August 24, 2008

Self Portrait Sunday for August 24, 2008

Are you thinking I must be going to a costume party dressed as a flapper? Wrong! I’m not going anywhere. I haven’t left the house in four days except for a milk and bread run. I’ve been wearing myself out slaying dragons and didn’t even have the energy to go to a Table of Contents luncheon yesterday. I also haven’t had the energy or the time to do my roots. You saw them last week and I think once is enough for a such a disgraceful sight, thus the hat. I’m totally exhausted. It would take a passle of moving companies to even get me out the front door right now. Give me twenty-four hours. I need to catch up on sleep and get back to a regular blogging/eating/living-my-life schedule. Maybe I’ll be back in step in a few days. Maybe I won’t need to hide my roots next week. We’ll see.

Meanwhile, you should follow me over to Midlife Musings and check out the other Self Portrait Sunday participants. Most of them are easier on the eye and probably not hiding under hats today. Hey - it’s still Sunday. Why not snap a quick photo of yourself and join us?

[tags]meme, photos, self portraits[/tags]

Posted by skeet @ 3:24 pm • Photos, Meme • 5 comments  

The dragon is slain!

Remember this?

It’s been four long days hunched over my keyboard and I think I’ve developed a permanent dowager’s hump. Four days of stressing and staying up each night “just a little longer,” then finally falling asleep at my desk in the wee hours. Four days of downloading and running various AV software programs. Four days of a computer running so slowly that I was unable to do all of the things I usually do online. Today I announce … SUCCESS! The trojan is dead, and all of his nasty little companions with him!

My problems started Wednesday night when my CA Anti-Virus alerted me to an intruder. Only a Trojan virus, one of the more innocuous forms of malware, but this particual Trojan packs a surprise. The Pupur family of Trojan viruses don’t travel alone. When they come to visit they bring siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles. Several viruses install at once. The reason they’re so pernicious is this: each carries instructions to install the other. Your anti-virus program deletes the first intruder, but before it can get to the companions, they’ve re-installed the one that was already deleted. I was getting pop-up virus alerts every five to thirty seconds as a virus was deleted and then immediately reinstalled. I turned off my alerts in frustration, then went searching for a solution. Here’s the problem with CA: they couldn’t fix it. They were quick to tell me I had a problem, but were not able to get a step ahead of the reinstalls and stop them. After twenty-four or so frustrating hours of research I had enough of a handle on the thing to realize that CA was no longer my friend. What good is an anti-virus program if the only thing it can do is tell you that you’re infected?

I used to have Norton on my computer. It’s the gold standard of anti-virus programs, right? I ditched it in favor of CA a while back because Norton protected me so well that I couldn’t see things I wanted and needed to see - things on my blog like widgets in my sidebars and image maps in my posts. When CA failed me I didn’t want to go back to those problems, so I checked out McAfee. It looked good and came with recommendations from friends, always a plus with me. And if installing and running the program doesn’t delete viruses already present, McAfee offers a Virus Removal Service for only $89.00 - that’s a lot cheaper and a lot more convenient than unhooking your computer, carrying it to a local geek, being totally without service for a few days or a week, then paying a hefty bill. I downloaded the trial scan and set it to work. Over six hours later, McAfee was still scanning and hadn’t yet gone through a quarter of my content. What’s up with that? Meanwhile, a Twitter friend suggested that I try Trend Micro Housecall instead. Feeling like I had nothing to lose, I shut down the ongoing McAfee scan and downloaded the trial version of Trend Micro. It took a little over three hours to scan my computer, then removed all of the malware it found, including my Trojan guests and various adware/spyware intruders that CA had not detected and removed.

Happiness is a search that comes up empty! I searched for the Pupar virus and all the companions that accompanied it when it came for a visit. None of them are now present on my computer. Trend Micro sent them packing without the benefit of lovely parting gifts or even travel insurance. I can only hope that they don’t survive the trip to their next unwilling host! I probably don’t have to tell you I’ll be buying the full version of Trend Micro before my thirty day free trial expires. Your experiences may be different, but Trend Micro is what worked for me. I may be a non-geek, but I know a good thing when I find it!

[tags]anti-virus programs, computer virus, getting rid of trojan virus, trojan virus, virus[/tags]

August 23, 2008

Woot! Hawaii takes US World Series Championship!

Our local boys from Waipio defeated my “old” home state of Louisiana today to become the US World Series Champs. Tomorrow they play Mexico for the Little League World Championship. Today’s game was a real nail-biter, but you’ll have to go to KITV4 News for the details. I’m still trying to get the blasted virus out of my computer & things are running so slow it will take me half an hour just to publish this little paragraph. The Finals will air tomorrow (Sunday) on ABC, so check your local listings and cheer our boys on!

Congrats Waipio! Today the US, tomorrow the World!

Image credit: Little League Online

[tags]baseball, Hawaii local news, KITV4, Little League Baseball, Little League World Series, Waipio All Stars[/tags]

August 22, 2008

I’m creating a second empire

I registered a new domain yesterday. I’m really excited about this one because it represents a tangible foundation stone in some major changes that are building in my life. The new domain is a name domain - my real life name. I’ve operated my business under my own name for quite a few years now. I have some new business interests that will also be tied to my personal identity, so it makes sense to have a name website to serve client needs and to publicize my services to potential new clients. It’s also sound business to establish the new website in a way that will be totally unassociated with the skeet empire (you do know I’m an empire, right?) The people I do business with don’t need to see me with a mud mask on my face or know about my affinity for white cotton. Having two separate empires will allow me to keep sharing my personal life and interests here while maintaining a buffer zone between business and personal life over there. Towards that end, I am now shopping for new webhosting that will help me maintain those separate identities.

I won’t be diving in and hooking up to the first host that offers me a good rate this time. The new domain will stay parked until I’m sure I’ve found the right host for my professional website. While I love Blue Host, I’m not sure that Multiple Domain Hosting with a single host is the right way to go. I’m not in a huge hurry. The changes I’m anticipating will transpire with or without the new site up and running. That means I can take my time and make my webhosting decisions without the pressure of a short timeline. I’m studying the options with several differents hosts and doing some other homework. My new website needs to be an enhancement to my professional image. It will form a first impression for many future clients, so I’ve got to make a selection that will help me make that impression as good as it can possiby be. Webhositngrating.com offers unbiased data and reviews of all the best-know hosts, so everything I need to know can be found there. It’s good to have a service like that handy when you’re taking a major step into the future. Whether you’re starting a new blog or building a professional empire, check them out before you commit to your next web host. Reviewing the services that are available before you take the plunge can save you from a world of misgivings later, and wehostingrating is the place to do it.

[tags]business website, domains, hosting, web hosting[/tags]

Four Foods on Friday #43

Val’s site was down late yesterday, but she’s back this morning. Hope it’s not too late for me to participate in Four Foods on Friday. Then again, her questions this week are all about healthy eating habits, so maybe it would be better if I just walk away. Let’s just say that my diet is not recommended for anyone who wants to eat right and leave it at that.

#1. What do you drink to rehydrate in the heat or after working out?

Iced tea, but I suppose the answer should be water, right?

#2. What do you eat to help boost or create energy?

Chocolate. It cures everything.

#3. What’s the healthiest snack you eat?

If I’m feeling virtuous I eat unbuttered, unsalted popcorn. I’m not that virtuous that often.

#4. Share a recipe or instructions for your ideal three course meal.

My ideal three course meal is meat (preferably with gravy or a rich sauce,) a starch and a chocolate dessert. An ideal healthy meal, which I do eat sometimes, would be grilled chicken breast or fish, a green salad and fresh fruit with a little cheese for dessert. Okay - I lied. I never eat that healthy. Bring on the gravy!

Sorry no picture this time. I’m still struggling with the Win32/Puper!generic trojan and my computer is running so slow I keep timing out. Editing photos is not going to happen.

[tags]food, food meme, Fun, Crafts and Recipes, healthy eating, trojan virus from hell[/tags]

August 21, 2008

I’ve been invaded

This is what appeared in my computer last night (click the photo to view large enough to read.) I was in a search engine and found an entry that was exactly the phrase I had entered. I clicked on it and a video box came up, but with a notice that I needed to install a new software upgrade in order to view the video. I wanted to see the video, so I installed the stupid thing. As you can see from my scan log above, I opened up Pandora’s box.

I guess my AV protection is pretty good. It deleted the Win32/Puper!generic trojan right away. Here’s the problem, though: it keeps coming back. Literally every thirty second or so I get the above pop-up telling me that it’s back but my AV protection has deleted it.

This has happened hundreds of times since it started last night. If I’m typing when the infection alert pops-up (like right now) I have to stop what I’m doing and close it before I can continue. On the info page for this monster I find that:

The file “intmonp.exe” is usually accompanied by the file “popuper.exe”. Both files are used to re-launch the other in-case any of them are terminated. “popuper.exe” also drops “intmonp.exe” if it is not found on the system. It also sets the following registry value in order to execute itself when “explorer.exe” is started:

This registry value is also monitored by the trojan. If it is modified in any way, the trojan sets it again.

So, that explains what’s going on, but doesn’t tell me anything about how to fix it. I’ve found nothing on the CA site that tells me how to block the blasted thing so it will quit coming back. According to what I’m understanding, it won’t even do any good to open my registry and delete it there because it will continue to re-install itself. Isn’t that what it’s saying? I should tell you the idea of opening my registry and deleting anything scares me to death. I’ve don’t even know how to open my registry, much less how to find the right stuff when I’m in there. I greatly fear that I would do the wrong thing and end up erasing myself from the universe.

If you know what I’m supposed to do, could you help me out here, please?

[tags]computer virus, trojan, pupur trojan[/tags]

Tuesday Teaser photo verification

Sorry folks - no winner this week. I’m always a little fearful when I do my photo cuts to put together the Tuesday Teaser puzzles. It’s difficult to know if I’ve chosen the right item, the best view of the item, the right crop to create an image that is tough but ultimately solvable. Somone that I spoke to about this one (waving hello to you-know-who-you-are-down-in-Texas) took a look at it for me and we realized that he was looking at the negative space instead of the positive space - he was trying to decide what the light-colored area was instead of seeing it as ” just space” between the items that actaully define the photo. I know from the types of things you posted as guesses that many of you were doing the same thing. That pretty much defines the difficulties I face when putting the Tuesday Teaser together each week. What I see is not necessarily what you will see. The end result is that there are no promotional items or giveaways this week, but make sure you return next Tuesday when we’ll do it all over again!

My computer is very, very sick today. The problem started last night and made it impossible for me to post. I’m working around it now, but with great difficulty. As soon as I finish this post I’ll put up some screen shots. If you’re the helpful sort I hope you’ll come back in a half an hour or so and see what you can tell me about what’s going on.

[tags]battery recharger, contest, photo puzzle, Tuesday Teaser[/tags]

August 20, 2008

Hawaii Little League in World Series Finals!

Breaking news! This is so fresh that I don’t have a photo for you (and you know I love to put a photo in every story!) but I wanted to be the first to share this great news with you.

Our Hawaii Little League Team from Waipio has just advanced to the finals in the Little League World Series. We love sports in Hawaii and folks here are especially supportive of youth sports, so you know we’ll all be watching and cheering on Saturday when they play in the National Championship Game. If they win there (I should say when they win there!) theyll play for all the marbles on Sunday in the World Championship Game.

Read the whole story on KITV4 News and bookmark the site so you can check back later for updates.

Congratulations to the Waipio All Stars and good luck this weekend. We’re all so very proud of you!

[tags]baseball, Hawaii local news, KITV4, Little League Baseball, Little League World Series, Waipio All Stars[/tags]

Support the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk

On September 7, 2008 people from around the island of Oahu will gather in Honolulu for the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk. They are generating funds to support the Alzheimer’s Association’s efforts to provide Alzheimer care, support and research and to help educate people about this devastating disease. They’re walking to help provide support for their own loved ones or for strangers. They’re walking in hope of a cure. Somewhere in a town or city near you others will be doing the same. They need help and would love to have you join them.

The Memory Walk is an easy one - usually two to three miles - and will be happening in over six hundred towns and communities across the US. If there’s not one near you, you can be the driving force to get one going. There’s probably already one planned, though, so all you have to do is sign up, show up, stimulate folks to pledge and … walk! You can help support this worthy effort by joining an existing team or forming your own team of walkers. Team captains are especially needed. It’s not a difficult task because the website provides you with all of the tools you’ll need to organize a team and generate pledges. If you can’t walk, make a pledge to support someone who can. You can also help by publicizing the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk on your blog. Help get the word out! Alzheimer’s will be conquered. Don’t you want to be a part of that?

[tags]Alzheimer’s, Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s Memory Walk, Alzheimer’s support, charities, charity walks[/tags]

August 19, 2008

Wild West Quest - hidden object game

After finding some of your grandfather’s belongings in an old trunk, you’re magically transported back in tme to his era in the the wild west. Grandpa hasn’t been seen for a while, so you turn detective and begin to gather clues that will help you locate him. That’s the premise which kicks off Wild West Quest, available as a free one-hour demo from Big Fish Games. You’ll talk to town characters and visit different settings as you go about your task. In each scene you visit you’ll be provided with a list of objects to find, or with a menu of sillhouettes to match with items in the scene.

If you enjoy searching for hidden objects that have be subtley woven into a scene, this is not the game for you. Most of the items you’re asked to find in Wild West Quest are not really hidden. They are “in plain sight” but each scene is so cluttered that it’s a challenge to pick out any given item. Sillhouetted items are a little tougher to find and some will require some willd guessing on the player’s behalf - when there are half a dozen circular items in a scene, your only recourse is to click on each until you get lucky. Question marks are hidden within each scene. Each one you find provides you with a hint, so collect them as you go along, but you won’t need many, so don’t sweat it if you miss a few.

I prefer a higher level of challenge in hidden object game play, but I have several games that I keep handy for those days when I don’t have a large chunk of time for a more absorbing game. I know that I can use them for a brief break from a busy day without being sucked into wanting to spend hours with them. Wild West Quest falls into that category for me. If you’re looking for a real challenge, this might not be the game for you. If you select games of different intensity to suit different occasions, label this one “relaxed play” and give it a whirl. The demo is free, so you’ve got nothing to lose.

You can find other hidden object game reviews in the games category for skeet’s stuff. Each review offers my thoughts on the game and provides you with a link so you can check it out for yourself.

[tags]games, hidden object games, Wild West Quest[/tags]