I was ready to write this up two weeks ago, until the stunning loss in the first round of the NFL playoffs of my beloved Green Bay Packers to the soon to be Gary or Arlington Heights Bears, which had me in a mandatory mourning period.
That period of mourning was broken last Sunday night when the Bears lost to the Inglewood Rams, a game many were expecting to be a Chicago blowout because of the ice and snow. Turns out that the Rams managed to do just fine, especially in the final minutes where it mattered most (unlike my Packers).
And then there's the chaos of everyday life for us: building a house, freezing temps while living in an RV, and the normal demands of my day job. But with a few spare minutes now as I wait for the storm to arrive, here we go.
Let's close the books on 2025 with with a quick recap of the year by the numbers.
The site saw over 12,000 forum posts, which is down by about 15% from 2024, and 3800 private messages, which is also down about 18%. There were 632,000 file downloads, which is also down about 4%, however downloads by paying members were up by 9%. Thank you if you were one of those who converted to a paid membership.
Financially, the site has managed to cover its costs now for two full years, with a small emergency fund at the ready to keep the site running for about a year with zero donations. After that, well.... let's hope it doesn't come to that. The best way to help keep that date far away is to consider either via FastPass or a First Class Membership.
For those of you that stuck out with us for another year, and to those who may have only just joined us in 2025 (or maybe even 2026, since this is late...), thank you. This site wouldn't be here without all of you.
Two weeks ago, the forum's software was upgraded to a new minor version 6.1.6, which seems to be working well. In the last week, I've also put in a few changes which will hopefully make things a little bit easier for our VPN users. If you've noticed any changes with regard to needing to repeatedly log in, please let me know in the separate thread already going on.
For those of you outside North America... I've added a latency check which will show how long message traffic including download packets takes between your browser and the server. I've also got a global monitor available to compare the differences between our server's location and several major points. These are located on the Help menu above.
Why the focus on latency? I've considered adding a download server specifically to better serve Australia, India and other members who live closer to and on the other side of the International Date Line, and have been working thru the design to make sure it's just as secure as what we already have. I know that the immediate reaction from some is "why take on an added cost" but the upside of that is it would take a fairly constant load off our existing server which is in Texas. Technologically, it's not difficult, and the software wouldn't need to be spec'd for running the database software, nor would another license for our forum software be required. The main concern here is some time and a few people to help measure the differences. More on that project as/if it moves ahead.
Yep, that's where SoFi Stadium is, not Los Angeles. The Bears, if they do move, will either be in Gary, Indiana or Arlington Heights, Illinois (next to the CNW Harvard mainline...). And going back 75 years the Packers were almost the Ashwaubenon Packers. Since that town was dry in 1956, and Green Bay wasn't, a hasty annexation was arranged so that the newly constructed Lambeau Field would be legally in Green Bay and be able to sell beer, a very important thing for Wisconsin sports. And the first home game at Lambeau? Against the Bears, which at the time was already a 35 year old rivalry.
As many of you know, with the NFL football season almost over, I usually get back into a more normal routine of programming and route building...
My next few sprints of work are almost here, and Packerland is next up in the rotation.
That route hasn't been touched in a while, but I'd like to get Green Bay to Fond Du Lac trackwork roughed in for alignment (mainline only, no sidings). I'll usually go thru a week or three of route building (a week of track, a week of scenery building, and a week of scenery placement), followed by a total break for other work, likely some additions to TSRE. v8.006 is ready to start, so get those wish list items logged quickly.
While snow is annoying, the ice forecasted to start in a couple hours can be downright dangerous when it comes to trees and power lines. With luck, we will be OK. If not, the generator is fueled with reserves standing by to get us by for a couple days, and we also have extra propane bottles standing by for the RV furnace.
Those of you in the storm's path, stay warm and stay safe. Being prepared is more important than being lucky, and hopefully your lights stay on.
Keeping the lights on for our community only happens because of the generosity and commitment of our regular visitors and members. I'd personally like this to be around for many more years, and you can also help make that happen with a paid membership. If you're not already convinced of the value a membership provides, feel free to reach out to me directly and let me know what you think is missing.
Thanks again for stopping by. I'm glad you're here.
