Friday, September 28, 2007
AVG has shown "Exploit" as a threat in my computer both yesterday and today. An Exploit is a "piece of software, a chunk of data, or sequence of commands that take advantage of a bug, glitch or vulnerability in order to cause unintended or unanticipated behavior to occur on computer software, hardware, or something electronic (usually computerized). This frequently includes such things as gaining control of a computer system or allowing privilege escalation or a denial of service attack." (quote from Wikipedia).
It is possible that the exploit threat came in via a JPEG image. Not only Windows XP and Server 2003, but other applications are vulnerable because of how they process a .jpg file. An article at Techweb dated September 23 indicates that hackers have worked this vulnerability to allow introduction of executable code via a .jpg file.
Microsoft has published a patch for the JPEG vulnerability. See How to update your computer with the JPEG processing (GDI+) security update at the Microsoft website.
Posted 8:27 AM by Andy (2) comments
Comments:
- Not only was AVG auto-updating and auto-scanning to catch the bug, but I was running Firefox in Sandboxie. The affected files plucked out by AVG were both in the Sandbox subfolder of the Documents and Settings path. When you close the Sandbox, the enclosed files are wiped. As a third level of watchfulness, Zone Alarm will pop-up a window if an unexpected and unrecognized process or program tries to access the Internet. That means, of course, that the malware is active in your computer, but it certainly alerts one to illicit activity.
Post a Comment- FYI: The free version of ZoneAlarm is generally regarded as practically worthless today compared to some other options now available (the paid version is still very good). After reading a bunch of sites testing various (free) firewalls I switched to Comodo some time ago.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
On matters closer to home, a site called Forgotten Ohio has a whole pile of places that you may or may not have seen, been to, or heard of. For example, The Ridges, a former insane asylum from 1874, loomed down on me when I attended Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. This site has pictures, history and details of each site. Remember Chippewa Lake, near Medina? Still there, roller coaster and all, overgrown and crumbling since being abandoned in 1978. I also remember the Millfield coal mine explosion site from my time in Athens County. The mine was left as a monument to the 82 who died in 1930.
Forgotten Ohio also has cemetery and haunting locations to read as Samhain approaches.
Posted 2:08 PM by Andy (0) comments
Comments:
Posted 9:40 AM by whatley (6) comments
Comments:
- Extra added attraction: State Dept: Corruption in Iraq is Classified
From the articles' last paragraph:
"Why go to such lengths? Because George W. Bush's Iraq policy--at least for the moment--depends on the Maliki government. But if that government is thoroughly corrupt and dysfunctional, Bush's policy doesn't make sense. And that's the real secret the Bush administration wants to keep."
- So the findings, documents and opinions of officials from the Office of Accountability and Transparency of the State Dept. are secrets. The OxyMorons strike again!
Can I wake up now I'm tired of this dream.
- That picture, as the Brits say, is absolutely brilliant. Crystal clear illustration of the schizophrenic delusion that is our government.
It is OK to kill thousands, ignore the process of law, destroy Constitutional liberties, and make the world hate all 301,139,947 of us (July 2007 estimate), but reprehensible to engage in sex with another consenting adult.
It feels like the Salem Witch Trials are recurring.
- Sad part is this picture is four years old. It was taken during the initial rounds of protest when the "war" first started.
Post a Comment- I saw it while following the protests right after the war started back in 2003. It came in from a friend with a whole bunch of other BushBashing stuff. I remember discussing it with my friend Molly, the Town Clerk on BI.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Congratulations on your purchase of your new 110th Congress! These care and feeding instructions will help ensure many years of future enjoyment of your Congress: please read them carefully....
In other news the event you've all been diligently saving your pocket change for this past year is once again upon us. Whoopee! It's 7393 hosting fee time!
An investment comparison:
Iraq - Billions and billions of $'s, no fun
Presidential Race - Billions and billions of $'s, occasionally funny
tRBT - $95.40, tons 'o fun
Posted 9:14 AM by whatley (4) comments
Comments:
- Niki! Did you hear that! You get a whole new bag of dog food! The good stuff this time! What's that? You think we should do something extra to thank John? Hows about a "John is" Google search?
John is NOT fit yet, but he wants to start working on it
John is Running for Mayor of San Francisco
John is a professional motivational speaker
John is pressing the flesh (in multiple ways, all quite wholesome)
John Is dating your sister
John is also an occasional TV pundit
John is available for seminars
John is a Little Bitch
John is thinking it would be interesting to shut the internet down for five years
John is wanting to question what has really been accomplished
John is truly a god
JOHN IS THE WWE CHAMPION
John is having difficulty with reading his school assignments
John is a fairy tale
John is probably sitting at home counting his money
John Is Not Dull!
John is a slut (this one contributed by Robin)
John is very sexy! (ok Robin, we get it)
and, my personal favorite: John is the greatest person ever born on earth!
- Thank you John! I want to have your children. Wait, you already have some. Need your car painted (I have both brush and roller)? Plumbing repairs (bathroom fountains my specialty)? I know! Wiring! Arcs of triumph!
Post a Comment- Guess it is the old socialist in me. From each according to their ability, to each accoring to their need. Happy to contribute.
Was thinking about adding another bathroom ... hmmmmmmmm.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
'Tis the season to be bombarded. Every year at this time they come hurtling down from above, like imprecations and judgments.
Meteorites? Weapons of mess destruction? Frozen blue toilet water hail from stratospheric jets?
Nope. It is Autumn and the oaks are fruitful.
CRACK. bounce bounce rollrollrollroll thud.
WHACKCRACKTHUD skitterroll thud.
BAMCRACKSMACK slideskitter.
When it is dark and quiet, and the wind picks up, a platoon of squirrels with pickaxes seem to be breaking through the roof.
Thank heavens I don't have walnut trees.
Posted 11:32 AM by Andy (4) comments
Comments:
- All the berry bushes and fruit and nut trees out here have produced huge outputs this year, in some cases as much as ten to twenty times last year's. My neighbor, Rose, had apples for the first time on an ornamental she planted 11 years and had given up on. Last her two grape vines had produced one scrawny bunch apiece, which the birds got. This year they look like a poster for someplace Tuscany. My wineberry bush(like a raspberry only better)gave us about a cup of berries all last year. This year we harvested a soup bowl full every day for nearly a month.
I had read that if want fruit you should slightly starve the plant into thinking it might die and it will make every effort to reproduce if it is over fertilized it will just produce foliage to feed itself. We've had very little rain this summer and I believe the exaggerated harvests may be one result.
Post a Comment- I spent Sunday feeding the masses at the Rocky River Reservation of the Cuyahoga County Metroparks. They had their annual pioneer settlers' festival, and Betsy and her daughter have demonstrated pioneer cookery for the last 20 years. I stand over a 1500 degree pit of charcoal and replenish a dozen cast iron Dutch ovens with glowing coals to keep the temperature at baking intensity. And I wash dishes.
There is a huge black walnut tree nearby. The walnut bolls were detaching themselves from 80 feet in the air and plummeting to earth with impressive concussive effects. The nut with its surrounding casing approximates the size of small smooth-bore cannon shot. Impact with the ground is heard and felt.
We warned the lone volunteer, who set up a chair caning demonstration under the Walnut's sheltering limbs. She moved her display with much alacrity.
Monday, September 17, 2007
I just read a book by Ohio native, Pulitzer-Prize author Louis Bromfield, who wrote books and screenplays in the 1920's through 1950's. He founded Malabar Farm SE of Mansfield (near Lucas, Ohio) which is now a state park. He practiced, and preached, rejuvenation of beaten down and badly-used farmland, espousing sustainable farming as the basis for the overall health of the nation. The book, "Pleasant Valley", describes the work done at Malabar Farm to prove these practices. He was on the forefront of what is now known as "organic" farming. The cartoon Russ posted highlights Bromfield's thesis that an urban population (for convenient cheap industrial labor) causes destruction of the middle class by forcing higher highs and lower lows. He explains that this destroys family self-sufficiency and forces existence close to the edge at the behest of creditors and marginal retail suppliers. Sound familiar?
I don't have a good grasp of modern "scientific" farming practices, but the fact that Malabar Farms, in Bromfield's plan, did not survive his decease in 1956, leads me to think that such an enterprise, both then and now, requires external infusions of capital to stay alive. Bromfield was the capitalist for his venture, using his literary profits to fund Malabar Farm. I have some friends near Ashland who farm organic cattle, and crop hay for fodder. They heat with wood from windfalls on the property. It takes a massive amount of effort from both of them. Without his income as a tool and die machinist, their modest farm would not have been possible.
Betsy and I visited Malabar Farm a couple of weeks ago after I read Bromfield's novel "The Rains Came", about the people in an isolated province in India and the changes from a traditional Maharajah leadership to a more decentralized administration. Published in 1936, it captures, in microcosm, the tensions that have created the current Indian nation. Malabar Farm today has a museum feel to it. There are still animals, and there is still a working farm producing organic pork and beef, but the house is a time capsule of Bromfield's life as of 1956, and the barn, rebuilt in the 1990s after a fire destroyed the original structure, is set up for meetings and public events (above) as well as for horses and livestock (below). Tractors (biodiesel) pull peoplewagons instead of manure spreaders or harvesters. But the valley is still spectacular and the land will always be there. Read "Pleasant Valley". Then visit Malabar Farm to look for the places described.
This link has a biography and bibliography of Bromfield's works at the bottom.
Here's another link, an article about Louis Bromfield, "The Man Behind the Farm."
Posted 4:28 PM by Andy (1) comments
Comments:
Post a Comment- No-till farming, or "natural" farming, differs from organic farming, although the boundaries are blurred and advocates for each will argue endlessly. Both methods are in reaction to the massive mechanization and chemical dependence developed after WWII that gave rise to factory farms, and to the earlier pioneer practices that took everything and left wasteland behind. Organic farming has relied more on soil tilling (what happens when you use a traditional plow) for weed control. Plowing or between-row cultivation turns over the soil completely, burying surface growth and exposing the bare soil to potential nutrient leaching, drying and erosion. No-till farming relies on year-round surface cover and harvest detritus to retain soil, moisture and to preserve microbial and earthworm cultures. The seeds can be broadcast above existing crops before the standing crop is harvested. An adequate humus layer and standing crop shading provide good germination, and the standing crop is mowed or harvested before the under-crop gets tall enough to be cut. Legumes and white clover in the rotation add nitrogen and nutrients when cut or disked into the surface. More suitable for small farms is the technique practiced by Masanobu Fukuoka in Japan. He studied as a microbiologist and worked as a soil scientist specializing in plant pathology. He became distrustful of existing "scientific" farming practices and at age 25 dropped out to start his own farm and develop different practices that follow naturally occurring patterns. He is currently 94 years old and still practicing and lecturing. I guess that the moral of the story is "do no harm" whatever practice you follow. Every plot of land differs.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
I put a new link on the "cool tools" page today, a page I guess I've ignored for a long time. Because no one ever suggested the addition of a tool they'd found themselves (or mentioned the page at all for that matter) I just figured it wasn't viewed and forgot about it. Boy, when I first added it I thought it was the bees knees and you all would love it. Swing and a miss. Story of my life, but we won't get into that right now.
Anyway.... when building new PCs for John and Patricia I found myself using it a lot to download some basic utilities I wanted them to have so my interest in the page got rekindled. John and Patricia both browse lots of sites for FOWL and related interests some of which, unknown to them, may harbor trojans or other malware. To help protect them I put "Sandboxie" on both PCs. John mentioned "Sandboxie" to Ray and Ray said he'd never heard of a program like that. Or the need for one! Egads! Ray? The FOWL webmaster? Ye cats and little kittens. Ray honey, check out the "cool tools" page.
Posted 9:05 AM by whatley (2) comments
Comments:
- Great software to have especially if you have children (as I do) or neophytes surfing and playing games. I installed a copy last year and have slept much better (though the quality of sleep may be more related to my advancing years than peace of mind).
Nice catch. Sorry I didn't think to pass it along when I ran into it ... will try to be more consideration in the future.
jle
Post a Comment- With power comes responsibility. I, commander of communications in the universe of FOWL have had fleeting occasion to consider bee’s knees. My pristine web wanderings have not turned the page of prurient pleasure nor ventured into the virtual cesspool that surrounds it. Now that I have access to the ‘sandbox’ , I might have to play.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Russ to Niki: "You furry little slut, you shit on the carpet again!"
Niki to Russ: "Umm..., hows about we think of this as just a (somewhat smelly) point in time?"
Posted 5:10 PM by whatley (4) comments
Comments:
- Don't forget the mice - hyper-intelligent pan-dimensional beings whose cross-section in our three-dimensional world appear as rodentia.
Post a Comment- What do you mean we have already been there? I didn't see anything or get a souvenir or even an ice cream cone.
Lieberman: Can't We Invade Iran Yet?
Posted 2:39 PM by whatley (3) comments
Comments:
- Joe Lieberman, quoted from a June 10th NY Times article: "I think we’ve got to be prepared to take aggressive military action against the Iranians."
Correct me if I'm wrong but nine out of the ten hijackers that did 9/11 were Saudis. What the fuck is wrong with this guy? Ok, want to invade (yet another) country? Invade Saudi Arabia! End their monetary support and terrorism will shrivel right the fuck up! Ok, ok, that's a bit simplistic, but still, that's where their money comes from. And, as an American, one thing I know, it's all about the money.
Post a Comment- And the Saudis get all their money from . . . . .Us!
Therefore we should invade us and cut off our oil supply so that we can't send money to the Saudi's to give to Al Qaeda so they can't blow us up with the weapons we make that end up on the black market. Wait I think the Chinese are are just skipping to the oil supply part and calling in U.S. bonds (the financial instruments not the '60's soul singer) to pay it.
I'm dizzy I need to sit down now.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
My latest "letter to the editor" (written because Ohio State football is now only available to those Ohioans who can afford cable TV):
"Dear Editor,
The paper delivered to my home last Sunday must have been delivered to me by mistake. I say this because it included coverage of the Ohio State football team. I'm sorry to say that I cannot pay the extra tariff Ohio State no doubt demands for receiving print coverage of this sport. I cannot afford cable TV so obviously have no right to receive a newspaper containing this information without my paying an additional fee over and above Chronicle subscription rates. Yes, I know, I already contribute to Ohio State through paycheck deductions but our signature university needs more money for projects like the one reported in the September 3rd 2007 edition of the Plain Dealer:
"Ohio State is shelling out $2 million to update and remodel the mansion that houses the university's president, just seven years after spending $1.3 million on a previous renovation of the house, university officials said."
I'm sure the university president thinks of Ohio cable TV users every time he walks in his (newly remodeled) door. Anyone care to take a guess at what he thinks? My guess: "Who said you can't get blood from a turnip? Hahahaha!"
In the future please clip Ohio State football articles out of my Chronicle sports page as I cannot, and will not, pay extra for them."
Posted 5:28 PM by whatley (1) comments
Comments:
Post a Comment- Ohio State is going about it all wrong. How to make money in college football: be a loser.
This pretty much summarizes my job search efforts so far. It's from a site called Atomic Lemur:
Career Builder, Get Yourself Scammed Silly!
Are you feeling left out because your friends are all getting emails from deposed kings and clever bankers? Feeling blue because you aren't being offered a job as a "transaction agent?" All you need to do is get these folks your bank info and a few other pieces of your identity and they'll make you absolutely rich(1). Honestly. Well you can show up all your phished out friends and relatives by getting all the above plus job offers from scammers like AdministrativeSolutions, TooSpoiled, and impactWorldWide.What do you need to get all these great things happening to you? Sign up at Career Builder (dot com). It is really that easy. No longer will you have to feel inadequate because phishers and scammers are overlooking you. Next time someone says they were emailed by an Iranian banker with access to thirty-five billions dollars you can tell him (or her) that you were contacted just this morning by eBandsearch with a promising(2) job offer based on your "resume" online.
1 riches may be in the form of legal woes
2 promising may be defined as promising to scam you
Posted 6:48 AM by whatley (1) comments
Comments:
Post a Comment- So far I've been "contacted" (multiple times) by TooSpoiled and Ebandsearch. No AdministrativeSolutions or impactWorldWide yet. What? I'm not good enough for them?
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
I took my 2002 Explorer into the dealership last Tuesday after getting a recall letter from Ford. It had something to do with installing a harness around a cruise control component to avoid risk of fire in the engine compartment. The letter actually advised not parking the car in or around a building which may then also catch fire. Got my attention you bet!
Before I took the car in the cruise control worked just fine. The next time I tried to use it it didn't work at all. Hmm.... maybe they goofed something up? So today I called the dealer, explained the problem, and was told to bring it back in. They'd be happy to look into it - for a $75 "diagnostic" fee. If it was indeed their mistake they'd fix it for free, but I'd still owe the $75. "Gee", says I, "such a deal!" Well, no, that's not what I said. Instead I called the Ford "customer relations" department, an 800 number. They told me to go fuck myself but were very polite about it.
What I learned today:
#1. Do not buy a Ford product.
#2. Ignore #1 at your own risk, but if you must buy a Ford product avoid Mike Bass Ford like the plague!
Posted 9:26 AM by whatley (8) comments
Comments:
- Get to the regional Ford Customer Service representative that covers that dealer. Don't take the dealer's bullcrap. If that gets you nowhere (the Dealer cannot deny you this contact), cite the recall number in a written letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stating that you feel that Ford, through their dealer, caused more damage and potential safety hazards that were repaired. Cite the Recall number, Dealer name, Service writer name, repair order number, date of service. Also state the contact with Ford Customer Relations, date, contact name and result. Send a copy to both the dealer and Ford as well. Also contact the Ohio Attorney General's office regarding automobile safety concerns as practiced by both Ford, and, as their representative, the dealer.
- Note: If you don't want to play with the same dealer about contacting the regional FCSD rep, go to another dealer to make the request. An FCSD regional dealer rep usually covers several dealers in the same area. Unfortunately, I don't have any more access than do you at this remove.
- Umm... thanks for the tip, but I don't have all that information anymore. And anyway, if I should go through with all that, my cruise control might, and I say might, get fixed by 2012 (or never). Fuck it. They win. I'll pay to get it fixed elsewhere.
- Oh I'll help you troubleshoot. I just wanna smear the slimy weasels, I mean, insure that they provide socially responsible products and services.
- OK bud; here's the deal: some vehicles with cruise control have a cruise deactivate switch mounted on the brake master cylinder. This switch senses brake fluid pressure (pedal pushed) and interrupts electricity to the cruise control servo so it releases the throttle when the brakes are applied. If the internal seals in the Texas-Instruments-produced switch leak brake fluid (which, being oil, is flammable), the switch contacts, which may spark a bit when opening up, can flame the oil. Since the switch is in the power supply circuit to the cruise control, it is powered all the time (even when key is off).
According to some reports, the replacement switches will not be available until November, so deactivation of the cruise control is the interim safety step. Does your notice indicate that a follow-up visit is to be done when parts are available?
- Note: if they are going to leave cruise controls permanently disabled as the "fix", we can wire around the problem, adding a switch to the brake pedal lever that does the same thing, only by sensing the mechanical motion of the pedal rather than the brake fluid pressure. The BOO (brake on, brake off) switch often mounted in the brake power booster (your vehicle may not have one), and the regular brake light switch, usually mounted on the brake pedal lever, are the other redundant ways that are normally used to interrupt juice to the cruise control.
Post a Comment- All they did was to put a harness on something to (I guess) keep it away from something else (how's that for a technical description?). No follow up visit was indicated. I'm going to stop by Pais' tomorrow so he can have a look see.
The vast majority of "Help Wanted" ads in the local Elyria paper tend to divide themselves into one of three groups; minimum (or reasonably close to it) wage, health care related or truck driving. Being that so many of our jobs have moved to Mexico or the Pacific Rim ($5 a day, no benefits, no environmental regulations, can't beat that) you'd think truck driving a pretty secure profession. After all, those products have to be transported to Wal-Marts around the country somehow right? And, outside of public employees, truck drivers have one of the last unions left with any power. It's hard work but a person can make a living wage doing it. Seems our fearless leaders have noticed this situation and are taking action.
Posted 8:13 AM by whatley (2) comments
Comments:
- Reaction from the Teamsters Union was immediate and sharp.
"The Department of Transportation can't enforce truck safety in the United States, let alone at the southern border," spokeswoman Leslie Miller told WND. "The Bush administration continues to show a reckless disregard for the will of Congress and the American people who oppose this illegal pilot project."
Rod Nofzinger, spokesman for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, was equally critical.
"Unfortunately, the administration is bound and determined to move forward with their Mexican trucking program despite the serious concerns that have been raised by the American public, Mexico-domiciled trucking companies and lawmakers on Capital Hill, both Republicans and Democrats alike," Nofzinger told WND.
"I have little doubt that they want to beat Congress to the finish line on this," Nofzinger continued. "They know that once the toothpaste is out of the tube, it's awfully hard to get it back in. Once Mexican trucks start rolling throughout the U.S., it will be very difficult for Congress and the American people to turn them back, regardless of the safety and security risks that they'll be carrying with them."
Post a Comment- Y'know, now that I think about it, maybe there's a silver lining here. Non-prescription drugs (wink wink) should become much more available and a hell of a lot cheaper. Good work neocons!
Sunday, September 02, 2007
"The whole system was based on raping the public," - A quote from todays NY Times article Can the Mortgage Crisis Swallow a Town? The town they're talking about is Maple Heights Ohio. I used to commute to work there. It's just like Elyria.
My neighborhood (St. Jude's area) is rife with "for sale" signs. As far as I can tell the only ones to have come down are those whose owners, after a year or two of "price reduced" attempts, have just flat given up.
Posted 10:24 AM by whatley (1) comments
Comments:
Post a Comment- This is what Maple Heights has to look forward to. From todays Plain Dealer: A daily struggle with crime, fear.
Forget the Petraeus report on Iraq. The bush hogs will cut it down anyway. Check the Washington Post report of the Congressionally-mandated GAO report on Iraq that was leaked to prevent its evisceration.
Posted 8:22 AM by Andy (1) comments
Comments:
Post a Comment- I'm re=reading "In the Company of Soldiers", by Rick Atkinson. He won the Pulitzer Prize for An Army at Dawn, a history of the World War II North African campaign. This guy knows his stuff. I mention it because of your reference to Petraeus. In this book Atkinson was imbedded(?) with the 101st Airborne in Iraq which was commandeed at the time by, you guessed it, then Maj. Gen. Petraeus. He shadowed Petraeus everywhere. Interesting.
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