Technology Bugs

[Guest.Visitor]

** This thread discusses the article: Technology Bugs (http://www.mcpressonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1214) **
If you are so sick of the spam, you might want to explore the services of some email service providers who provide unlimited email addresses for a small sum per year. My cousin is one of such persons whose nerves can not stand junk mail. So he pays $35 a year to an email service provider. In return, when he has to order something from bestbuy, he will create a email address bestbuy@ihatespam.com. After completion of transaction, he will delete that account and then open another one called bestbuy2@ihatespam.com etc. Now bestbuy may sell his address to some sucker who can send viagra ads only to see it being returned as invalid email. I send email to hassan@ihatespam.com. If he would receive spam on this address, he will delete the address and give me hassan2@ihatespam.com only and only if I can come up with a good explaination as to how did the addres, known only to me, got into the hand of a spammer.

[fujimojw@ah.org]

** This thread discusses the article: Technology Bugs (http://www.mcpressonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1214) **
I have had excellent luck with with GMail. It includes a spam filter that has caught all but about 3 spam messages in the last several months and only had 2 false positives (and I can easily understand why it thought those two were spam). I don't have need of any secondary spam filters. Also you can give out a special form of your gmail address so that you'll know who sold it if it starts getting spam. If you address is foo@gmail.com and you give your address to bestbuy you could give them foo+bestbuy@gmail.com. You'll still get the email at your gmail address, but you'll be able to see who is sending stuff to that address. Another idea for helping to fend off spam from an untainted email address is to never give it out to anyone but your most trusted friends. For any situations when you need to give an email address and you don't have any need to keep the email private you can use mailinator.com. Just make up an address (such as fefifofum@mailinator.com) and give it to them. Then go to mailinator.com and check for any email sent to that address. Anyone can see the email if they look at the right address, but any spam sent to that address will just get deleted after a bit and never bother you. (There are other similar services as well.)

[Guest.Visitor]

** This thread discusses the article: Technology Bugs (http://www.mcpressonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1214) **
Joel, Look on the bright side...you said you were going to "walk to Starbucks"...You have a Starbucks within walking distance!

[Guest.Visitor]

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"Doesn't EVERYBODY have at least one Starbucks within walking distance?". In Toronto downtown maybe yes, outside no. In neighboring city of Hamilton, HELL NO!. It is a Tim Horton city and if you throw a cap in air there, the chances are that it will land on a Time Horton customer.

[Guest.Visitor]

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Ofcourse it is unpatriotic to not love Tim Horton. But ofcourse you are a third generation Canadian by birth whereas I am a first generation Canadian by choice. A decade ago when I took oath for my Canada, I pledged my allegiance not only to the Queen, Tim Hortons, and ice hockey, I also pledged my allegiance to practice "aye" and Canadian humor. Well since you atleast practice the last one, I guess I can still certify your patriotism. I stopped drinking coffee when I had a heart palpitation. I consulted the doctor thinking I had a cardiac arrest. He gave me a clean bill of health but told me to stop drinking coffee or any other form of caffeine. Being the patriot Canadian that I am, I ask my elder son who still lives in Canada to bring some Tim Hortons when he comes to pay me a visit. I then drink it once in a while as a patriotic ritual. I also tell him to record "Royal Canadian Air Farce" but it has not happened yet. I tell my younger son, who lives with me, to watch hockey because when he grows up, he will have to go back to Canada.

[Guest.Visitor]

** This thread discusses the article: Technology Bugs (http://www.mcpressonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1214) **
Once a Newfoundlander asked me, "Do you know why we Newfies are such good comedians?". I gave him a long list of socio-econonic-blah-blah reasons including their tradition of good Canadian humor. He shook his head and said, "No, we can get away with whatever we say by saying, 'Hey I am a Newfie, we DO talk stupid things' ". Ron James has this advantage of being a Newfoundlander. He will get away with what he said about Starbucks. So for the Starbucks haters, their website www.ihatestarbucks.com has a whole list of alternates to Starbucks even in the States where there is no Tim Horton. Visit this site when you next plan the trip to South. http://www.ihatestarbucks.com/other_choices.php

[Guest.Visitor]

** This thread discusses the article: Technology Bugs (http://www.mcpressonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1214) **
Yes I am aware of the tradition of Newfoundland aka "The Rock" in producing quality comedians. Actually there was a documentary on CBC a long time ago about this matter. I wonder if you remember that. I think in the long list, Rick Mercer stands out. Ofcourse none of those comedians said anything like what I quoted, but the joke of my Newfoundlander friend made me think that maybe if Ron James get into trouble, he will bail out by saying this. A very old stale joke. A king got angry with his comedian and ordered his death. The comedian asked for the choice of death in view of the smiles he brought all those years. The king agreed and the comedian chose "death by old age". Comedians get away with whatever they said, and that is my point.

[Guest.Visitor]

** This thread discusses the article: Technology Bugs (http://www.mcpressonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1214) **
Hockey is nothing more than boxing on ice. Don Rickles used to make fun of hockey by calling people "hockey pucks" to insult them. Rickles once said that hockey was only good if you want to eat soup without opening your mouth. Tom. Here are some temperature conversions: 50° Fahrenheit (10° C) • New Yorkers try to turn on the heat. • Canadians plant gardens. 40° Fahrenheit (4.4° C) • Californians shiver uncontrollably. • Canadians Sunbathe. 35° Fahrenheit (1.6° C) • Italian Cars won't start • Canadians drive with the windows down 32° Fahrenheit (0 ° C) • Distilled water freezes • Canadian water get thicker. 0° Fahrenheit (-17.9° C) • New York City landlords finally turn on the heat. • Canadians have the last cookout of the season. -40° Fahrenheit (-40° C) • Hollywood disintegrates. • Canadians rent some videos. -60° Fahrenheit (-51° C) • Mt. St. Helens freezes. • Canadian Girl Guides sell cookies door-to-door. -100° Fahrenheit (-73° C) • Santa Claus abandons the North Pole. • Canadians pull down their ear flaps. -173° Fahrenheit (-114° C) • Ethyl alcohol Freezes. • Canadians get frustrated when they can't thaw the keg. -460° Fahrenheit (-273° C) • Absolute zero; all atomic motion stops. • Canadians start saying "cold, eh?" -500° Fahrenheit (-295° C) • Hell freezes over. • The Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup.

[H.Boldt]

** This thread discusses the article: Technology Bugs (http://www.mcpressonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1214) **
Joel: When I read "Starbucks" in your missive, I assumed you had originally written "Tim Hortons" but your editor changed it to something more of your readers would recognize. Comedian Ron James had this to say about Starbucks: "I only go to Starbucks to see what the world would be like if Hitler had won the war!" I could say more, but I think that just about says it all. Cheers! Hans

[H.Boldt]

** This thread discusses the article: Technology Bugs (http://www.mcpressonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1214) **
Joel: I think you might have missed one point in my last comment: Ron James, the speaker of that comment on Starbucks, is a comedian. It's the job of a comedian to make people laugh (and sometimes think), and James does a very good job of that. He may not be the most politically correct comedian, and I don't always agree with him, but when he gets into his rants, he is hilariously funny. You can occasionally see him on the Comedy Network (http://www.thecomedynetwork.ca/). Oh yeah, I forgot. You don't watch television. Ever hear of a television? It's a handy invention. I should show you how it works sometimes! (Adapting a rant by Oscar Leroy, a character on Corner Gas (http://www.cornergas.com/).) ;-) Cheers! Hans

[H.Boldt]

** This thread discusses the article: Technology Bugs (http://www.mcpressonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1214) **
Hassan: There are a number of very funny people from the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, including Ron James, Rick Mercer, Shaun Majumder, Cathy Jones, and Mary Walsh (to name a few). But as far as I know, none of them has actually said 'Hey I am a Newfie, we DO talk stupid things'. None of this bunch fits the typical east coast hoser stereotype that you might associate with the likes of the Trailer Park Boys. In fact, some, like Rick Mercer, have a more urban, central Canada style of humor. BTW, I don't hate Starbucks. I just don't like the idea of having to learn a whole new vocabulary if I want a simple cup of coffee. But just in case I really need a caffeine fix and the only available place is a Starbucks, how exactly do I order a small black coffee? Cheers! Hans

[tdr_01@yahoo.com]

** This thread discusses the article: Technology Bugs (http://www.mcpressonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1214) **
I live in a county with a population of 150,000 people and we have two Starbucks. One opened about two years ago in a college bookstore and one opened about two months ago. Neither of these are within walking distance for me. In fact, one of them is really not walkable for anyone. It is located right on a side street near the entrance ramp to a major highway. And who is this Tim Horton anyway?

[tdr_01@yahoo.com]

** This thread discusses the article: Technology Bugs (http://www.mcpressonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1214) **
"Tim Horton (now deceased) was a hockey star who opened a donut shop." "There are a few Tim Hortons in the U.S. It's everywhere in Canada." Hockey and Canada. That probably explains why this American never heard of Tim Horton. Hockey is considered a second-tier sport in the US by most people. (I'm not sure why, given our affinity for rough and tumble sports). Although I think hockey is fun to watch. And we seem to ignore our neighbors to the north. (Again, I'm not sure why. Canada is a good friend to the US. And I find Canada to be a classier version of the US in some respects.)

[J.Klebanoff]

** This thread discusses the article: Technology Bugs (http://www.mcpressonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1214) **
Ralph, Yes, between my 3 spam filters my spam was way down for a while, but it's crept back up again as the spammers have found ways to bypass the filters. I hadn't really thought about disabling stuff. I like that idea. Although, I figure that the only way to be completely safe is to disable absolutely everything and go for a walk. That sounded like a good idea to me until I thought about the implications for earning a living. ;) Joel

[J.Klebanoff]

** This thread discusses the article: Technology Bugs (http://www.mcpressonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1214) **
Mary Ann, I'm sorry, I don't understand. Doesn't EVERYBODY have at least one Starbucks within walking distance? Oh sure, there may be a few remote villages in third world countries without one, but that must be it, right? I have a Starbucks about a block a way. If you count "walking distance" as 15 minutes walk, I have at least six Starbucks within walking distance, more if I walk briskly. That's how I know that all is right with the world. Next you're going to tell me you have to drive to do shopping, take in a movie or eat at a restaurant. Come on, how naive do you think I am? ;) Joel (aka the downtown urban snob)

[J.Klebanoff]

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You mean that the world doesn't end beyond the edge of downtown Toronto? Damn! Now I've got to change the very foundations of my thinking.

[J.Klebanoff]

** This thread discusses the article: Technology Bugs (http://www.mcpressonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1214) **
Nope, there was no editorial change. I'm a loyal Starbucks fan. I know it's considered unpatriotic, but I much prefer Starbucks coffee to Tim Horton's. I just think it tastes better. I like strong coffee. (When I'm in the U.S. and somewhere that has a Peet's outlet, I consider it an equal to Starbucks and I'm happy to give my business to Peet's, but Peet's is not here.) As to the Hitler comment, my parents were born here, but if Hitler had won the war and exported his ideas to North America, I probably wouldn't be here. Come to think of it, Howard Schultz, the chairman and the person who built the humble Seattle coffee store into the powerhouse it is today, probably wouldn't be here either. Therefore, James' comment is insulting and wrong. End of discussion.

[J.Klebanoff]

** This thread discusses the article: Technology Bugs (http://www.mcpressonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1214) **
Hi Hassan, Yes, there are a couple of advantages to being a native born Canadian rather than a Canadian by choice. For example, about six years ago my brother-in-law got his Canadian citizenship and I saw for the first time what, if my memory serves me, was the citizenship oath. As part of it, the holder promised to uphold three core Canadian values. I forget what the first two were. I think they were something like peace and freedom, or words to that effect. But I do remember the third, it was compassion. As a native born Canadian, I didn't have to take the oath, so I'm not bound by it. That means that I can keep my Canadian citizenship without being compassionate. It gives me a kind of freedom that you don't have. ;)

[J.Klebanoff]

** This thread discusses the article: Technology Bugs (http://www.mcpressonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1214) **
I'm sure one of my fellow Canadians will want to pipe in on this, but Tim Horton (now deceased) was a hockey star who opened a donut shop. Tim Hortons (it doesn't use an apostrophe in it's name) has expanded its menu to include soups and sandwiches. Tim Hortons is a major Canadian icon. In fact, some Canadians who don't get particularly excited when seeing the Canadian flag or hearing the national anthem, will place their hands over their hearts when they pass a Tim Hortons or even hear the name. That's a bit funny because for about 10 years it was owned by Wendy's, which is an American company. Wendy's recently spun Tim Hortons off as a separate entity (it distributed the last of the shares to Wendy's shareholders just a couple of weeks ago). Tim Hortons trades on both the Toronto and New York stock exchanges, but considering less than 20% of the IPO shares were sold on the open market and the rest were distributed to Wendy's shareholders, I suspect that most of the shares are still not held by Canadians. So the Canadian icon status is a bit ironic. There are a few Tim Hortons in the U.S. It's everywhere in Canada.

[J.Klebanoff]

** This thread discusses the article: Technology Bugs (http://www.mcpressonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1214) **
<blockquote><tt>Hockey is considered a second-tier sport in the US by most people. </tt></blockquote> I think I can speak on behalf of my fellow Canadians when I say we would be happy to have you come up for a visit. Just a warning if you do: I'm not much of a sports fan myself, so you wouldn't have a problem with me, but there are places in Canada (namely any sports bar during hockey season) where referring to hockey as a second-tier sport would be considered to be fighting words. ;)

[J.Klebanoff]

** This thread discusses the article: Technology Bugs (http://www.mcpressonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1214) **
<blockquote><tt>Hockey is nothing more than boxing on ice. </tt></blockquote> One comedian, I forget who (I Googled it and at least a couple of sites said it was Rodney Dangerfield), said, "I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out." <blockquote><tt>-500° Fahrenheit (-295° C) </tt></blockquote> <blockquote><tt>• Hell freezes over. • The Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup. </tt></blockquote> Very funny. Very funny. Of course, its wrong. Hell will freeze over long before the Maple Leafs win another Stanley Cup.

[R.Daugherty]

** This thread discusses the article: Technology Bugs (http://www.mcpressonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1214) **
Lots of interesting topics there, Joel. I am surprised that people still complain about spam. My ISP offers Postini which is an extra couple of bucks a month but it catches all spam plus everyone I designate as spam. More importantly, it lets almost all good email through (not too many false positives, as they say. Sounds like a rant in there somewhere). Spam was way down for awhile but recently picked up big time. Which gets me to the next point. Most of that spam is not really an attempt to persuade you to buy something, but to own your computer and you along with it. I've lost track of how many ways they are doing it now. All I know is is that I've disabled a lot of stuff in Windows recently. Which gets me to my next point. A video with audio played when I visited a tech site recently. I haven't disabled enough yet. rd

[R.Daugherty]

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Starbucks is around the corner both from my apartment in Jacksonville and my job a few miles away. And for the company I worked for in Columbus it was actually in the company building lower level. Tim Horton's is a lot more affordable, though. And better food. They were also all over Columbus after Wendy's bought them. rd

[MCWebsite.Staff]

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[David Abramowitz]

** This thread discusses the article: Technology Bugs (http://www.mcpressonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1214) **
But they didn't call them comedians back then. The reason they were able to get away with anything is that the occupation was that of "fool" or "foole". The hat worn by fooles was representative of impotency, and an inferior human being. None had to heed his message, or pay any attention to his existence. Today of course it is different. We have many names for fooles. Feel free to fill in the blanks. Dave

[J.Klebanoff]

<blockquote><tt>We have many names for fooles. </tt></blockquote> <blockquote><tt>Feel free to fill in the blanks. </tt></blockquote> As anyone who knows me will tell you, I'm totally neurotic. When you said "We have many names for fools. Feel free to fill in the blanks," you weren't thinking of "Joel Klebanoff" as one of those names, were you? Or were you?

[R.Daugherty]

how exactly do I order a small black coffee? saying small black coffee works, though they will ask you if you want room left for cream, so something is lost in the translation. rd

[David Abramowitz]

Actually I was thinking of those who amuse us, much as the fooles of medieval times. Some may fill in the blanks with politicians, political pundits, project leaders, or even Joel Klebanoff! I could never say any of that. ;-) Dave

[Guest.Visitor]

Actually a jester in Indian courts was a very knowledgeable, extremely sharp witted, and morally strong person. He played the role of a fool and said things to correct the king that ordinary courtiers dare not, out of the fear for their life. He was appointed by god fearing kings who feared that they might be corrupted but if coutiers kept correcting them, they will loose fear of the king. So a jester had royal immunity for his sayings. One such famous jester in the all mighty Moghul King Akber was Mulla Doopyaza. When the king declared a new religion called "Deen Ilaha" where he declared himself god, Mulla was in hot waters saving peoples life who refused to accept his religion. All this, while Mulla himself had to protect his religion. Three of his Akbar's "Noe Ratan" (nine jewels) i.e. Abulfazal, Faizi, and Beerbal were his sworn enemies and tried their best to belittle him. One joke goes like this. The trio once complained Akber that the king supported him unduly. The king denied saying Mulla was just too smart for all three of them and the king. The trio came up with a plan. The king put three eggs in the swimming pool. All three dived in the pool one by one and brought and egg. The king then gestured towards Mulla. Mulla jumped in the pool and found no egg. In those few second he figured out what was going on and found a counter. When he came out, he started cock-a-doodle-doo. Everyone laughed. The king asked, "Mulla, have you lost your mind because you found no egg". Mulla replied, "No your honor, all three are female hens and each laid an egg during the dive. I am a alpha male rooster and therefore laid no egg but shouted cock-a-doodle-doo". Turkish, Persian, and other Central Asian cultures are full of stories of Nasreddin.

[Guest.Visitor]

"Hockey is nothing more than boxing on ice". I think the official definition is "Regulated Violence" or something like that. "Don Rickles used to make fun of hockey by calling people "hockey pucks" to insult them." Actually mr. Peter Pocklington, the owner of Edmonton Oiler was dubbed Peter the "Puck" Pocklington as a matter of honor when Oilers were two Stanley cups. Then Puck became a villian one he traded off Wayne Gretzky aka the "Great One" to an American team. He was then promoted to the status of super villian when he tried to sell Oiler to an American city. While Alberta remained the most pro-American province of Canada, Edmonton hated the Americans for a long time just because some American tried to buy Oilers. When I first went to Edmonton, I wore the cheap snow jacket that my brother bought in Pakistan. I did not realize it was Anaheim's. After watching "Might Ducks", I thought Anaheim was a fictional place and wearing a hockey snow jacket would be "cool" in Edmonton. I took it off the first day when people warned me that wearing the jacket of a rival hockey team would be suicidical in Edmonton. By the way, the Canadians don't say "Eh" so it would be more like "Cold aye?".

[Guest.Visitor]

'By the way, the Canadians don't say "Eh" so it would be more like "Cold aye?".' Are you pronouncing "aye" as in "eye", like in "eye", "eye" captain? Or, as in a long "a" sound? I used to have a neighbor from Canada who said it was more like a long "a" sound but not like The Fonz as in a-a-a-a-ay. It could be more like a short, long "a" sound or a long, short "a" sound. It was definitely more pronounced and less clear after a six pack (each) of Molson. That's the long-and-short of it, I guess. Tom.

[H.Boldt]

Hassan wrote: 'Yes I am aware of the tradition of Newfoundland aka "The Rock" in producing quality comedians.' You've been out of the country long enough not to know that the "in" province for comedy these days is Saskatchewan. Ever since it debuted three years ago, the show Corner (http://www.cornergas.com/) Gas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corner_Gas) has been a hit on Canadian television. And fans of the show are flocking to Rouleau, Saskatchewan (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=rouleau,+saskatchewan&ie=UTF8&z=18&ll=50.189213,-104.906468&spn=0.002212,0.004957&t=k&om=1) to see where the show is taped. Actually, many people stop for gas at the Corner Gas set thinking it's a real gas station. Anyways, you may see it soon on American TV. Broadcast rights have been sold to an American syndicator, and shows may start appearing on US stations. Cheers! Hans