Diary of a Network Geek

Well, as you can see by the picture to the left, the phisher was at it again.

So, me being who I am, I checked on this nasty phisher again and, naturally, he'd cleared the content and put his own back up. Well, this time, I went a little more subtle on him.  Instead of renaming his old file and uploading my own, I just uploaded my own over his.  If you look, you can see that I left most of his work in place, but added my own warning to anyone who might click on the link this stupid phisher put in his spam message.  I might keep this up for a bit, since it's so easy and will hopefully drive at least one scumbag out of business.

Now, you might ask yourself why I don't just assault the phisher or his site directly.  Well, there's two reasons.  First, I imagine that this is a compromised site and not the phisher's own.  So, if I attacked the site itself, I'd be damaging his victim twice.  Secondly, this way, if anyone does click on the link, I might educate someone so that they don't just click on any link they get via e-mail.  The best way to hit these scammers is by way of educating people enough so that they don't fall prey to these tactics.

Oh, also, notice that I left the compromised site's address visible in the graphic.  Since this has become an educational tool, I figure everyone who reads my blog might as well get educated!

I thought Google hated text ads?

Hmm, maybe there's a reason that everyone thought Google has hated text ads for a while now. In fact, they seem to go so far as to devalue Page Rank of sites selling paid links.  Maybe, just maybe, it's because they're starting to offer their own text link ads, or, as they call them "pay per action" ads and they didn't want the competition. Maybe. Honestly, though? I don't care why.
The real question is, how can I make this work for me?

Wow, I wish I'd had these when I was on the road so much!

Sadly, that seems to be how life works. I never have the information I need, when I need it. Well, at least I can pass the information along and hope that it helps someone else who's currently engaged in the road warrior "lifestyle".

First, there's RoadNews. This website has everything from reviews of laptops to advice on international travel. They've been around for a while now and have quite a bit of information on high-tech travel. This should be your first stop when looking for answers to questions about hitting the road with your mobile office.

Next is an article on FastCompany about road warrior packing under the new TSA rules. Not bad general advice, though not specific to those of us who go high-tech with our travel.

The next article, from StreetTech.com, however, is ALL about high-tech. In fact, it's a little bit "do it yourself" and might not be for everyone. Still, for geeks like me, there are some usefull tips and great ideas about making your own adapters. Super cool.
Along with those adapters, you might check out this universal, retractable USB cell phone charger. I can't count the times I wished I'd had something small like this for my cell phone.
Finally, the thing that we all forget about, until it's an emergency: bathrooms. Yes, the Bathroom Diaries bills itself as the "World's largest guide to public toilets, restrooms and loos", and it lives up to the title. Finding a clean, safe bathroom while in a strange city or country is more important than finding a free Internet connection. Trust me! I've been in some really scary bathrooms in the rural South that made me fear for my life!

So, there you go, road warriors. Some helpful links from your Uncle Jim. Hope they make life on the road a little easier for you!
Also, if you haven't voted in the current poll, read the post that explains it and vote!

I probably shouldn't have done this, but...

You know, sometimes, I just get so irritated with the scams I get via e-mail that I just can't help myself. This morning I read one too many eBay phishing scams in my inbox and, well, I had to do something about it.

So, this is the e-mail I got that sent me over the edge.
Notice how this looks like a legitimate e-mail from eBay. It has all the same things that the official notices from eBay would have, including links to what look like official notices and actual sign-in screens.
The only real problem with this is that it was sent to an account that's not associated with my eBay account and I haven't bought or sold anything on eBay in over a year. What bothered me, though, was that I know people who would click on this and get scammed.
For fun, I hovered over the links to see where they led. If you look at the bottom of the linked screen capture here, you'll see what I saw, but with the IP address obscured for safety's sake.

This is the page that the phisher wanted me to go to.
Again, notice how it looks like a legitimate page on eBay's website. It looks so good because the phisher's page actually links to the graphics on eBay's site. But, if you look in the address bar in the browser in the linked screen capture, you'll see what led me to mess with the scammer.
The link is to an FTP site and includes logon information, complete with password.
Naturally, this was just too good for me to resist.
So, I popped open a DOS prompt and loaded the default FTP client on my Windows machine. When I connected to the FTP address listed in the link, I was prompted for a userID and password. When I used the credentials in the link, the FTP server let me in!

Naturally, this was far too good an opportunity for me to pass up.
So, while keeping the connection open, I renamed the phisher's scam page from "ne.html" to "nono.html". Then, I created my own "ne.html" and uploaded it.
In the linked image to the left, you can see that it gives anyone who loads it a warning not to click on just any old link they get in e-mail. Hopefully, this will serve to not only frustrate the phisher, but also educate anyone who might click the link.

Naturally, I don't expect this to be up for very long on the phisher's site, but, I figure if I help anyone with this little stunt, it will have been worth it. Though, you will notice that I obscured the IP address in my graphics to protect anyone the phisher may have hacked to run his scam. Also, it's entirely possible that I was technically breaking the law by doing this, but I don't expect the phisher is going to actually try to prosecute. After all, just how would one explain this to a judge?

Oh, and when I checked on it just before posting this, the phisher had changed the files back.  So, I did it again.

I ordered a subscription to Men's Health.

So, yeah, in an effort to improve my general health and well-being, I thought I'd get a subscription to a magazine my friend K. referred to as "Cosmo for men". Well, I've read Cosmopolitan magazine and Men's Health is not quite as bad, though I won't be taking their advice on women any time soon. Maybe when I look like the cover models, and have girls that look like the eye candy in the articles showing up for breakfast, I'll start taking that advice, but not any time soon. Until then, I'll just keep relating to women like actual people and stick to the health and cooking articles.
I used to have a subscription, back in the day, before I got married to the Queen of the Damned. But, when she took offense at the dating advice articles, and the aforementioned eye candy that accompanied them, I let the subscription lapse. Now, though, I want to live, so, I think I'll start reading it more carefully than I did then.
Also, toward the goal of being healthier, when I go to the grocery store later this week, I will buy their recommended, "keep on hand" grocery list, as shown below...
The Men's Health Grocery List
Frozen Shrimp 1 lb uncooked, medium size
Rotisserie Chicken 1 cooked
Pork Tenderloin 1 herb-flavored or lemon-garlic marinated (about 3/4 lb)
Bell Peppers 1 tray tricolor (or pick out 1 red, 1 yellow, and 1 orange)
Yellow Onions 2 lb
Baby Mixed Greens 4 oz bag, washed
Portobello Mushrooms 2 large caps
Asparagus 1 bunch
Garlic 1 head
Sun-Dried-Tomato Pesto 8 oz jar
Avocado 1 ripe
Mozzarella 8 oz bag, shredded
Instant Brown Rice 1 lb box (except that I have a rice cooker and don't need instant)
Black Beans 12 oz can
100% Whole-Wheat Fettuccine 16 oz box
10" 100% Whole-Wheat Tortillas 1 package
The Pantry List (or, staples to supplement the main list)
"Buy these crucial building blocks every couple of months and you’ll always have them on hand to construct meals around the clock."
Reduced-Fat Mayonnaise
Dijon Mustard
Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
Peanut Butter
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Parmesan Cheese
Salsa
Tabasco Or Other Hot Sauce

So, after I stock up, we'll see how many things I can make from those. Oh, of course, I'll add good, lean beef and assorted freshwater and deep sea fish to that list. As well as skim milk, coffee, red and white wine, better than average beer, eggs, turkey bacon, orange juice, whole-wheat bagels, and, naturally, breakfast cereal. I might get the Men's Health cookbook, A Man, A Can, A Plan, too, since it's one of my favorite columns.

And, to answer your questions before you ask them, I read Cosmo when I was in college working as a security guard at a women's dorm. And, no, I don't mind that Men's Health is popular with gay men because of the cover models. I should be so lucky to look like that and have their attraction problems!

The Wired "Test" issue is available for free, on-line.

Wired magazine is one of the best consumer technology magazines out there and every year they do a review of consumer tech gadgets that totally rocks.  I got mine in the mail the other day and have been obsessing over the digital cameras they reviewed.  You can check out this year's Wired Test Issue on-line if you follow the link.

It's ready to explode!

I bet you thought bombshelters went out with the end of the Cold War, right? Ha! Think again! I know I've been talking about the End of the World a lot lately here, but, well, it is kind of fascinating to me. And, back when I was in high school, I was a kind of low-rent, closeted survivalist. I'm not sure why I got all into it, honestly, but, well, there you are.

In any case, I've been reading about this stuff lately and when I saw this Boing Boing article on the resurgence in new bombshelters, I had to at least post a link to it.

Make your own world.

It sounds appealing, doesn't it? Well, it's quite possible you can create the next World of Warcraft or SecondLife yourself, but without all the programming overhead. At least, that's what the folks over at Metaplace are telling the media. Now, personally, I think it's a great idea, especially when you combine it with that site I was talking about the other week, Galaxiki. You could make your own science-fiction setting and then let people adventure in it.

Sadly, there's not much of a 3d client for this yet, and when I checked last the website was being hammered by multiple news sites linking to it. So, while you're waiting for them to come back up, check out these crazy costumes from the World of Warcraft convention last month.
Also, if you haven't voted in the current poll, read the post that explains it and vote!

It's not that much of a Secret.

So, lately, there's been a big hullaballo about this book, The Secret. (Or, for the lazy, or illiterate, the DVD.) Apparently, many of its devotees swear by it, claiming that it's changed their life. Well, according to what I've read in this review on MSN, I'll skip it. Why? Simple, I already know the principles espoused in the book and would rather save my money.

The basic principle is this: Like attracts like. Now, all you pagan readers will recognize that as the Law of Attraction. In short, it says that if you think happy thoughts, you'll attract happy "stuff" in life. Some of you may also recognize that same idea in a different phrase I've become acquainted with over the past few years: "Fake it, 'til you make it". Either way, it amounts to the same thing.
Not that it's a bad thing, per se, but I don't need another book to teach me about it. This principle of positive thought has been around for quite some time. And, quite a few authors have written books on it. For instance, there's the Norman Vincent Peale classic, The Power of Positive Thinking. Now, that is a book I can recommend.

I think the real message is, as one of my heroes, Abe Lincoln, put it, "People are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." And, while it may not be true in all cases, since a certain amount of unhappy things are just a part of life, how upset I get and for how long are entirely in my control. Frankly, I think that's how I got through my cancer treatment so well. I just made up my mind that I was going to do it, deal with it, survive and move on. So, I did. No real magical thinking required at all.

Well, I can see that my ex-wife has been here...

As you can tell from the poll to the right, someone thinks I shouldn't write at all. Without checking my logs, I'd put my money on the Queen of the Damned.
I'm glad you still think about me and are concerned for my welfare. No worries, though, if I can survive cancer, I can handle the stress of writing for NaNoWriMo.  Heck, you've made up some interesting fiction about me over the years, you darling little nut, maybe you should try NaNoWriMo this year, too!