Michael Gracie

The American Thinker points out that Ben Domenech, the “Red State” blogger who took a spot at the Washington Post only to resign this morning after he was outed for blatant plagiarism, is guilty of multiple transgressions. Too bad - he should have thought before he copied.

Unfortunately, the blogosphere is abuzz with commentary on the virtriol Domenech sometimes spewed, and later regreted.

“There is not a blogger on this planet who has not written something and then regretted hitting the “publish” button. The immediacy and speed with which blogs cover and comment on issues sometimes leads to writing stupid, emotional posts full of ad-hominem attacks and vituperative digressions from the facts.”

I don’t condone - in fact I denounce the guy’s actions - he may win the Press Plagiarist of the Year Award after only a few days on the job - that could be a record. But, it is getting apparent that people are going too far - using the tools given them to seek and destroy.

We are quickly forgetting we are human, and this will only get worse. Many are laughing now - but their turn will come up soon.

“You cannot always prevent people from speaking evil about you, but you can live so that their stories will be false.” — Unknown

Lookee there. I don’t even know who the hell said that, but how damn easy is it to give a little credit anyway? Too damn easy.

What a sad, pathetic bunch, on all sides. Someone thinks they won here, but in the grand scheme, everyone will turn out the loser.

It what may be the most brazen violation of privacy terms I have ever heard of, Gratis Internet of Washingon D.C. has been accused of selling data on millions of its customers, despite a privacy policy that says it wouldn’t do so.

The sites collecting the now well-distributed data include FreeiPods.com, FreeCDs.com, FreeDVDs.com and FreeVideoGame.com - you know, those bastions of the new economy who business models are, well, more than a little obvious.

Of course, Eliot Spitzer is the guy doing the accusing, and while we know what his motivations are, you gotta love him nonetheless.

Everyone knows that I think bureaucrats could use some productivity training. But damn, do I love it when they fine the crap out of someone for spamming and spyware (and even for giving away personal data). The FTC just dispensed their biggest fine yet under CAN-SPAM. The perp was Jumpstart Technologies, an internet marketer who deployed emails akin to those fake “handwritten letters” you get in the regular mail every now and then.

A thank you is in order. So everyone….Thank You FTC (but don’t rest on your laurels).

First, a million PC trojan spewing botnet is discovered hiding under the porch. While it is trying to get unsnagged from a stray nail (Uncle Bill never could use a hammer right), another botnet, slightly swifter at only 650,000 strong, runs up and knocks at the door.

I’d say turn off the computer, and pull out the M. Night Shyamalan movie collection. It is going to be a long year.
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The new “spam gadget” being pitched here, called Spam Cube, might be nice. It might work. Great.

But saying that…

“Most solutions are software-based and run on your PC, requiring a yearly subscription licence”

…simply isn’t correct.

Most solutions run on (or rely on) the servers processing your email. Those solutions are managed by a bunch of folks that deserve big high-fives for keeping an extra million spams from hitting your inbox each day - a million spams that a desktop solution wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of thwarting.

Next sales pitch please.

I am not sure if Guy Kewney is trying to one-up Bill Gates, or leave readers’ heads spinning, but the point of this post doesn’t match the title. Maybe sensationalism at work, because the feed hit my aggregator forthwith.

Yes, it will mean that people will send advertising to you; but the problem with advertising isn’t just “it’s advertising!” - it’s the amount.

One advert a day, I probably won’t notice. It’s three hundred a day that makes email unmanageable; and no marketing operation can afford to send three hundred emails to every user on the planet every day, if it costs on a per-mail basis.

If Goodmail changes advertising from 300 a day to one a day, then nobody will mind. If paid-for mail still runs at 300 a day, people will drop AOL and other Goodmail customers, and move to other ISPs who don’t allow it.

Sounds like someone is under the impression that the Goodmail method creates an open door to “@Whatever_Url_Is_Paying.com” to spam anyone and everyone.

Then again, maybe my reading comprehension skills have just gone to shit.

But it isn’t the weather, which is a balmy 21F right now. The fact that Windows drivers are near completion for what is being touted as the fastest XP laptop around, I can feel that burning sensation in my pocket once again.

The fact that Microsoft doesn’t have a Virtual PC solution for the new Intel-based MacBooks, likely won’t have one (considering the news, it seems a bit futile, eh), and that I have one major service provider that refuses to move off ActiveX windowing for something purely web-based, burns me as well.

What must PC manufacturers are thinking right now is beyond me, but if I was a betting man I’d say they are feeling the heat too.

Working on security issues may be a thankless job, but publicity and fame might be just around the corner.

StopBadware.org, that coalition of smarties aiming to, uh, stop badware in its tracks, is about to release its first report. This report is rumored to contain a doosie - that P2P file sharing software like Kazaa may contain spyware!

The group will recommend..

“that users stay away from Kazaa and three other programs that can be combined with Trojans and bots for use in data theft attacks.”

Damn, am I glad those guys are around. Who would of thought?
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According to a report circulating the AP wire, Claria (formerly Gator) is exiting the adware business. They’ve hired Deutsche Bank Securities to “sell” that business. They want to concentrate their efforts on something called “PersonalWeb,” which is driven by their “new ad network,” aptly named “BehaviorLink”.

How are they going to make these new and different personal and behavioral things happen ever so wonderously, now that they are disposing of their adware business? According to Techdirt, with new, but not so different, software installs that track your surfing habits, thats how.

Sounds to me like spin, ala 180Solutions, all over again.