Posts

Posted on

When a hoax is not a joke.

This is a legitimate, safe trend started by the East Anglian Ambulance Service:

Paramedics will turn to a victim’s cell phone for clues to that person’s
identity. You can make their job much easier with a simple idea that they
are trying to get everyone to adopt: ICE.

ICE stands for In Case of Emergency. If you add an entry in the contacts
list in your cell phone under ICE, with the name and phone no. of the
person that the emergency services should call on your behalf, you can save
them a lot of time and have your loved ones contacted quickly. It only
takes a few moments of your time to do.

Paramedics know what ICE means and they look for it immediately. ICE your
cell phone NOW!

Then some narrow minded idiot tried to ruin a good thing.

Quickly following on the heels of advisories to add “ICE” entries to mobile phones were hoax warnings that doing so would trigger premium charges thanks to malicious text messages or viruses randomly sent to phones to scan for such entries:

“To all those who received a copy of the e-mail recommending that the word ICE be added to their phones address book (In case of emergency contact). I can not say for sure that information I have received this morning is legitimate, but better to warn you all.

I am very sorry to report that some small minded idiot has created a text message that is being sent out randomly to mobile phone users, this text has a programme included that searches your phones address book for the word “ICE” or “I.C.E” and if found, you are charged for a premium rate message.”

The instigator tried to turn ICE contacts into a hoax.

Matt Ware, spokesman for the East Anglian Ambulance Service, asked people to ignore the hoax email.

“I have been inundated with emails and phone calls from people worried that, having put ICE into their mobiles, they are now going to be charged for the privilege,” he added.

“We would like to assure people that that’s not the case. Whoever began this second email chain is obviously a malicious person with way too much time on their hands.”

The bottom line:

No one can send a text message to anything but your cell phone number. A text message cannot do a reverse lookup for a contact name in your address book. It’s safe to add an ICE contact to your cell phone.

Posted on

WRAL.com – News – Alabama Lawmakers Ask Residents To Avoid Aruba

WRAL.com – News – Alabama Lawmakers Ask Residents To Avoid Aruba

This is just stupid. I would go to Aruba tomorrow if I had the chance just to spit in the face of Alabama “law makers.” Hey, while we’re at it let’s boycott travel to every place in America an over-hyped, unsolved disappearance occurs. Especially the ones pounded in our face by the media that involve pretty white women.

The hipocracy is that if this were a 18-year-old black girl that disappeared in Alabama you wouldn’t have heard two words about it.

So Alabama, let’s convict someone in Aruba for the media, guilty or not. That’ll teach ’em. Stalling a prosecution because of lack of evidence, the nerve. Just hang ’em – go on – git!

An to Mr. and Mrs. Holloway, the media frenzy instigators: your daughter is dead and the crime was well covered. Get home and recover. Don’t worry there’s plenty of money in a made for TV movie later that will certainly adversely effect Aruban tourism for you. Or possibly not. I’ve recently heard that famous crime scenes have become quite popular with tourists.

By the way idiots – Aruba didn’t kill Natalee Holloway, someone in Aruba MIGHT HAVE. For all we know she drank her self into a coma on the beach and washed out sea when the tide came in. Hey, it happens.

Posted on

A lesson from the Pantera

image What model year would you believe this car to be? I saw my first Detomaso Pantera for sale at Al Smith Buick/Dodge in Raleigh back in the late 80’s. It was $68,000. I thought it was a new exotic car I had never heard of. In fact it was a 1971 model, just like the one in this photo. Most people have never heard of these cars. That’s unfortunate for the Honda Civic go-cart kids who think 260hp is a lot. These Pantera’s typically pack between 400 to 700 horses. The only thing new that can compete is the upcoming Mustang Shelby Cobra.

I read this week that the most stolen car last year was the Acura Integra “probably because of it’s powerful engine.” What a joke. When I was in high school (yes, back in the day) we had Mustang LX 5.0’s and Formula Firebird 350’s that would smoke all these little rice traps right off the lot – no modification necessary. If someone actually took the time to modify one it would become illegal in most states. I feel bad for the kids that slap a go cart muffler on an Acura and throw a stupid looking carrying handle on the back. Here’s a hint: you look gay. Stop.

Posted on

Even though it’s in remission…

It’s time for another round of me vs. Crohn’s disease. This coming Tuesday I will spend the morning having a colonoscopy. I will take many more iron pills and a new medication, Colazal. Then on Friday I will have a series of X-rays and MRI’s in a procedure known as an Upper GI Tract. Yey.

I’m really not having any problems except for a stomach flu last week. All of this is just preventative maintenance. All I know is the cost better be minimal.

Posted on

WRAL.com – News – Times Reporter Jailed For Refusing To Divulge Source

WRAL.com – News – Times Reporter Jailed For Refusing To Divulge Source

Hoorah! Noone should expect to enjoy complete immunity. Especially the press! Imagine if this reporter had been told of an upcoming terrorism plot and then refused to reveal her sources. It’s the same thing. In matters of national security “protecting my sources” doesn’t mean crapola.

If you don’t want to be known as the source of information, don’t tell your story to a reporter. Judith Miller can rot until she talks as far as I’m concerned. Send her to the darkest hole in the federal penal system.

Posted on

Using Ipchains

Using Ipchains

I’m really digging getting back into using ipchains. I really like the off server logging I was able to set up a while ago. I like working on my box much more than the PIX 515 at work.

I’m going to write more about this after I determine how to discuss it without revealing my configuration specifics.

Posted on

New Gang Symbol

image Have you seen this symbol? More and more of these decals are appearing on the bumpers of cars all over the country. You have to be a “member” of a law enforcement agency to buy one (by providing a verifiable badge number to epolicesupply.com). So it’s a symbol for the nationwide law enforcement gang “the thin blue line.” A symbol of pride? It’s more like “I’m a fellow cop, so don’t pull me over if you see me speeding in my civilian car.”

Mike Davis made this point: If I want to put one of these stickers on my car what’s to stop me from printing one out of Photoshop? And once I have what laws going to say I can’t have this sticker on my car? Would I be arrested for impersonating a law enforcement official because I have this symbol that can only be sold to cops? I’m sure plenty of people who don’t dive have diver down front license plates and stickers on their cars. So if I think this is a pretty black and blue design no law I’m aware of can stop me from putting one on my car, forehead or front door.

I really like this bumper sticker on the epolicesupply website: “Sometimes there’s justice, Sometimes there’s just us.”

Sorry Officer(s). There’s only justice – no gangs allowed. It’s your job to enforce laws and that’s the extent of it. It’s an individual job. Okay, so sometimes you might need back-up or manpower to perform your job. Just remember that gang symbols and slogans don’t put you above the rules of engagement set forth by the justice system and legislators. Of all people cops ought to recognize that the “thin blue line” is a term used by the civilian public to pronounce distrust of officers involved in scandals and cover ups.

Identifying law enforcement symbols should be banned on all civilian possessions and clothing to protect the integrity and trust of the profession. I particulary like it most when a girlfriend or wife of a cop has one of these decals. It says “my husbands/boyfriends a cop”. Um, so what? I guess they’re entitled to some special treatment also.