Flying Hamster

About The FlyingHamster Site and Me

2008-06-23T19:42:33Z

It is with some regret that I am posting these personal developments on FlyingHamster. As many of you know, this site was started as an adjunct to the weekly newsletters that were done on Spywareinfo. With the speed of news, it was felt that the visitors of Spywareinfo would be best served if there was a daily posting of the news concerning the internet, privacy and security.

In brief, that is how this site came to evolve. Unfortunately, the editor of Spywareinfo has abandoned the site for periods of time. This has occurred with alarming frequency. The last time I have heard from Mike Healan, the site owner, was on September 6, 2006. The front page of the site remains stopped at that point in time. The reason is that Mike Healan retained the passwords to the site controls and never passed along this information to anyone before leaving the site.

As part owner of the Spywareinfo site, I have worked to cope with some of the problems of the site in Mike’s absence. This has been time consuming and stressful . Recently, it has come to my attention that there are accusations of my mishandling of the site funds and there is an attempt to take over the site. I have had my access to the Spywareinfo Forum restricted. Not only have such actions being taken against me. This has happened to others, including Tom ‘Coyote’ Wilson. Tom was one of the original members of the Spywareinfo group when the site was started.

Since my access to the Spywareinfo Forum has been restricted and defamatory statements made about me, I have had no other recourse except to initiate legal proceedings. There is documentation from Mike Healan that I am part owner of the site. The actions to restrict access are, in essence, deplorable. It simply angers me beyond description and, therefore, I have retained legal counsel.

Further, I cannot have such nonsense about me stated on a site on which I have work for years and years. I realize the implications of such statements when I seek a professional position in the work force.

The legal action has necessitated my seeking additional work to address the initial litigation costs. I am forced to allocated my time to not going into serious debt. As such, I am taking a hiatus from posting the news and editorials on FlyingHamster. - Let me say that I do this with some regret. The visitors to this site have been incredibly loyal and supportive. I cannot tell you how much that has meant to me. I thank each and every one of you who has sent in a story and contributed. I know that some people click onto this site and stay for the day or the evening. I know that this site reaches remote corners of the planet and bypasses some attempted censorship restrictions on the part of some governments. And I will miss my daily interactions with the people who say “hello” daily through the Meebo service.

Contrary to some statements made on Spywareinfo, this site does not generate a lucrative income. That, like many other statements, is far from the truth. The purpose of this site was to be efficient and allow the site visitor a quick access to the news and sometimes to a short editorial. The site was designed to move people along. This was to the detriment of generating income, which would have meant finding ways to make the visitors stay longer and longer. As you know yourself, not many people click on the Google ads. You have not done so lately and that is understandable. This site was not done to generate income - it was done as an adjunct service to a site I believed was doing some good.

Where this site goes now remains to be discussed with the site designer and myself. I just don’t know at the moment. I really hope to be back in some form or other. For now, I am digging out the fabrications and deceit that have been perpetrated on Spywareinfo. Let me give you an example - When I was attempting to purchase the forum software for Spywareinfo, I was not successful in completing the transaction from my location. Since it was needed urgently, I asked this person at Spywareinfo if she could do so and I had funds sent to her via PayPal. This was funds generated through the FlyingHamster site. The funds were transferred to her by the site designer because donations and income initially go to him to pay off the bills. The forum software was bought and then the person, who did the purchase, stated that she bought the software. There is no mentioned where the funds originated. It is stated that she bought and paid for the software. Such behaviors are scurrilous and simply dim. There is documented proof that the funds were transferred and received. Such are the confabulations and distortions. And that is only one example. There are many such twists - and my postings on the forum site have been ‘edited’.

One would have expected better behaviour from a retired person. When asked in an open chat room whether she wanted to settle this in a civil manner, I was offered fifty dollars ($50.00) to go away. This was stated before other members of the security community who found the behaviour rather odd.

This matter has been depressing, as well as stirring the ire of many - myself and others in the security community. To my friends in the security network, thank you for your support and the wisdom of your comments. To my site designer, thank you beyond measure. Words cannot express the appreciation for the long distance hand-holding and help through this. And to the visitors to FlyingHamster, it is only “au revoir” - see you again.

Catherine Forsythe

Red flags: Tomato scare hits home

2008-06-23T18:00:59Z

www.dailynewstribune.com,

“HINGHAM — Shoppers are checking their baskets more carefully today after reports of at least a dozen cases of tomato-borne salmonella in Massachusetts.”

link: Red flags: Tomato scare hits home

Orlando Surveillance Cams Will Detect Motion, Alert In Real-Time

2008-06-23T18:00:47Z

www.local6.com,

“ORLANDO, Fla. — The first 18 of 60 motion-detecting cameras will soon be installed around Orlando at a cost of more than $1.3 million, Local 6 has learned.

The surveillance video program being implemented in Orlando is called IRIS or Innovative Response to Improve Safety and will detect crimes or other incidents and send alerts to law enforcement.”

link: Orlando Surveillance Cams Will Detect Motion, Alert In Real-Time

Security cameras to monitor forestry fuel theft

2008-06-23T18:00:42Z

www.abc.net.au,

“Forestry SA says it is resorting to installing surveillance cameras and other monitoring devices in a bid to stop the theft of fuel from machinery in forestry areas.”

link: Security cameras to monitor forestry fuel theft

‘Shake-up’ for internet proposed

2008-06-23T18:00:33Z

news.bbc.co.uk,

“The net could see its biggest transformation in decades if plans to open up the address system are passed.

The net’s regulators will vote on Thursday to decide if the strict rules on so-called top level domain names, such as .com or .uk, can be relaxed.”

link: ‘Shake-up’ for internet proposed

Carbondale police expand use of Tasers

2008-06-23T18:00:33Z

www.thetimes-tribune.com,

“CARBONDALE — Already a ubiquitous weapon in police ranks nationwide, Tasers continue to gain popularity in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

The Pioneer City will soon begin training its officers to use three new X26 Tasers, becoming the latest department to add the electroshock gun to its arsenal, after Dickson City, Olyphant and Scott Township.”

link: Carbondale police expand use of Tasers

Photo of loose shoe may explain Brown’s poor race

2008-06-23T18:00:20Z

www.newsday.com,

“…Iavarone said IEAH will announce today that starting Oct. 1, it wants its horses tested for all drugs, except the prescribed dose of Lasix, before and after every race. He said he wants to be disqualified from purse money even if a legal substance (such as the steroid Winstrol) is detected.”

link: Photo of loose shoe may explain Brown’s poor race

Concerns personal data held by clubs could be misused

2008-06-23T18:00:16Z

www.news.com.au,

“Dozens of clubs and pubs are storing the driver’s licence details and images of their patrons and some are banning entry to people who refuse to comply, angry civil libertarians have warned.

Fewer than 100 of Queensland’s 6500 licensed premises already record information from customers’ personal identification but industry insiders say the practice will soon be widespread.”

link: Concerns personal data held by clubs could be misused

ABC, ESPN to run TV shows, clips on Web service

2008-06-23T14:45:41Z

in.reuters.com,

“NEW YORK (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co’s ABC television network and ESPN cable sports network said they will run television shows and clips on the Veoh Web video service.”

link: ABC, ESPN to run TV shows, clips on Web service

Google’s Cutts: Good directions drive traffic to your website

2008-06-23T16:00:14Z

www.usatoday.com,

“…More and more businesses are turning to the Web to find customers: $5.8 billion was spent on advertising in the first quarter alone, up 18.2% from the prior year, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau. Google’s share of Internet searches continues to rise as well — to a record 61.8% in May, according to measurement service ComScore Media Metrix.

If you haven’t “optimized” your site, here’s how…”

link: Google’s Cutts: Good directions drive traffic to your website

Hazard of old mobile phones under spotlight at UN meet

2008-06-23T14:42:55Z

news.theage.com.au,

“The disposal of massive numbers of unwanted mobile phones will be a key focus of a five-day meeting on waste management which started Monday in Indonesia, organisers said.”

link: Hazard of old mobile phones under spotlight at UN meet

Fewer students pursue computer-related degrees

2008-06-23T14:34:22Z

www.sun-sentinel.com,

“DES MOINES, Iowa - Fewer college students are pursuing computer-related degrees at a time when demand is increasing and thousands of baby boomers are retiring from technical jobs.

The colliding trends have some business leaders worried that they won’t find enough workers needed to maintain expected growth.”

link: Fewer students pursue computer-related degrees

NBC service will show Olympic events via computer

2008-06-23T14:34:39Z

money.cnn.com,

“NEW YORK (Associated Press) - Fans will be able to catch up on the Beijing Olympics on their laptops during their commute this summer.

That’s the idea behind the NBC Olympics on the Go service the network announced Monday. Fans select which sports they’re interested in, and the program automatically downloads the coverage once it’s available. Then they can watch the events without being online.”

link: NBC service will show Olympic events via computer

Mobile phones to save airlines, by exposing passengers

2008-06-23T14:34:52Z

www.theregister.co.uk,

“Airline travel is set to get even more unpleasant, as hapless airline passengers face being hounded through airports by online advertisers as well as security, customs and perfume touting duty free sales staff.

The airline industry could save $600m a year by tracking passengers through airports and punting ads to their mobiles, along with their tickets and boarding passes, according to a report from airline industry tech supplier SITA.”

link: Mobile phones to save airlines, by exposing passengers

Google’s mobile phone plans hit delays: report

2008-06-23T09:44:21Z

uk.reuters.com,

“NEW YORK (Reuters) - New mobile phones being developed by Google Inc (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and more than 30 partners based on software called Android will arrive in the fourth quarter, a schedule that some cellular carriers and program makers are struggling to meet, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.”

link: Google’s mobile phone plans hit delays: report

Food inspection system in dire need of overhaul - Editorial

2008-06-23T12:00:06Z

www.mercurynews.com,

“If the tomato salmonella outbreak didn’t make you nervous about the food you buy, this should: The Centers for Disease Control estimates that for every salmonella case it receives, 38 are not brought to the attention of doctors.

The federal government needs to overhaul its system for inspecting and regulating the food supply. Consumers should demand it. The first step? Consolidating the food-safety system under one roof.”

link: Food inspection system in dire need of overhaul

Twin Trojans attack Macs

2008-06-23T09:34:40Z

www.itnews.com.au,

“…According to Intego, when the user attempts to launch the application, simply titled ‘PokerGame’, a dialog box appears asking for the machine’s administrator password. When the password is entered, the application executes a script that logs the user’s name, password, and IP address, then uploads the stolen data to a remote server.”

link: Twin Trojans attack Macs

Act on Taser report - Editorial

2008-06-23T09:43:47Z

www.thestar.com,

“RCMP public complaints commission chair Paul Kennedy stopped short of calling for a moratorium on Tasers in his final report on the force’s use of the stun guns last week. But he once again urged Canada’s national police force to rein in “usage creep” and ensure closer oversight of the use of the weapon.”

link: Act on Taser report

Palm-print scanners to help firms track workers also stir complaints

2008-06-23T10:00:37Z

www.venturacountystar.com,

“NEW YORK — Some workers are doing it at Dunkin’ Donuts, at Hilton hotels, even at Marine Corps bases.

Employees at a growing number of businesses are starting and ending their days by pressing hands or fingers to scanners that log the times of their arrivals and departures, information that is automatically reflected in payroll records.”

link: Palm-print scanners to help firms track workers also stir complaints

Hi-phone anyone? Fake mobiles threaten China brands

2008-06-23T10:00:18Z

uk.reuters.com,

“BEIJING (Reuters) - Steve Jobs may not lose sleep over knock-off iPhones, but legitimate Chinese brands such as Ningbo Bird (600130.SS: Quote, Profile, Research) are fretting about fakes in the cut-throat world of low-end handset makers.”

link: Hi-phone anyone? Fake mobiles threaten China brands