Programs I've updated recently
The computer is always asking me to update something. In some cases, the updates are automatic or nearly automatic -- Windows updates, for example. I have the system download them automatically and then I look them over before installing them. Logitech lets me know when the mouse software has been updated. WinAmp reminds me when it needs an update. Most antivirus programs update themselves without user intervention. Zone Alarm asks for permission. With an office PC and Mac and two Macs, a Windows desktop, and a Windows notebook at home, I see a lot of reminders.
There isn't yet a better way to handle these updates. I know that I always want the antivirus updates, so they're fully automatic. The firewall update could be automatic, except that it often requires restarting the computer and I prefer to choose when that happens. The same for Windows updates. I install them in a timely manner (immediately) but I first save what I'm working on and close the applications. The same is true for Apple OS X updates -- some of these require restarting the machine, so user control is reasonable.
Within the past couple of weeks -- in addition to the needed security updates -- I've downloaded and installed updates for a variety of other applications:
- WinAmp Pro 5.112: The previous version had a significant security flaw that had been fixed. No question about downloading that one.
- Google Earth: The latest download has 3D buildings for 38 US cities (Columbus is not included, but Cincinnati and Cleveland are.) Streaming performance has improved because of changes at Google and software improvements, but you still can't run this on a dial-up or a slow computer. The release notes list dozens of other improvements and additions, large and small.
- UltraEdit 10.20+5: My favorite text editor has largely exhausted the ability to add large new features, but there are still usability features that show up in new versions, along with high-end features that I'll probably never need. For example, the version includes Unicode big-endian support for editing and the ability to convert between big-endian and little-endian formats. Lost? The terms describe the order in which numbers are stored in computer memory. Big-endian places the most significant value first, at the lowest storage address while little-endian puts the least significant value in the lowest memory position. A 2-byte character (FB45, for example) would be stored as FB 45 in a big-endian system and as 45 FB in a little-endian system.
- Flock 0.4.10 (pre-beta): Flock is an attempt to redesign the browser as we know it. Much remains the same, but more collaborative features are built in. The developers warn users not to make Flock their default browser and to expect crashes. I like what I've seen so far and I'm trying to keep up with the updates. (If you're really brave, you can download and test the hourly builds.)
- Microsoft ClearType: This is the applet that improves text on the screen by making it fuzzy. No, I didn't say that wrong. Macs do this, too. If letters are made up of pixels that are on or off, the resulting text is jagged. By making some of the pixels different shades, the test appears smoother. Occasionally Microsoft updates its technology. I don't know when the current update was released, but I noticed the change and downloaded the file earlier this month.
- Microsoft TweakUI Power Toy: TweakUI makes it possible to change various parts of the user interface. The applet doesn't create any new settings -- anything it changes can be modified in the Registry. By creating a front end for the Registry, Microsoft makes UI changes easier and safer. The new version has added a few settings.
A spam question
Listeners (and sometimes people from halfway around the Earth) send questions. Sometimes they're even questions I can answer. When that happens, we honk the horn and show off. So ... Jess Biller, President/CEO of Paramount Roofing (ParamountRoofing.net) had a multi-part question about the 2000+ spams he received in less than one day.
I'm writing because I don't understand how I can receive e-mail's in my account when they are not even addressed to me? For instance, I have an e-mail address paramount@zzzzzzzzz.net, but I receive spam that is addressed to paragon@zzzzzzzzz.net, paul@zzzzzzzzz.net, mailserver@zzzzzzzzz.net. Why does this happen? I don't understand how these messages even get to me?
There are 3 places for addresses: TO, CC, and BCC. The first two are shown inside the "envelope". The BCC addresses, because they are blind copies, are carried outside the envelope and no recipient sees them. Some e-mail programs allow sending messages without a TO or CC address, in which case you'll see "Undisclosed recipients" as the addressee. This is how you can receive a message that appears not to have your address associated with it.
 I have been BLASTED with virus filled W32.Sober.X@mm e-mails today (as well as everyone here with a [company].net e-mail address). It is 2:55 pm and I have 2,273 messages! They have been sent to "literally any word you can think of"@[company].net. Since practically none of these addresses are set up for my domain, they are sent to my default address.
Unless you really need the default address, I'd encourage you to disable that feature. I did several years ago and accept only mail that is sent to a legitimate address @610tech.net or @blinn.com. The reduction in spam is breathtaking. I have concluded that if someone isn't intelligent enough to get my address right, I probably don't want to hear from them.
I use Norton Internet Security 2005 with Anti Virus and Anti Spam. Do you recommend anything better? The anti-spam does not seem to be that effective. The security and virus work well, but they really "gum up" the machine, if you know what I mean.
Norton AV is as good as any other, but Norton/Symantec software seems to consume a lot of system resources. I've used Grisoft's AVG Antivirus for the past 4 years or so. The trouble with changing is that Norton's applications can be difficult to remove. If you're satisfied with it and with your computer's performance, then continue using it.
If your website host provides, as many do SpamAssassin, I'd recommend enabling it. It's not perfect, but it will identify 95% of spam and it will do so with few false positives. You'll still have to download the crap, but at least it will be marked for easy review. I use SpamAssassin in conjunction with GoodbyeSpam.com and Keir's K9 filtering on my PC. GoodbyeSpam is an on-line service that's reasonably priced. It's mainly a challenge/response system, but it's not a good idea for someone who's in business to enable that feature. It annoys prospective customers.
Instead of providing your e-mail address on your website (if you do) create a form for anyone who wants to contact you. The person must fill out the form on the website and submit it. That will eliminate the problem of address harvesting. You can process the form with a script (see SourceForge.net) from NMS. These are scripts that are based on "Matt's Scripts" except that they have filled the large security holes. Your webmaster probably knows about both Matt and NMS.
It's Thanksgiving, so here's something to be thankful for
Longer ago than either of us probably wants to admit, I met Allan Shearer. At the time, he lived in Ottawa and was the product manager for Ventura Publisher. He's moved on and now lives, with his family and cats, in a rural area of Canada. But he's still involved in Ventura as a consultant to people who use the application to create books. Sometimes big books. A note from Allan this week said, "I'm down here in Manhattan working on a Ventura project (producing a 3000+
book from XML source files to PDF) ... making Ventura 'sing and dance'."
Keep reading: There's a Columbus connection.
"I went Uptown to see if I could snag a
cancellation ticket for Spamalot and in the
process ran into 3 people from Columbus Ohio who had a 4th ticket they
were trying to sell.
"Normally, I'd be REALLY leery about this, but they looked honest and they
too were going to the show - so I thought, it seemed pretty 'safe'. So, I
bought their ticket. This show is generally sold out months ahead of time - so, this
was an awesome opportunity ... but it gets better!
I told them about your show - you, being the only person I know in
Columbus Ohio - and one of the fellas knew of it.."
So thanks to three New York City visitors from Columbus who helped Allan have a most enjoyable time: Cindy Jamison,
Mitch Randolf, and
Rick Moore (who occasionally listens to this show).
"These three from Columbus all had dinner with two of the cast members from
the show (David Hyde Pierce and Chris Sieber) and they ALSO had 'back
stage' access after the show.
"WELL ... you know me, 'not very shy!' ... I asked if they'd care if I
joined them backstage, and they agreed! So, in the end, I NOT ONLY got a
VERY hard to come-by theatre ticket, but I also got in behind the scenes
and met the whole cast, including Tim Curry."
What's the technology link to this story? Allan told me about his excellent adventure by e-mail. Is that close enough?
Nerdly News
 Crashes and clashes for the Xbox 360
A fight broke out at a Wal-Mart in the East when the store opened shortly after midnight on Wednesday to sell the Xbox 360. The customers had worked out a plan, but Wal-Mart officials said sales would be "first come, first served". That led to fights, arrests, and the end of the sale.
As for the Xbox units themselves, Microsoft says it has received "isolated reports" of technical problems with its new videogame system. Users and bloggers suggest the problem is a bit larger than "isolated".
Microsoft asks that any Xbox buyers who are having problems go to www.xbox.com. If the problem cannot be resolved on-line, Microsoft will pay to ship the console to and from a repair center, or provide a replacement.
The price is $300, but some stores are selling the devices at a premium. Microsoft hopes to sell 2.5 million to 3 million units within 90 days. They're losing about $150 on every one they sell. (They make it up in volume, right?) So if they hit their goal, it will cost Microsoft nearly half a billion dollars. There is logic here: Microsoft is a distant also-ran in this market segment and they'd like to grab some of Sony's market share.
Sony may have given Gates & company an early present by making a lot of their customers angry by installing an idiotic copy-protection sceme on computers. (Next item.)
A new suit for Sony
Would you be surprised to learn that people are lining up to sue Sony BMG for their idiotic copy-protection scheme that installed a rootkit on users computers, making them vulnerable to all sorts of mischief? (I thought not.)
 The State of Texas and the Electronic Frontier Foundation became the first to file suites on Monday. Both allege that Sony BMG's copy protection violates laws against spyware and make computers vulnerable to attack.
In Texas, Attorney General Greg Abbott said Sony BMG installed files on consumers' computers without their owners' knowledge. That may not be accurate because Sony provided a (long, complex) legal explanation. Texas is seeking $100,000 for each violation of the law, attorneys' fees, and investigative costs.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation's suit was filed, by 2 two national class-action law firms (did I not suggest this 3 weeks ago?) in Los Angeles. EFF's claims are similar to those made by the Texas AG, but the EFF also says the Sony BMG end user licensing agreement (EULA) is "unconscionable" because it establishes conditions each consumer must agree to before the CD can be played in a computer but that the copy-protection software is installed even if the buyer of the CD refuses the agreement.
How I outsmarted American Electric Powerless
AEP left my neighborhood in darkness on Thanksgiving, but we fooled them. Instead of spending the evening at home, we visited my older daughter and her husband. When we returned, we noticed the neighborhood was dark. Too dark. And near the place where the AEP truck parks when there's a power outage (I believe they have a reserved parking space because they're there so much) there was a truck with flashing yellow beacons.
Yep. No power. Again. Another hour or so without lights. I don't know how long this outage was because the lights came back on about 5 minutes after we arrived at the house. Based on the clocks, I estimate the outage lasted only 30 to 45 minutes. That's on top of the hour-plus outage the previous week.
 I simply do not understand how a utility can get away with providing such lousy service. Saturday evening the temperature was 16 degrees (cold, but not brutal). Wind speed is about 13 miles per hour. The sky is clear, which means there is no snow, no rain, no lightning. Nothing. Just the incompetence of AEP management.
Every power outage costs me about $10 worth of ink for a printer that must be reset whenever there is even a momentary power glitch. During the summer, we had 15 or 20 of those in a single week. Yes, that does mean that AEP cost me an extra $150 to $200 in wasted ink in a single week.
I know that we are not alone. Some areas served by AEP have stable, reliable power. Across the street for example. If we ask our neighbors across the street about power outages, they just look at us in puzzlement. But if we ask our neighbors on this side of the street, we get an earful. And every time I write about unstable, unreliable electric service, I receive a lot of e-mail from people who wonder what they can do.
AEP apparently doesn't care because this is a battle we've been fighting since we moved here in 1974. When we make enough noise, they fix enough of the circuit's problems to reduce the ongoing outages. That lasts for 6 months or a year, but then the same old poor service returns. The Public Utilities Commission is apparently powerless, yet those of us who enjoy frequent, random power outages pay the same rates as those who don't.
Ink?
The Xerox Phaser 8200 printer I own uses a wax-based ink. Whenever the printer loses power, it must perform a "reset" and part of that process involves expelling a lot of ink into the trash. Usually I have to run at least one cleaning cycle to get the printer to print properly and that uses even more of this costly ink.
I could buy an uninterruptible power supply for the printer, but a UPS unit with enough capacity to operate the printer for even a few minutes -- must less an hour or more -- would cost nearly $1000. CLICK
IMAGES
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VIEW.
The wasted ink shown here probably has a value of $75 to $100. It is the result of two power failures and several momentary outages within a 1-week period.
This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for a lot of things. American Electric Power is not one of them.
"It's always darkest just before the lights go out."
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