While a million dollars really isn't much these days, when the big giants start tossing around billions in 2, 5 and 10 incriments -- you're talking about a whole lot of money. A whole LOT.

So everyone thought Microsoft was taking the cake -- but then, not. And then AOL and Google got involved, but they backed out. Obviously they didn't have the grapes to play with the 'big boys."

Par for the course, corporate greed drove the Yahoo boys to up the ante by another 5-billion, and that's where Microsoft lost the grapes. Late yesterday they pushed back from the table. In reality, 5-billion translates to just another 4-bucks per share. Now, if you follow the stock market these days, you've probably watched some of the stronger, blue-chip stocks lose 4-bucks since January. Some even more. But when you start talking acquisition, that four bucks becomes a $5 billion deal.

Miguel Helft and Andrew Ross Sorkin flush out this latest development for the New York Times

Mark M. Meinero also covers the latest developments for CNNMoney.com

AOL Seen Potential Winner?

Now, CNN Money returns with a change in heart -- wondering if Time Warner Inc. might just walk away with the Yahoo prize. This is opinionated by George Stahl of the Dow Jones Newswires.

The Silicon Valley triangle: Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft

News.com's Dan Farber over in Silicon Valley provides us with this handy-dandy social graph so you can sort out the players as this story evolves.

Is it worth it?

Try pondering that much money. Consider what else you could do with that much money ... completely replace the internal combustion engine? Purchase the Bahamas? Eliminate homeless in 60 American cities? Eliminate cancer? Build a medium sized city on the moon?

If you asked me, Yahoo should stay Yahoo, and keep at least one good competitor for Google and Microsoft. If these three start getting together, the web will be a much more unfriendly place.

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Herbal remedies and Canadian Pharmacy head the scum list with an average 25% of all spam received. But the interesting point is they seldom use the same spamvertised domain in the same 24-hour barrage. In one day's spam the Herbal rememdies crime cartel had 127 ads. They used 67 different domains. As time goes on, they maintain that kind of average -- but the domain names change. This is a clear indication that they are utilizing an ICANN policy known as "domain tasting" -- or more accurately put: domain kiting.

Here's how it works: Unscrupulous rogue registrars utilize a robot to register hundreds or thousands of domains -- but they don't pay for them. Their robots automatically deploy spam, phishing, identity theft or virus pages on the web, and then begin sending millions of spams directing victims to those pages. At the end of the ICANN "tasting" period of five days, the robots DROP the domains. Moments later, they register them again and the cycle starts all over. Most often they end up with many different domains.

Did you ever buy a domain without paying for it?

This is a sophisticated, supposedly legal version of domain squatting, which has been going on since the Clinton administration deregulated domains. (Thank you Bill, Hillary and Algore!) And when you open something as important as domains to a band of unrelated, unregulated internationals along with any jackleg-out-to-make-a-buck on earth, you're just inviting criminal exploitation.

All domains acquired should be paid for immediately at the point of registration. PERIOD. Rogue registrars should NOT be allowed to "taste" (aka "kite") thousands of domains and then release them only to pick them back up again moments later.

If ICANN wants to offer "grace" or "tasting" period, then the purchaser should be required to request and then obtain a refund. Ideally, via the postal service in WRITING to provide a court admissable paper trail with real, valid signatures.

This would weed out the criminal "tasters."

The side benefit to ICANN would be, in effect, a 'loan' to ICANN of the use of hundreds of thousands of dollars for the period of time between registration and refund -- which could amount to a considerable piece of interest.

At that point ALL domain tasting would probably grind to a dead stop -- because the only people "tasting" (kiting) domains are criminals who would never otherwise purchase the domains -- interested only in exploiting and profiteering off the system.

Let anyone who wants a domain -- for testing or otherwise -- PAY FOR IT. Period. If they don't like it or don't use it, then get a refund like the rest of us do.

Then the world (particularly the search engines and those who use them) would be a much better off.

At any rate, this is just one more indication that ICANN should be dissolved and a new, accountable entity put in charge of the domain system.

THE BEST SOLUTION OF ALL

would be for ALL domains to be permanently registered once and ONLY once. If registration lapses, then the domain is DEAD. They would NEVER be released back for reuse -- they would simply cease to exist. This would solve a number of problems now troubling the internet. After a while there would be only legitimate domains in legitimate use. And there would be far fewer domains. Honorable intentions would prevail.

End of story.

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I also happen to be a huge Star Wars fan. So this morning's news brief footnote recognizing the twenty-fifth anniversary of President Reagan's "Star Wars" speech grabbed my attention. I was reminded of all the controversy stirred by that speech back in March of 1983. So I decided to dig it up and learn more.

As I read Reagan's speech -- about an initiative to build a system to destroy missiles from space -- issues in today's news began to take on a new slant. I'm thinking "wow, if we only had that today." Knowing what we know today, how could supposedly intelligent thinkers back in the 1980s not have seen it -- what were they thinking? Today, even 5th graders could see the value of such a system.

Reading deeper into the documentation surrounding this simple concept proposed by Regan, a fascinating story began to unfold -- totally relevant to today's political and global state of affairs. Along with talk of x-ray and chemical lasers, neutral particle beams, hypervelocity rail guns, space-based interceptors and even brilliant pebbles*, there also arose an insurmountable wave of public criticism.

Led by Democratic legislators with the help of the high visibility media, the concept of developing the military in space soon became the laughing stock of America. (Sound familiar?) The idea was solidly discredited as "impractical science fiction fantasy". The day after the speech, the Washington Post quoted Senator Ted Kennedy(D) calling the plan "reckless Star Wars schemes". It was thus banished forever as a fantasy.

I kept reading historic accounts and opinions that followed. Throughout the weeks and months after the speech, narrow-minded voices from the scientific community, once again amplified by sympathetic media, convinced America of all the reasons why the plan could never work. The concept was killed dead.

The study of technology today suggests that the views of those small thinkers were ludicrous. These were the same people who called human DNS is an impenetrable mystery. They probably thought the idea of a global network of wireless phones to be insane. They would probably have discredited a tool for pin-pointing specific cancer cells in the human body with a "radiation" beam as "reckless Star Wars schemes." To them, it was lunacy to suggest a robot with video broadcast capabilities the size of a human blood cell could cruise through the body transmitting clear images from within those arteries. Yes, in 1983, these same narrow thinkers would never have approved the budgt to develop a camera so powerful it can read vehicle license plates from beyond this planet's atmosphere. They would vote against allocations to build a remote sensor capable of analyzing human vitals from thousands of feet away to save soldiers' lives -- much less putting robots on Mars. But twenty-five years of technology is a lot of water under the bridge. American ingenuity has made all of these things, and more, a reality. Why were those who blocked Star Wars so pusillanimous* as to endanger the lives of thousands -- possibly hundreds of thousands -- of American citizens?

Today, a personal armor suit has been developed for the military with built-in remote sensors that can identify entities several thousands of feet away. These sensors selectively tag that entity as friend or foe, based on biochemical attributes, and then communicates that information into a strategic defence grid hundreds of miles away. Almost instantaneously, those foot troops can be moved out of harm's way or into an advantaged attack pattern.

In the continuing parade of new technology advancements each day, it becomes painfully clear that, in reality, Reagan's idea was not fantasy at all, but an inspired vision that could have changed history. Those narrow-minded, slow-moving snails of the day couldn't have been more wrong in discrediting the Star Wars initiative. As it turns out, they were dead wrong. What harm are they doing today?

Today, we know that Reagan's Star Wars could have opened the doors to:

* Detection and elimination of the 9/11 threats?
* Immediate neutralization of terrorists (Osama bin Laden and company)?
* Eliminate specific combatants in any arena of conflict (Darfur?)
* Detect, identify, neutralize predatory devices (bombs? Suicide bombers?)
* Stealth maintenance of U.S. borders (suspend or neutralize)?
* Instant pinpointing of ecological threats (pandemics?)
* Advance detection of geological catastrophes (tsunamis?)
* Track, analyze, protect populations (human or animal)
* All without the costs of transporting, feeding and outfitting armies -- all from a control panel safely at home -- all without the risk of even a single soldier's life. Not ONE!

Yes, it's obvious that all of these are easily within the grasp of technology today. With twenty-five years to develop Reagan's concept, these and other wonders would have been developed by now, had those little minds not gotten in the way? What else did they rob us of? They bellyache long and loud about deaths in Iraq, when in reality they blocked the means by which it could have been prevented.

One merely has to read the pages of Technology Review*, Popular Science* or Gizmodo* to realize the awesome advances technology makes each day -- month after month.

So, the next time you hear the body-count of war, just remember how it could have been prevented, and who blocked that solution. The next time someone says "we can't afford it", perhaps the intelligent thing to do might be to project 25 years into the future in light of the current rate of technology development and ask "Can we afford NOT to do it?"

Unfortunately, I've far exceeded my 60-second limit. (You can read Reagan's "Star Wars" speech, and learn more for yourself.)

One of the great thinkers of all times, Albert Einstein once said:

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."

Twenty-five years from now, will our grand children be asking the same questions?

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Growing your membership not only brings in new revenue, it also adds to your pool of volunteers and resources to the benefit of all. Groups that aren't growing, are groups that are moving back-wards.

So, if you have an organization to market, here is a little refresher list...

The Top 10 UG Marketing Mistakes

1. Assuming you don't need to market your group.

No matter how big or successful your group has become, you'll always need to make sure your members -- current and potential -- know who you are and what you can do for them. Coca-Cola, for example, is one of the best-known brand names in the world, yet it still markets itself aggressively every day.

2. Relying too much on the Internet.

The trend is to down-size the office and let the internet do all the work. Guess what? If you put a site out there along the highway, don't expect people to come. You've got to get out there and push. No one will embrace an organization that is automated. People to people is what the community is all about. Rely on the internet and you'll eventually find yourself with one or two officers, and a membership list of total strangers.

3. Undervaluing your organization's value.

Members won't value what you have to offer if you don't value it yourself. Be fair when setting policies and programs, but don't give too much away in the name of "help" -- yet provide good 'value' in your services.

4. Not measuring the effectiveness of your efforts.

You have to constantly evaluate whether the benefit you give your members is really making a difference. Set goals and track your progress in terms of new members, newsletter subscriptions, or whatever other measure seems appropriate. Have an online feedback form for members. Ask for their opinions and suggestions for new programs.

5. Providing insufficient information.

Conventional wisdom will say that your prospective members don't want to read lengthy copy. While tests show readers do give up after the first 50 or so words, you shouldn't give up until you've told the whole story thoroughly. Put the most important information in the beginning. But also, make sure you've provided all the information he or she needs to make a decision. Good design and good wordsmithing of headlines and subheads can substantially help readers take in MORE than the 50 or so words. And don't forget pictures.

6. Changing strategies too often or too hastily.

Don't be in a hurry to switch the message or your look. You may be getting sick of your own message and image, but key outreach messages need to be repeated again and again in order to make an impact on the customer's consciousness. Look at how long really successful campaigns run. Pound that message home

7. Relying too heavily on others or referrals.

Depending on referrals for new members limits your options. Design a marketing program that lets you target potential members, and also gives them the opportunity to contact you directly. Otherwise you'll be at the mercy of whomever has the ability to refer members to your organization.

8. Failing to position your organization as a leader.

Being seen as a leader in your community gives you a distinct advantage. Identify a niche where your organization can truthfully label itself the best. If you can't find a niche, create one. Then let your role as an community leader be a powerful factor in your marketing campaigns. Many groups find that charity work, education awards, grants or scholarships really get the community's attention. Washington Pi, for example has a computer recycling program. It gets the attention of thousands of people who would not ordinarily be looking for a group.

9. Keeping your marketing materials to yourself.

This is a FAMOUS problem with all nonprofits. It's easy to spend big money on brochures and other outreach materials to hand out to prospects when they inquire. However, they then feel they have to be stingy, because of the cost. Develop an information outreach packet for your group -- and then USE it. Offer a booklet of useful information about using the computer -- or other material that people would probably want. Then GIVE them away. I know dozens of important people who had to throw away hunderds, if not thousands of business cards when the area code changed. My question was: "Why were you sitting on them? Business cards do you no good what so ever in your closet."

10. Not maintaining a mailing list.

Establish a mailing list of past members, prospective members, people who have referred members or services to your organization, and other important community contacts -- both in and out of town. Be sure to communicate with these people at least quarterly. A simple one- or two-page newsletter with a few bits of useful information will keep your name at the top of people's minds.

Whether you have a nonprofit organization, club, ball team, or small business, reading and fully understanding the above will help you make the very best out of every marketing dollar. You'll gain friends, and your message will spread.

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Anyway, what do Apple and Idol have in common?

They've both had problems with the "other" Apple. Oh, Apple records that is. Seems that even 30 years after the Beatles demise, Apple Recording Label still rides a tough reign on the songs we all love.

So, imagine my surprise when American Idol announced they had FINALLY been given permission to cover Beatles' songs in an upcoming show. BRAVO. Beatles music has been sadly missing in Idol since the beginning.

But what about the other Apple?

Although you might think Apple Computer had problems with Apple Records with the advent of iTunes and iPods, it actually started back in February of 1989

Here's a little nostalgia piece, The Middle Stanza? by Apple Matters writer Chris Seibold -- who writes:

> While Apple lost the case there was one bright
> side for the Macintosh fans. Feeling heat from
> the legal department, programmer Jim Reekes
> changed the name of a system beep from
> "xylophone" to "sosumi."
> While Mr. Reekes claimed the name was a Japanese
> word it was, in fact, a pun. To get in on the
> joke utter the name aloud.
> The lawsuit that sparked a fairly subtle yet
> great gag was launched this month in 1989.

Listen to the PodCast, or
See: www.applematters.com

By the way: I did a search for "Beatles" in Apple's "iTunes" web site, and Safari immediately closed and quit, giving an error : Safari has quit. Interesting.
Searching in iTunes, you find lots of karaoke versions, Sound-A-Like Covers, Fab Five Band covers, and even Tony Sheridan (whoever that is), but not a real Beatles tune to be seen. You can find some individual Beatles tunes, John Lennon and so forth, but nothing authentic from "The Beatles".

Lastly, I can guarantee this article was more fun to write than it was to read.

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In a civilized world it would seem that just about anything one might steal is also available through honorable means. But for some reason, there are low-life people who are either too lazy, or too crooked and dishonest to do something for the objects they desire. I guess it all boils down to the human's basic nature of greed. Get something for nothing. I hate them. I truly hate them.

My daughter has had two laptops stolen. Her apartment was broken into and all her worldly posessions taken right down to the socks from her drawers. She was broken. My wife's purse was pick-pocketed at the Paris airport. They were both violated. And it took them months and months to get over it. I just wish I would have caught the guy.

I guess that's why I also hate spammers. They take without ceremony. They steal the bandwidth to do their dirty work, and they steal the recipient's mental or physical property. From crimes against property, to embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting, and fraud (theft by deception) -- they're all dishonorable and deserve punishment.

My son's iPhone was stolen just a month after he got it. It had become one of his prized possessions. It was probably his own fault -- using the phone in a crowded public place, showing it off to friends -- laying it down on the bar for just a moment. But look at the misery that thief caused. The thief got a useless device, once the account was cancelled. Perhaps he could sell it on the black market for a couple hundred bucks. But the victim suffered far more than the thief gained.

In the police investigation in Ft. Lauderdale, they said that there's a wave of iPhone thefts not just in the city but nation-wide. Just like the wave of iPod thefts, the crooks target people using devices that are popular and trendy. The incident followed a well known and widely used technique: distract the victim, grab the phone, disappear in the crowd. It's a sad note on society, and a devastating blow to the victim.

BEWARE: iPhone theft is Identity Theft

According to law enforcement, they don't steal them to use them. They're looking for account passwords, charge card information and online banking info.

* NEVER set auto fill, or embed your ID, passwords or account numbers. Always key those in on the fly when accessing sensitive data. Better yet, DO NOT USE your iPhone for those purposes! With WiFi packet sniffers, lurking crooks can grab your transactions on the fly.

Read the comments following this blog posting at ask.metafilter.com, where there's an ongoing discussion about iPhone theft.

According to one similar victim, you should contact ATT immediately... Quoting:

I lost my iPhone about two weeks after I got the thing. It was out of my possession for about two hours. Who ever found it never used it. When I called AT&T they said that the culprit would never be able to use the phone because it would have to be activated through iTunes to use it. This being the case they explained that when the phone's serial number (or some other number that identifies the phone) came up it would not work after it was disabled by AT&T. [End Quote]

Can you protect yourself?

*** Keep your phone in front of you, and in contact
*** Do NOT set it down in busy places, even for a moment
*** Do NOT carry in back pockets or belt holsters

When you use your phone in a busy place, anywhere there's a crowd or crowded circumstances, be aware of people around you, and keep the phone in touch at all times. Better yet, just don't use it in crowded, public places.

My friend, Doug Clifford, frequent contributor to the Photographic department in the Design Center goes to Manila and the Phillippines quite often and each time he gets several cell phones stolen. No matter how hard he tries to protect them, they get stolen.

Pickpockets are professionals. They make their living stealing from people. Don't think they can't fool you.

Someone should invent a retractable tether that can be securely attached to the phone and to your person -- with a non-cutable cable. Apple should offer a wrist strap similar to most digital cameras. Such a device would also prevent dropping the phone.

I would like to see someone invent a tiny transmitter that works on WiFi independently of the iPhone -- so that when the phone is stolen, the user can press a button on a remote, and the iPhone explodes. POP! Just enough to blow a three-inch hole, or take off a hand.

Now, that would be just rewards!

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But, as it goes on the web, most players weren't content with running an honest web site with honest content. I've complained and complained to deft ears about how so many sites are 'cheating' by stacking their links and all manner of other tricks to increase their clicks. Google finally caught on.

It's actually been happening over the past year. Page rankings dropping, along with Ad Sense revenue. I first became aware of it back in April -- but no matter how hard I tried, I could not get to the bottom of the problem. Unfortunately there are many sites who are caught in the web who shouldn't be -- like ours. We run an honorable web operation, and have resisted "selling" links, or engaging in link-exchanges, 3-way link schemes and any number of other schemes the underworld has dreamed up. We get requests each and every day from sites ranging from travel vacations to home appliances to pet care and even a number of 'illegal' operations -- all wanting to "exchange links" with us to "enhance" our Google rankings. It's a sad note that once again, the corrupt element of the web drags down good people too.

Google algorithm tweak spooks WWW

In the brave new world of online media, fortunes can be won and lost on the whim of Google's key search algorithm. And when, without warning, Google tweaked that mathematical formula this week, there was panic on the world wide web.
But small changes to Google's algorithm that determines how high up in search results a site appears can foil any attempts to game the system in a heartbeat. The worst offenders who are caught trying to artificially boost their search ranking are given the "Google death penalty", whereby they're delisted from search results altogether.
From "The Age" read more

Google’s message: Pay for links, risk PageRank.

The value is in relevant links and relevant content. A clear message from Google: Don’t pay for links. The value is in the context of each site, the anchor text and other such values. Don’t buy links based on PageRank, and don’t sell links based on PageRank.

Google confirms that websites that sell links have been heavily penalized. Google’s recent page rank update had diminishing results on some very high profile websites. Some (The Stanford Daily and Statcounter) claimed to have dropped pagerank as much as four places - PR10 to PR6.
From PR-USA.net read more

Google's Reputation System Roils Web World

Clint Boulton reported for eWeek:
      The blogosphere erupts with the cries of indignant Web site proprietors who see their PageRank ratings tumble. A drop in reputation scores for hundreds of prominent Web sites this week has bloggers buzzing that Google has tweaked its PageRank algorithm.

Google hasn't admitted to tweaking PR (PageRank), which appears in the Google Toolbar and is Google's system for weighing a Web page for its relevance to a specific query based on the number of links that it has to it.
From eWeek: read more

Then Boulton returns later with :

Google's Dataspaces Technology Dings PageRank

An IT expert who tracks Google says the company's latest search tweaks are dragging some sites' results down. The drops in Google PageRank ratings that plagued the blogosphere last week are a result of a data management abstraction layer Google has implemented to improve its search algorithm, according to an IT expert and author.

Sites such as WashingtonPost.com, Forbes.com and EnGadget.com, which have seen their PageRank scores fall, are seeing the first fruits of dataspaces.
From eWeek: read more

Fallout over Google PageRank update

Google has infuriated many web site owners by tweaking the algorithm for its PageRank feature, which has seen the reputation scores for a lot of big-name and smaller web sites tumble.

PageRank assigns a web site a score from zero to 10. The score is, in part, based on how many other sites are linked to that web page. A page that is linked to by many other pages with high PageRanks receives a high rank itself.
From Rhonda Ascierto, CBR Online read more (spam-free version)

Meanwhile... the bloggers begin their counter-strike ...

More Tips To Survive The Google Pagerank Breakup

Google just broke up with you- after a yearlong pagerank 7 relationship. It’s just temporary of course. You’ll have her chasing you back with some of these search engine flirtation tips.
From Joseph Plazo and the "Connected Internet" read more

Rebuild from scratch

Between the Design Center, the User Group Network, and the Photoshop Tips & Tricks sites, we are fortunate to have a good, loyal, following -- and honest, spam-clean content. That's what has kept our sites flowing since the early 1990s. I know our rankings will suffer because of this new development. But honorable web sites shouldn't have to worry. Over the months to come, however, I'll have to take a serious look at how to survive, and whether or not the AdSense thing is even worth it. My combined web sites have over 40,000 pages, about 70% of which include Google AdSense links.

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Reading Charles Cooper's CNet account, and many others, this Web phenomena isn't really anything new -- it's only the evolution of Web 2.0. MySpace seems to have faded as the media's golden child hunting grounds for articles only to be replaced by Facebook.

Charles writes:
. . . "A lot of other people I know confess to the same guilty pleasure. Trolling through their friends' buddy lists has become something of a way to pass the a.m. downtime as you sit down with the day's first coffee"(?)

He nails it -- I know many people who spend the first hour or so of the day following blog posts from family members and friends; searching through 'friends' links, learning some of the most unuseful information known to mankind. Really folks, can this be where society is headed:

. . . "My Poppy did a doodie on the front carpet and I'm so (expletive deleted) that (expletive deleted) is so (expletive deleted) I can't believe it! Made me a half hour late to Suggies for the party!"

Now, one really has to know who "Poppy" and "Suggie" are, and why Poppy's doodie would make the writer late. Oh well, some people find this truly interesting reading.

On the other side of the coin, we've seen all the digital communication channels get notoriety through the years from the first ARPA net discussions to AOL chat rooms, blogs, Second Life, and beyond. But we've also seen their abuse too.

It's all about connectivity, and getting links. Almost immediately after launching my YouTube archive of favorite videos, I began getting requests to be people's friend. Wait a minute... I don't even know these people. But I always check them out, only to find they have some commercial motive for getting their links in my favorites list. But it's really nothing new, the way the media paints it. I've been dealing with that kind of behavior since launching the first User Group forum on AOL in 1988. (Could that really be twenty years ago??? )

In a follow-up post, Charles sums it up with:

... "the thought of some of these folks having 3 friends, let alone 593, defies credibility. Mark Zuckerberg's supposedly multi-billion dollar social utility has ultimately devalued the concept of friendship for the newer crop of Facebook addicts."(?)

But be careful of what you wish for. The social networking industry is becoming the richest personal identity shopping ground to date. So much so that it's founder feels it's worth billions.

Andrew Brown, in "Comments are Free" says
. . . "At 75,000 idiots a day, the company might just conceivably be worth its $10bn without too much front-loading. The information that Facebook might gain about its users is far more intimate than even Google has."(?)

By the way, don't even ask what my Facebook account is -- I've set it up as an entirely 'new' individual -- just to see what happens. I've gone to great efforts to completely disconnect it from my present self. It has its own look, history, its own lifestyle, its own friends and pleasures. Who knows, some day I might even let it "be my friend" in my regular account. Seems the least I could do.

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With the most trusted and recognized brands in the computing arena, Pearson Technology Group (PTG) is the world's leading publisher of books and training materials focused on advancing the skills of technical, business and professional computing consumers.

It's home to such renowned publishing brands as

* Addison-Wesley Professional

* Adobe Press

* Apple Certified

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* and Sams Publishing

PTG is part of Pearson (NYSE: PSO), the international media company. Pearson's primary operations include Pearson Education, the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group. Learn more at
* www.pearson.com

------------------------------------------------------
Discuss this in the
Design Café, or at the
Photoshop 911 Forums

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> "Spam Fighters Hit Criminals' Weak Spot
> For years, spam haters have relied on junk-mail
> filters and Internet blacklists, but some
> are saying it's time for a change in tactics."

Robert McMillan, IDG News Service, is only running a few years behind as he writes, and we quote:

> "Their answer: follow the money.
> And that means going after the Web sites
> where spammers sell their pharmaceuticals
> and watches and male enhancement products."

Hello? Where were they back in 1998 when this was the battle cry of the spam-fighting community?

Who's fault is it?

Well, the first disaster was
** the Clinton administration giving away the domain naming system (DNS) -- out of U.S. Federal control, making it easy for rogue registrars all around the world to extort the system for crime. But that wouldn't have been quite as possible if it weren't for
** Microsoft having such bad software. (Remember that only Windows computers can be infected with zombies and Trojans which do the dirty work for the criminals and terrorists -- aside from being so cheap they can be scooped up by anyone in any third-world country with a phone line.) Then there's
** ICANN. Yes, the international band of bureaucrats who can't even enforce or uphold their own regulations -- untouchable and invincable. And, lastly
** the computer industry at large for their blind profiteering on filters -- anything for a buck, right? (Remember, if it weren't for spam, they would be out of a job, right!) All the while, they continued to intentionally ignore the "spamvertiser" -- the guy who pays to have the spam sent, and stands to profit from the spam or the identities they steal.

More Heros on the Scene

However, I cite this story, and give congratulations to those involved because they have finally decided to take a proactive role in doing something about spam. Unfortunately it's way too late.

READ the story at:
www.pcworld.com/article/id,136367/article.html (Note: PC World articles seem to go dead or get 'lost' after a short time. Another article we attempted to cite is no longer available. We've cached this one in case its links go dead too.)

Garth Bruen, who runs the "knujon" volunteer project (circa 2005) focused on taking down the Web sites run by spammers says:

"This problem is not going to go away if you ignore it. Blocking and filtering is just a jacked-up technological form of ignoring. What you want to do is report it and make it difficult for these people to exist on the Net and do their transactions."

Duh. What have I been preaching for about ten years? Bruen's manifesto reads like notes taken from any number of my 60-Second Window articles and numerous rants in anti-spam forums. This time though, I hope someone listens.

I guess it took five years for the industry to wake up and realize that the piles of money they were making on spam filtering was leaving a monster yet to be exterminated. Their puny filters were doing nothing but fooling the users into thinking that they were actually fighting spam. Installing better locks doesn't stop the crime. Wonder why it took them so long to realize that?

What does KnujOn do?
* Sort through thousands of junk emails
* Compile data specifically for investigative purposes
* Build profiles of on-line scammers
* Track fraudulent activity
* Generate reports based on specific queries

(Essentially the same thing I've been doing for years, along with thousands of other individual spam fighters!)

So, get busy and join the fight.
Join knujon: www.knujon.com/sendusspam.html

SEND YOUR SPAM TO: knujon@coldrain.net (read terms first)

You could also carry an email account at www.spamcop.net, who has been reporting spam for going on ten years, now, but they do no further processing or followup.

Another start-up is called "Castlecops" but they are approaching the reporting process all wrong -- as does the "Anti Phishing" organization. But you can dig in and find out about their program here: www.castlecops.com

Online crime and spam is not going away until there's an intelligent and unified front against it. The community and the public needs to get behind the war against online crime. Link to this page, tell your friends, join anti-spam organizations.

* Read: Proposed Self-Regulatory ISP Initiative proposed to the major ISPs, MSN, AOL, and others who ignored it.
* Read: ISP Anti-UBE Initiative authored in 2000, amended / updated in 2003

And... if you're still reading, and you really want to see something scary -- I leave this last tidbit to the end of this article knowing most of our readers don't have the stomach for it -- view this video news story which sheds light on the real dangers of allowing the internet to be out of control: Jihad 2.0 (video - sorry, you'll have to endure an advertisement first.)

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Seems like a foolish question doesn't it? But it also seems foolish to click on an unknown link in an email that urges you to "update your account" before making sure its authentic.

One in every 510 people were subject to losses due to identity theft or email fraud last year. Thousands of people click their way into trouble on a regular basis. None of you would ever do such a thing, right? But how many other people have you warned -- or educated about the dangers of entanglement with organized online criminals and terrorists?

As far back as 2000, I've urged people not to click on spam email that tells you to update your personal information. (See "Passwords" and "Online Crime") One such phishing attack in 2003 lead British investigators on a long road to prosecute a terrorist cell in London. They searched the terrorists apartment and found 37,000 stolen credit card numbers along with account holders' addresses, dates of birth, credit balances and credit limits. It's taken the courts this long to get these crooks sentenced.

Do you ever wonder why?

* Why 37,000 people let their cards get stolen?
* Why it takes law enforcement so long to act?
* Which will destroy the world first: terrorists
or global warming?

By letting public focus be guided by the main-stream media, it's no wonder everyone has forgotten about this insidious threat to internet users -- $1.2 billion in damages in 2004 alone. Millions rally around issues like high oil prices and global warming -- yes, valid concerns -- but so far, neither of those issues are conducting fraud to finance a systematic plan to kill as many people as possible.

(With all the "global warming" flag-waving, it's not surprising that so few people remember the Clinton/Gore administration gave up control of the internet in the first place -- paving the road to becoming a vehicle for terrorist fundraising. But that's another story all together!)

Terrorists love the Web

Recent British investigations, have indeed, revealed significant links between Islamic terrorist groups and cyber-crime. To any sane person, the evidence proven during the ongoing investigations is seriously alarming.

How much can they steal?

The terrorist cell discovered in the U.K. (Three guys!) used stolen U.S. identities to rack up more than $3.5 million in charges. What did they buy? How about hundreds of prepaid cellphones, and more than 250 airline tickets at 46 airlines and travel agencies -- all using stolen U.S. credit cards. (Another sobering question: who used those tickets to go where??) But that's not all -- they also registered more than 180 domains at 95 different Web hosting companies in the United States and Europe to purvey an ongoing propaganda campaign; hosting streaming videos on constructing suicide belts, car bombs; tutorials on computer hacking, and videos of beheadings and suicide bombings in Iraq. They even provide a hand-book on how to set up virus phishing networks to extract even more money from unwary Internet users.

(You can read the whole, freightening story in this Washington Post Article.)

How many more?

Although the terrorists maintained their innocence during the trial, they were finally sentenced in early July to prison terms ranging from 6 1/2 to 10 years. Hardly enough, in my opinion. You can get that much for stealing a car!

This one arrest is only a drop in the bucket. For each of those three, there are three thousand others all sending out phishing, spam and virus attacks to get their hands on your YOUR contribution to their Jihad. And while the rest of the world sleeps in denial, I wonder if someone you neglected to warn will be the next to contribute? I surely hope not.

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So, while calculating the surface areas of the roofs to be shingled, I ran across Blaine Hilton's excellent WebCalc web site! It helped me solve all the math required to get estimates.

The site began in 2002 as a hobbie in programming. The calculator started as a Visual Basic project, but grew to over 500 functions. Rather than selling it, Blaine decided to provide the content for free. So we all have access to this wonderful little web site!

At the Calculator page you can utilize dozens of pre-defined Math and Algebra calculators including the Pythagorean Theorem, Cubic Equations, Quartic Equation, Greatest Common Factor, Greatest Common Divisor (GCD), Least Common Multiplier (LCM), Parabola (Quadratic) Grapher. Additionally you can solve just about any Geometry problem you encounter... What kind of triangle?, Perimeter, Square, Rectangle, Regular Polygon, Triangle, Circumfrence of a circle, Area, Rectangle (Square too), Circle, and many others. It's superb.

Click: http://www.webcalc.net/menu.php

There are also many business and financial functions provided from simple interest calculations to value, averages and others. The Science menu offers Physics, Chemistry, Rocketry, Electronics, Astronomy, Weather / Meteorological, and Engineering Calculators.

If you're building or planning some home remodeling, try the "Around the House" menu...
Click: http://www.webcalc.net/aroundthehouse.php

If you get bored, you just click the Fun & Games Menu and play some classic online games like Dice Roller, Tic Tac Toe, Battleship, Button Mania, Connect Four, Hanoi, Ants, Math Quiz, Reflex Test, Hangman: Countries & Cities, Breakout, Snake, Shift-It, Peg, Mind-Reader, and Mazes. It's amazing.

Click: http://www.webcalc.net/funandgames.php

To say Thank You to Blaine Hilton for providing such an important and spam-free service, visit Blaine's Business Services, Inc. at www.blaineonbusiness.com. Check out the blog which contains some valuable content for anyone in business!

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Saturday was a beautiful day. A perfect day for the project my brother and I had been putting off for several years -- moving all the Macs out of the shop, delivering them to the Goodwill recycling depot. It was both happy and sad.

(click for enlargement)

A happy day...

The old saying goes "The happiest two days of your life are when you buy your boat... and when you sell your boat." Well, the same could hold true for old computers. In the late 1990s, my brother and I picked up, or purchased on auction, dozens and dozens of Mac computers. We reconditioned them and prepped them to move back into active service. We set up several computer labs at local schools; we outfitted many dozens of needy users with good computers; we provided computers not only to teachers and families unable to afford another computer -- but many went to the indigent, ill, and the elderly. It was a rewarding and exciting several years.

Early after the turn of the century, recipients began turning down computers that would not run the latest internet and internet browsers. The beige boxes began to gather dust and cobwebs. Although these all work perfectly, people no longer wanted them. The charity recyclers began to turn away anything beige.

But it was a happy occasion because the Goodwill program actually refurbs computers and puts them back into use. Those which are 'lost causes' are then taken to the proper recycling center to be crushed, metals and glass removed, then ground up into re-usable manufacturing materials -- probably the railing on your new deck, or the benches at the ball park. Until Goodwill began that program, our only alternative was paying the county to bury them in the landfill.

Good-bye Mac

The sad part was seeing them all piled up on the pick-up, going nowhere. I had originally wanted to get them all booted up, stacked in a line, and have the landfill bulldozer run over them while making a video. It was just too much trouble. Then the idea was to band-saw all the faces off the monitors, and build them into a large wall-mounted block with a continuous slide show loop displayed from behind their dead screens. This too was way more grandiose than time could justify. But the most sad part was the absence of the excitement that surrounded their first arrival -- the pleasure of showing friends and acquaintances all the wonderful things you can do on 'my new Mac.'

As my brother and I piled up two heaping pick-up loads -- we cited what each machine was capable of, how much ram, drive space, etc. It was almost like reading the eulogies for so many fallen soldiers -- which in a way, it was.

At the end of the day they're all gone -- from SEs to G3s... all gone. Good-bye, old Macs.

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Recently, while looking for flights to London, Lisbon and Amsterdam, I happened to have my Google Maps open. I was actually looking for cruise departure ports on the Mediterranean. It occurred to me that Google might shed some light on the best flights between Washington D.C. and London. So I sought directions...

As you can see, from this thumbnail, Google did in fact draw a line. However, reading the directions brought a smile.

First, it drives us to a spot called "Long Warf" in Boston, Mass -- and then calmly tells us to "Swim across the Atlantic Ocean." (Click for a full screen capture)

To my surprise, Google also provides swimming instructions once we "enter" the English Channel.

Go figure

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Should online gambling be legalized?

Yesterday I received Representative Bob Goodlatte's endorsement of the latest WTO ruling on internet gambling...

Bob says:

"I applaud the USTR for clarifying the United States' strong stance against Internet gambling by withdrawing concessions under GATS in the Internet gambling sector.

Our nation's anti-gambling laws were enacted to help curb such activities as money laundering, the exploitation of children, bankruptcies, and the like. It is the sovereign right of the United States to pass such laws and the GATS agreement, which was negotiated in 1993, could not have contemplated Internet gambling, especially since the U.S. and many other nations already had anti-gambling laws on their books in 1993. In light of the recent decision by the WTO, it makes sense that the U.S. government clarify its obligations on this issue."

But there's a lot more to this story...

One side of the debate believes that the Bush administration’s unprecedented decision will withdraw the U.S. gambling service sector from World Trade Organization (WTO) jurisdiction is good news for U.S. sovereignty (read more)

The United States will maintain a ban on Internet gambling services despite an adverse World Trade Organization ruling, sez Reuters, InformationWeek

But where do we draw the line?

On one side we hear the cry that government needs to protect its citizens from the billions of dollars of damages caused by online organized crime. On the other side we hear the government is taking away our freedoms. I have to wonder if it really boils down to a question of government intervention to doing ourselves fiscal harm.

Taking sides

The government of Antigua and Barbuda expressed its deep disappointment over the announcement by the Bush Administration. (May 4, 2007) (Read More... )

Other Criminal Havens Protest saying the legislation unfairly targets offshore casinos. The twin Caribbean island nation of Antigua and Barbuda has argued that online gambling provides income for hundreds of its citizens. (Read More... )

Democrats say "Yes" to illegal gambling

Doesn't it seem like every time lawmakers block an illegal activity that can potentially rub someone else wrong, the Democrats moan and groan like they've been damaged.

The online gambling industry is celebrating two U.S. Democrats who have now introduced a bill in favor of internet gambling. This time it was Representative Shelley Berkley (D) who introduced a bill calling for a one year study of online gambling by the National Academy of Sciences.

Study? Not the sharpest knife in the drawer, has Berkley been living under a rock for the past five years? What part of "Illegal" do they NOT understand? It certainly doesn't take a year to study it . Next thing you know they'll be advocating legalization of phishing. (Read More... )

Then, Democrat Barney Frank actually proposes legislation that would legalize illegal online gambling. Or, so one might suspect. However, in true left-wing style, the bill is pure bunk, merely masquerading as a bill with teeth. It actually does nothing beyond laying more layers of legislation. What worries the gambling and criminal element is that online gambling will be regulated and taxed -- becoming a deterrent to borderline gambling junkies. (Read More)

Frank calls that ban "an inappropriate interference on the personal freedom of Americans" that should be undone. In contrast, he says his measure would allow Americans to bet online with licensed Internet operators that have safeguards against underage and compulsive gambling and agree to be subject to U.S. jurisdiction and taxes.

Strange bedfellows

In a debate such as this, I always like to investigate who the players are.

If you do just a little research into who is most vocal in supporting the democrats, you'll find it reads sort of like the 'who's who' of online gambling. Do a little more research into those IP blocks, and it might even suggest looking suspiciously like the Spamcop list of spam servers proliferating online gambling spam. (Which ranks rather high in spam denizens after pharmacy spam, pump-and-dump stock schemes and male enhancement scams!) Most vocal are names like: PokerListings.com, (Sweden); Online-Casinos.com (Denmark); PokerNews.com (Cyprus); Eye on Gambling (Canada); Bookmakers Review, (UK); Launchpoker.com, (UK); Point-Spreads.com (FL); Gambling911.com (FL) and even one called "Blogging Stocks" -- to name just a few. These are not the kinds of entities that I would want published on my campaign support list, would you?

You can download Barney's bill in PDF Format: financialsvcs_dem/21frank_004_xml_(2).pdf from www.house.gov

U.S. sports say "NO" to Illegal Gambling

In the fray however, there are some who refuse to jump on the Democrat administration-bashing bandwagon. Major sports leagues, both professional and amateur, have registered their opposition to the legislation proposed by Frank that claims it will legalize and regulate online gambling. TheHill.com reported May 1 that organizations such as the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball along with some amateur organizations sent a letter to members of the House Financial Services Committee. (Read More)

Thank goodness, even Nancy Pelosi and a number of other Democratic leaders in both chambers of Congress supported the ban on online gaming when it was approved last September. They know which side of their bread is buttered. One News Now says The FRC spokesman believes the main reason Frank is pushing for the legalization of online gaming is because the industry is "a big cash cow" for the Democratic Party. (Actually only slightly tilted to the Democrats, 53% to 47% -- but then again, the drive-by media makes a huge deal about 53% to 47% disagreeing with the Bush administration!)

Taking sides

If you engage in online gambling, consider who you support, and why. Give another thought to where that money goes when you lose it -- or, rather -- where do you want that money to go.

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