May 01, 2012
Reverse Annoyance
I wish there was a way to use a cattle prod response to telemarketers so they cease and desist without any extra effort on my part (I'm lazy). The latest annoyance comes to us by way of the March of Dimes.
Certainly a worthy organization, I have donated to them. In their little world this means they need to put me on a call list to brow beat me for even more money. *sigh* Not just a call list, but a robo-call list where they robo-dial my number several times a day and then don't answer. Not sure what the goal is here, but there must be logic in it somewhere.
So I see the return number on caller id 914-294-2161. At first I had no idea who MOD was since that is the "name" on the caller id. After doing a google search of the number I find the culprit. I always try to find who is calling first. I don't call back illegal operations like the shady lenders and credit card scammers. They are already breaking the law and they don't care what you think about their calling habits.
It's a charity, which means I call back. The same applies to political callers. They can call as often as they want until I tell them to stop. But once I tell them, they do stop. However, they don't always make it easy.
I therefore proceed to call the number back and... I get a fast busy signal. Oh goody. That means I can't get my number off their stupid list using an easy "please press 3 to have your number removed". More looking...
Back to the google search - I see other people have dialed the number back and they do get through, but I'm not going to waste my time redialing endlessly. Nor will I call back other numbers people have reported since that might not get me off the telemarket list or might put me on another one. Telemarketing is a tricky business.
That leaves me with only one option. I looked up the National March of Dimes and called them. They were nice about it (and so was I) All I had to do was tell the man who answered "I'd like to have my phone number removed from your telemarketing calls". He connected me to someone who took my name and phone number. She told me it would be 24 hours which is standard.
All that work, just to get my number off a list. *sigh* I like it so much better when I don't have to talk to anyone - just give me a way to get off the list automatically. Oh well, better than listening to the ringing as they call over and over and then don't answer.
But I still wish for that cattle prod type of responder to companies that use robo-dialers.
Certainly a worthy organization, I have donated to them. In their little world this means they need to put me on a call list to brow beat me for even more money. *sigh* Not just a call list, but a robo-call list where they robo-dial my number several times a day and then don't answer. Not sure what the goal is here, but there must be logic in it somewhere.
So I see the return number on caller id 914-294-2161. At first I had no idea who MOD was since that is the "name" on the caller id. After doing a google search of the number I find the culprit. I always try to find who is calling first. I don't call back illegal operations like the shady lenders and credit card scammers. They are already breaking the law and they don't care what you think about their calling habits.
It's a charity, which means I call back. The same applies to political callers. They can call as often as they want until I tell them to stop. But once I tell them, they do stop. However, they don't always make it easy.
I therefore proceed to call the number back and... I get a fast busy signal. Oh goody. That means I can't get my number off their stupid list using an easy "please press 3 to have your number removed". More looking...
Back to the google search - I see other people have dialed the number back and they do get through, but I'm not going to waste my time redialing endlessly. Nor will I call back other numbers people have reported since that might not get me off the telemarket list or might put me on another one. Telemarketing is a tricky business.
That leaves me with only one option. I looked up the National March of Dimes and called them. They were nice about it (and so was I) All I had to do was tell the man who answered "I'd like to have my phone number removed from your telemarketing calls". He connected me to someone who took my name and phone number. She told me it would be 24 hours which is standard.
All that work, just to get my number off a list. *sigh* I like it so much better when I don't have to talk to anyone - just give me a way to get off the list automatically. Oh well, better than listening to the ringing as they call over and over and then don't answer.
But I still wish for that cattle prod type of responder to companies that use robo-dialers.
Posted by: Teresa in
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April 30, 2012
Still Here
Pulled a muscle or something in my neck while I was sleeping the other day (btw how does that happen? Weird!). Kinda ruins my whole "let's sit at the computer and see how many words we can type" attitude. Heh.
If you want to see some pics from the last week, head over to my Posterous page where they've been stacking up. (It's very easy to post pics over there which is why I've been neglecting the extra work it takes to post them here).
Otherwise, more later once my neck stops hurting.
If you want to see some pics from the last week, head over to my Posterous page where they've been stacking up. (It's very easy to post pics over there which is why I've been neglecting the extra work it takes to post them here).
Otherwise, more later once my neck stops hurting.
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April 22, 2012
Can you say: Chicken Little!
Okay, okay, maybe I'm being just a leetle snarky, but there are times when I want to tell the news media to just "get a grip people!".
I've seen the following story floating about for the last couple of days. This morning a friend emailed the following:
Hundreds of thousands may lose Internet in July
In a nutshell, here is what happened:
First let's take a deep breath. A little over half a million computers world wide is a mere drop in the bucket. It's miniscule. However, if you are one of those people who never do updates on your system and therefore have every drive-by virus and trojan known to man, you have far more problems than whether or not you can get online come July.
For those who want to check their systems because they are worried, you can find a nice handy instruction pdf via the FBI that will walk you through checking your system. Although this is a windows problem for the most part, if you get your DNS addresses served up via a router on your network, you'll want to check your DNS even if you're using an Apple or Linux box. The pdf linked above includes instructions on checking your Mac too.
I remember when this first happened. As I recall, there were a number of businesses who had gotten infected. Because it was difficult, for whatever reason, for these businesses for fix their DNS, the FBI set up the safety net DNS for a while to give them time to clean up their systems (sorry... it wasn't because the home user would have problems... that's basically a non-issue for them). So now they are warning these same businesses that the safety net is going to be dropped and they better get on the ball and get things fixed soon.
The thing that bugs me about how this is all presented is this type of statement:
This is so irritating because you DO NOT lose internet connection! The connection is there, it does not go away. What you lose is the "address book" of the internet.
The DNS (Domain Name Server) is the place where your computer goes to find "where exactly is www.yahoo.com?" When your computer asks this, the DNS computer says "today you can find it at 98.139.183.24". And then your computer can go merrily along its way looking for that address. You don't have to remember a set of numbers. If Yahoo needs to change the numbers for some reason, all it has to do is tell the DNS server the new numbers. It's all fixed in the background without you having to even know about it. Makes browsing the web possible for everyone.
Honestly though, the whole "OMG!!! OMG!!! The internet will be killed!!!! OMG!!!" Is just a bit too over the top for me. Can we now get back to worrying about things that really are scary? Like running out of wine to drink with dinner or something... Sheesh!
Last of all. If you aren't using a service like OpenDNS or even GoogleDNS, then you should be. GoogleDNS provides only DNS service but it should be secure enough. I use OpenDNS but do not have an auto updater running, I set it up much like one would set up GoogleDNS. The links above are to the basic setup instructions for each.
The reason I use OpenDNS is that it provides DNS plus extra security. They blocked the Mac Flashback trojan well before Apple put out a fix for it. They also allow you to control what comes in over your home network if you want to set up a free account with them.
Either of these services is FAR better than most ISP DNS offerings. They are more secure and up to date. They also don't suffer from major outages like Comcast often experiences. So please think about changing how you get your DNS to your computer. It's well worth it. And if you have a very bad DNS provider, you'll find the web browsing way way faster.
Happy surfing.
I've seen the following story floating about for the last couple of days. This morning a friend emailed the following:
Hundreds of thousands may lose Internet in July
In a nutshell, here is what happened:
Hackers infected a network of probably more than 570,000 computers worldwide. They took advantage of vulnerabilities in the Microsoft Windows operating system to install malicious software on the victim computers. This turned off antivirus updates and changed the way the computers reconcile website addresses behind the scenes on the Internet's domain name system.
First let's take a deep breath. A little over half a million computers world wide is a mere drop in the bucket. It's miniscule. However, if you are one of those people who never do updates on your system and therefore have every drive-by virus and trojan known to man, you have far more problems than whether or not you can get online come July.
For those who want to check their systems because they are worried, you can find a nice handy instruction pdf via the FBI that will walk you through checking your system. Although this is a windows problem for the most part, if you get your DNS addresses served up via a router on your network, you'll want to check your DNS even if you're using an Apple or Linux box. The pdf linked above includes instructions on checking your Mac too.
I remember when this first happened. As I recall, there were a number of businesses who had gotten infected. Because it was difficult, for whatever reason, for these businesses for fix their DNS, the FBI set up the safety net DNS for a while to give them time to clean up their systems (sorry... it wasn't because the home user would have problems... that's basically a non-issue for them). So now they are warning these same businesses that the safety net is going to be dropped and they better get on the ball and get things fixed soon.
The thing that bugs me about how this is all presented is this type of statement:
For computer users, a few mouse clicks could mean the difference between staying online and losing Internet connections this summer.
This is so irritating because you DO NOT lose internet connection! The connection is there, it does not go away. What you lose is the "address book" of the internet.
The DNS (Domain Name Server) is the place where your computer goes to find "where exactly is www.yahoo.com?" When your computer asks this, the DNS computer says "today you can find it at 98.139.183.24". And then your computer can go merrily along its way looking for that address. You don't have to remember a set of numbers. If Yahoo needs to change the numbers for some reason, all it has to do is tell the DNS server the new numbers. It's all fixed in the background without you having to even know about it. Makes browsing the web possible for everyone.
Honestly though, the whole "OMG!!! OMG!!! The internet will be killed!!!! OMG!!!" Is just a bit too over the top for me. Can we now get back to worrying about things that really are scary? Like running out of wine to drink with dinner or something... Sheesh!
Last of all. If you aren't using a service like OpenDNS or even GoogleDNS, then you should be. GoogleDNS provides only DNS service but it should be secure enough. I use OpenDNS but do not have an auto updater running, I set it up much like one would set up GoogleDNS. The links above are to the basic setup instructions for each.
The reason I use OpenDNS is that it provides DNS plus extra security. They blocked the Mac Flashback trojan well before Apple put out a fix for it. They also allow you to control what comes in over your home network if you want to set up a free account with them.
Either of these services is FAR better than most ISP DNS offerings. They are more secure and up to date. They also don't suffer from major outages like Comcast often experiences. So please think about changing how you get your DNS to your computer. It's well worth it. And if you have a very bad DNS provider, you'll find the web browsing way way faster.
Happy surfing.
Posted by: Teresa in
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April 19, 2012
Wherein I explain macro tubes
And I use pictures. It's over on my posterous site.
Kinda like a microscope for cameras
And I show my complete inability to deal with mechanical stuff.
Kinda like a microscope for cameras
And I show my complete inability to deal with mechanical stuff.
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02:08 PM
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April 17, 2012
A Photo post!
Yes I know it's been a while. I kinda lost the enjoyment of the whole photo thing for a while. But I just bought myself some "macro tubes" for my camera. So I decided to pull the camera out and play.
For $10 I got 3 macro extender tubes delivered to my door from Amazon. Not bad. They let you get up close for real macro shots. This is using the 50mm f1.8 lens.
I posted three on my posterous blog here and here.
Then I thought I should throw a couple on this blog too.
The above is a tiny weed flower taken with 3 macro tubes.
Or maybe this one which I think looks kinda dreamy. It's flowers on my blueberry bush.
You can check out all 8 of them on my Smugmug folder here.
Anyone see one they like best?
For $10 I got 3 macro extender tubes delivered to my door from Amazon. Not bad. They let you get up close for real macro shots. This is using the 50mm f1.8 lens.
I posted three on my posterous blog here and here.
Then I thought I should throw a couple on this blog too.
The above is a tiny weed flower taken with 3 macro tubes.
Or maybe this one which I think looks kinda dreamy. It's flowers on my blueberry bush.
You can check out all 8 of them on my Smugmug folder here.
Anyone see one they like best?
Posted by: Teresa in
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at
06:27 PM
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April 15, 2012
When in doubt start pointing fingers
Well it looks like Google is in a bit of hot water with the government
Google fined $25,000 for impeding FCC investigation
That's it? Twenty-five thou is not even pocket change for this company, it's more like pocket lint. They lose more than this between the cracks of the server farm frames every day.
In their infinite wisdom, The Goog has decided they are not turning anything over to the eeeevil US government merely because some of their more zealous employees broke a little bitty law. Pish and tush!
After all they are only following the dictum of Eric Schmidt their executive chairman.
Which, it seems, the company took to include the collection of your username and password along with other data as they drove by.
However, I guess this bit of government interference has been just a tad too much for the old Goog to tolerate. One of the "don't be evil" founders has taken to the news media to loudly proclaim:
Web freedom facing greatest threat: Google founder
Seriously? Apple, Facebook, and the government are all out to destroy the internet? They are all eeeeevil!!! But the Goog... the Goog is pure of heart and wants only the best for us all!
Right.
While portions of the government seem hell bent on taking away our internet freedom, why do I have the feeling Brin is talking about one particular agency?
Maybe The Goog should take Eric's advice above. After all he's one of their top guys. Isn't that why they pay him?
Now, how long before I'm totally delisted form Google for this completely offensive post. Ha.
Google fined $25,000 for impeding FCC investigation
That's it? Twenty-five thou is not even pocket change for this company, it's more like pocket lint. They lose more than this between the cracks of the server farm frames every day.
In their infinite wisdom, The Goog has decided they are not turning anything over to the eeeevil US government merely because some of their more zealous employees broke a little bitty law. Pish and tush!
But Google also collected passwords, Internet usage history and other sensitive personal data that was not needed for its location database project, the FCC said.
After all they are only following the dictum of Eric Schmidt their executive chairman.
"If you have something that you don’t want anyone to know maybe you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place”
Which, it seems, the company took to include the collection of your username and password along with other data as they drove by.
However, I guess this bit of government interference has been just a tad too much for the old Goog to tolerate. One of the "don't be evil" founders has taken to the news media to loudly proclaim:
Web freedom facing greatest threat: Google founder
Seriously? Apple, Facebook, and the government are all out to destroy the internet? They are all eeeeevil!!! But the Goog... the Goog is pure of heart and wants only the best for us all!
Right.
While portions of the government seem hell bent on taking away our internet freedom, why do I have the feeling Brin is talking about one particular agency?
Maybe The Goog should take Eric's advice above. After all he's one of their top guys. Isn't that why they pay him?
Now, how long before I'm totally delisted form Google for this completely offensive post. Ha.
Posted by: Teresa in
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09:47 PM
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April 13, 2012
Tadaa!
I'm giving a new app, called Tadaa, a try. Not sure whether I'll do anything with it or not. It's a competitor to Instagram and from what I'm seeing, just about as annoying to try and figure out. Ha! Mainly because I can't do stuff on my regular computer only on my phone or tablet.
So far Instagram has one thing I like - it lets me post my photos to Posterous and that post sends out tweets and facebook notices.
Of course for those who are really off facebook and want nothing to do with it, Tadaa will send out tweets for you so it might be what you're looking for. If you want a free camera app with lots of fun filters and some nice editing tools check it out.
If you do grab the app for either iphone or android you can find me at teresahummel.
***
You know I thought of something to add to this post in the middle of the night and now I can't remember what it was. I need a brain that works better.
So far Instagram has one thing I like - it lets me post my photos to Posterous and that post sends out tweets and facebook notices.
Of course for those who are really off facebook and want nothing to do with it, Tadaa will send out tweets for you so it might be what you're looking for. If you want a free camera app with lots of fun filters and some nice editing tools check it out.
If you do grab the app for either iphone or android you can find me at teresahummel.
***
You know I thought of something to add to this post in the middle of the night and now I can't remember what it was. I need a brain that works better.
Posted by: Teresa in
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11:29 PM
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April 12, 2012
I Need a Spellchecker for my Spellchecker
I was writing something today and used the word "leapt". My spellchecker did not like it at all. Angry red dashes appeared under the offending word. Scary! I looked at it again and thought the spelling was correct.
Then I began to doubt myself. I could be wrong. It's been years since I've written the word (maybe dating back to my time in high school) Perhaps I'm not even using the right word. Horrors!!!!
Off I went to dictionary.com which indeed confirmed not only did I spell it correctly, I used it correctly too. Well that's a relief. I guess I'm not totally drifting into senility yet.
I fixed the spellchecker by adding the word. It does worry me that a modern day spellchecker would not have a regular everyday type of word I learned back in grade school.
However, the burning question is... how many people are being misled on a daily basis by spellcheckers that don't know their words? Now that is scary!
Then I began to doubt myself. I could be wrong. It's been years since I've written the word (maybe dating back to my time in high school) Perhaps I'm not even using the right word. Horrors!!!!
Off I went to dictionary.com which indeed confirmed not only did I spell it correctly, I used it correctly too. Well that's a relief. I guess I'm not totally drifting into senility yet.
I fixed the spellchecker by adding the word. It does worry me that a modern day spellchecker would not have a regular everyday type of word I learned back in grade school.
However, the burning question is... how many people are being misled on a daily basis by spellcheckers that don't know their words? Now that is scary!
Posted by: Teresa in
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Weather News You Can Use
I have a Weatherbug widget on my home page. It gives me the cute little weather summary of an icon to show the type of weather then the high/low temps for 3 days. Underneath that is supposed to be weather headlines. Today there is only one and it reads:
Weather news:
California's weather has something for everyone.
So now a travel blog summary of the climate variety in California is "weather news" I need to know. Not sure why, but Weatherbug tells me so.
Weather news:
California's weather has something for everyone.
So now a travel blog summary of the climate variety in California is "weather news" I need to know. Not sure why, but Weatherbug tells me so.
Posted by: Teresa in
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12:20 PM
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Keeping You Informed
Very soon we will know if man can really head out into space for long periods of time.
Malt whiskey experiment aboard the ISS
****
Sometimes you just get lucky
He wasn't wearing a seatbelt
****
Always remember to read carefully before buying something online.
Robot Books: Google this
****
Study confirms not enough sleep raises diabetes, obesity risks
I'm waiting for them to do a study that will tell us "Study confirms: eating raises obesity risk".
****
Sharpen your brain.
Make mine a double
Although I found it interesting they felt the need to add a completely unsubstantiated comment about sleep being just as good at the end of the article. After all, they have to be politically correct - right? heh.
****
And if you ever wondered how a news media mistake along with sloppy attention to detail can mess things up, this is a perfect example.
Update: Texas Fireball was Real After All, NASA Says
You'd think these people might have learned something from playing "telephone" as children... or maybe they didn't and that's the problem. heh.
Now are we ready for Friday?
Malt whiskey experiment aboard the ISS
****
Sometimes you just get lucky
He wasn't wearing a seatbelt
****
Always remember to read carefully before buying something online.
Robot Books: Google this
****
Study confirms not enough sleep raises diabetes, obesity risks
I'm waiting for them to do a study that will tell us "Study confirms: eating raises obesity risk".
****
Sharpen your brain.
Make mine a double
Although I found it interesting they felt the need to add a completely unsubstantiated comment about sleep being just as good at the end of the article. After all, they have to be politically correct - right? heh.
****
And if you ever wondered how a news media mistake along with sloppy attention to detail can mess things up, this is a perfect example.
Update: Texas Fireball was Real After All, NASA Says
You'd think these people might have learned something from playing "telephone" as children... or maybe they didn't and that's the problem. heh.
Now are we ready for Friday?
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April 10, 2012
Patchy - Patchy Please
New windows updates came out today. Time to patch as there are exploits in the wild already.
Interestingly enough on reading the article linked above, we're back to nasty stuff being passed along via Windows Office documents. Please be careful and don't just open stuff that hits your inbox!
You'd think after all these years people would kinda get that. But apparently such is not the case.
In Apple news, they will be releasing software to get rid of the Flashback trojan. They are also trying to take the botnet offline. Of course as with any botnet, the only way to get rid of it is to get rid of all of it. Depends on how distributed it is as to whether they can take it down. We shall see.
This has been a public service announcement on behalf of your computer. Thank you for your cooperation.
Interestingly enough on reading the article linked above, we're back to nasty stuff being passed along via Windows Office documents. Please be careful and don't just open stuff that hits your inbox!
You'd think after all these years people would kinda get that. But apparently such is not the case.
In Apple news, they will be releasing software to get rid of the Flashback trojan. They are also trying to take the botnet offline. Of course as with any botnet, the only way to get rid of it is to get rid of all of it. Depends on how distributed it is as to whether they can take it down. We shall see.
This has been a public service announcement on behalf of your computer. Thank you for your cooperation.
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Smashing a Record
That would be the Purdue Society of Professional Engineers creating the largest Rube Goldberg machine, smashing their old record. Using 300 steps to blow up a balloon and pop it.
Excellent!
Excellent!
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April 05, 2012
All That Java - small update
I'm a little late blogging this. Sorry about that. But here's a quick tip for everyone browsing about the web. Windows, Mac, it doesn't matter.
If you have Java on your system please disable it! (instructions on that to follow)
Yes you see it in bold because this has been the week of the Java meltdown and it's not pretty. If you've missed the high drama surrounding this bit malware fun and games you can catch up via this post at F-Secure.
Mac Flashback Infections
If you aren't interested in backtracking through all of it, suffice it to say, Apple left Java unpatched for about 6 months... finally sending out the patch yesterday after the news hit the internet that it was a problem. Guess what happened... the Java hole that had been patched by Oracle but NOT by Apple was exploited on Macs running Java. All people had to do was hit a web site with an infected Java applet and voilà! instant own by the trojan. Yippee Skippee.
So let's start with the Mac people... did you get owned? (If you are running a new machine with Lion you might not have Java - it does not come on Mac with Lion and would only be there if you downloaded it)
If you are a Mac user, certainly check your updates and make sure you've got it patched. Then open a terminal window (it's in Applications --> Utilities --> Terminal.app). Terminal looks like an old DOS window with cute things like your computer name and $ where you would enter text if you knew what to type. Well, here you go, enter the following - you can cut and paste from here:
defaults read /Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info LSEnvironment
Hit enter. If it says:
"The domain/default pair of (/Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info, LSEnvironment) does not exist"
Breathe a small sigh of relief. If you run Firefox, you'll need to change the Safari.app to Firefox.app and do it again.
Next copy and paste this into the terminal window:
defaults read ~/.MacOSX/environment DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES
Hit enter. Once again if you receive:
"The domain/default pair of (/Users/joe/.MacOSX/environment, DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES) does not exist"
All is well and you are set. (BTW the "joe" above will be your login name) If you got anything other than the "does not exist" message for either of these commands, see the F-Secure Disinfection Page to get rid of it.
Now... on to the fix. Disable Java! You can do this in several ways. Either disable Java in the browser, disable it on the system or remove it from your system. I would suggest disabling both the system and browser, wait about a month. If you haven't broken anything, remove it from your system. That should be the least traumatic way to do this. If something is broken, you'll then have to decide if it's worth keeping Java or not. You could keep it and only enable it when you really need to use it.
So here we go:
Windows:
On the system. Go to control panel. In the search bar type in "Java". This should bring up the Java entry. Click this to open the Java panel. There are several tabs across the top, click the "Java" tab. Click on "View" it will open a new little window. Uncheck the "Enable" box and click "OK". Then "OK" again to close the Java box.
In IE (this might be different for different versions - I have the latest so I hope you don't have to search too hard to find this). Open the "Internet Options" box. In the latest version it's located in the "settings wheel" on the top right of the browser. Click the "Programs" tab and the the "Manage add-ons" button. Scroll down and you should see the Java plugin(s). Disable them.
In Firefox open the "Options" box. Under the "General" tab (the first tab!) Click the "Manage Add-ons" box. Disable the Java plugin(s).
Restart the browser. That should do it for Windows.
Mac:
Open Finder. Type in "Java Preferences" in the search bar. You will have to scroll, but it should be in the list of stuff there. The icon is a cup of coffee with a window background. Click it to open. Depending on your system you may have both a 32bit and 64bit Java. Doesn't really matter, just uncheck the boxes under the "general" tab. Then you can close the window.
In Safari:
Open Preferences. Go to the Security tab and uncheck "enable Java". That's it.
In Firefox - go to Tools -- Add-ons and disable Java.
Now at least you might not pick up any unwelcome little trojans. Maybe. At least for a little while.
I hope the instructions make sense. If not, you can ask, or you can find a local geek who can help.
****
I don't have Chrome, but it looks like you don't have to do anything if you do have it : For Java specifically, Chrome now disables Java by default on all pages and prompts you to allow it to run each time a site needs it. So you should be okay with the browser part.
***
Update 2: I should be clear that Apple didn't patch Java for about 6 months. But the current exploited hole is one that Oracle patched in February. Be that as it may, there were other Java patches in the meantime just not noted as being exploited on Macs like this one.
If you have Java on your system please disable it! (instructions on that to follow)
Yes you see it in bold because this has been the week of the Java meltdown and it's not pretty. If you've missed the high drama surrounding this bit malware fun and games you can catch up via this post at F-Secure.
Mac Flashback Infections
If you aren't interested in backtracking through all of it, suffice it to say, Apple left Java unpatched for about 6 months... finally sending out the patch yesterday after the news hit the internet that it was a problem. Guess what happened... the Java hole that had been patched by Oracle but NOT by Apple was exploited on Macs running Java. All people had to do was hit a web site with an infected Java applet and voilà! instant own by the trojan. Yippee Skippee.
So let's start with the Mac people... did you get owned? (If you are running a new machine with Lion you might not have Java - it does not come on Mac with Lion and would only be there if you downloaded it)
If you are a Mac user, certainly check your updates and make sure you've got it patched. Then open a terminal window (it's in Applications --> Utilities --> Terminal.app). Terminal looks like an old DOS window with cute things like your computer name and $ where you would enter text if you knew what to type. Well, here you go, enter the following - you can cut and paste from here:
defaults read /Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info LSEnvironment
Hit enter. If it says:
"The domain/default pair of (/Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info, LSEnvironment) does not exist"
Breathe a small sigh of relief. If you run Firefox, you'll need to change the Safari.app to Firefox.app and do it again.
Next copy and paste this into the terminal window:
defaults read ~/.MacOSX/environment DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES
Hit enter. Once again if you receive:
"The domain/default pair of (/Users/joe/.MacOSX/environment, DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES) does not exist"
All is well and you are set. (BTW the "joe" above will be your login name) If you got anything other than the "does not exist" message for either of these commands, see the F-Secure Disinfection Page to get rid of it.
Now... on to the fix. Disable Java! You can do this in several ways. Either disable Java in the browser, disable it on the system or remove it from your system. I would suggest disabling both the system and browser, wait about a month. If you haven't broken anything, remove it from your system. That should be the least traumatic way to do this. If something is broken, you'll then have to decide if it's worth keeping Java or not. You could keep it and only enable it when you really need to use it.
So here we go:
Windows:
On the system. Go to control panel. In the search bar type in "Java". This should bring up the Java entry. Click this to open the Java panel. There are several tabs across the top, click the "Java" tab. Click on "View" it will open a new little window. Uncheck the "Enable" box and click "OK". Then "OK" again to close the Java box.
In IE (this might be different for different versions - I have the latest so I hope you don't have to search too hard to find this). Open the "Internet Options" box. In the latest version it's located in the "settings wheel" on the top right of the browser. Click the "Programs" tab and the the "Manage add-ons" button. Scroll down and you should see the Java plugin(s). Disable them.
In Firefox open the "Options" box. Under the "General" tab (the first tab!) Click the "Manage Add-ons" box. Disable the Java plugin(s).
Restart the browser. That should do it for Windows.
Mac:
Open Finder. Type in "Java Preferences" in the search bar. You will have to scroll, but it should be in the list of stuff there. The icon is a cup of coffee with a window background. Click it to open. Depending on your system you may have both a 32bit and 64bit Java. Doesn't really matter, just uncheck the boxes under the "general" tab. Then you can close the window.
In Safari:
Open Preferences. Go to the Security tab and uncheck "enable Java". That's it.
In Firefox - go to Tools -- Add-ons and disable Java.
Now at least you might not pick up any unwelcome little trojans. Maybe. At least for a little while.
I hope the instructions make sense. If not, you can ask, or you can find a local geek who can help.
****
I don't have Chrome, but it looks like you don't have to do anything if you do have it : For Java specifically, Chrome now disables Java by default on all pages and prompts you to allow it to run each time a site needs it. So you should be okay with the browser part.
***
Update 2: I should be clear that Apple didn't patch Java for about 6 months. But the current exploited hole is one that Oracle patched in February. Be that as it may, there were other Java patches in the meantime just not noted as being exploited on Macs like this one.
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April 02, 2012
Stuff in the News
Saw this today
Is the NSA's massive new spy center watching you?
I don't know, but if they are, could they please tell me what I did with my keys? You know this could be a useful service performed by the government...
***
But what if you want to build it yourself...
Scientists refine smart self-assembling building blocks
I know many a young boy who will be quite distraught if their legos start building by themselves.
***
Jetsons... here we come
Flying car gets closer to reality with test flight
***
If you have a Mac - there is a trojan floating around out there exploiting a java flaw
Mac Flashback trojan exploits unpatched Java vulnerability, no password needed
I just turned off Java on my system. Once they've patched it, I can turn it back on if I need it.
***
And it looks like there are some polite hackers out there.
Hackers politely deface security firm website, suggest fixes
Nice to know that some people can be polite. heh.
***
Have a nice evening.
Is the NSA's massive new spy center watching you?
I don't know, but if they are, could they please tell me what I did with my keys? You know this could be a useful service performed by the government...
***
But what if you want to build it yourself...
Scientists refine smart self-assembling building blocks
I know many a young boy who will be quite distraught if their legos start building by themselves.
***
Jetsons... here we come
Flying car gets closer to reality with test flight
***
If you have a Mac - there is a trojan floating around out there exploiting a java flaw
Mac Flashback trojan exploits unpatched Java vulnerability, no password needed
I just turned off Java on my system. Once they've patched it, I can turn it back on if I need it.
***
And it looks like there are some polite hackers out there.
Hackers politely deface security firm website, suggest fixes
Nice to know that some people can be polite. heh.
***
Have a nice evening.
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March 29, 2012
No Excuses
Gymnast Johanna Quaas shows you how it's done. Oh yeah, she's 86 years old!
And if the floor routine isn't enough to convince you, here she is on the parallel bars.
I found an interview they did with her. It's in German, so I can't understand a word of it. However, listen to her voice. That sounds like a woman half her age.
If you'll excuse me, I'm now going to sit in a corner and weep quietly because even when I was a kid, I didn't bend like that. heh.
H/T Deadspin
And if the floor routine isn't enough to convince you, here she is on the parallel bars.
I found an interview they did with her. It's in German, so I can't understand a word of it. However, listen to her voice. That sounds like a woman half her age.
If you'll excuse me, I'm now going to sit in a corner and weep quietly because even when I was a kid, I didn't bend like that. heh.
H/T Deadspin
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March 27, 2012
Stuff Going on in the World
I want one!
Pizza joint creates one-push wireless order button
I'm all about less work and this is about as "less" as you can get! When is it coming to the states and where do I have to move to get it? I know it won't be in this area for at least 20 years after the rest of the world gets it. (New Englanders will be screaming about how it will endanger your children - ha)
***
Eagle cam!
First Egg Hatches On Decorah Eaglecam
Warning Will Robinson! Turn down the sound on your computer! The mike is active and when the wind is blowing it's really really loud! Also it's a real live nest of real live Eagles. There is currently half a fish sitting on the nest along with the mother eagle. You've been warned.
If you want to go directly to the cam go here.
***
On a more serious but hopeful note
Injection saves lives for heart attack patients: study
After reading the article I can't decide if they mean "injection" or if they mean "IV". It's a bit unclear. But hey, if it works, I'm all for it.
***
Cool
'Twist-O' toy inspires collapsible 'buckliball'
I'm thinking a structure that pulls itself inward during severe weather. Then again I don't think outside the box very well. heh.
***
And last of all
Could eating chocolate make you thinner?
I am willing to experiment to help the cause!
Have a great evening.
Pizza joint creates one-push wireless order button
I'm all about less work and this is about as "less" as you can get! When is it coming to the states and where do I have to move to get it? I know it won't be in this area for at least 20 years after the rest of the world gets it. (New Englanders will be screaming about how it will endanger your children - ha)
***
Eagle cam!
First Egg Hatches On Decorah Eaglecam
Warning Will Robinson! Turn down the sound on your computer! The mike is active and when the wind is blowing it's really really loud! Also it's a real live nest of real live Eagles. There is currently half a fish sitting on the nest along with the mother eagle. You've been warned.
If you want to go directly to the cam go here.
***
On a more serious but hopeful note
Injection saves lives for heart attack patients: study
After reading the article I can't decide if they mean "injection" or if they mean "IV". It's a bit unclear. But hey, if it works, I'm all for it.
***
Cool
'Twist-O' toy inspires collapsible 'buckliball'
I'm thinking a structure that pulls itself inward during severe weather. Then again I don't think outside the box very well. heh.
***
And last of all
Could eating chocolate make you thinner?
I am willing to experiment to help the cause!
Have a great evening.
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at
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March 25, 2012
When To End An Interview
I spotted this headline today.
Lawmakers Call for Investigation of Facebook Password Requests
Employers are asking for username/passwords for facebook? I assume it must be happening somewhere although I am not interviewing for jobs, so I have no person experience of this phenom. Still, I find this a stunning invasion of privacy!
My immediate reaction:
The interview ends the minute someone asks for any username/password for any personal account.
Yes, I will stand up, thank them nicely, and say "It's been interesting talking with you. Thank you for your time. Good bye." This would hold true whether or not I had an account on the social media site.
You may think it's a bit extreme. You may, if you've been looking for a job for a long time and are desperate, think it's cavalier of me to say this. You may think... "but you're leaving them with the impression you have something to hide!"
That is exactly the reaction they are counting on. You need to turn your thinking around! If you give them the passwords, you have put someone else in control of your online data. We will return to this in a moment.
First I need to state this: an employer is perfectly within their rights to dig around on the internet and find any information that has been made public about you. They can find public facebook postings (which is why you should be very careful what your friends post about you or what pictures your friends tag you with on facebook), twitter feeds, blog posts, linkedin posts, and any other publicly available internet information. I have no problem with a company researching an employee before hiring them. Just as an employee should check out a company prior to the interview. Therefore, public data gathering is not the problem.
There are several problems with employers asking for your login credentials to any of the social media sites.
First and foremost, it violates laws already in place regarding what an employer can ask you about your personal life. With access to a social media site they know about your marital status (okay so they might know if you are married but they aren't supposed to ask about your life with your spouse), your parental status, possibly your sexual orientation, even your political ideology. All of which are not part of the job interview last time I heard.
Then there is the problem of someone else having control of your account. This is the one that is most disturbing. Here are just a few of the questions to ponder.
Who gets the login info? who does the looking? how do you know they won't change anything while logged in? how do you know they aren't using your account to find information about someone else? what information might they copy that you consider "private"? what will they do with any info they find on your site? what do they do with the login info once they have looked at your site?
The last question is the least important since giving away your login info is like giving away the keys to your house, now the only thing to do is change the lock (in this case, the password).
They've been on your account and gotten whatever information they wanted, what's to stop them from logging in again? what's to stop them from using information they gathered while on your site in a detrimental way?
The list could go on for pages, but if none of the above bother you... then maybe you are a good fit for the company.
Something else that bothers me is knowing that one set of login credentials is often used over and over by unsophisticated computer users. Therefore, facebook login credentials could give the company access to things like credit card accounts, bank accounts, health accounts... and this is just for an interview‽ (I was listening to Grammar Girl and just had to use the Interobang here)
While the request and its ramifications are mind boggling, I don't believe new laws are needed. The current laws covering what employers can do during interviews should be sufficient. However, it may need to be emphasized that these laws cover social media as well as other aspects of personal life. So, it's a good thing to bring this to the attention of the public. People need to know why they shouldn't say yes to this request. But, I see no reason to pass any specific law for "social media".
So keep your passwords to yourself. If you have ever given out a password even if it's for purposes of getting tech assistance. It's time to change it and change any other site that uses the same password.
This has been a public service post. We now return you to our regularly scheduled navel gazing.
Lawmakers Call for Investigation of Facebook Password Requests
Employers are asking for username/passwords for facebook? I assume it must be happening somewhere although I am not interviewing for jobs, so I have no person experience of this phenom. Still, I find this a stunning invasion of privacy!
My immediate reaction:
The interview ends the minute someone asks for any username/password for any personal account.
Yes, I will stand up, thank them nicely, and say "It's been interesting talking with you. Thank you for your time. Good bye." This would hold true whether or not I had an account on the social media site.
You may think it's a bit extreme. You may, if you've been looking for a job for a long time and are desperate, think it's cavalier of me to say this. You may think... "but you're leaving them with the impression you have something to hide!"
That is exactly the reaction they are counting on. You need to turn your thinking around! If you give them the passwords, you have put someone else in control of your online data. We will return to this in a moment.
First I need to state this: an employer is perfectly within their rights to dig around on the internet and find any information that has been made public about you. They can find public facebook postings (which is why you should be very careful what your friends post about you or what pictures your friends tag you with on facebook), twitter feeds, blog posts, linkedin posts, and any other publicly available internet information. I have no problem with a company researching an employee before hiring them. Just as an employee should check out a company prior to the interview. Therefore, public data gathering is not the problem.
There are several problems with employers asking for your login credentials to any of the social media sites.
First and foremost, it violates laws already in place regarding what an employer can ask you about your personal life. With access to a social media site they know about your marital status (okay so they might know if you are married but they aren't supposed to ask about your life with your spouse), your parental status, possibly your sexual orientation, even your political ideology. All of which are not part of the job interview last time I heard.
Then there is the problem of someone else having control of your account. This is the one that is most disturbing. Here are just a few of the questions to ponder.
Who gets the login info? who does the looking? how do you know they won't change anything while logged in? how do you know they aren't using your account to find information about someone else? what information might they copy that you consider "private"? what will they do with any info they find on your site? what do they do with the login info once they have looked at your site?
The last question is the least important since giving away your login info is like giving away the keys to your house, now the only thing to do is change the lock (in this case, the password).
They've been on your account and gotten whatever information they wanted, what's to stop them from logging in again? what's to stop them from using information they gathered while on your site in a detrimental way?
The list could go on for pages, but if none of the above bother you... then maybe you are a good fit for the company.
Something else that bothers me is knowing that one set of login credentials is often used over and over by unsophisticated computer users. Therefore, facebook login credentials could give the company access to things like credit card accounts, bank accounts, health accounts... and this is just for an interview‽ (I was listening to Grammar Girl and just had to use the Interobang here)
While the request and its ramifications are mind boggling, I don't believe new laws are needed. The current laws covering what employers can do during interviews should be sufficient. However, it may need to be emphasized that these laws cover social media as well as other aspects of personal life. So, it's a good thing to bring this to the attention of the public. People need to know why they shouldn't say yes to this request. But, I see no reason to pass any specific law for "social media".
So keep your passwords to yourself. If you have ever given out a password even if it's for purposes of getting tech assistance. It's time to change it and change any other site that uses the same password.
This has been a public service post. We now return you to our regularly scheduled navel gazing.
Posted by: Teresa in
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10:47 PM
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March 21, 2012
News You've Been Waiting For
Because I really have to share these things.
***
Branson says Kutcher is space line's 500th client
Maybe he could go colonize Mars and make really bad camera commercials there instead.
***
'Angry Birds' blasts off into new frontier: Space
So are they after Kutcher? Or did pigs finally learn to fly?
****
Pirate Bay plans to build aerial server drones with $35 Linux computer
This makes me think... maybe Hollywood is getting its birds/actors in a row to shoot down The Pirate Bay when it goes aerial.
****
Kraft to rename snack unit 'Mondelez'
Oh excellent - a flop in the making. Stock up on Oreos people.
***
In my non-news story of the day. I have found some dissolving Calcium to take. I hope it works because I am tired of trying not to choke to death on those horse pills they pass off as calcium tablets.
***
That would be it for tonight. Don't you feel at least 5% smarter? Oh well, at least I don't think this news makes anyone feel any dumber.
***
Branson says Kutcher is space line's 500th client
Maybe he could go colonize Mars and make really bad camera commercials there instead.
***
'Angry Birds' blasts off into new frontier: Space
So are they after Kutcher? Or did pigs finally learn to fly?
****
Pirate Bay plans to build aerial server drones with $35 Linux computer
This makes me think... maybe Hollywood is getting its birds/actors in a row to shoot down The Pirate Bay when it goes aerial.
****
Kraft to rename snack unit 'Mondelez'
Oh excellent - a flop in the making. Stock up on Oreos people.
***
In my non-news story of the day. I have found some dissolving Calcium to take. I hope it works because I am tired of trying not to choke to death on those horse pills they pass off as calcium tablets.
***
That would be it for tonight. Don't you feel at least 5% smarter? Oh well, at least I don't think this news makes anyone feel any dumber.
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March 20, 2012
Some Hopeful Tech News
I hope everyone had a terrific St. Patrick's Day weekend. It was certainly lovely in the Boston area.
I've been busy playing with Virtualbox and the Fedora Linux distro. For some reason the two won't play nice on my Windows machine so it's been taking up a bit of time. I may skip Fedora and move to Ubuntu or Mint.
I have to say there are so many people who put up youtube vids on this stuff. It saves so much time to see a walk thru and try to catch problems before they start. I think my issue with Fedora is the desktop client it wants to use. We shall see.
Anyway, if my last post left you feeling somewhat depressed, go read this - which is ultra cool.
Robotics Trends for 2012
We may get our robots and Star Trek future yet. I have been hearing about the 3D printer... now that would really be something - very cool!
Keep inventing stuff people!
I've been busy playing with Virtualbox and the Fedora Linux distro. For some reason the two won't play nice on my Windows machine so it's been taking up a bit of time. I may skip Fedora and move to Ubuntu or Mint.
I have to say there are so many people who put up youtube vids on this stuff. It saves so much time to see a walk thru and try to catch problems before they start. I think my issue with Fedora is the desktop client it wants to use. We shall see.
Anyway, if my last post left you feeling somewhat depressed, go read this - which is ultra cool.
Robotics Trends for 2012
We may get our robots and Star Trek future yet. I have been hearing about the 3D printer... now that would really be something - very cool!
Keep inventing stuff people!
Posted by: Teresa in
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March 15, 2012
New Tech Should Spring Forth Fully Formed and Functional!
I came across this article today.
Researchers send 'wireless' message using neutrinos
Of course I read it because it's one of those articles that makes me believe Star Trek was really a show from the future and we might just get there someday...
Then, because I am an idiot, I read the comments. OMG the comments!!! A few were funny, some were impressed or at least interested that some sort of research was going on.
But others... there are always the others. The whiners. They want to complain about price. They want to moan about the equipment not being able to do the job. They want to mutter about idiots doing stupid experiments.
Apparently all the tech we have today sprang up fully formed and ready to sit on our desktops. All cell phones have always been like the iphones or Androids you see now - never were they the size and weight of a good sized brick. All computers were always sitting on the desktop with nice thin screens. There was never a computer the size of a small house that wheezed along by reading punch cards and trying to calculate a few equations so we could send men to the moon.
It's disturbing to see people so hell bent on telling us not only that it won't work, but that the scientists were stupid to even try it. The saddest part is, these morons have built their case on a blurby little blog post that dumbs everything down so the semi-literate layman can claim to understand some of what is going on. From there the critics feel free to tell us why it will never work.
I shall never have my Star Trek future because these idiots have no dreams and therefore want to make sure no one else has them either. Because... dreams are stupid and they'll never work.
Researchers send 'wireless' message using neutrinos
Of course I read it because it's one of those articles that makes me believe Star Trek was really a show from the future and we might just get there someday...
Then, because I am an idiot, I read the comments. OMG the comments!!! A few were funny, some were impressed or at least interested that some sort of research was going on.
But others... there are always the others. The whiners. They want to complain about price. They want to moan about the equipment not being able to do the job. They want to mutter about idiots doing stupid experiments.
Apparently all the tech we have today sprang up fully formed and ready to sit on our desktops. All cell phones have always been like the iphones or Androids you see now - never were they the size and weight of a good sized brick. All computers were always sitting on the desktop with nice thin screens. There was never a computer the size of a small house that wheezed along by reading punch cards and trying to calculate a few equations so we could send men to the moon.
It's disturbing to see people so hell bent on telling us not only that it won't work, but that the scientists were stupid to even try it. The saddest part is, these morons have built their case on a blurby little blog post that dumbs everything down so the semi-literate layman can claim to understand some of what is going on. From there the critics feel free to tell us why it will never work.
I shall never have my Star Trek future because these idiots have no dreams and therefore want to make sure no one else has them either. Because... dreams are stupid and they'll never work.
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