Non-profit Payday Loans: Get Nailed, Just Not as Deeply

I don’t know how they get away with calling these non-profit. The Consumerist calculates that the interest being paid by their example case is still at 252%. Tags:

Odd Comment Spam: “Thank You”

Leaving comments that are short and irrelevant to the conversation is a spammer trick for getting bloggers to approve their comment (which usually has a link attached to a site they want to drive traffic to). However, I got three such comments with no links so I wasn’t sure if they were spam or not at first. However, I solved that pretty fast. Do a simple google search for “Dakota Bolkestein” and you’ll see that everywhere there is a commenter with this name, the comment is the same; “Thank you”. Yesterday, I got two more ambiguous comments so I looked them up too: It’s clear that these are not comments by real people, but I wonder what the point is if there’s no link associated with them. Either way, I’ve now deleted those comments and will be watching the given article for more of the same.

In Arizona, Sharing Music Online is Costly

The results of this case are signifigant because the RIAA didn’t have to prove that the defendants actually shared anything. They won their suit because they were able to prove that the defendants made the songs available in their shared folder which, to the RIAA, is the same as distributing whether or not anyone actually downloads it.

New E-mail Scam: The IRS is Investigating You

Whenever you get something like this, always go to the source, never respond to the e-mail. Tags:

Why the Consumer Safety Product Commission Doesn’t Work

From the Washington Post, a fairly concise description of what the CSPC is, where it came from, why it's necessary, and why it's almost completely irrelivant today. JTAG ERROR: No consumerist_ht index defined

Gonzales Steps Down, But Gets Off Scott Free?

So he's finally gone. He didn't get prosecuted yet, but will he? That's the question.
Gonzales's resignation is the latest in a series of high-level departures that has reshaped the end of Bush's second term. Karl Rove, another of Bush's close circle of aides from Texas, stepped down two weeks ago.
On this, all I have to say is that the rats are leaving… hopefully that means we'll see a sinking ship soon. Tags: ,

Proof That Telco’s Aided Illegal Spying

It's so nice that our spy chief slipped up and released this information. If it helps the lawsuits against AT&T and the like go forward, all the better. One comment about something McConnell said:
McConnell also said telecom firms should have immunity from lawsuits. "If you play out the suits at the value they're claimed, it would bankrupt these companies," he said.
…. Your point? Typicall of the Bush administration to cite allowing lawbreakers to continue in their positions because, gosh, it would be bad to have consequences for illegal actions. Tags:

Drug Testing Cities/Communities

Here’s a neat thought. Drug test the sewage to determine the drug usage of whole cities or neighborhoods. This would be a great tool for determinining safe places to live, though there are certainly some privacy implications if this were used to narrow down to individuals.

More WGA Problems

Microsoft uses the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) tool, a piece of DRM software with a catchy marketing slogan, to spy on your computer and then make a decision whether or not your version of Windows is valid. Assuming that it decides it's not (even if it is), it will disable your computer. The best part of the deal is that on Windows XP machines, they slipped the "tool" into the list of critical system updates so that anyone who didn't bother to look over the list of installs on the last update (or just has fully automatic updating turned on), would get the software without knowing about it. Well, it turns out that problems with the WGA server can shut down a lot of computers, very fast. It's nice to know that DRM works isn't it? Tags:

Gaming: Bioshock Doesn’t Have a Rootkit

There's been buzz that the new game, Bioshock, comes installed with a rootkit. It turns out that it's rootkit free… sort of. The point here is that people were worried that there's inappropriate software secretly installed with the game, and that much is true, it's just DRM, not an actual rootkit. As Ars Technica puts it:
Systems like SecuROM attempt to defeat common modes of piracy, but are indeed loathsome to gamers, as they quite often cause problems for legitimate users who have paid full fare for their games. They also make it difficult for gamers to move game data to a hard drive for easier play and quicker access. Sure, they are anti-consumer and they are annoying. But for now, SecuROM isn't a rootkit.

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Security Software

Make sure you have a up-to-date Anti-Virus Program to protect you against bad websites or files.
Sometimes spyware gets in your computer and the anti-virus won't stop it. Use a spyware scanner to find and remove spyware and adware.
Use a software firewall to detect bad code on your computer when it tries to connect to the Internet.
Always keep your system up to date with security patches or none of the rest of your security software will matter.
Use an encryption tool to protect your important data when storing or transmitting it.
Switch to Firefox for your web browsing and you'll be better protected from Internet threats.

Safe Computing Practices

Don't get tricked by fake alerts or clever webpages into downloading viruses or spyware!

... or check out any of my other guides and tutorials by clicking here!

Anti-Virus

A virus can come from files, e-mails, web pages, or even devices you plug in (like thumbdrives or printers) and destroy your files or your computer once they get in. An anti-virus is software designed to detect and prevent that from happening.

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Spyware Scanners

Learn how to detect and remove spyware and adware using a free scanning tool.

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Software Firewall

Learn what a firewall is and why you want one on your computer.

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Operating System Updates

Make sure to keep your operating system up-to-date with security patches or else none of the rest of your security software will be able to protect you.

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File Encryption

Learn how to protect your important files on your computer or when transmitting them with free tools for file encryption.

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Mozilla Firefox - Internet Browser

There are many browser choices out there. Read why I think Firefox is one of the best.

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Fake Alerts

Maybe you've done everything right and you're computer is sufficiently fortress-like, but then you or someone in your family falls for a simple scam that tricks them into directly installing the bad guy's virus! Learn how to spot and ignore fakes!

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