Geek Drivel

Happy Independence Day!

Head Geek — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:13:50 +0000

And on a closely-related note, the court system has ruled that the President isn’t above the law. Who would have thought?

“Carrier Pigeons Bringing Contraband into Prisons”

Head Geek — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:49:16 +0000

An interesting application of the famous RFC1149, if nothing else. But some of the comments below the story are priceless.

Spam Problem Over?

Head Geek — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:33:47 +0000

As noted previously, I rarely post about spam anymore, simply because there’s little new or interesting to post about. In fact, I rarely even see spam anymore, maybe one or two messages a day at most. This one is slightly interesting though, because it’s a perfect example of the contortions that spam purveyors have to go through to even have a slight chance of getting their messages read anymore:

Hej,

VL Ia A G R VA

1) Open your browser
2) Enter http://www.capedyinlaxyz[IZ]com
3) Replace “IZ” with “.”

This is followed by the now-usual block of semi-random text that attempts to disguise the contents of the message from Bayesian spam filters.

Three items of interest:

“Hej”? A Scandinavian might read that as “hey,” one of the half-dozen standard greetings for such messages, but few native English speakers would.

The “Viagra” text is on an orange background, and each letter has a separate different-colored background box on top of that. With the (deliberate) misspellings, it makes it kind of difficult to read, unless you already know what it’s likely to say.

The HTTP address (which has been altered, slightly, from the one that I actually received in the e-mail) is random nonsense, and has to be decoded manually on top of that.

If this is the kind of thing spammers have been forced into, I think the spam problem is all but solved… at least, until the next evolution in computer science gives them a new way around the current defenses.

“Are the ice caps melting?”

Head Geek — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:00:17 +0000

A lesson in Bad Science from NASA (predictably on Global Warming again): if the facts get in the way of your favorite theory, ignore the facts.

“Openmoko to release Linux handset tomorrow”

Head Geek — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:34:58 +0000

Want a good cell phone/organizer, but don’t want to pay through the nose for a proprietary and closed-source system that limits you in all sorts of ways? Looks like there’s an alternative coming Real Soon Now.

“Now that Vista is now the only Windows you can buy preinstalled…”

Head Geek — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:27:32 +0000

Apparently a lot of people have decided to avoid Windows Vista. Good for you, guys!

“Don’t hide or disable menu items”

Head Geek — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:24:18 +0000

I generally agree with Joel Spolsky on most things computer-related, but I’ve been thinking about this for a few days, and I just have to disagree. I see where he’s coming from, but it seems to me that there’s a better way to let the user know why an option is disabled (maybe a mouse-over tooltip?), rather than leaving it enabled but useless.

“Happy Canada Day!”

Head Geek — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:41:54 +0000

Happy Canada Day, Boing Boing style:

On this day in 1867, Amos Canada drove the spike that completed the Canadian National Railway, thus paving the way for the welding of Lefter Canada and Righter Canada into the new nation of Belgium (we changed the name about a month later — turns out it was already taken). And it is this railroad we celebrate today, for it is this railroad that brought the Canadian troops to Washington DC in 1812, there to burn down the White House and play street hockey on the Capitol Mall (”Car!”). Happy Canada day, everyone — and remember, fireworks are not toys and should never be launched from between your clenched teeth, unless you’re old enough and wise enough to do so safely.

(I’m not much on history, but this sounds just a teensy bit suspicious. )

“The Dangers of Auto-Replace”

Head Geek — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:39:07 +0000

The humorous consequences of an automated editor.

“E-Mail After the Rapture”

Head Geek — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:33:04 +0000

I’ve always liked Bruce Schneier, a very well-known security professional. Earlier this month, he tackled the thorny question of how You’ve Been Left Behind, a post-Rapture service for those who believe in that Christian concept, secures the information that you give them to ensure that it won’t be stolen or prematurely released.

If you’re not a believer, some of the comments below his article are rolling-in-the-aisles funny. (There’s one that mentions a parody site that’s quite humorous.) If you are a believer, I’d suggest simply reading the article itself.