Inspiration: Nobody's Home
Lyrics: Pink-Floyd-Lyrics.com
Artist: Pink Floyd
Album: The Wall

I've got a flash drive with my site and blog in.
Got a rural home with my kids and pets in.
When I'm a good girl, they sometimes grant me some peace in.

I got knit socks keeping my feet warm.
Got those stiffened hand blues.
Got online streamed crap to numb out what's left of my brain.
This sole monitor light
Gives me eye-strained sight.
And reminders of a life left behind.
And that is how I know
When I try to get through
Via messenger to you
There'll be nobody on.

I've got straight hair flowing down my back.
And too many cat claw snags
All down the sleeves of my black satin Pink Floyd coat.
I've got nicotine stains on my fingers.
And a cold cup of coffee sitting there
On the old 'puter table which props up my mortal remains.

Malaise makes my lip curl
As I fight the urge to hurl
When all I need is a laugh.
Ooooh, Babe when Trillian's on

All my compadres are gone.

I've got virtual spring rolls to share
But as usual, no one's there.

So, do you feel like becoming anyone's online pet today? No? Neither do I, but that's exactly what someone (who really should have known better) tried to turn me into. This gaffe was attempted through the unnamed individual adding a CommentCherry.com  application called Own Everyone to his MySpace page. This OpenSocial app is yet another piece of internet detritus spawned by CherryTap.com.

Now, I don't know which aspect I find more offensive:

    
1. that people would believe pimping out their friends under the mistakenly assumed guise of "harmless fun" is anything but anti-social, not to mention downright insulting!
    
2. that any app with OpenSocial's clawmarks anywhere near it can be trusted as benign

Sure, these kinds of insidious bullshit are rife throughout many social networking sites. Also rampant is the degree in which participation - especially where 3rd party apps are concerned - poses a ripple-down security risk.

If you've got a social network contact who's fond of such insipid cattle-mentality nonsense and/or who's chronically clueless, do yourself and the rest of your contacts a public service. Delete the hapless wonder before they cause you and your friends unimaginable grief. Internet privacy and security is everyone's concern.

As for the rest of the idiots, freaks and trolls... Let the bodies hit the floor!

The post below was written in response to one of my group's members who believes that one of his accounts has been compromised. It's cross-posted here and elsewhere because:

1. I get tired of re-writing these types of 101s.
2. I don't need tons of .txt files taking up my valuable hard drive space.

Dear reader, if you already know this material, then give yourself a pat on the back. You're already ahead of the curve. ;oD

---

Thanks for the alert. There's far more to keylogging and brute force cracking than stated in the initial post. The info below is written for everyone's benefit. Online security and privacy affects us all. A compromised account is a potential liability which can extend far beyond the scope of a single individual.

Script kiddies are a dime a dozen, and easy to thwart. One simple, common sense approach is to have a single email address which is used exclusively for online account registrations and NOTHING else. Protect this info diligently and never post it publicly anywhere!

Personal email - communications between folks with whom one actually wants to interact - are best managed from yet another separate email account, ideally through a different host than the one used for account registrations. Make it implicitly clear to your personal contacts that mass forwards and other nonsense are not appreciated. Each stranger who gets access to either your personal or registrations-only addresses increases EVERY listed recipient's liability exponentially.

A third separate email account is suggested for online group items such as eDigests and newsletters. Since most groups generally tend to be lax on protection of members' info, including visibility of email addys, expect at least a little spam.

All email accounts should have full message headers enabled. This gives pertinent info such as IP addresses to and from, and other server/handling data. Note: Gmail does NOT have full header display controls! Other email hosts' controls can usually be accessed through one's Account Options section. Check your email provider's Help/FAQ documentation for specific info.

By far, the most effective means of protecting any internet account is through the use of strong passwords. These should be at least eight characters in length and contain both letters and numerals (alpha-numeric). Passwords are CaSe SeNsItIvE and most keyloggers used by one's garden variety script kiddie are usually not sophisticated enough to detect use of the Caps Lock key. When formulating your password, hit the Caps Lock key, enter your desired password, then hit Caps Lock once more to toggle it off again. Once your password is set you will have to use this keying sequence every time you log on. Using the Caps Lock strategy is simple and really doesn't take long to become habit, honest.

Hope these tips help. Need more? Just shout.

Namaste' - Chris / fugi

If anyone knows the origins of this image, please give me a shout. I've been wanting for years to give its creator proper credit. FYI, this is as close to a general announcement that will appear. November. So far, so good. ;oD

Been somewhat active on Newsvine lately. There are several discussions being tracked upon which I have not commented. One topic in particular, strikes some very deep chords within me: racism. I just don't get the general mindset of bigots. Never have, despite polarizing personal experiences which would probably sway some folks to hate everyone. For those so inclined, please see my beginning video commentary @ Dr. Seuss' classic, The Sneetches...

Multiply-wise... I'm more than a little bent to find that some people are pushing for Multiply to join the Open ID clusterfuck. Pardon my language. I am vehemently opposed to this proposition- can ya tell?

Comments from the unwashed masses... On "Everyone" posts to MP, unless an individual is registered here I don't give a rip what they want to say. This is precisely why my general blog is on Multiply. This is also precisely why my personal blog is a WordPress stand-alone added to my domain.

If I wanted to subject myself to the unwashed masses out in the Big Room I would attend Burning Man. If I wanted to subject myself to every John/Jane Sixpack with internet access I would be a proponent for Open ID/Open Social.

If Multiply opts to incorporate Open ID into their services, I pray they'll have the presence of mind to enable registered members with the ability to block posts from those accessing MP reply functions via Open ID channels vs. directly through a registered Multiply account. Case in point: Blogger, which allows replies 1) anonymously (no!), 2) optional info fields (still "anonymous"- no!), or 3) through a registered Blogger or Open ID (ex. Google) account.

I think I'm safe in stating that there are plenty of us here on MP who got fed up long ago with being sold-out wholesale elsewhere for the convenience or profit of others. Give us a break, already.

Just checked the MUDS discussion again. If Multiply goes the OpenID route, I will have little use for this service. Who wants to start swapping .rss info for mutual tracking of those within our MP networks? Think I'm joking? Guess again, friends. Shutting the hell up now. Thanks for reading.

It still never ceases to amaze me how so many people don't learn from their misadventures. When these gaffes develop into a pattern with no tangible proactive measures implemented on the part of the hapless afflicted, these situations qualify under the new definition of insanity:

insanity - repeating the same dysfunctional behaviors over and over,
yet each time expecting a different positive result

Case in point, a PM recieved from an individual whom I've helped - and attempted to educate - on various internet related personal matters for longer than I probably should have...

"Hi Honey, long time no hear from. I hate to ask you but I desperately need your help. I will even give you my phone number so we don't have to type back and forth. This is kind of urgent because someone is putting mine and [a close relative's] name all over the internet and I need to know the legalities, ramifications and if there is anything we could do about it."

I'm not going to waste my time with lengthy explorations of this individual's systematic self-sabotage. All I will say is that I've developed a mercenary attitude where such pleas are concerned. Want my skills? Fucking pay me. Guess what? Damned few could afford my fees to investigate, let alone clean up what boils down to other's he said/she said bullshit.

One can't seriously expect to consistently invite or perpetuate havoc-rich interactions online without putting themselves and others at risk, now can they? It's time some people got a major reality check. I'll break out my trusty clue-by-four pro bono. Otherwise, take the drama elsewhere.

Yikes. There's some kind of funky paradigm shift occurring within the blogosphere, and most of it appears to be motivated by capitalism. Several blog hosts are switching gears in major ways. Granted, large-scale free hosting entails some formidable overhead. Everyone wants to get paid for something. The thing is that too many entities want to get paid for nothing.

"What the heck are you talking about, fugi?"

I'm glad you asked. Or didn't. Anyway... Those of us who've been blogging consistently (and sometimes successfully) for any significant length of time can attest to the reality that those free providers have already potentially profited off of our work. Simply from the vantage point of a casual observer, seeing the number of page visits to some blogs is tough to discount. Bottom line is that internet-wise, site traffic equals potential profit to someone. However, it's rarely the author.

So, why on earth would someone fork over their hard-earned money simply to blog unless this cost could at least be offset as a legitimate tax-deductible business expense? Aren't there already enough consumerism-based blogs choking up channels ideally intended for meaningful communication?

The increase in the number of hosts on which I've already invested countless hours of time only to have my labors capitalized upon by corporate gluttons sickens me. Further exasperation comes by way of no-reply emails informing me that for only a few dollars a month I can enhance my experience of getting ripped off by a service that's become little more than a bad joke.

No thank you. Game over. I'm not even going to bother logging into those host's servers to delete my content. At this rate I don't give a rip if it all eventually gets the axe. I will know that I had an active presence on those services- and so will others.

Doing for oneself can often be the most empowering, proactive form of getting even. I'm going to be copying and pasting years' worth of blog entries currently hosted elsewhere to preserve what's mine. I find that blogging in itself can be far more beneficial than incalculable time wasted with dozens of so-called mental health professionals. And blogging doesn't cost me a dime!

Rest In Peace, Samson

Sammy hadn't been seen since 7:20 this morning when my husband left the house for a First Responder class. Hubster made it home around 5:00 this evening just as the kids and I were feeding all the animals. Our cool li'l Samminator was a no-show.

Long story short. His body was found just before sunset in a treacherous location. I could not safely retrieve him alone, without basic gear, and in quickly growing dark. It tears me up that: a) Sam is no more, b) the cause of his death won't be reasonably determined until his body is recovered, and c) I had no choice but to leave him where he is overnight.

I pray that Sam's poor little body isn't ravaged by rats, coyotes, or God knows what else before he can be given a proper send-off in the morning. Shit- I keep swearing to myself that I'm not going to get all distraught over this. It's not working.

Courtesy of one of my StumbleUpon faves, NacMacfeagle.

Suggested Literature Meme Rules: Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages). Open the book to page 123. Find the fifth sentence. Post the next three sentences. Tag five people & post a comment at the originating blog after you've posted it to your blog. Note: I don't tag people. Most good memes do manage to get decent circulation even if not in the manner envisioned by their creators.

Tonight's selection is from the well received book Programming the Universe by Seth Lloyd. Surprisingly enough I happened across a brand new hardback copy at a greatly reduced price at the Town and Country supermarket in Salem, Arkansas. Apparently my tastes in literature are fairly different from this region's general preferences. A cursory glance at the offerings on the shelves of the Fulton County Public Library also tend to bear this out. So be it.

"In the Schroedinger's Cat paradox, the state of the particle, detector, and cat after the measurement is |left, no click, cat alive> + |right, no click, cat dead>. In some weird quantum way, the cat is alive and dead at the same time.

"The Schroedinger's Cat paradox has inspired much confusion. Stephen Hawking got so tired of this paradox that he would often say (in paraphrase of Joseph Goebbels), 'Whenever I hear the words 'Schroedinger's Cat,' I reach for my gun.'"

---

Okay, so I included a fourth line. Sue me. It was still effing funny!

Occasionally there come times when I want to speak my mind but am vexed by the delicate nature of current situations. Too many considerations are at stake. Where should this be posted? For whom is my input beneficial- and in what context? Will posting directly to a specific forum become part of a solution or merely more fuel dumped upon a fire? I am grossly negligent if I fail to honestly examine both my motives and methodology.

These points are easy to identify with for those who value critical thought and the practical application thereof. This applies for both regular group members and those in an administrator/moderator capacity. At least that's a worthwhile collective aspiration. In the example below my reply has been slightly edited.

---

"With power comes fascism." - daspider

Ideally, with power should come situationally appropriate discretion and diplomacy. Deletions not performed by the initial poster fall squarely into the realm of administrator privilege. I am not an admin of [this group]. I would have zero right to complain if a ["group X"] admin (or relatively, an admin from any other group to which I'm subscribed) deleted my comments. Same applies to all Multiply members.

Ultimately this is Multiply's party. We are all but guests. For whatever reason(s) some parties need qualified bouncers to ensure that the host's preferences are maintained. Most approach this responsibility in the light of a trusted servant performing a necessary task. Ideally, such instances are not personal.

---

What seems to be missing from so many online exchanges is that people tend to forget that, more often than not, there is at least one live human being on the other end of the communication. When grievances need to be expressed it can be all too easy for this simple truth to be overlooked. Effective problem solving requires  reasonable degrees of latitude to be granted amongst all parties involved. The responsibilities of ethical group administration demand this and more. Admins are essentially a site host's front line in helping to maintain a civil, productive environment for all users. Even if the site host proper was lacking in any "Powers That Be" capacity, the talents of its volunteer administrators can significantly effect proactive solutions.

Volunteer. Group administrators are generally not paid for the responsibilities they assume and the services they willingly share. Administrators are rarely contractually bound to act in any manner beyond those set forth in their site host's TOS- and the site host's legal protections do not cover volunteer administrators.

"So, why would anyone in their right mind be a
volunteer group administrator?" you ask.

I do it out of love for, and belief in the
communities I'm honored to serve.

Yay! Finally, my favorite day of the week-FRIDAY!!! What does Friday mean to me? Hmmm... Let's see... Since Friday is the last conventional workday and schoolday of the week it's extra special at Casa del fugi. For approximately nine kid-free hours I get to:

• wrap up loose ends such as appointment setting and rounds of professional email tag
• set into place necessary elements for an enjoyable, family-friendly weekend
• focus on beginning or completion of domestic matters like laundry and intensive meal prep
• run errands sans company of militant midgets... post offce, pharmacy, grocery store, thrift store drop-offs and so forth
• center and recharge before the onset of 62 variable hours' worth of dedicated Mommy duty

Today though, promises to bring at least one highly anticipated sigh of relief: the dot com should be back online. Not that there's been much time to do anything constructive with it yet, but it's a blessing to have that one safety valve where I can be as rantastic© as occasionally needed- strictly on my terms. Sometimes it's that single outlet which enables me to play nicely when dealing with the rest of Cyberia and the Big Room. A brother of the heart had likened blogging to "free therapy." He was right on some levels, you know. ;oD

Hey- Has anyone else ever had a term named after them? Just curious... Happy Friday, friends! ♥

My site host has been down since January 28th, ergo I cannot resume posting to my personal blog, Dopeless Enigmaniac. Still, my petty annoyances don't stack up to much given the events of late. A quick heads up while I'm at it- Anyone who wants to know whether or not the dot com is live need only check for this image on my Multiply front page. It is normally located in the Video title bar and on each video related page/description. There is a method to my madness. Always. ;oD

Back to "rebounding"... Over the past few days there has understandably been much discussion in this region of Tuesday's tornado hell. Two firsthand aftermath reports were particularly astounding, but from entirely different perspectives.

One Fulton County, Arkansas DHS employee who had to travel out to Highland on Wednesday reported that the wild weather had practically plastered dozens of cows upright against fencelines, giving the eerie but mistaken impression of having survived this ordeal. Amongst other disturbing notables, an entire strip of businesses along 62/412 had been completely leveled. Sadly, this surely includes what was the BEST Asian cuisine in the Ozarks. It is with great sorrow which I accept the unconfirmed probability that last Friday night's meal at China House was my family's final one to be enjoyed at that establishment. (Note to ArBear: Please stick to what you know and quit personifying the stereotype of an ignorant American.)

他的區域中國餐館的研究是不值得的考慮

Anyway... The second tornado aftermath report comes courtesy of fellow Arkansas Freecycle group moderator, Margaret, who had been assisting through the Red Cross with response efforts in Atkins.

"Now for the good part - the community support is outstanding! ! We have had 3 cook trailors from 3 different Tyson plants come with chicken to cook, Pallets (not just cases) of Water has been donated. Olive Garden from Little Rock brought food to feed 100 people. They also brought 12 servers that stayed and served food for supper. Community members are out helping others to salvage what they can, cut trees, etc. People are donating clothes, bedding etc."

Donation requests are now filtering into the Freecycle of Fulton County group for nearby areas. FYI, that group is one of the Yahell betas, in case anyone's curious. ;oD

Well... My little guys are raring to go. Back to active Mommy duty. {{{hugs}}} to those who want/need 'em. ♥

Please pardon the roughness of this entry. This isn't a pretty time. Last night was one of the scariest ever experienced by my family and countless others in the Southeastern United States. All I want to do right now is to cry and scream at the top of my fucking lungs. Powerlessness blows.

Below is a cut & paste of the email sent with the past hour to family and Big Room friends...

Please forgive the mass email. I'd wanted to call, but all long distance circuits have been nuts since last night's tornado fest. I can't even call long-distance in-state. Anyway, we're all okay. There was much nearby damage along the eastern border of Fulton County and into Sharp County, in the cities of Ash Flat and Highland. Pat was on-call last night (he's certified for basic firefighting and emergency response now). We listened to the tri- county 911 radio traffic as nature unleashed her fury. Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" paled in comparison

Just got home from running errands in Salem, AR and Thayer, MO. The storms affected everyone we encountered in significant personal ways in addition to the overall regional shell-shock. Not much for words right now, sorry. Anyway, Pat, the boys, all the critters and I are safe and sound.

Highland is now under National Guard protection. My family has several friends in Highland, Cherokee Village, Ash Flat and Hardy. We have no idea how any of them are. The death toll for Arkansas currently stands at 13.

Please understand if I'm not as visibly active online for the next few days. Those who need to find me- and know where/how- are more than welcome to do so. Otherwise, I'm not inclined to be cordial with strangers until I've had time to process this tragedy. Thanks for your understanding. Namaste'

The sound you just hear **ahem** read was that of my head hitting the keyboard. Today was the Snow Day From Hell. Last night I knew that I'd be keeping the youngest junior crew member at home. He'd been losing an argument with a budding upper respiratory annoyance. Last night I had also figured that the oldest would be going to the education center only to be whisked back to base a few short hours later for weather-related early dismissal. Nope. Sessions were cancelled outright first thing this morning.

It's a good thing, too. The ground was barely dusted with that cold, white flaky stuff when I checked the local radar loop. Oh shit. Houston, we have a problem. Vital medical supplies and food rations are nearing critical. Time for a challenging shuttle hop to Planet Salem for restocking. But what might the situation be like in that quadrant of Galaxy Ozarks? Surely the indigenous peoples of that locale were becoming aware of what was fast approaching this region.

Mission commencement: 07:30, -6 GMT. Systems sluggish, but functional. Green light, with caution.

The fugishuttle made careful but swift time to the primary commerce outpost. Most of the district was still inactive as large puffy chunks wafted downward with increasing fervor. Great. I'll just fetch the crew's supplies and jet on out of here. But woe unto me if I accidentally cause injury to any of these few unusual beings that are starting to mill about, or to their numerous offspring. (Note to self: Check quadrant regulations on cloning; an abnormally large percentage share similar overt genetic traits...) Gee, look- they're arriving in droves now.

The refueling depot wasn't that bad upon landing, but soon became as congested. Thank goodness I was able to secure adequate quick nutritional supplements before those entering from the docking bays wiped out that resource. Even mediocre hot brown substances in liquids and solids are better than none at all on missions such as this. At this rate there was no reasonable estimate of when I might arrive back at my home base. I was only marginally concerned for the well-being of my safe-at-home crew in comparison to that of my own.

Upon return to my crew's remote base I was greeted by the co-commander. He was gracious in offloading our supplies, and his thoughtfulness for having prepared good hot brown liquid in anticipation of my return may earn him yet another medal. The junior crew members though, are another matter entirely.

My rejuvenation chamber beckons. Signing off now. Tomorrow looks to be a "cabin fever" day.

Kaia Transeau, age 3 1/2, is believed to have been abducted by her mother on December 19, 2007. Kaia is the daughter of multi-platinum artist/producer BT.

BT maintains an active presence on MySpace. His page contains Kaia's pictures and details along with the official contact information for The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

With as far reaching as social networking has become, it is urged that those who frequent other hosts please cross-post (not spam!) this info in those places also. Thank you.