Reasons to be Leery
It’s like mashed potatoes only less healthy & with more bits! A portmanteau of malicious and software, “malware” is fast becoming bane to network administrator and internet dabbler alike. Malicious, or…
Full of, characterized by, or showing malice; malevolent; spiteful; vicious, wanton, or mischievous in motivation or purpose.
…is certainly the less palatable of the word-mash; yet, when admired from a distance (and with a certain level of moral ambiguity) malware is truly brilliant.
Stuck in the Muck
Anyone willing to place heel in front of toe down the rambling path that is the world wide web will inevitably collect a bit of muck in the process; however, it’s those who stray far from the path and tramp through the murky depths that find themselves stuck in the stagnant wastes. It is this simple telltale nature, this unintended disclosure of debauchery (or intent to participate in) that is truly marvel worthy. Malware freely offers us a certain degree of ethical/moral transparency; accountability, ironically and often unwillingly gifted to us by greed, lust, and avarice.
Alas, as an almost willing benefactor of information technology and given that even the most stalwart and innocent of pilgrims may occasionally fall from the narrow, I should disclose the following cautionary blather:
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) File Sharing, where is thy sting?
- Bypassed Security – P2P software allows others to directly connect to your computer from anywhere in the world. Allowing you to download unverified content from unknown sources while others upload from your computer; both bypassing security soft/hardware like firewalls and antiviruses.
- Malware – Most P2P software (even legit installs) come bundled with Malware (including trackers, harvesters, spammers, backdoors, etc).
- Hackers – All P2P software is targeted by hackers (due to their vulnerability & popularity) who use them to steal information and spread their contagion. (see note on Malware).
- Oops Factor – P2P software often shares more than intended or realized (especially when misconfigured or left default); making it quite easy to accidentally share your friends, family, personal, or private information and files with the world.
- Lawsuits – An increasing number of ISP’s track & report the files you download and/or share via P2P programs. This inevitably leads to legal action both for the possession & (worse) distribution of unlawful/unauthorized material (see note on content).
- Illicit/Illegal Content – Often the content of P2P transfers does not match the description. This is done intentionally in order to distribute illegal and/or unsavory content (like snuff films, Malware, & child porn).
Examples of Caustic P2P software:
- Napster, Kazaa, LimeWire, FrostWire
- uTorrent, BitTorrent
- iMesh, FilePipe, LPhant, BearShare
- Sadly, this list is not even close to comprehensive
So wade carefully, and try not to muck about too much.
Aero… What?
If it were possible to fully define all things aeroplankton, you’d be reading it instead of this; however, in an effort to better classify the phenomenon for the sake of constraining this site’s focus, the following shall be our official attempt:
Any organism, concept, or vague musing, unseen or unheard (without significant effort), or possessing no tangible form, or of a form beyond accepted societal limit or understanding.
These creatures, concepts, and/or phenomenon have been organized into the following categories to the benefit (hopefully) of those few who stumble across this site:
Critters
Including all things known or assumed to be living, the critters categorization should be applied to all organisms possessing independent thought, or failing that, the ability to take action or change without significant external assistance.
Ideas
While ideas can certainly change and are often the catalyst for action, they typically cannot do so independently. We may not see, taste, or hear them (without translation); however, ideas remain an incredibly powerful, driving force. Spawning from our subconcious and subsisting on our emotional, spiritual, political, and creative juices; Ideas float in an atmosphere of murky vagueness beyond adequate description. They defy attempts at written or spoken translation leaving behind little more than wisps of insight to converse over and contemplate.
Words
While words are often used in vain attempt to outline or document ideas, they certainly stand alone and secure upon their own weight and foundation. Thriving in the arduously assembled anecdote, lovingly lavished letter, painstakenly produced prose, sublimely structured sentence, or carefully crafted code; Words carry those subject to their whim far away from the ink and pixel landscape in which we authors abandon them.
I Want My Life Back!
Whether mumbled in disgust or hurled at bloodcurdling speeds through aeroplankton habitat, this phrase has become a socially appropriate mantra of disappointment. We tend to lament such loss of life after particularly bad attempts at entertainment; however, the deep-reaching implications of these words may serve as intellectual dessert when considered further.
To truly evaluate the fallout of a ticket office bomb, we must do more than simply note the immediate devastation of hours. If we choose to (as most do) simplify, by ignoring the physical, spiritual, & emotional tolls; the cost of a trip to the theater is essentially time + money. By adding the amount of life spent affording a movie to the hours lost viewing it a truer picture of the cost is achieved:
1hr working @ $10per + 2hrs viewing = 3hrs life lost.
If we take this principle and apply it to our purchases, and account for repeat viewings we can achieve even more stupefying figures. The cost of a single DVD can be valued using our “life lost” method as (Once again we’re ignoring such inconvenient variables as gas, shipping, taxes, and the time spent affording those variables.):
2hrs working @ $10per + (2hrs viewing * 7 repeat views) = 16hrs life lost.
While I certainly would not recommend the adoption of this ill-conceived “life lost” method for anything beyond theoretical speculation. It does merit some consideration and/or application when evaluating the truly fruitless or purely indulgent. After all how much life did you spend on that latte?
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