Thursday, November 19, 2009

Spam is not just a canned lunchmeat product

I've been sick for a few days and just starting to get back up and going, so it should be understandable why when I got a question on the blog asking:

"Who knows where to download XRumer 5.0 Palladium?
Help, please. All recommend this program to effectively advertise on the Internet, this is the best program!"

Signed by anonymous, of course, it sort of set me off on a grumbling mood. You see, the first thing that I noticed was the question on where to find a program that "everyone knows about!" on a low outta the way blog that even I know does not have as much traffic as most business resources. It took me about 3 seconds to type the name into my search bar on Firefox and locate the Blogspot blog for this program. Another three seconds to type "xrumer spam" into the same search bar and find a bunch more information.

My second search turned up a bit on Panda Security about XRumer where Luis Corrons, Technical Director of PandaLabs, comments: “The program even has a FAQ section. Curiously enough, in one of the FAQs the author claims XRumer is not a program for creating spam.”

Not a program for creating spam... hmmm... I just watched their ten minute video at their Blogspot blog that explains how they use it to post to blogs and forums. In fact, the post is even titled "XRumer SEO Blackhat Post To 100k or Millions Of Forums Blogs"... that kind of sounds to me like they know that it is a Blackhat technique and that it will post to hundreds of thousands to millions of blogs and forums. How exactly do they define spam? "canned lunchmeat"?

XRumer, of course, does not care if those that use it are creating spam links that will, in the long run, destroy a person's credibility and online business. All the makers of this program care about is getting their $540 for the program.... or they'll let you try it for $50 a month. Rather expensive way to flush your credibility down the drain if you ask me, and only gets more expensive as your sites are labeled as spam sites that employ Blackhat SEO tricks.

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Monday, November 09, 2009

New Scroll Saw

My dad got me a scroll saw for Christmas, even if I have been given it a bit over a month early. I made my first project a eagle plaque for him, which turned out good for my first ever task with a scroll saw. I'm going to be using it to make covers for my handbound books and other assorted things that I can sell to help earn a bit of money.

I have to say that I am more than a little addicted to playing with the scroll saw. It is as much fun ti use as the sewing machine, but in a totally different medium so that it produces very uniquely different results while offering the same calming peaceful relaxation that the sewing machine offers.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Open Source Alternative for Quicken?

I went back to the software aisle in Wal Mart yesterday to look for Quicken for my business stuff. I kind of choked when I saw the $80 price tag on it and started to rethink the logic of that. I am thinking I might be better off to pick up a Open Source alternative to that instead of trying to justify the cost of Quicken for home and business.

There has to be an open source alternative, so I am going to go digging and see what I can find that will work for it. I just have to get the time to get over to OSAlt and look one up, then learn how to use the thing. I had got something a while back, Gnu Cash I think it was called, that if I can find it on the computer I will see about using, but I think I had uninstalled it a while back.
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