Daily affirmations of a word mercenary
Geek Out Category
“Wah, GEEK OUT! Le geek, c’est chic!” This is the category that reveals my geekier side. You may not understand what I’m talking about, or you may think I’m revealing just how technologically un-savvy I really am, depending on who you are and what your own geeky proclivities may be.
Go Firefox!
1
Jul
2004
In: Geek Out
Are the Browser Wars Back? - How Mozilla’s Firefox trumps Internet Explorer. By Paul Boutin
Even Slate, owned by Microsoft, recommends Firefox over Internet Explorer. So what are you waiting for?
Things I Have Learned About Trolls
27
Jun
2004
In: Geek Out
“Troll” is an internet term for someone who likes to derail conversation, often in the form of insults or other easy baits.
I’ve had several trolls over the four years I’ve been running this site, and here are a few things I have learned:
1. Trolls are often very off-base
Considering most of what trolls do is INSULT, most of them do a pretty bad job. I had a batch of comment trolling that was obsessed with the fact that my boyfriend was gay (I wish!), and another accused me of being a “wannabe journalist” (er, I’m a copywriter and journalism is far too objective for my tastes).
2. Don’t ever talk to trolls
Seriously: trolls are looking for a response. It’s not fun to bait people if they don’t take the bait. I once had a troll get so desperate for some sort of response that they started saying “Come on, big mouth! Don’t you have anything to say? Don’t you want to defend yourself?” Uh, not really. What’s the point? Trolls are like mosquito bites: the more you scratch, the worse they get. A troll who can’t get a rise out of you gets bored awfully quickly.
3. Htaccess files are your friends!
Once, during a particularly bad troll attack, I created an htaccess file that diverted my trolls to a page saying I’d stopped blogging. This gave them the sense of “winning” (”Dude, we fucking made her take her site down! ROCK!”), and let me quietly keep on doing my thing.
4. Most trolls are really young
If not in body, then in spirit. Bullying isn’t exactly a mature activity, online or off. It’s really not worth engaging these folks in a dialog. They’re not actually interested in whatever defenses or answers you might have — they’re interested in the thrill of getting a rise out of you.
Switch to Firefox!
26
Jun
2004
In: Geek Out
The latest virus hitting the net makes it even more clear that all of you PC folks using Internet Explorer to read this blog should go install Firefox right now and start using it as your primary browser — RIGHT NOW! Internet Explorer is so vulnerable to viruses, spyware, and pop-ups that it’s not even worth using. I was chatting with a coworker this week who’s PC has been totally crippled by spyware, and all I could say was “Reinstall your operating system, AND START USING FIREFOX!” Sure, spyware cleaners work, but why bother with the spyware (or viruses, or pop-up ads, or flashing advertisements, etc) when you can just switch browsers?
So, here’s your weekend to do list:
1. Download Firefox.
2. Install it.
3. STOP USING INTERNET EXPLORER!
Gmail & Poo
16
Jun
2004
In: Geek Out
I’ve been giving away Gmail invites to all my friends and even a couple strangers, and every time I think I’ve given the last one away…Google gives me more! I’ve got five more invites. If you’re having Gmail geeklust and want an account, just post your favorite story about poo in the comments. Best poo stories get the invites!
Despite all the hubbub, I’ve upgraded to Movable Type 3.0 D. Yes, it cost money. But since I’d already donated $40 to Movable Type, it only cost me $25. I figure a one-time $25 flat fee for an application I use every single day isn’t bad.
The only change you’ll notice is that at some point I’ll start using TypeKey to authenticate commenters. This should eliminate comment spam, and also act as a pre-emptive strike against trolls. It’s really easy to sign up for a typekey account, and you only have to do it once…then you won’t have to type your name/email/url a million times on a million different blogs.
GoogleFooked
11
May
2004
In: Geek Out
In March I accidently deleted myself from Google’s search index. Despite contacting Google help, despite rewriting my robots.txt files, despite Googlebots wandering past my site every couple of days, my website appears somewhat permanently locked out of Google’s index.
Advantages:
1. No more awful searches showing up in my referral logs.
2. No more potential employers searching for me and my blog coming up first.
Disadvantages:
1. My resume disappeared off Google, too. That means searching for “Seattle copywriter” no longer leads people to my portfolio. That sucks.
2. No more long-lost random old friends finding me. That sucks too.
I’m not sure what else I can do to get relisted. I’ve submitted my site, and according to Google support, my robots.txt file is fine. I guess I just wait. I sort of don’t like being invisible, though.
Go Firefox!
1 Jul 2004 In: Geek OutAre the Browser Wars Back? - How Mozilla’s Firefox trumps Internet Explorer. By Paul Boutin
Even Slate, owned by Microsoft, recommends Firefox over Internet Explorer. So what are you waiting for?
Things I Have Learned About Trolls
27 Jun 2004 In: Geek Out“Troll” is an internet term for someone who likes to derail conversation, often in the form of insults or other easy baits.
I’ve had several trolls over the four years I’ve been running this site, and here are a few things I have learned:
1. Trolls are often very off-base
Considering most of what trolls do is INSULT, most of them do a pretty bad job. I had a batch of comment trolling that was obsessed with the fact that my boyfriend was gay (I wish!), and another accused me of being a “wannabe journalist” (er, I’m a copywriter and journalism is far too objective for my tastes).
2. Don’t ever talk to trolls
Seriously: trolls are looking for a response. It’s not fun to bait people if they don’t take the bait. I once had a troll get so desperate for some sort of response that they started saying “Come on, big mouth! Don’t you have anything to say? Don’t you want to defend yourself?” Uh, not really. What’s the point? Trolls are like mosquito bites: the more you scratch, the worse they get. A troll who can’t get a rise out of you gets bored awfully quickly.
3. Htaccess files are your friends!
Once, during a particularly bad troll attack, I created an htaccess file that diverted my trolls to a page saying I’d stopped blogging. This gave them the sense of “winning” (”Dude, we fucking made her take her site down! ROCK!”), and let me quietly keep on doing my thing.
4. Most trolls are really young
If not in body, then in spirit. Bullying isn’t exactly a mature activity, online or off. It’s really not worth engaging these folks in a dialog. They’re not actually interested in whatever defenses or answers you might have — they’re interested in the thrill of getting a rise out of you.
Switch to Firefox!
26 Jun 2004 In: Geek OutThe latest virus hitting the net makes it even more clear that all of you PC folks using Internet Explorer to read this blog should go install Firefox right now and start using it as your primary browser — RIGHT NOW! Internet Explorer is so vulnerable to viruses, spyware, and pop-ups that it’s not even worth using. I was chatting with a coworker this week who’s PC has been totally crippled by spyware, and all I could say was “Reinstall your operating system, AND START USING FIREFOX!” Sure, spyware cleaners work, but why bother with the spyware (or viruses, or pop-up ads, or flashing advertisements, etc) when you can just switch browsers?
So, here’s your weekend to do list:
1. Download Firefox.
2. Install it.
3. STOP USING INTERNET EXPLORER!
Gmail & Poo
16 Jun 2004 In: Geek OutI’ve been giving away Gmail invites to all my friends and even a couple strangers, and every time I think I’ve given the last one away…Google gives me more! I’ve got five more invites. If you’re having Gmail geeklust and want an account, just post your favorite story about poo in the comments. Best poo stories get the invites!
Despite all the hubbub, I’ve upgraded to Movable Type 3.0 D. Yes, it cost money. But since I’d already donated $40 to Movable Type, it only cost me $25. I figure a one-time $25 flat fee for an application I use every single day isn’t bad.
The only change you’ll notice is that at some point I’ll start using TypeKey to authenticate commenters. This should eliminate comment spam, and also act as a pre-emptive strike against trolls. It’s really easy to sign up for a typekey account, and you only have to do it once…then you won’t have to type your name/email/url a million times on a million different blogs.
GoogleFooked
11 May 2004 In: Geek OutIn March I accidently deleted myself from Google’s search index. Despite contacting Google help, despite rewriting my robots.txt files, despite Googlebots wandering past my site every couple of days, my website appears somewhat permanently locked out of Google’s index.
Advantages:
1. No more awful searches showing up in my referral logs.
2. No more potential employers searching for me and my blog coming up first.
Disadvantages:
1. My resume disappeared off Google, too. That means searching for “Seattle copywriter” no longer leads people to my portfolio. That sucks.
2. No more long-lost random old friends finding me. That sucks too.
I’m not sure what else I can do to get relisted. I’ve submitted my site, and according to Google support, my robots.txt file is fine. I guess I just wait. I sort of don’t like being invisible, though.
Hey there. I'm Ariel Meadow Stallings, a native Seattleite who's written my way up and down the Left Coast. Electrolicious is where I post daily randomata, but I also write for a living. My first book, Offbeat Bride, was published last year.
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