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Comment Re:Don't call or unsubscribe (Score 2) 333

by dbug78 (#37989248) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: What To Do With Spammers You Know?

This isn't the first time I've heard the "don't unsubscribe" wisdom. It's logical but doesn't reflect reality.

At my last job, I was asked frequently about the volume of spam. I got less than almost anyone else in the office despite having one of the most widely publicized email addresses. Why? Because I unsubscribed whenever I got something. When I was able to convince others to unsubscribe, they saw drastic decreases in spam.

This theory relies on the idea that spammers stop spamming people they don't get a reply from, and that's lunacy. The only time they give up on an address is if the email is rejected or if they cease operations. That being the case, there's no harm in trying to unsubscribe.

To address the initial question, if this company is so notorious why aren't they blocked at the SMTP server? Your IT people ought to be able to blacklist them with very little effort.
Linux

Newb-Friendly Linux Flavor For LAMP Server? 382

Posted by samzenpus from the setting-the-bar-low dept.
First time accepted submitter bhcompy writes "I need to setup a system to serve 2500 users and I've been looking at a LAMP setup. This is not commercial, more of a personal side project for some friends. I've no experience configuring or administering a Linux server having worked with MS and PICK based solutions my whole life, so I'm looking for something that will be relatively straightforward to implement and not a chore to manage and preferably not completely CLI. I will be serving a forum(phpBB 3 suits my needs and seems adequate) and a variety of PHP driven content with a MySQL backend. Requirements are PHP 5.3.0+ and MySQL 5+. Suggestions?"
Education

Google Pulls Plug On Programming For the Masses 236

Posted by CmdrTaco from the hacking-is-cancelled dept.
theodp writes "Google has decided to pull the plug on Android App Inventor, which was once touted as a game-changer for introductory computer science. In an odd post, Google encourages folks to 'Get Started!' with the very product it's announcing will be discontinued as a Google product. The move leaves CS Prof David Wolber baffled. ' In the case of App Inventor,' writes Wolber, 'the decision affects more than just your typical early adopter techie. It hurts kids and schools, and outfits like Iridescent, who use App Inventor in their Technovation after-school programs for high school girls, and Youth Radio's Mobile Action Lab, which teaches app building to kids in Oakland California. You've hurt professors and K-12 educators who have developed new courses and curricula with App Inventor at the core. You've hurt universities who have redesigned their programs.' Wolber adds: 'Even looking at it from Google's perspective, I find the decision puzzling. App Inventor was a public relations dream. Democratizing app building, empowering kids, women, and underrepresented groups — this is good press for a company continually in the news for anti-trust and other far less appealing issues. And the cost-benefit of the cut was negligible-believe it or not, App Inventor was a small team of just 5+ employees! The Math doesn't make sense.'"
Security

The Rise of Polymorphic Malware 202

Posted by Unknown Lamer from the dot-zip-dot-pdf-dot-virtual-exception dept.
twoheadedboy writes "The level of aggressive, polymorphic malware intercepted by Symantec doubled in July, when compared to figures from six months ago. This kind of malware has been typically found inside an executable within an attached ZIP file disguised as a PDF file, and is pretty darn good at getting around traditional anti-virus products. 'There are powerful Darwinian forces acting on the development of malware by criminals,' said Martin Lee, senior software engineer at Symantec. 'Those who look to innovate and improve their malware tend to infect more computers and acquire the resources to reinvest in further development and innovation.'"

Comment The Oath (Score 2) 359

by dbug78 (#36662768) Attached to: If WikiLeaks Suspect Manning Is Legally Guilty, What Punishment?

I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.

What's a soldier to do when those two statements are in conflict with each other? Personally, I'm glad he chose the first. Few of us would have the courage.
Earth

Bizarre Expanding Light Halo Seen By Hawaii Webcam 38

Posted by timothy from the only-part-of-the-sky-is-falling dept.
The Bad Astronomer writes "A webcam mounted at the CFHT observatory in Hawaii caught a strange, expanding halo of light on the night of June 22. Announced on the Starship Asterisk forum, readers quickly honed in on the likely culprit: the terminal charge from the third stage of a Minuteman III missile. Very similar to the Norway Spiral of 2009, and scientific sleuthing at its best!"
DRM

Capcom Announces Unreplayable Game 535

Posted by timothy from the unreplayable-not-yet-a-scrabble-word dept.
Hatta writes "Resident Evil: Mercenaries 3D for the Nintendo 3DS will be an experience that can be completed once per customer. Using a single, unwipable save slot Capcom ensures that a second hand customer gets a second rate experience. If you buy this game used, you will be stuck with the previous owner's progress, unable to start the game fresh."

Comment WW2 planes (Score 1) 722

by dbug78 (#36506444) Attached to: I Name My Servers After:

Last time I got to name a large quantity of servers, I named them all after WW2 planes (mustang, lightning, zero, typhoon, tempest, spitfire, etc). My manager immediately made me change them all to (app01, app02, app03...) which made me wonder why he let me name them in the first place.

At home all my machines have been named after Starcraft units: lurker, raven, overlord, overseer, goliath, baneling, interceptor...

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