GETTING RID OF THE ADS AND ASSES OF ALT.SLACK

Praise Rev. ChuckKey for bringing this to our attention.

Many of us LOVE the main SubGenius forum, alt.slack. The fact that it is unmoderated and uncensored is one of the best things about it, but that has also lately allowed a drawback: floods of both unsightly ads, and nonsense floods (the bad kind) from disturbed SubGenius wanna-bes. These seriously cut down on the Slack in alt.slack.

If, like many, you are using Google Groups through web browsers like IE or Firefox to look at alt.slack (as opposed to a newsreader and Usenet service, which already come with these anti-spam features), the simple installation I'm about to describe will allow you to "killfile" unwanted ad spam and chronic assholes whose posts you do not want to see.

Imagine never again having to scroll/wade through floods of nonsense posted by Chinese spammers or drunk, mentally ill Pinks just to get to the JUICY STUFF!

This works on Mac OS, Windows, Linux, or any other platform using Firefox as a browser.

Go to this site:

http://www.penney.org/ggkiller.html

There are three links there -- one to download Firefox browser, one for GreaseMonkey (a Firefox extention), and one for the latest Google Groups Killfile Script.

#1. If you aren't already using Firefox, you might want to try it. It's more secure than Internet Explorer. On Macs, it's much more stable than Safari. There are ways to copy over your bookmarks.

#2. Now go to the GreaseMonkey site and click on DOWNLOAD GREASEMONKEY and then "ADD TO FIREFOX" on the resulting page. It will automatically download the extension and put it where it needs to go in Firefox. (Ignore the warnings re: malicious software! Show no fear!)

#3. Then you must RESTART FIREFOX. You will probably be prompted to do this, although in my case the prompt window was hidden at first.

#4. Now you reopen a Firefox window, return to http://www.penney.org/ggkiller.html and go to the next link, "Latest Google Groups Killfile Script:" http://www.penney.org/googleGroups.user.js

If you've done everything right so far, just clicking on that link (which ends in "user.js," telling Firefox it's a script) makes the newly installed GreaseMonkey present a dialog box with the option for installing that Google Groups Killfile Script. Ignore the warnings and let it install the script.

The next time you go to Google Groups, EVERY POST now has the option of "IGNORE USER" between the name of the poster, and the PROFILE link. (On Windows this may appear as an X in a box as well.) You can also IGNORE THREAD. This is good for killing crossposted flame wars from other newsgroups.

Once you have clicked the IGNORE USER link for a given asshole, the next time you return to alt.slack, all posts initiated by that asshole will have VANISHED, and you won't see any future posts by that asshole either.

If you have trouble, here are the instructions that helped me:

http://wiki.greasespot.net/Greasemonkey_Manual:Installing_Scripts

Under TOOLS menu (on Mac Firefox anyway) there's now a GreaseMonkey option where you can uninstall the script or reinstall it.

Finally, even Googleposting Jackadandies, to borrow a Nensletic term, can truly and effectively "plonk."