The Scrolls » Internet

Spam, Spam, Spam

Cole — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:01:17 +0000

I clean out the spam comments on my blog on a pretty regular basis. I find that my plug-ins are damned good at catching them and I rarely even look to see if they’ve caught something I want to keep. Sometimes, though, I look and cannot help but be amused by them. So here are a few recent examples.

Whatever you do, don’t have sex with him. He’s probably trying to make you jealous or use you because he’s hurt.

Great advice! It has nothing to do with this post, though.

I love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am with you. – Roy Croft

Sweet. Who are you?!

GERMAN SCIENTIST PROVES VIRUSES ARE NOT ALIVE:

OKAY I BELIEVE YOU.

Where exactly is the facebook like button ?

Relevant question spam. I am confused. You can like any post on the individual post page, though. I’m not so fond of that plug-in these days. hmm..

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson: “That it will never come again is what makes life sweet.”

Things just got profound.

J’approuve completement.

Merci.

There are also a surprisingly large number of comments about theZune. Do they even make that any more?

4 Ways to Protest SOPA on your WordPress Blog

Cole — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 06:06:47 +0000

Blackout your blog.

The list of plug-ins that will blackout your blog for the day and automatically return it to normal is none-too-short. I installed the SOPA Blackout Plugin to display a splash page for my visitors on the 18th. The settings allow me to decide if I want visitors to be able to view the site at all — and I do. Simple Stop SOPA will take your site offline between the ours of 8AM and 8PM on the 18th.

Redirect your blog.

If you don’t mind losing hits and possibly confusing or frustrating your visitors, consider the Stop SOPA and PIPA Plugin to redirect your visitors to the official Stop SOPA website where they can cast a vote.

Display a ribbon.

Perhaps the least obtrusive plug-in, the Stop SOPA Ribon simply displays a diagonal banner on the top corner of your blog. If you can’t afford to take your website down because of business/advertisement/financial obligations, this is the one for you. Your readers can click the ribbon to go to the American Censorship site to learn more about why SOPA sucks.

Put up a widget.

Have a little room in your sidebar or widget? Host a widget that helps to increase awareness about SOPA for the day of January 18th.

You what?

Cole — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:15:11 +0000

So I recently watched a Christmas episode of Family Guy. It was pretty weird. Brian and Stewie wound up delivering gifts to the good girls and boys of the world because Santa was too overworked to do it himself. They wound up goofing the whole thing because, as it turns out, delivering presents to nearly 4 billion (according to Apple) kids is hard. Of course, the family who woke up to Brian and Stewie were less than thrilled to see them there..

However, if you have kids they might enjoy the service provided by iCaughtSanta.com. This website allows you to upload a photo and add Santa so you can print — or digitally share — proof that he visited your house. If the standard bite-out-of-a-cookie trick doesn’t do it for you or, if you just want to try something new this Christmas. The website will do one photo for around $10 and you can purchase a photo and video pack for $25. You can also purchase gift cards to the site for your loved ones, if you don’t have kids.

There is no rule that says you have to be be nice on the Internet

Cole — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 08:19:15 +0000

I wish I could say that I’m not afraid to be the dissenting voice but it’s not entirely true. I will speak up when I feel I should but I fear.. retribution. This is largely due to the fact that my ex-husband avoided conflict in any form, even when avoidance was actually more of a problem than whatever the conflict would be but it’s also due to certain online communities refusing to ever mutter a discouraging word. Coincidentally, I was the voice of dissent on someone else’s blog today and she deleted the post and comment. I have strong feelings about avoiding criticism and conflict and I shall list them here because a list is the only way this post won’t be ridiculously confusing.

There is no rule that says you have to be nice on the Internet. While this means you can get away with being a douchebag, it also means that people are going to occasionally treat you like crap. We’ve all experienced it and, no, it’s not fun but that’s the reality of it.
But just because you can be a dick without getting your ass pounded or are anonymous on the Internet doesn’t mean you have to be. You can still be a decent person when it calls for.
People won’t always heed the previous so you should surround yourself with people who are supportive.
But you should avoid only communicating with those who put a positive spin on everything because honestly is necessary. It may be uncomfortable but dissent and criticism promote growth, whether it’s improving upon a product after a less than thrilled review, becoming a bigger person, redesigning a website, learning to communicate better with your partner or working to better your customer service. Without conflict, no matter the degree, we’d all be stuck in the same place forever.
And avoiding conflict may put off that momentary discomfort but will make you miserable all the time. It will also ruin your relationships. Fact. Marriages where the couple fall into the pursuer-withdrawer roles usually end within 5 years. Mine did. Ha!
No one wants to be the voice of dissent, either. Even when I know I’m right, I’m worried about what people will say, if I’ll get attacked because I don’t agree or if someone might delete my comments. We’re all people, here and I’m pretty sure we’re strong enough to get through this.
With that said, sometimes you have to speak up even when no one else is. It can be difficult to be the first person to voice your concerns but it shows strength of character. Honesty is a valuable trait. Perhaps I’m honest to the fault when I play the Devil’s advocate but no one would ever fault me for being a liar.
But you can be honest without being a dick. Use tact.
When you experience conflict or criticism, there’s no need to throw in the towel. In fact, feel free to argue, reasonably, if you believe yourself to be in the right. But one bit of adversity is not enough to shut down a website, end a relationship, or even delete a post or comment. Accept conflict because it shows strength of character.
Respond like an adult and learn to recognize when you cannot so that you can step back from the fray, temporarily, to regroup. Rather than avoiding conflict, allow yourself to calm down and reflect upon whether there is any truth to what is being said. Return to the conversation after and then respond, if it benefits you to do so.

I Can’t Wait Until I’m 70

Cole — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 19:32:59 +0000

Level 70 that is. I know no one will care but my newest MapleStory character is really leveling quickly. It almost makes me angry, how easy the game is compared to when I started playing. Still, it makes it fun and this is the only character that I could realistically get to level 70 to make a job advancement and it’s exciting for me.

Wish me luck.

Holiday Wishlist

Cole — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 12:27:32 +0000

This is a meme that hits the blogging world around this time. Feel free to repost this on your own blog and leave me a link here so that I can see your desires and maybe help out as well. So here’s the cut and paste:

Step One
Make a post to your blog, tumblr, facebook, myspace, what have you. The important thing is to make sure these wishes are things you really want and that people can see the post. If you wish for real possible things, make sure you include some sort of contact info in your post, whether it’s your address or just an email address at which you can be contacted by potential wish-grantors.

Also, make sure you post some version of these guidelines in your post, so that the holiday joy will spread.

Step Two

Surf around your friends list/blogroll/RSS feeds (or friends friends, or just random places ) to see who has posted their list. If you have a list be sure to leave it in my comments section so I can view your wishes! If you see a wish you can grant, and it’s in your heart to do so, make someone’s wish come true. Sometimes someone’s trash is another’s treasure, and if you have a leather jacket you don’t want or a gift certificate you won’t use–or even know where you could get someone’s dream purebred Basset Hound for free–do it.

Wishlist

If you happen to want to send me any of this gifts, please comment here. Thanks in advance!

A new iPod Touch.

Mine was a hand-me-down squared to begin with and it’s nearing its end of days. The volume button broke a while back and it takes days to charge it. Skipping songs lags and I frequently wind up accidentally skipping multiple songs by accident. If nothing else, my friends are sick of hearing me complain about the charging issue. Sadly, Apple is bent on selling 8-gigabyte and 32-gigabyte capacities when I need a 16-gigabyte. Boo. I will, realistically, wind up purchasing one that is used or a Sony Walkman.

ThinkGeek’s Circuit Sweetheart Necklace.

I meant to but this for myself for my birthday but I didn’t and then money got tighter than I expected. It’s on sale, guys. Hint hint.

Stuffies.

I know this is kind of a cop out but it’s almost impossible for me to say that I want one stuffed animal and not another. In no particular order, here are the ones I want thee most:

Anything Awesome.: I’ve only seen The Book of Awesome in stores once. Since then, the Book of Even More Awesome and even a calendar have been printed. I think it would be such a sweet gift from anyone who knows me.
Gift cards.: When people ask what I want, I tell them gift cards. Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Think Geek, Bath and Body Works, etc. I usually say I will use it to get something awesome and then I wind up buying groceries or hand soap. The truth is, I really appreciate having a little extra money around the holidays and I would much rather have a gift card and be able to buy something functional than receive some crazy, useless gift..
Gift Cards: Amazon, JcPenney and Target are at the top of my list.
PayPal donations: cole[at]7and1.net is my address.

Look at that cat in the Santa hat

Cole — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 06:30:34 +0000

The last page on our 2011 calendar features a kitty in a Santa hat. All the other pages feature other types of cats, too. This means that November is over and while I did not sign up for NaBloPoMo, I tried to make an effort to post more, across all my blogs. I was pretty successful and even though I didn’t post nearly close to every day on Her Realm, I posted a lot more. It felt good.

I’ve been mulling over this post in my head for a while because.. I don’t know if anyone will read it and I don’t know if it will leave an impression on those who do. But it’s important to me and I still rely on the validation of others just enough that the idea that it will go un-noticed and that’s kind of precisely what this post is about.

You see, I started this blog as a cry for help. I was angry and hurting and frustrated and confused and I was never taught how to express that and I had a hard time reaching out to those who cared about me the most, when they were even around. I desperately wanted someone to see that. I needed someone to understand that I was not okay and I wished that my blog would make someone force through my walls, break them down to get to me. And, as much as I wanted someone to reach out, I still strangely veiled my feelings. I was passive aggressive, vague and cryptic about my feelings. I put up another wall even as I tried to reach out.

I purposefully sent my friends and family to my blog and when people would ask how I was, I would send them here. When I look back at some of my archives, I am so sad that anyone could ever feel that way. Reading those words brings up the feelings and I hate that they ever exist. No one should ever feel that way but I did.

If I read long enough, though, I will see a change. I will see happiness emerge here and there. I see the struggles of a long term relationship but I see the happiness I felt at having found my one. I’ll see the frustration at growing up, moving away from the people I love. I’ll see the emergence of maturity and understanding. Skip ahead a couple years and I see the acceptance of my divorce and the sheer will power it took to finally change some of those awful habits and attitudes that made me unhappy for so long. There’s a period of time where I feel like I only tried to express positivity and there’s a lot of talk about the progress I made. There’s pride. And hope.

It has been difficult to keep up that positivity this year. There’s been new stresses, many of which related to finances, work and sharing a home with another person. There’s also been a lot of things I’ve crossed off the bucket list I didn’t even know I had and I think the more recent entries express the things I’ve gotten to do and the people I’ve been able to spend time with. I’ve unlearned bad habits and tried to connect more fully with those I care about, without a crutch. I’ve become more open about myself, some might argue too open about some things. I’m not constantly looking over my shoulder, afraid that people will discover something unseemly about me.

The more recent entries have been more balanced, I think. There’s been some serious, personal topics but there’s been humor and pictures of cats and I’ve felt comfortable enough to be more opinionated than I have been (although, not as opinionated as I once was).

So this blog did not do what I expected it to. In the end, I’ve had to be far more direct to connect with those around me and, sadly, I spent far too long in a dark place. But this blog has helped, slowly. It connected me with other people, new people. It helped me to feel not quite so alone and it gave me a place to vent, to joke, to think and to express myself where one otherwise did not exist. Finally, it has come to a place that I will not be ashamed or sad or frustrated to look back upon in the future.

It’s funny how life gives us what we need when we’re too busy working about what we think we want.

On Facebook and Friends

Cole — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 08:31:27 +0000

A while ago, I made a practice of deleting a person a day from my Facebook account. I have a lot of “Friends” there but how many of them are really my friends? Facebook is great because you can look up anyone, everyone that you’ve ever met but that’s sort of its downfall. With MySpace, my friends list was full of bands and people I didn’t know but, hey, at least I could pretend I was using the site because I wanted to get to know them. I make no such claims with Facebook. My Facebook friends list is full of people to whom I never speak, with whom I will never have a conversation again.

Perhaps it started because I simply wanted to have no pending friend requests. Maybe I felt guilty when I didn’t add people but now my friends list is full of people who were my friend eight years ago but one or both of us have changed so much — or stayed so exactly the same — that we could never have a friendship now, if we hadn’t already been friends. And that’s the better of the non-friend Facebook friends. I’ve got a ton of people who went to the same school as me but with whom I never had a single conversation who have tried to add me. I have people who have tried to add me who I’ve felt nothing but disgust for. I have people of whom I have absolutely no recollection.

Sure, people change and, yes, friendships can arise from surprising sources but Facebook isn’t one of those. I don’t talk to these people because of Facebook. It hasn’t facilitated much in the way of connections. It hasn’t rekindled a single friendship that I can think of. In fact, Facebook only connects me to people with whom I’d already be connecting outside of Facebook. It only keeps me up to date with people I’d remember even if there were no Facebook.

So when I say that a friendship a decade ago is not enough to keep you on my friends list. I’m not lying. It’s not. But it’s not unkind, either. We’re not meant to keep in contact with every person we ever met. Trying to do so will only weigh us down, perhaps more-so for those of us with anxiety. The value of our connections is that they are fleeting. They all cannot possibly last forever and, if we’re smart, that motivates us to make the best of that time and to be grateful for it.

NaBloPoMo

Cole — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 01:45:29 +0000

November is national blog posting month/national novel writing month. I didn’t sign up for either. Can you imagine me writing a novel? But, for whatever reason, I have been writing and blogging a whole lot more anyway. So even though I’m not participating, I’ve been trying to blog every day on all my blogs. Technically, I’ve been successful even though it’s a cheating sort of successful.

It’s interesting, though. Normally, I try to post every three days on each of my blogs. I throw in extra posts, like paid posts on Reviews by Cole, in between. I don’t really count them as entries, I guess. I do this because, as a blog reader, I become inundated pretty quickly. I find is so difficult to follow blogs that update every day, let along several times per day.

But the search engines? Those are an entirely different story. You see, websites that update several times per day really do rank higher. It’s especially noticeably with Alexa. When I’m posting like a madwoman, my rank increases (drops?) like whoa. But that’s crazy. I mean, who really has so much to say that they can put out two or three quality blog posts per day? Chances are, if you’re that person, I have to wade through a lot of crap in order to find something I find interesting. Sorry.

So here’s just one post for the day. Thank you very mucy.

Ranty Thursday (Working on a new name)

Cole — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:37:32 +0000

Yesterday I posted a picture of a pony. It was facetious in several ways.

First, when I asked for suggestions of what sort of pictures I should put on this blog, Damita suggested ponies. I actually ignored her suggestion for some cat pictures. Sorry! Forgive me?

Second, I was irritated at a trend I’ve noticed lately regarding Wordless Wednesday posts. Here’s a hint: they aren’t wordless. This meme is simple. If you participate, you post one or more photos and nothing else, save for maybe a link to your Flickr or what-have-you. It’s about expressing yourself or simply showing something beautiful without words. I’m a wordy bitchy but I appreciate the sentiment, you know?

So how dense must a person be to post a “Wordless Wednesday” post and fill it with words. If the pictures don’t do all the explaining, then save them for another post and skip the meme. Someone I follow on Twitter keeps posting for this meme but doing it completely wrong and, in my opinion, cheapening it.

I usually don’t participate because I’m not a photographer. I don’t have a great camera or take amazing pictures, even if you all love Phantom. But that’s kind of the point. My photos are almost all of cats and I know people don’t want to see that all the time. I also don’t want to use others’ photos, even though I think that’s permissible. I’m not sure who started Wordless Wednesday so I can’t say.

But even if I only participated in it and used others’ photos, I’d still be participating in a way that is in line with the purpose. If your Wordless Wednesday has a word count, you’re doing it wrong.