More on VoIP
Last year I wrote about Lingo and recommended their VoIP service. While I was not that off on that “review”, I have changed my mind long ago and decided not to keep the service. I got a lot of emails from people wanting to try and/or get the service and they used my email for referral. As a result, I got a lot of free Lingo service, but I called them at the end of December to cancel for good (something they told me they did, but I still have the service, … ⌘ Read more

Flipping the switch
Next Monday (August 2nd) we are flipping the switch from the old reliable Linux based email system (Sendmail, Washington University IMAP/POP3) to a relatively newly deployed Microsoft Exchange 2003. Needless is to say that we – TRC staff– all have been busy wrapping things up to minimize the impact. But things –bad things, unexpected things– are bound to happen. It is just a matter of t … ⌘ Read more

Screw SPEWS
Recently I found out that my existing server IP—the server I am moving away from—is banned on SPEWS (I am not linking them, Google it and you shall know), because it is assigned to UUnet, which is blamed of harbouring spammers. Following the recommendation of the bounced email I posted on Usenet, asking to be removed, without knowing at that time that it was something out of my h … ⌘ Read more

Short and sweet
Just a quick post, short and sweet, while my wife and kid still sleep and I patiently wait for the ServerBeach people to fix the mess on my server (the other server). Can you believe that I lost connection last night, went to sleep and this morning I found that my IP goes to a Windows 2003 server? Boy, talk about some big time screw up!

I have 15 (fifteen, that is) invitations for Gmail that I am giving out for free. If anyone wants one, go ahead and [email … ⌘ Read more

Philosophical confussion
I do not like unsolicited pop-up windows. I like even less unsolicited browser resizing. Missuse of web cookies blows and should be illegal. Junk and spam emails are a disease (well, not for me, since I use TMDA on my John Companies server and I get zero spam) that is getting out of hand. Porno and the sex industry for sure are a profitable business; most of the spam today adver … ⌘ Read more

I will never be happy in this lifetime
Recently I received an email from a friend that has been on Iraq since the beginning of the war. He keeps us up-to-date of his experiences on the front and every email from him brings amazing details and interesting perspectives of the daily life on the liberated Iraq.

This last email was specially interesting because, as he mentions, it brings a part of Iraq that our news sources seems to have forgotten about, they haven’t picked up or they, simply … ⌘ Read more

That simple life
Reading an email from my oldest brother today, I went back to the days of my infancy, when life was so simple. You see, these days no one will dare to drop by your house without previously calling; you will ride you car even if it is to go just around the corner for a bottle of milk, or a six pack—for those who drink. Everything has it’s price: “Would you do such-and-such for me?”, “Sure, it will be $25.” or “How much are you going to pay me?” And the money part will be normal and ex … ⌘ Read more

Things are changing… once again
Things are changing around here once again. I am going to try, once again, to please my mind on this little spot. There has been a gap, since the last time I posted, but I had had my reasons. Uncle Eddie died and now, almost a month after, I feel the same emptiness I felt the first day.

I am working on a Webmail for family use. For those who already have a username and password, go ahead and give it a try. I am try … ⌘ Read more

From Bill Gates, with love
I received an email today. While it is true that I receive 60 to 70 emails daily, this one was not trivial. It wasn’t the expected porno offer, nor a letter from Nigeria or Lagos promising riches. Is wasn’t “reputable” diplomas or innocent spam passed along by a lack-of-knowledge friend neither. If was an email from Bill Gates itself. Yes, that’s right, an email from the billionaire Gates.

I have to admit that my first thought was, “It is another spam”. This is … ⌘ Read more

Bad things come at once
Today wasn’t a good day. If it weren’t enough that the weekend wasn’t good, there comes Monday with, yet another, bit of spice. To start, this morning my car started rattling and shacking like it was possessed by a voodoo spirit. Took it to the mechanic and, to make the long story short, I will be $500 short by tomorrow noon. Then I get to work and, on top of having a few little things to finish, I get an email from one of my sisters telling me about problems with m … ⌘ Read more