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In order to operate at their peak the majority of public torrent indexes need the invaluable assistance of so-called tracker sites. Trackers use the IP addresses in their databases to direct users’ torrent clients to where content can be found.

In recent years OpenBitTorrent, PublicBT and Istole.it became three of the most important trackers in the BitTorrent ecosystem but have largely remained offline since January. As reported last Wednesday, all had legal issues in Germany.

Nevertheless, the BitTorrent system hasn’t collapsed. Aside from the wonders of DHT and PEX, a rising star in the tracking scene has been shouldering much of the load. Founded less than two years ago, Demonii has become the largest and most reliable tracker on the Internet today.

In February the tracker broke records by smashing through the 30 million simultaneous peer barrier, a landmark achievement representing a staggering two billion connections every day. But the site wasn’t finished producing big numbers.

As can be seen in the image below, during periods last month the site was serving more than 36 million peers, a new record for the increasingly popular tracker.

Given the increase in number of peers, it perhaps comes as no surprise that the number of torrents being tracked by Demonii has also increased. Back in February when the tracker broke the previous record, Demonii was tracking in excess of 4.2 million torrents, more than the top three trackers were serving in 2013, combined.

As can be seen from the image below, 4.2 million torrents is now history, with Demonii already having reached the 4.8 million torrent milestone.

Today, however, Demonii is not running on all cylinders. Speaking with TorrentFreak the site’s operator confirms that the service is currently running in maintenance mode.

“Nothing too dramatic is happening, we just turned some things off while we try to sort out internal issues/maintenance,” he reports.

While the downtime could last another 12 to 24 hours (or more) the site is definitely coming back.

“The downtime is always lame, but rest assured all is being done so that the Demonii tracker will be online for long term,” TF is informed.

While that will be welcome news to the site’s supporters, breaking more records with the current setup probably won’t be possible until changes have been made. Noting that bandwidth costs are high “but worth every cent for the torrent community”, Demonii’s operator says growth is being limited by software.

“The tracker software has been starting to reach its limits in terms of connections. We have been working with different groups of developers
who have created their own implementation of a torrent tracker software. But we are not there just yet unfortunately,” he notes.

Nevertheless, the records achieved recently were well received, particularly those connected to newer technology. Although tiny in comparison to IPv4, Demonii’s IPv6 stats have increased 100% in just six months.

“The growth I am most impressed with is the IPv6 stats. Doubling in less than half a year. Shows where the residential internet is headed. An IPv6 world will be a great world,” Demonii’s operator concludes.

Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and anonymous VPN services.

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Some photographers just know how to capture that perfect moment…standing in Walmart…next to the Pringles…under a sign that reads “Lunch Meat”….It’s that type of natural glory that just can’t be staged. A true master of his craft.

California

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Good news if you missed out on Kraftwerk's 3D concerts the last time the band was in North America: you're about to get a second chance. The electronic music pioneers have announced a slew of American and Canadian dates that will let you see their im...

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Thanks Rich

 

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Hulk Hogan has been wanting to return to the ring ever since he made his WWE return last year. At WrestleMania 30, WWE had Hogan host the event. At this year’s WrestleMania 31, Hogan did a run-in as part of the NWO during the Sting vs. Triple H match, and actually took a bump outside of the ring. At next year’s WrestleMania– according to Ric Flair — Hogan, who will be 62 by the time next year’s WrestleMania takes place, wants to wrestle Ric Flair, who will be 67 come WrestleMania 32.

“The Nature Boy” said in a recent interview that Hulk Hogan has been pitching him the idea of a Hogan vs. Flair match at next year’s WrestleMania for a long time now, and that he could do it, but he would need six months to get in shape. Flair also added that Vince McMahon will never allow him to do another match in WWE, so him wrestling Hogan is out of the question, even if Flair would want to.

“Hogan’s been pitching me and him for Dallas forever. I could pull it off. I’d need like six months of really serious training and dieting, because I’ve never been a cosmetic dream. But, it’s not going to happen. You know [Vince McMahon] respects us, but he’s not going to allow us to go back in time.”

Flair and Hogan nearly main-evented WrestleMania 8 back in 1992, but, the main-event was changed to Hulk Hogan vs. Sid Justice, and Flair took on “Macho Man” Randy Savage for the WWE Championship. At the time, Hogan vs, Flair was a longtime dream match, but, WWE ultimately decided to not pull the trigger on the match because — according to Dave Meltzer — “Vince McMahon loves big guys,” and that he had previously promised Sid Justice that year’s WrestleMania main-event against Hogan if he left WCW and joined WWE.

Yesterday, Hulk Hogan was in Australia to announce that he will be a part of WWE’s Australian tour in August. During the tour, Hogan will be the general manager on three shows. During the press conference, Hogan said that he’s planning on wrestling at next year’s WrestleMania, and that there’s no way WWE will do WrestleMania at AT&T Stadium without him. Hogan also added that Vince McMahon told him that he’s looking forward to seeing Hogan return to the ring next year.

During the press conference, Hogan didn’t mention a match with Ric Flair, but he did mention that he wants to take on Rusev. It’s a match that makes sense character-wise, but, it’s a match that Rusev would likely have to win, which wouldn’t sit well with Hogan.

WWE is trying to gather as many big, recognizable names from the past to be a part of next year’s record-breaking WrestleMania, and Hogan will likely be at the event, but, as of right now, no one knows in what capacity.

[Images via WWE]

WWE News: Hulk Hogan Wants To Wrestle Ric Flair At WrestleMania 32 is an article from: The Inquisitr News

We haven’t driven it yet, but this chart has made us realize that it’s a far different car than the last one. Far different.

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The FCC has announced that it's hitting AT&T with yet another fine -- this time for collecting undeserved federal subsidies from the FCC's Lifeline program. Lifeline, which provides subsidized phone service for the poor, was created by the Reagan administration in 1985 and expanded by Bush in 2005. The FCC found that AT&T was failing to adequately audit its Lifeline subscriber roles, collecting subsidies for customers that no longer existed or were no longer eligible.

A few years ago the FCC doled out $14.4 million in fines against TracFone Wireless, Icon Telecom, Assist Wireless, Easy Wireless and UTPhone, claiming they all essentially defrauded the program.

It was during that investigation the FCC discovered AT&T's (and former subsidiary SNET's) involvement in breaking Lifeline rules, a statement discloses. The pair were fined $10.4 million by the FCC this week.

In both investigations, FCC found that the companies were failing to audit their Lifeline subscriber roles and purge non-existent or duplicate accounts, thereby collecting millions in additional subsidies for literally doing nothing. The FCC is careful to avoid use of the word "fraud," though it's extremely likely the companies knew precisely what they were doing.

"American consumers trust that the companies who receive federal funds will use that money appropriately," said Travis LeBlanc, Chief of the FCC s Enforcement Bureau. "We expect companies to be vigilant in protecting public funds and complying with FCC rules."

The move is just the latest in a laundry list of enforcement efforts on issues regulators previously ignored. In the last several years, AT&T has been fined by the FCC for defrauding the IP Relay network used by the deaf, fined for profiting off of cramming, sued by the FTC for throttling unlimited data users, and now for effectively taking unearned subsidies intended for the poor.
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Even though we live in an age full of electronic gadgets, apps for every occasion and products designed to make our modern lives easier the old cliché “necessity is the mother of invention” still rings true.

People who are faced with a problem technology can’t solve get crafty and invent a new way to make their lives more livable...and more fun!

Need to get to work on a car that has only three tires? If you’ve got a push cart and a buddy around you’ve got all you need to get back on the road like a boss

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Are you fresh out of clean bowls yet desperately in need of your nightly ramen fix? Use your melon!

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Living on a street that’s constantly flooding can make getting around town a real pain, but if you follow this guy’s example and strap tiny stools to your shoes you can rise above the rainfall.

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A bicycle can’t help you cross a raging river, but if you strap some inflatable paddle tires to the front of your bike no body of water will ever stand in the way of your dreams!

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Split screen gaming can be a real eyesore, but clever gamers can come up with a simple solution off the top of their heads

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It’s tough to find time to bathe after work, but if you’re working on a jobsite with an earth mover and some scrap wood then you can whip up a nice, warm bath so you can soak your buns before date night!

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Having your electricity shut off due to non-payment means growing accustomed to eating cold beans out of a can, unless you’re a crafty cook with plenty of candles on hand.

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Who needs tires when you’ve got six pairs of sneakers and a bicycle frame? Certainly not this guy!

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Holding your book open can make your thumb mighty sore, and it tends to get stuck in the crack between the pages. Instead, you should skip the thumb pain and use a wooden wing thingy to hold those pages in place.

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It takes a really long time to get drunk when you have to pour beers down your throat one at a time, but follow this guy’s example and you'll be hammered in one fourth the time.

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Biking through the mean streets of the urban jungle doesn’t have to be a dangerous affair- simply slip a barbecue around your body and consider your grill protected!

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Most people have a laptop these days, but not everyone can afford an mp3 player. So how can a music lover keep the tunes flowing into their earholes? Just tuck your laptop into your pants and the musical vibrations will make you want to shake your buns!

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If you have to wash a sink full of dirty dishes just to get a glass of water from the faucet then you’re liable to die of thirst, so forge your own tinfoil trough and stay hydrated.

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It’s hard to compete with ultra-butch biker gangs when you’re riding around town on a piddly little dirtbike, but when you combine a motorcycle with a tractor you've got a gargantuan vehicle guaranteed to crush the competition.

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Next time you find yourself stuck in a situation without an electronic solution take a note from these crafty people and slap something together on the fly!