News – Page 5 – Wanderings

Beware ITunes Scam!

joe May 22, 2008 News

I am not demeaning Apple or ITunes. This is not about them, but some bad guys out there. There some phishers after your personal information who have decided to go after ITunes users. This has been reported in the computer trade papers, They have created a counterfeit email (looks just like Apple and ITunes) that says there is a "problem" with your ITunes account, and you need to log on to "this link" to clear up the problem.

The link takes you to another counterfeit web page where they ask you to re-enter the credit card info and other personal information which the real ITunes site might actually ask for.
At that point, when you hit "Submit", they gotcha!

I'll say it again, when you get an email that says there is a problem with your account, go to the main (or your bookmarked) page for the company. Follow your normal logon for your account – be safe.

Here's a clue – if the link points to an IP address (http://12.34.567.898/www.bankofdzoid.com) or some other site like http://www.mergetroidis.com/service.bankofdzoid.com.it's probably a fake. Did you notice that the "bankofdzoid" did not come first? Here's one that could be valid http://customers.bankofdzoid.com/

If you want more information, give me a call (or email), or find out how you report fradulent emails to your bank, credit card, etc.

For The Birds…

joe April 29, 2008 Family, News

That was not meant as an insult to anyone – simply a reference to our zoo/aviary. More like what a “found” cockatiel has evolved to. Well, not really evolution – just what has happened at our house since poor little Felix (who turned out to be a female) got a mate after Christmas.

We are now working on our third litter – or whatever you call a batch of baby birds. The first got us two babies, one of which has a home. The other, is still in the office awaiting a new home. Out of the second batch, only one survived, and it looked like a monster, but that could be because as it turns out, could be a male. I wanted to name him “Igor”, but we are still working on name. He is a beautiful bird, with his mother’s very orange cheeks. I’ll have to put a picture up so you can see him.

Now, there is a new batch of eggs (7 all told, and all fertile). One hatched during the night, so guess we will have to wait to find out how many survive. Thankfully we don’t have to hand feed them. We just have to listen to the sounds of mom and dad feeding them and one another.

In the past few months, we have learned all kinds of new words and anatomical terms. Karen really got in to her birds, and takes super care of them. They are kind of cute, and are good alarm clocks, “calling” across the house to one another. Gets pretty loud at times.

Old Times

joe April 27, 2008 General, News

Last night (April 26, 2008) was some night! Bunch of “kids” I grew up with met for a neighborhood/youth group reunion – they do it every year in Santa Rosa. Our neighborhood was just off the Mission District in San Francisco, called Noe Valley.

Drove up for a fantastic dinner and to see people that had not been seen for years. Some not since high school at Mission High in San Francisco.

Some, like Lila, Evelyn and Grace were still active with me in Christian Endeavor and after college. It was great to see Grace with her fiance, Dick driving up from Southern California. Not only was the food good, but so was the company. The dessert was perfect for chocoholics – fudge brownie with a small scoop of chocolate ice cream with a chocolate brownie, drizzled with chocolate syrup. Was it ever good, though a little hard to finish.

Shared a lot of what our lives have been like since the Lebanon Presby. reunion (about 5 years ago). Even got some pictures that Lila had planned to bring to my Retirement/Birthday party last year. Wow! Did I really look like that when I was in Jr. High and High School? Karen pointed out that even back then, there was a pen in my pocket.

Looking over the pictures, there were people long gone, and others, who even last night still looked the same (well kinda). Who knows what we’ll look like next year, but I’m sure we’ll all get together again – share some more memorable moments and what’s been happening in our lives and try to keep up with the world around us.