JrOldPhart - Slashdot User

The Software Awards Scam 155

Posted by kdawson on Friday August 17, 2007 @04:15PM from the bottom-feeders dept.

jamie sends us to a blog post about the worthlessness of some download sites' "5-star" awards. Andy Brice, a UK-based software developer, packaged up a little text file full of the words "This software does nothing" as an EXE and named it "awardmestars." So far his self-proclaiming useless program has garnered sixteen 5-star awards from download sites he submitted it to. Brice concludes that many of the download sites are "just electronic dung heaps, using fake awards, dubious SEO and content misappropriated from PAD files in a pathetic attempt to make a few dollars from Google Adwords."

Submission + - Fark, Fox, and Hacking?

Submitted by

circletimessquare

on Friday August 17, 2007 @04:03PM

circletimessquare writes: "Is there a "Strange" tag on Slashdot? Valleywag.com is reporting that apparently, via a targetted email, an admin at Fark.com downloaded a trojan, which was used to steal passwords for Fark servers. Notably, these activities were traced to an IP address in Memphis Tennessee, and to a Fox News new media reporter. As to the veracity of the story, that is bolstered by the fact that the story was greenlit for the front page of Fark. Motive? That ranges from Fark being a rumored Fox takeover target, to stealing source code for a competing Fox social networking site. If the story is true, laws have been broken, but perhaps not by the Fox News reporter: it's very possible his computer was hacked as well. Whatever the truth, it's a very entertaining read, as it pushes a number of hot button topics."

Submission + - 10 Reasons it doesn't pay to be "The Computer (lifereboot.com) 1

Submitted by on Friday August 17, 2007 @03:46PM

An anonymous reader writes: LifeReboot.com has an article discussing 10 Reasons it doesn't pay to be "The Computer Guy." Reasons vary from the declining cost of computers to some less obvious but still valid points. The article begins with a familiar scene: a group of strangers take immediate interest in you after mentioning you work with computers.

Submission + - Adblock Hindering Firefox? (whyfirefoxisblocked.com) 1

Submitted by

Firegen

on Friday August 17, 2007 @03:08PM

Firegen writes: "Seems that traversing the web using Firefox and Adblock plus is running into the proverbial stonewall. This being broght to everyones attention over at http://whyfirefoxisblocked.com/

"The Mozilla Foundation and its Commercial arm, the Mozilla Corporation, has allowed and endorsed Ad Block Plus, a plug-in that blocks advertisement on web sites and also prevents site owners from blocking people using it. Software that blocks all advertisement is an infringement of the rights of web site owners and developers. Numerous web sites exist in order to provide quality content in exchange for displaying ads. Accessing the content while blocking the ads, therefore would be no less than stealing. Millions of hard working people are being robbed of their time and effort by this type of software. Many site owners therefore install scripts that prevent people using ad blocking software from accessing their site. That is their right as the site owner to insist that the use of their resources accompanies the presence of the ads."

So when did Ad's become intellectual of the site owner."

Submission + - Failing Our Geniuses.

Submitted by saintlupus on Friday August 17, 2007 @03:06PM

saintlupus writes: Time has an interesting article about the failure of the US educational system to properly deal with gifted students. For example, up to ten times as much money is spent nationwide on educating "developmentally disabled" students as gifted ones. Does No Child Left Behind mean that nobody can get ahead, either?

Submission + - Journalist attempts to hack, gets caught (valleywag.com)

Submitted by

wawannem

on Friday August 17, 2007 @02:56PM

wawannem writes: "I know that fark is not likely considered the serious news institution that slashdot is... In fact, I've heard of it referred to as slashdot's immature, mentally handicapped, younger stepbrother. Whatever it is, it appears that it drew some attention from a Fox news affiliate. Enough attention that it seems a reporter may have tried to hack into their servers.
FTA — Curtis believes that Phillips, or someone working with Phillips, sent him and several other Fark employees deceptive emails in an attempt to get them to download a trojan, a form of computer virus. The Trojan was designed to capture their passwords and give the author access to Fark's servers. In one case, it succeeded, giving a hacker passwords to a file server and one Fark employee's email account; he tried, but failed, to break into Fark's Web servers and email.
The article goes into some other speculation about the reporter's intentions, but I would imagine that the title of journalist should not exempt him from punishment in this case."

Submission + - Colleges wrestle with prohibiting portable storage (computerworld.com) 1

Submitted by

Lucas123

on Friday August 17, 2007 @02:53PM

Lucas123 writes: "IT managers at colleges and universities are grappling with the problem of finding ways to better secure removable storage media in an environment that encourages information sharing, according to Computerworld's Brian Fonseca. 'Such mandates may be common in the corporate world, but "we don't have the flexibility to simply say all inbound traffic is locked down," said Jason Pufahl, information security team lead for IT services at the University of Connecticut.'"

Submission + - Asia's skill shortage

Submitted by

enrac

on Friday August 17, 2007 @02:12PM

enrac writes: "An article in the Economist:

http://economist.com/business/displayStory.cfm?sto ry_id=9645045

talks about skill shortages in Asia which could hamper growth for that region:

"IT SEEMS odd. In the world's most populous region the biggest problem facing employers is a shortage of people. Asia has more than half the planet's inhabitants and is home to many of the world's fastest-growing economies. But some businesses are being forced to reconsider just how quickly they will be able to grow, because they cannot find enough people with the skills they need"

You know, they could outsource that work back here . . ."

Submission + - Apple Media SPINS Stock Crash, blames credit fears

Submitted by Truth in Media on Friday August 17, 2007 @02:10PM

Truth in Media writes: "The value of Apple shares are falling as part of (NOT) a general US market slide prompted by credit fears." Alright, STOP the Bullsh!t Macworld UK ... the REAL reason that Apple stock has lost $35.00 since it's high of $149 in the midst of all the BS iPhone PR Hype is that Apple has TWO product Flops in a row! The Apple TV and the iPhone are unquestionable FLOPS. And on Wednesday, notorious Apple Whore Walt Mossberg wrote that the newly released version of iWork is "Whimpy, whimpy, whimpy ... compared to Microsoft's Mac Office". The covers are off the PIG, and Apple's highly inflated image as an iNOvator is shown to be what it is, more Apple PR bullsh!t. http://www.macworld.co.uk/business/news/index.cfm? RSS

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