Update Jan 3: As I'm sure everyone knows, the update went without a hitch, and everything is up and running like a champ!

Correction: The server upgrade will occur tomorrow night, Jan 2, starting at approx 10pm EST

Update Jan 1: Well, with the continued donations we've reached $200 exactly! Again, I can't thank you all enough. Another bit of good news. The server folks didn't have the processor in stock that was going to be used for the upgrade, so they're throwing in the next level up at no additional cost! so we're getting a little better deal due to circumstances. There's always a silver lining, I suppose. I'd like to thank the additional donators: Probono, RainyDayMan, and another who did not leave a username in the payment notes and who's email does not match the one used to register here (domain is kenjura.com). Please drop me a note and I will add your name to the Hall of Fame. I really am overwhelmed by the response. I'd better get rendering so I can add more stuff right after the upgrade!

Second Update Dec 31: Wow! you folks have really come through! Another $70, bringing the total to $140! Loads of thanks to psayer, scipiogarling, and Spot! I will take up the rest (unless of course folks want to keep donating, I won't turn it down). I've scheduled the upgrade to occur tomorrow night, so the site will be down for 3-5 hours starting somewhere around 10pm EST. You guys ROCK!

Update Dec 31: Many thanks to Chatty, Jyrrahdr, and The_holy_spartan for their donations yesterday and today! $70 between them! Off to a great start!

Hello All,

You may have noticed some problems with access to the site lately. The problem is the server is becoming a bit overwhelmed, and this site is the main reason for that.

The amount of disk space used from multiple shopping carts of everything on the site is pretty enormous. The bandwidth used from all those hundreds of gigs downloaded is also a factor.

So, I need to upgrade the server. The cost to upgrade to a quad core machine with 4 times the ram and 10 times the disk space will cost me $300 US. This one-time fee will allow me to upgrade to a better machine without increasing the monthly fee, which is very important for me. The server currently costs me $190 a month. That didn't used to be a big deal, but having been laid off two years ago, I now make less than half my previous salary.

I do NOT want to get rid of the server, or have to get rid of this site or other sites so that the current server can run more efficiently, but those are my choices.

Therefore, I am appealing to all those out there who enjoy this site, and would like to see it continue. I currently have $100 set aside for the upgrade. All it would take is for 40 people to donate $5, and we're done.

If you can spare it, please click the Donate link and give what you can.

Thank you

Jeff Alberts
aka Steel Rat