Tell the FTC: How I lost 100 pounds in 30 days EATING DIRT!
On December 1, 2009 the NEW FTC Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising are effective. I plan to cover this issue extensively and thought I could demonstrate my new “mellow” persona with a joke:
Tell the FTC: How I lost 100 pounds in 30 days EATING DIRT!
Twitter SUCKS? Twitter ROCKS? I can’t decide.
For the last few months I’ve been monitoring a number of Twitter accounts for my friends and associates. I can’t decide if Twitter sucks or it’s a valuable social networking medium.
Twitter ABUSE: Eliminate Direct Message SPAM automatically!
Twitter SUCKS! It has no way to automatically eliminate the huge amounts of Direct Message Spam that is sent. Yes, I know you can tighten down the screws and manually approve who follows you but that’s not a solution. It works like this: you Follow someone and they use a “Bot” to automatically send you a Direct Message (DM). Not everyone does this but in my informal calculations while helping my GEEK Princess 
named Cathy, around 75% of these DMs are Spam. They are easy to spot since the Bot stuff never uses your full real name on Twitter.
Domain Abuse: Bandwidth Consumption. Use SamSpade & Block a Country to fix.
Domain and Server abuse has many incarnations. Hot linking your images, Denial of Service attacks, slimy posts on your site, breaking into your hosting/server account, hacking your site, and the list goes on. In this post I’m going to cover Bandwidth consumption abuse. Where your site/server is targeted and this causes you to consume large amounts of bandwidth which can cost you money, slow down your site, and perhaps your host will terminate your account.
Spyware: Vampires from Storm8 no longer SUCK and a look at Pinchmedia
I previously reported that all of the iPhone games written by Storm8, which includes Vampires Live, were stealing your iPhone cell number without your prior and explicit permission. This was Spyware. Period. I’m happy to report that they have fixed the issue and it’s time to take a look at Pinchmedia which provides the developer tools to obtain metrics for Storm8 and numerous other developers.
Get paid for taking Surveys on the Web: I’ve got issues! They SUCK!
A couple of visitors have sent me emails about earning money taking Surveys on the Web. Even one affiliate was smart enough to email me. These pitches are everywhere: Twitter streams, Facebook, emails, and even on Television. Since the economy is really bad, this entire industry seems to be promoting like hell. My first reaction is that they ALL SUCK!
Domain Abuse: Bandwidth Consumption. Use SamSpade & Block a Country to fix.
Domain and Server abuse has many incarnations. Hot linking your images, Denial of Service attacks, slimy posts on your site, breaking into your hosting/server account, hacking your site, and the list goes on. In this post I’m going to cover Bandwidth consumption abuse. Where your site/server is targeted and this causes you to consume large amounts of bandwidth which can cost you money, slow down your site, and perhaps your host will terminate your account. Read the rest of this entry »
Apple distributes Spyware which STEALS your iPhone cell number: Storm8 Games are the applications author with millions of your cell numbers.
As I suspected: Storm8 admits that their very popular free game titled Vampires Live is currently stealing your cell number. No specific consent. No notice. Play the game and they phone home with your iPhone cell number. This is Spyware. This is Idenity Theft. This violates my Privacy. This sucks! They say it’s a “Bug” which they plan to correct but that’s far from the end of this tragic story which has dramatic implications for every owner of an iPhone.
Spyware Migrates to the Apple iPhone ? Is your application tracking you without your permission?
A few weeks ago I purchased an iPhone 3GS 32 MB smart phone. Although I’ve been a Treo user since they were invented, it was time to change. Although the battery life is totally unacceptable and requires an external battery (I use the outstanding mophie juice pack air), imagine my surprise while reading the News that a number of sites have alleged that some applications for the iPhone which Apple distributes, contain Spyware.
Facebook Abuse: Safety Tips
Facebook is a hugely popular social networking site. Unfortunately, it’s also a large target for Spammers, thieves, identity theft, criminals, abusers, and numerous other “bad guys”. It’s also a very enticing service since it permits you to find friends, relatives, and even your old enemies. Unfortunately, the default Privacy setting leave a lot to be desired. Think I’m joking? Read this:
Judge Kicks Notorious Spammer off Facebook. Sanford Wallace and his low life friends. Spam and phishing schemes.
University addresses Facebook abuse
Canadian official takes issue with Facebook privacy