Sandra Cox's Blog, page 242

Rabbit Stampede...Seriously

Love this! Bunnies are alive and well on a small Japanese island called Okunoshima. Okunoshima was once known for its military base that produced deadly gas. Now, it's bunnies that are the tourist draw.

Piracy On the Internet

Listen up, boys and girls, this one's important. When I say piracy, I'm not referring to people downloading stories and music, and not paying for it. I'm talking about capturing all the data on your computer and demanding payment to get it back. Sounds pretty high seas, doesn't it?

Have you heard of cryptolocker malware? If so, feel free to tune out. If not, here's the scoop...the operators of the malware really do hold your files till you pay to get them back. The normal ransom price is $300. If you pay, you're given a decryption key. Then you are given back your files. If not, your files are gone. Pretty scary stuff, huh?

How do they infect your files to begin with?

Like many infections its spread opening infected email attachments. The malware is set up to look like it comes from a legitimate source, such as: using what you think is a tracking device for packages. It's difficult to catch because it changes regularly, making it difficult for your antivirus program to ward it off. It infects everything on your computer: emails, documents, pictures, etc.

What can you do to protect yourself?

Back up your files. And...when opening attachments error on the side of caution. If you're unsure whether its legit or not don't open it.

Really?....Nooo....Really?

So I was researching this weekend. Looking for something that could block signals from an implanted tracker. What I came up with was a rare earth mineral the Neodymium Magnet. Though why they're considered rare is beyond me. You can buy them almost anywhere. But I'm getting sidetracked. Here was where my research got seriously weird. It was the word implant that did it. Have you figured out where I'm going with this? That's right. Some folks implant these magnets under their skin. Why you ask? I did too. I was thinking conspiracy theory, etc. Come to find out it's just a sensory thing, to feel the magnetic fields around you. There's even directions on how to do the implants. Now keep in mind you're only supposed to do them on your finger, specifically the inside corner of your ring finger so it doesn't interfere with grasping objects.  It's done with a large syringe or an incision is made with a scalpel. There's a trailer on how to do it, but since I don't do well with the sight of blood, I'm not going to impose it on you. I write fiction, but I don't think I could have made this stuff up.
~*~And on a completely different topic, to my baby girl who loves her birthday cake: Happy Birthday, darlin. Picture from wikimedia.org  

It's Almost The Weekend

Captain Phillips

Have you seen this? We rented it last weekend. I hadn't heard dazzling reviews, so I went into it with low to no expectations. The movies I expect nothing from often turn out to be the best. This was no exception. I found it riveting. As always, Hanks did an excellent job. The first few minutes, my mind wandered. But the moment Hanks, as Phillips, stepped onto the ship that changed. The movie grabbed me and didn't let go till the end.Barkhad Abdi was extremely believable, even likeable, as a Somali pirate. What did you think of it?

Why Mothers Yell So Much

Have a good one today. Stay out of trouble and off skateboards heading into the water.

Wounda's Journey.

You may have seen this trailer on Yahoo. If not even though its a little long it's worth a look see. It's about Jane Goodall and Wounda. Jane is a British anthropologist who is seventy-nine years young and still going strong. She is also a UN Peace Messenger and a conservationist.
~*~Tomorrow: cataract surgery...again.

Snow, Snow and More Snow

This is what it looked like Wednesday when the snow started. Thursday, it's still snowing.
And snowing.... Friday, it's starting to melt. This is snow/ice hanging from the back porch. Saturday, we're on our way to recovery.
We ended up with over twelve inches of snow, which is the most we've had in the fourteen years we've lived here.We were  snowed in from Wednesday till Friday afternoon.  What was the weather like in your area?

Happy Valentine's Day

To My Blogster Buds....

How Observant Are You?

Do you see the arrow between the E and the x? The second and third T's are two people sharing a tortilla over a bowl of salsa The arrow means Amazon has everything from A to Z The gap between the K and the I is a sideways chocolate kiss. See the 31 embedded in the B and R? See the gorilla and lioness facing each other? Milwaukee Brewers emblem. The glove forms a b and m. There is a dancing bear above the BLE. Toblerone chocolate bars originated in Berne Switzerland whose symbol is the bear.