Chao Patties

Actual e-mail received on this subject (address elided to protect the stupid)

All hotlinking from MySpace is blocked, on all chaobell.net websites. No exceptions. There is one and only one person whose MySpace I give a shit about, and chances are you aren't him. You are not a special snowflake. I will not unblock you. Don't even ask.

But since you're probably going to try it anyway, I figure it's only fair that I give you some warning as to what to expect...

Hotlinking content from chaobell.net proper: redirected to MySpace-specific deterrent substitute image. You don't want it.

Hotlinking content from Chao Patties Gallery: Straight-up 403. You will see a broken image.

Hotlinking content from /usr/bin/w00t or Silent Hill: Bridge of Thread: redirected to deterrent substitute image that you really, really, really don't want.

What if I'm not on MySpace?

Hotlinking is still heavily frowned upon, and will almost certainly result in your attempt being blocked when I find you out. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis for people who have the common decency to ask first and who, for whatever reason, can't use an image hosting service like TinyPic or ImageShack.

MAJOR EXCEPTION: I don't mind occasional hotlinking of stuff from the Gallery's 4chan album (and ONLY the 4chan album). Repeated hotlinking on high-traffic sites will get you blocked and redirected to a substitute. As a rule, if you're responsible for more than 10% of my daily bandwidth use, I block your ass. Help yourself to the macros--that's what they're there for--but use your own space and bandwidth if you're going to use lots of them.

BEWARE!!! If you are hotlinking macros from my site in a thread where you're being a douche, I reserve the right to publicly humiliate you. Use of my bandwidth is a privilege, not a right, and it can and will be revoked for any reason including but not limited to:

• You're using my shit to illustrate your sexist, racist, homophobic, heterophobic, biphobic,  anti-whatever-religion/anti-atheist/anti-agnostic or other hate speech
• I know you and already know you're an idiot
• I just feel like it

But I found it on a Google search for "free wallpaper!" That means I can use it!

Um, no. Finding an image on Google does not make it public domain. 

Let me repeat this, because some of you don't seem to understand that.

FINDING AN IMAGE ON GOOGLE DOES NOT MAKE IT PUBLIC DOMAIN.

Why is that so hard for some people to wrap their brains around? I'd probably be a little more understanding about this if it didn't say so itself: 

Yes, I do have freebies that you may use as you see fit, and that includes using them on your website. This does not include my bandwidth. Put that shit on your own webspace.

But it's for a non-profit site!

And your point is... what, exactly?

Look, it doesn't matter what kind of site you run. If it's not a freebie: put it on your own space, give credit and a link. If it IS a freebie, put it on your own space.