Torrent Question (DRAMA!)

[talktooloose]

I know, I've been absent from these environs, but I haven't gone anywhere exotic. I've just been crushed by that thing called life. Be back soon.

I have questions for my tech-savvy friends. I've been happily downloading my favourite TV shows through torrents for years. Yesterday, I suddenly couldn't download (or seed) two new TV shows. I have downloaded the torrent file for Sunday night's True Blood which shows as having more than 3000 seeds and I am coming up zeros.

I am able to download other test files (including a Radiohead concert that is cooking away now), but True Blood will not work, nor will a Nurse Jackie episode. Furthermore, a Nurse Jackie I downloaded successfully over the weekend will not upload. It shows 0 leechers, which is just silly.

(BTW, I don't really recommend Nurse Jackie. We're bailing after two episodes.)

ANY IDEAS? It looks to me like Bell-Sympatico has somehow jumped to the defense of new TV? Is that possible? It's not just the choking stuff people have reported, because that would apply to everything. It's any torrent named True Blood and probably others.

I sound calmer than I feel!!

Comments

Torrents...

[philos-arbiter.livejournal.com]

I think I may be able to help you with this torrent problem.
I need some info about your torrent software first:
1. What torrent software do you use?
2. Does it use encryption to upload and download torrents?
3. If you are not using encryption you will need to turn this on so
your torrents can remain unseen and anonymous on the net. If not
some internet providers may try to interfere with your torrents.
If you need further help on this email me at
gandalf at luxwebwizard.com

Re: Torrents...

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I will write to you when I'm at home and can look these things up.

BUT! I think what's going on is that the Pirate Bay has been taken offline when the Swedish court threatened its bandwidth provider yesterday. I bet that's affecting the torrents in question.

In any case, I will write later.

Re: Torrents...

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Or maybe that doesn't make sense.

I use Transmission to download files on my Mac. I download them from mininova.org. Is the Pirate Bay basically the same as mininova? Does their shut down mean that torrent files upped to them are no longer working?

I don't really understand how the system works.

I downloaded the software here at work to look at the preferences. I don't see any mention of encryption.

Re: Torrents...

[philos-arbiter.livejournal.com]

Try using another torrent program that does have encryption. I use Demonoid.com site for torrents,it works good. I'm not sure about torrent programs for Mac. Try to find a torrent program having encryption, that's the only safe way to get torrents.
Any further talk about this should go to my email at
gandalf at luxwebwizard.com

Re: Torrents...

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Thanks. It was a Pirate Bay Issue. All the trackers issued from there were dead. I found another that worked. I conclude that my ISP had nothing to do with the problem.

[rfmcdpei.livejournal.com]

Do you watch Mad Men?

(Yes, much too long.)

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Wait, what's too long?

No, I hear the first season is excellent. The shows we watch:

Lost, Weeds, Big Love, Survivor, Damages, United States of Tara, True Blood.