Archive for the ‘crime’ Category

Know Thy Enemy

spam.gif

There’s so much spam on the internet these days, pervading everything and it’s quite annoying. Running a blog is like a constant battle in the war against spam. People spam your comments in order to direct a minuscule amount of traffic to their sites, which most people wouldn’t even be dumb enough to click on. A while back we directed you to a link which was talking about why spammers do what they do.

From the article, and from experience, it is evident that spammers operate a system which basically works on the principle that even if you only get a tiny return (ie number of clicks on the spam comments on our blog) the return will be greater than the costs you spent doing it.

Anybody else could easily verify the reality of the situation by remembering all the actual paper spam received at home on a daily basis. The average number of direct mail schemes per home per day might have dropped since e-mail went totally mainstream, but we all remember the days of getting about 6,000 AOL CDs in the mail. Funny how they (AOL) fought such long legal battles with spammers while using 99% of the worlds silicone to clog your mail slot (the other 1% went to Pam Anderson, who during the same period couldn’t seem to make up her mind). Don’t ask me why I was reading either of those links, just go with the flow. Anyway, we used those AOL CDs as coasters.
YouTube Preview Image

Some bloggers go as far as to say that spam as we know it is the result of organized crime rings that can afford to conscript the cheap labor for their spam schemes. However, we know this isn’t 100% true given that we know personally college grads who make decent money spamming for spamming companies.

Ita€™s organized crime rings who hire programmers to automate everything they possibly can (domain registration, ISP registration, free email account registration) and hire menial workers for pennies an hour halfway around the world to do all the manual things they cana€™t automate (like get past image-based login systems). Which brings me to the second thing.

THIS IS NOT A HOBBY. If you want to be an anti-spam advocate, if you want to write software or maintain a list or provide a service that identifies spam or blocks spam or targets spam in any way, you will be attacked. You will be attacked by professionals who have more money than you, more resources than you, better programmers than you, and no scruples at all. They want to make money, this is how they have decided to make money, they really can make a lot of money, and youa€™re getting in their way.via

The author of the previous quote may be guilty of exaggerating but there is an interesting tinge of mobsterism. Especially given that spam companies have been known to take some pretty brutal retaliation methods… relatively anyway.

Such as:

  • Charges quickly surfaced that Lycos was crossing the line by launching a DDOS (distributed denial of service) attack, which is illegal in the U.S. and most European countries. The antispam campaign also prompted quick retaliation from unknown parties, including a reported hack of the makelovenotspam.com Web site.
  • September 26, 2003 (Computerworld) After fighting unsolicited commercial e-mail for several years by compiling and distributing Internet "blacklists" used by Internet service providers to block e-mail from known spammers, two online businesses have given up their efforts after their Web sites were crippled by distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks they believe were launched by spammers.

And that’s just the beginning of the unethical tactics that seem to run the internet spam world. Here’s some more links for the curious. And here’s an OnPoint (NPR) link.

What seems to be the main troubling idea presented from all the articles about spam across the internet, which probably nearly rival in amount (warning: facetious) the number of spam, is that the spam world is all about business. There are a lot of huge players in the game, including search engines, which have major stakes in the internet, political agendas, mind control etc., and they don’t like to lose. It all boils down to hard economics in the end. That’s why algorithms stay proprietary. In a perfect open source world it would be easy(er) to combat spam. Then we wouldn’t have had that corny-ass Lycos scheme or these fools right here.

spam.jpg

In 2004 the FTC’s A CAN-SPAM Informant Reward System: A Federal Trade Commission Report to Congress (PDF) asked whether rewards to whistleblowers are necessary for effective operation of US anti-spam legislation.

It commented that

potential whistleblowers would weigh the possibility of a reward against a number of opposing considerations: the likelihood of information they submitted actually being used, and whether the use would result in a successful legal proceeding; whether they would lose their own income; whether they would incur personal legal liability for their own part in the scheme; whether they would lose their anonymity; and whether they would become a target of retaliation by the spammer. via

We here at mnp just deal with the spam, but we find that it’s best to know thy enemy, so that you can understand what truly motivates them, for that is the way of the ninja. So, in that vein, here’s what others say:

By the most recent estimate, spam accounts for slightly more than 60 percent of all e-mail messages, triple the rate of only a year ago. That’s despite the efforts of Internet service providers to filter it out; despite ever-stricter state laws against spamming; and despite aggressive counter-attacks by anti-spam vigilantes. The reason for this, of course, is the fact that spam is the least expensive marketing ploy in history, which has obvious appeal for those with a something-for-nothing outlook. via

Understand your Enemy
The blog spammers i know have an intimate understanding of all the major blog software, the blog boom itself and how it can be used to further their own sites advantage in the search engines. Bloggers need to take this approach also.
Let me help you get up to speed…
It’s really rather simple: A link to a website with the right anchor text is valuable for search placement. Simple as that. By allowing users to comment and having their "name" as the link text that goes to their website you are enabling them to sign i[n] as "v|agra guy" or whatever - the keyword in the link text is what is important.
Contrary to popular beleif, it doesn’t really matter if your blog has a high PageRank or not, the anchor text is what is important.
With me? via

Stay on your toes, people.

email

Post to Twitter Post to Facebook

Posted: September 24th, 2007
at 7:30am by black octagons


Categories: youtube,computers,crime,web,not ninja-worthy,business,weaponry,2 hours on the internet,open source

Comments: 1 comment


Real Time With Bill Maher: Cornel West, Mos Def & Ralph Nader

Topics including Iraq, terrorism (Islamic, American and otherwise), Obama/Clinton, the Jena Six, OJ Simpson, the Boogie Man…
YouTube Preview Image

Bill: [On Islamic terrorists] You have to admit there are certain people who do want to kill Americans.
Mos: Yeah, uh, some of them are called The Police…

YouTube Preview Image

Mos: This is not about the Muslim or the Christian…the division of the Democrat/Republican, Muslim/Christian, uhhh, Autobot/Decepticon, Crypt/Blood, black/white: it’s all bullshit, because the bottom line is that Islam is not the threat; it’s not a problem.

YouTube Preview Image

Bill: [to Nader, on being a consumer advocate] Ralph, you’re bringing sexy back.
Ralph: [On his new book] There are at least three reasons why if my mother raised George W. Bush, we wouldn’t be in Iraq. One: she would have taught him history. Two: critical thinking. And three: how to listen.

YouTube Preview Image

Cornel: Truth lies prostrate on rugged heels with nameless cavalries. And what I mean is, it’s hard to find a space for truth, and it’s hard for truth to be a species of the good to have impact, in the face of corruption, mendacity, mediocrity and shortsightedness. So truth has to lie prostrate, which means we have to reveal it in its nekidness, even if that nekidness seems to be connected to a lack of power…
Bill: Let’s get the truth nekid right here on this table.

YouTube Preview Image

Bill: [New Rule] Sorry Mr. President, but slinking into somewhere unannounced and under cover of night isn’t an ass whooping; it’s a booty call.

Thanks to Kelena for the tip on this one!

Post to Twitter Post to Facebook

Posted: September 16th, 2007
at 2:36pm by jessie


Categories: hood status,myninjaplease,youtube,crime,politricks

Comments: No comments


William Rodriguez

YouTube Preview Image

William Rodriguez, is a native of Puerto Rico, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the State of New Jersey. On September 11, 2001, and for approximately nineteen years prior thereto, Rodriguez was employed as a maintenance worker at the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York, New York.

On 9/11, Rodriguez single-handedly rescued fifteen (15) persons from the WTC, and as Rodriguez was the only person at the site with the master key to the North Tower stairwells, he bravely led firefighters up the stairwell, unlocking doors as they ascended, thereby aiding in the successful evacuation of unknown hundreds of those who survived. Rodriguez, at great risk to his own life, re-entered the Towers three times after the first, North Tower impact at about 8:46 A.M., and is believed to be the last person to exit the North Tower alive, surviving the building’s collapse by diving beneath a fire truck. After receiving medical attention at the WTC site for his injuries, Rodriguez spent the rest of 9/11 aiding as a volunteer in the rescue efforts, and at dawn the following morning, was back at Ground Zero continuing his heroic efforts.

Rodriguez lost his employment of 19 years and his means of earning a living as a direct result of the attacks on the WTC on 9/11. Deeply affected, as one might imagine, by his experiences of 9/11, Rodriguez has, in a variety of capacities and through several different organizations, worked ever since that terrible day to help others who were affected by the atrocities committed. He has continued in these labors, notwithstanding the fact that, due to the loss of his employment, he has been unable to earn a living, and was even homeless for a time.

YouTube Preview Image

william911 :: via goodkarmapr

thanks to antonio for sending this

Post to Twitter Post to Facebook

Ted Nugent And The Wall Street Journal

Occasionally, I make tongue-in-cheek references to the "dirty hippies." I actually picked up the reference from Digby, who uses the phrase, as I do, to refer to the almost pathological obsession rightwingers have for the sixties counterculture. Despite the fact that no one has seen a "dirty hippie" in a good 30 years, the rightwing noise machine is still shocked and horrified that anyone could possibly "drop out" of the capitalist rat race. Make no mistake, whatever else wingnuts mean by "freedom," the freedom to "drop out" is not part of the definition.

So anyway, there I am, perusing the latest offerings on the Wall Street Journal editorial page — which is the best place to monitor what the corporate ruling class is thinking — and what do I see but an article about "dirty, stinky hippies." That’s a direct quote. And of course, the article includes the usual crap about how simply awful those dreadful people were.

Forty years ago hordes of stoned, dirty, stinky hippies converged on San Francisco to "turn on, tune in, and drop out," which was the calling card of LSD proponent Timothy Leary. Turned off by the work ethic and productive American Dream values of their parents, hippies instead opted for a cowardly, irresponsible lifestyle of random sex, life-destroying drugs and mostly soulless rock music that flourished in San Francisco.

But wait, guess who wrote this article? How about this guy.


conceptualguerilla

Post to Twitter Post to Facebook

Posted: September 9th, 2007
at 7:38pm by Koookiecrumbles


Categories: hood status,bling,life,celebrity,crime,green,not ninja-worthy,business,politricks,grub,real life news

Comments: No comments


The Western Avenue And Vicinity Gallery

Chicago’s most vibrant art scene is not to be found in the galleries of River North or Wicker Park, but stretching along the city’s longest street, Western Avenue. The work in this spontaneous gallery is unpretentious and, for the most part, unheralded. Its functional purpose does nothing to diminish its creativity or its range, from isolated drawings to full-blown art environments. And though these pages include images from all over Chicago, most of them are from Western Avenue itself — the world’s most artistic street.

interestingideas

Post to Twitter Post to Facebook

Posted: September 6th, 2007
at 3:54pm by Koookiecrumbles


Categories: hood status,life,art,crime,business,design

Comments: No comments


Sao Paolo on the bill

With the "Clean City" legislation, the government of the Brazilian megalopolis of 11 million (the most populous city in the Southern Hemisphere) aims for a cultural overhaul:

…This city…overwhelmed by what the authorities call visual pollution, plans to press the "delete all" button and offer its residents unimpeded views of their surroundings.

But in proposing to transform the landscape, officials have unleashed debate and brought into conflict sharply differing concepts of what this city, South America’s largest and most prosperous, should be. City planners, architects and environmental advocates have argued enthusiastically that the prohibition, through a new "clean city" law, brings SA£o Paulo a welcome step closer to an imagined urban ideal.

brandavenue.typepad

Post to Twitter Post to Facebook

Posted: August 20th, 2007
at 7:17pm by Koookiecrumbles


Categories: crime,too good to be true,green,home,business,weaponry,architecture,design,real life news

Comments: 1 comment


How Should We Think About Economics Today ?

Note that the scientific approach (like the aristocratic one) is a quest for power for its own sake; in other words, it is the practice of black magic. Science transforms white magic into black when it turns the young childa€™s paranoid fantasy for total control into the real world. The bounds of the expanse of total power (and of black magic) is the economic requirement of performing a valuable service for others. This is the humility that the capitalist market expects of us so that the white magic of economics might deploy its beneficial effects.

Contrary to customary opinion, money is not an idol, it is instead the tempest that upsets idols. Unpredictable and uncontrollable, money is on the side of liberty because it does not recognise borders and it threatens all governments. It is spiritual because it tears us away from materialism.

To sum up, the subject matter of economy is simply the Soul of the world.

read the complete analysis at liberalia

Post to Twitter Post to Facebook

People sleep on brownies like the tooth fairy and shi#

By now you’ve probably heard about it, but I mean, damn.

potbrownies.JPG

kontraband

Post to Twitter Post to Facebook

Posted: May 22nd, 2007
at 12:58pm by Koookiecrumbles


Categories: myninjaplease,crime,drogas,grub,real life news

Comments: No comments


History of Hacking

Well, things are moving a little slow around the Dojo today. It may be because Heroes came back on last night, and I was busy watching… or because the Red Sox swept the Yankees out of Fenway for the first time in 17 years. Or it may be that I’m still recovering from the shock that 1990 was 17 years ago.

hacking.jpg
In any case, check out this Discovery Channel documentary called "the History of Hacking." As far as hacking documentaries it’s one of the better ones I’ve seen, though that’s not saying much. It’s definitely worth a gander though.

Post to Twitter Post to Facebook

Posted: April 24th, 2007
at 10:52am by black octagons


Categories: youtube,computers,crime,web,weaponry,documentary

Comments: 13 comments