If you live in England, and in or around the city of Birmingham, you'd better watch out on the roads - I'm finally going to finish off learning to drive! Thankfully, I think I've remembered most of what I learnt when I first started learning to drive a few years back, so it shouldn't be too difficult to get the hang of it again.
Nyana, the new mix CD by DJ Tiësto, is rather good. I actually ordered it ages ago, but didn't get it until yesterday morning. Either the UK release date on Amazon was wrong or it was pushed back by a week. I'm not complaining, though - just one listen has told me it has been well worth the wait!
There's a very interesting article about spam on the BBC News website. It mentions Bayesian Filtering - a technique that uses probability to work out if an e-mail is spam or genuine. It's apparently 99.7% accurate. I'm currently trialling a program that uses this technique - I'll let you know how it goes.
So now we know which two teams will do battle for the Stanley Cup - the Mighty Ducks and the New Jersey Devils. Don't ask me to predict the winner, though - it's a tough one to call. If Stanley Cup experience is a factor, the Devils will win. But if it comes down to goaltending, I think the Ducks just might do it.
I applied for two jobs last week. Both turned me down because I lacked experience. It makes me so mad. If I've been working my ass off at College and University for the past five years - and working here part-time to support myself - where the hell do you suppose I found the time to gain that experience?
I've had no reply for over 24 hours now. Absolutely nothing. I keep going over and over it in my head. Did I send the message and to the right person? Yes, I'm sure I did. I'd like to think there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for her not replying. But deep down I know it's just not meant to be.
I've done it - I've told her. Now all I can do is await a reply...
Today is Yahoo's inaugural Dump The Junk Day (thanks to Vishal for the link). According to the site, it's the launch of a series of global events and campaigns, which will help educate e-mail users on how to avoid junk e-mail and the stress it creates. Click the above link to find out more.
I think I might have fallen in love for the first time ever with a certain lady who used to work where I do. I didn't think seeing her again that night would evoke such feelings, but since then, I haven't been able to get her out of my head. And worst of all, I'm afraid to pick up the phone and tell her so...
David O'Leary has been named as the new Villa manager after Graham Taylor resigned just under a week ago. I'm not too sure what to make of this just yet. I was expecting it to be much longer before a new manager was appointed. O'Leary has agreed a three-year contract - but will he last that long? Hmm.
I forgot to mention yesterday that my Anti-Spam section was mentioned in an article on Friday on Dutch computing website Breekpunt. You can read the article here - but unless you understand Dutch, it won't make any sense to you at all! I'll get it translated into English shortly.
Be on the look out for a new e-mail virus that pretends it's from Microsoft's support team. It's called W32.HLLW.Mankx@MM (other anti-virus firms have named it Palyh) and it's currently out there on the web in "large numbers". If you've already been infected, Symantec has created a fix tool for you.
I've grown really fond of Fumbling Towards Ecstasy - an album by Sarah McLachlan. It has firmly established itself as one of my all time favourite albums. I can't recommend it enough - I demand you click the link above and get yourself a copy right now. I'm confident you won't regret it.
After his brilliant support for the U.S. in the war on Iraq, which I agreed with wholeheartedly, me and Mr. Blair are going to fall out over this Europe issue. I don't want to be a part of the new United States of Europe, Mr. Blair, and I certainly don't want the pathetic Euro either. You won't get my vote on this I'm afraid.
Remember last Sunday when I told you about an article that said you were more likely to get more spam on Thursday than any other day? Remember I said I was going to see if this was true? Well, I can tell you - in my case anyway - it's not. I received less spam on Thursday than any other day last week!
After last nights 1-1 home draw against the Kansas City Wizards, D.C. United are still looking for their first win of the season - it's their worst ever start to an MLS campaign. Worst of all, their arch rivals the MetroStars, are two points clear at the top of the Eastern Conference!
Aston Villa legend, Dennis Mortimer - who captained the team when Villa last won the European Cup in 1982 - says the clubs current board must go - echoing what Villa fans like myself have been saying for years. Of course, the chances of that happening anytime soon are practically none existent.
If the Mighty Ducks get to the Stanley Cup Finals, it will be because of one man - their goaltender, J.S. Giguere. In the playoffs so far, he has an exceptional 1.24 GAA (Goals Against Average), and an awesome .960 Save Percentage - that's some playoff performance from the Ducks goalie.
D.C. United won the Capital Cup last night with a 1-0 win over Tottenham. That victory was their first of the season, however, technically they still failed to find the net again at home - they won thanks to an own goal! D.C. return to MLS action against the Kansas City Wizards on Saturday.
My copy of the Microsoft Office 2003 Beta 2 Kit arrived in the post yesterday. It's only trial software, and it expires on November 30th 2003, but I'm very keen to check out Outlook 2003's new Junk E-Mail Filter. I'll get around to installing it sometime tomorrow with any luck.
The manager of my beloved Aston Villa, Graham Taylor, has resigned after only 15 months in charge, citing "much wider issues than playing matters". Personally, I'm disappointed he's gone. I just hope that whoever replaces him doesn't have to deal with those "wider issues". Somehow, I doubt it.
D.C. United take on Tottenham Hotspur in the Capital Cup tonight at RFK Stadium. It's more of a friendly game than anything else, and it's also a retirement game for former United player, John Harkes, but I'm sure both teams will want to win. I reckon D.C. will win - providing they can score, that is.
After several days I was finally able to gain access to my e-mail yesterday. Blueyonder are still having problems, and apparently there's still a backlog of e-mail still to be sent, but a least I can access my e-mail now. It just goes to show how much damage and disruption a spam attack can cause.
There's a new virus bouncing around the Internet at the moment. It's called W32.HLLW.Fizzer@MM, and it looks quite mean. If you've been infected (and stupid enough not to have virus protection on your machine) you can download a fix tool from the ever reliable Symantec.
I still can't get access to my Blueyonder e-mail. Well, that's slightly untrue. I can get access to it through webmail, but the interface is so clunky and slow, I refuse to use it - except in an emergency - so I'll just have to wait until the issue is resolved, which should be soon with any luck.
It was the last game of the season in the English Premier League today. Villa were beaten 3-1 by Leeds - and finished below the enemy - I'm not a happy person. Over the other side of the pond, D.C. United again failed to find their first win of the season, and were beaten 1-0 by the MetroStars.
Apparently, according to this article, Thursday is the most popular day for spamming. So, starting from tomorrow, I'm going to keep a count of all the spam I receive during the week to see if it's true or not. I'll let you know what the results are next Sunday - I bet you can't wait to find out...
Someone needs to tell the RIAA that no matter how hard they try, they'll never put a stop to all the people swapping songs online. Never. And it doesn't matter how hard they fight, millions of users will simply fight back - and win. The record industry should take note of what Apple is doing with iTunes.
I haven't been able to access my Blueyonder e-mail account for the past two days. And can you guess why I can't get at my e-mail? Apparently, it's due to the compound affects of a recent spam attack, and issues with the mail platform. So if I haven't replied to your e-mail yet - now you know why!
One of the fiercest (if not the fiercest) rivalries in MLS soccer takes place tonight. D.C. United, who are bottom of the Eastern Conference and looking for their first win of the season, are at the Meadowlands to take on the MetroStars, in what I'm sure will be an excellent game.
I don't think I can describe how angry I am about the latest Microsoft security vulnerability. The thing that has annoyed me the most about this particular vulnerability is that Microsoft knew about it for seven months, and did absolutely nothing until information about it was posted online! Unbelievable.
Wow! Minnesota Wild have made it through to the Western Conference Finals, becoming the first team in NHL history to battle back from two 3-1 deficits in the same playoff year! I didn't give them a chance against Colorado or Vancouver, but I can't help but think the Ducks will be too strong for them.
There was another excellent victory against the spammers yesterday. EarthLink, the third biggest ISP in America, won damages and a permanent injunction against a spammer who sent almost a billion unsolicited e-mails via its service. That's one less scumbag filling my inbox with crap.
The U.S. Congress is set to honour British Prime Minister Tony Blair with its highest civilian honour, the Congressional Gold Medal, in recognition of his support for the U.S. in the war on Iraq. I don't always agree with Mr. Blair, but I did agree with him on Iraq, and he definitely deserves this award.
According to this article, from October, a European Union directive will make spam illegal across member states. Wow! Is the EU actually doing something useful for once? Well, maybe, maybe not. The vast majority of the spam I get comes from outside the EU - and it says nothing about stopping that.
It's rather disturbing what some British web surfers search for using web search engines (thanks to Vishal for the link). I find it even more disturbing, however, that people found this site using the search term 'sexy models' - as this chart from my website statistics shows - I think I need to alter my meta tags!
I'm going to go on record and say that Ruth England is without a doubt my dream woman - she's the gorgeous presenter of the TV travel show Wish You Were Here...? (which I now watch every Sunday evening without fail). And if you don't agree that she's one fine looking lady, you must be blind!
I've just pre-ordered Nyana, the new mix CD from DJ Tiësto, and I'm quite looking forward to its arrival on Monday. I'm also looking forward to a new album from Sarah McLachlan sometime this year. It has been ages since her last album, but it is rumoured that a new one is due soon.
Since finishing University last year, I've done nothing apart from work part-time here, and I feel like I've wasted that year. I can't explain why I've done nothing for a year - thinking about it makes me both angry and upset with myself. So I've decided on a course of action, which I'll tell you about tomorrow.
I almost forgot to mention that it has been over a year now since the hand in of my final year project - in fact; it was exactly a year ago last Friday! Thanks to the archives, you can read what I wrote on that momentous day by clicking here. And believe me, when I say it was a momentous day, it was!
This weekend marked the silver jubilee of something that I know myself and millions of other web surfers won't be celebrating - the 25th birthday of that e-mail annoyance known as spam (thanks to Vishal for the link). Yes, 25 years ago, three years before I was even born, the first spam message was sent.
Both D.C. United and Dallas Burn were looking for their first win of the season last night. Unfortunately, neither team got it as the game finished in a 0-0 tie after overtime. And speaking of overtime, Ian Plenderleith, a U.S. soccer writer has written a very compelling argument against overtime in U.S. soccer.
There have been so many articles this past week about spam; I've been having a hard time keeping up with them! To kick the week off, AOL (along with Microsoft and Yahoo), announced a joint effort to combat spam. Then on Tuesday, the U.S. state of Virginia announced tough new anti-spam laws.
I then came across an article explaining how spammers are now using Trojan horses to spread their much hated e-mails. That threat was reiterated in this article (sent to me by Vishal). And finally, on Thursday I came across a CNN article that warned spam could ruin e-mail (it's already doing so in my opinion).
Moving on to the topic of file sharing, there was an excellent court ruling last Friday. It ruled that Grokster and Morpheus can't be shut down as they cannot control what is traded over their networks. I don't use either of those, but I agree with the ruling - it won't please the RIAA, though!
Congratulations to the New Jersey Devils on eliminating Tampa Bay Lightning from the playoffs last night - good job guys (being a Caps fan you know I just had to say that). And finally for today, my beloved Aston Villa made sure of their Premiership status today by beating Sunderland 1-0 at home. Phew!
I first saw this link over at Charlie's site, and loved it so much I thought I'd post it here. Have you ever wanted to turn the Internet off? If so, you can by clicking here. The new 4 Strings album I ordered a week or so ago arrived in the mail this morning. It's rather good, so purchase yourself a copy now!
With the Caps out of the playoffs, and the English football league coming to an end shortly, there's not a lot of sport to talk about at the moment. So it's a good job the MLS has only just begun! D.C. United are at home to Dallas Burn tomorrow, and will be looking for their first win of the season.
