24 HAS MOVED

Here's the new URL:

http://zb24.wordpress.com

From now on you can find me there. Please update your bookmarks.

ZB24

The Top 5 Songs of April

Here's a recap of songs that I played the most in April. There's no statistics or anything, it just seemed like I played them a lot!

Anyway, here are the songs. The most played songs are at the top of the list. To hear a song, just click on the link. Clicking on the picture will give you a better view of the album art. Make sure that your pop-up blocker is disabled.

1.Se7en - I Know

2. Rain - Ways to Avoid the Sun

3. Lee Soo Young - Grace

4. Yellow Tail - Super Bike (Goong S OST)

5. DJ Sammy and Mos Def - Six Days

There they are! Enjoy.

ZB24

P.S. You can download these too. After you click on the link in the post, look for the download link in the Box.net page it takes you to.

A Glitch In Opera?

I really like the Opera browser and would use it full time (maybe) if it wasn't for this glitch.

Whenever I start typing a long line of text in Gmail, Blogger, or Wordpress, It starts going off of the page. Usually when I get ready to type another paragraph.

Here's a screenshot I took of the problem.

Click on the thumbnail and it will expand.

ZB24

Ji Hoon Jun: a.k.a. Rain/비 (Bi)

Ahnyong-Haseyo!

I was looking at a list of popular Korean singers in Wikipedia's Contemperery Korean Music article. I got a sampling of his songs off of Multiply.com and thought they were pretty good. Anyway, I didn't know how popular he was. I mean, he's everywhere. He's one of the most popular Korean singers of modern day. Times Magazine put him on their 2006 Top 100 Most Influentual People List. In their article about him they said:

"In Hong Kong his concerts sell out in 10 minutes, and across much of Asia, fans snap up pirated videos of his soap operas...Before he visited the U.S., Rain already had a fan base, thanks to Internet music sites, satellite TV and DVDs of his soap operas. Those are the same media that make it easier than ever for growing numbers of Americans to get their fix of Japanese anime, Bollywood films and Korean music—and vice versa..."

Ha Ha! Nope, that wasn't me on YouTube getting those episodes of Full House. Nuh-uh! *blink, blink* ;-)

...ahem...

Anyway, Korea.net said this in their Korean Wave section:

"Korean pop star Rain will spend another year promoting the country in 2007 as the Korea Tourism Organization has appointed the singer a goodwill ambassador for the second time last Thursday (Dec. 14)...As goodwill ambassador in 2006, Rain actively took part in a number of promotional activities to enhance Korea's image and attract tourists to the country."

It's pretty amazing what he's accomplished. Anyway, my favorite song of Rain's is called Taeyangeul Pihaneun Bangbeop (How To Avoid the Sun). It was a single that was released by him in 2003. I've linked it so just click on that title and you can listen/download the file.

I think he's a good singer and actor but I'm not so sure about his personality and morals and such. In his concerts he tends to have scantily-clad girls dancing around him like he's a God instead of alongside him. I don't appreciate that much and don't have a whole lot of respect towards him.

Still, he'll be just as popular as ever...

He wants to become popular in America. Maybe that's why he does this, because various American rappers do it. Still, he shouldn't have to stoop to those levels.

Ah well, I'll find someone else. Ways to Avoid the Sun is really good though, even if you don't like Rain.

ZB24 :-)

Japanese (日本語) Is, Uh, Interesting!

Konichiwa (こんにちは)!

I was reading information about Japanese tonight. It's more complicated then I originally thought. Here is what About.com said:

"Kanji represents blocks of meaning and hiragana expresses the grammatical relationship between them. Katakana is used for foreign names, the names of foreign places and words of foreign origin. Confused?..."

No. I'm not confused. I also found out some interesting facts about Kanji (漢字). I'll just summarize what I've learned here, instead of quoting more articles. I read that most kids' books are written in Hiragana only and that if necessary you can write whole sentences in Hiragana.

After World War 2 Japan made a document listing about 2,000 Chinese characters that they would use in Japan for their writing. About.com says that 50,000 Kanji symbols exist but that only 5,000 to 10,000 are for everyday use. Each symbol in Kanji holds a different meaning. So Japanese kids have to spend a lot of time in School learning a certain amount by high school. It sounds like even the Japanese have a hard time learning Kanji!

I had a lot of fun learning Korean/Hangul and I caught on pretty quickly. I would still like to learn Korean but I'm not sure what all is in Korean and what I would do there for a career. Either way, I would love to visit South Korea sometime and would still have to know some of the language so it wasn't a waste of time for me.

I've always found Japan interesting because of their Technology industry, and it's important to know some of the local language so I think that I'll end up learning some Japanese too.

The Korean singer Se7en knows 4 languages (at least), Korean, Japanese, Chinese (a.k.a. Mandarin?), and English. I know because I've read that in articles, heard it in his songs, and seen it in his interviews. Here's a picture of Se7en if you were wondering what he looked like:

Here is one of his Japanese singles: Hikari (光) which is Japanese for Light. I don't know what a "good" Japanese singer is, but I think it sounds fine. Maybe a Native Japanese speaker can tell me if it's "good" or not. Either way, click on the link in the song name above and you can listen and download it.

ZB24 ;-)

ZB24's Rant on Music

Hi.

I know that I may step on a lot of toes with this article but it's been on my mind for a long time.

Before you all start commenting and bashing me, let me clarify. They type of music that I am talking is what they play in the mainstream media on MTV. I do like some of these songs (last summer, The Fray was popular and I loved their music), but most of the songs now days just leave me puzzled or irritated. Let me address a couple things that irritate me the most in the music industry:

• Bad English

You know, those songs that make you wonder where these people went to school at. Here's a sample if you can't think of any:

MIMS - This is Why I'm Hot:

This is why I’m hot(x2)

This is why(x2) uh
This is why I’m hot (uh)
This is why I’m hot(x2) whoo
This is why(x2)
This is why I’m hot

I’m hot coz I’m fly (fly)
You ain’t coz you’re not (mims)
This is why x2
This is why I’m hot(x2)

Then there's some rapping and that chorus over and over. That's all that the song consists of. I put the worst sentence in bold for you. Hmmmm, I'm not cuz I ain't...

I'm curious to know just what the connotation of "hot" is. From this song, sounds to me like it involves talking like you never got past the 4th grade. If I gots to talks like that then I don't wanna be hot. I guess I just ain't. :-(

You know, there was a day and age when speaking with bad English was a bad thing. Now having bad English appears to be cool. I have to admit! I'm not perfect either! I slip up and use ain't and I say "like", like, a lot. But I don't particularly want to hear that in the music I'm listening to. Shouldn't music raise your standards? You know, like, if you have bad English then listening to a grammatically correct song will help you to see what good English is, but if your saying ain't and the song is saying ain't then someone tell me what the positive effects are. I just can't see them.

• Superficiality

Look at me! Look at my car, my clothes, my house, my half naked woman on my car, my bling, my hair, my shoes, the ground that I walk on.

Personally, for me as a listener, I get sick of hearing about YOU, YOU, You, and U. For a while, can't we here about something else? I'm not saying that I want to hear corny songs about let's all hold hands, stop world hunger, let's all be friends (hmm, let's be realistic!). But, I don't want to hear about just you and what you have!

That's part of the reason why I like Utada Hikaru. She write beautiful uplifting songs and she doesn't brag about herself. Her goal is to entertain the listener, not to brag about what's she got.

You'll get mad and say, "Well what about American music! You can find anyone on this side of Globe?" I can and I do! Here's a list of artists you can look up and they all have productive lyrics: John Mayor, Yellowcard, R.E.M., and Switchfoot.

I like an occasional superficial song too, but I think that people should balance out the Rolls Royce and the conscious thought. I try to do that with my music.

My point: I want to hear songs that make me think. and I don't want to hear about your car and your rims.

There, my rant is finished.

This is why I write,
I write because I think,
This is why I'm not a comatose bump on a log.

How about that...

ZB24 8-)

Six Days of Videos...

I've made another AMV (Animate Music Video). This one is set to the song Six Days by DJ Sammy and Mos Def. It was on the Fast and the Furious - Tokyo Drift soundtrack. I love the song. Here are the lyrics in case you can't understand what the DJ is saying:

At the starting of the week
At summit talks you'll hear them speak
It's only Monday
Negotiations breaking down
See those leaders start to frown
It's sword and gun day

Tomorrow never comes until it's too late

You could be sitting taking lunch
The news will hit you like a punch
It's only Tuesday
You never thought we'd go to war
After all the things we saw
It's April Fools' day

Tomorrow never comes until it's too late
Tomorrow never comes until it's too late

You hear a whistling overhead
Are you alive or are you dead?
It's only Thursday
You feel a shaking on the ground
A billion candles burn around
Is it your birthday?

Tomorrow never comes until it's too late
Tomorrow never comes until it's too late
Make tomorrow come I think it's too late

Here's the video I made:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=p1Q92RbFu9s

The footage is from Final Fantasy VII, X, and X-2. There's also some scenes from Fruits Basket in there because I love Kyo's character. 8-)

ZB24 ;-)

I'm Fast AND Furious

The TV channel USA is running what you might call a Fast and Furious marathon. They played the first and second FAF movies. I really like the serious, mostly because I love a nice car. Yet, at the same time, I'm all for fuel efficiency and Hybrid Cars. So, I can see it now:

ZB24 in a Nissan Versa with a fancy exhaust (w/ flames!), lighting under the car, lots of chrome. Oh! and a paint job with lots of pink and some Sakuras (Japanese Cherry blossoms). I can see it all now!

The Versa, is not a hybrid, but it gets around 38 mpg. I'm hoping that they'll make it into a hybrid though.

Anyway, other then MythBusters and Ugly Betty, I like watching King of Cars with Chop and the Blue Genie. It's a lot of fun to watch. My favorite was with the car hop-off. One car got as high as 41 inches! Is was soooo cool!

ZB24

Where Korea Meets America

Right now, I am watching the Lake House. It's an American re-make of the Korean film Il Mare. The concept is fairly complicated and you have to pay attention to understand what's going on. Basically, there is one house called the lake house. He lives in the year 2004 and she lives in the year 2006. Through chance, they end up writing each other (defying time and space) and they fall in love. I don't know what happens in the end yet because I haven't finished watching it. Here is a trailer from YouTube though that can summarize the movie better then I can:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi_mplXqYfc

Anyway, it's a pretty good movie. The ending was a little illogical but good. It's really worth watching especially if you like Keanu Reeves (he was so cool in The Matrix).

ZB24

Hangul (한글) Is Just Too Easy!

Because of my recent interest in K-Drama I have naturally become interested in the Korean language.

The Japanese use Kanji for writing out their words. The Koreans use Hangul to write their. ZKorea.com (a very good website that I've found about Korea) says that Hangul is technically one of the most effective languages. And it's really easy to understand! I've figured it out in about 3 days!

Hangul is a lot like English. Each symbol represents a letter (a) or a sound (ah) and when put together they make words.

Here is one example: 사랑 = Sahrang = Love.

When you want to write out the way that a Korean word sounds using English letters it's called Romanization. Here is the link to the Romanization chart on ZKorea:

http://www.zkorean.com/romanization.shtml

I find it very interesting. If there is anyone out there who knows a lot about Hangul I'd really appreciate your tips and comments.

ZB24 :-)

My Latest Video

For those of you that don't already know, I have made yet another music video. This one doesn't use Final Fantasy footage, though. I just finished watching the K-Drama (K=Korea) drama called I'm Sorry I Love You. It was really good. The whole thing is up on YouTube and I would rate it about PG-13.

Anyway, I love the caraters and decided to make a music video to it using Yellowcard most well known song Only One. That was the song that got me interested in the band to begin with!

This is my favorite of all of my videos that I've made. Utada Hikaru - Be My Last would have to be my favorite final fantasy one.

Anyway, here is the video. I hope you like it.



As usual, you can view all of my videos in my YouTube channel (the link is in the sidebar).

ZB24

What's the Best Frozen Lasanga?

Last time we were at the grocery store, I decided to get one of each of the 3 main brands of Lasanga frozen dinner. I tried Bosten Market, Banquet, and Swansons.

Here are my results:

3. Swansons
Don't let the slightly higher price diceve you. This one sucks! There is too much nasty looking white ricotta cheese! You're eating it and you wonder what it is you're eating after a while ("am I eating Lasanga or ricotta here..."). There's nothing wrong with cheese but, that much of it is insane.

2. Banquet
What can I say? It's a $1. The price is sweet and the taste is so/so. If you want some Lasanga to eat until you get to eat some real Lasanga (like the one at JOHNNY CARINO'S *hint hint*) this is the one for you.

1. Boston Market
It was actually good, not just a tide over. You could eat it as a meal if it wasn't so small. I mean, it filled me up but it might nor for some of you.

Well, there you, a vew ZB24 post. I bet you weren't expecting that huh?

:-)

ZB24

Opera Masking

a quick tip for those of you that are still new to using the Opera web browser and haven't discovered this feature.

If you come accross a website that's not displaying properly. Right click anywhere on the page and select >Edit Site Prefrences>Network. Using this menu you can change the way that that website sees you. Even IF you are still using Opera it will think that you are using Firefox of Internet Explorer. It says on the Opera website: "Identifying as another browser keeps "Opera" in the user agent string, while masking removes all traces of Opera."

For stubborn websites, this won't always work and you may have to use another browser for that site and then come back to use it when you're finished, but it can save you a lot of time on a lot of websites.

Hope that helps you!

ZB24

Why I'm back on blogger.

There was a previous post (now terminated) that was saying that I was going to stop using this blog and move to VOX.com

I changed my mind because there were ads (which I didn't notice) and because you can't edit the HTML of the page.

So, just forget about the VOX blog, I'll be using this one from now on and I'm not going anywhere again until I test it and know for sure.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

ZB24

Those Forwarded Messages

Hello,

Have you ever gotten one of those emails saying that a child has been burned and if you forward it, the family will get 3 cents? So have I.

It is technically impossible for anyone to gain any money off of this because there is no way on earth that the email could know how may times your forwarded it or if you've even forwarded it at all.

Why would anyone send this in the first place then if it's fake? Because if you open the attached picture, a virus or worm will infect your computer.

Here's a link I found on Stop the Chain.com that has a lot of information on it:

http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/alexandraburn.html

So, therefore, if you know me. Please don't sent me any more the these!

ZB24

The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy

There was a prime time special on this Monday about the Leadership Academy that Oprah Winfrey has opened in South Africa. It a school for girls with a lot of leadership skills.

The girls that got into that school have really sad stories. Some walk for miles in the dark risking getting attacked by creeps just to go to school. Their stories were really sad. I didn't think it affected me very much, but then once I started to think about how much it would take to fix the nation of Africa it got a little overwhelming. I got to feeling like, "Just fix the country, anything, just do something." I know I'm not thinking of all of the implications, but it does get a little overwhelming.

Anyway, I cried a lot and the documentary was really great.

It's going to re-air on Saturday, March 3rd at 8PM EST. USA.

ZB24

What's Wrong With Curly Hair Anyway?

Recently, I had a realization.

I was born with naturally curly hair. Ever since I was 6 yrs. old my hair hasn't been allowed to be naturally curly. It's always been in braids or straightened. Now it's time for another straightening session and I just don't want to do it anymore! Well, at least not for a while.

I would love to wear my hair curly but I know that my Mom (who helps me with my massive hair) won't go for it unless I address a few key points, and list the pros and cons.

I've been doing some research on curly hair tonight and here's what I've uncovered:

Main Point 1: The reason why most black girls (yes, I'm black for those of you that haven't caught on or know me!) don't wear their hair naturally is that when it dries, it frizzes and puffs up.
1. You're not supposed to comb curly hair while it's dry! (and you're not supposed to comb straight hair when it's wet).
2. You're really not supposed to shampoo every time that you wash your hair. Every other time in fine. In between you use conditioners (shower conditioners and leave-in ones)

General Rule: Don't use hair products that have alcohol in them. Don't use any type of brush at all on curly hair. Only wide toothed combs.

Interesting fact: Curly hair is often dry.

That's about all I can think of at the moment. If you have curly hair, one consistently good website that I have found is NaturallyCurly.com

Peace and curls!

ZB24

P.S. Wish me luck in convincing my mom to assist me in this curly mission. ;-) I'll post and let you know how it goes.

DLST EXTENDED 4 WEEKS

HI! I got this email from Microsoft saying that DLST has been extended by four weeks. Pretty important information because can can throw off some computers and set top boxes and stuff.

Dear Valued Microsoft Customer,

This year Daylight Saving Time (DST) extends by approximately four weeks. In compliance with this provision in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, DST dates in the United States and Canada will start three weeks earlier (2:00 A.M. on the second Sunday in March) and will end one week later (2:00 A.M. on the first Sunday in November).

In some instances, effort will be required to accommodate the new DST legislation. For example, systems and applications may need to be updated directly, while in other circumstances the application may inherit the date and time information from the underlying system.

Microsoft is committed to helping customers that are affected by the DST changes make this transition as seamless as possible. Microsoft is producing updates for Windows products as well as other Microsoft products affected by the new U.S. statute. These updates will be released through technical support channels including Microsoft Customer Service & Support (CSS), as well as online channels such as Windows Update and Microsoft Update.

Details of the updates for Microsoft Windows and affected Microsoft applications, how customers can acquire them and when they will be available can be found on the Microsoft website at http://www.microsoft.com/dst2007 . Corresponding technical Knowledge Base articles are linked from this website as well.

Microsoft is providing the Time Zone updates at no-cost for customers on Windows platforms that are covered by Mainstream Support. For more information on the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy including options available for products in Extended Support, please visit http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle .

Further Assistance

Microsoft values your business. For more information visit http://www.microsoft.com/dst2007 , or contact Microsoft for assistance. A list of phone numbers is located at http://support.microsoft.com. Microsoft Premier Customers may engage their Technical Account Manager directly.

Please DO NOT REPLY to this email as this is not a monitored inbox. If you have questions/inquiries please visit http://www.microsoft.com/dst2007

This e-mail is intended for distribution within the United States. Please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary for similar offerings outside the US.

I copied it directly from the email, BTW.

Crappy Clippy Croaks (Finally)

YAY! That little paper clip thing is finally dead! No more of this:

Here's a link to where I found the article: CHIP CHICK .com
My Dad personally hates this little paper clip thingy so when I told him he was like, "Thank Goodness! That little piece of crap! It always pops up when you don't need it."

I read here that people didn't miss the paperclip but the were wondering where the dog (an optional substitute) went. The whole thing is pretty funny if you ask me!

ZB24

My Firefox Extensions

Hi! For those of you reading this blog who use Firefox, you might be wondering what extensions I use and recommend. Well, here's the official list!

BlueOrganizer - This little application is useful for categorizing what you have (games, toys, books, CD's) and what you want. I don't use it, but it's fun to twiddle with if you have some free time. I only keep it installed because I have an account there and because I might want to use it one day.
Download Helper - Now this little thingy is a whole reason to use Firefox just so you can use this extension! It allows you to download videos from youtube or other websites where there is no dedicated download button. It downloads them in FLV format though so make sure that you have a converter or FLV player (most people don't!). I use Videora iPod Video Converter for my conversions but it only converts to MPEG4 (Quicktime). You might want to find another one if you don't like Quicktime or have an iPod.
FoxyTunes - This is an application that lets you control iTunes from within Firefox. It's not an essential, but it is handy. You could just press ctrl+M to put iTunes in MiniMode and then let it rest on top of your windows, but a lot of people like foxytunes. This might not work well for small low resolution screens though.
Foxytunes Skin - iControlsFT - Just a skin for FoxyTunes that matches my Safari Skin I downloaded.
Gmail Manager - Allows me to easily check all 7 of my gmail accounts at the same time or separately. Useful for those that only have one account, too.
Google Notebook - Another one that I don't use a lot and should probably uninstall. If you use Google notbook, it is a good extension.
Google Toolbar For Firefox - I use it for the search box mostly. The built in spellcheck was useful until Firefox built one in. Get it for the spellcheck if you're still using Firefox 1.5.
IE Tab - Lies to websites and tells them that you're using IE7 when you're really using Firefox so they'll display media and layouts correctly (if they're not already). I have to use this in Blogger sometimes when editing the layout and in AOL Video. This is an extension that every firefox user should have!
Image Zoom - I don't use this but I downloaded it because MAXIMUM PC said it was a good extension. I tested it, it does seem to work okay, and could be useful if you really want to see an image in a web page better. Before you ask me, it does not zoom in on video. At least not in youtube.
Performancing - It allows you to make blog post from within the browser instead of within the web page. Works with the new version of Blogger (as you can in my previous post). The only gripe I had was that you can't apply lables to posts from within the extension. I personally like working on the website better. If you have multiple blogs, it might be useful. I think you can use it for more then one.
Sage - RSS reader I rarely use. I wish it would have a little display to tell you if there are new entries. I don't use RSS a lot, but the reader itself seems to be okay if you're into RSS Feeds.
Tab Catalog - This is really neat to look at. I would like to use it if I can just remember! Here's a screenshot, because it's just too hard to describe.

sorry it's scaled down. Clikcing on the picture will give you a larger view:


Tab Catalog:
Basically, it gives you a screenshot of each tab an you can click on the screenshot and it'll take you to the tab.
Tab Effect - This one is just totally unnecessary but totally cool! When you switch from one tab to another it does this little cube effect transition. Here's a link to the extension's page: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/4258/
URL Fixer - If you accidentally type google.vom (for example) it will correct your mistake and take you to google.com. This is another essential. Saves quite a bit of time because you don't have to navigate away from the page, google search, or re-type to correct your mistake.

There you go! ZB24's Firefox Extensions. I hope you found it interesting.

ZB24

Testing Performancing

Hi ya, this is a test. I've got this new performancing extension for Firefox, and I'm just seeing if it works. I wish that I could find a way to apply the labels.


powered by performancing firefox

Streaming Videos Not Playing? I've got a tip for that!

Here's a quick tip to make web video play smoothly. I've got some pictures so you know what all the buttons and status bars look like.

If you have a slow internet connection, press pause:

Next, wait for the status bar to tell you that the video is loaded all the way. Like in this picture:

Take note how the bar changed from black to red. Red mean loaded, BTW.

After it loads. You can press play and it should play without pauses!

Also, in google video. The bar goes from light grey to dark grey.

Happy Video Streaming!

ZB24

Hoobastank - Live - First of Me

Hi!

Hoobastank is my new favorite band. I found this video of them on youtube singing live. They sound great! I just thought I would post it here so you can see them.

This song is on their "Every Man For Himself" Album. Enjoy!



ZB24

Football

the super bowl kickoff show just started, maybe I'll make a post later about the commercials.

I read that the companies were asking youtube people to make commercials and submit them. User created commercials. I don't like football very much so, I'm only watching for the commercials.

and CIRQUE DU SOLEIL! they're supposed to perform. I may have already missed it because I don't know what time zone that is but, I sure hop i didn't: CIRQUE
Happy Super Bowl.

Stay tuned, there might be more from me later!

ZB24

Exodus of the Sims on YouTube

My video I made (Exodus 04' - Sims) is also hosted on YouTube if you prefer them over Google Video.

Here are both links:

Google Video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6028859023891626907
You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LSQZMnLhRU

Enjoy!

ZB24

P.S. Also, check out my YouTube channel, link's in the sidebar. There you can view some of my favorite videos and any videos that I've uploaded to YouTube.

"'Storm Worm' rages across the globe'"

HI!

This is really important stuff! (you can read the original article here: NEWS.COM)

By Dawn Kawamoto
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: January 19, 2007, 8:15 AM PST
Last modified: January 19, 2007, 10:00 AM PST

update "Storm Worm," one of the larger Trojan horse attacks in recent years, is baiting people with timely information about a deadly, real-life storm front, security researchers said Friday.

Over an eight-hour period Thursday, malicious e-mails were sent across the globe to hundreds of thousands of people, said Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer for F-Secure.

People who open the attachment then unknowingly become part of a botnet. A botnet serves as an army of commandeered computers, which are later used by attackers without their owners' knowledge.

Storm Worm carries the subject line "230 dead as storm batters Europe," Hypponen said, noting the unusual twist to the e-mail.

"The e-mail was started 15 hours ago, when the storm was peaking in Central Europe," Hypponen said. "This is unusual in that it was very timely."

Storm Worm is a Trojan horse with an executable file as an attachment. Cybercriminals took advantage of social engineering, using the news of the European storm to get people to open the attached malicious file, which promises more news on the weather emergency. The recipient must open the file for it to execute.

The file creates a back door to a computer that can be exploited later to steal data or to use the computer to post spam.

Storm Worm is already close to being as large as the bigger attacks of 2006, Hypponen said, though it's still smaller than Sasser and Slammer.

Hypponen also noted that this Trojan horse is unusual because most attacks these days tend to be smaller and targeted, as criminals seek to pilfer personal information for financial gain, rather than fame.

Though Storm Worm is widespread, the damage may ultimately be minimal in the U.S. because most tech security companies will have already added it to their blocking list before people get into work, he added.

Other e-mail subject lines for it include "U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza..." and "A killer at 11, he's free at 21 and..."

According to the Associated Press, the European storm has killed at least 41 people.

ZB24

Natasha Bedingfield

Hi Ya!

I got her CD from the library recently and and first I didn't really like the songs. I didn't really take time to listen. Today, since there was time to kill (YAY!) I listed to the songs more closely and watched some music videos. I think that she pretty cool! She's a decent singer (on CD), her songs are meaningful (she writes her OWN SONGS!), she can sing okay live, and she from the UK!

She's got some really pretty songs.

Anyway, on her myspace she had this little widget thing with news and some links so I thought I would put it on here for you:




Here some links if you want to look her up:

Her Website: http://www.natashabedingfieldusa.com/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natasha_Bedingfield
Her Lyrics: http://www.azlyrics.com/b/bedingfieldn.html

Love,

ZB24

My Sims 2 Video

I made my first video using the Sims 2 today! I'm pretty proud of it.

It's about my Zoe Sim, and the guy I had her marry to make the game more interesting. The guy's name is Johnny Smith and he's a Green Alien. Yeah...

Anyway, he's nice! Here's the video:



I hope that you like it or at least find it remotely interesting!

Much Love and Peace,

ZB24

P.S. I ran out of ideas towards the end and didn't want it to get anymore repetitive then it already was so I just decided to end the video. I let the song finish though so you could hear it.

More CD's!

S.O.S. MUSIC ENVELOPING MY WORLD.

more is here to amuse and entertain me over the weekend!

Here's a quote from Fort Minor's Right Now:

"...Someone in the car sitting at a signal
In front of a restaraunt, staring through the window
at someone right now with their finger in their teeth
Who could use a little floss right across the street..."

I thought that that floss line was pretty funny because all of us have had out fingers in our teeth at somepoint and you always somehow new that someone was watching you, saying, "Geez. Ever heard of FLOSS!"

Tee, hee, hee, ha.

I gotta go!

ZB24

My Diversified Music Collection

Hi Everyone!

I felt like making a blog post and I thought that I would give you a sampling of my music collection:

Yellowcard (Rock)
Kenny Chesney (Country)
Utada Hikaru (Japanese Pop)
Linkin Park (Hard Rock)
John Legend (R&B)
Tim McGraw (Country)

It's really funny when you see them all mish-mashed up together in iTunes. Utada is right in between Yellowcard and Tim McGraw.

When I see the albums I like to think:

Sreaming! Drums!
Disco! Pop!
Twang! Guitar!

I just thought it was funny that's all and had to share. I have 626 songs total. Most of these songs I've ripped using 10 cent CD's and iTunes or Roxio. The only CD that I've bought recently was Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory. I only bought it because the library didn't have it.

Just in case Bush is reading this, I don't distribute these CD's, I just use them for my iPod for sending the occasional great song to my friends. I'm Legal!

I do not make copies of movies, me and my family are renters (Blockbuster Folks!). We only go to see movies when it's something that we really want to see, or an actor that we want to support.

Just thought I'd share!

ZB24

AOL's Future

Hi!

I'm written about this before on my old blog (the link for the old blog is in the sidebar), but for those of you who just want a new 24 post, here it is!

When I run out of things to do on the computer and need to dilly-dally-shilly-shally (got that from F.F. - Advent Children), I usually go and try to find something or other to download. Sometimes, when I think about it, I'll go and look at AOL.com's download site. According to AOL, "AOL is changing! See what's new >>>". That's what they say, anyway.

What's new? Everything that you used to pay AOL to get, is now free. Videos, Music, Email, etc... If you want them as an ISP (Internet Service Provider) you still have to pay for the actual connection. The significance of this is that if you don't want AOL as an ISP you can still keep your AOL email address.

Think about it... usually if you don't want to use [blank] as your ISP the only thing that might stop you would be the hassle of having to change your email address.

Now in my mind, if AOL was concerned about "locking in" their customers, you would utilize whatever tactic was available right?

Okay, so this make me wonder. Is AOL considering getting out of the ISP business eventually? It seems entirely possible. They own a lot of different other websites, not just AOL.com. They would still make a lot of money off of the other websites what they own. Many people don't like to use AOL as and ISP anyway so it would be good for their reputation (maybe).

I could be horribly wrong or this theory may not hold any water at all, but either way, it made sense to me and you have seen into that deep dark corner of my brain that formulates weirdish ideas and thoughts 24-7. I hope you at least found it interesting.

ZB24 ;-)

Spyware

Hello!

What is spyware?
Spyware is similar to a virus only its goal is different. Usually viruses want to disable your entire computer. Spyware usually wants to steal your personal information. One type of spyware is a keylogger. It relays everything you type to the spyware creator. So, if you type your password he'll have the ability to hack, for example, your bank account. Even if you don't do online banking or have anything especially important your computer, it's not a good idea to let spyware hang out on your hard drive. It's just not safe.

How do you get spyware?
You can get spyware on your computer via websites (the website itself, ads on the website, or popups). You can also get spyware via legitimate looking downloads or sometimes emails (sometimes from spam emails or an email from a friend whose computer has spyware which has been programmed to spread through email on it).

What are precautions I can take right now to avoid spyware?
Only open email and attachments from people you know well. Don't click on ads in websites (99.9% of the time, you have not won a free iPod!). Install a popup blocker. If you do get a popup don't click on it at all. You may have seen that on popup that says you need a virus scan. The popup creator has made it look like an official windows notice. If you click on the fake "cancel" button it it will bring up the possibly spyware filled website. Always X off/close the window using the red "X" button at the top of the windows header bar:



How to I stop popups?
I recommend the Google Toolbar for popup blocking. It has a built in popup blocker in addition to a search box and some extra tools (spellcheck, bookmarks, and autofill to name a few). If you don't like Google you can use Yahoo's toolbar which also blocks popups and has a search box and other features. If you use Internet Explorer you should download one of these ASAP (you can have more then one toolbar at a time. the more the merrier!). If you use Firefox (another type of Internet browser) you don't need to download a toolbar if you don't want to because Firefox has built in popup blocking. Plus, the Firefox versions of these toolbars don't add additional popup blocking, anyway.

What can I install to remove spyware?
I would recommend Lavasoft Ad-Aware Se Personal. It is free and I use it all the time. It will find spyware on your computer and remove it for you. It's easy to use too for those of you who aren't very technical.
Here is a link to the official website: LAVASOFT.com

When you click on the download link on the website will take you to download.com (a branch of a very good technology site called CNET). Click on the download button on this website and the download will start. Once completed, it will put a shortcut on your desktop. Double clicking on it will start the installation of the software on your computer. Just follow the instructions and restart your computer if prompted. Once it is installed you can run it as often as you want. When you click on the shortcut (either on your desktop on in the start menu) Lavasoft will start to open. Sometimes it will take you to the main screen:



(OR) it may ask you if you want to download new definitions. Always say yes! the definitions allow Ad-Aware to recognize what is spyware and what's not. without definitions, it's a useless application.

After you download the definitions, the main screen will come up. To run a scan (make it look for spyware), press the start button in the bottom right. Different options will come up. Check the box that says "full system scan".

The scan will start. It takes about an hour on mine, but some computers it may take longer. I don't suggest multi tasking while it scans unless you know your computer can do it. Mine usually can but I usually stick to web browsing or something that's not very demanding.

When the scan finished a screen will come up showing you what it found. there are usually 3 groups or so. Check the boxes by each catagory. This tells it to remove all the items in this catagory.

You should now be spyware free!

Congratulations!

There are other free spyware applications, and you can have more then one. I would not recommend Spybot Search and Destroy. My Mom had it on her computer and after a scan she started getting an error when her computer starts up. It's not a deadly issue but it's just not right. I just thought I would let you know. I haven't had any issues like that with the Lavasoft Software so you can chill out and scan away.

ZB24

How To Get a Free Email Address (Yahoo!)

Some of you readers out there are using one of three kinds of emails.

1. Free Web-Based Email
I use Gmail (Google Mail). It is web based. That means that you can read and write your email anywhere in the world as long as you have an internet connection. Google, Yahoo!, MSN, and AOL all offer free web-based email.

2. Email from your ISP
Let's say you get your internet connection from Earthlink. Earthlink also offers web based email. It's can be accessed from any connection too. The only difference is that you're getting it from your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and it's not free (it's included in your bill).

3. These Two Types of Email Coupled With Outlook Express (Email Client)
So you have your two types of web-based email. With this type of email you use your webmail and (with a series of settings) you link it into your email-client (Outlook Express, Microsoft Office Outlook, or Mozilla Thunderbird. This way you don't have to check your email in a web browser, you can use this external appication to organize your email better then the webmail can (maybe).

Now for the main tutorial! Fun, Fun!

HOW TO GET A FREE YAHOO! EMAIL ADDRESS:
1. Open up a new instance of Internet Explorer or the web browser of your choice.

2. In the address bar. Sometimes labeled. Here's the address bar in IE7:



Backspace the text that is already there and type the following: http://www.yahoo.com. Or click on this link: Yahoo!.

On the hompage there is a box with icons in it. Click on the "sign up" text. It's there in this picture:



3. Once you click the link enter your information on the page. Your username will be used in your email address (your username@yahoo.com) so make sure it's what you want your finished email address to be. At the bottom you have to check that you agree to the terms and conditions. You will then be transferd over to a page that shows some information about your new account which you can print out and put in a safe place.


4. After you press next you will be sent over to the yahoo homepage with your new account. You can tell that you are currently logged in because it wil say "HI, Your Username" in the same area in the above screenshot. To go to your mail click on the mail logo. Once you're inside you can usually figure things out pretty easy if you've ever used any email at all.

That's it! You can now start sending and receiving emails.

If there's anything in this article that I didn't address, post a comment and I will edit and add information if necessary. I hope that this is a good introductory article for most of you thought!

ZB24