Slush stopped posting here some time ago. Until the beginning of this year newbies couldn't make posts in normal threads and the members that were posting were just asking the same questions over and over. It had got really bad so slush quit posting in this thread because he was just repeating himself over and over because no one would read past posts for answers. He added the webchat, a ticket system and Facebook for announcements. It sucks but this forum had got out of control. Slush is a highly intelligent person and to explain the same simple things over and over again when there is a knowledge base link on the pool page and plenty of pages in the forum they could review over became too overwhelming. Also, at the same time having clueless miners accusing him of crazy things because they don't understand how a score based pool works wasn't very productive for anyone. He was trying to write new pool software for the pool and create a Stand alone bitcoin wallet to help bring bitcoin to wider audience so he stopped posting here to create those things. You can still post with him in the Development and Technical threads, so he is still available and answers questions, just not the ones that he has answered 1,000's of times since 2011. He left this thread unlocked so we could communicate and help each other out.
Finally. Another intelligent post. This one should be read by all newbs, but it probably won't
I all ways look for this first and as a last resort ask newbie question and only then if I'm totally annoyed after hours of looking, even, then i hate to ask anything .
We are a dying breed. But look at it this way, if something as 'technical' (for want of a better word - because it's pretty bloody straightforward) as bitcoins gets so much noise just imagine what it would be like on the more mundane forums.. gaming ones spring to mind though I'm not a gamer so can't speak from experience.
PS Back after a year absence - that is to say mining in general - been on slush since day dot after solo mining was no longer an option and don't intend to change (though I might bugger off for several months at a time

) Great to be back!! cheers.