"How to grow our economy: Tell me what you think" (Really?)

Email from Kay Granger, "How to grow our economy:  Tell me what you think'

In all honesty, I doubt Ms Granger has anything to do with the way this plays out, but I just had to post this.

I received an email from her or so it led me to believe.  Included in the email is a survey indicating what I think is needed to grow the economy. There were a number of things listed.  In order to check the ones I felt were most important, it was necessary to reply.  So I pressed reply, checked the boxes by the things I thought were needed and then I sent it.

Please note, there was an UN-CLICKABLE  line  'Submit and join'.

So then I got this message:
"This email address is no longer active. If you wish to send Congresswoman Granger an email, please visit http://kaygranger.house.gov and click on Email Kay Granger. For immediate assistance, please call Congresswoman Granger's office at 817-338-0909 or 202-225-5071. "

Excuse me?

So now, if I want to let Ms Granger know what I think is needed, I have to go to the site mentioned, click email Kay Granger, copy everything from the email she sent to me and paste it into a form! After SHE sent me asking me to tell her what I think!

(In all honesty, there WAS a link to take the survey on the web, but paranoid soul that I am, I hardly ever click a link in email. Since I have never contacted Ms Granger or her office, this email seemed a bit 'spammy',  and how did they get my brand spanking new email address to which this email was sent?)

I don't think so.  What would you do?

Just another example of our incompetent Congress, or at least that is how it seems to me. At the very least there should be competent web/email handlers! But perhaps they feel the burden (once again) is on the tax payers to make our thoughts known.  In that case they are right.

But don't do it this way!

Martha

Been Waiting

At last the two Americans kidnapped by Iranian thugs and held for ransom are free.

I didn't want to say anything before just in case.

And the chief thug is trying to make himself look like a humanitarian.  What a joke!

I just hope that one day the people of Iran will one day be free of the tyrants.

Martha

A Hoax Gets Started

A hoax can get started with maybe a grain of truth.

I recently received an email about a dog leading so many folks to safety during the attack of 9/11. It was very well done, with a picture of the heroic dog included. The Hoax.

It was a stirring story, except it wasn't true. I usually check to see if stories are really true, but since this wasn't of the murdering madmen variety or any one of the type I usually get, I didn't check it out.  When someone brought my attention to the fact that it was a hoax, it burned me up.  There were clues in the original email that if I had checked, I would have known something was not kosher.

The email said the dog led some of those folks from the 112nd floor.  But how many people actually know that each tower had 110 floors? I didn't!

I should have known that if this story was really true, it would surely have been televised at least once!

Now I wonder if this hoax was based on another story (which may or may not be true) about a guide dog on 9/11. Guide Dog Led Owner Down Stairs on 9/11

The reference to this story (Excerpted from Ventura County Star, April 25, 2003) does not seem to be availble.  At least I didn't find it.

So maybe, since this article is to 'persuade people to raise guide puppies', the elaborate hoax about Daisy may have been done in order to get more people to raise guide puppies.  Unfortunately in this cas the untruth may have had the effect of making folks mad instead of getting the attention the hoaxer wanted.

Of course there is always the possiblility that someone just wants to 'be funny' and see how far the hoax will spread.

Martha

Letter to Advertisers on CNN

Have you noticed that some advertisers change up their commercials once in a while?  Like Geico does. Those commercials are clever and folks will watch and listen to them.

Not so for most of those commercials on CNN.

The EXTREMELY annoying one is for some firm showing all the people screaming out their windows, 'It's my money and I need it now'.

That one is the worst and I can't get to the mute button fast enough when that one is showing.

AARP Insurance is another one.  Same old, same old. Over and over again. Another one is the 'Do you owe the IRS more than $10,000? '. There are more, too numerous to name.

I have come to the conclusion these advertisers on CNN seem to be saying:

I need money (don't we all?), I owe the IRS huge sums of money (I don't!), I need one of those scammy reverse mortgages, (So I can pay the IRS?) I need a supplement insurance from AARP (it will cost a lot).

I guess they are saving  money by not making new commercials makes sense to them, but not to me! I wouldn't buy anything from them due to the annoyance factor!

I think I will just quit watching CNN!

Martha

Lost in Cyberspace

Somewhere between Gmail and Outlook, an email vanished. I looked everywhere, but to no avail. Since I always check Gmail in the AM before I open Outlook, I did see the email so I know it was there. It came yesterday into Gmail but it never came into my Outlook which stays open all day once I open it.

So where did it go? All of the other messages received in Gmail downloaded into Outlook, but not this one. It's not in the Inbox or the folder where it should have filtered. Not in the junk mail folder, the deleted folder or anywhere else. It just didn't download.

So now I am wondering. Did all of the extra stuff Google has added to Gmail 'break' something? Or is Outlook having hiccups?

So now I start to think; I have seen some replies to emails that I don't recall seeing. Hmm, I will check my Yahoo mail online. (I have two email accounts that download mail into Outlook.) I know I turned the SPAM filter off, but just in case I looked. There were 41 legitimate emails in the SPAM filter! Is Yahoo playing a 'gotcha' on me?

I reset the settings, so now I will check to see if more legitimate email goes to the SPAM filter. I think too much is happening with Google and Yahoo, each wanting to be a 'Social Network', and stuff may be getting broken along the way.

Power Tripping

The mess in Congress is not doing the American people any good. One way or another, they need to quit the power tripping and get the job done.  The people don't seem to matter any more, it's all 'my way or the highway'.

Especially with this guy!

Guess what, members of Congress.  We voted you in and we can vote you out.  Then where will your power trips be?

I just hope the current batch of 'do nothings' don't destroy America before we can oust them!

Martha

Why did you give that website my email address?

When you joined that social network, probably Facebook, did you give them my email address?  Why?  I didn't tell you that it was OK.

"Oh no", you say "I would never do that!"

Well, if you gave them the password for your email account, you just gave them 'my' email address, along with everyone else's email address in your address book.  Now the social network is spamming everyone in your address book.  While the spam is an invitation to join you on your social network, it is still spam.  And that spam goes to everyone more than once if the original spam is not accepted.

If you did give them your email password, (which has compromised your email account!) I highly recommend you get busy right away and change the email account password to something very secure so any hackers on the social network will not be able to steal your email account.

Sony's Got the Blues

I am wondering if Sony has managed to really tick off someone.  Either that or maybe they need to shell out some $$$ for really good security.

Just read the log of Sony's problems on this site, Sony's hacking woes mount after PSN breach.

Maybe North Korean students are practicing?  North Korea’s Overseas Cyber Warrior Training.

Wouldn't want to be a Sony IT person right now.

Martha

I Didn't Post That!

Several times I have seen posts on Facebook from folks who say "I Didn't Post That, please ignore it".

'That' is something malicious and I am wondering how 'that' managed to get posted from the user's account!

One thing could be the user has a weak password for Facebook.  But the users that posted "I didn't post that" are fairly computer savvy and should have used good passwords.

Now we are finding out that third party apps (like Farmville) are probably the culprits although they are probably not aware of the security issue.

Net-Security explains.

Egads, what next Facebook?

Martha

Stealing my email address!

There is a blog that was stealing posts from one of my Yahoo Groups.  In addition to private messages being exposed, so were email addresses.

Before this blog was set up I NEVER got SPAM for this email address.  Now I am getting SPAM, more than likely due to some web scrapping for email addresses.

Numerous requests have failed to remove this thieving blog.  We did stop the thief from posting more messages and email addresses, but the offending blog is still there.

Why Blogger?  Why won't you remove this scummy blog?  Do you want the spammers to have our email addresses?  Is it because it is a Yahoo group?

Martha

Can't Find Google

Some time back I wrote a post about 'Firefox cannot find the server'.

I had to go back to Firefox as it just has too much going for it the other browsers don't.  But I do use Opera and Chrome, rarely Internet Explorer (that ActiveX thing is still there) and rarely still, Safari.

Imagine my surprise when Google Chrome couldn't find Google!



Martha

 

 

SEO Sellers, Don't Bother!

I have a contact form on my website.

I was getting responses from so many folks trying to sell me SEO services I decided to add this line to the page:

"If you are trying to sell me an SEO service, don't bother, I won't reply!"

Since I am still getting requests to sell me SEO, I guess there is a bot looking for contact forms.

Since the form is completely filled out, is this an automated response? (How do they do that?) Or do these SEO folks just don't or can't read?

Martha

The Super Bowl is NOT in Dallas!

In spite of all the uninformed news media telling you the Super Bowl is being played in Dallas, it isn't true!

The Super Bowl is being played at the Cowboy's home stadium located in Arlington, Texas!  Arlington is NOT in Dallas!

Arlington is 20 miles west of downtown Dallas and is the 49th largest city in the United States.  It is also the home of the Texas Rangers, the International Bowling Campus (which houses the United States Bowling Congress, International Bowling Museum and the International Bowling Hall of Fame), the headquarters for American Mensa, and the theme parks Six Flags Over Texas (the original Six Flags) and Hurricane Harbor.  More...

Martha

Where's the Quality?

Remember that Wendy's commercial with the old lady wanting to know "Where's the Beef"?

Well, this old lady wants to know 'Where's the Quality?'

I purchased some Hanes pajamas for gifts in December.  This month (January) I have been patching and mending seams that were not sewn properly in said pajamas. Every pair. They fit loosely so it isn't a 'busting out' problem. They are always advertising on TV for Hanes underwear, but I suspect I have purchased Hanes pajamas for the last time. I think they need to spend less on advertising and more on quality control.

Appliances should last for more than five years without expensive repairs. However, the new dryer quit alerting me when the clothes were dry when it was less than two years old. The sensor that tells when the clothes are dry quit working when it was less than five years old. Now it is taking twice as long to dry clothes than it did when it was new five years ago.

The new washer sprang a leak, less than five years old.

The new refrigerator had to have a repair when it was three years old.

The new dishwasher had to be repaired less than five years old.

Oh yes, these appliances are all made by GE, which brand won't ever be purchased by me again. I just hope some company out there does make good appliances.

They don't make stuff like they used to when it was all made in the USA.

Martha

Nosy? Or Sneaky!

Much has been said about Facebook's privacy or lack thereof, but Facebook isn't the only place that wants all of your personal details.

I subscribe to a number of RSS feed and some of them are about security.

One of the these feeds is offering a free 'unofficial guide to Facebook privacy'.

To get the guide all you have to do is fill out a form.

Facebook only requires your name, age and a valid email address.

Although your birth date is not required, looks like they want a lot of information just to get a Facebook privacy guide!

What a sneaky way to get your employment details! And what will they do with all that information if a user provides it?

Martha

Things 'As Seen on TV' That I Don't Want

There are a lot of these things I don't want.

I don't want a Snuggie.  It might be OK, but the way it looks, it's long.  Since it is long I suspect I would sooner or later trip over that long part and fall.  If I used it, which I probably wouldn't.

I don't want a Chia pet, ever! I don't care what it is, I don't want one!

I certainly don't want a Clapper. 'Nuff said about that.

In fact, it is easier to say what I do want from things advertised on TV.

The list:

1.

That's it!

Martha

Gmail Blip?

Today I discovered something in Gmail that surely has me worried.

I use two Gmail accounts, one for personal stuff and the other for business related stuff. This has really worked just fine for the most part (except when I signed up for Coke Rewards and the spam gate opened!)

Generally Gmail handles the spam just fine.  I do look in the spam folder as occasionally a legitimate email goes to the spam filter, but not often.

But today something odd happened.  I have been having a problem with other websites hot-linking to my images so I have decided to 'watermark' all my images.  I am not really graphics inclined and all of the watermark files I have made are ok for some, but not for others.  So I have searched for a program that will do the trick for me and I found one reasonably priced so I bought it.

I of course had to provide an email address and I used the Gmail address I use for business.

I kept waiting for the confirmation email from the site, but it didn't show up.  Don't know why I decided to look in the Trash folder, but I did and there was the email I waited for.  In the Trash! I did NOT delete it!  In fact there were three emails from the vendor.  I could understand if I had found them in the Spam folder, but the Trash?

So now I am getting concerned about Gmail and I guess I will have to search the trash from now on. Hopefully this was a temporary blip, but now I feel I can't trust Gmail.

Martha