Fighting the Good Fight

I generally restrict my posts to original content, but this was a little too good to pass up, so I'm linking it here.

Ever get one of those emails from a concerned reverend, high government official, embassy worker, etc., located in some third-world country, offering to send you USD50MILLION or something similar, if you can just send a few thousand dollars to pay for the legal work of getting that money out of the country and into your hot little hands?  Notwithstanding the fact that such emails, generally, test the bounds of human logic, there's a reason they proliferated, and still exist to this day - to some degree, they work.  They may work on only .001% of those to whom they are sent, but that's all it takes for it to be worth it, when it costs nothing to send an email.  Despite my belief that we humans already do way too much to thwart natural selection within our own species, it's inherently inhumane to feel no compassion for people who fall for such ploys, at the hands of criminal parasites.

One man and his friends (aka scambaiters) decided to fight back (screen shot):

In many cases, they've convinced the criminals on the other end to fly thousands of miles, in the belief that they will meet our crusaders in person to receive requested funds.  Much to their chagrin, it's all just a ploy.  Oddly, the criminal element, just like many people in general, seems to lack a well developed sense of humor - or irony.  

Regardless, you can check out each of their "projects" and trace the exchanges from start to finish.  They include maps, the entire email trail, and other notes.  

419 Eater

Cheers.

**********

"Papers, Please!" (Aaron Swartz, RIP)

For those concerned about Eastern European crime syndicates uploading info from their computers, or who've watched a meltdown caused by an e-mail attachment or clicking a bad link, take heart.  Your government doesn't care, and they won't do anything to help you, though they may be willing to sell you the information they have in their files from spying on you.  The problem isn't real criminals, as you might think, but "High-Tech Terrorists" like WikiLeaks, whose real crime is revealing things that the government doesn't want us to know.

In that spirit, we get this kind of mindless, handwringing rhetoric and misdirection, as CISPA winds its way through Congress, aiming to take away our civil liberties:

WikiLeaks and Hacktivists, Oh My!

Do people really believe this drivel?  The lady doth protest too much, methinks.  It's a sad commentary, that politicians have managed to combine two words they most fear, yet know the least about.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Not-So-Hasty Retreat from the Subprime Meltdown

Finally, some dinner theatre around this place.  Master, servant, pimp, whore?  I'm not sure, but I do think it's funny when you are accused of being one of the foregoing, and your response is to issue a lengthy press release trying to absolve yourself on several theories, including these:  (1) Technically, legally, given the environment and the players, and our First Amendment rights, we really didn't do anything wrong (that's a paraphrase, but I'm pretty sure they didn't use the words ethically or morally); (2) Hey, other people did it, too, but you're only picking on us.

Uh, okay.  Let me help you, since you seem to be unclear on the concept:

"Hey, man, we might be bad, but look what we got paid.  It's not like we were working for Heidi Fleiss; at these rates we're just common streetwalkers!  Seriously, when these banks pay us for a rating, scratch that, pay us to independently review an issuance and give a completely impartial, non-biased third-party opinion from the best of the brightest minds from only Ivy League schools, we're getting paid for the equivalent of a hummer, while offering full service and party favors, which is simply unfair. You can hardly visit the Hamptons with that kind of pay, let alone buy a place."

See, that sort of appeals to the DOJ's sense of fair play, that the investment banks are more evil than you, since they were the ones buying the ratings, oops I mean paying for the independent reviews.

Not really, I'm just kidding.  You're screwed.  But, hey, I'm pretty sure the folks being referenced in #2 above are in the on-deck circle right now.

Editorial Note:  Yes, that's right, the rating agencies have asserted that their ratings are protected by the First Amendment, and in most cases the courts have agreed. What they fail to mention is that this is to protect them from being sued when they either say something bad about a company, or make an unintentional mistake. I'm pretty sure wholesale fraud and lying are frowned upon and not protected, just like they are for the rest of us chumps.

Here's the source article:

DOJ Complaint Against S&P Filed in Central District of California

And Now, For Something Completely Different...

A poem.

Don't ask; even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you.  Okay, fine - it's Valentine's Day (hence the red), that day everyone hates or loves with a passion, that binary decision largely a result of whether the person happens to be +1 or +0 at the time.  But that's just a theory.

Maybe I just want you to get caught up with my FB friends; I tortured them with this a few months ago.  Membership has its rewards, such as torturous prose.

At least it's relatively short, so the pain can't last that long.

Rise of the Phoenix

The Phoenix arose from the burning embers of the funeral pyre, and fire came from its razor-sharp beak, along with a frightening sound.  The boy recognized that within the screech, there was language, and meaning, but he was too young, too afraid, too uninformed, to understand what it meant:

"Complacentiam mors est.  Noli timere, quia iam sunt in domo mea."

"But what can I do?  I am afraid, for the fire almost engulfed my village."

"Ah, puero vos sentio indefensos quia vos cognitione carent, et notitiis. Est ignis causatur quia vos non agnoscerent, in his autem, substituto fantasy pro re. Non tibi hostiam tibi causa doloris lacessierit."

"I'm sorry, I did not know!  My little village is so small, and I have never seen the world, nor can I imagine anything beyond my bedroom walls."  

"Video et te misereri. Nolite timere. Sis felix, quoniam tu instituis. Liberavit scientia, ut possit vim bonum quam malum. Hostia amet velit tincidunt sed oportet - quod tam facilis et perspicua."

"Yes, I see.  I feel as if the sun is rising for the first time in my life."

And the two began their journey in earnest...



Phoenix (Mythology)

A phoenix depicted in a book of mythological creatures by F.J. Bertuch (1747-1822)

******

Battle of the Bands, Ginormous Egos Edition

I was driving a few days ago, and decided to listen to some KISS, and a funny thing happened.  I heard the song "Deuce," which until that point, I'm pretty sure I had heard a total of one time.  The opening riff started, and I had to rewind it, listened, rewound one more time.  Well, that was interesting.  Check out the opening riff of the song, and see if you recognize the initial guitar sequence:

The clip is from a 2010 concert in Europe, but the song itself is from KISS' eponymous debut album, in 1974.  

How to Pass Your Emissions Test

As a public service, and because we now live in the age of misinformation, where it seems that more than half of what you hear, see or read is completely false, I will now share with you some tidbits about emissions.  For those who live in a state without emissions testing, whose car is super squeaky clean and doesn't have an issue with the "Check Engine" light, or simply don't care, feel free to move on (as if I could stop you anyway).  For the rest of you:

• As of 2003, 33 states, plus the District of Columbia, required emissions testing.  I believe the number is more now, but the actual number is fairly irrelevant to this post, and I'm sure you know if you live in an emissions-testing state.  (State Emissions List)  And if you really, really aren't sure, check here...State by State Emissions Laws
• In order to pass an emissions test, your car has to pass several tests for gas emissions of various types, under varying degrees of engine temperature and speed.  In addition, a vehicle must pass a fairly rudimentary safety inspection.  The one item that isn't rudimentary, however, is that your "check engine" light must be off.  If it is on, the vehicle fails automatically.  
• You may be interested to know that California actually has its own, more stringent regulations those those of the EPA, managed by the California Air Resources Board.  Also, 16 states have adopted those more stringent regulations rather than following EPA standards (technically, if you follow CARB, you are already following EPA standards, as they are less strict).  Emission Standards
• You've probably received advice like this in the past:  What Not to Do.  I encourage you to ignore it.  Also ignore the smogcheck facility guy who tells you to just "run it for 100, 200, 300 miles," or the mechanic who gives you similar worthless "advice."  None of these "fixes" will enable you to pass the emissions test, though there is a slight chance that such measures will turn off your check engine light.
• For every car make (i.e., brand), there is a specific emissions sequence that you can follow to turn off your check engine light, and ensure that your car will pass emissions.  If you're interested in knowing more about it:  Emission Test Cycle.
• The standards aren't going away, but rather they are tending toward worldwide standardization similar to CARB's standards (Emission Standards).

I'm focused specifically on the check engine light, so if you have a problem like your catalytic converter exploding, you'll have to look elsewhere.

Well, That's a Relief

Java and Flash - Tools of the Devil

The linked post is as follows (in case the link doesn't work, or FB doesn't like you):

Other than the fact that nearly all malware designed to infect Macs, is based on either Java or Flash, this is excellent news.

Toyota Carlsbad and the Continuing Crisis...in Spelling

Oddly enough, the following advertisement was changed the day after I shot this pic.  Then, this morning (a couple days later), I see that it's back.  Toyota Carlsbad, because I feel for you in this epidemic overtaking our nation, I will spellcheck your ads for free.  Though I may require you to fire your ad agency first, since the ad itself pretty much blew.  My opinion is free, too.  'Cuz I'm a giver.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200379613752464&set=a.1077245050883.2012466.1218937021&type=1&theater

The pic, in case the link doesn't work, or you're simply scared of The Facebook:

My Advice on the Flu (Well, the Flu Shot Anyway)

Hey, do what you like, but I never get the flu shot.  And I never get the flu.  How odd is that?  Then again, I subscribe to the belief that the flu shot compromises one's immune system at exactly the worst possible time, and you just end up getting a different strain of it, due to your increased vulnerability.  But my 47 null data points could be wrong, while the media and public health officials could be right, since they've all diligently researched it, of course.  Even more interesting, if you ask your own doctor, you may be surprised by the response.

Cheers, and happy flu season.

******

Baffled by News Anchors' Lack of Speaking Prowess

Perhaps the public schools are letting us down.

Or maybe people just want to be cute.

I have no idea.

But how someone can be a nightly news anchor in an almost-first-tier news market, yet not know the correct pronunciation of the word 'zeta', is beyond me.  Especially when his name is Carlo.  I'm no linguist, but I'm pretty sure Carlo is of Latin derivation. As is, of course, Latin itself. And Greek. And Roman. And the last time I looked, Rome was in Italy. And Cecchetto, Carlo's last name, seems pretty Italian to me.

Then again, I'm no expert. You be the judge.

PS - Yes, I know he's from Omaha, don't ruin the story for everyone.  I'm from Iowa, and still, I somehow know how to pronounce zeta.  And just for the record, it's Los Zetas in this particular case.

******

People Unclear on the Concept

I've always thought Oracle was tremendous at marketing its products, especially since they tend to suck so much.  In fact, they make a software (Java) so poorly designed and executed, yet so widespread, that it is single-handedly responsible for many of the most destructive internet security breaches of the 21st century.  Like any true marketing organization, a la P.T. Barnum, that doesn't stop Oracle from touting "security" and "stability" when marketing this plague.  And lest you think it's unfair to pick on a single product from Oracle, I'm not - this one just happens to be in the news right now.  They make plenty of other products that suck badly, though those ones tend not to open your internet portal to cyber-criminals by merely clicking on a web page.