Where is all this SPAM coming from?

So everyone has probably received some some kind of SPAM (or Self Promotional Advertising Message) in your email inboxes. We all hate it and I am sure we all feel that it has to be one of the worst ways to advertise on the internet. But of course SPAM is used for others things as well. Such as Phishing, Virus Attacks, Spyware and much much more. When it comes down to it I personally hate SPAM and I look and look for ways to attach back myself. But of course this is really really hard to do.

But did you know that 6 SPAM bots (bots are also known as web robots that run automated tasks over the internet. Google uses it to index web pages for example) are responsible of 85% of all spam. From the 6,  Srizbi botnet is the largest single source of SPAM, accounting for 39% of junk mail messages. A company by the name of Network Box which is a managed security firm has spread the most viruses and trojans compared to any of the other 6 SPAM bot companies. 

But our government is fighting back against these spammers. From Slashdot.org there was a article called, Spam King Pleads Guilty In Seattle. It examples that Robert Soloway (i.e a spammer) pled guilty to mail fraud and tax evasion. Which we might spend up to 5 years in jail and have to pay up to $625,000 in fines for selling $550 packages to wannabe spammers. 

It seems like everyone is getting hit with these spammers, Google is even saying that spammers are getting more clever. The question I want to know is Why? I keep hearing more and more that crime is changing from our streets to the web. Criminal spammers are attacking websites like, Myspace and Facebook and even IE plugins. I think that there has to be a way to attach back. Kind of the Robin Hood of the web. If hackers (the good ethical hackers) could find ways to allow anyone to fight back. I would be a wonderful era in stopping these criminal spammers. Believe me I have looked and looked at ways to attach back and have found little or no way to do this except for all the virus/spyware protection software out there. This works as a passive way to stop them from controlling your computer. But what I am talking about is a way to play the offensive at attach them on the front line. This would be great. If you can let all of us know how to accomplish this offensive!!!!!

SOURCES:

http://thetechdon.com/40-of-all-spam-comes-from-just-one-source/

http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/03/16/0347245

http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/03/10/150205

http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/02/23/1813252

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_(electronic)

Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is a trend on the web and with web design as a second generation web based community with hosted services such as social-networking sites, wikis, blogs, and folksonomies which are directed towards creativity, collaboration and sharing among users. The term "Web 2.0" came about after O'Reilly Media had their Web 2.0 conference back in 2004. Web 2.0 doesn't suggest that the internet is being updated technically, but it suggests a change in ways of software developers and end-users use the web. 

Looking around on digg.com there are hundreds of blog articles with an array of information. Most of the newer blog submissions consist of "how to" articles. Helping you learn how to create Web 2.0 animation effects, website layout, online generators (i.e forms, script....etc.) and much more.

One article I found very interesting was this article that basically listed a complete list of all the Web 2.0 Applications, called the Complete List Of Web 2.0 Applications. Which had about 20 or so listing such as:

Basecamp: Which is a project collaboration tool or project management communication tool. I allows you to collaborate and share information that deal with your current project. 

CalendarHub: This application allows you to create a calendar that you can access from anywhere. You can share, keep it private and publish on the web. 

Anyway, there are a few application in the list I thought was a little interested and should be shared. If you would like the complete list of new Web 2.0 Application they can be located HERE. I also urge any of you that our interested in learning more about what web 2.0 can do, especially if you are a web designer or web developer. This seems to be going towards a new standard in internet development and design and should be kept up on. If interested further here is a list of some informational sites that can help you gain additional knowledge on web 2.0:

--http://www.oreilly.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html

--http://www.go2web20.net/

--http://www.paulgraham.com/web20.html

SOURCES:

http://mentalized.net/journal/2005/10/10/building_your_very_own_web20_layout/

http://www.ifxplus.com/post/More-than-100-Web-20-Online-Generators.aspx

http://basecamphq.com/

http://calendarhub.com/

http://virtualkarma.blogspot.com/2006/01/complete-list-of-web-20-applications.html

Misconceptions about Linux

It seems like more and more people are switching to Linux these days. But there is still a large misconception about Linux. One major misconception is that Linux is still five years behind Windows XP. This statement of course is quite false because Linux has been on the edge of innovation sometimes before Windows even started doing it. Here is a list of some of these behind the times misconceptions provided by www.mi80.com :

• -Windows began separating the basic user from the administrator account by default in Vista, over 15 years behind Linux.
• -Windows added a firewall in 2001, over seven years behind Linux's 1994 addition of ipchains.
• -Linux was the first operating system with x86_64 support, beating Windows XP Pro x64 by two years.
• -Windows added an attractive 3D accelerated graphical interface in Vista, a full year behind Linux's XGL.
• -Linux's package management system can install, uninstall, and update software from one interface. Everything installed from Apache to OpenOffice and Quake 4 may be updated with one press. Windows has nothing like this on the road map.

Another misconception is that Linux is hard to use and that you have to be a computer guru that knows the command terminal. The popular Ubuntu OS has a wonderful and easy to use graphical interface that is very similar to Apple's Mac OS X operating system. In fact I have it on my mac using VMware Fusion (i.e virtualization software) and it works better than my XP virtual environment. 

Again another big misconception that I have heard personally and this article from digg.com states that "Linus isn't Enterprise Ready / No One Uses Linux." Well, if you ever hear someone say something like this you should explain to them that companies such as Google and Amazon all use Linux technologies. These companies are HUGE in the tech. industry. So when I have friends say that they are a dedicated windows user and anything else can't compete. Let them know their wrong.

Overall, if you have never used Linux try it first before you judge it. Is is great in many many ways. But like any other system it does have it flaws and you have to know how to work around it. Ubuntu again is a wonderful alternative OS and works great on Mac or PC. 

REFERENCES:

http://www.mi80.com/node/1760

http://www.computerworlduk.com/toolbox/open-source/applications/news/index.cfm?newsid=7238

The Usefulness Of New Technology

It seems that new gadgets or gismos are coming out every day trying to make our life easier and less complicated. Some fit this trend, but most make our lives more complex. Examples of some gadgets that make our lives easier consist of cellphones, PDA's, Apple's ipod, GPS devices and most importantly the desktop or laptop computer. (Even though this can be categorized as being both a device that makes our lives more complex and easier.) 

Do you remember how we were before cellphones became so popular. We used pay phones or home phones and it seems that we almost always played "phone tag" or had missed someone's call. Cellphones are a great example of a device that has mostly made out lives easier and more efficient. Apple's iPod has made listening to music and videos a lots easier. Do you remember carrying lots and lots of different CD's in your car or in your backpack. Do you remember the VHS tape and needing a TV and a VCR to watch the VHS tape. Again, the ipod has revolutionized how we listen and watch music and movies. 

A company which we all probably have been to or at least window shopped at is , The Sharper Image. I think this company is a prime example of a company trying to sell new gadgets or gismos that no one really needs. An article form Digg.com called, The Future Was Then explains that the main problem of this gadgetorium is that it tries selling us stuff we just don't need and that the majority of their products make our lives more complex. One man from the article says, "where will I kill time while my wife shops," which I thought was pretty funny. Because I have been one of those husbands window shopping in The Sharper Image. 

Anyway, I think This company will stay around in some altered form. But the times have caught up with that erstwhile icon of modernity. We will be losing things such as the Grill/Fork Thermometer, luminescent safety leash, hideaway gym or the telescoping ladder. Which I don't know a single person that owns one of these or has purchased anything from this company.  Good luck and stay strong, Sharper Image you'll need some help getting back on your feet.

REFERENCES:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/26/AR2008022603143.html