The Wind Through The Keyhole

I'm a huge Stephen King fan like so many others, but somewhere along the lines I slowed my intake and almost stopped, until recently. He is almost too prolific. I had heard of the Dark Tower series but have still not gotten into it. The series was supposed to have wrapped up back in 2004 but he just couldn't leave it alone. Perhaps he has a touch of George RR Martin in him. At any rate, he felt he had one more story in him for Roland, Eddie, Susannah, and Jake and so we have The Wind Through the Keyhole: A Dark Tower Novel. I did read the two books that he wrote with Peter Straub—The Talisman and Black House. I understand that The Talisman was somewhat of a foreshadowing of things to come. I'm sure that I will start reading the series sometime soon, I just hope that they are more in the vein of The Talisman instead The Black House.

Is Your Mac Infected?

Yes, it is rare. Most Mac users work with the relatively safe feeling that Macs don't get viruses. Don't get lulled into a false sense of security. With the surging popularity of all things Mac, your trusty and reliable Mac is now a target more than ever. And that means you are too!

CNET reports that over 600,000, almost 60% of Mac users in the U.S. alone, are infected with the Flashback botnet/Trojan that was designed to steal sensitive information and send it to identity thieves. The Trojan originally came packaged as a wrongly named Adobe Flash Player plug-in installer back in September. The new tactic, Flashback.N is a modified version that searches for Java vulnerabilities and installs itself when you visit an infected web site. If you have visited one of those sites your computer is at risk. It appears that Flashback is using Twitter to deliver commands and directions.

Apple issued an update for its OS X operating system to patch the problem on April 4. If you want to be sure that you AREN'T infected, there is a manual check that you can perform using Terminal and simple cut-and-paste to see if you are infected.

The Year of the Dragon

Above is a woodblock print that I made for the year. The first image is the camphor log from which I cut the slab to create the block. The second image is all that is left after the chainsaw. The third is the block itself.

We've been living in the "Year of the Dragon" now for about a month, do you feel lucky yet? For those of you who didn't know, “The Year of the Dragon” is the year of empowerment. It is the fifth of twelve animal signs and is considered to be the luckiest of the Chinese Zodiac. But for me, it isn't about luck or empowerment, it is about being prepared and aware for if you are prepared and aware, then you will be ready to seize the opportunity when it presents itself. Time and again throughout my life, I have been called lucky. When I found the hundred dollar bill floating in the water was one time, but I found it because I was looking when the rest of my family were oblivious because they were lost in the moment and totally in the family reunion moment. I have also heard that I am lucky to be alive. While I believe that luck is generally nothing more than being a bit more aware of your surroundings and capabilities and prepared to seize upon any opportunities that might present themselves, there is something more. Is it karma or some special plan that God has for us? I cannot answer that but I can be ready. Last year’s rabbit had all of us scurrying a bit too much. So, like the dragon, here’s wishing you a magical 2012.

WARNING: NACHA is a GOTCHA!

Got this e-mail from transactions@nacha.org this morning:

The ACH transaction (ID: 2************), recently sent from your checking account (by you or any other person), was rejected by the other financial institution.
Rejected transaction Transaction ID: 2************
Rejection Reason See details in the report below Transaction Report report_ 2************.pdf.exe (self-extracting archive, Adobe PDF)
13450 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 100 Herndon, VA 20171 (703) 561-1100 2011
NACHA – The Electronic Payments Association

Being on a Mac, I was too worried about an executable file messing up my computer and even if I wanted to I couldn't do much with it. Still didn't want it hanging around. And since I haven't made many electronic transactions recently I was even more suspicious. I didn't bother calling the number at the bottom of the screen as I figured it was a phishing expedition. Besides, anyone could set up a bogus phone line and tell me whatever they wanted me to believe to get my information and… POOF… I am sold off into electronic slavery… no longer the owner of my own name. What I did do, and what YOU SHOULD do any time you receive ANYTHING that requests information or that you click on a report or "visit a site" through a link provided is search the internet. Check Snopes. They have proven reliable in the past but don't stop there, look for the name of the so-calle organization that sent it. See what others might be saying.

I did this and found that quite a number of others have received similar messages. One called the number at the bottom of the so-called official e-mail and got that quick busy signal that one sometimes gets when a phone is out of commission. Snopes had the story. Even the real NACHA seems to be warning people.

Hard times have hit this world. And with it have come a renewed onslaught of people going on phishing organizations. I get e-mail everyday telling me that I won a FIFA lottery, or that I can get millions if only I would allow a poor, dying man a place to deposit his money so I could carry on his noble cause. Be smart people. No one is going to give you money and you haven't won any competitions, especially if you didn't enter them.

Be smart. Be safe. Be ever vigilant.

Game of Thrones (HBO) - "Fear and Blood" teaser

Yes! Winter is Coming! This teaser is probably the best one to explain what The Game of Thrones is all about – especially the first season. It's only a month away now. Read more about the series at HBO or the Winter is Coming blog.