Restricted Sites == Less Spyware

running several PCs gives me the chance to try things in parallel to see which approach works best. with that in mind, I've noticed that one PC almost never gets infected with spyware, while another is hit frequently. yet, i access the same sites from both computers.

it dawned on me (!) that I'd once added a long list of Restricted Web sites to one PC; I should probably do that on the others. Sadly, the Firefox browser lacks that feature (although it's available as a Plug-In) - their Adblock Extension tries to do the same thing, but it's cumbersome to add a list of sites.



Next, I ran SpyBot and it found The Usual Suspects (ignored by Microsoft AntiSpyware), which I've blogged about before. I deleted the spyware, and will run SpyBot again in a week or so to see if the Restricted Sites change made the expected impact. Worth noting: I populated it automagically using IE-SpyAd.

Aside #9/7: It appears that Microsoft has decided their AntiSpyware product isn't ready to exit Beta test yet (it was due to expire today). Now, I see:
Session.TimeBombDaysRemaining: 213
Session.TimeBombExpirationDate: 7/31/2006

Flip-Flap Paddy Wack

Today, I went in search of a Flip-Flap. I didn't know if I'd find one in Dallas. By 2pm, I had found one, in a real, live B&M store; now it's sitting by a window, waiting for sunrise.

For those of you Uncultured Dolts (!) who don't know .. a Flip-Flap started as a solar-powered flower pot. There's an artificial flower in the middle, and two petals which move slowly and quietly when exposed to sunlight. It's a simple design; now I just need a few hundred more to give the illusion of my horticultural skills.



Now, they have branched out .. Daniel (now in Los Angeles) emailed an MPEG of one which looks like a frog nodding his head left-to-right. I suspect those are part of The Next Wave, which will make their way to Dallas by 2008. He says the first one he saw was at a duty-free shop at Narita Airport ~3 years ago, and now they are widespread (he claims to have given about 50 of them as gifts).

I found mine at Bonane Gifts (2558 Royal Lane, slightly east of I-35E), after making a brief stop at Hong Kong Market Place (where the clerk said I wouldn't find one in Dallas, and that I should just go to eBay). I first spotted this stretch of Korean-owned stores and restaurants on Royal Lane, when trying to bypass the LBJ traffic (en route DFW Airport).

By the way, this was the last Flip-Flap at Bonane today, but the store's owner said she has ordered more. I'll be back.

Aside #8/3: I was actually looking for "Sam Moon's", which was at 11635 Harry Hines, but recently relocated to 11826 Harry Hines (just north of LBJ-635). There are lots of buildings under contruction in that stretch of Harry Hines (between Royal and LBJ), so it may become even more of an ultra-cheap shopping destination, Real Soon Now.

Aside #8/7: An Indian shopkeeper directed me to a place called "Shopper's Alley" (dozens of stores, 11422 Harry Hines) .. it's perpendicular to Harry Hines (north of Royal) and easy to miss, unless you're looking for it. I wasn't brave enough to get out of the car; parking is precarious at best, and many cars were in dire need of body work. I wasn't about to add mine to the list.

your battery backup last intervened on ...

Today was the first annoyance with my shiny new ADSL 2/2+ modem ..

My home took a "power hit" this morning, around 8:45. All my computers are attached to a UPS; the local electric current is too unstable for computers, otherwise. In addition to providing backup power, all modern UPS provide a clean, filtered power source. Power here is interrupted once a month or more .. durations between a few milliseconds and a few minutes. APC PowerChute says:

Your battery backup last intervened on 12/29/2005 at 8:46:26 AM.

When the power blipped this morning, it interrupted the DSL circuit. It took me a few minutes to realize that the DSL modem had not restarted the WAN (PPPoE) interface, and I needed to relogin via the mini-webserver on the modem. It only took a few seconds but .. will this happen each time power is interrupted? Or, did I neglect to write my login/password to the modem's flash memory when I installed it? (I'll add this to "Things That Make Me Go Hmmm In The Night")

Regardless, now I'll prowl the house, seeking devices with a blinking [12:00] indicating no battery backup.

IF THEN ELSE

Addison, TX at 7:47 am CST
Sunny , 43ºF
Hi: 72 Lo: 51

Just another chance for me to dig at whoever provides Yahoo! with weather .. can't your programmers adjust the high or low to coincide with the current temperature, if it falls outside the forecast range?

For those of you Just Waking Up, this means that instead of forecasting a low of 51 today, it should say 43 - the current temperature. Is that so hard?

life after David

Looks like TiVo found back-to-back episodes of The Office Christmas special (2002). For a series that had only 14 total episodes (2 of which comprise the Christmas special - more like a movie unto itself), this is a remarkable piece of thespian delight. If you're a fan of this British TV series, you'll probably adore the special, as it's an update on what happened to David Brent (played by Ricky Gervais) after being sacked .. not to mention how the rest of the Slough office is carrying on without him. No wonder it won a Golden Globe (best TV comedy).

Gervais' performance in the 2-part special was also, without a doubt, spot on. Sadly, there are indeed managers like that.

Tonight, HayJax and I moseyed to Lucky's Cafe (3531 Oak Lawn) for some comfort food. I did broccoli and squash, alongside a Swiss mushroom chicken breast, not to mention a hefty dose of blackberry cobbler. {burp} Supposedly their breakfast is also worth trying; perhaps I'll mosey to their Frankford Road (@ the Tollway) location sometime and try it.

reading, writing and .. aw, who cares?

The National Center for Education Statistics recently conducted a study, the results of which show that only 31% of college graduates are proficient in reading comprehension. Apparently the study involved reading a complex book, and being able to extrapolate from it.

For those of you who can't do math, either .. this means that 69% of college graduates are not proficient in reading comprehension.

At last .. something which explains how President Quagmire could have been re-elected in 2004.

We must stop these (illiterate) college graduates from voting in future elections.

---

Unrelated: environmentalist Kristi Chester Vance of San Francisco is alleged to have said

"Allow me to put in a plug for Hanukkah, which celebrates the miracle of a little bit of oil lasting eight days ... You've got to love a holiday that's all about energy efficiency." (San Francisco Chronicle)

Merry Hanukkah/Chanukah, if that's your cup of eggnog.

Metroplex Mystery

There must've been something going on today; many stores were closed and the parking lots were empty. Maybe there'll be a story about this in tomorrow's paper?

Judy-Bob and I started the day at Kirin Court (Richardson, dim sum) which was packed, as usual. Ran into Billy Bob and Lay Wah Bob on the way out. Next, we stopped at Sarah Bakery (Richardson, Islamic grocery/bakery/restaurant) for some pistachio baklava; Medjool dates; baba ghanouj (ghanoush/ghanoosh); and a can of Unium's "Luncheon Loaf" (looks suspiciously like Spam®, but without the pork). Then, it was off to scan some photos for a promotional thing that J-B's doing, then back to watch To Kill A Mockingbird (1962), followed by a little TiVo. At about 10pm, I realized that I was supposed to go to Plano to see Trish-Bob, but I suspect she had her hands full with a visiting FIL and her new friend, the walking cane.

All in all, it was a productive day. If only I can figure out why the parking lots (except movie theatres) were empty, and why the highways were unusually free of vehicles. Maybe the Dallas Cowboys were playing, although I thought they were officially out of the playoffs. Hmmm.