Lemming Tracks: The Zlob Worm and Related Malware Issues

The Lemming doesn't want to go through another week or so like that: running malware scans and having the two other computer-savvy members of the family do some manual search-and-destroy on the hard drives.

Last Tuesday, I played my last card: uninstalling my browser. I use FireFox, which has a pretty good rep - but I'd been upgrading an existing installation for years. Uninstalling it, and Thuderbird, the other Mozilla product I had, was easy - and so was going in and deleting the left-over files and folders. Those uninstallers aren't always as good as they could be.

Then, I re-installed the latest build of FireFox (essentially the same that I had before, except starting from scratch). I tried the Twitter "tinyurls" that were being redirected - and had no problem.

That was a relief: cost for taking this machine in for a complete wipe, scan, reformat and new operating system started somewhere a bit shy of $200. That's not exactly chicken feed for me.

So far, there's been no recurrence of trouble - and several websites are loading faster now. And yes: I've changed critical passwords, and am working my way through the relatively low-priority ones.

So: good news.

Related post:

• "Lemming Tracks: Caught up After a Perfect Storm of Malware and Easter Weekend"
  (April 13, 2009)

Google's Chrome Fast: And I Won't be Using it Soon

My son thought Chrome was pretty cool when he first tried it. I think he still does.

I've read about it, and am impressed with Google's new browser, but I won't be using it any time soon.

It isn't the automatic download and installation of updates. That makes some sense: although I generally set things up so that the updates download in the background, but let me know when it's time to install them.

CNet and FOXNews noted some "creepy language" in Chrome's TOS.

If you use Google's Chrome, you keep the copyright to any of your content that you use in the browser, "By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license...." That's the start of two long sentences that keep me away from Chrome for now.

I understand that Google wants to - and needs to - market its services and products, but as professional writer, I have to be cautious about what intellectual property rights I give away.

As FOXNews put it, "...Google claims the right to use anything you create using its Web-based applications, such as the Google Docs office suite, the Picasa photo organizer or the Blogger blog creator to promote its own services, without permission or compensation...." I suspect - and hope - that Google will step back from the rather sweeping language quoted in both articles.

Aside from the TOS, and some 'verson 0' issues, Chrome seems to be a fine browser: and very fast.

More:

• "Review: Google's Chrome Is a Pretty Fast Start"
  FOXNews (September 4, 2008)
• "Be sure to read Chrome's fine print"
  CNet (September 2, 2008)
• "Google Chrome"
  Google's (long) comic about Chrome

Someone has Something Good to Say About Google

"Google Public Relations"
splitbrain.org (June 25, 2008)

With so much whining on the Web, it's great to see someone share a good experience.

What's even more impressive is that this post is written by the creator of the gBrain extension for Firefox. Turns out, Google asked that the techie stop distributing it.

Some Brilliant And Unappreciated people would have gone ballistic, writing a screed about Big Corporations Always Sticking It To The Little Guy, the Unfairness Of It All, and My Rights.

The developer of gBrain did something radical: communicating with Google.

This is a good look at how to handle a technical issue before it becomes a legal one.

Kudos to gBrain's inventor, and to Google.

Firefox 3 Has Easter Eggs

"Firefox 3 Easter Eggs"
matt-helps (June 23, 2008)

I'm still using Firefox 2, so I can't confirm these. Sounds fun, though.

Firefox3 - Version 3 of Mozilla Browser Release Date is Tomorrow

(Update 9:30 p.m. June 16, 2008 (Central time, America))

Downloads of Firefox version 3 are at Download a Firefox version that speaks your language!"

The available languages are:

• Afrikaans / Afrikaans
• Albanian / Shqip
• Arabic / عربي
• Basque / Euskara
• Belarusian / Беларуская
• Catalan / català-valencià
• Chinese (Simplified) / 中文 (简体)
• Chinese (Traditional) / 正體中文 (繁體)
• Czech / Čeština
• Danish / Dansk
• Dutch / Nederlands
• English (British) / English (British)
• English (US) / English (US)
• Finnish / suomi
• French / Français
• Frisian / Frysk
• Georgian / ქართული
• German / Deutsch
• Greek / Ελληνικά
• Gujarati / ગુજરાતી
• Hebrew / עברית
• Hungarian / Magyar
• Indonesian / Bahasa Indonesia
• Irish / Gaeilge
• Italian / Italiano
• Japanese / 日本語
• Korean / 한국어
• Kurdish / Kurdî
• Lithuanian / lietuvių kalba
• Macedonian / Македонски
• Mongolian / Монгол
• Norwegian (Bokmål) / Norsk bokmål
• Norwegian (Nynorsk) / Norsk nynorsk
• Polish / polski
• Portuguese (Brazilian) / Português (do Brasil)
• Portuguese (Portugal) / Português (Europeu)
• Punjabi / ਪੰਜਾਬੀ
• Romanian / română
• Russian / Русский
• Serbian / српски
• Slovak / slovenčina
• Spanish (Argentina) / Español (Argentina)
• Spanish (Spain) / Español (de España)
• Swedish / Svenska
• Turkish / Türkçe
• Ukrainian / Українська

---

You've probably heard about this by now: Mozilla's Firefox3 browser's release date is tomorrow.

My browser of choice is Firefox, and I'm looking forward to the new version. Not that there's anything wrong with 2.0.0.14, the one I'm using now.

"Mozilla Firefox 3 Release Date Announced for Tuesday 17th June" (mozillaZine (June 11, 2008)) says that "millions of users will attempt to set the Guinness World Record for the most software downloads in 24 hours." I'll be doing something else with my time, but I wish them luck.

"Firefox to release new browser" (CNN (June 12, 2008)) describes the new version of Firefox's features, including more flexible downloading and better security.

Mozilla also seems to have paid attention to what was called "human engineering" in my day: "...Firefox 3 also offers speed and design improvements -- the back button is now larger than the forward button, for instance, because people tend to return to a previous page more often, said Mike Schroepfer, the project's vice president of engineering....."

• Available in 45+ languages
• New Web Forgery Protection page
• Vista Parental Controls
• Save Tabs option

(More at "Firefox 3 (Release Candidate 3) Release Notes" (June 11, 2008))

A Mozilla press release links to Field Guide to Firefox 3" (dria.org (June 12, 2008)), a screenshot-rich review of Firefox3.

Firefox Download Day Approaches: Light Look at Statistics

"Firefox Download Day and a look at FF Loving Countries"
PLUGGED.IN (June 16, 2008)

"FireFox 3 will be released tomorrow (i.e June 17th) and the FF team is gearing up for making an entry in “Guinness Book of World Records” for the most downloaded software in 24 hours.

"As we approach the D-day (or F-day?), lets look at numbers pledged from different countries...."

With maps. There's an interesting question about geekiness on the page.

Firefox Tweaks: Sounds Promising

"8 Easy Firefox Tweaks for Super Fast Web Browsing"
mad WAHM (April 13, 2008)

"Fast loading web pages while surfing the Internet may have more to do with your web browser settings and preferences than your Internet connection speed.

"Try these easy tweaks and you'll see that you’re surfing the Internet from 3 to 30 times faster!"

These sound promising, but I'm no expert. I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who's tried these.

A Gmail Inbox for Firefox

"Getting Things Done with Gmail"

"GTDInbox is an addon for Firefox that transforms Gmail into a powerhouse of productivity and manageability. GTDInbox gives you a better inbox."

Strictly for People Who Can't Stand MySpace

"Am I on MySpace.com" offers a way for FireFox browser users to be warned when they get "stuck inside the sweaty armpit of the Internet."

Personally, I think that is a moderately unfair characterization of MySpace. There are worse places on the Internet. My own perception of MySpace is that's it's the virtual equivalent of a sleazy singles bar with one or two interesting people somewhere in the back, and a morass of pushy b-girls getting in the way.

But, MySpace does seem to be popular.

Using and Tweaking Firefox

"Simple Firefox Tips and Tricks (Some of Which You Might Not Know…)" (February 22, 2008)

Pretty good advice:

• Several things to do with drag and drop
• Five keyboard shortcuts
• Three mouse shortcuts
• Bookmark keyword search
• about:config Configuration tweaks
• Restoring Toolbar configuration after Firefox crashes

Firefox Dark Theme: Cool

"Sweet Black Theme for Firefox"

This doesn't have anything to do with people whose ancestors lived in Africa.

The writer like this particular Firefox theme: you may, too.

(I promise: no more posts from this site tonight!)

Firefox, Screenshots, and Images

"Create Screenshot Image of Entire Web Page in Firefox"

... and now you know how.

And Now, for Something Completely Different: A Census Browser

"Historical Census Browser" Isn't for everyone.

But, if you get an overwhelming urge to study parts of the U.S. Census, back to 1790, this site is for you.

(University of Virginia Library)

BrowserShots: Test Browser/OS Appearance, Free

"browsershots.org Test your web design in different browsers" is a free online service that I wish I'd known about before developing my last website.

Not that there's anything wrong with it.

Back to BrowserShots.

It's simple: copy and paste, or key in, your URL, check off the browsers/operating system combinations you want checked, click "submit," and wait to see what your page looks like in that system.

One thing: I'd suggest not selecting too many combinations at once. It takes the site a while to get the display ready. Quite a while.

I didn't discover this myself. BrowserShots was recommended in a BlogCatalog discussion thread, "Do you preview your site in different browsers?"

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Mother Teresa of Calcutta died on September 5, 1997. In less than a week, we'll see the 10-year anniversary of the event. Many people seem to think of her as a social worker, but this contemplative nun was just that: a contemplative nun.

I think her failure to drop into one of the dominant culture's pigeonholes is a big reason why her chief claim to fame in today's news is the recent publication of her letters. These letters show that she

• lost her faith and was a hypocrite (secular view), or
• had a major-league dark night of the soul (informed Catholic view)

I'll get back to that.

Mistaking Mother Teresa for a social worker is understandable. She, and her order, have cared for the very poor in Calcutta for decades. They've also set up similar operations worldwide, including a home for AIDS patients in San Francisco, California. What sets them apart from social workers is their motivation.

One of her critics, Christopher Hitchens, said that "It was by talking to her that I discovered, and she assured me, that she wasn't working to alleviate poverty," he said. "She was working to expand the number of Catholics. She said, 'I'm not a social worker. I don't do it for this reason. I do it for Christ. I do it for the church.'"

Shocking, and quite true. She wasn't the standard-issue social crusader, out to free the masses from their oppressors. British interviewer Polly Toynbee was particularly impressed that Mother Teresa lacked the rage or indignation of many social critics. Mother Teresa "did not find it necessary to attack the economic or political structures of the cultures that were producing the abjectly poor people she was serving. For her the primary rule was a constant love, and when social critics or religious reformers chose to vent anger at the evils of structures underlying poverty and suffering, that was between them and God..... The business given by God to her and her group was simply serving the very poor with as much love and skill as they could muster."

An interview with Malcom Muggeridge revealed that "Mother Teresa had virtually no understanding of a cynical or godless point of view that could consider any human being less than absolutely valuable."

"The Hindu priests at a Kali temple were unhappy when Mother and the Sisters began their work at Nirmal Hriday in Kalighat close to the temple. Then something happened that brought about a complete change of heart. Mother heard that one of the priests of the temple was dying of an infectious disease and nobody would touch him. She collected his emaciated body in her arms and brought him to her home. The local people asked her to stay. A Hindu priest of the temple said to her with folded hands, "for thirty years I have worshipped the goddess Kali in stone, but today the goddess Mother stands before me alive." (quotes from Answers.com)

Mother Teresa is now Blessed Mother Teresa, as of October 19, 2003. In 2002, Monica Besra, an Indian woman, was cured of a tumor through the intercession of Mother Teresa. Ms. Besra says that light coming from a locket with a picture of Mother Teresa cured the cancer. Some doctors insist that it must have been the medical treatment she was receiving.

Following Catholic rules, one verified miracle puts a person in the "Blessed" category. Another verified miracle, and Mother Teresa will be an officially recognized saint of the Catholic Church.

Back to those letters

I'm not at all surprised that Mother Teresa had times when she did not feel God's presence, when she felt spiritually dry, and felt that God was ignoring her. It's called "dark night of the soul." Many saints, and many others, go through it.

The phrase, dark night of the soul, comes from "The Dark Night," by St. John of the Cross, which described and discussed this part of a soul's growth.

For some people, lack of an uplifting, "spiritual," feeling means it's time to find a new religion. Catholics, at least those who pay attention to what the Church teaches, don't work that way. "Faith isn't what you feel, but what you will."

Mother Teresa's faith was running on her will, rather than her feelings, for something like a half-century. In the two thousand years that the Catholic Church has been cataloging the biographies of saints, this stands out. As a devout Catholic, I have no intention of anticipating the decisions of the Church, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Mother Teresa is found to be responsible for a second miracle.

If some of this seems familiar, you're observant. I wrote about Mother Teresa and Princess Di on Monday, August 27, 2007.

Background:

• "Mother Teresa's suffering"
  Beliefnet (August 29, 2007)
• "Was Mother Teresa an Atheist?"
  Neatorama (undated, comments start August 25, 2007)
• "Shocka: Mother Teresa’s letters reveal she had moments of doubt"
  Hot Air (August 24, 2007)
• "Mother Teresa's Dark Night Unique, Says Preacher"
  Pope Benedict XVI Blog (August 28, 2007)
  • "A blog on our Pope," not a blog by Pope Benedict XVI
• "Mother Teresa: In Heaven or Hell?"
  Don Boys, Ph.D., Press Releases Online (August 26, 2007)
  • This piece is my favorite: a mixture of astute observation and abyssal ignorance of basic Catholic teachings. As a sort of punchline, he's International Director of "Common Sense for Today."

Much of the information for this post came from the Answers.Com article onMother Teresa and EWTN's Mother Teresa.

"MOTHER TERESA OF CALCUTTA - Official Site of the Cause of Canonization" requires pop-ups for viewing, so some browsers must be re-set before using this site.

And then there's the "People's Princess," "Princess Di."