January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Problems With Quiz
Internal Server Error
The server encountered an internal error or misconfiguration and was unable to complete your request.Please contact the server administrator, root@localhost and inform them of the time the error occurred, and anything you might have done that may have caused the error.
More information about this error may be available in the server error log.
I hope that the clock isn't still running after one of my first attempts; it looked as though the site was going to load, but after about a minute or so, I gave up. I will try again later.
Update: I just tried again and got this error msg.:
FunTrivia.com We are temporarily experiencing some technical issues. Please try back later. We apologize for any inconvenience!
I had gone to Down or Not just to make sure it wasn't something on my end. When it said FunTrivia was up, I went to the site (not ToTG Trivia Tournament) and got the above msg. Oh well.
OMG
Note: I have never used "OMG" in mails, posts or anywhere else on the internet before now. It's not a phrase - abbreviated or not - that I use in "real life" so I don't use it online. I don't invoke God's name when I curse nor when I'm exclaiming...not that I don't use other offensive words. (WTF you say?) I used it here because of the subject of this scam-spam email. As I always do when I post these emails, I've included their email address(es) so the web spiders will pick up on it and other spammer/scammers will spam the spammer/scammer.
Mrs. Julian Martinez
I've said this before, but I think there's an extra-warm corner of Hell for people who bilk others in God's name.
January 29, 2012
Rumspringa
One of the replies said the girls might be on their Rumspringa "and they'll get over it." From the context, I had an inkling as to what the word meant, but I wasn't familiar with it. Wiki says Rumspringa is a time when Amish youth "sow their wild oats". It was an interesting and informative read, so I did a little more research. I've read about Amish kids being busted for selling/using drugs and I seem to recall a recent murder that shocked the Amish community, but the funniest thing I have read about Amish crime has been beard cutting assaults. (Well, funny to me, but I wasn't the one getting my beard cut off.)
Maybe I'm insensitive about that, but I've never been able to grow a beard, just a mustache and Amish men don't wear mustaches. (I'm not sure about the Amish women) I could never be Amish, I guess, because I like my 'stache and my TV and microwave.
I also found out there's a band named Rumspringa and this is where I'd normally add the video, but I'm not in the mood for alternative music.
I do know an Amish joke, though:
What goes "clip clop clip clop - BANG BANG BANG - clip clop clip clop"?
An Amish drive-by shooting.
January 26, 2012
So Far, a Lucky Week
This just hit my email inbox:
I forget why I entered the contest; I'm sure the Grand Prize was something I really wanted or I wouldn't have made the effort. A magazine subscription isn't too bad of a consolation prize - I love to get magazines and after reading, they're good to line my trashcan with or to tear pages out of and put under the Beej's water and feed bowls. I used to take my old magazines to the laundromat but they would get stolen within the day.
It's been a fairly lucky week for me; I won this magazine subscription, fifty extra points for correctly answering the movie trivia question at StartSampling and last night I won $12 on the Powerball lottery.
It was also a very lucky week for some young punk in a red car. I was out earlier and about to turn onto a busy street. The light was red and there was a car ahead of me. I started slowing as I normally do, easing to a stop. (saves gas, saves brake wear) There wasn't but a few car lengths between me and the other vehicle when the red car zoomed around me and cut in front. I had to slam on my brakes to avoid slamming into the car. I saw him glancing in his rear-view mirror and I gave him the bird. He didn't look back again. I was itching for a fight- he had scared me and that just about makes me angrier than anything else.
As we sat there waiting for the light, I got more angry. He wasn't saving any time, he had to wait anyway. When the light changed, he sped off, zipping from lane-to-lane w/out signalling. He also ran a yellow light when he got to the next intersection and turned.
I wasn't in a very good mood, anyway. I had tried to drop off my vehicle insurance payment last week, but there was a sign on the office door "Be Back Soon". I went back by several times, but there was no one there. I put the check and invoice on the passenger seat and forgot about it. When I got in my truck earlier, I noticed it and remembered that it was due tomorrow. I got to the insurance office and saw the same sign on the door. I went to the Dollar Store, did a little shopping and dropped back by only to see the business was still closed. I killed a little more time and went back - the sign was still up, the door still locked.
Fuming, I went home and called the after hours number listed on the door. Nothing. I then called the regular number and a woman answered. I told her I had been trying to bring my payment by and wanted to make sure someone was there to take it. "Oh, I stepped out for a little while." she told me. Yeah, a week is a "little while" I thought, but didn't say it. She then informed me that the boss was gone, had been for a week. That made sense then - she was enjoying her four hour lunch breaks. She's lucky I didn't lose my temper with her. She's even luckier I didn't have to file a claim for rear-ending that red car.
I'm lucky to win the few things I have this week. To be honest - I'm even more lucky I haven't stroked out. I seem to be getting more and more angry at things here lately. I got a little angry earlier at a reply to my license plate post on Facebook. An old friend and schoolmate wrote "Why would I want a license plate with 'Mike' on it?" It shouldn't have, but it hit me wrong. I started to reply "Well, it would be just as well....'smartass' wouldn't fit." I've been a little snarky on Facebook myself lately, though, and didn't want to be a hypocrite.
To top all that off, the stray cat I've been feeding has been in heat. (I thought she was pregnant, but she is just fat. I've cut back on her food- all she gets is B's leftovers now) I love cats, but the only thing more disgusting than the smell of cat urine is a female cat in heat. Thanks to her "condition", there has been a dozen tomcats hanging around. I've been woken up a dozen times this week by the caterwauling; it's either her and a male cat or two males dueling for her affections. I've discovered one thing about cats; you can't tell whether they're fightin' or foolin' around by the sounds they're making.
It would probably help a great deal if I quit frequenting political forums. If the Republicans nominate Gingrich, then they will have to give up the "party of family values" label they brag about. If they nominate Santorum, then they'll lose any chance of getting a gay person to vote for them ever again. Both of them are a little...let's say "ethically challenged". The Republicans definitely need to stop touting that they're for limited govt. and need to quit pretending they're conservative. (and the TEA Party has allowed itself to be hijacked by the neocons) I'm lucky I'm too old for the draft, because we'll need one for the war machine if we take on Iran.
I know I lowered my blood pressure at least fifty points by not reading posts in Dallas Cowboy forums. The "Tony Homo" posts infuriated me. Probably Santorum supporters.
January 25, 2012
Job Offer
Checking my spam folder, I saw a mail with my full name as the subject line. I get those now 'n then, but they usually just say "Mike" ("check out these hot women!" or "Mike, want a bigger...? Well, you know.) I opened it up to see this job offer:
Tricia Casey
geCaseyTisricruia@hotmail.com
Greetings.
Available opening: Payment Manager
Location : any place within the United States
Terms of compensation: percentage + bonuses
Work-at-home job only (no office positions are offered)
Basic information about company:
Our financial company is one of long-time leaders on the investment, online payments and finance management markets for the last few years. Top quality standard and level of services we provide have gained us the highest ratings both from individuals, and from large businesses and corporations that operate in various fields. We work in different business industries, that is why we look for initiative and goal-centered people who may not possess specific necessary skills to join our staff. The majority of our customers until this point were situated in Europe and Asia Our headquarters is located in London. In the coming years we will enlarge our branch network to America and Canada as well.
General description of the opening:
Your duties will include providing support to our financial department. This is a remote free schedule job, which will demand not more than 15 hours weekly. We offer very competitive salary. You will get your compensation in your account; it will be available immediately on the payment day. We cover all extra expenses that may appear during the transactions processing.
Our requirements:
- Computer and access to the Internet, MS Office or compatible office software;
- No criminal record;
- Confidentiality and discretion;
- Attention to detail;
We would like you to become a member of our staff. We are confident that the terms of employment and the salary that we offer to our employees are very competitive and will persuade you to make the best decision.
To apply for this position: Please reply to this message and we will get back to you within the next 48 hours.
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I did a search for Tricia Casey and found several listings. Of course, that's not an unusual name and I found several different people with that name. Checking a LinkedIn profile, I discovered that this Tricia was indeed a personnel mgr. for a company that seemed similar to the one described in the text of the spam mail I received. I also went to her Facebook page and thought about messaging her, but decided I wouldn't because I'm convinced it's a scam.
What makes me think that? Well, for starters I would think that a company which had its own website would also give its employees email accounts with their domain or company name. I have known of companies that used Hotmail for their commercial business, but that's been ten years ago.
I've also never applied for a job online, never given my current employment status to any site. (When filling out surveys, I always check "prefer not to answer" on most of the personal details.)
I'd also think they would have named the company. Wouldn't a legitimate offer include who wants to hire you?
The job offer sounds good though...almost too good to be true. (and you know if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't good or true) Who wouldn't want to have an easy job working only fifteen hours/wk?
The clincher that it's a scam is in the sketchy financial details. I'm sure if I had replied to the email that I would have been asked to fill out a form w/ my SS# and then I would have been immediately "hired" and in the next email, asked for my banking details so they could "deposit" my earnings. Yeah, sure...more like drain my account, ya reckon?
I'd bet a hundred bucks someone has "appropriated" this woman's name and did enough research to make this unnamed company sound similar enough to the company that employs her just to make it sound legit.
I hope no one falls for this scam, but I'm sure there will be some gullible folks who will. What with how the economy is, there will probably be thousands of applicants. I have a little sympathy for those thick enough to take the bait, but get furious at those low-lifes who take advantage of the desperate.
It's a good thing I'm not King - if I found someone doing this, I would have - or do it myself - their fingers crushed with a hammer so they couldn't get on a computer until they healed up. Next offense - if they had the audacity to do it again - they'd be gutted with a dull knife and thrown in a shark tank.
Three strikes are for baseball; two strikes are more than enough for scam artists.
January 23, 2012
National Pie Day
One interesting recipe for lemon pie hit my reader earlier; it was made without gelatin because the author didn't like using animal by-products. (I've not been a fan of Jello since I learned what gelatin was made of...plus having to eat it the few times I've been in the hospital. It always astounded me how they could make something simple taste so nasty) She - the creator of the recipe - mentioned that the pie was not only vegetarian, but kosher. That made me wonder just how many vegetarian Jews there are, but decided I'd save that search for a rainy day.
She had a novel idea for the crust; instead of making one out of a regular pastry dough or one made from graham crackers, she made a crust from animal crackers.
Novel...and ironic, considering it was a vegetarian dessert.
Blogger Bookmarklet
I have a "Share This" bookmarklet for Facebook, but since I've decided to do less there and return to my blog, I wanted a way to share articles in here without having to come to the blog and starting a post, then adding the link. There are add-ons for Firefox that will do that, but I wanted an easier way. I did a search and found a bookmarklet that allows me to do that.
What is BlogThis! ? - Blogger Help
Just go to the above page and drag the link to your browser's bookmark menu. It should open up the menu and just drop it in, easy!
The only thing that the Blogger post window lacks that the regular one has is the add photo feature, but that's not really a problem unless I was wanting to upload a screenshot. (which I was going to do for this post to show the way to add the bookmarklet) There's also no preview feature, but that's just a minor inconvenience. It's still a nifty way to share, though, and if you have multiple blogs, there's a drop-down menu to choose to which blog you wish to publish the link.
January 22, 2012
No, Thanks
I already have a set.
Couldn't sleep, so I got up to check my reader and noticed a new posting from WikiHow, my subscription to their "How to of the Day" feed. I had to laugh because it looked like they were talking about either obtaining some incredible intestinal fortitude or making something that could only be made on an expensive and advanced lathe or milling machine.
Back when I was active in MSN Groups, the help group "Community Feedback" had a Wiki listing. They had a description that went like this: "Community Feedback is dedicated to giving help to MSN Group managers." along with a bunch of other self-congratulatory crapola. I used to go in and put "dubious" in front of "help" in the sentence. Petty of me, I know (some might say infantile or even passive-aggressive), but I loved to annoy them. It was cheap entertainment.
Speaking of brass balls, I watched one of my favorite History Channel programs Saturday morning: "Heavy Metal". The show is about all things military, but my favorites are when they highlight ships, tanks and airplanes. This program was about the B-17, one of the best U.S.bombers of WWII. One segment detailed the heavy losses incurred during the raids on the Schweinfurt ball bearing plants.
After the program was over, it made me think of ball bearings and different situations in my life involving them. One time when I was a driller on a rig I had a bearing out of the drawworks and was about to replace a couple of the small ball bearings when one of the guys who worked for me accidentally kicked it and sent them rolling everywhere. We were down for quite a while until I could scavenge enough to replace the ones that we couldn't find. Wasn't my fault, but guess who got the butt-chewing? I passed it along, of course.
Thinking of the rigs - and ball bearings - reminded me of a joke about a govt. man sent out to test the intelligence of rig workers. He started the tests out with a roughneck, giving him three steel balls and told him to do something with them. The govt. man turned his back, but when he turned around again, the roughneck was gone. He looked around, but couldn't find him.
Getting another three balls from his briefcase, the govt. man went to the roughneck's immediate boss, the driller, gave him the three balls and told him to do something with them. The driller looked at the balls for a while, scratched his head and then put two balls side-by-side, then balanced one atop the bottom two. It was a fairly difficult and ingenious feat, so the driller got a good score.
The govt. man looked around for the roughneck, but still couldn't find him so he then gave the three balls to the driller's boss, the tool pusher. The pusher looked at the balls for just a little while, then stacked one on top of each other, nearly impossible to do...but that was why he was the tool pusher. He got a great score from the govt. man.
About that time, the roughneck came ambling up. "Where are those balls?" asked the govt. man. "What balls?" replied the roughneck. "Those three balls I gave you an hour ago!" exclaimed the exasperated govt. man.
"Oh, THOSE three balls." the roughneck sheepishly said. "Well," he went on "I lost one...broke another..."
"But the other one's here in my lunch box!"
My!
How spam has changed!
Cleaned out the folder an hour or so ago, then decided to check my mail again to see if I had got a reply to one I had left in a forum. The spam folder had quite a few entries already. (click pic for larger view)
I used to get dozens of spam mailings wanting me to check out the naked women or informing me how to enlarge a certain body part, but now they're much more diverse. Only one of the above has anything remotely to do with sex. ( I have more than enough testosterone, thanks all the same. I've been wondering if I have TOO much, considering my premature baldness and that my libido is only slightly less than it was when I was 16). I keep getting those Scooter adverts - guess someplace I signed up for their newsletter also sold my email addy along w/ my personal information, like my age. -sigh-
The ones that annoy me the most are those from political candidates. I got a phone call earlier from the campaign of a person I'd never vote for in a million years - they got a little upset with me after I told them to perform a sexual act upon themselves and told them their candidate's mother most likely wore a flea collar. (not in those words, but I had to clean it up for this blog).
January 20, 2012
Wow
It's been two weeks since I last posted anything. I don't think I've ever gone that long since I created this blog.
There's been several reasons:
One, I haven't been enthused about it all that much. I've not been "bored" with it, but I run hot and cold on my interests. I've always been that way - my dad was the same way and it might be that I'm a Gemini, who knows?
Two, my connection plays up all the time, but that should be fixed (again) this next week. I'm so impatient, I don't like waiting a minute or more to upload a photo. I can't easily view YouTube vids, either, so that's why I haven't posted any of them.
Three, Facebook has cut into my blogging time and that's probably the main reason I've not been posting here. I'm beginning to dislike Facebook - there's the security concerns, plus I don't like the new timeline layout that's about to be put in place. I like to keep up with friends and old school mates, but sometimes the sheer amt. of posts overwhelms me...and to be honest, I'm not that interested in reading about their grandkids or where they ate lunch. I'm also subscribed to far too many groups and it takes too much time to read through them all. I've got my reader subscriptions and they take long enough to sort through as it is.
Fourth, and last, I've been too engaged in politics, both in my reader and on Facebook. I know who I'm voting for (Ron Paul) and there's no need to do any more reading about any other candidates. I'm tired of trying to convince others why he's my candidate or to disabuse them of their misconceptions about him.
So, it may take me a while to get rolling again, but I plan on doing a lot more to this pathetic excuse for a blog. (It's always been pathetic, but more so over the last few months.) To my regular readers- all three of you - I'm sorry I've been slacking off. I promise to make more of an effort...but not too much, because that just wouldn't be me. I'm a slacker, after all.
January 6, 2012
I'm a Pizza-Loving Redneck Intellectual?
As I've said before, I don't put a lot of stock in the results from these quizzes - I take and post them just for fun, but I don't remember a quiz with such a schizophrenic analysis. Personally, I prefer a "supreme" style pizza with everything on it. I also don't complain in restaurants, not that I wouldn't if the appropriate situation arose, but I'm more likely to never return to that establishment.
Your Pizza Says You Are a Food Snob |
 You have a hearty appetite. You are likely to complain if a restaurant has small portions. You are a very picky pizza eater. Not any pizza will do. You fit in best in the Northeast part of the US. You like food that's traditional and well crafted. You aren't impressed with "gourmet" foods. You are generous, outgoing, and considerate with your choices. You are cultured and intellectual. You should consider traveling to Vienna. The stereotype that best fits you is redneck. Your friends secretly agree. |
