Gary Weiss = Samiharris = Mantanmoreland, Here's how I know. Options

[WordBomb]

Depending on how much you care to know, you can bail out after making it through the short version of this story, or you may stick around for the long version, which will include all the details of how I know what I know.

The short version

• On January 21, 2008, User:Samiharris was using the IP address 151.202.103.104.
• On January 21, 2008, Gary Weiss was using the IP address 151.202.103.104.

Given this is a Verizon residential dsl account, which assigns a single IP per subscriber, we can safely conclude that Gary Weiss and Samiharris use the same computer, and are most likely the same person.

The long version
Gary Weiss is an idiot, but he’s not stupid. So he’s learned to use Proxify any time he visits a site he’s unsure of. Matching his IP to Samiharris’, therefore, would require coaxing him to a site au naturel, both as Weiss and as Samiharris, in the relatively short period of time in which his dynamic IP would likely remain unchanged.

I, editing as User:Post Doctorate y-o-y (so named because anybody doing post-doc work must certainly, and regularly, ask themselves “why, oh why am I still in school?!”) engaged Samiharris in a discussion over inclusion of some facts he (Samiharris) clearly wants to keep out of the article on Patrick Byrne. It happened in a very out-of-the-way place (Post Doctorate y-o-y’s brand new talk page), where nobody else was likely to notice it.
EDIT: They blanked that talk page in record time, so I've substituted a cached version of it here.

In the process of making my case, I invited Samiharris to read an article (which is not otherwise available freely online, btw) on a website that a friend can monitor. To put Samiharris at ease, and maximize the chance that he'd go there directly instead of anonymizing first, the link was presented as a Webcitation.org cache of the page, created that day and linked to by no other source.

Because Webcitation maintains the original html of the pages it caches, viewing it would still trigger the embedded ActiveMeter script.

Only one person visited the link that day, and the timing of the visits coincides precisely with Samiharris’ posts on the topic.

A screenshot of the resulting pings (he visited twice) is here:(IMG:http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg59/writerjudd/20080121-samiharris-ip.jpg)

At that point the challenge was to quickly capture Gary Weiss’s IP, sans anonymizer.

Like Webcite, the Wayback Machine caches a page’s html intact, also including any tracking scripts that might be present. But for some reason, most anonymized browsing of past versions of pages captured there is not allowed.

So, I arranged for Gary Weiss to receive email from somebody encouraging him to visit an archived version of a website that I used to own, promising that he'd find damning information about me there. I knew that when (not if) Weiss followed the link, it would be while not anonymized, triggering another ActiveMeter account which I am also able to monitor, though the old version of the site is long gone.

I was correct and a screenshot of the resulting ping from that visit is here:
(IMG:http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg59/writerjudd/20080121-weiss-ip.jpg)

I doubt this comes as much of a surprise to anybody, much less Jimbo. But we'll see what happens from here...whether Wikipedia manages to police itself for once, or whether I need to work this out in the media again.

This post has been edited by WordBomb:

[Ben]

Seems like an open and shut case to me. Nice detective work. At the very least any judge worth his/her salt would grant a warrant to search Wikipedia's logs with evidence like this.

[One]

Lamont pointed out the MONGO vote. Any other examples of recent abusive socking?

[jorge]

So, I arranged for Gary Weiss to receive email from somebody encouraging him to visit an archived version of a website that I used to own, promising that he'd find damning information about me there. I knew that when (not if) Weiss followed the link, it would be while not anonymized,

So how did you know that when Weiss followed that link he would not be anonymized?

[WordBomb]

So, I arranged for Gary Weiss to receive email from somebody encouraging him to visit an archived version of a website that I used to own, promising that he'd find damning information about me there. I knew that when (not if) Weiss followed the link, it would be while not anonymized,

So how did you know that when Weiss followed that link he would not be anonymized?

Because anonymizers often don't work on archive.org pages, and we suspected that Weiss wouldn't expect me to be able to track long gone pages. Plus, one can assume that the prospect of finding dirt on me would prove too much to bear for the sad fellow not to take a look.

Lamont pointed out the MONGO vote. Any other examples of recent abusive socking?

They both participated in last night's AN on Piperdown:
Samiharris
Mantanmoreland
And then there's the general ownership of the article autobiography on Gary Weiss that both have taken part in from the beginning.

That's the recent stuff. Go back a month or two and it will curl your hair.

This post has been edited by WordBomb:

[Piperdown]

Lamont pointed out the MONGO vote. Any other examples of recent abusive socking?

I don't know where to start.

Look at Naked Short Selling beginning when I first edited there in Mid-March 2007. That man showed up with 2 accounts and started cold blanking well-sourced material I added from major publications, the SEC site, etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=115876803
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=116128698
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=116568061

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Gary_Weiss/Archive_2

It was a 3RR trap. That is what that person what up to with those 2 (at that time, he used 3 at a time on other people in 2006). Read the tag teaming, it is eerie.

Then the guy had conversations with himself. Read the talk pages of Short And Distort, where he decides with himself that merge with another general article, to get rid of reliably sourced material from Wired Magazine, several books, Forbes, an Attorney General's site, etc, that mention that scam. Because he doesn't want the flip side of Pump and Dump mentioned. Because he once wrote about a man is serving time for shorting and distorting. Favorably.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Short_and_distort


What a damn low life. I, and other people I read about in the history of the articles he socks, were run off of WP too.

Cla68 will be very interested to hear about this. He had many a consensus building conversations with what he thought were 2 people who weren't the subject of the article under review.

Double voting? Check out any AFD that person ever voted on. Every RFA. He would give a reasonable lag time before popping up with his sock.

Checkuser those 2 accounts. Now. This is bullshit and it has gone on too long to too many people.

And after pages of b.s., there still is no good reason given for why Piperdown was banned on Sept 8 2007, a ban that has never been apologized for or reversed.

This is a pattern of longterm abuse that has gone on even after (see my WR sig, last paragraph and link) WP Arbcom warned him to stop it in 2006 with LastExit and TomStoner accounts.

This post has been edited by Piperdown:

[WhispersOfWisdom]

Oh the humanity! (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/ohmy.gif)

Real super sleuthing, and, as such, the truth will set us all free.

Brilliant work; we are grateful for the continuous proofs showing, once and forever, that WP is in desparate need of a sea change...from top to bottom. (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/smile.gif)


This will make some of the past problems seem somewhat lame, nicht vahr?

Press pass anyone?

This post has been edited by WhispersOfWisdom:

[LamontStormstar]

Gary Weiss's IP vandalizes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contr...151.202.103.104

21:17, 23 November 2006 (hist) (diff) Akatsuki (Naruto)‎ (→Former members)
21:15, 23 November 2006 (hist) (diff) Akatsuki (Naruto)‎ (→Former members)

It adds some vandalism about "homos".


PS: Moderators, you should sticky this thread until the Gary Weiss socks get blocked!

This post has been edited by LamontStormstar:

[Amarkov]

Verizon uses dynamic IPs, so that's not necessarily him.

[Somey]

Verizon uses dynamic IPs, so that's not necessarily him.

That's never stopped them from making such assumptions though, has it?

Okay, maybe it has, but still, technically the IP is correct - "homos" can go to hell, just like everyone else. Hell is an equal-opportunity place to go. (Of course, this assumes that hell actually exists.) The real question is do they, in fact, go there? And if they do, can they find good sushi that isn't ridiculously overpriced? And do they get to bring their iPods with them, or do they have to leave them at home?

Anyway... I've posted before to the effect that anyone who's actually honest who can look at the diffs and the evidence already presented, and think that Weiss isn't Mantanmoreland, must have no critical thinking ability whatsoever. It's glaringly, blindingly obvious to anyone looking at the situation objectively. To discover that he's also Samiharris is hardly surprising either - I'd just assumed it, myself - but let's face it, if Weiss owns Wikipedia to the extent that he can get away with what he's already gotten away with, they're way beyond any possibility of dealing with this situation fairly or rationally, much less actually putting a stop to it.

Does that sound overly pessimistic? Sorry... I've just been having a bad week... (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/sad.gif)

[WordBomb]

Verizon uses dynamic IPs, so that's not necessarily him.

I think you neglected to add the requisite "smiley" face when you wrote that.

I assume you're either outright joking or mocking Weiss's predictable response.

Just in case, I'll explain that the thing is, Verizon has hundreds of thousands of IPs, and they are indeed dynamic, but not in the same way AOL's are dynamic (changing every minute). Instead, Verizon DSL customers get the same IP for a day or two or 20 or 30.

In order for IP dynamism to be an issue here, it would mean that Samiharris had one IP in the evening and Gary Weiss had it in the late evening.

The likelihood of that happening is about the same as lighning striking me RIGHT NOW.

...and I'm still here.

Gary Weiss is clearly Samiharris.

And Mantanmoreland, as Fred Bauder has confirmed about 23 times.

But it doesn't seem to matter, as Jimbo has confirmed about 32 times.

[Somey]

I think he was referring to the person who used that IP in 2006 to vandalize the article on Akatsuki, a fictional ninja organization in the Naruto anime series. Is the idea that Gary Weiss committed an act of homophobic vandalism - twice - on an article on an anime-cartoon ninja organization in 2006 so far-fetched? Well, sure it is, but dammit, it has humor value!

And that's what really matters...

[Amarkov]

Yes, I used sooper sekrit sarcasm!

Anyway, yes, I know how Verizon does their IPs, and I know that it's incredibly unlikely that the IP would be reallocated to one particular other person as well. I was responding to the comment saying that his IP was vandalizing; sorry I didn't make that clearer.

[WordBomb]

Gary Weiss's IP vandalizes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contr...151.202.103.104

21:17, 23 November 2006 (hist) (diff) Akatsuki (Naruto)‎ (→Former members)
21:15, 23 November 2006 (hist) (diff) Akatsuki (Naruto)‎ (→Former members)

It adds some vandalism about "homos".


PS: Moderators, you should sticky this thread until the Gary Weiss socks get blocked!

Ah!! Maybe this is what Amarkov was referring to. (And maybe I should read posts in order from now on)

Indeed, there's no way this was Weiss. His IP has changed many many times since this happened.

[BobbyBombastic]

Verizon uses dynamic IPs, so that's not necessarily him.

I think you neglected to add the requisite "smiley" face when you wrote that.

I assume you're either outright joking or mocking Weiss's predictable response.

Just in case, I'll explain that the thing is, Verizon has hundreds of thousands of IPs, and they are indeed dynamic, but not in the same way AOL's are dynamic (changing every minute). Instead, Verizon DSL customers get the same IP for a day or two or 20 or 30.

[...]

The likelihood of that happening is about the same as lighning striking me RIGHT NOW.

[...]

I agree with you WB and you are absolutely correct; I hope Amarkov was joking,. You know as well as anyone there is a massive misunderstanding of what an IP address is on Wikipedia, for some unknown reason. I really can't explain that one. I think forum regulars on the "THE MOST POPULAR BRITNEY SPEARS FORUM ON THE PLANNET!!" have more of an understanding of IP addresses. One would assume they would be more informed regarding these matters but they are not. This is why checkusers are often looked at magically and as if they are infallible.

"Verizon uses dynamic IPs, so it's not necessarily him" will be the answer of the uninformed (ignorant) and partisan, if this is brought up on WP. Then, we can all have a good laugh, but in the end nothing will be done.

[Moulton]

Bearing accurate witness in a wry and understated manner is a remarkably potent act.

[LamontStormstar]

Okay, maybe it has, but still, technically the IP is correct - "homos" can go to hell, just like everyone else. Hell is an equal-opportunity place to go. (Of course, this assumes that hell actually exists.) The real question is do they, in fact, go there? And if they do, can they find good sushi that isn't ridiculously overpriced? And do they get to bring their iPods with them, or do they have to leave them at home?

This should answer the question

(IMG:http://www.hackcanada.com/canadian/zines/spacemoose/sodom.gif)



or click here if the picture doesn't load

This post has been edited by LamontStormstar:

[Moulton]

Hell is an untamed recursion.

[Amarkov]

I don't think that this would ever be brought up on WP, anyway. The first person who tries will be immediately accused of "importing WordBomb's harassment schemes" and blocked.

[Piperdown]

And so even though:

a checkuser will show that Samiharris and Mantanmoreland have edited from the same IP at the same time

he has talked to himself on WP talk pages to falsely give an illusion of collaborateive editing and consensus

he has used this to give himself 6RR vs 3RR editing advantage to bully others

has edited his own BLP with more than one acccount at the same time, nevermind just one

has waged an on and off WP campaign against Patrick Byrne long before Judd Bagley showed up on WP

Was already given a private rebuke from Arbcom after being caught doing the same thing he's doing now, but back in 2006 under the same main account but with at least two other sock accounts, none of which were blocked either



This man is the only person on Wikipedia who is being allowed to do these things and no one WP Admin has the guts to stand up about it.

Not one.