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Well, maybe not Technology Good, but you have to give credit to the spammers, they can be creative. One of the most recent tools for fighting spammers is the use of a Bayesian filter. Basically it ranks words based on a mathematical (magical?) formal and uses that ranking to determine if a any given email is a spam message (okay it’s a bit more complex, but you get the idea). Well, today I got a message with the following words in it:

* Stop Premature Ejacu52leclation! * Produce Stronger, Rock Hard Erep7217ctions * 100% Safe To Take, With NO Side Effnmrdhects * Fast Priority Shipping Worldwide * Doctor Approved and Recomu8d2tmended * No Pumps! No Surgery! No Ex9sk1jercises!

Basically what the spammer is doing is trying to counter the Bayesian filter by deliberately misspelling words to avoid classification. This points out one of the biggest problems with spam filters, they have to be reactive instead of proactive. They have to counter every new trick that a spammer comes up with in order to be effective, but they can only do this after the spammers have started using the technique. The same thing happens with anti-virus software. In both cases “evolution” will eventually produce stronger, more effective programs faster and faster. The future looks interesting.

Sometimes, you have to wonder if the gods are against you.

While I agree with the fundamental tenets of PETA, I have never agreed with their “Shock Tactics” to draw peoples attention to animal cruelty. In my experience, these result in two things: fear and anger. In either case, the message is lost and the action is remembered. That said I like PETA’s informational resources, as they can be used to show people the facts without attempting to scare them into submission.

On another note, I find it disturbing how common the word “terrorist” is used in conjunction with anything people don’t agree with. To call people from PETA terrorists implies that they are attacking innocent bystanders, which is not true. In each case, they are attacking those that are committing what they perceive to be crimes. Terrorists, on the other hand, attempt to force people to their beliefs by threat of violence.

Being swarmed by millions of bees after a truck overturns while transporting the hives.

Okay, I would think the only fun thing about being in an airplane accident would be sliding down the chutes that are deploy from the downed plane. Aside from that, I like my planes to be airworthy. Of course, there are times where accidents happen before the plane takes off, though I find the title of the article a bit misleading. The passengers weren’t harmed by the fire, but instead hurt themselves sliding down the chutes. And even then, it was minor injuries. Gotta love reporters.

One of the things I hate about commercially successful ventures is the amount of greed that springs up as a result. Case in point, the desire of the publishing companies to control exactly how the newest Harry Potter book is distributed. While I don’t, in and of itself, have any issue with them controlling their rights, I do have a problem with a company exhibiting draconian measures to both control the rights and to build up the desire to purchase the books by putting such elaborate schemes in place. Further, to sue people for for reviewing a book for “tens of millions” is absurd. Of course it is interesting to watch the scavengers descend on a new fad every couple of years, only to have it fail to live up to expectations.

In seventh grade, I received 6 C’s and an F, the latter being in English, my native language. Here may be some reason why:

1. The bandage was wound around the wound.
2. The farm was used to produce produce.
3. The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4. We must polish the Polish furniture.
5. He’d be able to lead if he would get the lead out.
6. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert. [Triple whammy!]
7. Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8. A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
   1. I did not object to the object.
   2. The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
   3. There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
   4. They were too close to the door to close it.
   5. The buck does funny things when the does are present.
   6. A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
   7. To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
   8. The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
   9. After a number of injections my jaw got number.
   10. Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
   11. I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
   12. How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

That or I just didn’t pay attention in class.

I don’t read many blogs, mostly because they are people I don’t know talking about minute details of their life (I don’t care if your car broke down today!!!), but I do read a couple. On I read fairly regularly is joeuser.com because I find he talks amount issues I find interesting. Anyway, my interpretations of his posts lead me to believe he is fairly conservative, especially when it comes to Iraq. He recently wrote about why it doesn’t matter if Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) are found in Iraq. Here is my rebuttal:

Ultimately the freeing of the Iraqi people will be the highlight of the war with Iraq, but if WMD are not found, then one of two things about the current administration can be deduced.

1. This administration lied to the world and it’s people in order to achieve it’s goal to topple a regime it disagreed with. If this is the case, how can anyone trust an administration that basically says “we don’t trust you enough to do the right thing, so we are going to lie and scare you into doing what we want”.

Or…

1. This administration is incompetent in analyzing the data it was receiving about Iraq. In this case, how can we trust an administration that makes so blatant an error as to lead to the destruction of another countries leadership, regardless of the beneficial outcome that may have resulted (Iraqi freedom).

Yes, the Iraqi people were freed, but that was a side effect of this war and out stated purpose. There are a number of countries that are currently under cruel dictatorships, but there isn’t a call for the US to liberate them. So the real question is: why Iraq? More importantly, which of the above two reasons best classify this administration?

Okay, stopping hurricanes is noble cause….But dropping a nuclear bomb and turning them into a radioactive hurricane is. pretty damn funny (read the article).

Well, it’s a start, at least. One of the most compelling reasons for me not eating meat is the way the animals are treated in the factory farms. Reading books like Fast Food Nation can really open a persons eyes to how animals are treated on the factory farms.