The way of the web.

[caddyman]

Ah, the ways of teh Intarweb.

I receive an email from a subscription service informing me of my new password. I hadn't asked for a new one, but it seems someone has been logging in pretending to be me, hence their email. This caused me some consternation since it being a utilities site I only access it from this machine - not even my laptop goes there because I can't be arsed to try out clever stuff on a machine with a tiny keyboard and no proper mouse. This all made me a little worried that there might be spy ware or malware or some such naughty on my machine. But how might this be? I have a fully paid up subscription to Norton, and it performs a scan once a week and gets rid of the odd bits and pieces that make it through the firewall.

Oh, innocent youth!

I downloaded and installed the latest Ad-Aware, something I've not bothered with for about a year since I installed Norton, and a couple of other hunter-killer utilities. Well, it seems that quite a lot gets past Captain Norton. Two-hundred and seventy high risk files and seven registry add-ins for a start. Well, Ad-Aware got rid of them for me (to the point that when I booted the machine up tonight it complained that it couldn't find nail.exe, a remnant of the Aurora spy ware I had to lock down as I couldn't get rid of it! Now I have to remind myself how top stop the PC from trying to load it.

Suggestions welcomed.

Adding to my bemusement, I find that having left a comment on sideshow.com's website, I have been awarded a prize for leaving the 7,000th entry. Well, it's a bit rubbish (a really tatty action figure), but I see on e-bay that they go for about £20, so I figure "why not, I can always flog it". Except that having discovered that I live in the UK, Sideshow want me to pay $33 shipping, VAT and import duties. Hmm. That works out about oh, £20. I don't think so; if it was something really cool, maybe. But it is an action figure that makes Barbie look cool.

"Free" doesn't mean the same in the US as it does here, apparently. I wonder if that's true in all contexts?

Comments

[ysharros.livejournal.com]

If you want to be really paranoid, install and use Spybot S&D as well as Ad-Aware. I haven't used the latter for a while because it was really good at finding things but not doing anything about them - or not finding some of the stuff Spybot found. The truly cautious will use both (and then this just for good measure, but the latter is not for the uninitiated or faint of heart).

Norton's okay - some people hate it, I've been using it fairly successfully for a year or so. But these days no single program can do it all - technically the spyware, adware, kick-me-in-the-teeth-ware and I-hate-the-bloody-stuff-ware aren't virii - they're just the fleas on the scrotum of the INtarwEb.

Happy cleansing. Don't forget to floss. And remember - in matters of computer privacy, you can't be too paranoid.

[jfs.livejournal.com]

My PC cleaning routine is to have the Microsoft Anti-Spyware client running continually for realtime protection, and about once a month (ie when I remember, run Ad-Aware then Spybot S&D).

Reassuringly, they rarely find anything of note - a few tracking cookies tends to be it.

The MS product is actually very good.

[probablyscotty.livejournal.com]

Spybot and adaware do the job, but upon installing and running Spyware Doctor to get rid of "SpyFalcon" (evil bloody thing that they wouldn't touch) IT discovered a couple of hundred that the pair of them had missed.

[fencingsculptor.livejournal.com]

Not the Buffy Summers Premium Format Figure - Sideshow Exclusive woth $250 then ?

http://www.sideshowtoy.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=search&item=71571&type=store


....pity !

[jfs.livejournal.com]

The 'free gift' is a con. AFAIK, a US business isn't responsible for paying VAT or import duties - you are when you import it. All they have to do is stick it in an envelope and fill out a customs declaration, giving the value of the item.

And if it's less than £20, Customs won't charge you VAT on it either - that's why Play.com and Amazon are based out of Jersey now, and why they send their DVDs and CDs out to you singly - they don't charge you VAT because they're in the Channel Islands, and so long as the total price of the package is less than £20, Customs won't add it on for you.

[anubisgrrl.livejournal.com]

Remember: freedom isn't free, it costs a buck o-five.

[bluesman.livejournal.com]

My dear chap, "free" isn't free at all, particularly when it comes to dealing with some women out there; just ask out mutual amigo, ribble!