ShowMeBlog

CompUSA Closing Over 50% of their Stores

"The retail electronics space is about to get a lot less competitive.  CompUSA announced yesterday that it is set to close more than half of its US retail locations within the next 3 months, dropping expensive and low-performing locations to focus in on their top performing stores.  After closing 126 locations, CompUSA will receive a $440 million cash infusion from an unknown source.  This is all part of a major cost-cutting and restructuring effort for the electronics retailer.

This is the latest entry in the company's recent shrinking history, with rumors floating about closing locations as late as last September, and the announcement on Monday that it would be closing two stores in California, one in Texas and on in Illinois. 

This comes on the heels of Circuit City announcing earlier this month that 70 of its stores were on the chopping block.

So far, it seems like Best Buy is the only one weathering the current retail storm."
http://www.wincustomize.com/

"CompUSA today sounded the Big Retreat, announcing plans to close more than half of its US stores.

The lossmaking PC retailing giant is to restructure at a corporate level and promises 'major expense reductions'. It has a secured a $440m cash injection from an unspecified source to shore up its balance sheet. Post re-org, the company will have 103 stores in 39 states and Puerto Rico.

Quote time, from Roman Ross, CompUSA's boss. 'Based on changing conditions in the consumer retail electronics market, the company identified the need to close and sell stores with low performance or non strategic, old store layouts and locations faced with market saturation [and] focus on initiatives that enhance its top performing locations'"
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2007/02/28/compus...

advertisingemailcorporation.com

">Hi Jim,
>
>Just let you know that I had the same problem with this fucking company in
>China.However
>I decide to investigate the company and advise local authority.
>Here is message sent to the Government of Guang Zhou in China yesterday.
>I dont know if it has worked, but this morning you can not have access to
>their site.
>They should not have sent theses fucking e-mails to me because I will be
>their fucking nightmare
>until they close down!
>
>Good luck
>Robert..."

New Storm Worm Spreading

"A Storm worm variant using both e-mail and Web sites to infect Windows-based PCs is injecting itself into the responses people are leaving on blogs.

Dmitri Alperovitch, principal research scientist at Secure Computing, told eWEEK that the worm is injecting itself into the operating system as a rootkit and is capable of intercepting Web traffic.

When a user with an infected system visits a bulletin board or posts to a blog, the worm inserts a malware into his or her comments. The line asks readers to look at a fun video and contains a link leading to a Web site where the malware is waiting to reinfect more users.

The worm is taking over PCs, Secure Computing reports, giving the criminal control for multiple purposes: sending spam, launching DDoS attacks and running keyloggers.

Alperovitch said that Googling for the different domains from which the worm is working results in several hundred postings that already contain links to the malware. "Probably the population [of infected machines] is more extensive because not everybody posts," he said. Secure Computing is tracking six domains, all posted on the Estonian register, which has been associated with a large volume of malware in the past.

Also notable in this worm is that it's using server polymorphism—i.e., it contains self-modifying code that changes automatically every time it is downloaded. This worm form has been around "for ages," Alperovitch said, such as in the Bagle worm. Morphing worms are designed to avoid antivirus signature detection, and so far, Alperovitch said, it's working, as few major antivirus vendors have detected it.

To avoid infection, the advice is to refrain from clicking on the "fun video" link.

It's easy to find out if you're infected, Alperovitch said, simply by going to a Web board and posting a message. "If it's adding something to your post you didn't add, you know it's infected," he said."   From eWeek Security Watch 

 

Now Live Webcams

  Some of you have been paying for adult videos using the links here.  I get a commission each month when you do.
  Well there is now from the same people live webcams. 

 

This banner is for the video movies.

 

If you have a website or blog:
Sign up using the banner/link above.  You will make money and I will get a 7% commission.

 

I gave Viagra a try.  It works.  My only problem was that I was alone.  It would be so much better to take Viagra, Cialis or Levitra with a mate.

Baby Duck or Duckling

  I took these photos just now.
 

Blogger Immunity from Comment Law Suits

"The US Court of Appeals For the First Circuit has reaffirmed that the same broad protections that protect web sites also protect bloggers and message board operators from being sued for what their user’s posted.

“[No] provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider,” and that “[n]o cause of action may be brought and no liability may be imposed under any State or local law that is inconsistent with this section,” states, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

The court stated, “Congress intended that, within broad limits, message board operators would not be held responsible for the postings made by others on that board,” and added that allowing bloggers and message board operators to be sued for the statements of their respective users on their web sites would have an “obvious chilling effect” on free speech."

US Court of Appeals For the First Circuit No. 06-1826, Universal Communication Systems v. Lycos [PDF].

usrbingeek is a Commercial, Wedding, and Portrait Photographer in Vermont and is also a Global Admin on the WyldRyde IRC Network. WyldRyde offers a free chatroom that can be added to any web site or blog and is home to the Lockergnome Chat.

Tags: bloggers immunity, message board immunity, communications decency act

Sun Rise in Miami

  Russell asked me to make sure he was up at 0500.  I woke him and wrote a couple of post for ShowMeBlog.  I looked out my window and I saw this:

  I put on my pants and a shirt and went outside and took this photo.  It was taken today (02/26/2007).  I just heard on the news that a big winter storm is moving out of the Midwest and into the North East.

 

trojan.spy.delf.ny

  I installed a new Anti-Virus program on my computer and on the first run it detected a trojan:  trojan.spy.delf.ny
  It took care of it.  The new anti-virus software was BitDefender.  It cost $30 for one year.  The anti-virus people got a pretty good deal.  You must have their software and they sell it to you and then you pay x amount each year.
  There are free anti-virus programs that you can use and many of them are very good. 

  What is a Trojan - Wikipedia

Phishing Sites Explode on the Web

What is Phishing?  - Wikipedia 

 Yahoo News has a story from PC World about "...The number of sites devoted to phishing skyrocketed last year, and the number of Americans taken in by phishing schemes has nearly doubled..."
  I know my mail boxes fill each day with phishing schemes.  
  You should read the story.  It says that the phishing guys are winning the war.  We are all under attack.

  "Best Defense

Although no magic bullet may exist now (or ever) to safeguard us all, there is one simple way to protect yourself from the majority of phishing attempts: Never click a link in an e-mail or on a third-party site to go to any of your financial accounts. If, instead, you always use your own bookmark or type in the address, even when you're 100 percent certain that the e-mail is legitimate, you should be safe."

  Sometime I should count the number of phishing schemes I get in the mail each day.  I bet I get more than 50 a day.
  It is almost to the point where I hate to use email.  
  Each time something new comes along that is new and great the phishing people and the porn people latch on to it and try and use it to get our money. 

  They spoil the power and the fun of the Internet.  
  One small effect they have on me is that I have to monitor and approve all comments left here.  Another effect is has is that people do not want to give out their email address.  On the other hand I will not approve someone for full access to my sites unless they sign up and use a real email address.
  It is just a big pain in the ass.
  One of these days I need to count up all the emails I get in one day and count up just how many of them are useful ones that I want and how many are junk.

Oscar Sunday

  Today is Oscar Sunday.  This is the 79th Academy Awards.  It will be on ABC.  I think you can see it on their web site if you don't have it on your TV set.  I love movies but it is rare for me to watch the Oscars.  I hate it when the the person getting the award gets up and makes the long speech.

  Ken and Russell left about six hours ago.  I have no idea where they went..I bet they are out having fun without me.  Smile!  I hope Ken is not too tired to go to the store tonight.  I would like to get some food for the next week.
 
  I tell you I get no respect.  Smile

  Russell will have to go back to work tomorrow.  Ken has Sunday and Monday of each week off. 
  A few more days and March will be here.  Time seems to go so fast.  I will need to get all three of my Rx filled very soon.  So far the new insurance is working OK for me.  Darlene,  in Texas, has the same insurance and it is working OK for her.
  Thank God I got insurance now.  I was without insurance from age 59 to age 65.  We need to do something in the United States to made sure that everyone can get health care.