Conflicker Worm is here!

Yes folks, it looks like the worm is very active again.
Please take the time to protect yourself and your data. A few minutes of safety can save hours or days of frustration and money.

The worm started spreading late last year, infecting millions of computers and turning them into “slaves” that respond to commands sent from a remote server that effectively controls an army of computers known as a botnet.

The Worm is quietly turning personal computers into servers of e-mail spam, flooding users with malicious emails that in turn can spread the worm again.
It is loading more malicious software onto computers under their (botnet creators) control.
According to Russian-based security researcher Kaspersky Lab.
“Conficker installs a second virus, known as Waledac, that sends out e-mail spam without knowledge of the PC’s owner, along with a fake anti-spyware program.
The Waledac virus recruits the PCs into a second botnet that has existed for several years and specializes in distributing e-mail spam.
Conficker also carries a third virus that warns users their PCs are infected and offers them a fake anti-virus program, Spyware Protect 2009 for $49.95.
If they buy it, their credit card information is stolen and the virus downloads even more malicious software.”

Please don’t be one of those who get scammed, lose control of their system or lose their data altogether.

Microsoft has some good resources here:
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/viruses/worms/conficker.mspx

And offers a great free scan that I recommend here:
http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/default.htm

For further steps you can take read my two previous posts:
http://mycraniumdrain.blogspot.com/2009/03/conflicker-protection.html

http://mycraniumdrain.blogspot.com/2009/03/more-conflicker-check-for-infection.html

Peace and safe computing

Improving Firefox’s font display

As most of you know I am a huge Firefox fan, primarily because of the extnsions;
things I could not do without, like ‘Better Gmail, DownloadHelper and Stop Autoplay.
All of which I have discussed in previous posts.
But one thing I wish Firefox did was ‘render/display’ pages as nicely as IE 7.
Because, with IE and XP/Vista using ‘ClearType’ and the ‘Aero’ interface pages just look great and I can read them very easily with my old eyes.
Here is a tweak I have used to enable much better font selections (for me anyways) in Firefox.
oops…
Looks like the folks at life hacker have already done a great tutorial (better than mine) on it so go here:
http://lifehacker.com/5197352/force-firefox-to-use-windows-vista-cleartype-fonts

Please note that before you change ANYTHING take COMPLETE and thorough notes of your settings – ALL of them, in all tabs, in case you don’t like what this does!!

Misguided legislation.

Showing how ignorant and misguided politicians really are:
http://i.gizmodo.com/5196924/texas-just-now-bans-vista-from-government-computers
note the line:
“because one state senator has heard… of the many reports of problems with Vista.”
This ‘tard has no idea how to use technology and certainly should have no business in legislating on it!!
I just point this out to make another point about how out of touch elected officials really are.
I am willing to bet that not one politician in congress has ever done their own taxes, started a small business from nothing (no help from rich daddy), shops at the local super market regularly for groceries, or even pays their own bills!!
Time for a political enema I say!
If we don’t flush these people out they are going to give it to us!

Nanny Stater’s

IncredibleThe ‘nanny-staters’ are everywhere.
From the top office to the local states.
http://taxdollars.freedomblogging.com/2009/03/23/state-considers-ban-on-big-screen-tvs/12993/
It is time we removed all elected officials and showed them they are not there for their asinine self serving purposes but to represent US.
This idea of legislating behavior and beliefs is getting out of hand.
It has been tried before, check history; Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Communist Eastern Block (USSR), Imperial Japan, Monarchical Europe.
Controlling leads to destitution and eventually revolution!!!
Freedom and liberty have lead to the greatest (for now) country the world has ever seen. With the most advances in human kind in such a short time.
Let’s do something to protect our country.