What's in an IP

Further to my previous post, an IP address exists whether anyone is connected or not - it just may not be assigned to any particular device. That doesn't mean that a hacker may not be scanning that IP address anyway and as soon as a device has that address assigned to it, the scanning software goes to work trying to access it.

Protect yourself on the internet

Every time a device of any sort connects to the internet it is assigned a unique IP address. It is possible to have the same IP address assigned to a device every time it connects but often a new address will be assigned.

Let's say I connect to the internet and visit some dodgy websites. During my visit my IP address is recorded and the dodgy websites start scanning my IP address looking to try and hack my system. They are unsuccessful but the IP address is kept as a possible target. I disconnect and next time receive a different IP address.

Someone else connects to the internet and gets assigned the IP address that I used when visiting those dodgy sites. They now become the target of the hackers attention without visiting any dodgy sites and possibly practising safe internet use.

I have no idea if this is how it works or not but from what I have picked up on the 'net you can be a target anytime so it pays to protect yourself at all times.

There are plenty of free options such as Spybot S&D, Adaware (Anti-spyware), Zone Alarm (Firewall), AVG antivirus all for Windows. Mac has a reasonable firewall built in and you can use ClamXAv antivirus - yes it's worth having antivirus software on a Mac. There are plenty of options for Linux as well but I don't know much about Linux.

Zero comments

I wonder how many people out there are writing semi-regular blogs like this one and never get any real traffic and even less feedback.

I started this to see what blogging was all about. At first it was almost impossible to come up with something worth writing about - something that interested me and could possibly interest anyone else. It has got a little easier, the ideas still come to me at inopportune moments and not when I'm actually sitting at my computer.

If nothing else, it has helped me look at things in different ways and has helped what little writing skill I have develop.

Of course as the posts become a little more regular the pressure increases to come up with a subject for the day. Obviously I just need to look out of my window to see a plethora of goings-on that I could comment on but that would be too deliberate. I need the spontaneity of just coming up with an idea and getting the fingers tapping.

Perhaps I'll begin a 'zero comments' club headed by Nigel Nomates and we could all comment on each other's blogs. Then, of course, we would no longer be eligible for the club.

Oh, the price of popularity.

Boy racers and forgetting our youth

Oh no - here we go again.

Tragically a young man has been killed at an illegal race meet. Read about it at Stuff.

So instead of trying to understand why these people do what they do, the cry goes up for them to be legislated out of existence. For God's sake organize somewhere for them to blow off some steam. The roads are too busy for them to practice their racing as we used to do in the 'good old days'. Cars these days are far more powerful than anything I could afford 20 years ago.

Instead of pushing them further into the realms of being criminals let them have a place to race and rip it up a bit. Then supervise it - don't try and stop it because that won't happen. Organise some events with a moderate entry fee so at least the councils can make some money to pay for the minor damage to roads, etc.

I'm off now to walk down the road, then drive my car that can only spin wheels in mud. Oh to be in my teens with disposable income.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

When I was at school (in New Zealand) we learnt to spell words like specialize with a 'z' but these days it has become specialise with an 's'. I'm not sure how or when this change happened but if you want to understand why it shouldn't have happened take a look at Simon Hertnon's website nakedize.

His explanations on communication are stimulating and thought-provoking yet really quite simple - as everything should be.

Look at that face

There have been several dog attacks recently with some quite awful results; people being disfigured and innocent dogs getting killed while defending their 'masters' from brutal attacks.

It doesn't bode well for other dog-owners who take care of and with their animals. We have a large but very friendly dog (see pic) who gets yelled at (as do we) if we take him to the beach, as we are entitled, and let him run around.

Where is this all headed? Are we going to have to apply for a special dispensation to own a dog e.g. if we are blind or own a farm. Is the family pet dog an endangered species?

Our children are growing up with a respect for, but not fear of, animals and this can partly be attibuted to us having a dog ourselves. Will people begin to fear all animals which could lead to a huge level of distrust in anything living including people?

I'm no dog lover but it would be a sorry day where pet dogs were banished.

Friction (free fiction)

Or should that be no money need be parted with - but as the man says "words don’t taste as good as food".

I used to work on a magazine in Auckland that is now owned by the ever-increasing Fairfax. It is called MIS New Zealand and the editor at the time was Chris Bell.

Chris is also a very talented writer and has just updated his website at www.chrisbell.co.nz. Take a look, read a story or two then click the order button.

And don't forget to see who developed the site.

Weird things are afoot

Well, the usual weird things anyway.

Emails have been delayed or are not arriving at all and according to the diligent crowd over at NZBC Xtra have been a little too enthusiastic. Read about it here. I nearly missed the link to the response from Xtra so here it is too.

This seems to follow on from the continuing issue of Port 25. We have various users on the same domain (and same internet connection) - some can send using our own SMTP mailbox while others have to use Xtra's. Can you make any sense of that?

Is there a little dragging of the chain to fix these problems so that when a premium paid-for email service is introduced we're all meant to jump at it?