesting link, thanks.

It sounds like the operators weren't ready to scale up their pool operation, that's the only reason I can think of for why it'd be regularly unavailable. Incidentally google-updaete.com is now an NXDOMAIN.

Scaling a mining pool isn't easy, let alone to millions of nodes. They may have found the amount of effort it took to keep the pool running and performant made it not worth doing. Especially given the complexity of cashing out large quantities of coins.

You're right, when I see a company that's taken millions of dollars in pre-orders for a product whilst providing incredibly little information on that product, and the CEO turns out to have a conviction for a 25 million dollar wire fraud that involved taking payment up front for products that weren't legit, and then someone representing the company goes on a pissy little rant about how "entitled" the customers who've given them millions of dollars are, I think; "Shit, those people are so crazy and entitled, they should trust the convicted multi-million dollar fraudster and his company despite their total lack of transparency".

If it's anything, I was considering ordering an SC single, a bASIC and an Avalon.
Now I'm ordering 2 bASIC's and an Avalon.

<3

It says less about the bitcoin community than it says about business practices in these countries.

On yet another note, don't forget about taxes. On top of the 1300 dollars I will have to pay another 19% on 1359 dollars because customs adds shipping to the overall price to be taxed. So the actual price for ordering one unit from Germany will be about 1617,21 USD.

I have a feeling that will be a continuous theme with BFL: unwarranted paranoia that all of their competitors are trying to copy them, and revealing even the slightest technical detail would ruin their business.

God damn, I love you idiots sometimes.  You give me hope that if I ever have a child and they are so retarded as to be a veritable vegetable, I can still point at the cute little veggie and say "Well, at least your smarter than most of the people on Bitcointalk."  And it will give me comfort.  

FYI, Chris Vleisides the photographer says on his LinkedIn page that he's been a commercial photographer since the early 1970's - Sonny Vleisides the convicted felon was born in 1971. Unlikely to be the same guy. Unfortunate coincidence.

However, some of the proceeds of the scam were apparently sent to Connie and Gabriel Vleisides of KC, MO on or about 7/26/2003.

There's also a Gregory Vleisides in the KC area who's an attorney and not apparently connected to Sonny's scam.

Well Inaba, do you have team that helps you shovel the truck load of bullshit you deliver ?

Wait, are you implying that there might be something strange about a company that requires preorders to be paid in full, will not issue any refunds until a mythical shipping date, does not have a real adress, has both company and domain registration done through proxy registrars and has a phone # assigned to a single mobile phone?