Archive for the ‘Advice’ Category
It’s not paranoia if they are really out to get you!
08.07
A lot of my friends are not computer-savvy. A lot of my friends also run Windows in one of its many incarnations, and when they have bizarre problems with their computers, I hear about them.
One friend (who shall remain nameless) had a weird issue where her keyboard would spew random characters every so often. As she was describing the problem, I checked a few websites and found that there actually was a virus circulating that matched her symptoms to a tee.
Her response?
“Oh well, it’s no big deal. It’s kind of cute!”
Then I launched in to a whole explanation about how having a lackadaisical approach to securing her computer could leave her compromised — and she could become a pawn of nebulous Eastern European hacker groups who get paid to turn your computer in to part of a botnet and use it for purposes such as spamming everyone with Viagra ads.
My friend politely listened as if I’d just said, “We have to wear the tin foil hats to keep the aliens from controlling our minds!”, but finally… FINALLY… a “mainstream” source of news has covered this topic.
From The New York Times.
Bad Idea
06.07
Reminder: it is a fundamentally bad idea to mow the lawn and attempt to do yard work when it is almost 100 degrees out.
Duh!
F.U.T.D.
10.16
This story reminded me of my childhood, because, at an early age, my Dad taught me one (not-very-golden) rule.
He told me, “If you can beat someone at something, then make sure you beat them as badly as you can so that they don’t go around thinking that they had a chance and keep challenging you…”
His logic was that it was more trouble than it was worth to be gracious in victory if it meant constantly having to deal with wannabe’s talking smack and challenging you. So the goal was to win big and leave no doubt as to your dominance.
And keep in mind, he was a very nice guy…
Of course, since my Dad was my role model, I carried this logic over in to everything.
It definitely applied to videogames I played with my Dad. I found out that it was possible to score 255 points in Atari 2600 football when I beat him 255-7.
It also applied to any fights I got in to at school. In fact, the funny thing is I never got in to fights after about 2nd or 3rd grade. Probably because I fought like a little psychopath.
(Well, I nearly got in to a mega-brawl while in the 8th grade with some guy who was a 17 year old in Jr. High school who was a Golden Gloves aspirant… but that’s a story for another day… 
Suffice it to say, I had zero discretion when it came to knowing when to back down. I am much less courageous today!)
So, to make a long story short, I usually try to keep my competitive side on the down-low because, quite frankly, it doesn’t work well when I’m part of a team or have to negotiate, compromise, or use “soft skills” to deal with other human beings.
But there is a part of me that admires anyone who can just let it all hang out, which is why this story intrigues me.
Bill Simmons at ESPN.com writes about how the 2007 Patriots are ruthless and seem to go for a humliating “Eff You” touchdown, and cites these scores as evidence:
I wonder if Tom Brady really does say “F U!” after a touchdown? If so, I may become a Patriots fan… And yes, I am christening this the FUTD — the Fuck U Touch Down.
…
As you might have heard by now, the Patriots are 6-0, they’ve outscored opponents by a 230-92 margin, and Tom Brady might quintuple Gus Frerotte’s QB rating before everything’s said and done. In each of those six wins, they specifically went for a meaningless touchdown just to stick it to their opponents. Here’s the complete list:
Week 1 at New York Jets (38-14): 1-yard TD by Heath Evans, 1:58 left.
Week 2 vs. San Diego (38-14): 3-yard TD by Sammy Morris, 3:18 left.
Week 3 vs. Buffalo (38-7): 45-yard TD catch by Randy Moss, 10:22 left.
Week 4 at Cincy (34-17): 14-yard TD catch by Randy Moss, 3:18 left.
Week 5 vs. Cleveland (34-17): 15-yard fumble return TD by Randall Gay, 0:42 left.
(Important note: This came one play after the Pats failed to convert the “Eff You TD” on fourth-and-goal from Cleveland’s 4 when Brady just missed Kyle Brady in the end zone.)
Week 6 vs. Dallas (48-27): 1-yard TD run by Kyle Eckles, 0:19 left.
…
I think I have a new 2nd favorite team after the Redskins. And yes, I may be slightly conflicted on November 4th when the Redskins take on the Patriots. *sigh*