Facebook backers sell bigger stakes on strong demand for shares in IPO

At the very least I was looking to be able to select multiple files within Gallery or Astro File Manager and then just click the Share button and then pick Dropbox. Thus I could select all the files on my phone and Share them to Dropbox. However, I was shocked to discover that the default Gallery app in Android 2.2 does not have multiple select. iOS has had this for a long time. Pretty frustrating. Worse there has been some silly delay releasing Gingerbread 2.3 and so I am stuck with Froyo 2.2 until they do that (I am not interested in messing around with XDA Roms).

Solution

Install QuickPic - http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2011/05/quickpic-is-a-fast-free-gallery-replacement-for-android/ - it has multiple select and then you can Share to Dropbox all of the files you multi-selected.

How I Got The Virus

I am a programmer, former IRC geek and earn my living running websites and doing internet marketing so I generally like to think of myself as savvy with computers.  However, I was browsing an admittedly dodgy site, using Firefox, and loaded the page.  That’s it.  That is enough to get this virus.  You do not need to click on file attachments or use Internet Explorer 6.  Using the latest version of Firefox I got the virus just by visiting the page.  I guess I am going to have to switch to Google Chrome.

The Symptoms

• A window with the title XP Home Security or XP Anti Spyware or XP Total Security (all synonyms for the same thing) pops up with an animation of files being scanned.
• You cannot run MalwareBytes, RKill, AVG or anything else
• Even when you reboot into Safe Mode (hold F8 while rebooting) the virus somehow still runs and kills your processes like Internet Explorer, Add/Remove Programs etc.  This is a first for me.  I have never seen a virus that runs in SafeMode.

Why Would Someone Make This Virus That Runs In Safe Mode

Almost all viruses are made to make money.  Some are for building up a network of infected computer drones to email spam (so they can sell Viagara and crap like that and make money).  This one is new in that it is directly trying to trick you into paying with your credit card to get rid of it.  This is not far off how McAfee and Norton make their money only the viruses they protect from “just happen” and then they sell you a solution. Note: everything the program tells you is just fake to convince people that they actually paid for something useful. Ignore anything the program says.

How I Fixed It

Note: this fix requires running three (3) files which you can download as a ZIP here. If you have it at your disposal, use a second PC to download these files and put them on a memory key and then put that memory key into the infected PC and run them from there.

1. Reboot The Computer Into Safe Mode

1. This is not a silver bullet like with most viruses but worth doing.
2. Reboot the computer and keep pressing F8,
3. You will get a prompt with a bunch of options
4. Pick Safe Mode with Networking

2. Get The Virus To Give You Some Breathing Room

1. When the XP Home Security runs, click on Register (top right corner of the program)
2. Then click Manual Activation (or maybe Installation)
3. Use this Reg Code: 1147-175591-6550
4. It will do some stuff like Downloading Updates then finally complete.

3. Restore The Ability To Run Browsers and Other EXE Files

• Run FixNCR.reg to get back the ability to run .exe files. Download it here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/mattearle/FixNCR.reg

4. Kill The Virus’ Various Malicious Processes

• Run RKill.exe to close down all of the virus processes.  Download it here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/mattearle/rkill.com

5. Remove The Virus With A Full Scan From A Good AntiVirus

• Update and then Run MalwareBytes Full Scan - https://s3.amazonaws.com/mattearle/mbam-setup.exe

6. Avoid Getting A Virus Like This Again

• Use Google Chrome Browser - http://www.google.com/chrome
• Use a Mac - these viruses are usually not written for Mac computers (I do not use one but am considering it)
• Do not visit really dodgy web pages.  If you want to look for warez, find a safer way to find them.
  

Let me know how you make out in the comments below.  Hopefully this saves others time and frustration.

The things that they got very right:
-ease of use - literally effortless to make a screencast
-quality of product - the screencast looks and sounds great, even in standard definition, though there is an HD button
-making it free
-making it so you do not have to sign up for a bunch of junk to use it

The things they got wrong:
-nothing.

This is a great product, if you need to make a screencast or capture your PC/MAC, this is the easiest and best way I have ever seen to do it. Also, this is a good demonstration of a web application doing a better job than you can do with installed software.

Pretty surprising that a company that almost exclusively hires nerds and cannot do anything social for the life of them would attempt a foray into fashion. Wait a second… I know what happened here. This is an attempt by a bunch of geeks to get attractive women into the Google office and make the company look less like a Dungeons and Dragons club and more like…. facebook.

Anyway, as you can see the site looks very cool and I like the idea of taking very opposite people - engineers and attractive women, with surprisingly complimentary skills and combining them to create a website with great technology but also an understanding of women’s interests.

It works with a six step process that basically feels out your tastes by asking you which image you prefer, in a process similar to “hot or not”, for a whole bunch of images. It obviously keeps track of your preferences and uses this data, combined with what the Google engineers asked the people with good taste, and forms a signature of your tastes. it them matches this with the signatures of various designers and is able to recommend clothes to you. This is a very clever and novel idea that is perfectly executed.

it also allows you to browse and follow favorite collections, created through the process above, of all sorts of celebrities. They also paid them to get the thing started but no doubt people will do it for free once this reaches a critical mass.

The technology is solid. It feels like Flash but is actually Javascript combined with Python. When you select an item, you get a very predictable result and the UI responds intuitively.

I think Google is onto something by realizing that math and engineering majors may be great at programming and solving technical problems, but admitting they are unusual people and therefore their products alone will not always resonate with the majority of the population. By recognizing this limitation and reaching out to attractive, cool people (who can easily be hired) and extracting this sense of style and coolness from them, they have created something the world will love.

Check it out http://www.boutiques.com

Here are some numbers for a Tankless water heater:

• Owning - About $2,800 with taxes to install Lowe’s Bosch tankless water heater. You have to pay for repairs which we can estimate at $2,000 over 20 years. therefore $4,800.
• Renting - $40/month from DirectEnergy. Over 20 years the cost to you is $9,600. They pay for the repairs so the cost to you is $9,600.

You can see why they want you to rent. Because this is such a lucrative business, there are also these from other third-party pirate companies who come to door-to-door to try and rent you a water heater. Their pricing is an even bigger rip-off. The one advantage of renting is they will fix it if there are any problems. This sounds appealing but so will 100s of companies you can find in the YellowPages and the cost of all the maintenance over the lifespan of the heater will never work out to the thousands you spend on rent.

That is my two cents on water heaters.

Don’t you scammers get it?? This is wrong. You are deceiving real people who need this money for more important things in their lives. This is not a victimless crime, there are people out there who are not providing for their children as well as they could be because they are being scammed by you.

To the people clicking on these ads, I would restate there are no short cuts when it comes to personal health and weight management. When you live in a world where caloric temptation is everywhere, it really just takes a lot of hard work and discipline to not eat too much. Likewise, when you are working too hard and making poor choices like paying for weight loss scam potions, you will not have as much free time as you need for exercise. Health is what you want. Good health really will make you happy. Why sacrifice it for less important things?

Anyway, I still think it’s amazing how quickly they have adapted.

Though it seems rather blunt and obvious, no one had done it before and it is actually very clever. Not to mention the free buzz something this clever gets because it is very bloggable, twitterable and smart. Even looks like a great execution. Wish they would do something like that here in Bermuda. Anyway, enjoy the video, only takes two minutes and is pretty cool.

You have probably seen some of the ads that are plastered all over hundreds of websites with the animation of a woman shrinking from being large and rather unattractive to thin and happy looking.  They have text in a handwritten font claiming that it is some sort of home remedy or mother’s secret passed down over time.

The human weakness the scam preys on: people hate being overweight, it is socially stigmatized and socially unacceptable and so they are desperate to get thin because they believe that will lead to a happier and success filled life. To some extent they are probably right but that does not mean they should listen to false promises from people trying to sell them crap to make that happen.

How It Works And Why It Is A Scam:

1. People browse websites and see the ads.
2. They click the ads and are taken to a website with a long narrative about the secret
3. After reading the nonsense pitch for a while they are channeled into “trying out” some Acai Berry/Weight Loss Elixir type products.
4. They put their credit card information and click “I agree” to a “no obligation trial”.
5. What they are agreeing to is an endless subscription to be shipped bottles of this stuff each month at a cost of around $80/month.
6. If they do nothing the products keep coming and they keep getting billed each month for $80.
7. When the consumer finally catches on and tries to cancel, the company makes it very difficult to unsubscribe from the service - messing you around on the phone and draining half an hour of your time just to speak to someone.

In Summary
You get endless shipments of useless drinks that are extremely expensive and will never help you toward your goal of losing weight. To stop the orders from coming is a very frustrating and time consuming process and in some cases may not be possible at all.

Why Consuming Drinks Will Not Make You Thin

The only way to get thinner is to burn more calories (through exercise + activity + the base amount your body burns just by living) than you consume in food and drinks (that includes anything you put in your body that has calories including stuff like juice and soft drinks - almost anything that tastes good has calories).  Burn more than you eat - THAT IS THE ONLY WAY!!

Here is an example of an appropriate calorie intake vs. burn ratio that will lead to weight loss for most people:

INTAKE SIDE: It amounts to about three very moderate meals a day: bowl of cereal with glass of orange juice for breakfast, homemade tuna sandwich and an apple for lunch, chicken breast + small scoop of rice + steamed broccoli + one glass of wine for dinner, no snacks after dinner and no dessert).   Which special drinks you consume will not lower the intake side of this equation and will never work to make you thinner - in fact will actually add calories.  I promise you.

If you cheat and have a really high calorie meal, you have to take those calories out of the other meals you have that day.  You are better off just not cheating.

CALORIE BURNING SIDE: Walking when you can in your work life (take the stairs, park far from work etc).  Doing 35 minutes of fat burning (heart rate around 150 depending on age) exercise like running, cycling, stairmaster, swimming etc. 3-4 times per week.

If you do the above, you will get thin and stay thin, live longer and probably be happier.  That is the only way!

But Oprah Endorses Them…
This is a complete and total lie.  Celebrities may have stated casually that these products “maybe cannot hurt” or could have some benefits but they are absolutely not saying “if you drink this stuff, you will get thin even if you sit around and eat McDonald’s all day”.

External Links

• CNN - Group challenges acai berry weight-loss claims
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