Trojan attack exploits Google typos | The Register

Footnotes to common sense: This is the first time I have seen this. I was just today having a conversation with a co-worker about how completely stupid many computer users are. The article linked above has a footnote next to the name of a malicious web site. The web address is not linked, so clicking on it does nothing. The article in which this malicious address appears is about a website that installs trojan virus software and spyware on your computer if you accidentally mis-type google.com and end up at googkle.com - hey, it happens. Here's the foot note.

1 Common sense should tell you not to visit googkle.com, particularly if you are running Windows on your PC.

I love it. If someone read that, and said to themselves, "Whoa, I am glad they told me that, I was going to go check it out!" - they may as well go tell their neighbors "Hey, I have no common sense!"

Its all good now, because thanks to the The Register, people without any can go find common sense on the internet.

Caleb-isms

Caleb John Dix was born Dec 19th, 2000. He is our second child of the new millienium. His brother Samual Grant was born earlier that year, on the third of January. As of this writing, Caleb is 4 and Sam is 5. What Caleb lacks in chronological age, he more than makes up for in observational skills and expression of the thoughts that enter his young mind.
Today I came home from work early and went to the clinic to have the remnants of a failed attempt to fix an ingrown nail on my right big toe permanently removed. The procedure was less than pleasant, and left me with a great big ball of gauze wrapped around my toe. I hobbled home and had settled into my easy chair with my foot propped up like a museum piece, Caleb questioned my wife, Kristin. "Mom, why does dad have only a part of his sock on his foot?"
She explained that Dad had gone to the doctor and had a little surgery on his toe. Caleb's immediate response, "And they cut off the rest of his sock?"
Caleb's responses aren't always literal, but when they are, they never fail to make me grin at his innocence wrapped in pure logic. Last summer when we visited his older brother Lucas' summer camp, the staff had the camp's horses available for short rides. Caleb stood near the tree where the rides began, watching his older brothers trot around the circle the horses followed, guided by their teenage handlers. I picked up Caleb, then 3 years old and said "See your brothers out there, don't they look like cowboys?" Caleb looked up at me and said "They aren't cowboys, dad. Those are not cows, those are horses. They are horse-boys."
As brothers do, Lucas, Sam and Caleb constantly try to get each other to react. Their latest scheme is to pick out a product, and say to thier victim "I am going to buy that for you." This itself is not the funny part. The product is always the most feminine or childish item in the store, or on the television advertisement. Sitting in the living room last week, watching Saturday morning cartoons, an ad came on for a purse in the Bratz line. Bratz is a girl's doll in the Diva genre. Sam looked over at Caleb, pointing at the television and said "Caleb, I am going to buy that for you." Caleb shouted his dissapproval of the idea. I asked Caleb if he was sure he didn't want the Bratz purse. He said "Yeah, but I'd take a Spider-man purse."
This isn't the first time I have written about something Caleb has said. It most likely won't be the last either.

Uh, no lighters on airplanes anymore....

TSA Screener: Sorry sir, you'll have to surrender that cigarette lighter before you go through.
Air Traveler: Why?
TSA Screener: Because we are now enforcing a ban on cigarette lighters.
Air Traveler: Why?
TSA Screener: If you have a lighter, you could light explosives.
Air Traveler: Aren't you going to take away my explosives?
TSA Screener: Do you have any explosives?
Air Traveler: No, I don't. So can I take my lighter with me?
TSA Screener: No sir, you can't. Richard Reid tried to light explosives on a plane back in 2001.
Air Traveler: With a cigarette lighter?
TSA Screener: Uh, no, he used matches.
Air Traveler: Can I take matches with me on my flight?
TSA Screener: Yes sir, four books maximum.
Air Traveler: But no lighters?
TSA Screener: That's right sir, no lighters.
Air Traveler: I feel much safer now. Bless your heart.
TSA Screener: Just doing my job sir.
Air Traveler: Yes you are.

Bush Says Hooah!

Today Bush was at Ft. Hood, and mentioned that it was time to give a "proper" Army greeting. There was an akward pause. Then he blurted out, "Hoo ah"!!
After a shorter, but still akward pause, the sum of the audience, mostly groundpounders that had already seen time in Afghanistan and Iraq responded with an actual "proper" response with a loud but gaurded "Hoo ah!!"
It must have been horribly uncomfortable for those crunchies to hear - it made me squirm hearing it on the radio after the fact. Makes me glad the Navy doesn't do silly chants like that, unless of course you are a Seal, but there are a lot of things that they do that I don't understand. Oh well, Semper Gumby. "Always flexible."

Driving thru Southern Minnesota

Had the opportunity today to drive from the Twin Cities down to Mankato, Minnesota. You can sure tell when it is springtime in the Southern half of the Land of 10,000 lakes, when you drive by the livestock farms that is. Beautiful country, with the windows rolled up.

Updates

I said in a previous post that I was the co-author of two articles about blogging. They aren't online articles either, they are actually in print!

Blogging 101 for Psychologists: A new way to extend your leadership, expertise and profession. The Ohio Psychologist Review, March 2005

Ministry in your pajamas - blogging 101 Corpus Reports, March/April 2005

Dr. Paschal Baute actually wrote most of the text, I pitched in the technical stuff, but a majority of the authorship belongs to him.

I am actually taking some steps toward becoming an author in the more traditional sense, so watch this space for updates.

Who's a blogger?

I suppose, now that I am the co-author of two published articles about blogging, and actually blog somewhat frequently at another blog, one aimed at beginning bloggers, that I should post more regularly to this particular blog. Ok, I'll see what I can do.