Reporting Menacing Phish

Well, it’s not exactly what I had planned for my afternoon.  Firstly, I am fine, these things don’t bother me.

Today I was intending to do a spot of cyber housework (it’s easier than off screen house work). I logged into the server and headed to the emails, a mixed bunch of fan query, fan fawning and spam, but there was one that caught attention.  I knew it was phishing for personal details, financial fraud, general trickery but it was the manner and topic that was a little different.  It threatened to release to all my contacts a video of me that was sexually explicit, as well as pornographic images and spread rumour of deviancy with children unless I sent x-thousand via Bitcoin to a specified account.  The hacker generously explained how the deadline could be extended and even bragged about being able to hide his identity, seek sanctuary from all laws because they were not in my country, and that any ‘federal’ involvement would mean the stuff would be circulated immediately.

As this particular webmail client is tricky to manage, junk wise, I get regular emails from phishing fake accounts trying to get me to click a link, rearrange courier delivery, download court non-payment papers, etc.  Apart from being quite a savvy person, I know these are scams as the email address isn’t really used for anything other than web site business, so they get deleted and a new junk filter created to redirect others.

However, the particularly articulate, menacing, intimidating language of this email made me stop and think, hmmm I can fully see why the more nervy would fall for this, panic and stress over this, maybe send funds, even if they are completely innocent of all allegations (mud sticks and all that), so I decided to file a report with the Cyber Crimes people.  It was very straight forward, we shall see what occurs (if anything).

Well, well, hmm, there ya go!

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Burnsy Woz Right

With Big Sis away for a weeks break, I decided to allocate this week to getting to grips with the video issues on the website. I had already googled and bookmarked a few how to pages and had mentally mapped out my productive days.

That’s where I went wrong, having a determined plan.

As some may know I’m pseudo consultant to the Resident Management Company that I used to run before handing it over to an agent when it got too much.  To say that the Agent have had ‘issues’ is a bit like calling pneumonia man flu.  Staff changes, lack of communication, confusing cross communication, time delays, etc have been adding to the general rumblings of dissension around here.  Consequently for every email sent, it generated two more, needing immediate attention. The Director and I decided to get to grips with everything and lick em into shape, we were going to go through the invoices of the past two years noting anomalies, we listed general running issues and we’re trying to get the next (already over-due) residents meeting organised.  

I did manage to list all the videos that need converting into three different file types (devices use different formats, desktop v tablets and phones, Apple v Microsoft v Android).  Apart from a couple of snaffoos that skipped along nicely, even managed to save the relevant back-ups.  This brought a recurrent issue, getting FileZilla to transfer the large files to the server. I’m three desk sessions into trying and I just cannot get it configured, nor find the instructions and answers online, it’s just something further than my limited knowledge and ability can handle.  So I’ll have to hope the web hosts ftp can cope with the file sizes.  It’s a time consuming process.

Each video page needs the HTML re-writing, all eighteen of them.  Some are videos I’m hosting, others are on YouTube, but I cannot start these until the video files are uploaded.  It’s already Saturday, that leaves a heck of a lot to go wrong right before Big Sis gets here at 9am Tuesday (her hubby’s car has a garage appointment first thing, so he’s using her car for work).  I’m polishing a draft for a new web article before coding that into a fresh HTML page as well.  BFF’s visit is coming up and I so want it all done by then.

Who was it who said, if you want something done, give to a busy woman, well if you find him, shoot him! 

 

Rebuilding

Over the past few days I ave been getting to grips with rebuilding my website that I accidentally managed to delete.  Rather than use any fancy program that is on the iMac, or download an app or such like I decided to use the ‘site builder’ function on my hosts server.  There are numerous designs to try and most have been produced to work easily on all platforms.

It is nice putting it back together, weeding out the crap and stuff that is going to need constant maintaining.  I have decided not to include any photo albums of my last trips, they get tired easily and well, it is not like it is getting much visiting traffic.  It is scaled down to a simple home page bio, a page about my genealogy experiences, and I am currently working on my sailing pages.

The initial page has been toned down and I have moved across two of my sailing logs.  Each entry has an associated photo which all need to be uniformly sized, same with the heading and entry type.  Curiously with trip three’s log there were a couple of entries missing from the original so i had to root about my backed up back ups and find the missing days and source a new photo.

It is quite time consuming but at least there is none of that confusing html code to work through.

Feeling rather exhausted – I have also found a neat jog-saw game to amuse, medium sized puzzles take up 10 minutes where the hard ones take more like 45.

 

Don’t Press THAT Button!!

I was doing something incredibly dangerous the other day.  I was logged into my hosting service where I work the two web sites I edit and caretake.  As with everything these days, they have a tendancy to ‘up-date’ and ‘improve’ things so I like to reappraise myself of what is where and what new toy they are trying to foist upon their users.  I have been intending for at least a year to revamp and begin from scratch my personal website.  The original one was created via iWeb on the Mac [free software] and while I sort of liked the pre-sets it was so folder heavy it took a mini lifetime to transfer all the folders and files to the server and then correct any snafues.  It was tired and needed a rethink as my life has been rethunk over the past couple of years, but it was not a task I was eager to begin, the thought brought a melancholy sigh.

I clicked something.

It went poof.

There is no un-poof button.

Brain needs as espresso hit to get kick started to have the minds eye idea of what I want the new one to look like.  Then create the various images and words for content. There is a great deal that goes on behind the scenes before it is all put in place and published [hopefully snafu free].

 

My Spring has sprung a kink

Things have all been going on since I last reviewed my jobs list, so lets see if my C- of a while ago can be regraded.

• Factory reset old Mac and contact recyclers
• Wade through desk paperwork left over the past three weeks
• Begin turf out sort of draws, cupboard, boxes etc [be ruthless]
• Put Aberdeen photos and stories in the book
• Find photo for new frame
• WebSite update
• Finish crochet shawl
• Write the letters

The Mac has been taken to the recyclers who haggled but I settled for £50 just to be rid of the thing *tick*
Desk paperwork is sort of being kept on top of and put away more frequently *tick*
Turf Out has been completed [as per last post] poor recycling bin has never been so full *tick*
Photo Book – it is still on the desk, waiting for inspiration 😦
Photo has been found for the two frames and they’re standing on the dresser *tick*
Website has been updated. Done nothing with mine, but its not exactly necessary
Crochet shawl was already done by the last review
Letters are still waiting.

However, I have also

Booked the train tickets and wheelchair assistance for our London adventure
Bagged up all the delightful stuff for the carboot sale
Found the right Scalextric wheels and ordered new sets
Found leather necklace to hang pendant on looks fab]
Finished last tweaking in the family tree book

So, I think that all things considered, I recon I should get a B+ 

What’s next???

• Get the photo book done
• Write the letters
• Redo my website [time consuming but not difficult]
• Finish the cross-stitch design
• Tidy up project box beside sofa
• Get the books on Gumtree

The photo is from the beautiful birthday flowers my BFF sent me, that central rose is at least 3 inches in diameter, it is huge!

 

Decisions ….. yes or no

After a visit from a work colleague for a few hours of free flowing chit chat, she said that I had really lost my mo-jo.  That sounded wrong, I was talking to her about some thing and how I cannot get enthused with jobs or projects, that I hanker to do something but the rest of me cannot rise to it.

There are two ‘things’, projects, activities that I take part it that I do not go into detail about but over the last few months to a year a great deal of disheartened melancholy has crept it and I have found myself wondering whether to bother continuing or not.  Now I know me, I will cling on to the grim death on things I should have let go long before. I don’t just flog the dead horse, I continue cpr, banging the breaths, singing the lullaby and holding the candlelit vigil until the bones disintegrate.  I also know that at present I should not let how I feel be a deciding factor in anything because my despondency, my resignation, my self-sense are not to be relied upon.

First is the forum I moderate, along with two other fabulous excellent colleagues.  For the past four years we have battled to get the forum included and used by HQ, we have stamped our feet about it being used as the HQ uses other social media, we have protected, defended and policed against advertising spam, posters seeking to garner personal info etc, as well as walk beside parents devastated by a diagnosis of their joyous bundles.  We are quite protective of our little board.  Since December last year there have been a series on small incidents that have left us feeling insulted and patronised.  Our LineManager [LM] went off long term sick, no one told us so we did not know why he was not answering our emails.  LM returned, apologised and arranged an online meeting.  LM forgot to turn up to meeting, we emailed LM’s boss to get an auto response saying Boss had left the charity and to contact a name we did not know.  LM apologised again and arranged second meeting, which ….. yes ….. he forgot to attend, well no he did not forget, because we got the auto reply email saying he had left the charity and to contact unknown name.  So despite numerous emails back and forth neither had said that they were leaving nor the other was leaving and nor who was replacing.  The over-stressed info person is taking part of the forum remit under her wing and although she always thanks us for our efforts and recognises the efforts we go to, it feels a touch patronising for her to say that on behalf of HQ when most have no clue who we are or what we do.  I have come so very close to going “I quit”, it is only the friendship and to support my fellow mods that I have not.

Second there is a web site that I edit and maintain.  Over a decade ago it began and I as a back room supporter became involved and eventually circumstances changed and I took over.  I enjoyed the putting together of the information, the researching and finding and then the programming of code to produce a page that did not look fan scrap book amateur but something often mistaken as ‘official’.  But there is an element of fan who feels it is their right and duty to personally attack me and the subject of the web site, they talk of “reporting me” to authorities or getting my internet block.  One even threatened to set mosad on me, laughable really.  There are so few who openly offer support, to help through these times of trial and as getting information, as well as permissions from copyright holders is such hard work – I often feel I, in my effort to do things the right way, am swimming against the tide of everyone else.  The other day as I was tidying files and deleting emails my button hovered over the “delete website” button and I was tempted to click, it was the thought of throwing away all my hard work [and my buds], all the effort in producing the product that stopped me.  I thought about setting up a poll on the web site asking if the web site was not there would you miss it – but that feels like I am trying to seek attention and praise.

But I am almost constantly pondering whether to let these things go or not.  On one side I do not want to lose all my hard work and efforts and on the other I do not feel I am getting the satisfaction nor support to warrant continuing, plus if I don’t do these things then what the heck is there for me to do other than eat, drink, pee and sleep.  Then there is the third hand that the greatest driving force behind the negative feelings and worn down efforts is my over all mood.  Would stopping be a decision of spite aimed at myself.

I am sort of in a wait and see mode, semi pessimistic that nothing will change but I will be of a mind to better deal with it.

*sigh*

 

All In A Week

I have often remarked that if I could just link my head to the computer via a handy usb port I would get so much more done!

The week has been all kinds of topsy-turvy.  Sunday last was a car boot day, I was up at 5am, bundled into the car by 5.40, arrived on site and made our first sale by 6.15.  You have to be that early, if you join the que of cars waiting to get in after 6, you’re likely in the hedges or turned away.  It was a gorgeously sunny day and along with my Big Sis and her bestie we people watched, mused, laughed and amused ourselves through the next six hours.  We didn’t make our fortune, the estate car was packed to the roof and what we took home went into one box.  As we sat there munching a ham roll we listed the stuff we had not brought and it was sort of collectively tentatively thought we do it all again next Sunday [15th].  I don’t mind doing them but I always get this fear I will need a wee … there are some loos there [think muddy field festival type style] but they are raised and not disabled friendly [probably not human friendly at all, likely to be bitten on the bum by a spider].

Monday got thrown out of kilter as Sister was going to be here all day. Husband was going out in his kit car, taking son as well for a boys night, so they’d be gone from 4 til 9 so instead of going home to sit in an empty house she stayed with me.  We had a pizza treat and watched Pompeii.  wow what a film! It was exhausting, you were so taken in by the characters and knowing the impending doom and wanting the good to win and the bad to get their just deserts.  Highly recommend it.

Tuesday did its best to behave as normal but I still had not recovered from the exhaustion of Sunday and no matter what I tried, I could not get proper resting sleep.

Wednesday was all over the place, Big Sis was on-call to watch over the not-so-tiny terrorist, everything was waiting on phone calls.  So we couldn’t really settle to do stuff as we knew the phone would ring, as it did.  Although I do believe Wednesday night I did actually sleep, phew!

Thursday was Big Sisters birthday, and we went out for a carvery together.  Lovely meal, I don’t often have a gravy dinner, no point doing all the faffings for one, it was a nice treat to feast on roast pork and turkey, roast potatoes, peas, beans, carrots, stuffing, sausage, proper meat gravy and a big old Yorkshire pudding.  

Friday behaved, but I am so behind on all the stuff that should have been done, the whole house needs a proper going through and I just do not have the time or the inclination, as for the energy, forgetinalready!

Yesterday I was proofing my web work of Friday before publishing the new review page.  There maybe some other additions to make [when people get back to me] but for now I am pleased with it.  Just the new photo album to work on, this means selecting the photo, correcting any faults and sharpening, resizing, adding site logo, adding © info, saving it to the folder and then making sure you have the note of who, what and where it was taken.  There have been six shows in all, I have done about 6 from the first two shows so far.  It can be arduous working a web site, getting the permissions and the paragraphs of remarks and reviews etc, but the finished article can look quite pukka.

aaaand we’re back to another Sunday, trying to catch up on the catching ups.  Need to empty the washer if I want clean nickers tomorrow and need to get washing done if I want a clean top!  Sink is full of dishes, freezer needs organising, trash needs stuffing in the bin, counters need wiping. I’ve got a pile of papers that need filing and a DVD that needs packaging up for mailing out.

Where are the team of helpful elves when they’re needed!!