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Spam o' the day:

Your Online Banking Account needs to be verified to allow you have access to online banking: So we have issued this final warning message to you

This email is sent from our secure server to verify your Online Banking Account as there have been a multipe error logons and Account failure.

Your access to online banking has been suspended temporarily for security reasons by Bank Of America, N.A

Re-Verify your account now and enjoy the benefits of Bank Of America Online Banking on our secured intranet server:

http://yuvaz.com/kichu/ssl/signon.php

All informations entered must be accurate and correct for your online access to be re-activated.

Note: If this message is in Bulk/Spam is because of your Mail Settings, please select the confirmation message and click "Not Spam."

Bank Of America, N.A

Who is yuvaz.com when they're at home, anyway? And I bet I know what they want to do with my informations...

-----Original Message----- From: Support [mailto:support@securitycenter.com] Sent: Saturday, June 20, 2009 10:23 AM To: undisclosed-recipients Subject: B a n k of America Notification. Importance: High

Dear B a n k of America member ,

- You were qualified to participate in $50.00 credit reward surwey.
- Just take part in our quick 5 question survey.
- Please click on the link below to take your survey:

http://survey.bankofamerica.com.sitekey.fmykgb.com/srv/survey.htm?id=594378

B a n k of America - Survey Department.
2009 B a n k of America. All rights reserved.

I did not bother to click on the link (fmykgb.com is a GREAT domain name though). I imagine the "surway" questions were along the lines of:

1. Did you know the word "gullible" is no longer in the dictionary?
2. How much money do you have in your account?
3. What is your bank account number?
4. What is your maiden name?
5. What is your social security number?
6. May we defraud you again sometime?

I downloaded this onto my iPhone tonight. No description can do it justice, but let's just say I'll be spending another $1.98 for the next two installments. "Useless time passes" indeed.

An article in the New York Times today discusses the rising popularity of ebook readers, a subject of some interest to me. I own a Sony Reader and recently have been reading a number of books on my iPhone using eReader. I love paper books, and still prefer them in some ways -- the way that every electronic book looks basically the same, whether you're reading Twilight or The Predator State, bugs me (yes, you can change the display settings, but I want a designer to do it for me!). On the other hand, I always have my phone on me, and when I'm trapped on a crowded BART train, I love the fact that I can read with one hand while clinging to a strap with the other. Not easy to do with a regular book, even a paperback.

There are obvious drawbacks, such as proprietary formats that can't be read on other systems, high prices, and the fact that you can't really lend your book to someone else when you're done. Case in point: the App Store now features Christopher Paolini's latest fantasy novel, Brisinger, for sale at the low, low price of $27.99. The paper version? You can get it for $16.00 at Amazon. But then I guess you wouldn't get all the nifty features like "natural book-like reading experience with full pagination... includes cover art, front matter, running heads and page numbers..." And you can lend it to your friends as long as you hand over your iPhone along with it! Ridiculous. (They do, however, have my current obsession, Twilight, on sale for the more reasonable price of $10.99.)

Still, I do find myself turning to ebooks more and more. Certain categories of books, like current events/politics, that go out of date quickly, I may read on my phone instead of on paper. (Really I should get them out of the library, but I somehow never manage to get there...) And I am racing through Twilight on my phone. I almost forget the format -- the screen almost "disappears." Which is the point, isn't it?

For more intelligent musings on this area of technology than I'm able to provide, I recommend  teleread.org/blog.

Dear New Yorker Magazine:

As a long-time subscriber with many worn-looking copies of your magazine strewn liberally around my house, I am thrilled that you are launching a digital edition. I have long wished for a version of your magazine I could carry with me on some convenient little handheld device.

I'm still wishing.

1. What's with the two page sizes? One is unreadable, and the other is WAY too big, even for my generously proportioned computer screen.
2. How am I supposed to read those multiple columns on my computer screen? Do I have to scroll up and down like that?
3. WHY CAN'T I CUT AND PASTE? What about fair use?
   
4. Why do you log me out so quickly?
5. Did anybody actually try USING THIS THING FIRST?
6. Works on the iPhone, did you say? Oh how we all laughed!
   
7. Why do I have to zoom out to turn pages?
   
8. An online magazine Should.Not.Require.So.Many.Instructions.

OK, it's really simple. I want a version formatted to be read on my Sony Reader and my iPhone. I want it to be in single-column format. I don't need the cute little page-turning animation. I don't mind ads (you guys have to pay for this somehow), but I'd like them to be tailored for the device on which I'm reading. I want it to be SIMPLE TO USE. I don't need an exact reproduction of the print magazine online; in fact, that's far worse than the print magazine itself.

Back to the drawing board, people.

Randomly Googling my Great-Uncle Adrian again, I found this interview:

Ward: Did you ever run across an employer whom you found you liked, personally? He responded, in a way? LG: There were a few employers, some from the smaller warehouses, who v/ere not difficult to deal with. For example, a man I always liked was Adrian Falk. Later on he became quite prominent in the Chamber of Commerce. Adrian Falk was in charge of the S&W warehouse; an interesting duck. I think he came from an old-time San Francisco family, probably among the initial groups who came out here. I never felt that he was fundamentally hostile to the union. I don't think he ever took the attitude that his only purpose in life was to see that we were gotten rid of. I discovered in talks with him that if you could put together something logical you had one listener. The big bulk of employers, it made no difference what you said, they just weren't interested. The only time they finally sat down and dealt was when they had to.

Ooh, and I just struck paydirt, it looks like. An interview with him from 1955!

Look what the system of tubes sent me today. I like the nods to Bill Gates and Chelsea FC.

----

From; Mrs. Susan Sweeney
Office Address:
Tower 42,Level 35 25 Old Broad
Street London,
EC2N 1HQ DX: 557 London
United Kingdom


I bring to your notice the winning letter from British Email Promotion Company held on the 4th of AUG, 2008 using an Automated Internet email ballot System, your email address has won the sum of #1,258,250.00 GBP United Kingdom Pounds or $2,500,000.00 USD United States Dollars in category 'B' Your winning informations to claim your prize are stated below;



YOUR WINNING INFORMATION
Reference number: 4365/87NL
Ticket number: 667-87641257
Serial number: 3134/1198



To claim your prize contact the paying bank
HARVE ASSEH
DIRECTOR FOREIGN OPERATION DEPARTMENT
AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK GROUP
TEL: 234-80-62479487

do keep us posted with your dealing with African Development Bank Group

This email promotion is jointly sponsored by Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich and Microsoft corporation owner Bill Gates to promote the use of the internet email facility.
When contacting MR HARVE ASSEH THE Director of PAYING BANK (AFRICAN DEVELOPEMENT BANK) Send The following information below to which will be used to prepare your winning certificate and as well process your payment WITH ADB BANK.


YOUR NAME................................
YOUR CONTACT ADDRESS........................
YOUR SEX..................................
YOUR PHONE NUMBER( MOBILE NUMBER PREFERED)........................
NATIONALITY.........................................


Yours Sincerely,
Mrs. Susan Sweeney
(Lottery Agent Coordinator)

A thin e-reader designed to display newspapers and magazines? Sign me up! Especially if they start making the New Yorker available this way, so I can switch my dead-tree subscription over.

I just upgraded to MT 4.2. I broke some things when I did it, so if you see anything weird on here (besides the usual) then that's why.

I've scheduled this post; let's see if it publishes.