Linux, email and another Google goody!

Are you a Gates supporting Microsoft Nazi? Or do you despise Bill and the Redmond gang? Possibly a Linux Nazi? Slightly interested in Linux? Want 'in' on the latest trends in servers or handhelds? There is interesting reading over at ZDNet. Let me know what you think.

Every so often there has to be a post about email. Love it! Please send your opinions, well wishes, flames, etc. and help me keep in focus. Don't stop! But, understand that I just don't do the chain letter thing and forward. I try to reply to all inquiries about things cyber or computerese. Keep those cards and letters coming!

There is a lot of interest in Google's possible entry into the Instant Messaging realm. We need something that is reliable, private and easy to use. Sounds like a Google thing to me! More on this at Silicon.com.

"The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind."
-William Blake

Chicken Little in China? NOT!

Talk about a dude with a positive attitude check out the BBC post concerning the satellite crash in China. The crash destroyed the residence, but no one was hurt. The owner takes this as a sign of possible prosperity during the coming year.

"Watch out for that gravity storm."
-Jimmy Buffett

Johnny Boy, you're singing the wrong tune!

John Ashcroft, our somewhat confused songbird Attorney General, has a bad case of myth-direction. He's banging the drum and creating hoopla about "piracy" on the internet and one of Satan's main whores, Mitch Bainol of the RIAA, is about to burst with glee. Crooner Ashcroft needs to worry about how spyware and spam are ruining Netizens internet experiences instead of fretting over the fat media companies not making as MUCH profit! Read about it at Wired News.

Do you find it interesting that a company that promotes spyware in their browser toolbar has a technews headline about an anti-spyware campaign? Yahoo has been on again off again down through the years with their spyware problems. TechTV, when it was TechTV, broke a story back in the spring that the boobs at Yahoo had spyware in the Yahoo Toolbar. Since then nothing has been heard about it being removed. Okay, I do use their instant messenger. What is one to do? AOL? NOT!! And ICQ is owned by AOL. Suggestions are welcome as to an alternative. Anyway, since I do check their news (it's really AP) on occasion I will link to this article - Group, Dell Launch Anti-Spyware Campaign.

When installing Yahoo Messenger be sure and uncheck EVERYTHING but Yahoo Messenger. Pay close attention because they try to sneak in that other garbage several times during the installation process. Sorry, we don't need the annoying Yahoo Companion and that horrible spyware infected Yahoo Toolbar. Also, even if you do uncheck everything, go to Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs, and look down at the very bottom under the list of all the Windows updates which SHOULD be listed and you find that Yahoo has no respect for your request to not install this barnyard material. They've dropped it on your computer anyway!!!! Remove this miserable junk leaving only Yahoo Messenger. Again, if anyone has a suggestion about a better IM, please let me know. In the meantime, if you need a good toolbar for your Internet Explorer go over to Google, click on 'more' and check out a decent straightforward approach.

Drinking a tasty cup of coffee and planning the day. Sure beats battling the flu. Ahhhh, the joys of the vacuum are calling me. Have a casual Saturday.

"A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes."
-Mark Twain

Place where evil children live gets a gold star

Did you know that 1 out of every 5 CDs sold comes from Wal-mart? That's a solid 20% of the market. Now let us progress to the current whine fest going on in the music business. Wal-mart wants the price of all CDs lowered to BELOW $10.00!!! The major label moguls are running scared and I am LMAO big time. Serves them right. Is this possibly a prelude to the demise of the music mafia known as the RIAA? Hope so!!!! Read all about it in the Rolling Stone .

Now that I've been thoroughly charged with positive news, I must go finish the laundry.

"The obvious and fair solution to the housework problem is to let men do the housework for, say, the next six thousand years, to even things up. The trouble is that men, over the years, have developed an inflated notion of the importance of everything they do, so that before long they would turn housework into just as much of a charade as business is now. They would hire secretaries and buy computers and fly off to housework conferences in Bermuda, but they'd never clean anything."
-Dave Barry

Has it been 10 years?

Yesterday was the 10th anniversary of Netscape. Slashdot noted that they were the first good browser and the first to evolve from commercial to opensource status. This is well and good; just remember AOL owns Netscape. This is NOT a good thing. Many Netscape alumni are involved in the Mozilla project which also claims to be opensource. After downloading XP SP2 and turning on the popup killer in Internet Explorer I still prefer the Mozilla browser at this time. A day does not go by without both browsers being used at the Beach House. Time will tell.

"Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist but the ability to start over."
-F. Scott Fitzgerald

Wormtongues

How does the RIAA even exist in our country? Why are musicians letting these Gestapo wannabes plague mankind? Can they not understand that these leeches are taking money from their pockets? Exaggeration? Read this article at arstechnica. It is a crying shame that such an entity thrives in a land that boasts being a free nation.

While on the subject of 'plague' elimination - spyware is becoming more rampant every day. Congress needs to address this issue. No doubt we need anti-spam legislation, but closely tied to this problem is the gleaning of information from unknowing Netizens that fuels the violation of privacy. Has our world become so liberal that we have atrophied into drones of evil? Are you afraid to stand up for your rights because it might offend someone? Contact your lawmakers with a mighty voice.

Alice came to a fork in the road. "Which road do I take?" she asked.
"Where do you want to go?" responded the Cheshire cat.
"I don't know," Alice answered.
"Then," said the cat, "it doesn't matter."

-Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Contemplating late night virus infections

Up late working on a PC that has virus infections, mucho spyware, and various other problems. Updated and ran Norton's antivirus (part of Norton's System Works, which is really bad juju and Norton's Internet Security is downright evil) twice and found several infections. Even downloaded two of their removal tools and ended up having to manually remove the malware. Then it ran clear. Guess what? I decided to scan with AVG over the network with one of my machines and 'lo and behold' another virus infection was found that Norton's missed - even after being updated today! So go ahead with your bad self and keep paying that annual fee for Norton's. I'll use AVG Free Edition, thank you. The AVG software is found here.

"You never know what is enough, until you know what is more than enough."
-William Blake, Proverbs of Hell

Reduce the Induce Act to its true nature - a pile of rubbish

After threatening to lock fellow lawmakers in a room until they succumbed to his madness Senator 'Oral' Hatch and his goober minion Leahy have tabled the Induce Act. Even though we are safe for a few days this load of barnyard material will return. People, people, people. Get with it and stop this horrible freedom killing piece of garbage legislation. What can we do? Number one, if you live in Utah or Vermont vote Hatch and Leahy out of office!!!! Number two, contact your Congresspersons and express ultimate contempt for this bill. Number three, read up on the Induce Act and spread the word amongst your fellow Netizens. This idiotic junk bill has to be stopped. How do these people get elected?

Save the iPod, NetCoalition, Aallnet, and Tech Law Advisor have related posts. For a great example of a letter to your legislator take a look at Outside Asylum. These are examples of different people uniting for a common cause. Be an American and prevent this biased act from becoming law!

"We're all in this together."
-Reb Green

Saturday morning casual

Are virus infections the worst hazard one can have on their PC? Or is it Trojans? NO! NO! NO! Spyware is the most horrible malady out there today. The creeps that write this stuff should be sent straight into the sun. Well, ha ha ha! Sanford Wallace and his minions are being sued by the FTC to cease and desist this horrible stuff. Read about it over at ZDNetNews. Finally something is being done to stop this hideous form of malware. I say hang 'em!

AVG has a new free edition beta out that is even easier to install and run than version 6. Really nice look and smooth operating. Just remember, this is a beta version so download at your own risk. AVG rocks!

It's raining. On days like this the Beach House is an awesome place to be...must go surrender to the couch monster. Complete wussy boy when it comes to being sick. Be glad when this 'flu' is gone!

"When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost."
-Billy Graham

Wimpy, wambly, wombly

Due to illness my missing in action status may continue. The cure for the human cold still eludes us. Being sick is a luxury that cannot be afforded around the Beach House. Seems a shot in the rump is in order. About to happen if this fever doesn't break.

No need to go on with a whine fest. Time to return to bed and the weird dreams. Everyone stay well.

"Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon."
-Doug Larson

Recommendation and reflection

Just checked out a facelift given to a great site, ars technica. They've taken the time and trouble to make their site more attractive, easier to read, and the navigation is superb. This is one of the few sites that strives to promote the straight skinny on things techno. Cruise on over there and take a looksee.

A reader was concerned about my post Saturday before last. I spoke of my Dad who passed away and was reflecting and praying. Sorry folks, this is normal. Not depressed, just in thought. Blogs are web logs. Journals of what's happening. Certainly don't intend to bring anybody down and the remembrances of Dad are positive, but I miss him.

It's time to take some God awful stuff for this cold and hit the door running. It's gonna' be a long and, hopefully, industrious day. Fellow travelers, keep that chrome and rubber between you and the asphalt.

"And miles to go before I sleep"
-Frost

Dream state

Hate colds, especially when trying to accomplish 7 tasks at the same time. Maybe this will run its course and I won't have anymore this winter. Reminds me, time for a flu shot. Just woke up to take more meds and thought I'd mention that overclocking the toothbrush has taken back burner to work. It will be done when the opportunity arises. Funny what you dream when taking cold remedies...

"Huge and mighty forms that do not live like living men, moved slowly through the mind by day and were trouble to my dreams."
-Wordsworth, Resolution and Independence

Opinions? Please use comments

I've been sidetracked from pressure washing the house. Here is a draft of an email I am thinking about sending:



To: info@g4media.com

RE: Concerning ZDTV, TechTV, now G4TechTV


I have watched all the incarnations of this channel since its enception May, 1998. Watched the first day on air over a c-band satellite system and was immediately crazy about Leo and Kate. As the channel went through several changes (hosts, programs, ownership, etc.) I remained a loyal fan and have cable in order to view this channel. Writing has been delayed because the results of the latest buyout by COMCAST needed to be experienced firsthand.

Since the take over and incorporating TechTV into the G4 schedule the channel is not viewed as often as in the past. Technews Live was great as was Call for Help. Now viewers are bombarded with info about games, games, games. All I want is the ability to watch The Screensavers. Will you please quit changing the showtimes and schedule this show on a regular basis? It used to air at 10:00am Central on Sunday and now that time slot is about GAMES. Working in the industry I am not home during early evenings on some days. The rebroadcast of The Screensavers during the latter part of the evening was a welcome relief after a hard day spent pinging, disinfecting, replacing fubar graphics cards, mapping drives, etc..

The co-hosting of Patrick Norton and Kevin Rose during the latter days of The Screensavers existence in San Francisco was enjoyable. Let me mention I am such a fan that several years ago a trip was made to Birmingham, AL., to meet Leo and Megan. After entering an online contest a 'The Screensavers' T-shirt was won which I wear on special occasions. In the past the thought has crossed my mind about firing up the webcam and calling, but absolutely will NOT do that today. Since Alex became cohost it seems all callers, audience members, fellow staffers are constantly assaulted with snide remarks. I just don't remember Kevin and Patrick having this hateful attitude towards viewers.

Please don't make a rude comeback and tell me not to watch if the programs are not to taste. This is only to warn COMCAST that a hateful attitude towards subs will decrease said subs and profits will tumble. I remember when COMCAST was an infant SMATV starting out in Tupelo, MS. Nice bunch of folks and the community was proud to have this wonderful industry. Now folks in Tupelo have to call hateful Renee and various CSRs in other states to try and schedule service. So, here is a public relations possibility.

Would Brian Roberts be interested in a being a contestant in a charity boxing match in Tupelo, MS? We have a nice auditorium that seats several thousand people in Tupelo. Brian could visit Elvis's birthplace and experience a ride down historic Natchez Trace while here. Ticket sales and donations could go to a worthy cause. I'll gladly enter the ring even though I am an older, out of shape dude. Our tech community here has brought forth several volunteers that will gladly take on the challenger if I am too large, too ugly or too old. Let me know what the Bala Cynwyd group thinks ( Is COMCAST still headquartered there?).

One more whine - is it too much to ask that you put "Contact Us at info@g4media.com" on the front page of your site? Why bury it?

Knowing I'll be totally ignored,

Mike West
http://cybersouth.blogspot.com



Should I send it? Please use comments and let me know.


"Quietly making noise"
-J. Buffett

Haunted browsers and bushes

Periodically, Firefox is used as an alternative to Internet Explorer 6 and Mozilla. Granted, it's a prettier interface, but seems a tad wacky at times. This post will be uploaded while using Firefox. The last time that was tried efforts were lost in cyberspace. Of course, that could be the result of several items that come into play - browser, internet speed, load (time of day) and user error. Anyway, Charles Cooper has an interesting article over at CNETNews. His opinion basically reflects my feelings about this dilemna.

Before you Microsoft Nazis launch an all out attack let me reiterate; I DON'T like the idea of using ANY product that is owned by AOL (you can smooze it all you want , but the truth is AOHELL is lurking behind the Mozilla project) and I do think that Microsoft will eventually either correct the situation or improve it a great degree. Still irritates me that Gates and company choose to act like it's nothing for security to be in jeopardy while browsing the net. I'm sure some will flame anyway because I've spoken harshly about Bill and the gang. They did write the code for Windows ME (Millenium) and it was very, very bad. Their next attempt at an operating system was Windows 2000 and it was very, very good. Okay, enough.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, the birds are singing, the sun is shining, humidity is low and the high will be in the 70s. Good day to pressure wash the house and cut down the nasty looking Hawthorne bush that looks like it belongs on a Munsters set. Hmmmmmmm, Halloween is coming up...

"Windows is just DOS in drag."
-FreeBSD user talking to a Linux SuSe user

I sing thee Saturday morn rambling

Ahhhhhh, the relief of not having to be somewhere as the sun rises is an interim blessing. We wrapped up the major portion of a home theater installation yesterday. Still a few loose ends to tidy up, but the system is functioning. Hey, an all Polk Audio/Onkyo THX media room with a 50" Hitachi LCD built into the wall is most casual. Still lack installing a coupla' speakers, bundling cables, installing a set of wireless speakers and programming of remotes. Always good to let the client use the remotes and find out which is best suited for their needs, then narrow down to a minimum number.

Currently working on three PCs for clients then redoing my XP Pro machine. It has been squirrely since day one. Asus mobo, Pentium III 700, 512megs o' RAM, 256 NVidia graphics card, 20gig HDD (IDE), and Vortex sound - not a screamer, but a decent machine for the network. Anyone have a slot 1 full gig processor for sale? They are rare and still pricy because of the usage in servers. At least it looks that way on eBay. After that a web page for a client has to be worked on and sometime this weekend it's pressure washing time for the house. Always love communing with the wasps.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the great outdoors!

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older."
-Larry McMurtry, Some Can Whistle

The sucking electrical monopoly dance

Tombigbee Valley Electric Corp. supplies electricity to our area. During the last cycle of 34 days I reduced my electric bill to $55.00 and was proud of my efforts to turn off different items. I also installed a different AC unit and did not run it unless absolutely necessary. So when that bill arrived I felt like my switching off approach was working. Therefore, the switching off has continued. Needless to say my horror upon opening a bill for a period of 4 less days at a total of over $200.00 knocked me to the floor. I live in a very small house and am not here most of the day. I've never had a $200.00 electric bill. That's 4 times the last cycle and during the past few months weather has been extremely mild. I haven't called them for fear that I may become disgusted. Something has to be done and I may write a letter and demand a reply just to see if they even give a damn. Just wish that there was an alternative power source. This is beyond absurd.

Anyone have any ideas or advice?

"When angry, count four; when very angry, swear."
-Mark Twain, Pudd'nhead Wilson, 1894

Please pass the Starlight scope

We can't find that no good SOB Osama, but we can use technology to catch kids recording movies in theaters. Check BBC News, Entertainment to read further about this ridiculous waste of taxpayers money. Gee, golly, think this will put the major motion picture studios out of business? What a threat! Move over RIAA, Satan apparently has a new favorite.

Still opening attachments in email? If somethings looks the least bit suspicious email the sender and ask for verification before opening. Google search for the words 'email address spoofing' and read about exploits of the virus creeps. An alternative to the google search is reading Mike Healan's great article over at Spywareinfo. Now these stalwarts of evil can exploit jpeg files too. Pictures n' such. Check out Wired News.

"The real problem is in the hearts and minds of men. It is not a problem of physics but of ethics. It is easier to denature plutonium than to denature the evil from the spirit of man."
-Albert Einstein

Geek fun

Yes, Robin, I am serious about overclocking a toothbrush. It's an Oral B electric toothbrush that was purchased at Wal-mart; you know, the store where the evil children live and terrorize shoppers. I made a trip to Radio Shack and bought an "AA" battery holder that holds two batteries. The toothbrush only holds one "AA" battery. So I am soldering the dual battery holder to the leads in the toothbrush and then taping the new holder to the handle. Twice the power which equals a 100% overclock.

Kevin Rose actually performed this modification on The Screensavers last week. Before all y'all start up, sometimes you just have to take a few minutes out and have fun. It's required. Tried the brush this morning at regular speed and it's not too impressive. Will post my results when through.

Tomorrow will be a long day and I am going to bed early. A project HAS to be completed by tomorrow evening. Everyone stay casual.

"Dentists use radiation, in the form of X-rays, to determine which of our teeth are still real, so they can grind them into stumps and cover them with improved space-age materials costing thousands of dollars per ounce."
-Dave Barry

Oral B is most casual

Finishing the home theater system that has been prevelant for several months now. My networks rock and are always #1, but end of month obligations must be met. Also, overclocking my toothbrush (check out g4techtv). Need to take a shower and wash off drywall dust. Stay casual my fellow nerdlings.

"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint."
-Mark Twain

More early morning browsing

Melancholy morning. Several friends are undergoing life experiences and I have spent time in prayer for them and myself. What do you pray for? Seriously. I pray to be a better man, have more patience - especially with those that think they know everything and haven't a clue as to what life is really about, gratitude for my many blessings, my family and friends, and forgiveness of my sins.

My Father passed away in 1998 and he is still with me. Been on my mind a lot lately. Want to emulate him as much as possible. He was truly one of the good guys. This has nothing to do with geekdom maybe...but then it may.

Enough already. I've become maudlin. Time to prepare for an afternoon of work! Everyone enjoy Sunday and please mention me if you pray.

"Deep down in me I knowed it was a lie, and He knowed it. You can't pray a lie - I found that out."
-Mark Twain