It's been quiet around here recently, hasn't it?
So as the title suggests, there have also been a few changes around here. Most notably, the name/URL/domain/thing. Due to an unfortunate translation issue with my last domain (I had no idea how many French pervs there were in the world, trust me), I was kind of put off using that URL until I thought of a suitable replacement. So here it is - amelierosalyn.com. I'd been using that name for a while now anyway (as well as the old one, because I was lazy and couldn't be bothered changing everything round) but the change is now permanent. You can keep using the old one until the domain expires (March or April, I think) but after that plz2be using new one, thanking you most kindly. The feed URL has also changed - if you were subscribed to the old one via its Feedburner URL then you'll need to resubscribe. Otherwise, if you're using the /feed URL you should be redirected automatically (apologies if all my old entries are showing up as unread - they haven't changed!). I am aware of some issues with the title/search blending into each other a bit in some browsers, working on that... ;)
The other major change is in me. My focus had changed somewhat in the past year or so, but nothing to how it's changed in the past few months: I'm currently expecting my first child, and am going through what has thus far not been an easy pregnancy. So yes, blogging and website stuff haven't exactly been my priority of late, and probably won't be for a while now; if I do pick up the pace then it's likely the tone of the site will change. I'm not apologising for that - I've changed as a person and am not the person I was 10 years ago when I started this site (in its earliest version, many domains ago) nor am I even the same person I was a year ago when I began this version of the site. I only have to look at how much Jem went through with her daughter to see how priorities and entire lives change once there's a little one in your life. But to be honest, I can't wait for the change. I know you can never completely plan for these things, nor ever be really, completely, ready for the total changes that come your way, but I'm at a point in life where I feel that these changes are not unwelcome.
With that you might be wondering about a few things... So here's a quick little FAQ thing:
What's happening to PHPAskIt/Askably/whatever you've called it now?
Good question. I haven't decided yet. I have moved development over from Google Code to Github and have changed everything to use the GPL license, so if anyone would like to contribute to, or take over the project, they can do so. Note that as I haven't fully decided what is going on yet, I may or may not change my decision here.
Why Amelie Rosalyn? Is that your surname?
No, it's my middle name. And why that... well why not?
Will you turn into a 'mommy blogger'?
I generally feel that children have no place on the internet and would not feel comfortable discussing my child's life on my blog. After all, children haven't asked to have their lives shared and I for one would feel very uncomfortable knowing my mother discussed my early life online. However, who knows what the future will bring? I have changed a lot in a short space of time already, so who's to say I won't change further in a few months?
So there you have it; and here's to whatever's next in life. :)
Edit: Thanks for the reports about the broken comments... Fixed now!
Most people are wise to so-called phishing scams, usually in the form of emails pretending to be from a reputable place such as a bank asking you to click a link to 'secure your account' or similar. Said link is usually a clone of the real site so that users feel comfortable entering in their confidential data. Of course, it all gets sent to scammers who go and use your details to commit fraud. Lovely.
It's not a new thing at all, but people are doing this over the phone too. A popular one that recently caught out a family member is that someone will call, ask for the householder by name, and proceed to tell them they are from Microsoft or 'Windows Support'. They may have the householder's email and/or home address (from where I have no idea; they may be using the local phone book or have the details sold onto them from other sources) and will gain the trust of the user by confirming these with them, proceeding then to tell the user their computer is infected by viruses and this must be fixed now or they will be fined/their computer will crash/other similar threats. Sounds like a classic scam, but due to the user being named it can catch people out - especially if they're computer illiterate.
The scam generally continues with some or all of the following:
The user is instructed to go to their computer, go to the Run command/Windows+R (which brings up the Run box) and type in "eventvwr" and/or some form of "prefetch unwanted"
The scammers tell the user that the entries listed in the resulting window are viruses and these must be cleaned.
This is of course not true - "eventvwr" brings up the Windows Event Viewer and entries listed within this are events logged by Windows. Scammers may go further with this one and say that any items with a yellow warning triangle or red cross are malicious items, but they aren't - they're errors logged by Windows which for the most part are harmless. They are definitely not viruses.
The "prefetch unwanted" command brings up the Windows prefetch cache, which is just that - a cache of programs which enables Windows to open them more quickly. Deleting these files won't remove a virus nor will it damage your computer.
After insisting that the files found are dangerous, the scammers will offer to 'fix' them and will ask for payment to do this. They might take users to a website or they will ask for card numbers over the phone. Common websites users are sent to include some variant of the words "tech support" in the URL.
What follows is an attempt to connect to the computer remotely. How this is done differs slightly per scam but in general they will direct users to a web page via the Run command and/or will ask them to install a program such as TeamViewer or LogMeIn. Installing those particular programs (the ones mentioned, that is - other programs may be more malicious) is not dangerous in itself - it's the part where the user hands over control that is, and the scammers will do this by asking the user to enter a code into the website or program. Control is then given over to the scammers - they can then see and use the computer as if it was their own.
Once the card payment has gone through (for far more than the user paid for, in most cases), the scammers will set about 'fixing' the computer, which generally involves downloading and installing lots of software onto the machine and possibly deleting anything they think is a virus (note: this could be anything - personal documents, essential Windows files, etc). They might tell users to leave the machine for a bit and during that time they'll snoop into their personal files - or they'll do it right in front of the user and claim it's part of the fixing process. It isn't - they're just looking for information they can steal.
Once all the software is installed, the user is told their computer is fixed and the call is ended. The installed software is, in most cases, harmless; it's just junk that doesn't do anything (or perhaps does do something, but not what it advertises - it may pop up a load of ads or redirect your browser to a dodgy search page, for example). However, some scammers have installed software which opens a backdoor to the computer and leaves it in their complete control and can use this to do far more damage. Rootkits and keyloggers can get installed and the computer can end up a so-called 'zombie' acting as part of a botnet.
Wonderful, eh?
Fixing all this once the user discovers they've been conned depends on quite how bad the damage is to the computer. Personally I'd recommend a full reformat - you never know what nasty little things were done during the 'fixing' process and what that seemingly harmless software might leave behind. It might still be 'calling home' in the background, sending personal details back to the scammers. Not really a nice thought. It also goes without saying that you should cancel all cards given out to these fraudsters and contact your bank telling them what happened. It's unlikely you'll get the money back, as you willingly gave the details out, but you should still contact them. Watch out for an increase in junk mail, email spam and/or similar phone scams as your details get passed around - don't fall for them again. If you can, get a credit check done to make sure no one is fraudulently using your details.
However, the best advice is not to be scammed in the first place. When random people call you up out of the blue, treat them as if they'd emailed you - would you blindingly trust any email that says it's from a certain sender? You shouldn't trust people on the phone that claim as such either. If they pretend to be from a reputable company, ask their name and ask for a reference number for the call, then call the company's main advertised number (NOT the number the person on the phone tells you to call, even if they say it's their private extension or similar) and quote the details. No such person/reference? You know that call wasn't genuine.
Think about it: would a major computer company such as Microsoft really care about individuals with viruses? And furthermore, if they did care, would they really task themselves with dealing with it? No, they wouldn't - they're a huge company with far better things to do. It's common sense; you cannot know a person is who they say they are even if you met them face to face, so how can you possibly know over the internet/phone? You can't, so don't give them the privilege of having your personal data. You don't know what they'll use it for - ID theft, selling it on, stealing from your bank account ... You name it.
Oh, and don't save things on your computer that will delight such fraudsters when they find them either - bank details in a Word document? Not a good idea. Really.
Now before I get started, be warned that this post may offend. You are reminded that this is my opinion and that I do not claim any of my beliefs as fact or correct or the right way to go about things or anything. You believe what you want to believe; I will do the same.
I dislike religion. I am not singling out any particular religion here, I dislike the entire concept of religion. I don't mind those who believe in a God, but when they make it a matter of life and death I think it's taking it a bit far. Part of me thinks that God and everything to do with religion is made up; because there are things we as humans cannot explain, we have used our imaginations. We aren't certain how the Earth was created - God made it. We aren't certain how we came to be on this Earth - God made us.
I cannot stand preaching. People who tell me that God will save me if I submit myself to Him or whatever can get lost. I will not have anyone tell me how to live my life or what to believe, especially when there is no proof that living such a life is better than any other.
I am fine with those who want to use Jesus/Mohammed/[insert other deity here]'s life or the Bible/Torah/Qu'ran etc. as a guide, but following it word for word is just wrong. Would these people really have wanted you to follow their life 100% accurately? I don't think so. They would have liked you to make your own decisions and when you aren't sure about something, refer to their writings or whatever.
Because quite frankly, these people who live their lives 100% like the Bible says are no more than little bleating sheep with no mind of their own. Ask them a question and they'll have to refer to the Big Book of Rules (aka Bible) to see what they can say in answer. Despite personal feelings regarding marriage/homosexuality, I know a lot of religious people who suppress natural feelings because they "aren't allowed to feel such things". Yeah ok, whatever.
I don't think that's quite what religion is about. It's not a set of rules to live your life by, it's meant to be a guideline. Not a you-must-do-this-and-you-must-not-do-that type thing, because although some people like to be told exactly what to think and do every day, that is not my idea of fun.
By all means refer to the Bible when/if you have difficulty with something and you want to see how Jesus dealt with it or whatever, but don't consult the thing every time someone asks you a question.
But, I hear you say, "It's a choice!!1" ... Yeah, well it's not a choice I would personally make and it's not a choice that I want people to constantly remind me that they have made. I know quite a few people who, as they put it, had no direction in life before Christ. They are happy to follow every word of the Bible, but they also love to remind me of that. I accept that they have chosen their path, and I would like it if they accepted my choice not to choose their path. I never tell them how stupid they are for being religious or whatever (only jokingly, heh), because as I said, it's their choice.
Fundamentally, I believe life is for making your own discoveries and your own mistakes. I think a lot of people are brought up in a religious background where religion is not a choice, it is the way. A friend of my family's is a pastor yet he is bringing his children up completely free of religion so that they are free to make their own choices later. That is the sort of thing I want to see more of, not people who force their own choice upon others, like parents who have made a religious choice and force their children into it as well.
I don't think God would be sending people to hell if they didn't go to church 29374089732985 times a day or whatever or whether they have sex outside of marriage and all that. I think all He wants is for us, who may or may not be His creation, to live in peace with each other.
I think religion just shows how dependent people are on knowing the whys, hows, whats, wheres, etc. I know that it's difficult for some people to just deal with things as they are (and I'm one of these people - I have to know everything about everything), but I don't understand why these same people will turn to religion as the answer since there is hardly any proof to support its theories, just like the big bang and other such things. We can't know the answers to life, the universe and everything (and no it isn't 42) because we weren't there when it started. We will never have 100% proof of any theory.
How do we know that the Bible wasn't just a story told by a parent to their questioning children all those thousands of years ago? The children told other children, those who could write wrote bits down, it got passed along the generations, etc. etc. etc.
Madness, I tell you.