Links of the Day–042805
There IS more happening than the talk vs. blog discussion. Here are some interesting things that came at me today.
First, a new form of Internet mischief — Typosquatting: Preying on people who slightly mistype the URL of a popular web site in order to install spyware, malware, and the like. Example: “Be very careful when you enter in Google’s URL on your web browser. Miss just one letter and you’ll end up on a rapaciously nasty site that could install viruses and spyware on your system.”
Next, a potential mea culpa (not yet though)–Based on the low level of filings in the first two months of this year, I said “I would not be surprised if the expected rush (to file for bankruptcy before the new law kicks in) does NOT materialize.”
So far, so wrong: “Americans made a stampede to Bankruptcy Court last month as passage of bankruptcy reform was inevitable. A record 165,000 filings were made during March, compared to 152,000 for March 2004. The 8.5% gain in filings reverses a steady decline in bankruptcy filings over the past two years.”
Of course I didn’t know quite as much then as I know now about the bill. The bill’s draconian provisions, particularly the unreality of the Means Test, plus the impending increase in minimum payment requirements (independent of the law) may be leading many to conclude that they’ll have no chance of being treated fairly in the new system. I’m certainly not going to argue with them. OTOH, the first quarter 2005 total filings, even with the very high March number, is the lowest since 2001.
Finally, I’m sure this capability has been around for a while, but that doesn’t make me any more pleased about it. If you Google your home phone number or business phone number in the search box, you will probably see that you have a directory listing and can click to see where your house or business is located on a map. So can a coworker, stalker, or thief. If this gives you the creeps and you want out of Google’s phone book, Google has a phone book removal form. But it’s all like trying to put toothpast back in the tube–it probably won’t do anything to keep you out of The Ultimates, which does the same thing, though less elegantly, and who knows what other directories. What have we wrought?
