Here is a wonderful link that is full of useful touring information for motorcyclists. In keeping with my policy of posting everything I find interesting, here it is…
www.horizonsunlimited.com
I’ve been waiting for a truly cheap internet appliance that does nothing but surfing, media, and email (WebTV was too crippled to count). I remember Ellison of Oracle was pushing the idea for years. Well unlike Oracle’s debacle, it looks like AMD has delivered a usable machine. The Emma, which will sell for less than $200 is truly an internet appliance with enough capability to be an internet machine.
If they would have built a Linux distro instead of Windows they could have sold it for even less, but there you go…
It appears that the average computer user doesn’t have a clue as to how to secure their machines.
Surprise!!!!! Most people who know about computers occasionally have difficulty keeping their machines free of Spyware/Adware/Malware and Viri. I cannot imagine most of the computer laypeople I know being able to do it. All I’ve been able to do is recommend products to handle Viri for them, but maintaining a clean computer still takes effort, and most computer users are clueless how to even start. Unfortunately they are the ones who are out there on the net serving as Viral launching points. I know people who know they have all the symptoms of a Virus, but just haven’t gotten around to fixing the problem. In computer terms this is as irresponsible as going to work when you have the flu (everyone else gets it too). The average user doesn’t know that they have to check periodically and make sure that the Spyware and Anti Virus products they are using (if they are using any at all) are updating correctly, and that changes you make in your system (email settings etc) can disable functionality of the scanner.
Another thing people do not realize is that most Anti Virus scanners do not generally scan for Spyware (this is starting to change). The companies that make spyware had claimed that their software was legal, was installed with consent, and it would be doing harm to their company if an Anti Virus scanner identified it on users machines as Spyware. So the Anti Virus companies (to prevent legal exposure) chose to make their scanners ignore much of the software that is Adware/Spyware and even software that is widely recognized to be Trojan Horse remote control software. So, if you were wondering, that is why you need to install Anti Virus and Anti Spyware software. (The latest PC-Cillin does both, but still doesn’t seem to be nearly as effective at catching Spyware as AdAware Pro, so I still run both).
It’s scary that companies are allowing people to use home computers to VPN into their corporate networks. After the infestations I’ve seen recently, I’m actually thinking of making it policy that I will not plug anyone’s computer into my LAN without a virus scan first.
My personal preference for anti-virus products is for PC-Cillin Internet Security or Panda Internet Security. The PC-Cillin seems to come free with every computer motherboard you buy, so if you built your own, you might already own AV software. I’ve not tried Symantec (Norton) and McAfee Anti-virus products in a couple of years, but over time I’ve found them to be slow, and to cause numerous system problems. I have a running theory that the PC Magazines that review always pick either Symantec or McAfee depending on which spent the most advertising dollars that year.
All that said and done… here are some links to help everyone out… 
Spyware/Adware/Malware removal:
AdAware – One of my personal favorites
Spybot Search and Destroy – Another excellent scanning product
Free Online Spyware/Adware/Malware scanner:
www.pestscan.com (untested, requires internet explorer)
Free Online Virus Scan (both reputable companies that make good products):
housecall.trendmicro.com
www.pandasoftware.com
Here is a recent PC World review of AV scanners:
Hmmmm. Must’ve been a black helicopter crash.
If you remember what a BBS was (I wrote BBS software, and used to run an 8 line BBS back in the 80′s). checkout this site. They just emailed saying they were releasing a 3 hour documentary on BBS’s.
Ahhh the old days…
Wonderful gallery pics.
Just another day at the office as we discuss, once again, what can or can not be accomplished according to corporate guidelines
Here is a good reference on past election data.
The Baghdad Blogger goes to Washington.
Definitely an interesting read. It’s multi-part and you can find the pieces at the bottom of the article.
Ok although political I offer this work distraction: The Hip-Hop Debate. What is really interesting is that if you look at the voting, Bush has a 10% lead.
This would work.
Well that explains everything…
Glad to see all that government grant money being used for good…
Ok everybody needs patches, links and tests for vulnerability are on The Register.
Here is another political affiliation quiz. Once again it is limited to cut and dried issues.
On this one I scored a 17.
Well I am really tired of politics right now, so I haven’t been posting. More accurately I have been waiting for something interesting to post about that doesn’t deal with politics or legal mattters. Well I don’t have anything but if you need some entertainment feel free to check out this web site for all your conspiracy theory needs. Alex Jones is arguably as far out as it gets.
Enjoy
Ok, here is a good example of the perils of trusting people with your information.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10/20/california_security_breach/
Here is a good bit on with John Stewart on Crossfire. I believe he has many valid points.
However his avoidance of the assertion, that he is just another outlet for rhetorical political hackery, based on the fact that his show is on Comedy Central rings a bit hypocritical. The last 20 seconds are pretty funny…
If you understand BitTorrent downloads you can get the video here.
There are many clients for BitTorrent. You can download the Windows/Mac versions here. It’s a much better way to download many files, so I suggest everyone try it.
If you don’t/can’t understand BitTorrent, try here or here. These links will go down if too many people use them instead of BitTorrent… 
In keeping with the Kerry campaign tradition:
Newsflash:
Kerry slams Whitehouse on ineffective Hurricane Prevention policy.
According to Kerry campaign spokesperson, Kerry has named the Bush presidency as being responsible for the unprecedented hurricane activity this year. Kerry was quoted as saying “This President has done nothing to prevent these storms. I have a plan to stop these storms from hitting the coastal regions of the United States entirely.” Kerry was additionally quoted as saying “We also have a plan to prevent bugs from hitting the windshield of your car”, “We will pay for all these plans by taxing people who are not you”, “none of my plans will be called government programs”, and “any of these plans that cannot be paid for, will not be implemented.”
Other plans mentioned include: personal hovercraft for all Americans, a glass elevator to the moon, and for all dogs to have the ability to communicate in Esperanto.
