Sponsor's Message

By and large, any hacker attacks seem to have been those launched either by script-kiddies looking to "tag" vulnerable websites, or by ex-employees of an ISP or other company who want to extract a little retribution.

And, so long as you have a good system admin or hosting company for your website and use up-to-date versions of your OS, webserver and other software, it's pretty difficult for hackers to wreak havoc.

Now let's look at the issue of spam again (okay, I admit -- it's a slow news day!).

Ask any business or individual what their main bitch about the internet is and they'll tell you that it's the endless tide of spam that assaults their mailbox every hour of every day.

Spam is more than just an annoyance, it's a huge expense to business, huge risk to individuals and a problem that existing technologies seem powerless to adequately address.

Now I don't want to give our politicians a hard time, and I apologise for raising this issue again, but I'm still waiting (waiting, waiting, waiting) for some indication as to what they're planning to do from a legislative perspective.

Did you notice how the Crimes Amendment Bill was quickly and quietly passed into legislation recently? How come we have laws protecting Net users against hacking (a tiny problem causing insignificant losses) but spammers are free to effectively deliver porn, scams and worthless product pitches into our mailboxes with impunity?

I would wager that if you added up the actual cost of the spam problem as it affects all NZ businesses and individuals, this is an issue that makes the abolition of Privy Council appeals and the GM moratorium pale into insignificance.

So why aren't we demanding that our politicians actually do something rather than just sitting around eating their lunch and playing four-square in the Beehive quadrangle?

How come the government is so keen to usurp the rights of parents by making smacking illegal -- in the name of protecting children, yet they're seemingly quite happy to let those same kids continue to receive email enticing them to visit hard-core porno sites?

Who are the real criminals? Those who might wish to discipline their kids by giving them a light smack on the bum when other methods fail, or those politicians who, through their inaction, effectively endorse the spammers who entice 8-year-olds to view hard-core pornography?

Hang em high (the politicians and the spammers) that's what I say.

Lighten Up
At last -- it's time for some light relief and a chance to laugh at the more entertaining parts of the web.

Feel like a (space) trip back in time? Here's one of the oldest arcade-type computer games presented using state of the art technology (the web and flash).

Need something a little more contemporary and a whole lot funnier? Why not try a bit of Clay Kitten Shooting?

We've all seen those ads on TV offering to refinance all our borrowing, debts and credit card payments into one "easy to manage" loan. Oh yeah, sure -- loan shark alert! No, if you really need money in a hurry, here's the place to go.

And finally, here's a gift idea that wives and live-in girlfriends will just love to give their men for Christmas.

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