Now, while Santa has been avoiding the police today for multiple charges of home invasion, I (in my sadness) have been laughing my way through some YouTube vids.
The topic has been a product called ‘Blast – Knuckles’ and for reasons I cannot fathom, the amazing idiots whom seem hell bent on trying them out on their friends and themselves to see if they work.
This one starts out slow, but look what happends at the end when the guy zaps himself and the blast locks his hand and wrist
It is spelt correctly, and I just picked up on this article about it over Fox’s tech news – it’s about screwing you over via email:
Yes, guys, those spam e-mails for Viagra or baldness cream just might be directed to you personally.
So, too, are many of the other crafty come-ons clogging inboxes, trying to lure us to fake Web sites so criminals can steal our personal information.
A new study by Cisco Systems Inc. found an alarming increase in the amount of personalized spam, which online identity thieves create using stolen lists of e-mail addresses or other poached data about their victims, such as where they went to school or which bank they use.
Unlike traditional spam, most of which is blocked by e-mail filters, personalized spam, known as “spear phishing” messages, often sail through unmolested. They’re sent in smaller chunks, and often come from accounts the criminals have set up at reputable Web-based e-mail services.
Some of the messages are expertly crafted, linking to beautifully designed Web sites that are bogus or immediately install malicious programs.
Cisco’s annual security study found that spam is growing quickly — nearly 200 billion spam messages are now sent each day, double the volume in 2007 — and that targeted attacks are also rising sharply.
More than 0.4 percent of all spam sent in September were targeted attacks, Cisco found.
That might sound low, but since 90 percent of all e-mails sent worldwide are spam, this means 800 million messages a day are attempts are spear phishing.
A year ago, targeted attacks with personalized messages were less than 0.1 percent of all spam.
The latest attacks include text-message spam, e-mails trying to trick business owners into coughing up credentials for their Google advertising accounts, or personalized “whaling” e-mails to executives claiming that their businesses are under investigation by the FBI or that there’s a problem with their personal bank account.
As the world’s largest maker of networking gear, Cisco is in a unique position to study the traffic flowing through its customers’ networks, which include the biggest Internet providers and corporations.
The latest study was based in part on the company’s ability to monitor 30 percent of all Web and e-mail traffic through its hardware and software and a network of companies that contribute data.
IF you wish to report something to the FBI IC3 complaints dept, you’ll find a link on the right
In the UK and like in many countries now it is illegal to use or operate a mobile phone while driving unless via bluetooth, wired headset. handsfree car kit – or in extreme emergencies. It’s not rocket science to know or work out why and the toll on life has frightening up to when they banned the use. Now while we’ve all been guilty of this at some point, there is court case ongoing at the moment and frankly, this story on the BBC leaves me speachless…
You know, my passion being guitar and my inability to play it well, is something I have mentioned a few times on this blog. Then before you know it, you take you’re eye off the ball and find that the makers of you’re most coveted guitars only brought something totally knew out a while ago and I missed it. Had it not been for Ryan over at Taylor – i’d still be missing it!
As a Brit, I waste no time in having the odd fun jibe at our American cousins, you know – stuff about unpaid back rent and so on. Indeed the war of independence was not a war won or lost – it was a war that finished with the first major international trade deal (much to the loss of the Fr**ch) between the US and UK. But some things our American cousins do better than anyone, like Leatherman tools, Maglites, but above ALL else they’re the best by far at making guitars!
Taylor (in my view) make probably the finest acoustic guitars available. Indeed, I have mentioned before that in there up-market range the Taylor K22ce made of Hawaiian Koa is the one single guitar that stands head and shoulders above most.
A couple or three years back they introduced a ‘hybrid’ electro-acoustic which has got be one of the most successful of it’s type (along with Godin) around. The Taylor T5 is an amazing guitar and I must say that the only one to get is the ‘Custom’ as there is a real difference between that and the ‘Standard’. Both the K22ce and T5 Custom have nearly been purchased by me, but my life style hasn’t been very conducive to the looking after of high quality instruments – this, and the fact I don’t believe my standard of playing is good enough for the quality of the guitars. Just so you know what I mean by that; If I owned a Formula 1 car, it does not make me an F1 driver…
Here is Marc Seal showing off the T5 at NAMM 06
So what have Taylor done? What new innovation have they now brought to the fore? They’ve only gone and built a range of solid body full blooded electric guitars !!! I have a real frustration here as I have yet to try one and with my Taylor-born fetish for guitars made of Koa, this is not good for me LOL.
Now I’m not going to go into a whole sales pitch here, but if you want to know more, there is a new link on the right hand page column – or you can simply click a logo.
The Taylor website is an amazing resource for guitar players and techs alike – even if you don’t own a Taylor. The technical reference guides and ‘how-to’ videos are an excellent source of nearly all repair, maintenance and adjustment procedures – Brilliant infact.
The other thing I like about Taylor is there people and the passion for guitars. Heck, if you turn up unannounced at the factory for a tour, not only will you get a tour, but don’t be suprised if Bob Taylor himself takes you around. And just to prove that the staff love their work – check this out. (Questions regarding Ryan’s hat are best directed at him.)
You know, Rudolph was always better grilled than flying through the air with his eight hoofed compatriots.
The chance to taste Prancer, Donner and Blitzen in sausage form is back at fRedhots and Fries in Glenview. Last year, the restaurant went through about 75 pounds of reindeer sausage.
As for the taste? Said owner Fred Markoff: “If you eat Polish sausages, take out the extra smokiness, add a little firmness, and you’ll get the idea.”
On Dasher! On Comet! On a bun with grilled onions and mustard!An Alaskan reindeer hot dog is $8.50 at fRedhots and Fries, 1707 Chestnut Ave., Glenview: 847-657-920
Do you think this is enough to make small children cry? I do hope so ; )
News came in over night that the wonderful iconic model and (some say) the cause the of the sexual revolution Ms Bettie Page, passed away from a heart attack yesterday after being admitted to hospital for treatment against Pneumonia. She was 85.
What can I write that has not already been written about Bettie Page? She was an outstanding model, she had a hair style that even today is asked for with it’s trademark fringe.
I’ve never seen a photograph of her completely naked, nothing less than a swim suit. Yet her work is world famous because of her Irving Klaw bondage sets and movies that often included a spanking and her wearing extreme heels and a bit of leather – but then, this was the 1950′s. While tame by most modern standards, in doing so she retained a high degree integrity and set a very high standard indeed.
Bettie Page receives more internet hits than either James Dean or Marilyn Monroe. She refused dates with Presidents and several from Howard Hughes all of which were turned down. On being asked why on earth she turned them all down, she simply replied – they just want to sleep with me! and right there you get the measure of her. She wasn’t a porn model, she was the perfect ‘pin-up’ of the day. In the 1990′s her popularity revived and really kicked off and has the honour of over 25 million search hits in one day on the internet.
While she faded into obscurity in the 1960s after converting to Christianity and serving as a Baptist missionary in Angola, she experienced a resurgence of popularity and had a significant cult following. Her look, including her jet black hair and trademark bangs, has influenced many artists. She never modeled again, she once said later in life that she was aware of her fan status and found it important to retain the original images to people that return to something that her age should not let her do.
Even at 80 her trade mark fringe is was still there, as too is the ever playful glint in her eye.
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Sarah
Fenny
The Family Winn 
hots and Fries in Glenview. Last year, the restaurant went through about 75 pounds of reindeer sausage.
