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homemade Observations

Developing a web persona

Wednesday, 13 June 2007 12:00 Dennis
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I logged into Blogger to write today's contribution and on the way happened to see this little gem on my Google personalized page courtesy of tarot.com:

If you don't write your own poetry, then find a poem that touches your soul and read it aloud. Whether or not you have an audience, it seems that you are ready to escape into the beauty of some intellectual creation. Lose yourself in it whether it's yours or someone else's. There are riches waiting for you beyond the rational world.


Developing your identity on the web through your own website, blogs, myspace, etc. is like bringing up a child. The underlying personality is already there but is shaped and moulded by experience and learning. Of course, it is also affected by the perception of the viewer - you. You may read my post and think I am complete fool whereas someone else may think I am something different.

This illustrates the importance of effective communication. The more we practice, the better we get. It really is so simple but it is often easier to just expect things to happen. It doesn't work like that. To learn something well you need to learn it thoroughly and that takes time - sometimes lots of it. Be patient, but don't give up.
 

What's in an IP

Thursday, 31 May 2007 12:00 Dennis
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Further to my previous post, an IP (Internet Protocol) 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

Wednesday, 30 May 2007 12:00 Dennis
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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.
Last Updated on Friday, 20 February 2009 20:31
 

Zero comments

Thursday, 24 May 2007 12:00 Dennis
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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.
Last Updated on Friday, 20 February 2009 20:26
 

Boy racers and forgetting our youth

Monday, 21 May 2007 12:00 Dennis
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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.
Last Updated on Friday, 20 February 2009 20:22
 
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