Michael's Mind

Stupid

I am getting "Mortgage Rate Reduction" S.P.A.M. Naturally, they use the usual stupid tricks to get through the Bayes filters on the email, like spelling "Mortgage", "Mort.ga.ge", and such idiocy.

Here's the deal: I don't want some moron handling my mortgage account, given that things like property taxes and insurance have to be paid promptly or I risk losing my house. So why would I trust some fool who goes to such ridiculous extent to get past the filters I have set in place to keep such shit out of my mailbox?

In the same vein, why isn't it legal to kill these stupid assholes when they're caught? Lots of people would support the "Can SPAM Forever Act".

And Now, On A Lighter Note....

Bird Flu Spreads in China, Experts Ring Alarm Bells

Population and conditions in China and Southeast Asia mean that for the remaining time that humans have on earth they will be the petri dishes for every fast-spreading contagion (especially the influenzas) that will come along. "Bird Flu" is just waiting for a cross infection with a human already infected with one of the more common human varieties so that it can pick up the gene for human-human transmission, which is inevitable. When that happens, it could very well mean the next pandemic.

Nasty, Unethical Web Service Strikes

My daughter called me from college to tell me her PC no longer would connect to the internet, and what should she do? Retracing the events just before the failure yielded the information that the virus checker had tagged some files as viruses, and she had deleted these, and that's when the problems started.

More research, and several efforts to get things working by telephone, revealed that the problem was caused by removal of a spyware program related to the "Webhancer" system (also known as Webcancer). This spyware is (nearly always) installed without the user's knowledge or permission, and then...

Well, lets just quote from their web site, shall we?

"Knowing the key business questions you need answered is the key. Questions like:
What other sites are my customers visiting? Before? After? Where are they buying?
What impact does page performance have on my conversion rate? What site affinities do my customers have - are there partnership opportunities I'm missing?
Do my customers convert more at a competitor's site than my site?
If you can answer these and other questions, you are well on your way to actionable customer intelligence."

"What other sites are my customers visiting?" None of your god-damned business, motherfucker! This is an ethically-challenged corporation that is going into my firewall's blackhole list.

But wait, there's more:

"webHancer Approach

webHancer's data collection method is simple. The millions of desktops that comprise our global desktop panel have a small piece of client software running in the background recording browser behavior and performance data as users surf the web. " (My emphasis)

Millions of unaware, unwilling desktops whose PCs have been hijacked by these assholes, that is. My first impression from my daughter's description of her problems was that the ethernet NIC on the motherboard of her Toshiba had failed, and I had her buy another adapter as a remedy. Time, and money, wasted because this jerk-ass ratfuck company doesn't have the balls to ask permission before they install their crapware.

"Each click is recorded and deposited in one central repository. Our combination of user behavior and performance data from end users provides unique value unequaled in the industry -- value not available from log files or from audience measurement systems.

Once installed, the Customer Companion runs in the background without interacting with the user. To ensure the most effective collection of statistics, installed Customer Companions anonymously query webHancer for configuration and software updates on a periodic basis. "

My experience suggests that this is either not true, or the permission to install is buried under a clickthrough license that obscures the actual effect of what is being installed.

Here is what cexx.org has to say about webhancer:
' The majority of users running WebHancer are not aware they are running it, unless they have noticed system side-effects or unusual data transfers from their machine. WebHancer, like "Comet Curse", falls into the category of "everything-installs-it-can't-get-rid-of-it" foistware, with completely unrelated software secretly installing the WebHancer product on the user's system. (Given this, I think the program should be more aptly called "WebCancer" :) In one of the most user-hostile moves I've seen in a while, the clandestine WebHancer install will alter critical Registry keys relating to Windows Sockets, causing the system's Internet connection capabilities to break if the user dares to try uninstalling the spy. WebHancer's makers claim not to modify system files (which is, technically, true) although they have confirmed that attempting to remove it will break your system. '

cexx also has a description of the processes to look for to detect an infection by this malignant software. Ad-Aware can remove it, get the most current version.

Baby It's Cold Outside

Here's a cheerful scenario: sudden global climate change.

The movie from Fox would only be effective if it's in the "12 Monkeys" vein: apocalypse now. If Dennis Quaid actually saves the world, you won't know what it was he saved it from.

Global warming triggering an ice age: sort of poetic natural justice, I suppose.

Too Much Fun

This is just delicious. Judging from this, SCO's little charade is about to collapse of it's own absurdity. And when the lawsuit collapses, SCO collapses, because all it is is a litigation mill.

When a litigation mill fucks up their very first lawsuit, they don't have much of a future. I've said it before, so let me say it again: Fuck you, Darl McBride. Fuck you, SCO.

You are right about one thing: we (some of us at least) do hate you.

I should feel sorry for the staff still employed by SCO who are going to get caught in the implosion, but I don't. If they are so lacking in integrity that they still draw pay from this immoral organization, then fuck them too. They deserve what's coming, from Darl right down to the receptionist.

To Hell With Them

I don't mind when Microsoft goes around spreading lies about Linux, saying it costs more to run, it doesn't run as well as Windows, it doesn't do things as well as Windows, and so forth, because the community of Linux users can calmly and patiently counter all those lies, misrepresentations, and exaggerations with facts and demonstrations of how well Linux works. Linux got to where it is today, the only significant competition for Windows, almost entirely by word of mouth (and usenet, of course).

What I do mind, is Microsoft turning their toy pitbull, SCO Group, loose to try to rip the pants legs of Linux, while they are busy trying to buy enough congressmen to make Linux illegal, or otherwise cripple it enough so they don't have to actually compete with it.

Meanwhile here is an article from The Inquirer that summarizes the SCO situation pretty well.

Get Wired

The I.T. manager for my agency sent out an order which we received today instructing all facilities to immediately discontinue use of any wireless networking systems until further notice.

It seems he read a magazine article that discussed "hackers" breaking into wireless networks, and got scared.

This is an example of the "bozo factor".