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In this Issue |
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From the editor: Who am I mad at today? |
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Featured topic from SearchSecurity: Intrusion detection update |
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Reader Feedback: Books to take to the beach |
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Who am I mad at today? |
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| by Margaret Rouse, Assistant Editor
In a recent interview, retired White House correspondent Helen Thomas said her new job as columnist is the best job in the world because she gets to get up in the morning and ask herself "Ok, who am I mad at today?"
Well, this week I'm mad at Sarah Lee for repeatedly asking if I'd like to gamble in the comfort of my own home, some guy named John who wants to know if my mortgage rates are the best they can be, and Dr. Sparkle, who sent me at least ten e-mails yesterday to tell me about his professional teeth whitening kit.
But (to quote Helen Thomas again) it's ok. Because like Helen, "I've been lucky enough to have picked a profession that is an education every day".
In fact, right as I reached my boiling point about all the junk mail in my mailbox, someone wrote in and asked us to add a definition for blackhole list. At the beginning of the week, I had no idea what a blackhole list was and how it could help me stop junk mail. I was ignorant and out of the loop. Now, one week later, I know everything there possibly is to know about blackhole lists. (Ok, I'm exaggerating, but I did learn quite a bit.)
Along the way I also learned about self-sending spam, e-mail spoofing, whack-a-mole (gotta love the name), third-party relays and why we should despise them -- and I even learned how to create rules in Outlook to block future mail from Sarah Lee and Dr. Sparkle.
But best of all, I gained an appreciation for luncheon meat and how the Hormel Company graciously decided to deal with their best-selling product's name (SPAM) becoming a synonym for something everyone hates.
I have to admit, the continuous learning path I follow is the best part about my job. To tell you the truth, I probably would have looked most of this all up on my own just out of curiosity, but the amazing thing about working for whatis.com is that (Shhhh!) I get PAID for it!
This week we'd like to know "What's the best thing about your job?"
Send us an e-mail or stop by our discussion forum and tell us about your job. What do you love most? What's your typical day like? What is your biggest frustration? What's the secret of your success?
And oh yes, who are you mad at today?
See you in the forums!
Learn More: (like I did!)
self-sending spam
e-mail spoofing
blackhole list
third-party relay
whack-a-mole
Cheat Sheet - Setting Rules in Outlook to restrict spam
Challenge #9: How do you know if you've been put on a blackhole list? |
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Featured Site: SearchSecurity |
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Reader Feedback: Books to take to the beach |
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by Lowell Thing, Editor
Last week, I asked for suggestions for a book to take to the beach and the response was so gratifying that it looks like I'll be taking a whole bag full of books. Among the responses
was one from Judith Copek, author of "The Shadow Warriors," wondering if someone could recommend their own book. Why not, I thought, and suddenly found myself at http://www.rfiwest.com to discover that Judith's book was currently available only as a downloadable from an online publisher. I charged the $4.95 download (in Portable Document Format) to my credit card and then, printing the book out in 30 page sections, began to read, not expecting much from a mere "downloadable." (I regarded this as a noble experiment.) How wrong I was.
"The Shadow Warriors" is as polished a page-turner as you'll find in a bookstore and bears at least some comparison to Neal Stephenson's
"Cryptonomicon," another recent novel in which network security, cryptography, and international intrigue contribute to plot making. In
"The Shadow Warriors," the heroine, much like Kinsey Milhane, is just a regular good-looking (and, of course, sexy) woman with an inquisitive
streak (she also likes to jog). Unlike Kinsey, she has advanced computer skills and gets to travel to places like Singapore and
Gottingen. Ostensibly, the novel is about "Infowar" and computer terrorism, but I was drawn into it because I could believe in each of
the characters and their interrelationships and also because Copek's Raymond Chandlerish repartee is witty without being wearing. As often
in this genre, meals are described in great detail and the author's characters even leave the reader with some German recipes in an Epilog.
"The Shadow Warriors" would be perfect for the beach, but unfortunately, the author made it so impossible to put down that I still
need something to read at the beach because I didn't go yet.
Tell me what book I should take to the beach
Download "The Shadow Warriors" by searching for Judith Copek.
Next week, I'll list a number of the
recommendations right here in this very space so if you'd like to see
your recommendation listed, don't fail to post it on our discussion
forum.
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| This e-mail is brought to you by TechTarget where you can get relevant search results from over 19 industry-specific Web sites.
Whatis.com contacts:
Lowell Thing, Site Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Margaret Rouse, Assistant Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
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