I thought this question would be easy, but it has been passed over several times.
Currently, there is not a way to automatically block IPs that try the author=N scans, but we may consider adding that option in the future.
Answered posts move back to the top of the list, so you may have been seeing older posts we were answering appearing above yours. We mostly try to work through the oldest unanswered posts first, or those that seem urgent, like someone who locked themselves out of their own site by mistake, but do try to read & answer most of them. Thanks!
-Matt R
