The Gullible, The Ignorant, The Proof That Survival Of The Fittest Is A Myth

By The Computer Doctor

Image via WikipediaSo we had a malicious e-mail at work the other day. So sad, but totally predictable. Given enough time with enough freedom someone will bring malware, virus, trojan, root-kit, ect. to work through their e-mail or playing a game on a web-site or something equally stupid.

So the deployment in this case was a false PDF file. You know... random person you never talk to sends you an e-mail saying "here is the PDF we talked about" and when you hover over the supposed PDF it is actually a file with a different extension.

So despite the warning from our IT guys, two of my co-workers felt compelled to open the file anyway.

SWEET MOTHER OF MARY!!!!

I Swear to God Almighty that if there was a box with a button that read "DANGER Do Not Press The Red Button" and it was hooked up to a bomb, they would probably press it just to see what would happen.

What more proof do we need that survival of the fittest is a myth and that the human race would never have survived if it were true?

So we had an idea... bad news, I know. What if we made a box with a red button that read "Do Not Press" with a counter inside. I wonder how many clicks we would get each day?
In the spirit of the red button project, please enjoy the virtual red button below.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Malicious PDF Challenges (community.websense.com)

My Own Server Rack

Image by phossil via FlickrBy The Computer Doctor
Video By Jeremiah Duke

Ever since I started working in I.T. I've always longed to have my own cool server rack with lots of blinking lights and cables going everywhere. The only problem is that I never had a reason to have a server rack since I didn't have any hardware to put in one.

Well all that's changed now so bar the door and hide the women folk because I have just inherited five servers from a school that just closed. Now that good times are on the way I started shopping for 19 inch metal server racks. With the consumption of steel by China and the U.S. going through the roof, so has the cost of anything made of steel. I will not be dropping $700 - $2000 for a quality steel server rack so I started looking for alternatives. Since Steel doesn't grow on trees I am resorting to the one thing that does... wood.

My inspiration comes from Jeremiah Duke at the missionduke website. You can see his video below.



Now I'm not knocking his design by any means because it fits the bill for him. My design is different in that it's flush on the sides and incorporates plywood shelves for the bottom two levels which is due to the extremely heavy beasts that I'm housing there. The last thing I want to do is get a hernia because the edge of a server got caught on the lip of a 2x4. See my illustration below.



Hope to have pictures of the actual build and the final setup soon.

Has Dell Dropped Ubuntu Linux?

Image via WikipediaBy: David Murphy

Has Dell dropped Ubuntu Linux as an operating system selection for its panoply of PCs? Yes… and no. PC Pro is reporting that one can no longer pick up consumer PCs preloaded with the popular Linux distribution, but that's only if one's trying to order online.

PC Pro goes on to quote a company spokesperson: "We've recently made an effort to simplify our offerings online, by focusing on our most popular bundles and configuration options, based on customer feedback for reduced complexity and a simple, easy purchase experience. We're also making some changes to our Ubuntu pages, and as a result, they are currently available through our phone-based sales only."

However, the same spokesperson—in an interview with PC Pro—went on to suggest that a majority of Dell's sales go toward consumer PCs laden with Microsoft's Windows operating system. Ubuntu systems tend to shop out to, "advanced users and enthusiasts," a sentiment that's reflected in Dell's own on-side material about Linux.

On the company's "Windows or Ubuntu?" page, Dell states that the former is the better choice of an OS for those that are already familiar with Windows programs or, conversely, for those completely new to the world of computing in general. Ubuntu, on the other hand, should be reserved for those that, "do not plan to use Microsoft WINDOWS," or those who are, "interested in open source programming."

The caveat, however, is that this material—as well as the lack of online Ubuntu options—seems to be limited to the European Dell hub. The standard dell.com domain still features a "Top Ten" list of facts to know for consumers interested in an Ubuntu system, as well as purchasing links to both an Ubuntu-backed Dell Mini 10n notebook and a Dell Inspiron 15n notebook.

That said, Slashdot commenter "Nimey" points to a key visual indicator that Dell's Ubuntu support, in general, might be waning.

"They don't offer any with 10.04, and two of the four models they offer still have 9.04," Nimey writes. "Doesn't seem like they're too keen on it."

According to Canonical, Ubuntu's primary commercial sponsor, the Linux distribution is currently used by more than 12 million individuals. Data taken by the site Distrowatch—which has been tracking the popularity of hundreds of Linux distributions since its inception in 2001—ranks Ubuntu as the most popular distribution based on an analysis of hits to the site's official "Ubuntu" section.

Related articles

• Linux tablet runs Windows and Mac OS X, too (linuxfordevices.com)
• Daily 5: Five ways to help spread Ubuntu (omgubuntu.co.uk)
• Is Dell Giving Up on Linux? (trustedreviews.com)
• Is Dell Wavering In Its Support For Ubuntu? (ostatic.com)