I've been noticing as I search for technical info such as unRaid, networking and Linux, the returns on Google have the correct titles and even some sample text that looks right.

BUT, when I look at the actual links (or before I noticed this, when I clicked the links), they lead to mostly foreign sites for about half of them, if not more.  The links take you to pirate sites or 404 Page Not Found.  Some take you to who knows where -- I exit out of those before anything bad happens.

I know I've added Google's public DNS servers to my ISP servers as backups, but I don't think I'm using them for all my DNS lookups.  I doubt that's causing the increase in "fake?" links.

Anyone else noticing this trend, or are they only targeting us geeks?   

I suspect the 404 Page Missing links were, in fact, malicious and have been taken down by the ISPs or DNS registrars.

It's about destroying the history, and as a result the foundation, of the United States.

After all the other Democrat Primary and "Biden said what??"  topics, I thought we could use a new spot for collecting comments pertaining to Joe Biden's Nomination and the fun things he does and says leading up to the debates.

Remember:  Former VP and Senator Joe Biden was up against a field of 26 other Democrats for this nomination.  He's the best of the best -- cream of the crop -- champion among champions.  This is the most capable man the Democrats could find from a field of 27 people to run against an incumbent president with a YUUUUUGE list of accomplishments -- not the least of which is getting his job done amidst constant attacks and distractions on a daily basis.

Well, we all know how reliable credit reporting agencies can be (not!).

I needed to download a transcript of my 2018 tax return.  In order for the IRS to verify my identity, the online app asked for information based on my credit history.

After answering the questions perfectly (I have a not-too-old credit report in front of me), I failed three different times.  After 3 failed attempts, you have to wait 24 hours to try again, and there is nobody you can contact to discuss the problem.   

After waiting a day, I tried again.  Same results.

The next night, I tried again (same behavior expecting different results  ).  Still, nada.

So, I decided to request my free credit reports for this year to make sure the verification questions still had the same answers.  Lo and behold, only Trans Union produced a report.  Both Experian and Equifax said my information didn't match their records. 

So, I followed the AnnualCreditReport.com instructions and snail-mailed copies of my identity documentation. 

That resulted in a letter on Friday from Equifax and another today from Experian.  Equifax asked for the same exact info I sent AnnualCreditReport.   

Experian, though, sent a report -- with zero accounts reporting!      All it contained was my name, address, birthday, and SSAN last four.

I called Experian, and the guy I  called verified no credit accounts, open or closed, existed.  He came up with "we delete positive reports after 10 years," and "you should request your current creditors report to Experian in addition to any other agencies."  Neither suggestion was relevant. 

I called back with a 2017 Experian report in front of me that I ran in Jan that year.  With the 2017 and 2020 report numbers, the second guy actually did more than explain how it's not their problem.  After 10 minutes on hold, he said the problem is a known issue with some accounts.  It's a problem created when they upgraded and migrated their account profiles, and it should be resolved in 3-5 days (less than the 2 months the IRS would take to send my return, I'm sure).

ANYWAY, now that I know there is a problem with some number of Experian members, I thought I'd pass this along.  If you haven't taken advantage of your free reports lately, it might be a good time to make sure you are not in the same boat.

I was nervous someone had screwed with my identity and mucked up my credit history (not that my ex would ever do anything like that!   ).

Maybe I should have taken "you don't have any open accounts" as an opportunity to stop making payments?   

I guess I'm lucky this hasn't been a Twilight Zone episode ... "According to our records, the person with this account died last month."   

If you've been thinking of going to see the movie "Cats" at the theater, let me save you some time, money and therapy sessions.

Just watch this video.  It's free, it's more entertaining, and you won't be thinking "What the hell did I just watch???  "

You're welcome.   

The spammers have been busy.  They figured out they can bypass most ISP SPAM filters by adding the header

<on behalf of>

which doesn't get flagged by the majority of filter programs, devices or client application settings.

Filters look at the "from" address after the "on behalf of" header, which means the filter overlooks the actual "from" address:

FROM: SOME SPAM ADDRESS on behalf of SOME ADDRESS THAT ISN'T BEING FILTERED.



If you're using MS Outlook, though, you can filter for the spam "from address" strings.

Create a rule in Outlook that looks for the offending string (.pro, .promo4u, etc.) and select "ANY HEADER" and  "CONTAINS" for the filter parameters.

You'll have to add more to the list of strings to filter, and it has to be enabled on all your Outlook devices.

Hoping the ISPs get around to implementing the same for their incoming mail filters.

The other topic for Black Friday Deals is under Firearms and Accessories, so here's one for everything else.   


VMWare

If you use, or are thinking about, virtualization software to have multiple versions of operating systems on one PC or Mac, VMWare has several deals running through Dec 6th.

You can get 20-30% off Desktop versions, and save even more if you qualify for their educational student/parent/faculty discount offerings.

Now that my kids are out of college, I can't qualify for upgrades to products I bought under the educational discount program.  I must buy a new license to upgrade.  (Honestly, I'd rather pay more for a license than HPU tuition!  )

I just bought the Mac OS Fusion Pro  license and the Workstation Pro for Windows & Linux license for a combined discount of 50%.  Total with tax: $214.84.

This is the cheapest I've seen their pricing in a really long time.  Just thought I'd share in case someone else is interested.


p.s.  I have been using the old Fusion version 8 for years.  When I upgraded my MacBook to MacOS Catalina in Oct, VMWare no longer worked (black screen in the virtual machine).

I downloaded the trial version of Fusion 11.5.  Problem solved.  Just so happens my trial license expires in two days, just in time to take advantage of the sale.

A recent poll of Iowa voters at Siena College have:

Elizabeth "Pocahontas" Warren:  22%

Socialist Bernie "Working on my 4th House" Sanders:  19%

Mayor Pete Buttigieg:  18%

"Sleepy" Joe Biden:  17%

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/iowa/

Most other polls still have Biden in the lead, but the margin has been slipping away ever since the Ukrainian scandal started getting traction in the press.

It'll be interesting to see who the DNC's Super Delegates crown as their nominee this time.

ren wrote:

cool experiences. I'm running Linux Mint on my HP Chromebox...kinda slow but better than having a Chrome machine.
The garage project Im working on involves UAVCast https://uavmatrix.com/
An RC plane that streams FPV video AND control through a cellular connection. I'm not well versed as I should - I just learn things as I go  along and then I forget them. 

If you are comfortable with Raspberry Pi, you may want to check this out if you haven't already:

Thanks to its simple and accessible user experience, Arduino has been used in thousands of different projects and applications.
The Arduino software is easy-to-use for beginners, yet flexible enough for advanced users. It runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux.
Teachers and students use it to build low cost scientific instruments, to prove chemistry and physics principles, or to get started
with programming and robotics. Designers and architects build interactive prototypes, musicians and artists use it for installations
and to experiment with new musical instruments. Makers, of course, use it to build many of the projects exhibited at the Maker
Faire, for example. Arduino is a key tool to learn new things. Anyone - children, hobbyists, artists, programmers - can start tinkering
just following the step by step instructions of a kit, or sharing ideas online with other members of the Arduino community.

https://www.arduino.cc/

https://www.amazon.com/RoboGets-Compatible-ATmega328P-Microcontroller-Electronics/dp/B01N4LP86I/ref=asc_df_B01N4LP86I/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309707619534&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15093648269747108254&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032800&hvtargid=pla-570706401833&psc=1