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Internet
Pollution and Computer Hell
by
Eric Predoehl , Octalouie.com
It's
hard to deny that the widespread use of the home computer
has dramatically changed the course of world culture.
Within the past ten years, the adoption of the internet
to exchange email messages has been nothing short of
revolutionary. Just as the widespread
adoption of the automobile opened up new doors at the
beginning of the twentieth century, we are at the dawn
of a new era approximately 100 years later as the world
embraces computers as one of the new standards of modern
living.
There
is no doubt that computers have the power
to do great things when harnessed by those that can
handle the power of these magnificent tools. Writing,
organizing, mathematical equations, and graphic illustration
are just a few of the tasks that can be simplified with
these mighty devices. Yet, computers tend to open a
Pandora's box of multi-faceted challenges. They operate
on a special type of logic that often seems so very
alien to the core of human experience. A wise man once
said "To err is human, to really screw things up, get
a computer." Certainly, computers have been a source
of frustration for anyone that uses them.
Of all tasks performed with computers, the dominant
use for computers seems to be the task of information-gathering
with the mighty beast known as the internet. Along the
internet highway, computer users will run into five
types of annoyances that I have categorized as such:
Part
One: The Hoaxes
Part Two: The Spam Emails
Part Three: The Pop-Up Ads
Part
Four: The Viruses
Part
Five: The Unexplainable Weirdness
Any
one of these nuisances can easily alienate a computer
novice to such extremes that they would want nothing
to do with a computer. It's intimidating to deal with
such problems firsthand, and it often requires some
extra help from a friend to go beyond such frustrations.
A little bit of patience can go a long way in getting
past the darkness. Let's address each of these five
annoyances, and make the path as painless as possible....
Part
One: The Hoaxes
If anything sounds too good to be true, it probably
isn't. Anyone who spends any amount of time on the internet
will probably come across some pile of dribble designed
to relieve you of your excess money, time, or both.
Chain letters are alive and well, continuing to spread
like uncontrollable communicable diseases in this new
era of internet communications. Put your name on a list,
forward a pile of nonsense to ten of your friends, and
you too can perpetuate the latest scam that promises
to deliver great sums of wealth, free vacation plans
to exotic locales, a strong political voice for a non-existent
congressional bill, or relief to some "charitable organization"
that is actually some front for some slippery scam artist.
How
does anyone separate the fact from the fiction? A healthy
dosage of cynicism helps one get past the initial layer
of mistruths. After that, it's good to take a look at
some of the other great scams that have already been
perpetuated on the internet. There are many great websites
designed to debunk the various urban legends of the
internet, and my favorite one is something called Snopes.com.
Of
course, there will always be the pranksters out there
lurking to pounce on the naive web-surfers. The spirit
of P.T. Barnum is alive and well, living comfortably
on the internet.
http://www.snopes.com
http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org
Part
Two: The Spam Emails
Once upon a time, SPAM was merely a cheap potted meat
product sold by the Hormel food company. I'm not exactly
sure what type of meat was actually in SPAM, but I've
been told it was a popular American food item in the
1950's. Sometime in the 1970's, a brilliant British
comedy troupe by the name of Monty Python's Flying Circus
paid tribute to this odd meat product, making it the
subject of some great skits.
Nowadays,
SPAM, is of course, the catch-all phrase used to describe
junk email. Over-ambitious salespeople have decided
to use the tools of internet email to market their wares
to folks that could care less about such crap. Unsolicited
email has become a major nuisance. Arrogant salespeople
have become relentless in their methods of extracting
email addresses from websites, chat rooms, newsletters,
individual emails, and anything else that might contain
such details. Targeted marketing seems irrelevant for
most of these bottom dwellers, as they gather massive
lists of email addresses, sending out solicitations
indiscriminately to anybody and everybody, regardless
of their actual interest in such products.
Attempts to remove one's name from such lists often
seem to be futile efforts. By responding to such nuisances,
the very action of replying actually verifies that the
email address is valid, and requests to "remove" are
often ignored. While there are some marketing folks
that will actually remove your name from their list,
it's difficult to separate the ethical companies from
the bottom dwellers.
There
are some options to consider in battling this annoying
SPAM:
Option
1: Filters
In certain email programs, you can actually install
filters to block known offenders of spam email . Outlook,
the email program from Microsoft, allows one to block
offending parties by simply adding their email addresses
to a list of guilty parties with a function known as
"Junk Mail Filter." Macintosh users with OS X installed
on their computer can utilize the Apple Mail program,
which allows one to use a "Bounce to Sender" command.
This allows the user to divert the offending e-mail
right back at the junk-mailer, making it appear as though
the e-mail account had been deactivated. In theory,
the email address gets dropped from that list, and any
other lists generated from it.
Option
2: Web-mail Options
Some of the web-based email services allow one to effectively
block a lot of spam. Unfortunately, most web-based email
services rely on internet advertising, which means you'll
be trading one set of advertisements for another set
of advertisements. Luckily, there are some little tricks
to get around some of this. If you use Yahoo email or
subscribe to Yahoo Groups newsletters, you can reduce
your flow of Yahoo-based ads by simply electing to use
text-based email, as opposed to html-based email. For
some reason, html email opens up the door for a lot
more advertising. With Yahoo Groups newsletter/discussion
groups, you can also restrict your ads by choosing the
daily digest option, which seems to remove all graphic
advertising from the emails.
Option
3: Government Interaction
Unfortunately,
it seems that there are times where offending parties
will only back down if there are government laws restricting
their behaviors. The laws of ethics mean nothing to
certain individuals, and it's times like that when drastic
measures seem necessary. American citizens can turn
the tables on the offending parties by forwarding their
spam to the Federal Trade Commission. Here's a direct
quote from the FTC website:
"The
FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent,
deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace
and to provide information to help consumers spot,
stop and avoid them. To file a complaint, or to get
free information on any of 150 consumer topics, call
toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use
the complaint form at http://www.ftc.gov.
The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft
and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel,
a secure, online database available to hundreds of
civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the
U.S. and abroad. Consumers can forward unwanted spam
to the FTC at uce@ftc.gov."
http://spam.abuse.net
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2002/02/eileenspam1.htm
Part
Three: The Pop-Up Ads
Usually,
pop-up advertisements are the least offensive forms
of internet advertising. They can be annoying, but they
usually aren't destructive. Pop-up (and pop-under) advertising
are those extra little windows that turn up while you're
surfing the web looking for other information. Typically,
pop-up ads focus on selling you cheap web-cameras, low-mortgage
rates, or try to get you hooked into playing some silly
little game to "win big bucks." Even if you don't buy
their products, these companies are just as happy to
add your email address to their ever-growing list of
potential customers if you fill out their little surveys.
As you authorize your email identity to be used for
these "get-rich-now" contests, you wind up adding another
entry for someone's ambitious marketing scheme.
Pop-up advertising relies on JavaScript technology used
by your web browser. Adult entertainment websites seem
to go completely overboard with this type of technology,
bombarding web-surfers with a glorified freak-fest of
multiple browser windows than can only be stopped by
shutting down the web browser, or simply starting over
from scratch.
There
are certain things you can do to disable the JavaScript
on your web browser, but it may actually prevent you
from accessing certain types of sites, including some
online banking services, such as PayPal.
The
best option, if you have the patience, is learning how
to disable JavaScript on a case-by-case basis. Just
as you can block certain emails from certain addresses,
you can disable JavaScript for certain sites whose ads
you wish to block.
For
example, let's say you're browsing some newspaper website,
when all of a sudden, you see a second window open up,
advertising some silly gizmo you have absolutely no
interest in buying If, for example, you're using Internet
Explorer 5.0 for Macintosh, you would then want to take
a look at the HTML source code of this pop-ad by going
to the "View- Source" menu option. From there, you might
discover that this pop-up ad originated from "http://ad.doubleclick.net"
so you make a note of this particular URL, and copy
over this information to a temporary text file. After
uncovering this information, then you can go to "Preferences,"
select "Security Zones" from the "Web Browser" sub-menu
and chose "Restricted Sites Zone." After selecting the
"Add Sites" option, you can then add the URLs for each
offending website. It's a bit of extra work, but you
will have control over your situation.
http://www.lithosjigs.com/cart/enablejava.html
http://www.chami.com/tips/internet/021398I.html
http://www.wrclib.noaa.gov/lib/enable.html
http://www.opera.com/support/service/javascript/
Part
Four: The Viruses
It
seems like every day there's another debilitating virus
out to create havoc on unsuspecting computer users.
Many people are absolutely petrified with the idea of
opening up email attachments for fear of unleashing
some ugly virus they have no control. Paranoia is alive
and well on the internet.
My
first line of defense against computer viruses is a
rather simple one. I use a Macintosh computer. While
no computer is completely immune from such chaos, I've
been told that manufacturing destructive viruses for
the Windows platform is a relatively easy task. Not
being a hacker, I don't know how to write code, nor
do I have any interest in learning how to do so. This
is simply what some hackers have told me.
I've
got a lot of other reasons for choosing the Macintosh,
and not all of them are virus-related. I prefer the
interface, the ease of hardware installation, and the
various tools available for audio/video production.
Among computer manufacturers, I can think of no other
company as innovative as Apple Computers, which tends
to build the roads that others follow.
While
purchasing a Macintosh is certainly one way to fight
viruses, it's unrealistic to think that this would be
a viable option for many of the people who have made
the major commitment to stick with the common Windows
computer platform. For those stuck with inferior computers,
you have our sympathies. For those that have mastered
their Windows computers, all power to you! You will
be gainfully employed, and sought out by many seeking
your expertise. There will never be a shortage of people
that will need your help.
Viruses
on the computer are similar to those that exist in a
biological sense. Some viruses lie dormant, virtually
invisible, lurking in the background for the right opportunity
to strike. For example, an infected Macintosh computer
may contain a certain type of virus that is perfectly
safe as long as it stays on the Mac platform. Yet, if
this virus is somehow transmitted to a Windows computer,
it can create mass havoc. Just as "Typhoid Mary" did
not seem to be personally affected by a certain strain
of virus, her intimate alliances were stricken with
a debilitating disease. Equivalent situations happen
with multiple computer platforms.
It's
good to install a virus protection program, such as
the ones offered by Norton and McAffie, but there is
something you can do right now to protect yourself from
spreading potential viruses.
1.
Open your Email program and go to your Address Book.
2.
Create a new listing and type this in to the Name
box: "!0000". (That's an exclamation point and 4 zeros)
3.
Don't enter an Email address. Just click OK and you're
done.
If
you should become infected with a virus, the virus will
try to send out an Email to all you friends in your
book, but since the "!0000" is the name is at the top
of your list, the program will come to a screeching
halt and give you a message similar to this:
"The
Message could not be sent. One or more recipients
do not have an e-mail address. Please check your Address
Book and make sure all the recipients have a valid
e-mail address"
From
there, you can close that window and move on to the
task of running a virus inoculation program, as you
have been definitely been infected with a virus. Be
aware that the virus may have been added to your "Sent"
or "Draft" or "Outbox" folder. Just delete it, empty
your trash/recycle bin, and everything should be fine.
http://www.vmyths.com
http://www.antivirus.com
http://www.symantec.com
http://www.mcafee.com
Part
Five: The Unexplainable Weirdness
There
are times where it seems that one's computer is possessed
by some strange demons. Despite best efforts to exorcise
these gremlins from the computer, things remain slightly
wacked. Logic appears to have been replaced by unexplainable
behavior. Call it "spooky weirdness," call it "odd coincidence,"
call it "unusual occurrence," or simply call it "user
error." Here's a few options to consider:
Option
1: Don't fill up your hard drive.
Even
though you may have 10 gigs of hard drive space on your
computer, you really shouldn't try to put everything
on it. Give your computer some breathing room, by maintaining
at least 15% free space on the hard drive. Your computer
needs this free space as a "scratch pad "to work out
equations, and it's important that you don't try to
cram everything to the tip of the brim, so to speak.
Option
2: Throw out your stale cookies
Often
when one visits certain websites, certain "cookies"
are placed within one's computer system preferences.
"Cookies" are essentially little robotic spies that
note whenever you visit certain websites. The most common
use of cookies is to allow visitors to return to certain
websites without having to re-enter passwords each time.
Other cookies keep track of favorite websites and personal
statistics, making it easier for certain companies to
limit their marketing efforts to specific target audiences.
While one can set up their internet browsers to refuse
such "cookies," there are many websites that simply
will not work without dropping cookies into one's computer.
Cookies have become an integral part of the internet
experience, even though the implications of their use
as surveillance tools seem rather creepy.
Spending
some time every 2 months to clear out old cookies isn't
a bad idea at all. I've found that certain cookies sometimes
get corrupted, and make it difficult to access certain
websites. Once, there was a time where it seemed impossible
for me to access my Yahoo Groups pages, where I'm a
member of various discussion groups. Despite my best
efforts, I could not properly enter the correct password
to enter the Yahoo Groups pages. Only after I removed
old "Yahoo" cookies from my system was I able to properly
input my password, and enter the Yahoo Groups pages.
You can remove the cookies by adjusting the "Preferences"
in your internet browser, or by physically removing
the quirky files, assuming you know where to look. The
bottom line- keep your cookies fresh, and toss out cookies
from unscrupulous companies.
Option
3: Run Utility Programs
The
operating system on any computer is not a static situation.
In ordinary use, files are constantly being written,
amended, moved, and erased. Each application has it's
own set of rules, and the software used for internet
communications is no exception. As things are shuffled
around and re-organized on a regular basis, there is
always the possibility that things are sometimes misplaced.
As the computer operating system continues to adjust
itself to each situation, there is always the possibility
that an error somehow slipped
between the cracks. Utility programs can fix minor and
major software errors, often halting accidents before
they happen. Just a good doctor might be able to spot
a dangerous condition in an otherwise subtle abnormality,
a diagnostic program can do an equivalent service for
computers. It's a good idea to use utility diagnostic
programs on a regular basis, especially if you spend
a lot of time on the computer.
http://www.symantec.com
http://www.micromat.com
Option
4: Back up Anything Important
There is always the potential to lose data from your
computer. Hard drives sometimes fail at the worst possible
time. Acts of nature do occur, and there's always the
possibility that an earthquake, landslide or flood may
destroy your entire computer system, as well as your
house and other worldly possessions. Robberies can occur
in "good neighborhoods" as well as "bad. neighborhoods."
Things happen. If you have important writings, graphics,
or music files on your computer, you really should create
backups on a regular basis. Invest in a CD-burner, and
create back-ups of your irreplaceable information. There
really is no substitute for the often-repeated mantra
"back up your data."
Option
5: Chill Out
Sometimes the best option is simply to walk away. Over-analyzed
problems sometimes need a fresh set of eyes to see what's
wrong. Obvious solutions are sometimes hiding right
in front of you. When you hit certain brick walls that
you cannot climb, in spite of your best efforts, it's
best to just turn off the computer, and do something
else for awhile. It is not healthy to get overwhelmed
with frustration.
Take
a walk in the park, and get some fresh air into your
lungs. Turn on the stereo, and dance to your favorite
ditty. Have a drink of your favorite liquid equalizer-
be it coffee, team, soda, beer, wine, martini, prune
juice, or plain old mountain spring water. Go play with
your dog, cat, bird, or monkey. Toss a frisbee with
a friend.
When
you come back, you'll be in a much better shape to deal
with your silly little computer. With a fresh outlook,
you might be able to figure out the problem. If not,
there's always tech support.
If
your dreams start to look like computer screens, that's
a sign that you really need to take a vacation from
your computer. Remember, a computer is just a tool.
It was created to serve your needs, and not the other
way around.
Don't
ever forget that.
*
* * * * * * * * *
Copyright 2002 Eric Predoehl / Octalouie
LLC. All rights reserved. This article cannot be duplicated
or distributed without the consent of Eric Predoehl.
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