Computers and Networking for the Home Owner and Small Businesses - by Sid Plait

Windows Users - Don't Download System Security 2009!

2009-09-25T09:50:00Z

In a post here, I talked about the email going around asking you to "keep your anti-virus software up to date" by clicking a link. There are a couple of new twists to how this malware product shows itself that you need to be aware of.

First of all, be aware that the purpose of this pop up is to not only install the malware on your computer, but also to get your credit card and other personal information. If, in the screen as shown below, you click the "Get full time protection with System Security" button, it will take you to a screen that will ask for payment. IF YOU GAVE THEM YOUR CREDIT CARD information:

stop what you are doing immediately
call the phone number on the back of the card you used
tell them what happened
ask them to deny any charges that come in after the date and time you made that charge
get them to cancel that card and issue you a new one

This is a good procedure to follow anytime you think someone unscrupulous has your financial information. You should also check your credit reports on a regular basis to make sure all the accounts listed are correct and that no one else has opened an account in your name.

So, System Security 2009 now comes in a convenient pop-up form! However, the name changes frequently, so I have provided a screen shot of its current iteration. It will pop up on your screen without warning. If you want to search for more info on this, Google "Trojan.Poison.J", the first item in the screen shot.

First of all, the main popup screen will look like this:

If you see this screen, click the red "X" in the upper right-hand corner to get rid of it. As long as you do that, and do not click anything else in the window, you should be OK.

If it's too late, meaning you clicked something other than the red "X", then you will need to remove the infection. Not doing so immediately will cause you more stress than anyone needs. If you feel you don't have the expertise to follow these steps, please, call a professional! You may also be able to find an automated tool online that will remove this infection. Click here to go to a Google page listing a number of removal tools. (I have chosen not to link to any of them because links change. If you see a reference to a tool from someone you know and trust (e.g., Norton, ESET, Kaspersky, McAfee, etc.), use it.

So, here's what you do if this vile piece of malware is inhabiting your PC (read this through carefully before starting the work):

Removing System Security 2009 manually******:

1. Boot into Safe Mode.

2. Browse to and remove the following files:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\00308937*\pc00308937ins*
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\00308937*\00308937.exe*
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\00308937*\config.udb
C:\Documents and Settings\{your username directory}**\Desktop\System Security 2009.lnk
C:\Documents and Settings\{your username directory}**\Start Menu\Programs\System Security\System Security 2009 Support.lnk
C:\Documents and Settings\{your username directory}**\Start Menu\Programs\System Security\System Security 2009.lnk

* - The number in this command (00308937) may not be the actual number you see in the directory. If so, replace that number with the one in the directory.

** - replace "{your username directory)" with the name of the user's folder under Documents and Settings. For example, my username is "Sid", so the path to the System Security 2009.lnk file would be:

C:\Documents and Settings\Sid\Desktop\System Security 2009.lnk

3. Delete the following registry entries:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\00308937*
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run “00308937″*
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\SystemSecurity2009

* - The number in these registry entries (00308937) may not be the actual number you see in the directory. If so, replace that number with the one in the directory (the same one you used in the previous step).

****** - Manual removal of System Security 2009 is a dangerous task if you aren't familiar with the registry. If you remove the wrong keys, you could cause your computer to stop working. While it has worked in every case for me so far, the malware may reappear. I suggest you either use an automated tool or call a professional to remove it.

Good luck! Hopefully, you will never have to deal with this!

URGENT - Windows PC owners - take immediate heed!! (Mac owners - go back to having fun.)

2009-03-29T19:45:00Z

Two cautionary tales for you that require IMMEDIATE attention:

Firstly - There is a worm (malware) that has infected many computers on the Internet and will activate itself on 1 April (and, no, this isn't a joke) called Conficker.C. Read more about it here and get a free tool to remove it here. If you don't do this, you are looking for trouble on the 1st. Read the article, run the removal tool. If you don't think you have it, run the tool anyway. You are much better off safe than sorry.

Secondly - Botnets are bad news. They are trojan horses that get on your system without you knowing it and they send whatever you do on your computer to someone you don't want to share the information with and you don't want to know (i.e., bad people). This article, posted on the MSNBC site, gives unsettling information about the breadth of this problem. BE AWARE, you may be infected and not know it.

HOW TO DO YOUR VERY BEST TO MAKE SURE YOUR DATA IS PRIVATE (besides never getting on the Internet):

Make sure your Internet security software is up to date and that your system has been scanned lately. (If you only have anti-virus software, you probably aren't protected. Get a full Internet security package.*) If you have even the slightest concern (and you should always have plenty of it, especially if you do any online banking, stock trading, purchasing of online goods, or log into ANY site whatsoever - which means YOU!), use a free online scanner to check out your PC. While online scanners typically do not remove harmful stuff from your computer, they at least alert you to problems not picked up by your security software. Remember (or KNOW if no one has told you this before), when malware gets loaded on your computer, the first thing it does is disable your security software from being able to detect the bad stuff. As a result, it is a good idea to perform an online scan every once in a while just to make sure everything's copasetic.

In my next post, I will discuss which Internet security product I suggest and why.

Thirdly - have you noticed how so many people use transition words (such as "firstly", "secondly", and more) incorrectly? I see so many news articles and hear many people just say "first" or "second". Poor English! (Another pet peeve of mine and the subject of another post. Oh, yeah, and MBH, be aware that I know that there are one or two things I say incorrectly. I am trying to be more cognizant of them.)

Lastly - "Be carful out there!"

________________________

* - A full Internet security package consists of a number of protection features, including anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-phishing, anti-adware, possibly some other antis, and definitely a firewall. Some include parental controls to keep kids from accidentally or intentionally going to bad places on the Internet. Internet security packages are all updated constantly trying to keep up with the bad guys out there.

There are computer people out there that feel you should buy or download free copies of the individual aspects of Internet security products. Having worked with homeowners and small businesses for years, I know they will not keep up with individual products, because it takes lots of time. So use a whole package.

Jott it down over the phone

2009-03-25T11:59:00Z

A couple of months ago, someone mentioned a site on the web that allows anyone to send messages anywhere through their telephone. That sounds pretty mundane, but there's more to it than it sounds.

I looked up Jott, and saw that I had a need for one of their services, Jott Assistant. Basically, it allows me to call a specific phone number, where I can leave a voice message that is transcribed to text and sent as an email to my mailbox. When I am on the road and a client calls wanting to set up an appointment, I can speed dial Jott and leave myself a message to make sure the appointment gets on my calendar as soon as I stop somewhere. When things are moving fast, I worry about forgetting to post an appointment and leaving a client waiting at home for me when I am not coming. With Jott, I don't have to worry about it.

The service is extremely simple to use, and is very inexpensive. There are two more services they offer with nice features. Check it out for yourself, and spread the word. Our roads are dangerous enough as it is. If we can avoid texting and writing notes while driving, maybe I will live a bit longer (and you, too)!

With Skype you get egg roll (or Spider, Rainbow, or California Roll)

2009-03-23T23:16:00Z

I began a new chapter (or maybe continued an old one) in my life the other day, and technology made it all possible.

MBF (my best friend, other then my MBH - my better half) and I have known each other since 1986, when we both worked for (shudder) BellSouth in a startup technology group. As I tell people, much to their disbelief, it was an entrepreneurial organization within a Bell Telephone company. Whoda thunk?

Anyway, Peter and I became good friends over the years, and we developed a love for good sushi restaurants in Atlanta. We would meet once a month or so at Nakato on Cheshire Bridge Road and sit at the sushi bar and drink sake and eat (mostly) raw fish and seaweed and rice. We developed a love for Ama Ebi, or sweet shrimp. It is the only shrimp served raw (in the US, anyway), and they tempura the heads (tentacles and eyes and everything) and serve them.

I also favor seaweed salad and Spider Rolls (tempuraed soft-shell crab meat in a wonderful roll, served warm). Mmmmmmmmmm!!

After Peter and HIS BH (Melissa) moved to Asheville, NC, it became our custom to go out for sushi together every time either of us was in the other's town. It has been fun, but the visits have been fewer and farther between over the years than when we inhabited the same city.

So about two months ago, Peter suggested we both get Hue web cams and, every so often, "get together" over the Internet and have sushi! Well, last Monday, we did that very thing.

I went to a sushi place near my home that has a terrific sushi bar (Osaka, for those of you in the area - their food is great!) and picked up a Dragon Roll and some nigiri, wasabi, and ginger, and called Peter over Skype* at the promised time. The only things missing were the warm sake (I will rectify that next time by buying a bottle and keeping it at home), being able to hug each other, and having the sushi chef to thank before ringing off. (I still leave a tip.)

So, we have modified an old tradition of ours using technology so that we can partake of specially prepared fish more often. It isn't exactly the same, but it's better than waiting until we can be in the same city. I am going to suggest to him that we do it again next Monday.

How have YOU used technology in a unique, weird, or otherwise unsane way that is legal?

* - There are other video telephony services on the web. If you are planning to use one, just Google (or click this link) "free web video telephone services".

Social Networking is NOT for the unthinking!

2009-03-23T19:59:00Z

For some, social networking is out of control. There are people out there twittering their entire lives away without thought to what they are saying or doing. (Is that why they are called "twits"?) If you read the comic strip Doonesbury over the past several weeks, you saw a parody of a "journalist" tweeting his stories. It is a sad commentary on how some people use that service. (Click the link for the first strip in the series. This one is the second in the series and sets up the character, in case you don't know who Roland Hedley is.)

I stay away from Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, mostly because I just don't have time to get lost in them, as so many do. There are huge risks to using those networks, and I don't like to risk my privacy. (BTW - the history of each of these sites and others can be found on the Wikipedia site.)

Kids give up enough information for bad people to figure out their online passwords (and sometimes even their parents' passwords). I don't need to know your birthday or your dog's name. Oh, and by the way, that is exactly the kind of info many people use for their passwords. Worse yet, I don't need to know your best friend's birth date or dog's name. You might be giving away SOMEONE ELSE'S passwords!!

Some people even share what they ate for breakfast and how many times they went to the bathroom today. This is stuff I REALLY don't want to know. You wouldn't tell me that when we meet on the street. Why (oh, WHY) would you think I'd want to share that information with 1000 of your closest friends??

I know there are good reasons to use social networking. For instance, I use LinkedIn to keep in touch with professional friends and acquaintances. There are work- and job-related reasons for doing so, and they make sense.

But, as I said above, some people are out of control. That story is a cautionary tale.

So, please, if you use social networking sites, use critical thinking (other definitions of the term can be found here and here) when posting information. Think about what you are posting. If you think it might be even the slightest bit negative, wait an hour before posting it. If you still feel obligated to post it, by all means, do so. Just be aware that you might be hanging yourself.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2008-12-31T10:50:00Z

I started this blog about six or so months ago. I want to thank all of you who read it, and especially those who comment. You all add a little bit to my life! I hope I do the same for you.

So, on to 2009 and better times!

Contact: Carl Sagan's other video (and novel) legacy to the world

2008-12-16T07:44:00Z

I promise to get back to technology posts soon, but first, this message:

I couldn't sleep this evening. I found myself wide awake at midnight. There's plenty of work to do, not including writing posts for this blog. I went into the den to try to fall asleep, but no luck.

While laying in the dark on the sofa, I began thinking about astronomy and science, and my mind took me to Carl Sagan, one of my heroes. I remember how remarkable a man he was, and how much he gave us all. He wrote or co-authored more than 20 books, including one of my favorite bits of science fiction, Contact. He wrote over 600 scientific articles, and, probably his greatest legacy, he wrote and was the star of the PBS series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, seen by over 600 million people worldwide. He brought science to the masses, and, among many other things, was a strong advocate of critical thinking.

You can read more about him by following the links in this post. However, I want to talk a little about the book and movie, Contact.

Sagan's literary influence, his wonderful wife Ann Druyan, was with him every step of the way in the writing of this novel, and she made her mark on the result. She also was the producer of the movie, unfortunately finishing it just a little too late.

This morning, I watched the movie again. It was released in 1997, a year after Dr. Sagan's death. He worked hard on the movie, but had to wait for special effects to catch up to what he had written. He and Ann didn't want to shortchange his audience. The movie is spectacular. And the book is even better!

For ten years after the book was published, I am pretty sure I read the book once a year. It had such depth of character in Ellie Arroway, and the story is riveting. I believe I fell a little in love with Ellie. I certainly envy her, even now. She got to go to the STARS!

Ellie Arroway (played by Jodie Foster) is a brilliant, driven, amazing woman with a dream - to discover proof of other intelligent life in the universe. As her father told her in the movie, "Small steps, Ellie," so she learned to be patient in her search for life in the sky. She is a scientist and skeptic through and through for most of the book; she doesn't believe in anything that can't be proven, questioning anything that doesn't fit in the scientific universe she trusts. But, at the end of both the book and movie, she finds faith.

The movie lets us down a little at the end, in that Ellie, while apparently (but not obviously) continues doing research, she is a teacher/tour guide for young students. Her goal is to instill a sense of scientific wonder in them and grow future scientists. Not a bad ending, but, in the book she continues her research looking for proof of a universal creator (a progenitor race) that the alien beings told her existed. Even though I have read the book many times, I still get a thrill and a shiver at the end.

I won't spoil it for those of you that have not read it. Go out and buy a copy and experience the wonderful writing and mind of Carl Sagan, scientist, great mind, and human being extraordinaire. You will not be sorry.

I also get to mention what I think is an interesting juxtaposition. Four days from now is the anniversary of Dr. Sagan's death. I haven't really thought about or seen the movie in several years. Odd that I thought of it tonight.

Dr. Carl Sagan, November 9, 1934 – December 20, 1996

A Sci-Fi(tm) icon has passed!

2008-12-07T11:39:00Z

Forrest J. Ackerman, the man who coined the term "sci-fi" back in the 1930s, died on 4 December. He is remembered by science fiction fans for many things, including being an early mentor to Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, and many other men and women who helped grow the field. Anyone who haunted a science fiction convention over the last 40 years probably ran into him. I did, back in the 1960s. He was an open, funny, nice man who loved his art.

I may have said this in a previous post: I was introduced to science fiction at the age of eight in the third grade by a friendly librarian at my school. She started me on a path I have never regretted following. To her, I dedicate this story written by Forry. (I just hope I don't get sued.) It is copyright 1973 by Mankind Publishing Company and is considered the shortest Sci-Fi story ever told.

Forrest J. Ackerman - 24 November 1916 - 4 December 2008

NEWS FLASH!! #18 Georgia Tech 45 #13 University of Georgia 42!!!!!!!!

2008-11-29T20:46:00Z

'nuf said!

Take a look at these two sites

2008-11-26T21:45:00Z

I just got a post from NiteSkyGirl, an astronomer who reads MLB's site. I went to her site to look around. She posts about what it's like to be an astronomer as well as what cool stuff she is working on and what events are coming up in the sky. Take a look yourself.

NSG has a link on her site to The Big Picture, a great site out of Boston. The link takes you specifically to the International Space Station article and pictures commemorating its 10th anniversary. Here are two pix to whet your whistle:

This is the station as of June of this year (2008).

This picture caught my eye. Not because of the good looking blonde, but because (highly intelligent, well-trained, and capable) Astronaut Karen Nyberg's hair makes for a beautiful ~~picture~~ example of weightlessness.

Anyway (hmm - there's a pun in there someweigh {sorry!}), the site has 30+ pictures showing the history of the ISS, and they are pretty cool. Click the link above the first pic to take a look!

The most current shuttle mission is STS-126 a repair mission for the station. 126 is a special number for me, so it's apropos that this mission be on the 10th anniversary of the ISS. Very cool!

Visit my web site for a look at what I do when I am not posting here or spending time with MBH.

PS Poll #1 - What's your favorite foreign accent?

2008-11-24T20:01:00Z

Since I was a wee lad, growing up in the melting pot of Northern Virginia, just outside of DC, I have always been a studier of accents. As mentioned previously, I am a movie fan, and I have catalogued some 3500 movies I've seen in my lifetime, and the list is not complete (and never will be finished). I love trying to figure out where someone is from when I first encounter them.

My favorites are ~~Aussy~~ Australian and New Zealand, Cockney, Irish, Welsh, Scottish, South African, and Mexican (which, when spoken properly, is a gorgeous language, and English spoken by a Mexican can be lyrical). I am fond of Russians speaking English and subtleties of Canadien English. I get stuck on the varieties of Spanish spoken in Central and South America, as well as the many African accents. There are also a number of middle-Asia accents I love, but I am not certain where they are from.

So I ask the 14 or 15 of you who look at this blog, please respond and tell me what accents and dialects you like to hear. I want to hear especially from those of you who either live outside the US or were not born here.

Thanks!

APOD - The Astronomy Picture of the Day Website

2008-11-24T16:56:00Z

Having just posted about our collective lack of awe and amazement, here's a cure:

If you have never been to APOD, I strongly recommend you bookmark it and look at the site to start your every day.

I go there every morning to see what new wonder has been posted. There are few words to describe the majesty of the universe. Thank goodness we have pictures.

Go to their archives. There are over ten years of daily pictures to go through. I have about 350 of them (and growing) on my Mac and use them as my screensaver. As MLB would say, "It's hawsome!"

Death from the Skies - By Phil Plait, esq. (MLB)

2008-11-23T23:54:00Z

Heh. MLB* is at it again. His 2nd book just came out three weeks or so ago. I finished it the other day, and I gotta say that no one I know could write a non-fiction book about the end of everything and be funny about it. I mean Douglas Adams did it, but it was definitely fiction, though with a social conscience.

DFTS is about all the ways the Earth and the universe may end, all based on scientific evidence and cold, hard facts. In most ways, the subject matter is grim, but Phil keeps it all in perspective (as he does the issues he describes in his weblog). Basically, the odds are that it will be hundreds of millions or billions of years before we have to worry about some cataclysmic cosmic event causing our demise. Of course, we may continue on our present course and kill the planet ourselves, but his book is about non-Earth-based events causing Earth's, or humanity's destruction. All good fodder for sci-fi movies and nightmares.

I love the way he presents everything. It is done in ways that most people can understand. He not only details the disasters, but lays out possible solutions and odds of the events even happening. He also tells us how long we most likely have before each type of event could occur.

Interestingly enough, those cataclysms that are most likely in the short term are ones we have some ability to prevent. Phil's chapters start out with a story detailing how it might happen:

"The alarm went off at 6:52 A.M. as it did every morning. Groggily, Mark slapped it off, then stumbled wearily to the bathroom. He splashed a bit of water on his face to accelerate the waking process, then began to brush his teeth.

"Seeing that it was already a clear, warm day, he peered out the bathroom window to take in the scene as he brushed.... The trees cast long shadows as the sun slowly rose in the sky....

"Stepping up to the window, he stood on tiptoe to look around the yard. What the-, he thought. Every tree was casting two distinct shadows."

The story goes on to describe a second sun in the sky, this one moving rather rapidly toward Mark's horizon. It strikes the ground and then the destruction begins. The meteorite that hit the Earth is quite large, and the destruction it wreaks is near total, but some people survive.

Phil then goes on to tell us quite a bit about how much cosmic and man-made debris hits the Earth every day, and describes several large impacts that go back in our history to the Tunguska incident in 1908 (over Siberia) that leveled hundreds of square miles of trees (It is estimated the rock was only about 70 yards across!) and further back to the six-mile-wide meteoroid that was responsible for the die-off of a great number of dinosaurs and hastened their ultimate demise.

And he does it all with humor.

For example, he talks about the difference between meteors, meteoroids, and meteorites in the text. Then, he adds a footnote:

"One of the best ways to tick off an astronomer - and it can be fun sometimes just to see how he reacts - is to mix up the terms meteor, meteoroid, and meteorite. The very best way to tick off an astronomer is to call him an astrologer."

If you want the definitions of the three terms, read the book or look them up. Reading the book is more fun, and informative, too.

He goes on to discuss the sun's life and death, supernovae close enough to cause trouble, gamma rays, black holes, aliens, galaxies colliding, and the end of literally everything. It's all good fun! (Aren't you glad I didn't say, "it's a gas!"?) And some of the stuff he details WILL HAPPEN. It's just really likely you and I won't be here to see it. However, we CAN observe these events happening elsewhere in the universe, and we do. Great amounts of information are available even now about how stars live and die; how the universe isn't just expanding, but the expansion is accelerating; and about how galaxies collide and what the results are. Science is an amazing thing, and the people who pursue it are working so that we can understand our universe as much as we possibly can, and, maybe figure out ways to survive the devastating events to come.

So, for your entertainment and education, go buy a copy and read it. If you aren't interested in reading it, go buy a copy and give it to a loved one, a friend, or someone you don't really like. Or burn it for all I care. My brother needs the money!**

* - My Little Brother

** - Just kidding. You should buy SEVERAL copies! </(;>)} (That's a bald guy with a hat and a beard winking and smiling.)

Go to my website to get a taste of what I do for a living!

Wonder and Humility vs. Entitlement - where did we go wrong?

2008-11-23T14:39:00Z

I am constantly amazed at how many times a day I run into others who feel entitled to do whatever they want - run red lights, turn left from the right-hand lane, brush their hair while talking on the phone while driving a Hummer, yelling at someone who mildly inconvenienced them, or whatever.

I watched a woman going down the road about two weeks ago in 40MPH traffic with her phone in her right hand and a cup of steaming goodness in her left hand, while she also used the left to steer (one finger!) She was doing about 30 in the left lane, directly in front of my new car. While I watched, with no turn signal and without looking in her mirrors AT ALL, she cut over into the right lane, cutting off someone who was going the same speed as the rest of traffic. He smashed into her back end, at which time she spilled her coffee (duh!). When she finally stopped, she got out of her car AND SHE BLESSED HIM OUT! I stayed for the police and told them exactly what happened.

How did we, as a society, get to a point where we no longer feel a sense of responsibility and humility, much less wonder and gratefulness?

MLB posted a great, short video on his site yesterday with Conan O'Brien hosting the comedian Louis CK. Now, Louis is usually fairly crude in his standup. However, when on TV, he sits, so he keeps it relatively clean. Louis expounds about the lack of wonder we feel these days, and relates it to what things were like when he was younger. And it hit home for me.

So, please, click here* and watch the video. It's just a few minutes long. Then think about what he is saying. Apply it to your life. You might find that doing so makes you happier. A sense of wonder is what we had when we were kids, and it made life interesting and much more fun than it has been since we lost it. I know that not all of you lost it. I still have it for the most part, and, when life is tough for me, that sense keeps me going. There's just so much more stuff out there that is so cool that I haven't seen or thought about, that when I come across it, I get to feel a little giddy again. Even when I'm just flying in a plane, which I get to do Thursday, on my way to professing my thankfulness for it all. "Sitting in a chair...in the SKY!"

Visit my web site - www.plaitsolutions.com.

* - I had to change this link (12.31.2008) because NBC Universal yanked it off of YouTube do to proprietary rights. I am trying to find out how I can acquire the right to show it here legally. Anyway, I searched the web and found it on (usually barefoot) meg's site. I've linked to it there, but that link may disappear, too. Thanks, UBMeg! Maybe my nine readers will discover your site through this link!

Don't Help! I Am (soon to be) Surrounded by Whale Sharks!!!

2008-11-20T02:00:00Z

OMG!!! MBH has bought me a ticket to swim with the whale sharks (and about 5000 other fish) at The Georgia Aquarium!!! I can't wait! (In case you aren't aware, I volunteer there on a regular basis as a docent.)

Another friend of ours (1/2 of the couple that introduced my to MBH in the first place) will be swimming that day, too. I have known her for 36 years, and I know it will be fun for both of us, (Her husband loves to rib us about a date we had to Six Flags Over Georgia over 35 years ago. If I remember correctly, and I do, I totally forgot about the date and she called and woke me up. We did go, but - A lesson to other guys - NEVER DO THAT! She might end up hooking you up with the woman who becomes your wife.) (Boy! Am I glad I didn't write was I was thinking!)

Anyway, the big tank at The GA has lots of different kinds of fish, including four whale sharks, many cow-nosed rays, a manta ray (it's GORGEOUS), bow-mouthed guitar fish, lots of grunts of different kinds, a couple of woebegones (weird looking!), lots and lots of potato and large grouper, a large school of bat fish, and, one of MBH's and my favorites, hump-headed wrasse! The tank is 6.3 million gallons big (the largest in the world), has a 60' 2" wide window at one end made of 24"-thick acrylic panels (the second widest in the world - that's a fun story in itself), and you enter it through an acrylic tunnel that is UNDER THE TANK! You look up at all the fish passing by while riding on a slow-moving conveyor belt.

The professional divers at GA supervise the swim, and the party is limited to six customers at a time. An underwater photographer goes with us to document the water party, so I will have plenty of pics.

Oh, yeah. For those of you who don't know, whale sharks are the largest fish in the ocean. The four we have are juveniles, ranging from about 17' to 22' long. They can grow to be 40'+, and can live for 70 years or so. Whale sharks have many (MANY) teeth, about 300 rows of them, but their gullets are about the size of a quarter. They feed on phytoplankton, algae, plankton, krill, and small nektonic life, such as small squid or vertebrates. In other words, the largest fish in the ocean eat the smallest animals and plants in the ocean. Wild, huh??

In addition, all the animals and fish at GA are well fed. Fish, including most sharks, are opportunity eaters. They will eat the easiest food they come across. If it is fresh and already dead, the better. That way they don't have to expend much energy to eat, as they would if the food could attempt to escape (e.g., me). Sharks typically will not bother a human unless they are very hungry or scared. At GA, we feed them chum consisting of sushi quality fish of the same variety they would eat in the wild.

Whale sharks, by the way, are very gentle creatures. They actually have been known to roll over on their backs in the ocean to allow people to scrape off barnacles and such from their bellies.

So don't worry. I won't be eaten either in whole or in part while on this adventure (and neither will Robyn). I will be back at some point afterwards to post the photos and many more of my inane musings.

BAD STUFF coming to an email box near you! IMPORTANT!!

2008-11-20T01:26:00Z

DO NOT OPEN any emails labeled with the words "greeting card" or "postcard" in either the subject or the text of the message. The email purports to having been sent by a friend or family member. THROW IT AWAY without opening it!

The information regarding this new threat can be found at Snopes.

Thanks to Jim Vogl, another computer consultant in the North Atlanta area for the heads up!

19 November 2008 - NEWS FLASH: Electronics Recycling in Atlanta THIS SATURDAY!!

2008-11-19T22:46:00Z

Mandate just sent me news that Waste Management and Sony are sponsoring a free electronics drop-off at Turner Field in downtown Atlanta this Saturday! Sony sponsors e-cycling all over the place. They have a link on their site for their general program. Oddly enough, I could find no reference to this particular event on the WM site, so here are the details:

They accept:

TVs
Computer Monitors
CPUs and Peripherals
Scanners
Printers
Fax Machines
Ink Jet and Printer Cartridges
Stereo Equipme nt
VCRs
Phones (including cellular)
Rechargeable Batteries (NiCad, NiMH, Lilion and small sealed lead)

They DO NOT accept:

Microwaves
Smoke Detectors
Household Appliances like Refrigerators, Washing Machines and Air Conditioners

They are open from 9 - 4PM Saturday, Nov 22, 2008.

Turner Field is located at:

755 Hank Aaron Dr.

Atlanta, GA 30315

All Computers are Poison!

2008-11-19T19:57:00Z

I have been an advocate of disposing of computers and all electronic equipment in a green fashion for many years. I have also been a strong proponent for human recycling of computers, meaning that if a computer still has good life in it (the factors vary as to how that decision is made), maybe it should be given to someone that can use it that otherwise wouldn't be able to get a computer. However, up until a few moments ago, I was not aware of how vital to our health recycling of electronics truly is (and how bad it might be to someone else).

Then I saw this short video. It is part three of three parts. I have not yet found the other two parts, but I will. If there is good information there (no matter how bad the news), I will post it.

Although the video does not say this, there are places you can take your electronics that recycle them more properly than just throwing them out. They grind up circuit boards and remove the rare earth elements to be used in appropriate ways. The metal is melted and reused, as is much of the plastic. A lot of the bad stuff doesn't end up in the dump to poison our planet. Unfortunately, I can't tell you how much does get dumped. I don't know. However, it's the best we can do right now as consumers.

I posted some information on recycling here. Check it out, and do the best you can for the Earth!

Errata 2

2008-10-31T01:26:00Z

In my post from earlier today labeled "Important!!! Beware of emails bearing gifts!", I made a mistake that must be corrected.

While driving home from my last client's location, I realized that the statement, "If the site it will take you to does not have the name of the company or the product as the very first words after either the "http://" or "www", IT IS NOT A VALID LINK to the product or company the email says it's from." is wrong. The name of the company or product should be the last word before the last "dot".

For example, http://blog.plaitsolutions.com is a valid email address, because the "plaitsolutions" part comes directly before the ".com". Inversely, if the link were blog.plaitsolutions.igotyourass.net, it would not be associated with Plait Solutions. It would be associated with a site called "I Got Your Ass". Since I would never use those words, the site is obviously not one of mine.

I apologize for any confusion this has caused anyone, and, hopefully, I will not get too many comments telling me of my mistake.

Just know that if you sent such a comment, I will not post it unless it makes other points.

Nyah!

NEWS FLASH! Important update from Microsoft!! READ THIS RIGHT AWAY!!!

2008-10-30T09:02:00Z

Microsoft has released an urgent bulletin outlining a security problem in their Windows software (ALL VERSIONS of Windows) that can allow someone else to take over your Windows PC. (Mac users, breathe easy.)

If you have Widows XP, either Service Pack 2 or 3 (SP2 or SP3), go here to download a patch for this problem. DO IT NOW! You can find your service pack information by clicking the Start button at the bottom left of your screen and right-clicking My Computer. Select properties in the drop-down box that appears and read what is on the General tab. If you are running Windows XP without a designation of either SP2 or SP3, you need to update your PC badly. Do that right away to SP3 (or contact me through my web site for assistance) and make sure the patch is part of your upgrade.

If you are running Windows Vista (no comment), click here to get the patch. DO IT NOW!

If you are running Windows Vista 64-bit (you know who you are), click here to get the patch. DO IT NOW!

For those of you running Windows server software, make sure your updates are up to date as of RIGHT NOW!

If you are running Windows ME, get off my blog! (Or call me as soon as possible. You need help.) There is no patch, because Microsoft no longer supports ME, and should never have released it anyway! Upgrade to XP (not Vista), or just recycle your PC and get another. If you are running ME, your PC is way past its expected lifespan anyway.

In case I haven't made my self clear, whatever supported Windows operating system you are running, DOWNLOAD THE APPROPRIATE PATCH RIGHT NOW!

Don't make me repeat myself.