Shady Company Sues Tweeter

Horizon Group Management out of Chicago is suing a former tenant for a Twitter message ("tweet") in which they say she defamed their company:

Back in May, Amanda Bonnen tweeted, "Who said sleeping in a moldy apartment was bad for you? Horizon really thinks it's okay." Horizon Group Management insists they never spoke with Ms. Bonnen concerning a mold problem in her unit because there was nothing about which to speak; "The statements are obviously false," a representative for the company told the press. According to Horizon Group Management, Ms. Bonnen's apartment was not moldy and no mold was found after she vacated the apartment. They did not say whether or not Amanda Bonnen left because of a mold issue, real or otherwise.

Horizon Group Management then admits that Amanda Bonnen's apartment was one of several which experienced a roof leak overnight in late March, 2009 - when she sent the tweet. Horizon Group Management also admitted they never spoke with the former tenant regarding the leak, her claims of mold, or taking down the tweet they say is defamatory.

We're a 'sue first, ask questions later' kind of organization

- Horizon Group Management

Horizon Group Management is suing for $50,000, claiming Ms. Bonnen's tweet injured the company's reputation by her tweet, which was sent to a mere 20 people. Horizon Group Management says the tweet was "published throughout the world." Her Twitter account has since been deleted.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

The Digital Converter Box

So, I finally got mine today and got it installed in a matter of minutes. There is really nothing to it; it's just like hooking-up a VCR or DVD player using a coaxial cable. The problem is that it isn't very good about picking-up channels.

Granted, it gets several more than anyone ever got through analog TV (without cable/satellite), but just barely. For the most part, they are superfluous. For example, I get two ABC affiliates and both have their own weather channels.

Furthermore, it is extremely sensitive - I mean unbelievably so:

We have to screw in the lightbulbs in one room because the chain broke on the ceiling fan. One lightbulb was seated loosely and flickered erratically, and we noticed everytime the bulb worked, the TV went out! No kidding! We actually had to unseat it completely to get the TV to work! It is that sensitive.

There are all sorts of trees, including one right on top of the antenna, so that is definitely a factor. We are going to cut them back some this week... somehow. Still, it is so sensitive that it's really just this side of unmanageable. Channels come in and go out seemingly at random, because we have tried all sorts of things to duplicate the issues we've been having, and we can never seem to get it to duplicate the problem(s).

If we turn the antenna one way (physically - that is, by going outside and turning it with our hands), we get a slew of channels; if we turn it the other way, we get a handful of different channels; but no matter what we do, we can't get all the major networks in one direction or another. We have to decide between two ABC affiliates and two Fox affiliates or CW, two ABC channels, and UPN. That is, when there is something on one channel we want to see, we are going to have to go outside and physically twist the antenna in order to view it.

All in all, it's definitely a mixed bag. I suggest selecting a satellite provider. The $20-30/month you spend (for the basic package) is worth it. Of course, the signals will get stronger over time and I am dealing with issues specific to my location, so take it for what it's worth.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Hotsy Pressure Washers

Many industries use pressure washers (also called "power washers") in their cleaning regimen. Pressure washers are an excellent and efficient way to get walls, floors, and surfaces 100% clean in little to no time. They conserve resources by acting so quickly, and employees like them because it means less work they have to do!

Pressure washers are also at the heart of Hotsy's company. Not only do they guarantee their products, they prefer to demonstrate them before you buy and will send a local representative to your home or business to demonstrate just how well their products work before you buy anything!

Don't you wish every company did that?

Barcode 2.0

US researchers unveiled the bokode - what they hope will replace the black and white barcode. But before we get into that, this post deserves a little setup:

Many, many years ago (about 10, to be exact), Wired sent me, as a subscriber, a little utility which looked like a cat. IIRC, it was actually called C.A.T., but I don't remember what the acronym stood for. Anyway, the device read barcodes and rerouted you to the website or webpage for the product (or one which listed its information).

The problem was that you couldn't carry your desktop with you when you went shopping, and laptops were still very expensive. Not everyone bought into the C.A.T. thing, either, so you never really knew which objects would work with it until you scanned them. Wired included barcodes in many articles for use with the device, but it worked with Win98, ME, 2000, et.al. - it did not work with Vista. I never used it enough to bother, anyway.

It was little more than a neat toy at the time, but I held onto it for years and years (about a decade, to be exact). I've come across it at least a dozen times over the years and even did a search on it a couple, few years back, but I figured it was just one of the many steps on the road to greater things, because that was pretty much the end of it. Until I got a copy of a much newer trade magazine which wasn't even around 10 years ago and saw article after article with scannable barcodes. This led me to thinking about all the other technology and technological devices which seemed somehow noteworthy, but never developed into anything.

That's why I was elated to learn about "bokodes," the suggested replacement for the worn-out barcode. Not only do bokodes carry more information than their ancestor, they can also be read from farther away - and by simple cellphones! One of the doctors involved in the bokode's development called it a "long-distance barcode."

The bokode has a lot of potential uses, including saving information (such as equipment settings) in industrial and factory settings, encode nutritional information on food items, and even present promotional offers. A truly exciting application of the technology was given as an example: if you were standing in a library in front of a row of books, a single picture would allow you to find the book you're looking for immediately! Perhaps even more exciting to us geeks, the researchers indicate the bokode's usefulness to Google Streetview (as only one example).

The bokode costs more than a barcode, but it is only in the prototype stage. Like any new technology, it will have its ups and downs and it may be years, even a decade or more, before it is fully adopted, but it definitely a step in the right direction.

You can learn more about it here and it will be unveiled completely next week, so you should expect more articles on it across the Web, then.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Indoor Comfort Out of Doors

Most of us enjoy being outside, at least some of the times. But one of the major gripes even the "outdoorsy" types have with nature is that it is just too... natural. No matter how hard you try, you often just cannot get comfortable. This is especially problematic when company visits. But not anymore:

Cozy Days is bringing the indoors outside with great outdoor furniture, like their outdoor chaise lounges and outdoor bar stools. Yes, bar stools! With furniture this plush, your backyard barbecues will be the talk of the neighborhood!

Of course, Cozy Days (dot com) also carries a full line of traditional outdoor and patio furniture, along with furniture covers, and even an outdoors Q&A guide! Follow the link above and check it all out, and don't forget to ask for a copy of their free catalog!

Chinese Hack Australian Film Festival Website

Hackers from what appears to be a Chinese IP address hacked into the Melbourne International Film Festival's website, apparently protesting the inclusion of a documentary on Rebiya Kadeer, the leader of the Ulghurs. Just this month, nearly 2000 Chinese were either injured or killed during riots, which Chinese officials say Kadeer caused. Kadeer denies the charges.

When Chinese officials learned the festival would be screening the documentary, they pulled four Chinese films set to screen, then threatened organizers. Richard Moore, head of the Melbourne International Film Festival, told reporters, "Hey, we're a independent arts organization and it's our program!"

Moore went on to say there have been hundreds, if not thousands, of visitors trying to gain access to the site for the last 10 days. He also said police were investigating the matter.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

e-Commerce Done Right

This is an exciting time for us Webmasters and Netizens, alike. Cloud computing is emerging and looks to be the next major technological advancement. You can put this technology to work for you, but doing this on your own can be quite costly. Unless you are an online company already familiar with Web technology (or you have a strong IT department), this is the kind of thing which is best outsourced.

One World is just the company, no matter your business' size! They pledge complete ecommerce fulfillment. While cloud computing offers us many approaches to help desk management, it will be a long time before the call center is a thing of the past. Let One World help streamline your e-commerce operations, allowing you to focus on more important things.

More Technical Issues

There are several developments in the Cyberworld which I intend to address, however The Weirding switched domain registrars early in the month and it still has not been resolved. I should have known this wouldn't be easy, given the junk I went through whenever I got new hosting, but it should have been far easier than this (well, that one should have been, too...).

Anyway, if you are unable to access the blog(s) or site this weekend, that is the reason. If this is the case, just check back Monday and everything should (better) be back to speed.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Wholesale Insurance

The Web has many practical uses and this is exemplified in the way we shop for insurance. You can compare rates from top companies without having to speak with a sales representative, sign-up for a plan at the website, and more.

Wholesaleinsurance.net can provide yu with the best term life insurance rate, using their unique search engine. You can see all of these rates on one screen, so you can comprare them side by side. But Wholesaleinsurance.net sales much more than just term life insurance, and they have nearly 40 years of experience in the field, so you know you are getting superior service.

Vista Box Blown

There was a huge electrical storm in Tennessee Wednesday (July 15^th), which knocked-out the power. Some 1000 customers were without power for 30 some-odd hours, including yours truly.

I unplugged the phoneline from the computers, but the storm seemed to abate and I plugged them back in. As I'm walking through the basement, lighting candles, another lightning bolt crashed and I heard a loud "pop." Of course, I feared for the computers, so I unplugged the phoneline again, but left them plugged-in because they were plugged into a surge protector.

I know, how cana surge protector protect anything when the power is out? Well, many years ago, my dad bought two large-screen TVs, but not the overpriced warranties. A big storm came and I unplugged the TV, not realizing it was on a surge protector. Sure enough, it killed the TV and I've never been able to live it down. Needless to say, said experience taints my every decision in such circumstances.

Anyway, the Vista computer was on the end and it will now power only the fan. Neither the light on the front panel comes on, nor do the hard drives sound like they're spinning. Worst of all, I don't have the money to repair it at this time, and won't for a few weeks. I just hope the data is still there, because the last time I baked it up was like four months ago. It's not a huge deal if it isn't, but I hope it is.

I'll deal with it later. Still, if anyone has any light to shed upon the matter, I'm all thumbs ears.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Agenda

Just a quick note to let you know about all the things I am working on bringing you, as well as update you as to my personal status:

Firstly, how can The Cyberculturalist not cover the announcement of the "new" Google OS? Well, for one thing, didn't they announce this a few months back? Whether or not they did, it isn't as though this is completely out of the blue; Google has been encroaching on the desktop's domain for years now with their many online applications and operations and we here saw it coming. Sorry if we didn't mention it before now. Still, we certainly do plan to discuss this development, but Microsoft is just now making its own announcements as to the online apps it is rolling-out, and we want to cover the whole thing in one, fell swoop. Truthfully, I don't think it's going to shape-up to much for years to come. Once they gave it a buzzword name, everybody jumped on the bandwagon, so Google may have cut this path, but I don't think it will pave this road.

Secondly, I just completed the second of my many "temporary" moves this past weekend... and it was a doozy! We managed it all in a single day, but I'm still moving things down into the basement here. I am also finally going through all these boxes - many of which I haven't seen since the first move. It's still going to be a week or more before I relocate all the resources I use to bring you this stuff. I don't know how long I'll be here, and there's a whole lot to do while I am, so we'll take it as it comes.

Unfortunately, this blog requires a lot of research to bring you even one piece, and it's exponentially more difficult to perform on dial-up, so I'm doing what I can. Just bear with us.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Slimroute

While medical science has discovered and/or developed many drugs which fight medical issues humanity has dealt with for generations, many of them have side effects which can be as dangerous, if not moreso, than the issues they seek to treat. This is especially true when it comes to weight loss medications. While many of them work - a few, quite well - most of them also have serious side effects to consider. While it is true that not all patients suffer all of these side effects (some don't suffer any), they should still be considered by anyone considering the medicine as a treatment.

This is the case with phentermine, thought by some to be one of the strongest weight loss drugs ever. Slimroute takes a closer look at this "wonder drug," its weight loss benefits, and possible side effects. Makes sure you do your research before making a decision.

Is N Korea Behind Cyber-Attacks?

As South Korea says a third wave of cyber-attacks are hitting their infrastructure, North Korea is being tauted as the most likely suspect. The wave of DOS (Denial Of Service) attacks crippled South Korea's most popular banking website, as well as government-related sites, on Thursday, following attacks over the July 4^th weekend which were reported to have even affected sites in America.

North Korean operatives immediately denounced the finger-pointing as an attempt at besmirching North Korea and Pyongyang's rule. They failed to mention how Pyongyang's or Jong Il's or someone's recent nuclear missile testing might have played into the whole thing. Some reports say North Korea even threatened a cyberattack on June 27^th, but I failed to find articles to back that up. I did find threats of a more missile-y nature made earlier, though. No matter: officials have been worried about cyberattacks originating from North Korea for quite some time now.

South Korean officials admit there is nothing directly linking the communist country to the attacks, though some American officials have backed the suspicions as valid. Reports from a few years back showed that entities in North Korea were those who had most often visited and stayed logged-in to American military cyber-installations (websites, databases, et.al.) in the Koreas.

North Korea is said to have strengthened its cyberforces, having trained several hundred hackers in recent months. They may also be assisted by ally, China - though China also expressed displeasure at North Korea's recent missile launchings.

The recent "attacks" are Distributed Denial Of Service attacks which are actually pretty small-time, when one considers such things. While cyberwarfare is nothing like that seen in the movies or written about in Cyberpunk literature, DDOS attacks can be carried-out by moderately organized hackers with nothing more to prove than that they can actually do it. Infected computers are instructed to ping certain sites; this flood of requests slows, or even closes, the site. DDOS attacks do not penetrate, they merely deny access.

More sophisticated attacks would be expected of military-grade specialists. Even those using a patchwork network of Commodore 64s, Win 3.11 workstations, and a Windows 95 server.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

The XBox

It is no secret that the XBox is a serious, and seriously popular, form of entertainment. I would wager that more than 50% of people under the age of 40 are regular video game players. The rate would be much higher amongst men only. The XBox 360 cranks it all up a notch.

Not only do you get more "bang" for your buck with your shooters, the XBox 360 also comes with new Windows Media Technology, bringing your home entertainment into an entirely new dimension. This package is included in the Vista Home Premium edition and I have used it quite a bit these last few months. While it has its limitations offline, the Media Center looks to be pretty amazing when it is connected to the Web.

If you are a casual computer-user - even a casual video game player - the XBox 360 might be just the addition to your home entertainment suite.

A Deep-Link to a Post on the Legalities of Deep-Linking

More and more, as we continue to develop (well, sprawl is more accurate), The Weirding's "shape" is coming into focus. As I said from the beginning, this site is really about my interests. While somewhat diverse - at least from certain perspectives - I've found that many others who share my interests often share several of them. Regardless, The Weirding covers a lot of ground which is often more closely related than many visitors realize.

Many times, in fact, the material fits more than one department so well that I have trouble deciding where to put it. More often, I get off the subject and start rambling into other areas. Either way, seeing as how The Weirding is about me and I think about these things and relate them to one another, crossover is bound to happen and now that the whole Blog Boom is coming to an end (thankfully!), I no longer wish to keep these concepts and departments as separate as I have in the past; I am not just allowing these crossovers to occur naturally, I'm pushing to get more crossover between the areas so the site becomes what it was always supposed to be: the aimless, solipsistic ramblings of what's sure to be a diseased mind. Not a bunch of "niche blogs" thrown together.

So I want to direct your attention to today's post on Weird Ink. While it was probably more appropriate to include here, the idea is to emasculate bloggers and "save" the deadwood industry (traditional newspapers and periodicals). That's how it ended-up in the Writing Department - or the "dedicated niche" writing blog.

For those what don't know, I do, in fact, get paid to write and this is actually my only job. This allowed me to invest in this website and spend the time and energy that I have here. While little is available and some of it looks quite bad, it is getting better and there is a lot of it. I continue to improve and the site continues to develop with me.

Check out the post and leave your comments on either blog.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Technical Notes

I have changed registrars and am having some difficulty getting the information to parse. I just finalized this last night, so there are a few more days to mess with it before it gets to critical status (specifically why I started early - I don't want to go through the shit I went through last time! I say, knocking on wood), but I wanted to let you know because there is always the possibility that we will be down temporarily while the Internet does its Thing.

For now, always remember that if the site is ever down, or the blog(s) you follow hasn't been updated in a while, to check The Rundown. I'd intended to change the URL to fit the site, but one good thing about keeping a generic Blogspot address is that you can always check there when the rest of the site is down; sometimes, I'll post about issues there because I know you can still see The Rundown when The Weirding is down.

There have been so many personal issues to deal with recently, I simply have not been able to keep-up with everything. I waited to the last minute to do all these things specifically because my personal life has been such a catch-as-catch-can series of events, lately. The upside is that a lot of planning has gone into the whole thing this go-round, so I'm hoping it all goes more smoothly than it has in the past. However, the landlord of the place into which I moved is a slumlord and living conditions here are no longer tenable - the truth is that they never were.

I kept hoping things would turn-around, once he saw how serious I was about helping fix-up the place, but the truth is that he could care less. He'd much rather rent to illegal aliens and/or meth freaks - people who either can't, or simply won't, complain about the "little inconveniences" like no air-conditioning or working electricity. This has been an uphill battle from Jumpstreet and I'm entirely over it. I've no idea where I'm headed or how I'll get there, but I'm ready to go!

Of course, it isn't that easy: I'm 34-years old, have three cats, and just spent all the money I had moving here three months ago! It isn't as though I can simply pack my bags and walk out the door. Obviously, I can't focus on a website when I have no idea where I'll be laying my head that evening. Luckily, I bought more than just a change of registrars; I bought some extra time. It sucks that I keep having to push-back the release of new content and all that, but it's the only choice I have right now.

Anyway, if you have problems logging-on to The Weirding anytime in the next few weeks, please be patient. Technical changes are underway.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Advertising Costs More on Hulu Than on TV!

Note: This entry was made on June 27^th and scheduled for release. Unfortunately, technical issues prevented that and I did not realize it until earlier.

Once a Nielsen poll showed that online advertisements were generally more memorable than those on TV, the rates for ads on Hulu skyrocketed. Right now, it costs $30-40 per thousand to advertise during a TV episode of the Simpsons; it costs $60 per thousand to advertise during The Simpsons on Hulu.

Some note that Hulu only shows commercials at three points during a 30-minute show: the beginning, the middle, and the end. Hulu also tends to show the same commercial each time. Perhaps this explains why the ads are easier to remember? Another theory is that people are "already in front of their PCs" when they see the Hulu ads, and so are more willing to research the product(s)/service(s) advertised.

Whatever the case may be, basically everyone agrees that Hulu will lose its "cool" status, and its traffic, if it starts serving commercials the way TV does. There are three commercial breaks during a 30-minute show on Hulu, which is about 1:30 minutes; there are nine, full minutes of commercial placement in your average 30-minute show on TV! Most commenters noted that once the sites such as Hulu.com and TV.com go in that direction, they will stop viewing the sites.

Another factor is that TV shows seen online play specifically to audiences which have sought them out. If someone is watching a TV show or movie online, they are a guaranteed viewer; a fan watching online intentionally sought-out that content and is actively watching it. Online viewing delivers the show's precise target audience (and advertisers'). Traditional TV viewers often skip commercial blocks by visiting the restroom, grabbing a snack, or performing some other quick task. Yet another reason online viewers are more likely to recall ads seen there.

However, this revenue has yet to compensate for the revenue lost by networks as viewers make the switch to the Web. TV viewership saw an overall decline of nearly 4% last year. Even as large corporations make the move to online advertising, TV networks are still feeling the pinch. While online ad rates are higher, the sheer number of ads shown on TV still bring in more money - a lot more money - and networks know this all too well. While Web advertising is beginning to matter more and more, shows - and thus advertisers - still reach a larger audience on TV. Further, these ad rates apply only to premium content; advertisers will not pay the same amount for shows which perform at less than Simpsons levels.

While still in its infancy, online, entertainment-based advertising is finally starting to be accepted by the mainstream advertising community. While a complex and changing tapestry is emerging, the fact remains that online advertising works.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009