Unsafe. Period.

ScanIT, an Internet security consultancy, reports Microsoft's Internet Explorer was unsafe 98 percent of the time, during 2004. The data were collected from 195,000 internet users who used ScanIT's online security checker. The reported 98 percent unsafe rating is based on security holes being found in fully-patched installations of Internet Explorer on every day of the year 2004, except the week between October 12 and 19.

A fully-patched installation of Internet Explorer doesn't mean that the user is safe from malware. For over half of 2004, 54 percent of the time (200 days), a worm or virus was in the wild that could take advantage of additional vulnerabilities for which a patch was not available from Microsoft.

Follow the link to test your own browser.

Solar Death Ray

I recall at least one of these in every science fair, some 45 years ago. I think it was an early fascination with such devices that made me the man I am today.

Check out his photo gallery of targets.

DNA Activation

Sorry, but I can't link to these people because I'm afraid I'd improve their rankings in some way. But I'm going to quote a little from their site:

Imagine if you woke up one morning and realized that you had dormant superhuman abilities that were waiting to be unleashed.

That once you activated these abilities, you could manifest anything you desired in your life, live a life without drama, create your ideal physical body, become immune to all dis-ease, and REVERSE the aging process.

Imagine if you realized that you could actually change your blueprint of life, your DNA, to enable you to expand your creative potential, provide access to your subconscious mind, and become intuitive, clairvoyant, and know instantly what your purpose is in life.

Wow! And you don't even have to get bitten by a radioactive spider!

Xtreme Pickup

The International CXT, RXT and MXT. When size simply says it all.

Xtreme Urban Vehicle

Not your soccer-mom's SUV -- if you have to ask about gas mileage you can't afford it.

Trust No One

More than a third of the Internal Revenue Service employees and managers who were contacted by Treasury Department inspectors posing as computer technicians provided their computer logins and changed their passwords...

Bad as the results were, they represent a 50 percent improvement when compared with a similar test in 2001, when 71 employees cooperated and changed their passwords.

Radiation Detectors

Bruce Schneier is a well known and respected authority on cryptography and security. He often finds government WOFTAM , and this one is a classic:

Robert Bonner, commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, told a Senate subcommittee on homeland security that since the first such devices were installed in May 2000, they had picked up over 10,000 radiation hits in vehicles or cargo shipments entering the country. All proved harmless.

The Bush administration is requesting $125 million for fiscal year 2006 to continue the acquisition, deployment and enhancement of such technology. It has 400 units deployed.

This regime is going to waste another $125 million MTDs on units that are proven to deliver an overwhelming number of false positives -- which require investigation, by people who are doubtless overworked.

And can someone explain to me how this is a GOOD thing!?

Mount St. Helens VolcanoCam

Since October 11, 2004, Mount St. Helens has been in a constant eruptive state. Watch the events as they unfold.

Dell and the (un)American Dream

An amazing 30,600 of Dell's 55,200 workers are employed in foreign countries. Dell could find only 24,600 positions in 2004 for US workers, despite incredible incentives from states such as North Carolina. Foreign staffers now make up 55 per cent of Dell's workforce compared to 51 per cent of the workforce in 2003, according to a recent filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

New Ohio Law Requires eBay Sellers to Get Licensed and Post Bond

A new Ohio law, already signed and in effect, requires eBay sellers to become licensed, and to post a $50,000 bond. The new eBay auction law was signed by the Ohio governor in February, and will be effective on May 1st. In addition to the ilcense and the $50,000 bond, because the new Ohio eBay law is founded on the Ohio auction laws, it also requires eBay sellers to attend auction school and pass an exam, and to serve as an apprentice auction seller for one year. eBay sellers failing to get the Ohio auction license face up to 90 days in jail and a $1000 fine.

I really, really wish CongressCritters would try and get a clue before they run off and pull this sort of crap.

Phishers Use Wildcard DNS to Build Convincing Bait URLs

This is good. This method is going to fool most of the people, most of the time.