SPAM SCAMS..

  
I received an odd email in my inbox today.  Someone from the other side of the world was looking out for my interests and protecting my company name from being trademark registered in China!  How cool, a stranger is helping me for free!

As Milton Friedman once said though, there's no such thing as a free lunch..

So, I investigated a little further.

Turns out to be another scam email - effectively drumming up trade for a chinese domain name registration business.  Along the lines of, "hey! someone is trying to register the following domain name endings with your existing domain name..."

.jp

.net

.eu

.cn

.tw

.cc

.biz

You get the idea.

All very alarming.  If only they were using correct English grammar and it didn't simply read like some joke.  I guess someone somewhere falls for this as it's been going round the internet for at least 2 years now - for e.g.

In case it happens to you, look out for an email that goes something like this..

Dear  Principal,                                      

We are an organization specified at dealing with domain name dispute and
registration in Asia. We have something important on intellectual
property right need to confirm with your company.

Today we received a formal application from a company called Emarketplace
International, who applied to register "[insert your domain here - Polko]"
as their domain name in some countries and internet keyword.
During our preliminary investigation, we found that these domain names'
keyword is identical with your trademark. I wonder whether you consigned
Emarketplace International to register these domain names with us? Or is
Emarketplace International your business partner or distributor in Asia?

Currently, we have already postponed this application of this company
temporarily. Therefore please let the relevant person make a confirmation
with me by telephone or email ASAP.

Best Regards
Henry Luo
Auditing Department(HK Office)

 

DAMN FLYERS!

  
So, it's Philadelphia Flyers v Chicago Blackhawks in the 2010 Stanley Cup Final..

.. and there was me getting all excited that it might just feature the Montreal Canadiens (my favourite team).  They were rank outsiders going into the playoffs and managed to weed out both Washington (the No.1 contenders) and Pittsburgh (the current holders of the Cup).

Oh well, back to reading tales of the Stanley Cup!

A great book I picked up in New York a few years ago.
 

AD BLOCKING..

  
I stumbled on an interesting website link today which I'm posting here as I will never remember to use it otherwise..

Ads on the web are served to your browser based on a number of settings and your location, history of other websites you've visited etc.  Basically, tailoring ads to your preference.

Or that's how the advertisers like to market their tracking tactics, always watching where you've been and which sites you use.

Now I'm not paranoid and I'm happy to share my recent web history with everyone (on most days at least!) but the use of tracking cookies to tailor ads - or make more money for the advertisers - sits a little uneasy with me.

There is a light at the end of the ad tunnel.  You can frustrate their efforts!

Most (reputable) ad serving businesses allow you to opt out of the tracking cookie and therefore of targeted ads that are much more likely to lure you in.  No matter how web experienced you are, and how many browser add-ons you install ads will still get through and you will click on one at some point. It's just the way of the web.

So, here's where the main ad-tracking opt out sites are for (mainly my) info..

Doubleclick's DART cookie opt out page

   this is the one owned by Google and therefore the most widely used on the web.

   Go there, have a read, click the bottom link if you want to cookie-block.

24/7 Real Media Opt Out page

   A large network, useful to opt out of this one.

Network Advertising Initiative Opt Out page

   One of the larger opt out networks, a network of networks really.

   From here you can opt out of many many different ad networks.

   After Google, the most useful opt out page on the web.

Problem with all this activity though is that you need to re-do all the opting out if you clear your browser's cookie/history files.. bah!

If you use Firefox (and if you don't see an earlier post!) or IE (why?) then life is easier to block the DART cookie at least - go to the Google Permanent Opt Out download.
Unfortunately, Google Chrome users cannot use this opt-out. Yet another reason why I don't like chrome!

PAC-GOOGLE, GOOGLE-MAN

 
I have been away all day today in Coventry and Birmingham but it was great to catch up web-wise late on, after a nice prawn curry cooked by Mrs Polko and a quick first look at Red Dead Redemption (watch this space for more on this...)

Just in time in fact to catch the Google specialised logo of the day to celebrate Pacman's 30th birthday. Now that makes me feel a little older....

Got to play a few games and was impressed with the coding of the individual ghosts personalities - some are scared, some dumb after you eat the yellow pills!

sound too!

nice one google. roll on the 30th anniversary of Call of Duty!