02:54 - 14.06.07
Puzzles and Riddles
Computer woes continued today. It was running better than two days ago when the maximum time on task was less than five minutes. However, that really isn't what one would want to use a a benchmark anyway, is it. I ran all the scans and used the other security tools I had, to try and clear out whatever was causing the problem. It worked for a while then problems started arising again. Mid-afternoon when one of my IT e-newsletters arrived, it had more information on bots and the problems they were causing. Inside that article was a free tool called "hijack this" that would scan one's system to determine if any of the critters had set up housekeeping in one's own computer. Ah hah! Found two for certain that I was able to remove right away. When my youngest arrived home I told him about it. He asked if I could forward the program to him on his system. He said that his computer had been hijacked. Seems as though he is rerouted to a website that he can not get beyond no matter what he tries. Because the script appears to be in Arabic he can't even determine what type of attacker he is dealing with. Hope this utility can release him, but I still don't understand how we can be using the same broadband account where his unit is totally taken over while mine isn't. It could be that the bots are being manipulated from wherever and whoever they originated from, but it makes no sense. That type of information wasn't offered in the two or three articles that were in those e-newsletters.
The other irritant on my email is that I am being bombarded by those stupid "personals" emails. At least a dozen a day. You know the ones that state that there is someone specific already waiting for you to sign up so they can date you? Yuh huh. I don't surf to those sites so I don't know how they got my address. I'm wondering if one of the contest sites I've visited is selling the information. Arrrgh. Maybe the bots did it.
On the positive side of the slate I did send out about a dozen resumes today. Toward the end of the time I was getting quite tired. Writing cover letters takes a lot of time and energy if they are to be individualized to the potential employer. On the other hand sending out a generic one seems to me to be worse than sending nothing at all. After all, if a recruiter recognizes that one hasn't put any thought or effort into the cover letter are they really going to bother or be interested in one's resume?
My youngest had also located and linked to a really interesting logic and numeracy game a couple of days ago. It is one that my brother had loaded onto the first computer ever to grace this house. You see when the boys' dad left, my brother brought a computer over for me to work on so I would stand a better chance of being hired in the paid workforce. At that point in time all I knew how to do with one was to turn it on and type. When I asked for some pointers or lessons he said I would learn and retain information better if I had to figure it out for myself. For one thing he felt that I had to learn not to be afraid of breaking it. He was right of course, but at the time I was feeling rather overwhelmed. The game - the Castle of Doctor Brain - was set up to teach one how to think like a software developer, while solving all the puzzles and riddles that allow one to travel through that castle. There are several levels of expertise, so that it can be played endlessly without really repeating a puzzle too. There was a paper manual that supplied certain critical bits of information for solving some of the tests that is long gone, but one can find clues on the gamefaqs chat rooms. So yes I did spend some time playing - just as a means to clear my head between writing cover letters of course. The other task I was able to finish was catching up on all the correspondence that had to be set aside when the poor old pc wasn't functioning. About two weeks worth of communication. Phew. Last two treats for being good today were visiting my favorite astrologer (watch out for broken glass???) and then finding that another puzzle/test had been set up on JK Rowling's Harry Potter website. Maybe since my brain was honed with all those other logic problems I'll do alright but it wasn't easy thinking through the contents of six books with a total of a few thousand pages to put together a logical framework with which to solve her riddles. It was still fun though. Time for a nap now I think. Good night dear diary.
�
�
