Dr. Bill | The Computer Curmudgeon
Join Dr. Bill as he examines the wild and wacky world of the web, computers, and all things geeky! Hot Tech Tips, Tech News, and Geek Culture are examined… with plenty of good humor as well!
Dell’s new manufacturing plant was dedicated yesterday by Michael Dell and Gov. Easley. The new 750,000-square-foot facility–the company’s third and largest plant in the U.S.–will produce the company’s OptiPlex and Dimension desktop computer products for eastern parts of the nation. Way to go NC!
I am beginning to get questions via e-mail about computers, technology and the web… it occurs to me that I could incorporate the questions and answers into the “Dr. Bill: The Computer Curmudgeon” podcast. I think it will make a great segment. Send me your questions at: DrBill [at] TheComputerCurmudgeon.com Of course replace the “[at]” with an “@” sign. I am trying to keep the spammers at bay… this way they can’t automagically grab the e-mail address.
Anyway, go for it!
I have a new URL for the Blog. The old one will still work, so if you have it bookmarked, never fear. However, I now have “TheComputerCurmudgeon.com” domain set for the Blog. And, you can reach me at DrBill [at] TheComputerCurmudgeon.com (of course, substituting a “@” for the “[at]” in the address… don’t want those nasty spammers to get that e-mail, you know!)
On another note of interest, it seems that after only two weeks, the “Dr. Bill: The Computer Curmudgeon” Podcast is ranked number 32 among tech oriented podcasts in BlogShares.com. Dewd! I am amazed and humbled. And, it takes a lot to humble the good Doctor! [GRIN!]
As a webmaster and web designer, I like getting ranked high on Google Searches… in fact, such a listing is the “Holy Grail” for getting traffic to your site! Some searches are easy to get if you have unusual or different content… for instance, if you have a site like mine (that you are looking at) and were to go to Google and type in: “Computer Curmudgeon” then I come up number one. Fair enough… and even if you have a common name (like: “Bill Bailey”) and you add in something to distinquish it, like: “Dr. Bill Bailey”, then once again… I am number one for that search on Google. But, if you get real “generic” and start typing in a common, simple topic that is non-specific, it gets harder to be number one. For instance, with the whole low carb diet craze, what if you wanted to find a “low carb store” and searched Google. That would be harder to get to rank high, right? Well, of course, IF you were to type in “low carb store” in Google… you would find that a site I designed and host is ranked number one! (Brag, brag!) Why? Because I study web promotion and know how to do it, dewd! Well here’ s an interesting tidbit:
Who knew! Actually, it kinda makes sense, if the content of your headline in your article has to do with a given subject, then your site probably has to do with that subject as well. But, H1 headlines are BIG… unless you tone them down with an appropriate CSS definition. Something to think about the next time you go to code an HTML page. And, I KNOW that will be real soon now!
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist changed his mind today and said that stem cell research SHOULD be allowed by the government. This is a move to put him in, what he thinks, will be a good position to run for President after President Bush’s current term is over. Here is a direct quote from his statement to the Senate:
“As we know, adult stem cell research is not controversial on ethical grounds — while embryonic stem cell research is. Right now, to derive embryonic stem cells, an embryo — which many, including myself, consider nascent human life — must be destroyed. But I also strongly believe — as do countless other scientists, clinicians, and doctors — that embryonic stem cells uniquely hold specific promise for some therapies and potential cures that adult stem cells cannot provide.” (emphasis mine)
So, OK, you believe that you are destroying human life when you kill an embryo to use stem cells for possible therapy… yet, you say that you want the govenment to fund and allow this? Sorry, but as a Christian, first, and a Certified Natural Health Professional, second, I object to your rationale. Abortion is murder. God says murder is wrong. Duh. Whether you are killing babies that are safe in their mother’s womb (a horrible notion for any thinking individual that isn’t motivated by insane liberal political thinking) or, whether you are creating a life in a test tube, and then killing it for “so-called” therapy, it is still killing. I can think of no circumstance where killing an unborn child is excuseable.
I think that even though the polls may indicate that a majority of Americans favor stem cell research, this will still come back to “bite” Frist among those of us that are strong Conservative Christians. Sorry, Senator, we don’t change our core beliefs just because the polls rise or fall. Some of us simply look at what the Bible says and say, “That settles it.” Hide and watch. As a “Conservative” candidate… Frist is done.
Being safe on the Internet can be a chore, and it shouldn’t be… however, real life is what it is! So, what we need are tools to help keep our systems safe! This week’s Geek Software is one of those tools. Unlike most of my recommendations, it isn’t free, but it is fairly cheap. There is a 15 day free trial, then you have to license it for $19.95. Check it out:
Prevx – Host Intrusion Prevention Systems
The idea is if ANY software tries to do something that you don’t know about, it will stop it and ask you if you REALLY want to do whatever it is trying to do… so, if you hit a site that tries to install junk on your system in the background… boom! You get a notice and can stop it. Sounds like it is worth the $19.95! And, if you want my recommendations on how to be safe on the web, check out this article:
Rumored Microsoft Adware Deal Raises Red Flags
So now our favorite Evil Empire is getting into the Ad-ware biz? So what’s the deal? Evil is as evil does! Just remember, Uncle Bill (Gates) says that he is SERIOUS about PC security!! Yeah, right! He is serious about making money! And if your system gets eaten by ad-ware… well, so it goes!
BetaNews | Windows 2000 Update Rollup Released
So, on July 1, 2005 Windows 2000 passes into Microsoft oblivion (as far as “mainstream support.”) They will still do security patch releases for five more years. Nice of them, since Windows is the most un-secure operating system on the planet! Bill Gates has said that security is the new commitment at M$… but nobody told the OS designers! Yeeesh… and why does it have to always be “buffer overflow” errors? But I digress… the bottom line is that yet another interation of Windows is “passing away.” Yet, I know several VERY large oganizations that are still running Windows 2000 as their primary client OS! And, sadly, there are still SOME organizations (you know who you are) that actually have Windows 9x in production environments! Shame, shame! Anyone that seriously cares about their enterprise and it’s security should at the VERY least be using the latest version of Windows with all patches and Service Packs in place! Come on, gang!
And, if you are REALLY serious about security, do yourself a favor and at least have some of your IS folks looking into the viability of Linux-based desktops. At least for those employees that only read e-mail, send documents, and surf the net (in other words, 95% of your workforce!) Might I suggest looking at Linspire? You can find it HERE!
OK… so maybe this doesn’t fall under “computer”… it does fall under “curmudgeon!” I have long called humans by the pronunciation used by the Ferengi on Star Trek, “hoo-mons.” These are cases of some “hoo-mons” that are muddying the gene pool! Here are the 2005 “Darwin Awards”:
1. When his 38-caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a holdup in Long Beach…California…would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder….He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again… This time it worked.
And now…the honorable mentions…
2. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat slicer…He submitted a claim to his insurance company…The company…suspecting negligence…sent out one of its investigators to have a look for himself…He tried the machine and lost a finger…The chef’s claim was approved…
3. A man who shoveled snow for an hour to clear a space for his car during a blizzard in Chicago returned with his Vehicle to find a woman had taken the space…Understandably…he shot her…
4. After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar…a Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting from Harare to Bulawayo had escaped…Not wanting to admit his incompetence…the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a free ride…He then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital…telling the staff that the patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies…The deception wasn’t discovered for 3 days…
5. An American teenager was in the hospital recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train…When asked how he received the injuries, the lad told police that he was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving train before he was hit…
6. A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K…put a $20 bill on the counter…and asked for change…When the clerk opened the cash drawer…the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register…which the clerk gave him…The man grabbed the cash and fled leaving the $20 bill on the counter…The total amount of cash he got from the robbery…$15…
7. An Arkansas man wanted some beer…So he decided to throw a cinderblock through a liquor store window…grab some booze…and run…Lifting the cinder block over his head he heaverd it at the window…Unfortunately…the window was made of Plexiglas…and the cinder block bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head…knocking him unconscious…The whole event was caught on videotape…
8. As a female shopper exited a New York convenience store…a man grabbed her purse and ran…The clerk called 911…and the woman was able to give police a detailed description of the purse snatcher…Within minutes…the cops nabbed the suspect…put him in the patrol car and drove back to the store…The suspect was told to stand there for a positive ID…to which he replied…”Yes…officer…that’s her…That’s the lady I stole the purse from”…
9. The Ann Arbor News reported that a man walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti…Michigan…at 5am…flashed a gun…and demanded cash…The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn’t open the cash register without a food order…The man ordered onion rings…The clerk said they weren’t available for breakfast…Frustrated…the would-be robber walked away…
10. A man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle street…Police arrived on the scene to find a very sick man curled up on the ground…throwing up…Police say the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline but put his siphon hose into the motor home’s sewage tank by mistake…The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges…saying that it was the best laugh he’d ever had…
If you have never read my article on How to Stay Safe on the Web, or, “It is Good to be Paranoid!” I encourage you to click the link (the title, in blue, in this sentence… duh!) to do so. It is fun, but serious! You CAN be safe on the Web… you just have to surf safely!
The article contains hints and tips on how to do just that! Enjoy!