Earnings for March, April and May
June 5th, 2014Many thanks to the those of you who supported Cryptogon in March, April and May.
Missing the minimum monthly earnings goal ($1000) for three months in a row means that it’s probably time to start winding down my efforts on Cryptogon. I’m doing a disservice to my family by allocating time to this without seeing a suitable return. This is definitely not cutting it.
I’ve been running Cryptogon since 2002. June makes it twelve years. Maybe it’s time to move on.
If you contribute in June and I don’t make the $1000 goal, I’ll refund your money if you like.
If I need to shut down, I’ll try to keep providing updates for some period of time on a private site for people who have contributed in the past—a closure period for me and those of you who sent your hard earned money in to keep Cryptogon open all these years. The Cryptogon Contributors Lounge? Or something. haha Anyway, let’s see how June goes.
*** March ***
Amazon $351.97
Amazon GBP.63
Pookie $75
DM $15
DS $50
EO $25
BP $10
TG $5
AF $100
Total: $633.22
*** April ***
Amazon $288.81
Amazon GBP4.72
Pookie $75
AD EUR100
MW $42
Eileen $100
ID EUR25
DE $25
GS $100
Total: $808.69
*** May ***
Amazon $332.55
Amazon GBP12.89
Amazon CA.84
Pookie $75
DM $15
TM $10
DE $25
DT $50
TG $20
gm3d.com $90
Total: $635.83
Yeah, sensed that coming on for a while. Can’t keep the flame lit on fumes. I’ll miss the light though. Been my favorite port in a storm for years.
Is there life after Cryptogon? Been a ‘goner since 2005. Got my fix daily, except those rare occasions with no internet access. ‘goner rehab in my near future, that’s fer damned sure.
Maybe we should have a ‘goner blowout, End of the Era party, complete with prizes for who can spot and shoot down the most drones circling overhead.
I’d be curious to hear Kevins thoughts as to *why* the earnings have gone down over the years…
@pookie
2005 was a big year for Becky and me. That’s the year we planned and executed our exit strategy. I remember “meeting” you back then, so to speak, through Cryptogon. Man oh man, what a journey it has been!
@SW
I think it’s a lot of things.
* My message is less compelling now that a lot of people can just see it for themselves, unaided. People don’t have to seek out little Internet backwaters like Cryptogon to figure out that things are not ok.
* For those few who do want to follow events more closely, there is a vast choice of sites covering these topics now.
* Now that NSA surveillance has entered mainstream consciousness, I think that some who might have supported Cryptogon in the past are wondering things like, “If I send him 10 bucks, will I wind up in an orange jumpsuit?” People are censoring themselves in terms of what they write online and the sites they visit and support. Sometimes even I go to search for things and think, “Maybe I’ll connect to my VPN provider and then fire up Tor for that one.” I never used to do that and I’ve known about all the surveillance shit since the 1990s. (Not an endorsement for Tor, by the way.)
* Cryptogon is not a site that most readers want to keep reading for years. It’s too grim for most. I’m not saying that these people want to put on rose colored glasses. It’s not that. They just don’t want to be reminded about how screwed everything is and how the Dark Side pretty much wins on a daily basis.
* Young people aren’t into this stuff. So as the older readers move on, there’s hardly any young people showing up. I know, I know, there are some young people reading, but it’s hardly any.
* It might just be that I’m not as good at this as I once was. I love my children, but since I became a father, I have paid a steep price in terms of my ability to concentrate. It takes longer to to less, etc.
I could keep going, but that probably covers the bulk of it.
Much like how Kevin has lost some ability to concentrate by having a family, focusing too much on the Dark Side takes it’s toll on family life. I certainly have to limit my dosage more as I become more aware so that I’m not overwhelmed.
Having done a fair amount of digging and thinking, I’m afraid we’re far more screwed than Cryptogon suggests. That actually makes this site a more pleasant read and people here keep a sense of humor. (like pookie’s comment – you were joking, right?)
@Kevin – I’m not sure if it’s possible, but maybe you could keep the site going while stepping back a bit and spending more time with your family.
I wonder what has happened to the Amazon numbers. I’ve been channeling a fair amount of funds through Amazon for manufactured spending and such. I wonder if you’re getting the proper payments from them.
Since I’m likely to end up in an orange jumpsuit anyway, maybe a blowout donation party is in order.
@Kevin:
I thought you were going to also metion the detoriating economy (ie: higher unemployment hence fewer people have money to donate).
Good points nonetheless!
@ alvinroast yes, I was joking. it’s one of my survival mechanisms. But as reclusive as I am, I’d still go out of my way to attend a gathering of ‘goners (almost all introverts, probably), as that’s the only way I’d have a chance of being in the same room with a bunch of other misfits who are on the same page. (And of course we’d spend the time trying to figure out which one of us was the “plant” — har.) But a “blowout donation party” — that’s a great idea for a fundraiser.
@SW yes, with the decimation of the middle class, increasingly the only ones with money to spare are the ones Kevin’s been exposing for over a decade.
@Kevin I know of several people that I’ve turned on to Cryptogon that have stopped reading, probably after a year, because they said it was just too depressing for them. I, on the other hand, want to know ALL the bad news. I follow Thomas Hardy in that “If a way to the better there be, it exacts a full look at the worst.”