Yahoo have released CentMail whereby people spend a cent to send an email. By using CentMail, the user's email then includes a signature containing a special key. An example of using CentMail might be to donate $5 to a charity of your choice in exchange for 500 tokens (I presume this allows users to send 500 emails).
The aim is to eradicate spam from in-boxes worldwide. Yahoo do not make money from CentMail as all proceeds go to charity.
In my opinion, this would only work if all users of email the world over used CentMail and all spammers said "no" to CentMail to avoid the cost. If this was the situation, all users could then add 1 filter to their email accounts that said, "if the CentMail signature is not present, then the email is junk". Filtering out spam would become a lot easier.
Unfortunately, I do not see enough people embracing the idea of donating to charity to purchase 'virtual' postage stamps. CentMail may therefore never successfully take off.
If anyone else has any thoughts, your comments are always welcome.
Thanks and take care,
--
Peter Heylin, BSc (Hons.), H.Dip, MSc
www.peterheylin.ie
www.peterheylin.com
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Nigerian 419 scam
Beware of the Nigerian 419 scam. Paul Hearns from TechCentral.ie discusses what the scammer will attempt to do in order to extort money.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
U.S. Marines ban Facebook, MySpace, Twitter | Zero Day | ZDNet.com
I can fully understand this ban by the US Marines. The security of Facebook leaves a lot to be desired. It is extremely easy for hackers to access users’ profiles and request money from people under false pretences. Facebook are aware of this problem, yet they have so far failed to provide any meaningful solution other than resetting the user’s password. If the hacker wished to gain access again, it would not be a problem. A password is not going to stop them, no matter how strong it is.
I know first hand of Facebook’s incompetence. When a profile is hacked, Facebook fail to react until after the 2nd or 3rd report by the user. During this time, the fraudster is continuing in their attempt to extort money from other people.
The hacker is capable of very quickly accessing a user’s profile and changing the email address and password associated with the account. This effectively locks the user out of their account. Due to the length of time it takes Facebook to stop the hacker, the hacker has time to contact all of the user’s contacts to request money no matter how many contacts there are.
U.S. Marines ban Facebook, MySpace, Twitter http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=3907
Monday, July 20, 2009
Where to buy computer equipment...
I frequently buy computer equipment and when I do I always use the same list of websites. I have listed them below:
www.computerbits.ie
They are based in Sligo in the north-west of Ireland. The service is friendly and quick. The prices are not overly expensive and items are dispatched quickly. My last order was placed on a Tuesday afternoon and I received the delivery of the item by Thursday afternoon.
www.komplett.ie
They have offices in various countries including an office in Dublin, Ireland. They have reputation for low prices. Their after-sales service and support is very good. They have very helpful staff. Delivery is also quick.
www.7dayshop.com
They are based in the UK and they sell low priced memory and disks. Delivery is quick.
www.ebay.ie
The popular on-line market place which allows people to snatch a bargain. Sellers I have used are extremely helpful and efficient.
I hope the above helps you to choose the right supplier when looking to buy computer equipment.
Go n'eirà an bothar leat,
Peter
www.computerbits.ie
They are based in Sligo in the north-west of Ireland. The service is friendly and quick. The prices are not overly expensive and items are dispatched quickly. My last order was placed on a Tuesday afternoon and I received the delivery of the item by Thursday afternoon.
www.komplett.ie
They have offices in various countries including an office in Dublin, Ireland. They have reputation for low prices. Their after-sales service and support is very good. They have very helpful staff. Delivery is also quick.
www.7dayshop.com
They are based in the UK and they sell low priced memory and disks. Delivery is quick.
www.ebay.ie
The popular on-line market place which allows people to snatch a bargain. Sellers I have used are extremely helpful and efficient.
I hope the above helps you to choose the right supplier when looking to buy computer equipment.
Go n'eirà an bothar leat,
Peter
Embracing Open Source software...
I recently installed Ubuntu 9 on an IBM Thinkpad (P3, 256 MB RAM) and it ran extremely smoothly. I increased the RAM to 1 GB and now the laptop is flying.
This same laptop had Windows XP Pro SP2 installed before I converted it to Linux. It was quite slow at running Windows XP.
Using Ubuntu 9 provides users with identical functionality as Windows, but without the extortionate cost! Everything installed on the IBM Thinkpad is open source software. I use Mozilla Firefox, GIMP, OpenOffice.org, Evolution Mail, Pidgin Internet Messenger, NetBeans IDE and many more.
Pidgin Internet Messenger allows the user to remain logged into multiple IM providers at once such as Google Talk, Y! Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, AIM etc.
OpenOffice.org provides includes all the same functionality as Microsoft Office including the ability to export documents as *.PDF files.
I believe there are security benefits to open source applications also. A recent example is the release of Firefox 3.5.1 to patch a security flaw. This was quickly spotted and fixed as developers worldwide seek to improve Firefox whereas Internet Explorer can only be patch by Microsoft personnel. It is the same story for OpenOffice.org and Microsoft Office regarding patching of security flaws.
Embrace open source! It's a true recession-buster!!
Take care,
Peter
This same laptop had Windows XP Pro SP2 installed before I converted it to Linux. It was quite slow at running Windows XP.
Using Ubuntu 9 provides users with identical functionality as Windows, but without the extortionate cost! Everything installed on the IBM Thinkpad is open source software. I use Mozilla Firefox, GIMP, OpenOffice.org, Evolution Mail, Pidgin Internet Messenger, NetBeans IDE and many more.
Pidgin Internet Messenger allows the user to remain logged into multiple IM providers at once such as Google Talk, Y! Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, AIM etc.
OpenOffice.org provides includes all the same functionality as Microsoft Office including the ability to export documents as *.PDF files.
I believe there are security benefits to open source applications also. A recent example is the release of Firefox 3.5.1 to patch a security flaw. This was quickly spotted and fixed as developers worldwide seek to improve Firefox whereas Internet Explorer can only be patch by Microsoft personnel. It is the same story for OpenOffice.org and Microsoft Office regarding patching of security flaws.
Embrace open source! It's a true recession-buster!!
Take care,
Peter
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Nokia - Quality Deterioration
I have spoken before about a lapse in the quality of Nokia products. It is clear that this is more than a simple lapse in the quality of these products. It is a serious deterioration in the level of quality.
I recently owned the Nokia 6070 mobile phone. After 1 year of use, the keys began sticking. This made using the phone practically impossible. This is NOT an isolated incident. I know 3 other people who also owned the Nokia 6070 and again after only 1 year, everyone experienced the same problem.
All people (myself included) were forced to purchase a new mobile phone. I feel that for the price of mobile phones, they should last longer than 1 year. The older models lasted for many years (for example, the 3210).
Is this a scam by Nokia to ensure people are forced to frequently spend money replacing inferior products?
Is the quality of Nokia's products simply deteriorating at a rapid rate?
Only Nokia know the truth, but will they ever share this with 'valued' customers?
I recently owned the Nokia 6070 mobile phone. After 1 year of use, the keys began sticking. This made using the phone practically impossible. This is NOT an isolated incident. I know 3 other people who also owned the Nokia 6070 and again after only 1 year, everyone experienced the same problem.
All people (myself included) were forced to purchase a new mobile phone. I feel that for the price of mobile phones, they should last longer than 1 year. The older models lasted for many years (for example, the 3210).
Is this a scam by Nokia to ensure people are forced to frequently spend money replacing inferior products?
Is the quality of Nokia's products simply deteriorating at a rapid rate?
Only Nokia know the truth, but will they ever share this with 'valued' customers?
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