Just checked in for the first time since yesterday afternoon (CST). Site showing 504 here, too, but the miners I have directed at Eligius have never switched to failover during the past week or two where the site has been really, really buggy.

payouts also slow, the same as with the rest. wasn't really an 'issue' until yesterday, when i decided to buy another miner. that isn't the fault of Eligius though, so i'm not assigning blame. i had had a few small purchases the day prior and my 'hot' wallet was a little depleted. the additional miner was spur-of-the-moment, and thought i had enough to cover it. not a big deal. just took a little out of the cold wallet, and will be able to replace what i took out within a few days i'm sure.

as for the fees in discussion... i think they're a good idea on the surface. i agree with others who are posting that a little thought needs to be put into on how these truly would be implemented. i think most who post here regularly, or follow this thread regularly, as i don't really post too often, donate at least some portion back to the pool. i'm sure that most do not. it's free, and they simply latch onto that. donating takes effort, and if your sole draw to the pool is the lack of fees, i doubt a person in the frame of mind would donate.

for those who aren't donating, if you like the pool, stop bitching and donate. even if you are like me and don't have a lot of hashing power, you can still pony up 0.5%-1%. you're not going to notice it.

that all said, it is odd that the site has been as wonky as it's has been, and the payout mechanism is much, much slower. i don't mind if i get the minimum once per day, or 3 or 4 times that a few days down the road. i'm mainly just hopeful that whatever is causing the issues can be resolved without a lot more hassle to the operators, since whatever is causing the problem seems to still be lingering, meaning it must not be obvious or easy.

good luck WK, and Luke. i'll drop by another time to catch up on the latest news.