Machina improba

The Web

The return of 'bar'-style frames

Posted Tue, 04/28/2009 - 5:58pm by rernst

A while ago -- at approximately the same time -- Facebook and Digg both started using a 'Navigation Bar' plopped at the top of all their outgoing links. Anyone who will remember the late 90's on the web will find this tactic familiar. Why is it annoying? Because it steals traffic, that's why.

Detecting Internet Worms that block Websites

Posted Thu, 04/02/2009 - 3:35pm by rernst

In the past there have been several worms and viruses that block websites. Conficker is included in this list: it blocks access via the web to several major antivirus vendors' websites.

This means that there is a simple, web-based test to detect its presence:

http://www.confickerworkinggroup.org/infection_test/cfeyechart.html.

If you see all the images, you're not infected :).

Calling toll-free numbers with Skype

Posted Tue, 09/23/2008 - 4:52pm by rernst

It's interesting to note that you can apparently make free toll-free calls with skype, even if you don't have an active subscription to their service, or even any credit.

Might be useful if you're stuck without a phone and need to call one. Or for using those long-distance calling cards.

The ever-so-mistitled 'Domain Registry of Canada'

Posted Sun, 07/13/2008 - 12:24am by rernst

A few days ago, I got a letter from the 'Domain Registry of Canada' about a particular domain I'd registered (a .com) some time ago with a different registrar than I normally did. It was one of these:

http://support.easydns.com/domain.slammers/droc.php

Thinking 'oh, I meant to transfer this domain away from that registrar anyway' (because the registrar was expensive), I went to their website.

Industry Canada working overtime to remove copyright act criticism from wikipedia

Posted Thu, 06/05/2008 - 7:43am by rernst

Michael Geist picked up a story about how Industry Canada staff are systematically trying to edit Wikipedia pages, deleting criticism of the new 'Canadian DMCA'. I say 'systematically' because certain text was deleted multiple times after being restored, and the edits come from the same IP range. And it's limited to a few specific points: criticism *of* the proposed act, and the fact that nobody in Canada wants it: only the US Big Media conglomerates.

The importance of a web presence for small businesses

Posted Thu, 05/29/2008 - 3:23pm by rernst

In this day and age, everyone needs a presence on the 'net. Particularly small businesses.

There's no excuse. The Internet has been active for over 16 years, and has been mainstream for at least a decade. Broadband is near-ubiquitous, and web hosting for postcard-type websites is pennies a day.

I am:

  • Very busy
  • Always connected to the Internet
  • Have very specific needs
  • impatient
  • Expect to be able to communicate from anywhere, to anywhere

This leads me to conclude one thing:

Yes Facebook, that's Exactly what I want....

Posted Tue, 04/08/2008 - 4:22pm by rernst

I keep getting these annoying ads from time to time. You would think that facebook would know my 'Relationship Status' ("Engaged", for those of you who haven't Added me) since I set it.

The only way that Facebook would have a good reason to serve these ads is if they somehow profited from infidelity. I'll leave that to your imaginations.

C'mon facebook, I like Celtic music and I'm getting married: serve me that ad for Merimac.

The eBay shipping Ripoff Racket

Posted Thu, 02/07/2008 - 3:22pm by rernst

I swear, if I get one more package in the mail from an eBay seller with an 7x shipping cost markup, I'm going to scream.

The last package I got shipped from Florida, in a letter-sized bubble mailer for two tiny specialty screwdriver bits. What was the shipping cost? $10.00. What was the postage on the bubble mailer? $1.00.

I know a bubble mailer doesn't cost that much (50 cents maybe?). Combine this with 30 seconds to fill out the customs form, and another minute to tape all the address info to the package. Two minutes of work for $8. I gotta get myself in on this racket...

Weird domain names? Blame the domain squatters

Posted Sun, 01/20/2008 - 8:33am by rernst

There are a lot of complaints over the past few years about how startup sites are going with strange domain names: taking out vowels, coming up with original domain names.

In order to be memorable, there are two ways to approach getting a domain name: be original (e.g. 'strange') a la 'meebo', or have a common word or phrase. All the common dictionary words are gone, as are many common phrases. And where have they gone to? Domain squatters, mostly.

Why can’t I login with my email address?

Posted Wed, 01/16/2008 - 2:02pm by rernst

Every day, the forgot password? functionality on many different sites gets a workout. The symptom: people not being able to remember which of their 12 different usernames they used to register on a site. Reducing a user's memory load is an issue all too often ignored by developers. At the very least, it lets me pick the username I want if I can use the email address to log in.