October 14, 2008
US shut downs global spam gang

American investigators have shut down an international criminal network they claim is responsible for up to a third of all spam email on the internet.

After a protracted investigation between the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and police in other countries, courts in Illinois and New Zealand have frozen the assets of New Zealander Lance Atkinson and Texas-based Jody Smith. They are accused of making millions by bombarding people with emails offering illegal drugs and fake medical remedies.

The duo are believed to be part of a well-known group of spammers known as the HerbalKing gang, who have sent enormous numbers of unwanted messages over the past three years.

"The defendants recruited spammers around the world to send billions of spam messages," the FTC said in a statement yesterday. "Their enterprise included participants in Australia, New Zealand, China, Russia, Canada and the United States."

According to FTC officials, Atkinson and Smith used spam emails to promote drugs for sexual dysfunction, penis enlargement and weight loss – all of which were sold without a licence or did not live up to the claims made.

October 9, 2008
Will Apple's suit against B.C. school bear fruit?

small Vancouver Island computer school is battling for its identity after computing giant Apple threatened to sue, arguing the two companies' logos are too similar.

Victoria School of Business and Technology denies the logos - both based on apples - are related, and says it's going to fight to keep its logo.

"We were absolutely shocked," Dieter Gerhard, the school's president, told CTV News.

"Here's the bigger guy Goliath really coming down on little guy David."

The logo for Apple is recognizable worldwide - its apple has a stylized bite out of its right side. The company has been using the symbol for about 30 years.

Victoria business school's apple logo has been around for only three years. But Mr. Gerhard says its design incorporates a mountain and has three bumps on top instead of the two used by Apple. There is no bite out of the business school's apple.

October 9, 2008
Google's Mail Goggles: A (Relatively) Sober Hands-On

So I wasn't drunk when I tried Google's Mail Goggles -- only a touch hung over -- but I wanted to see if the service could possibly save me from sending regrettable messages after a few too many glasses of Shiraz. The Goggles asks a series of math questions before allowing the message you've written to be sent. If you fail, you get a slap on the wrist -- "Water and bed for you. Or try again" -- if you pass, you're home free.

I installed the program by clicking on "Labs" in my Gmail account and selecting the Mail Goggles feature. I altered the settings to prevent me from sending any e-mail without first having to brave a gauntlet of math. Then I turned the difficulty level to its highest.

I majored in English. Math is not my forte. And in my early-morning barely-caffeinated haze, I was unable to answer the questions in enough time. Once I reached out for the desktop calculator but stopped myself -- no, I must do this right. Then, after an embarrassing failure, I turned the feature off and was free to electronically berate any ex I chose.