A Bad Day With Windows...

I saw this today and thought it was funny hope you do to you might have to click on the image so you can see it..

Conficker Worm a bust? - But still out there?

This came from one of the other blogs I read here Its an interesting take on the panic that sets in when people hear the word "Computer Virus" Of course we all know that ALL media outlets blow every thing out of proportion! i some times think if the media would just shut up about the economy things would get better.

I want you to imagine that there is a parasite that can invade your body and reside in there indefinitely. Once in your body, it could give you a heart attack, it could poison your blood stream, or it could make your liver fail. Once the parasite was discovered to be in the wild, doctors discovered that you could avoid getting the parasite by simply washing your hands before you ate. They also figured out that the parasite was going to change shape on a certain day. As that day approaches, people who haven’t been washing their hands go into a panic. They don’t know if they have the parasite or not. They start running to quack doctors who say they’ll make sure to protect these people against the worm if the potentially infected individuals just buy a prescription subscription for a special drug. After the parasite changes shape, though, no one’s had a heart attack or failed liver yet. So all the parasite-infected people celebrate that the parasite hasn’t done anything.

What?! Did I miss something?

Yes, the scenario I’ve just described in biological terms is exactly what just happened with the Conficker worm that’s infected an estimated 10 million Windows computers.

Microsoft discovered a flaw in its operating system and patched the flaw back in October 2008. The latest iteration of the Conficker worm, which takes advantage of this flaw, began surfacing around November 2008 and kept infecting Windows computers for months. The experts all knew that on April 1, 2009 the infected computers would have the worm checking for updated instructions from its creators.

Then the panic came in. Oh, no! It’s coming! It’ll be the end of the internet as we know it. I’m turning off my computer that day. If I buy this antivirus software will it protect me? Hide the children! Oh. Nothing happened? It has the power to attack and bring down major websites and government systems or steal personal information but nothing appeared to happen today? Oh. Okay. It was a big joke then. Ha ha. Who cares if I’m infected? I’m just going to go on my merry way.

Uh, no. First of all, Windows users should regularly install Windows updates. This was patched even before it was a real threat. And it doesn’t matter if the world didn’t seem to end today. The Conficker worm has the power to do serious damage, and no one knows when it’ll decide to do that damage or what kind of damage it will decide to do. It doesn’t mean you fly into a panic as if it were Orson Welles’ reading of War of the Worlds. But it doesn’t mean you go on your merry, care-free way either.

Educate yourself. Protect yourself. Be sensible. Conficker is dangerous but instead of flying into blind paranoia, just take practical and level-headed steps to protect your computer and your personal information. Silent can still be deadly, and I’m not just talking about flatulence.

And this comment was left on the same blog and brings up a good point.

Of course the worse part in the general media is that they call this a “computer virus or worm” it isn’t, it is a “Windows virus or worm”.

No sign of it here on Ubuntu.

I am just glad that with using Ubuntu I don't have to worry about a virus or anti virus software so much.

New Ubuntu 8.10 "Intrepid"

I am really kind of getting into this whole Ubuntu / Linux thing. October 31st Canonical Ltd. released a new edition of Ubuntu a Linux based OS for computers called Intrepid Ibx Ver. 8.10 for desktops. I was using the older version 8.04 Hardy Haron and was happy with that. So this weekend I took the plunge I backed up everything in my "Home Folder" And ran the update. Things did not go well with the update once it was done I had no video unless I started up in "Failsafe Mode" I gave up on trying to get the update to work and did a clean install of Ubuntu 8.10 because after all I had backed up EVERYTHING in my "Home Folder" So there was no need to worry about losing anything.

Once I did a clean install things seemed to work just fine and as a matter of fact I had to do far less playing around with things to get them to work. Video play back with 8.10 seems much better and also a sound issue I was having is gone. And after some more reading I found out if I had followed directions durning the update that the update it self would have worked fine. But you know us men we don't read direction unless we are about to break something and even then we might go ahead and break what ever it is we are working on. After all we are men who needs direcions LOL.


Everyone have a great day! & great week!

Names For Microsoft - Couldn't help it

So being new to Ubuntu (another operating system for your computer) I spend a good bit of time looking around in "help forums" They are allot of help sometimes and help me get things rolling when it comes to using Linux and Ubuntu.

There are also some funny things I have found. ie. Hard core Linux users do NOT like Microsoft, Bill Gates, or anything to do with Windows.

I thought it would be funny to post some of the other names I have seen for Microsoft and or Windows.

• Windblows
• M$soft (My guess is the $ is for the fact that Windows costs so much and Linux is free)
• Microshaft (Again I think this has to do with the amount of money you have to spend on Windows)
• Windoze
• The other OS
• Micro-sith
• Bill The Snake Gates
  

These were just a few but I am sure there are more I like Windblows myself LOL
of course there are the people in the Linux community That don't think it is a good idea to make fun of Microsoft or Windows but I say hey they are big boys they can handle it.

Everyone have a great day
D

Just some rambling

Well it has been awhile since I blogged so I thought I would just ramble a bit. There is nothing really of any importance in todays post.

As many of you know I play around a good bit with the MMPOG - Secondlife there are so many things you can do in Secondlife and really its not just game play there is really lots of interesting things you can do. Like listen to live music (I know you can do that in RL) (Real life) too. However allot of the singers that sing within Secondlife are not your typical mega stars that you would hear on the radio. I would highly recommend if you have the time to check it out you can get a free account on their web site. One of the things that I have been messing with in the game is taking pictures yes you can take pictures if you are good they can be very stunning . Along with taking those pictures I have been using some photo editing software called Gimp. I have been messing with adding layers and boarders to the pictures I take. In turn I am hoping that this will also help me make the pictures I take in RL better. Some of the pictures I havve taken within Secondlife are:



The photo on the top was taken in Secondlife the only thing I added using Gimp was the Lens Flare (sun reflection) & the pink boarder
The photo second one down (is me as a dragon in Secondlife) I added a lens flare and boarder to that one as well
The photo third one down is Moriah Cosmos (Amy) In Secondlife
The photo at the bottom is me again (yes I have hair in Secondlife) LOL
Thats why its called Secondlife you can look however you want.

I am also staying a little more busy at work then I had been and on the home front I am still trying to get everything working with Ubuntu. I have gone through great pains switching my operating system on my home computer from Windows to Ubuntu but it is worth it each week I get something else working and break two more things LOL. Oh and one more link before I am done for those that want to know why I would go through the pain of trying to use Ubuntu see the site "Why Linux is Better"

Edit: I will say this before someone tries Secondlife and says to me "Hey my Secondlife does not look like that when I log in!"

If you want to get even close to the type of clarity, video, and water refections in the pictures above you need a high end graphics card and a high end PC to be able o have the kind of experience in Secondlife thats in these pictures.

What was I thinking

So every once in awhile I do something stupid (hush Amy) & (Mom) I made up my mind about two weeks ago to switch to a new computer Operating System called Ubuntu. Ubuntu is a free Open Source Operating System based on the Unix Platform. This software platform has come a long way from its early days. And has become more like Microsoft Windows in the way it looks and feels. And the big selling point is it's FREE to download and install.

However with all that being said I have found the change to be a very daunting task I would not recommend this kind of change for the novice computer user who knows very little about how things work. I am not a computer programmer or an IT person but I have done a good bit of work with network systems and Windows Operating Systems over the years. It is the initial setup that will get you. Ubuntu more then likely will not install and run on your computer right out of the box as they say. And downloading and installing drivers or even finding drivers is not easy as well.

I think though if I can get passed the setup part of it that I will enjoy using an operating system that so far seems to be much more stable then windows and I know that Microsoft's pockets are not getting deeper by buying more of their software.


Hope everyone is having a good day
~dan