Spyware is my pet peeve du jour. And it's not just any old pet peeve, lemmetellya. Spyware really ticks me off. I've been battling spyware since my PC's infestation last month. I've spent untold hours at this. Spyware has cost me a considerable amount of time in lost productivity. Our legislators need to get on the stick and realize that spyware has delivered a serious blow to our economy as it lowers our quality of (online) life.
There are some that might equate spyware with terrorism. While I wouldn't go quite that far, I would certainly equate it with theft. Spyware steals our time, as it steals space and processing power from our computers. And it clearly infringes upon our privacy. Quite simply, spyware is the electronic equivalent of breaking and entering ... it is criminal trespassing at the very least.
If you follow my daily Lockergnome column, you'll recall that my computer became infested the day after I wrote my first piece on spyware. I wrote a followup column on that heinous experience with spyware. It took a good bit of time to get things under control. My third article on spyware explains the methods I've used to combat these nasty unwanted parasites.
The most persistant apps on my PC reported as Adware by Webroot Spy Sweeper include Apropos, Keyhost Hijacker, Roings Search Enhancment, SaveNow - WhenUSave, UrlBlaze, PurityScan, MemoryWatcher, KeenValue, Ezula iLookup, eXactSearchbar, Delfin, and CPR. All-in-all, Spy Sweeper found 35 pieces of software with 98 traces in my latest run (which took well over an hour, thank you).
Where did all of this junk come from?
I can't imagine that anyone here at ranchero indebto clicked "Okay" thirty-five times ... as if to say "Yes, please, mess up my computer!"
Pffffffffft ... gimmeabreak.
The spyware companies need to be reigned in. And we should start at the obvious place: those merchants and corporations that fund the operations of the spyware operators. Follow the money and you'll find lots of big companies that line the pockets of those who crawl along on the seamy underbelly of the Internet. The companies that fund the spyware operators need to realize that what they are doing is wrong.
Before you choose your storage shed plan or buy a pre-manufactured storage shed, it's essential to know just what it is you need to stow in the shed. You'll kick yourself if you run out of storage space once the structure is sitting on your lot. My storage shed is packed full of junk. And I do mean packed. With all of the equipment stowed away inside, there's no room to walk around.
It didn't start out that way.
When I first built my greenhouse shed, there was plenty of room. In considering the plan, I only thought of having enough space to store old green (the John Deere STX38 lawn tractor) and some yard tools. 96 square feet of storage space seemed like plenty of room at the time. Little did I know that I would soon be bitten by the gardening bug, with the first persistent symptom being the purchase of a Troy-Bilt rear tine tiller.
And then one weed whacker turned into two. And all of a sudden, I ended up with three chain saws (only one of which happens to be working). And the darn plastic pots and seedling trays ... those things seem to multiply each year!
I've learned not to leave the seedling trays on the potting bench. They bake when they sit there underneath the greenhouse windows for months on end. When the next seed-starting season rolls around, the seedling trays are brittle and crumble instantly ... creating more unidentifiable clutter on the floor of the shed.
Not a week goes by that I don't vow to clean out the storage shed. And not a week goes by that I fail to get that job done. So I'm going to set a goal for myself: if I get the shed cleaned out by the Fourth of July, I'll reward myself with a new garden tool (or two or three) to eat up all the space I make. :)
Do you need Internet mortgage leads? My mailbox literally runneth over with Internet mortgage lead offers. Perhaps by virtue of the fact that I've written about Internet mortgage leads a number of times in the past, folks seem to believe that I'm in the market for leads. Nary a week goes by when I fail to receive a bunch of Internet mortgage lead letters. This is a scary phenomena, as rates bounce around on their way upward.
While mortgage rates are a substantial amount higher than they were last year at this time, there are many indications that they're going to take a big jump once the Fed ups their rate. To be sure, refinancings are off from the record levels, but they're still taking place at a respectable clip. Many of those are no doubt placed as a result of mortgage leads that have been generated on the Internet. What will happen when Mr. Greenspan and company press the up button remains to be seen.
As a journalist, I'm quite interested in the generation point of these Internet mortgage leads. It would seem like a good number of these leads may be created as a result of unsolicited commercial email ... like the ones that beg my pre-teen daughter to apply for a mortgage. Since when did she qualify as a legitimate Internet mortgage lead?
And just as appalingly, I've seen mortgage lead generation campaigns literally pop up in spyware spawned pop-up windows. It would appear that various financial institutions are less than concerned about the source of their Internet mortgage leads. And that's truly unfortunate.
I believe that mortgage professionals should ask about the true source of their Internet leads. This is an important issue that is too easily overlooked in the mad dash for short-term profitability.
I bought a new Apple iMac this week. It wasn't just that I'd had enough of my PC's recent bout with spyware infestation. I just picked up a little contract gig that required a Macintosh ... And my old Macs just weren't up to snuff. I needed something with enought horsepower and screen real estate to handle the page layout chores.
After checking out the online Apple Store, as well as a host of catalog retailers like MacConnection, MacWarehouse, and MacMall, I decided to check out a real world Apple Store. So I hopped into old paint, popped down the top, and took a ride to the Apple Store in the Short Hills Mall. It wasn't until this trip that I really understood the place of the Apple Store in the retail world. To say the least, it was a mind-altering shopping experience ...
After zipping up the Interstate, I parked the car in a shady spot in the lot and headed into the mall through the Nieman Marcus store. I was fortunate to have parked in the right lot. After a short walk through Neiman Marcus, I found myself at a mall directory, where I learned that I was just a handful of stores away from the Apple Store. I walked past the Fendi, Hugo Boss, and Armani stores ... and there it was ... basking in a etheral white glow ... the Apple Store. Instantly, it made sense. Fendi, Hugo Boss, Armani, Apple. Does anyone wail about Fendi's, Hugo Boss', or Armani's tiny market share when compared to the mainstream? Of course not.
Fendi, Hugo Boss, and Armani are designers. And so is Apple.
Upon walking into the Apple Store, I was amazed by the buzz generated by the iPod. There was a cart of iPods behind the counter and people were literally lined up to buy them. Lined up to buy MP3 Players. Brilliant! The pink mini iPod seemed to be the most coveted of all. The sales associates were apologetic about the backlog of orders for pink minis. There were plenty of silver and blue units, but the pink units were nowhere to be seen.
But enough of the iPod. I was on a mission to buy a new Mac. I had the G5 tower in my sights, with a 23" cinema display screen. In my sights, in my dreams, but as it turns out, not within my financial resources. When I did the math, that magnificent dual processor G5 tower and monstrous monitor turned out to be just a little bit too pricey for my budget. So I had to compromise. I ended up with a 20" flat screen G4 iMac for about half the price. That's just over two grand for a killer little box with a big gnarly monitor and a SuperDrive.
My sales associate was awesome. I have to say that in all the computer purchases I have made over the years, both PCs and Macs, this was the the most pleasant experience of all. There was no pressure, whatsoever. And every single one of my questions was met with an informed answer.
When I brought the car around for pickup, an Apple Store employee brought the computer out to the car and waited for me to put down the top and carefully wedge the iMac crate into the passenger seat. Never once have I had a big box store show me the same level of customer service.
Do you crave wireless Internet access for your laptop while you are away from your home or office? The good news is that there are a bunch of companies eager to bring you that wireless Internet access on the road. The bad news is that you may very well have to pay for that wonderful Wi-Fi hotspot. The world is opening up to Wi-Fi Internet access, and there are scads of folks willing to charge you for that privilege--from the smallest cafe through the biggest corporations.
If your plan for wireless Internet access away from home consists of a bunch of clandestine wardriving, you probably want to check one of the many websites that provide info on open access points ... Not that we're advocating that kind of mobile mischief. To be sure, there are issues involved with hopping on someone else's network without their permission. If they're cool with it, that's great. But if not, let the bandwidth borrower beware. Wireless security is an important, yet often overlooked issue.
Lets take a look at some of the leading wireless Internet access hotspot providers ....
T-Mobile HotSpots can be found at Starbucks coffee shops, Borders bookstores, and Kinko's copy store, as well as in American, Delta, United, and US Airways airline clubs. T-Mobile offers an unlimited access plan at $29.99 per month with a twelve-month contract. They also offer an unlimited plan at $39.99 on a month-to-month basis, pre-paid 24 hour daily plans at $9.99 per day, and an hourly access plan.
Wayport provides hotspots at 600 hotels, selected McDonalds fast food emporiums, half a dozen airports (Austin, Buffalo-Niagara, Dallas-Fort-Worth International, Oakland, San Jose, and Seattle-Tacoma), as well as their Laptop Lane locations at airports including Chicago's O'Hare, New York's LaGuardia, and Salt Lake City International. Like T-Mobile, Wayport offers an unlimited access plan at $29.95 per month with a twelve-month contract. Wayport also offers an unlimited plan at $49.95 on a month-to-month basis, and pre-paid connection cards.
By amalgamating independent hotspots, Boingo stands out among the wireless Internet access providers. The company is the brainchild of Skye Dayton, the founder of megaISP Earthlink. Boingo offers two plans: Boingo Unlimited, a month-to-month plan at $21.95 (regularly $39.95) and Boingo AsYouGo, a two-day access plan for $7.95. Boingo hotspots can be found in over 700 cities and 3300 locations (their website crows of coverage in 47 states and 18 countries).
It's clear that wireless Internet access is changing the way we communicate at home and on the road. Balancing the line between free and paid wireless access is an important step for the serious road warrior.
Saving gas is on the minds of a lot of folks. And it's no wonder. With gas prices
at record levels, the gas saving claims are coming out of the woodwork. Can you save gas with low tech solutions? Absolutely! But does the latest flood of inbox-filling gas-saving spouting luncheon meat carry any weight? Hardly. There's little doubt that you can save gas without buying a new car. In fact, the US government has a whole list of ways that you can (and can't) save gas.
UPDATE (7/05): Check out this list of cars that average more than 30 MPG combined in EPA testing
While the gas savings spouted by this latest round of unsolicited commercial mailbox-filler are dubious at best, techies are gleefully taking the gas sucking beast by the horns. Through a combination of smart techniques and home brewed technology, they're saving fossil fuel by diving into the biodiesel waters.
Want to learn about those unconventional and conventional ways to save gas?
A savvy group of environmentally conscious drivers aren't content to bolt on a "Fuel Buddy," instead, they're converting their cars to run on waste vegetable oil ... The stuff that fills the fryers everywhere from fast food joints through Chinese restaurants.
A Massachusetts company by the name of Greasecar manufactures a kit to convert common diesel engines to run on vegetable oil. This innovative biodiesel approach allows the restaurants to get rid of their waste oil for free, rather than paying a company to come and haul it off for a fee. Greasecar drivers pick up the waste oil, perform a straining operation, and promptly tank up their veggie vehicles.
A Greasecar-modified vehicle must start on diesel fuel before switching over to vegetable oil. It must also switch back over to diesel fuel before shutting the engine down. In between, it's all about saving fuel as the engine runs on pure vegetable oil.
When I first read about Greasecar, I immediately set off to look (online, of course) for diesel-powered vehicles, like the nifty VW Jetta TDI. After all, who couldn't love a high-MPG turbo-diesel these days? (Why is diesel fuel so much less expensive, anyway?)
But should you believe what you read about those inexpensive little devices that promise to cut your gas bills?
Read what the FTC has to say about gas saving products ...
Photoshop training is an important piece of the prepress puzzle. If you've been plunked down in front of your computer and scanner and you haven't been given adequate training in Photoshop, you've been set up to learn some expensive lessons. There's always a reason why photos come out like mud off the press. And that reason can often be found in the numbers.
Muddy photos are one of the most common problems with inexperienced Photoshop users. Knowing how to set up your images so they perform well on press is a crucial skill. Whether you learn this in a classroom, from a book, website, or interactive DVD, when you learn Photoshop from a pro, you're ahead of the game.
Want to stay out of the (Photoshop) mud? Read on ...
Highlights and Shadows - Follow the Numbers
Looking at the numbers when scanning is the final assurance of good quality. Even with a calibrated monitor and scanner, you will need to establish proper numbers in key areas of the scan. This is especially important in the highlight and shadow areas, since most color monitors fall short when showing good highlight and shadow detail.
Typical white highlight values should be about equal amounts of yellow and magenta with a little more cyan. For example; 3-5C, 2-3M, 2-3Y. “Why are the numbers unbalanced and not equal,” you ask? It’s all in the inks. As a rule, all process color inks are contaminated in some fashion.
Cyan, magenta, and yellow inks printed in equal percentages will reflect more red light. This results in a reddish color cast. To compensate, you’ll need to unbalance the inks by increasing the cyan amount. A average midtone gray will be around 50C, 42M, 42Y. This same relative balance applies to the highlight and shadow, as well.
The shadow values will vary depending on the type of paper that the image will print on. Newsprint values will normally be the lightest, with percentages around 70C, 65M, 65Y, and 70-80K. Commercial work should have percentages around 90C, 85M, 85Y, and 85-95K. Looking for these key areas of white, black, and gray, and then establishing reliable numbers will eliminate some of the guesswork involved in scanning.
Contrast
Once you’ve established those numbers, you’ll want to analyze contrast. With the balance of the color separation in order, you can examine the overall brightness of the image. By the way, if there is not a white, black, or gray point to examine, simply skip that step in the process. The best way to establish good contrast is to ask yourself a few key questions. Contrast is best defined as the separation between light and dark areas.
This section on highlights, shadow, and contrast originally appeared in The Photoshop Plug-Ins Book.
Automobile donation is still a possibility for the moribund 1992 Honda Civic that's sitting in the driveway. I first became interested in the idea of automobile donation back in February, when old faithful was covered in snow. With 185K on the clock, there are two clear choices: either donate the car or perform a massive rejuvenation effort. While the automobile donation route would be easier, the rebuild would certainly be a whole lot more fun.
Television shows like the Discovery Channel's Monster Garage and MTV's Pimp My Ride provide a huge amount of inspiration here at ranchero indebto. So while I'm intrigued by the altruistic and tax benefits of automobile donation, I'd rather take a flight of fancy with the Civic. I want to build in a killer Windows MP3 server (with gigabytes of storage to spare) and swap out the tired old motor for something with a good bit more oooomph. The idea of wiring in a Wi-Fi connection and replacing the 125 horsepower mill with a 170 HP Japanese Domestic Market unit has that hot rod blood racing through my veins.
Automobile donation sounds like a great racket. These folks come to your place with a wrecker, you sign some papers, and they haul your old ride away. When April 15th comes around, you get to claim a deduction on your taxes. Or so they say. I'm still wary of automobile donation ... no doubt that some of the schemes are legitimate, but many others seem sketchy at best. If it's a recognizable charity, I'd be much more inclined to check it out. But some of these charities are quite a bit out of the norm. (As if I'm not!)
A little known Danny Geekbooks piece of trivia: I broke into my writing career by self-publishing a newsletter about Suzuki 4x4s, way back before Al Gore invented the Internet. That newsletter helped me nail my very first authoring gig, Inside CorelDRAW, in the days of Windows 3.0. Since wrapping up that newsletter (without rolling the Samurai, thank you), I've longed to get back to writing in the automotive arena. A piece about pimping Mom's ride would be perfect.
So there are many ways to justify the Civic's pimpification. I'd love to document the whole process of the engine transplant and installation of the MP3 server. Now if I could weasel some sponsorship out of Chris, I'd plaster huge Lockergnome logos across the hood and flanks. Just imagine Chris' happy cartoon face screaming through the traps at Raceway Park at 150 MPH!
Now if that doesn't beat the idea of automobile donation, I don't know what does ... ;)
It's clear that Search engine optimization (SEO) is a topic that is near and dear to many a webmaster's heart. For we all know, the better your website shows up in the search engine listings, the more traffic it will receive. While some companies have the budget to farm out their SEO work, many others choose to take on the task themselves. Consequently, do-it-yourself SEO has long been a hot topic.
While many of the specifics of search engine optimization have changed over the years, many of the basics remain the same. It's all about bringing the core of your content to the attention of the spiders! I wrote a tiny bit about search engine optimization in Looking Good on the Web, way back in 1997. Much of that basic advice on search engine optimization still holds true ...
You'll have a tough time generating significant traffic if your site can't be found in the search engines and indexes. Make sure that your site shows up! Pay close attention to the following areas:
Truth be told, META tags are nowhere near as important as they once were. While they hold much less relevance to the spiders these days, it's still a good idea to treat them ethically. Don't cram them full of a bunch of irrelevant or misleading stuff. Use only the most relevant META keywords and accurate descriptions, if you use them at all.
If you're looking for more info on search engine optimization, you don't have to look far. Two of my favorite resources are webmasterworld.com and searchenginewatch.com.
I want a quiet power supply and fans for my PC. But I'm just not sure how to go about it. Here's the rub -- I don't own this box. It's a Gateway P4 that I picked up on a computer lease about eighteen months ago. I'm not sure if it will void anything if I install a quiet power supply myself. I've done a bit of searching for quiet power supplies and the industry finally gets it ... there are lots of quiet power supplies and fans.
This Gateway seemed quiet enough in the early days. But it's gotten louder over time. A lot louder. Honestly, I'm not sure if it's the power supply fan, case fans, or the hard drive ... I suspect one or all of the fans, but I just can't say for sure. Problem is, the box is covered by a service contract. When I asked Gateway support to send someone out months ago to swap out the fans, they refused to send anyone. They wanted me to trouble-shoot it myself. (Which got me thinking, why did I bother getting a service contract in the first place?)
The noise is tough to describe, but I'll try. It's like metallic cicadas have invaded the Gateway's case. The noise is fairly high-pitched and falls somewhere between ringing and buzzing ... it's an incessant yingyingying-kinda thing.
There's no need to go to an extreme in my case (pun intended). I'm not looking for something exotic like a water-cooled system ... a quiet power supply and some nice quiet case fans will do just fine. I'm need to check with Gateway to see if they'll allow me to simply swap out the case fans with quieter units myself. If they're going to make me go through the trouble of troubleshooting, I reckon I might as well put in the good stuff while I'm at it.
Here's something I don't understand. While the aftermarket quiet power supply choices abound, it doesn't seem like the major PC manufacturers have caught onto quietness as a marketing tool. Although the smaller boutique manufacturers have picked up on the quiet trend, it doesn't seem like quiet is a priority for Dell, Gateway, HP, and the like.
Apple, on the other hand, gets it. The whole quiet thing fits into their high-end design niche. Apple's dual-processor G5 tower has in the neighborhood of seven fans, and yet the box seems exceptionally quiet due to its thoughtful case design and fan management system. The iMac is extremely quiet as well.
Having a current credit report can save you much grief and heartache. The trick is to get the credit report before you set out to make that major purchase. Whether you're in the market for a home, car, boat, or motorcycle--you should look into getting a credit report to ensure that everything's in order prior to signing on the dotted line. When you're proactive about things, you'll be one step ahead of the lender. And if you know you have a good credit score, you'll be in good shape to get the loan you need at the best possible terms.
The credit reporting bureaus have historically existed to service lenders with consumer information. The bureaus were there to let lenders quickly evaluate the risks in each borrower. In recent years, however, the credit reporting bureaus have found that consumers will gladly pay to view their own information. With the advent of the Internet, you can get your own credit report with just a handful of clicks and the flash of your credit card.
There are three major credit reporting bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. Individual lenders may or may not report their information to any one or all of the three bureaus. The amount of information they maintain is staggering. Experian, for example, has credit and demographic information on roughly 215 million consumers in the United States. In addition to providing credit reports, Experian is a major source of snail mail marketing lists. Equifax is a granddaddy of the industry, with a history of over 100 years, and close to 5,000 employees in a dozen countries. Although Chicago-based TransUnion has fewer employees, it operates in two dozen countries.
When you work with a reputable credit reporting bureau, you can ascertain what's affecting your credit score. Just as importantly, you can find out what to do to improve your score, if it needs to be improved.
There are lots of companies that offer credit reports to consumers. The best provide information from all three bureaus. For example, you can order a 3-bureau credit report from CreditReporting.com for about thirty five bucks.
Now here's the good news: you don't always have to pay to get your credit report. The Free Credit Reporting Act provides a number of scenarios where a credit reporting bureau may have to provide you with a credit report free of charge. The state in which you live may also allow for additional considerations.
Here in the great litigatious state of New Jersey, lawyers are everywhere. Sometimes it seems like I can't throw a stone without hitting a New Jersey lawyer, for if this was a pond it would only take three skips of the proverbial stone. Forget your glass MacMansions and corporate ceilings. there's a state statute that requires a New Jersey lawyer at each and every intersection. From Upper Saddle River through Princeton to Cape May, from the Delaware River to the Jersey shore, this state is packed full of legal advice.
Out of the Danny Geekbooks facts are stranger than fiction column ... while there's no lawyer at the end of my street, there is one on the next block. In my graduating high school class, I was named craziest ... along with the girl who would one day be my (you guessed it) New Jersey lawyer. And in Agent 008's first year playing competitive soccer, no less than three of the parents on his team were lawyers.
Truth be told, I only want to see my New Jersey lawyer friends in social settings. Heaven forbid I ever have to put on a jacket and tie and end up in any kind of court proceeding. The thought of the jacket and tie alone is enough to put me into a cold sweat.
With any luck, I won't have to retain a New Jersey lawyer to defend my comments when I asked if Tim O'Reilly spammed me. :)
I got an unsolicited commercial email from Tim O'Reilly today. I just happened to be in Tim's address book. So he must have thought it would be okay if he sent me a piece of electronic luncheon meat. Tim's message includes the CAN SPAM necessities like an unsubscribe link and a snail mail address. It also includes apologies at the beginning and end of the email. But that doesn't make it quite right, IMNSHO.
No doubt Tim thinks differently.
I happened to "have the fortune (or misfortune)" to be in his address book because we exchanged some correspondence years ago. I never signed up to be on his mass mailing list. And while the expensive conference he's hawking sounds really cool and their are tons of impressive technorati on the program, I'm just not keen on the fact that someone of Tim's stature would take the step of making an unsolicited commercial emailing in this manner.
Of course, I'd be happy to attend. But there would be some conditions. I'd have to get in for free, get put up in a four star hotel, and fly in on a private charter jet ... just like those glittering technorati ...
Until then, Tim might want to read up on permission marketing and how to properly run an opt-in list. :)
-----Forwarded Message-----
From: Tim O'Reilly
Sent: May 19, 2004 7:44 PM
To: (my email address)
Subject: Please join me at the Web 2.0 Conference -- The Web as Platform
You have the fortune (or misfortune) to be in my address book, and I
hope you won't object to a mass mailing about a conference that I'm
planning for the fall.
If you've kept in touch with what I've been writing and speaking
about for the past couple of years, you know I believe that
the Internet is now at its second stage of development.
Web application providers such as Google and Salesforce.com
are readying their IPOs, and we're increasingly realizing that
the net is indeed the platform for the next generation killer apps.
The real questions that need to be answered are: how will this
next stage evolve, which companies and people will be shaping
the next level of business innovation, and most importantly, what
are the ideas and technology trends driving the next phase of
our industry?
I recently joined forces with John Battelle and MediaLive
International, Inc. to plan a conference to explore these issues.
It's called the Web 2.0 Conference - The Web as Platform -
and will be held on October 5-7 at the Hotel Nikko in San Francisco.
Web 2.0 speakers include leaders from Internet giants, the
innovative companies that are transforming the way we do
business, and the venture capitalists who've funded their
visions of the future:
Marc Benioff, Chairman and CEO, Salesforce.com
Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO, Amazon
George Conrades, Chairman and CEO, Akamai
Mark Cuban, Owner, Dallas Mavericks; Co-Founder and Chairman, HDNet
James P. Currier, CEO, Tickle, Inc.
Cory Doctorow, Staffer, Electronic Frontier Foundation
John Doerr, Partner, Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield and Byers
Bill Gross, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Idealab
Bill Gurley, General Partner, Benchmark Capital
Bill Janeway, Vice-Chairman, Warburg-Pincus
Brewster Kahle, Founder and Digital Librarian, Internet Archive
Mitch Kapor, Founder and Chairman, OSAF
Lawrence Lessig, Professor of Law, Stanford School of Law
Udi Manber, CEO, A9
Mary Meeker, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter
Halsey Minor, CEO, Chairman and Founder, Grand Central
Louis Monier, eBay
Dr. Robert Morris, Vice President, Personal Systems and Storage;
Director, Almaden Research Center, IBM
Kim Polese, Co-Founder and Member, Board of Directors, Marimba
Michael Ramsay, CEO, TiVo
Dan Rosensweig, COO, Yahoo!
David L. Sifry, Founder and CEO, Technorati, Inc.
John Battelle and I will be moderating the event. Please visit
http://www.web2con.com for a complete list of speakers and sessions.
All sessions are designed to be highly interactive, opportunities for
conversation between speakers and audience, because we expect
that most of the people in the audience would also be qualified to
appear up on stage!
Sessions will cover issues such as "E-Commerce as a Platform",
"Search is a Platform - Where is it Going?", and
"Repeat Offenders: What We've Learned"; as well as "real
world" workshops that focus on how market leaders are
learning how to leverage the Web as a platform. You'll learn what business
models are working, what's next on the horizon, and how all of this will
affect your own business. We've also left plenty of time
for catching up with your old friends and making new acquaintances.
Since you're in my address book, you must be a VIP :-), and so our
conference team is offering a VIP price to you from now
through June 7. Just click here to register, use priority code VIP,
and you will receive up to $700 off the price of the conference:
http://conferences.oreillynet.com/cs/web2con/create/ord_web2
I hope you'll join us. And if you're in my address book for some
reason other than an interest in next generation technology, please
accept my apologies for the mass emailing.
Sincerely,
Tim O'Reilly
O'Reilly Media, Inc.
P.S. We realize we haven't invited everyone who should be a part of
this conference. To make sure these business leaders get an
opportunity to attend, we have created a special "Friend of a
Friend" policy - please feel free to forward this invitation to
carefully selected friends and colleagues and encourage them to
register online at:
http://conferences.oreillynet.com/cs/web2con/create/ord_web2
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To leave this list email:
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O'Reilly Media, Inc. is located at
1005 Gravenstein Hwy North in Sebastopol, CA 95472.
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Not happy with the results you're getting from your scanner? Whether it's a high-end drum scanner, a large format scanner, or an inexpensive desktop scanner, getting the most out of Photoshop isn't an easy task. Professional Photoshop training is an important part of the process. And there's no better place to start that Photoshop training than with the scan.
The quality of the image you bring in from your scanner is essential. Start with a bad scan and you'll end up with mud. To that end, I'd like to share some scanning tips penned by Mike Paternoster--a true prepress wizard and buddy--for The Photoshop Plug-ins Book, back in 1997. It's great advice and still holds true today ...
Most professional-level image acquisition devices share basic similarities. Drum scanners, flatbed scanners, transparency scanners, and even digital cameras all provide some type of software to control color separations.Taking advantage of these tools is a primary challenge for everyone from the highly skilled drum scanner operator through the greenest graphic designer. Have you ever looked at a wall of television sets in an electronic store, where every TV set produced slightly different color? Scanners are the same way. Before you can manipulate any scanner medium, you must first understand the scanner's personality.
Therefore, the next logical step is to scan (at the scanners default setting) a variety of originals--35mms, 4x5s, 8x10, high key, low key, anything that shows a assortment of color. Performing this task before doing any live production scanning can save time and money in scanning jobs multiple times to get it right. Of course, every scanner will have its own calibration method that should be adhered to also.
Evaluating these test scans to their originals will allow you to better understand how the scanner sees different subjects. Let's assume, for example, that all the images have a red cast and are heavy. Now you as the operator have some experience with the scanner and can anticipate this color cast prior to scanning.
Some scanners allow you to adjust overall brightness and cast. These scanners often allow you to save these settings. If this is the case, you can reduce the overall tone, take out a little red, and then save the adjustments so that they can be used as a standard starting point for every subsequent scan.
I'll be back with more valuable Photoshop tips next week ... :)
Looking for a little extra cash? Affiliate programs may be the answer. Way back in the boom days of the Internet (1999) I wrote a snappy little book on the subject for McGraw-Hill, The Complete Guide to Associate and Affiliate Programs on the Net: Turning Clicks into Cash. The premise behind the book was simple: While we all run short on cash from time-to-time, affiliate programs present boundless opportunities to create alternate streams of income.
The Complete Guide to Associate and Affiliate Programs on the Net: Turning Clicks into Cash was the first book from a major publisher on the subject of affiliate marketing. The book created a minor flurry of excitement when it hit the bookstore shelves. (It was even slashdotted!) But by the nature of being from a major publishing house, the book suffered by not being updated with a second edition. While many of the players have changed, the basic truths of the book remain: if you're smart about the way you go about things, you can earn a good bit of extra cash through affiliate programs.
I can say that from experience. I have earned tens of thousands of dollars through my affiliate marketing efforts. So how did I do it? I can point to one site in particular: over-the-counter.com. This funny little site was one of my most successful efforts. In the boom years, over-the-counter.com raked in a ton of affiliate referral fees first from PlanetRx.com (before it flamed out), and then from Drugstore.com. (I've since done a deal to turn the site into a full-fledged web store.)
So how did I get from zero to five figures a year? Let me share a little story from the introduction of The Complete Guide to Associate and Affiliate Programs on the Net ...
I was walking the kids to the bus stop one morning in the fall of 1998. As we strolled up the block, I noticed an unfamiliar minivan making its way down the street. I soon realized that it was a newspaper delivery truck. As the minivan drew closer, I could see that it was a top-of-the-line cruiser--a fully loaded thirty-thousand-something testament to Detroit's commitment to family values. And the driver. The driver was a few years older than I, with a great deal less hair. My mind kicked into overdrive, spinning a tale.I surmised that this poor fellow had fallen on tough times. For all one knows, he may have been buried in credit card debt or laid off from his cushy corporate job. Maybe he just had a kid or two to put through college (or orthodontics). In any case, he surely wasn't making his mama proud (appreciative perhaps, but not proud). "That will never happen to me," I thought to myself, as I watched the minivan roll to the end of the block. I tugged at my goatee and mused, "This geek daddy knows better." As the school bus whisked away, I came up with the working title to this book: Working the Web Sure Beats Getting a Paper Route.
My son, who was six years old at the time, had an even better title for the book: Wake Up With Money!
It was easy to earn the big bucks in the boom days. Some affiliate programs were exceptionally generous--back when that silly venture capital and IPO money was flowing freely. PlanetRx, for instance, paid 15% of sales, in addition to a $10 bounty for each new customer. (As a result, there were many times when I made more from a transaction than did the merchant.) While these terms were outrageously good for the affiliate, it was clear that they couldn't last.
And they didn't.
While affiliate marketing has changed over the years, it's still possible for the little guy to earn a nice little chunk of change.
Cell phones are driving me insane. You may recall the story about my daughter running up $150 in instant messaging charges on my wife's cell phone. After that incident, she lost the privilege to use Mom's cell phone but gained the responsibility of six months laundry service. And then, out of the blue, they came home from Target with a new pre-paid cell phone.
Somehow I got convinced that a pre-paid cell phone would be okay for a twelve-year old. Somehow I justified that it would teach my daughter fiscal responsibility if she had to pay for her own cell phone minutes. Alas, this hasn't been the case. It looks like the pre-paid phone is costing even more. So much for pre-teen fiscal responsibility.
But the story gets even worse ...
In addition to paying an exorbitant sum per minute for the pre-paid cell phone (yeah, we knew it up-front, but I wasn't there when that purchase decision was made), I'm still paying the monthly charges for my wife's phone. And here's the kicker. My wife lost her cell phone. Now maybe lost is too strong a term. Lets just call it misplaced. But the darn phone has been AWOL for about a month now.
Along the way, I've been miffed at T-Mobile. When my daughter first ran up that horrid IM bill, I called to see what they could do for me. After bouncing around in their phone system for ages, it turned out that they could do nothing. They couldn't turn off the IM service to that phone (to prevent it from ever happening again) and they refused to negotiate a reduction in the bill, even if I switched to a different plan. I got different stories from different customer service reps (maybe they need a new CRM system), but the end result was the same. No reduction in the bill.
Needless to say, I could not afford the extra charges. The cell phone bill rolled until they finally shut off the service. I wasn't too upset at this, as I've been stuck here at ranchero indebto and haven't needed to use my Sidekick. And with my wife's cell phone missing, we weren't missing anything by not having any service.
Eventually, I had to call T-Mobile to get things straightened out. This time, I got through to an extremely helpful customer service rep (CSR). Extremely helpful she was, but she still wanted the money. Knowing that my wife's phone was at the end of its contract, I brought this up with the CSR. The fact that the phone was missing made my case a bit stronger.
The CSR kindly gave me a $35 "Valued Customer Credit" towards my whopping cell phone bill. A small gesture, but a gesture nonetheless. While I appreciate the thought, I'm still left with a bad taste in my mouth.
Why do cell phone companies feel that they can operate like casinos? Why should they take advantage of their customers with pound foolish policies that would make both PT Barnum and Bugsy Siegel proud? Cell phone service is a commodity. A sucker may be born every day, but there are more than two cell phone companies to take 'em.
It's t-shirt printing season! With the warm weather upon us, you can hear the t-shirt printing presses humming, as they crank out loads of t-shirts for sports tournaments, company barbecues, and your favorite corner bar. T-shirts have become a universal symbol of good times and brand awareness worldwide. The resposibility of printing of those t-shirts should not be taken lightly. When your t-shirt printing project comes off poorly, you put your brand in a bad light.
So what do you do when your organization comes to you with the task of printing t-shirts? First off, don't panic. By following some simple steps, you can save yourself lots of heartache and dollars. Having worked on a good number of t-shirt designs over the years, I've penned a list of things that I've learned about printing t-shirts (and often the hard way) ...
I'm looking for a new shed plan for ranchero indebto. I want to build a small storage shed to house our big rolling garbage can, along with the recycling buckets and crates. While I haven't found the right shed plan yet, I haven't given up hope. But if I can't find a suitable shed plan, I'll happily draw one from scratch.
An architect I'll never be, but I think I could handle the chore of drawing up a simple storage shed plan. There's a good chance that I'll build it in the post and beam style, as I have a stack of unused railroad ties sitting behind the vegetable garden. I've been hoping to build something with the railroad ties for some time now. This little storage shed project just might be the ticket.
Consequently, I've been tossing the shed plan ideas around in Maya. I even picked up a couple of pieces of balsa wood to build a little mockup. Such are the joys of working from home ... :)
So I've been dealing with this spyware infestation on my primary Windows computer. And I'm not a happy camper. After this horrendous experience, I'm ready to switch to working on a Macintosh for most of my work. While I'm not going to move completely away from Windows, I can't afford to use a PC as my primary machine until Microsoft clamps the lid on spyware infestations.
Virus and spyware are only able to flourish because of a prevailing monoculture that includes the operating system, browser, and email client. By avoiding the monoculture, countless outbreaks are avoided and support costs will be lowered. But that's just my two cents ... ;) I'm on deadline this week with my current book while struggling with a PC that's become infested with spyware, through no fault of my own (and here I thought was safe, running Norton Anti-Virus, Spybot Search & Destroy, and a firewall/router).
While my computer remains infested with spyware, I have that infestation contained. I've taken a number of measures to counteract the spyware that has invaded my computer. The first steps were to turn off ActiveX and scripting in Internet Explorer. Then I stopped using Microsoft's browser altogether, in favor of the latest version of Mozilla Firefox. This made a huge difference.
Along the way, I downloaded and installed STOPzilla (no relation to Mozilla) to keep an eye on the bad things that were loading (or trying to load). Using STOPzilla's blacklist as reference, I went into the Windows System Configuration Utility and deselected all of the spyware that was loading at system startup. I've been running in Selective Startup Mode ever since.
While my PC is functioning, it just doesn't seem to be as fast as it was before the infestation occurred. I'll keep hobbling along until my book is put to bed ... then I'll spend a day digging out the heinous spyware apps that have cost me so much grief (and too much time).
Update 5/21:
Since penning this entry last week, I've started using Webroot Spy Sweeper with great success. My buddy Michael Worth just gave Spy Sweeper a spin, as well. In his blog entry on spyware, Michael describes his recent tests with Spy Sweeper, Spybot, and Ad-aware.
I found a whole bunch of great info--including specific details on each heinous piece of spyware--at http://www.spywareguide.com. Another resource is one that Gnomie (and DogReader.com editor) Catherine Forsythe highly recommends: spywareinfo.com.
Writing for a cash advance is the name of the game in the geekbook world. But truth be told, the advance money is far less in this genre then it is for mass market books. When some folks think of the author's world, they think of fat cash advances and luxurious tropical vacations, filled with sumptuous meals, beautiful women, and expensive watercraft. While most of that's a pipe dream, the cash advance remains at the core of the appeal of authorship.
Geekbook contracts usually fall into one of two categories: either work for hire (WFH) or royalty. With a work for hire gig, the author is paid a flat amount--starting with an initial cash advance--to deliver a book. With a royalty deal, the author is paid a cash advance on a percentage of the book's sales; if a book sells well, the author has the potential to share in the book's success. Over the years, my gigs have fallen on both sides of the WFH/royalty fence. I don't have a preference for one method over the other, as long as it's a good deal in its own right.
When a publisher gives an author a cash advance, it's a show of good faith. Once the author cashes that first advance check, they are obligated to the publisher to deliver the goods. For the uninitiated, it's an odd feeling to be paid a substantial sum of money before doing anything. We've been programmed by society to feel that we should only be paid after the job is done. But with writing (and other endeavors, some creative, some not), it's typical for a portion of the cash to be paid in advance.
In my early days, I toiled away at a full time job in insurance marketing. I penned six editions of Inside CorelDRAW at night and during the early mornings before I left for my real job. It was a tremendous ordeal to work what amounted to two full-time jobs. But I had a hugely successful book back then, and I became hooked on the stream of royalties and cash advances.
Then things changed and I switched day jobs. Sales of that first book tailed off and I began to look for more projects to moonlight on. In my busiest twelve month period, I worked on four separate books, in addition to working full time.
Then I got things in perspective. I quit my day gig and began to focus first on my family, and then on my career. I became more selective about the book deals and strove to work smarter. I decided to write only the books I really wanted to write.
These days, I'm still out there pitching for the advance money. But I'm looking strictly at book projects that a) interest me, b) have the potential to reach a substantial audience (even within a niche), and c) are flat out cool.
It's taken me a year to get my latest book put to bed. It's not quite there yet, but it's getting very very close. And it's been a year well spent ... this is the most beautiful book I've ever done, largely because it features the artwork of a great many truly wonderful artists and studios.
I'll write more about it soon, but until then, the rest of that advance money is burning a hole in my pocket and the mortgage has to get paid ... ;)
I'm still thinking about getting a dedicated server. It's been a couple of months since I first wrote about the subject and here I am, still sitting on the fence. I have an idea for a new web site at least once a day. If I had the time to work on each idea, I might be able to create one or two new web sites each week. My buddies that run their own dedicated servers tell me that having my own dedicated server would make things that much more simple.
But I'm still not completely convinced. Basic web hosting is dirt cheap these days. Most of my sites only cost me six bucks per month a piece. Some of the little ones cost just three bucks per month. I'd have to find a really inexpensive dedicated server to compete with those incredibly low prices. Or I'd really have to get on the stick and start creating a whole slew of sites.
Dedicated server pricing runs the gamut. Of the inexpensive dedicated server hosts, EV1 Servers is among the most affordable, with monthly rates starting at just under $100. ServerBeach also starts in the same general price range. A managed server at Rackspace will easily cost double that or more. (While ServerBeach and Rackspace were both founded by Richard Yoo, the companies serve different markets.)
Now that my current book is just about done, I'm going to revisit the subject. With the extra time I'll have on my hands, I can finally get off my duff and sort out my web hosting needs.
For many companies, computer leasing is an important strategy. By leasing computers, you can conserve capital and reduce startup costs. Unlike outright computer purchases, computer leasing requires only a small initial outlay of funds. Payments are then made on a monthly basis, over a pre-specified term.
Of course, there are both pros and cons to computer leasing. A good bit of the criteria is determined by the type and cost of the computers in question. While you might not want to bother with leasing inexpensive low-end computers (that could just as easily be purchased outright), it's at the high-end where leasing can make the most sense.
If you need to keep your computers up-to-date and on the cutting edge--packed with the fastest processors and hard drives, and crammed with lots of RAM, along with the latest and greatest video cards--computer leasing can be quite attractive. With a two-year lease, you can stay on top of the technology curve. After the lease term is up, you can simply ship the old box back and pick up a new one.
Overall cost is perhaps the biggest downside to computer leasing. From a bottom line perspective, you'll often spend more on lease payments then you will on outright purchase. Of course, not everyone has all the cash lying around to plunk down on new computers. Hence, that new computer purchase often winds up on a credit card--where the finance costs can rival that of leasing.
A good many computer leases allow you to purchase the computer at the end of the term for a pre-determined fee. There are different types of leases, with different buy-out structures and tax implications. If you're considering leasing with the possibility of buying the computer at the end of the term, be sure to check with your accountant to fully understand the implications.
You'll also do well to check the insurance requirements. Some leasing companies will require you to maintain insurance on a leased computer, while others may not. (My first computer lease did not stipulate that I needed to cover the computer, while the following lease did.) Computer insurance can add a significant amount to your monthly lease payment. Be sure to check this before you sign on the proverbial dotted line.
My backyard shed is home to lots of tomato and pepper seedlings these days. Alas, the seedlings are a couple of weeks behind schedule. I'd like to clear the seedlings off the potting shelf and get them out of the garden shed, but they're just not ready to go in the ground. It looks like I'll be buying a bunch of flats from the local greenhouse, once again.
Mothers Day is the day to get the stuff into the ground around these parts. By Mothers Day, we're supposed to be clear of the threat of frost ...
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions can mean a lot of different things to different people. It all boils down to the interaction a company maintains with its customers. The premise is simple: keep better track of your contacts and you'll close more sales. To a salespeson in a smaller company, CRM might largely entail the use of a single copy of ACT software on a laptop to maintain a client database. But to the marketing executive in a large corporation, CRM might call for the use of an industrial-strength networked solution from any one of a number of CRM software developers like Siebel, SAS, SAP, Pivotal, Oncontact, Salesforce.com and many others.
I'll be quite honest here. I never--not once, not ever--saw myself filling a sales role while in my younger days. Alas, I've had to do a few stints in sales to keep the bills paid. While sales has never been my specialty, it's filled in the spaces in my career between marketing, design, and writing gigs. As a result of having only worked for smaller enterprises in sales roles, ACT became my CRM software of choice. Once I got hooked with their thirty day free demo, there was no looking back. I have to admit, tho ... I was initially very resistant to the process ...
Over the years, I had become accustomed to keeping a paper notebook. The notebook didn't completely replace scribbled notes on scraps of paper and the back of envelopes, but it went a long way to help organize things. With my notebook CRM method, I'd start a new page for each customer. If an account didn't take off, the notebook worked fine. But if the account caught fire (in a good way), I'd rapidly fill up all the available space on the front and back of the page. And then I'd fall back on writing on little scraps of paper.
So once I got started with the CRM software, it didn't take long to get into the swing. I began entering my contact information immediately after the software was installed. ACT works like a supercharged address book. After entering a client (or potential client), you merely keep track of each contact (ie: phone calls, email, faxes, and f2f visits) you make with that client.
While I didn't completely abandon my tried-and-true paperclip and scratch paper CRM system, I quickly saw the benefits of using software to handle the CRM chores. My prospecting became more thorough and my follow through increased exponentially.
But did I close more sales?
Truth be told, the prospecting process has been the most enjoyable part of the sales game for me. I love doing research on companies. But I'm not a high-pressure guy. When I can focus on prospecting, rather than closing the sale, I'm happiest. CRM software allowed me to become more successful in that role. While I'm sure I could have been even more effective than I was, I shudder to think how things would have gone if I had not learned how to keep track of my customers.
I used an online refinancing service last summer. And I'm sure glad I did. With interest rates headed upward, I moved at just the right moment to lock in a refinancing rate that will save tens of thousands of dollars in the long run. Initially, I was quite wary of refinancing online. So I took the time to research the best companies in that space.
When I say wary, it's wary for good reason. All you need to do is take a look in your overflowing inbox to see all of the unsolicited junk mail from shady mortgage application mill operations. It's hard to imagine that folks fall for those lame emails that pretend to be what they're not. Needless to say, a click (on the delete button) was the most effort I spent on those canned lunch meat messages.
After a good bit of research, I decided to refinance with Quicken Loans. I have to admit that the name recognition factor had something to do with the decision. It was the Quicken logo that got me to the website in the first place.
I landed there initially, as I recall, after clicking on a link from the front door of Yahoo. My mind put Yahoo & Quicken together as being instantly familiar. Being that I've used Quicken's TurboTax for ages, I felt something of a relationship of trust. "If I can trust my tax return to these folks," I thought, "I can trust them with refinancing my mortgage." Score one for branding.
I checked out the various refinancing options, playing with the terms and rates. Like most good refinancing websites, Quicken Loans provides mortgage calculators to do your homework. As we'd been in our home for ten years, we had a great deal of flexibility in the options (not to mention a good bit of bills to clear up and things to fix).
In order to more fully understand the refinancing process, I made a number of phone inquiries. I took the plunge only after I felt completely comfortable with both the firm and the process. I felt fortunate to have hooked up with an excellent loan consultant. Kitty kept things moving along and answered every question along the way. The refinancing flew through in a month and a half. And we never even had to leave the house. We closed the refinancing on our kitchen table! :)
If you're thinking about refinancing or a home equity loan, you'd do well to use all of the resources that the Internet has to offer. Whether you decide to refinance online or at your local bank, you can do all the research on your own ... when you walk in the door (be it virtual or not) you'll walk in as an educated consumer.
It's clear that inkjet printer cartridges are our generations classic example of the "razor-for-the-blades" (RFTB) marketing approach. In RFTB marketing, the expensive razor is given away, in order to sell many more of the even more expensive blades, down the road. With inkjet printer cartridges, it's all too obvious. I could swear (and I often do) that the cost of some inkjet printer cartridges seem to exceed the cost of the printer itself.
Far be it for me to criticize the inkjet printer manufacturers for the practice. I think that inexpensive color inkjet printers are pretty cool ... not perfect by any means ... but pretty cool. The idea that absolutely anyone can afford color prints would have seemed unfathomable in the early days of the desktop publishing revolution. Back then, desktop color printers were insanely expensive, and in the province of the well-heeled. These days, color inkjet printers are everywhere ... if only those darn cartridges weren't so expensive!
While I've bought many of my cartridges online, I've never once (nor will I ever) purchased a cartridge as a result of an unsolicited commercial email. I always purchase through a reputable retailer, just in case the cartridge is faulty and I need a replacement. I often wait until one of the big chains has a rebate coupon in effect ... then I'll buy multiple cartridges and reap the savings on the bulk purchase.
Nevertheless, I'm always looking for a less expensive inkjet printer cartridge solution. I've tried a number of different approaches, with varying success.
First, I tried refilling my color cartridges with a kit that I bought at Staples. That, unfortunately, did not go very well at all. Not only did I end up making a mess, but I ended up throwing out the cartridges I tried to refill. Now I have little doubt that someone could effectively refill their cartridges with the right kit (and with practice), but I gave up on the approach.
Next, I tried buying an el cheapo refilled set of inkjet printer cartridges. Easy enough, I thought. All I have to do is snap the new cartridges in the machine. And simple it was ... unfortunately, the quality of the cartridges I purchased just wasn't up to snuff. So I ended up biting the bullet by going back to the OEM cartridges.
Just last week, I heard about a new shop that opening up about a half an hour away. Maybe I've been living under a rock, but this one took me by surprise ... it's a franchise store that specializes in while-you-wait refilling of both inkjet and laser printer cartridges.
Think this is a good bandwagon to jump on? I went a Googling for inkjet printer cartridge refilling franchises and found out that for a mere $75,000 to $120,000 you too could have your very own franchise...
For some folks, business intelligence may seem like an oxymoron. Of course, those folks may have been working at the wrong company for too long. More than just a simple buzz-phrase, the term business intelligence defines the process of first data-gathering, then analysis, and ultimately recommendation.
When folks refer to business intelligence, they often include competitive intelligence in the mix. Competitive intelligence is merely a part of the whole. Want to know what your competitors are up to? That's competitive intelligence. Want to know what the overall business climate is (including the political, internal, and external issues)? That's business intelligence ... the big picture.
The noble goal is to quickly gather, process, and analyze the information, so that your company gains a competitive advantage. Business intelligence operations often utilize decision support systems to provide functions including data mining, reporting, and visualization.
Companies with the proper resources, handle many of their business intelligence chores in-house. Those with the staff and budget to gather and analyze the information within their walls may, however, choose to use an outside service assist with the analysis. Companies without the proper in-house resources, on the other hand, often ship the lions share of their business intelligence work to an outside firm.
We are all overwhelmed with data. Thankfully, there are loads of business intelligence resources, services, and products available on the Internet to help you track, understand, and manage the burden.
Horrible, insidious, heinous spyware must die. It's as simple as that. We need to take the upper hand against the evil spyware developers. No sooner did my article on spyware run in Lockergnome today than my computer became infested with the nasty stuff.
Life imitates art that imitates life. Or something like that.
After returning from soccer practice this evening, I noticed that my computer was running rather slowly. Well, more than rather slowly ... make that real slowly. Microsoft Internet Explorer was barfing pop up windows like mad--even with the Google Toolbar's popup blocker turned on. Time to switch to a trusty old copy of Mozilla and smoke out the spyware.
Since it had been a couple of weeks since the last time I did any extermination, I decided to run Spybot Search & Destroy.
After running Spybot Search & Destroy, I discover that my computer has become infested with eXactSearchbar, eZula HotText, and KeenValue. I got most of the way through the spyware removal process when the program informed me that my computer would need to be rebooted to delete the remainder of the spyware. No sooner did I exit the program than Norton Anti-Virus popped up to let me know that my computer had become infected with the VBS.Redlof.A virus.
A coincidence? I think not.
After I rebooted my computer, Spybot finished up its spyware removal routine and I opted to immunize. Then I updated my copy of Norton AntiVirus and ran a virus scan. It's still running as I write. I can only hope that my computer will be happy and healthy before I run out of caffeine this evening.
I'm not sure which one of my kids I can blame for getting my PC infected with spyware today. But I have a pretty good hunch it was my darling daughter. Gotta love that kid ... she gives me plenty to write about, whether it's a $150 cell phone bill for her incessant instant messaging or this latest infestation. Then again, it may have been the boy's doing ...
I don't have to write this stuff. I only need to write it down.
My storage shed is bursting at the seams. For not only is it a storage shed, it's a greenhouse, too. Unfortunately, it's just become packed to the walls with junk. Thankfully, I didn't have to store the lawn fertilizer for long ... the dandelions are tasting the wholesome goodness of the Farmers Co-Op's finest chemical concoction right now. My jury-rigged spreader did a admirable job of distributing the weed & feed, the lawn's looking better than ever, and the storage shed's just a little bit less crowded.
I need to find a way to add some storage space to the shed without increasing its footprint past the magical 100 square foot mark. A good morning's tidying up will go a long way to meeting that goal.
Truth be told, Data Recovery is a topic we often fail to consider until it's too late. When your hard drive crashes, it takes your data with it. While data recovery services may be able to get your valuable data back, they do so at a price. Once panic mode sets in you may need to pay whatever it takes to recover your data.
Of course, the panic can be avoided. All it takes is some planning and the commitment to follow a methodical backup schedule. Alas, many folks (myself included) fail to get with the program and when disaster strikes, we find ourselves at the mercy of the data recovery specialists.
But the question remains ... if you hard drive crashes, what should you do?
Before sending your hard drive out to a data recovery specialist, check around with your buddies to see if they've had any experiences with specific firms. When you send your hard drive out, you are putting your data's life in that firm's hands. You want it to be someone you trust. No matter what, it will take time to evaluate your hard drive and recover the data. The data recovery specialist may or may not be able to save the day.
Since my last survey experiment went so well, I decided to create a new survey about data recovery. If you've had a data recovery experience (or even if you haven't!), I hope that you will add to the collective Gnomie Knowledge Base by taking the survey. The survey should develop some interesting statistics about data recovery (including costs and success rates) as well as data backup habits.
Click here to take the data recovery survey
And there we get to the important part: data backup. That's where the planning and commitment come into play. You need to have the forethought and fortitude to backup your most important data up every single day, if at all possible.
Back in my old corporate days, system management was one of my primary responsibilities. I had to back up a Data General minicomputer each and every day. This old dinosaur of a typesetting front-end system used 50MB removable discs the size of an oversized birthday cake ... the hard drive mechanisms were nearly the size of washing machines.
We backed up our data every day, because every so often a hard drive would go south ... real south. With half a dozen typographers feeding data into the system, instant data recovery was paramount. By backing up each day, we knew that we could only lose a day's worth of data, at worst. If the current day's hard drive crashed, we'd swap out the mechanism and and swap in yesterday's disc.
In sitting down to write this article, I've had to consider how far away I've come from those roots. More than that, how lax I've become. I know I need to become more vigilant about my backups, to not take things for granted ... because hard drives do crash, and we do often fail to think about that until it's too late.
Have you backed up your data today? :)