Sneaky Comment Spam

Today I started getting hit with comment links that are half useful, half advertising. Bah.

I installed the anti-comment spam rel=nofollow tag plugin today too, which won't have any immediate effect, but feels good. I don't allow any links in comments to get posted automatically anyway, but it's still annoying.

Buy Macs for your Parents, Please

As I type, I'm de-lousing a Windows PC for Diane. running it through the usual spyware / virus check isolated from the network. The complaint was that it no longer was able to connect to the Internet through NetZero. I can see why...on startup, it loaded a number of interesting resident spyware programs, all attempting to contact the network, eating CPU and memory. And since it was a minimum-spec PC with only 128MB of memory (Windows XP seems to like a minimum of 256MB), it was causing incredible slow down.

On top of the spyware situation, there was an equally crass collection of vendor-installed trialware, marketing presentations, and links to shopping websites. Everyone one of them demanding you click on them, and then trying to sell you a subscription or update before you could do anything. It is unforgivable.

I saw the same thing on my Dad's new HP laptop...tons and tons of crapware and quick-expiring trials that constantly popped up dialog boxes to BUY BUY BUY, with no option to uninstall the offending package.

My aunt Hui-chin is going through similar trauma with her Windows XP laptop, which I'm trying to diagnose long distance with no less than three of her children. The logitech web cam software is conflicting with something else, which is causing the camera software to fail, and on top of that nothing in the computer quite works right. She has one of those annoying popups also, with some service failing on bootup and unhelpfully informing the user of this every few minutes. What crap!

These observations have lead me to the following conclusion:

Buying a PC and giving it to your parents is bound to result in heartbreak and misery for all involved.

With the advent of the $499 Macintosh, I don't see any reason to NOT get a Mac unless you're already tech-savvy, are a developer, are forced to use certain PC applications or VPN software for work, or are a rabid PC gamer. If you're not one of the above, then you owe it to yourself to go to the nearest Apple Store and try out a Mac.

I may get a Mac Mini just to loan to people so they can try it out and realize that it's a good thing.

Annoyed

A couple days ago I started receiving SPAM via the email addresses registered with Macromedia. I use a separate service and email address for every commercial contact, so I can track how my personal information is being sold.

Since 1998, there has been only one company that appeared to release my information to spammers: the old Napster. Either an employee swiped the mailing list, staff posted the name somewhere online, or they liquidated the list to the highest bidder. Bah.

In November 2004, the second email address to escape is the one I used to register with Macromedia. I am pretty irked. I did send an email to their Privacy department, but have yet to receive any kind of acknowledgement. Fortunately I can shut down that email address. Not sure how it got out though.

An honorable mention for "most annoying" has to go to Aladdin Systems, makers of the otherwise fine Stuffit archiving utility. In recent years they have become a much more aggressive marketing-oriented company, and it's actually turned me off from using their product. I have been noticing more marketing junk email from their "trusted affiliates" through DigitalRiver, their software delivery provider. I don't seem to get these offers from other companies that use DR, so I'm assuming it's Aladdin pushing the envelope yet again.

Caught Looking: JPEG Virus

Was just reading on Slashdot that the first real JPEG virus with a real payload was found in the wild, posted to USENET. It installs remote control software on your computer, allowing ne'er do wells to control it as if they were actually sitting at it.

This is a disturbing class of virus because you could be infected by viewing a picture on the Internet. Programs that use Microsoft's GDI+ library (a piece of code for manipulating graphics) are at risk. Microsoft has a long list of patched applications and updates too. So patch immediately.

It's also disturbing because this is a pretty common code library that a lot of newer applications use. Since it's a code library, it's shared among programs. So any program that displays graphics potentially is at risk, if they use the JPEG decoding function of the library.

As an experiment, I download SysInternal's Process Explorer to see what programs seemed to be using GDI+. Windows Explorer for XP does, but nothing else appears to. But I'm not as familiar with Windows application architecture as I'd like, so this isn't much to go on.

Your email program may also be at risk. I use TheBat!, which doesn't display graphics by default, but you CAN view attachments. Since it's German software, it's probably all hand-coded and not suceptable.

Bah. This sucks.

Atkins 1, Twinkies 0

I felt a pang of anxiety when I read that Interstate Bakeries Corporation has entered Chapter 11 (via BoingBoing). They manufacture Twinkies!

I haven't had one in years, finding them far too sweet, but they're one of America's Great Pop Cultural References. The deep fried twinkie is a testament to this food's continuing ability to frighten and intrigue carb addicts everwhere. And without them, our slang would not be quite as sweet.

Perhaps they will be transmuted to organic form or become haute cuisine, but I'd hate to see the original Twinkie go away. So do your duty and buy a box (just don't eat them all at once, geez). Pick up a loaf of Wonder Bread while you're at it!