Hijacking of Email – Maybe a better trip planner is hidden inside

For the last month or so, my email has been hijacked and someone who apparently comes from Russia appears to be sending out emails and is able to get any failed return email to come to my address. So someone sends out the email and sets the return address to my account. From that point, the returns don’t go to the sender but to my email account. Great!

Here is the basic story. A month ago, I started getting hundreds of returned emails back to my account. Obviously I wasn’t purposefully sending out the spam or Russian character based emails, but they would come back to my Comcast account. Ok…. ok… first things first, I will crank up the firewall and update all the virus protection and scan for other pests on the computer. I did that for everything on my network and still no luck. I changed passwords and did just about every common step that I think you can do.

I’ve called Comcast and alerted them of the issue and basically the answer is pretty poor. “Yea it happens and it should slowly fade away with time.” I’ve gone hunting on the internet and it seems that some providers are good about monitoring for this type of activity and others are poor or just don’t care. Comcast seems to be in the group that either doesn’t care or doesn’t want to install the equipment needed to stop this type of abuse.

But how do I know it isn’t a virus using my computer? I guess I can’t say 100%…. well I think I can actually. I can shut everything down and leave for a day and come back to find additional returns for the times when everything was off. So that and the fact that the Comcast “Abuse Specialist” said it was pretty common lead to my conclusion. Nothing I can do but wait for Comcast to fix the issue at their level or enjoy the numerous returns.

So today I found a great site that will locate an IP address. I’m certain it isn’t perfect, but it is fun to see where all these email apparently are coming from. (To get the originating IP, you need to view the Source code of the email – all email programs are slightly different, but it should be an option). After grabbing a random 5 returns out of my email junk folder, I’m thinking that I have a built in vacation planner. At least that might make something productive from this mess.

So here is my mapped out vacation taken from 5 consecutive random emails from the junk bin.

Germany

Trip begins in Germany. Looks like a nice enough place. I’ve never been to Germany, perhaps this concept will have some legs after all.

Lithuania

From Germany, we will travel to Lithuania. A town called Vilnius. Not someplace that I would pick, but it would be interesting and certainly different from the places I normally take the kids.

Rome

Ah yes. Rome. Never been there and it is on my list. Looks like I will have to bump this planner up above the others I have bookmarked. So far I’m impressed.

Russia

Russia isn’t a bad choice. I’m a little confused by the planner picking such a remote town. Moscow would have been higher on my list but maybe I’m missing out on something I don’t know about in Krasnoyarsk. I guess it can’t be that bad near Kazakhstan and Mongonlia. How many places get that as a positive?

Sydney

Finally we end up in Sydney Australia. Again, probably better than I could have imagined. Perhaps Google’s next generation search software has been stolen and some user has figured out some way to merge travel planning software for the next generation into a spam routing widget. Overall, I must say that I am overly impressed with this little hidden gem of a planner.

Maybe I should write Comcast a thank you notice because hidden in those thousands of returned emails that I have received in the last month, there’s a hidden travel planner that goes head to head with the best sites on the web.

So if the site goes silent again, I guess you have a handful of places to start looking.

On NWN2 and LOTRO :: Now in the Past

Just a quick note to say that it has been a good long time since I’ve touched either. NWN2 has been gone now for quite sometime and outside of checking on Adam Miller’s work with Dark Waters, I simply don’t check in.

With respect to LOTRO, it was good fun but I was at a point where the progression through the game was slowing a bit and there was simply so big of a world, that I felt like it was going to be long journey. With Pirates of the Burning Sea on the horizon and the great guild growing in anticipation, I made a conscious decision to play mainly solo without the context of an online guild. I think that made it easier to let go.

Ironically, I left for vacation and upon my return, my account was expired. Even though the money simply isn’t an issue, I still consider my purchases and I’ve continued to put it off to this day. It is somewhat surprising to me that these prescription games continue to pull people along with the expense they build up. Granted it is cheaper than going and buying new games, but with all the complaining on boards about pricing, I’m surprised this model is so well accepted.

So all in all, I am waiting for POTBS. Dragon Age seems miles away. Mass Effect rolls out in October and Jade Empire occasionally finds its way into the kids Xbox360 for those occasional lull moments.

If I’m missing something great, let me know.

Belated Happy 4th of July

Following a busy week of pure vacation and travel… far, far, far… from the reaches of the world wide web; I have returned. I certainly hope that everyone in this area had a safe and happy 4th of July.

On that note, fireworks are simply getting huge!! This year I purchased a grand total of $44 of fireworks. I figure the 8 year old needed to get his hands on some explosive devices and this was my chance. Anyway, that $44 bought some really powerful stuff. In days long past, I worked in some firework shows and what used to cost $20-$50 per explosion now comes in packages holding some 15 for $20. I’m talking about “mortar” type fireworks that you drop into a tube and light and run and then go “Thump” and fly up several hundred feet and then explode into massive displays. Long gone are the days of Roman candles held in hands.

They are almost big enough that I wonder how and why they were legal for anyone to just go purchase. Maybe that is me just getting old and having kids, but in reality these are pretty high powered fireworks and with the large explosions certainly comes some risk. (begin sarcasm) I guess the safety that they have made up for by making the sparklers almost “unlightable” balance out the danger factor of a mortar being placed upside down or not leaving the tube before the massive explosion goes off at ground level (end sarcasm).

Riverside :: June Update

Just a quick post to say that the 2000 visitor mark has been passed!

It has been a busy month in real-life with me having a bit less time to post things on a daily basis, but all in all the site continues to grow far beyond what I would have guessed. This month has brought a few less articles but I think it has been a good “content” month. Overall my gaming time is pretty much exclusively on LOTRO and I don’t think that will change much in the next few weeks. NWN2 continues to quickly fade and my time on those boards is largely gone.

I’ve updated the blogroll with a few more links and I’ve removed the Watch guild link since I have officially moved to the Landroval server for my LOTRO time.

Something Funny from YouTube :: Friday Entertainment

Something Funny from YouTube

I thought this was really, really funny. Honestly I really like Microsoft stuff in general and I’m certainly not in an anti-Microsoft camp. This is here because it is really funny IMO.

It is a real Microsoft commercial with a voice over to replace the “real” ad. You can see the real ad on YouTube or at Microsoft’s official site, but it isn’t as funny.

Enjoy!

FYI: It is probably PG due to language. But again, funny enough to make me laugh out loud.

Kids Gone Wild :: Online Games Aimed at Kids

If your house is anything like mine, online games for kids have simply taken off in the last year or so. It seems like a rampant spreading disease quickly consuming new users on a daily basis. Granted, I’ve set up two old computers in the game room for the kids and I encourage them to use them, but there is a new business model aimed at young kids – “free” online games that then offer subscriptions or require an initial purchase.

I decided to post what I know after seeing a post after seeing a blog review the top MMOs and seeing some of the numbers and thinking that this information might help out a few parents. From my perspective I think it is very interesting to see these evolving so quickly and it seems like the bigger MMORPGs like LOTRO should be evolving towards this audience and certainly paying attention to this competitor.

First things first, I have 5-8 yr old children. In the last year or so Webkinz seemed to take over our house. Webkinz is a pretty unique model in that you purchase little “pet” animals in toy stores or even airport shops and with the animal comes a unique code – so Benie Baby + a unique web code. Entering that code into the website allows the child an account with an avatar (the “character” they are online) matching their doll. So your child goes out and gets a Webkinz white dog and gets a code to start an account. In Webkinz world, they will be a little white dog. It is a unique hook type model and it is a really a pretty nice concept.

Within the world, the game is geared towards little kids. From what I have seen, all chat is selected from pre-generated lists. A quick comment on this: Obviously when you are online you have to watch what you say and what information you give out, but the second part of the equation is what will the other people online with you do and is it appropriate. To fix this, Webkinz and Club Penguin (which I’ll cover next) allow users to select text from a drop down list of options. So you can say “hi” or “bye” or “dance” etc. Think of it as not much more than a box of smilies that you can have your character say.

That is really the foundation. Within Webkinz, you have a room and can decorate it (I’m pretty sure) and you can visit other people’s rooms or get / send messages. It is honestly a bit weird when “Penguin546″ invites you “to their room”, but all it does it allow you to see their room and they can do anything more than float a smiley face on their little character so whatever fears you might have about going into a strangers room are really handled in a kid safe fashion in my opinion (IMO) even if the initial concept seems a bit odd for anyone older than 10.

The next game is Club Penguin. It is a step up in complexity and freedom. It “feels” much more like a dumbed down town in a classic MMORPG than a kids game. As you enter, you are in town with a number of penguins, say 50 or so standing and moving and occasionally speaking. If you are a parent, I’d encourage you to read the introduction and sign-up sheets pretty closely. There are multiple levels of freedom that you can grant for your child based on age which basically go back to limiting the chat options as I covered earlier.

Once in the game, it is a bit more like a social oriented MMORPG. There are mini-games to earn points and with those you can decorate your room or change your avatar appearance. It is, again, pretty well done. It lacks the high end graphics and it lacks the combat with “classic” MMORPGs but it is a pretty impressive operation. Characters can move from server to server and my kids are often calling friends to coordinate where they will meet up in the world. Really pretty funny. My kids are on the most structured account (for the youngest kids with the same limits on chat to pre-generated only) and I haven’t seen anything close to a PG movie.

The newest site that my son has found is a bit different and really seems like a single player experience: Adventure Quest. This is new in the last 2 weeks or so, so I have less experience. I’ve watched this one and basically it is like a single player game from about 15 years ago except online and free. Think the old battle interface from Might and Magic with less options and you have it. If not think, lightening bolt vs. sword attack vs. arrow attack. It is very simple and there is no chat interface so there is essentially no risk from a parent standpoint. There is “violence” but really not much more than a cartoon and certainly no where close to a PG movie IMO. The site claims to have some multi-player goals (without any chat) but my son hasn’t found that portion of the game as of yet. Basically it ends up being two kids in the game room playing side by side without much interaction in the actual game – more of just doing there own thing and glancing back and forth at what each other are doing. That said, they like it and they are on free accounts.

Those are the big ones that my kids are into. They are fun and have pulled my kids off of the Xbox and online so they are entertaining and IMO they are safe and appropriate if you provide just a little bit of oversight. All in all, I’d recommend looking into Webkinz for girls and littler children. If they like that initial step, then I think these other two are very good places to look for variety.

A quick note on LOTRO and how these stack up. First off, LOTRO is NOT geared for little pre-teen children. I don’t think anyone would say that is. That said, basic gameplay for AAA MMORPG titles is amazingly straightforward and streamlined – so easy a child could do it. So I’ve let my 8 yr old make a character and then I went in and disabled all the chat interfaces and it works nicely and it is pretty kid-friendly IF you know how to turn off chat options and IF you are around and are MMORPG savvy.

For comparison, I think LOTRO is much more violent appearing because the graphics are better. They are still cartoonish say next to the Pirates of Caribbean game on X-Box 360, but they are more realistic than the online games and therefore one step up the maturity ladder. But after that LOTRO is decent kid experience. In reality the gameplay is a little bit more complicated (even at super low levels and that complexity increases greatly as you level up). But that isn’t the biggest detraction. The biggest detraction is 1) the initial costs and requirement of the actual game and 2) the simple fact that computer comfortable parents are few and far between and 3) there are not any parental controls on MMORPG accounts. All of these really make the multi-friend social component of the game fall waaay short of the prior 3 true kid-oriented pieces of software discussed previously.

From my perspective, LOTRO and other mainstream MMORPGs should be aggressively looking at parental controls and sub-accounts if they hope to maintain their current hold on computer games. Great controls would really address two of the three issues above and only leave the initial purchase of software for a far more robust product.

Anyway, if your kids are looking for online entertainment there is plenty of free, really pretty quality stuff available if you look around. If you have two computers where kids can play next to each other – these are huge hits. One computer and it still goes head to head for my children’s time on gaming systems and it wins easily with the girl who has never been interested in gaming systems.

If you have questions, post and I can try to get answers or if you see something incorrect, post so that other people can see good information.

Huge Patch :: Shores of Evendim!

A huge patch titled Shores of Evendim was unleashed yesterday into Middle Earth. It is the first free expansion for LOTRO. With more changes than I could even read through, it looks like a great update to an already outstanding game. Here is a link to the official patch notes which will take you a while to sort through.

Official Patch Notes

I can’t say much more than what the official notes hold, but it certainly looks like a very good game took another large step forward. It will be interesting over the next few days to see if they accidentally took steps backwards. If not then they are really doing a standout job with this game.

Note: The patch is big. It took me a good 1 hour to install on a pretty high end machine with a good cable modem. Good news is that in contrast to the NWN2 updates that seemed to always break something and always not work; these remain smooth as silk.

And a quick note from my post yesterday where I pointed out I made a “Fastest growing” list; it must be real because for the first time since opening this site I’ve gotten spam Thankfully, it is automatically filtered so another plus for WordPress.

Vacation is Over, but Blog Makes Noise

On a day where I have little to say except that I am back from a great trip, I noticed this link:

Bestest, Most Fastest Growing Blogs

Ok…. I made up the “bestest” part and you do have to go down to the bottom of the page, but it seems legitimate unless someone has pulled a fast one on me and with over a million blogs on WordPress making any list is worth noting.

Anyway, I’m back and I thoroughly enjoyed the time spend with family far away from the realities of work. I’ve been back for a few days but I’ve been overly busy trying to catch up on the real-life side of things and so there hasn’t been much to say here.

That said, I needed to drop by and post something to get the site moving forward again. So I’ll leave a photo or two from the trip.

Enjoy the day!

Vacation!

The next few days will be silent as I travel in real life.

All in all, things go well and I continue not to look back and not to miss NWN2. Other things have certainly come up and replaced the daily work load that became building and scripting. Unfortunately some of that is work related, but great games like LOTRO and POTBS seem to be filling the void nicely.

Be back in a week.

Small Steps

Over a 1,000 visitors! Small to be sure, but all things begin that way. I’m certain that at least one person is enjoying this – me . Thanks for stopping by.