In the last 5 weeks we've had 226 spammers register on the forum. Most of them were prevented from posting, but maybe some of you saw the 55 porn spam posts we got this morning before Doc banned the jerk.
Anyway, we're tightening up on some spam control, and we'll be making occasional random changes to mess with the programming of the automated spambots.
New members need to complete some "prove you're a human" tests, at registration and before making their first post(s). I know everyone hates these, but they've been pretty effective against the bots.
Also, there's a limit on how frequently you can post from the same IP address. I'm not going to say the exact limit here, but it's unlikely to affect you unless you post, and then immediately make a quick edit or short reply to your post.
We've put temporary or permanent bans on some IP addresses (mostly in Russia, Ukraine, and China). We always check IP addresses to see whether they've been used by legitimate members, and/or whether they are Tor exit nodes. Probably we'll get this wrong on occasion, so if you're using Tor and find yourself blocked, that's why.
Sorry for the inconveniences, but it's the best we can manage.
