So it turns out .cat is only for Catalonia. I didn’t know this, just thought it was a neat hostname. So… they finally caught me not being Catalan, and they’re taking my domain away.

It’s sad. I’m not really sure what I plan to do, but in about a week, rss.ponder.cat will be no more. Sorry gamers. No promises but one possibility would be to set up a replacement instance, and just send everyone a DM with links to be able to get their subscriptions via the new instance instead.

People are going to complain at me about having to block the new bots, too. Hooray! Well, life goes on.

  • PhilipTheBucketOPMA
    3·
    5 days ago

    Holy shit that’s a wonderful idea… it is fine to get an .at domain no matter who you are, apparently, although there are subdomains (.ac.at and .gv.at and like that) that are reserved for particular Austrian uses.

    Also, Hostinger’s uncanny valley AI-generated commentary which it emits unprompted every time you want to see how much a domain costs, has returned.

    • ponderc.at: “This domain is ideal for a thoughtful cat-related blog.”

    IDK, maybe it will lead to too many typos or be confusing… I do like the idea but I’ll want to think on it, I’m not even really decided about what I want to do. I feel like anyone who’s not in on the joke will just have trouble remembering it.

    Other Hostinger domain commentary:

    • beehaw.online: “This domain is ideal for a beekeeping community platform.”
    • mander.social: “This domain is ideal for community engagement and networking platforms. It suits social initiatives or collaborative projects effectively.”
    • hexbear.shop: “This domain is ideal for a niche retail store. It can showcase unique products related to its theme.”
    • gruesome.dog: “This domain is ideal for horror-themed pet content. It suits unique dog merchandise with a macabre twist.”

    And so on. Don’t use Hostinger BTW. I have learned that there’s a reason they are cheap. Also, it cheerfully informs me that I can get gruesome.dog + gruesome.info + gruesome.online as a big bundle, for just $8.97 for the first year. A steal.