November 28, 2002
You know what's annoying?
I've been getting Klez virus attachments from this AOL user for a few months. I thought about just blackholing her, but I felt kind of bad. I should help the other people in her address book by pointing out the problem to her, and giving her instructions to clean and patch her machine.
She won't listen.
The conversation?
(21:16:58) ReidMe1st: Hi. Your computer has a virus. Please go to http://www.windowsupdate.com and update windows/outlook express. Then go to http://www.mcafee.com and download a virus scanner.
(21:17:22) Cara1188: you are a dork!
(21:19:54) Cara1188: are you there???
(21:20:10) Cara1188: you do no that u r a dork, dont you?
(21:20:30) ReidMe1st: heh
(21:20:40) ReidMe1st: of course
(21:20:46) ReidMe1st: but you still have a virus
(21:20:59) Cara1188: no i dont!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(21:21:02) ReidMe1st: yep you do
(21:21:04) ReidMe1st: sorry to tell you
(21:21:17) Cara1188: shut the Hell UP!
So what do you do when someone has a virus and won't acknowledge it? I have a suggestion. Add her to your buddy list. Let her know what's up, give her instructions on how to clean her box. I've pasted a mail header below in case anyone has any doubts....
Anyway, I've come to the conclusion that the real problem isn't Microsoft, it's the users. We linux zealots claim better security, but in reality we could have an equally safe box running Win2k (or MacOS X). It's because we know what we're doing.
Anyway I'm saying what's been said before, so I'll stop. But, if you have a spare minute, hail poor Cara1188 and try to coax her into patching her computer. If she doesn't, then the terrorists have already won!
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From: Grizzrsc <XXX@aol.com>
Subject: A jungle in there. Will Ginger be able to keep
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Hiking Mount Whitney, 2007 
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Coming to America, 2003
Protesting in Berlin, 2003
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Dresden, 2002
Recent Reading
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The Curve of Binding Energy
John McPhee follows famous physicist Ted Taylor in this piece that was -- and probably still -- ahead of its time.
Originally published in 1973, McPhee outlined the coming security and environmental issues surrounding the plutonium enrichment processes. For the most part, though, McPhee invites the reader to draw his or her own conclusions, although he does point out the ease with which any number of people could obtain the material (though not necessarily the manufacturing prowess) to make an atomic weapon.
The question still sits in my mind after reading -- are we being too paranoid, or not paranoid enough?
Rated 
by reid
on October 01, 2007
by reid
on October 01, 2007
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Zodiac
Zodiac touts itself as an 'eco-thriller,' and it is just that. Told from the first-person perspective of ST (or Sangamon Taylor), the book recounts a roughly six-month period of his life busting big corporations for violating environmental laws.
Not the tree-hugging political activist type, ST is equipped with chem labs, scuba divers, maps, and an organization (GEE International, the Group of Environmental Extremists) that masterfully brings the press into the fold to scare the public with the very real dangers posed by illegal dumping. It's sort of a Sierra Club member's wet dream -- a band of ecowarriors that actually get things done.
ST finds something odd happening in Boston Harbor during his tale: a new form of pollution that could poison everyone on the planet in a matter of weeks. His quest to uncover exactly who and what is causing the latest spike in toxins goes all the way up to the President of the United States, and could end up costing him his own life.
While a neat and fast-paced tale, the novel drags on a bit toward the end, begging disbelief from even the most forgiving sci-fi folk. While not as good as his latest offerings, it's still a great read for those that enjoy a good Stephenson novel (or even those who don't).
Rated 
by reid
on July 17, 2005
by reid
on July 17, 2005
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Cat's Cradle
A few years ago, I attempted to woo an online datee, and she immediately criticized me for my politics. I protested the war on Iraq, which was "a shame." She defended her position of complete noninvolvement by standing behind Vonnegut.
It may seem odd to open a review that way. My assumption is now not that she was an idiot, but that she had only read Cat's Cradle, and only with a rather odd viewpoint.
Cat's Cradle looks at a cold-war world where the personifications of religious, political, and scientific single-mindedness collide to destroy the world.
Vonnegut tells a masterful tale, but it makes me wonder what one person's indifference would do to prevent us from all dying? So for now I will continue to unblindly stop unjust wars, even while I'm only reading.
Rated by reid
on July 17, 2005
by reid
on July 17, 2005