Online Home of Derek Meister
USA Today has a story about Futa, the 23-inch tall red panda that resides in Japan’s Chiba Zoological Park.
Futa has become a popular attraction at the park after photos were released showing him standing upright on a number of occasions, something that zoo officials says is not uncommon among red pandas.
Burger King’s online marketing department has scored another success with their latest addition at sithsense.com, where you can challenge Darth Vader to guess what object you’re thinking of by asking you questions about it.
The technology behind the game is impressive, but the sight of the Burger King himself coming out to give Vader hints alone makes the website worth a visit.
Spam, trojans, viruses, spyware, worms and malware move over, there’s yet another threat to anyone accessing the web or reading their email: ransomware.
According to Information Week, unsuspecting internet users are finding their files or computer held hostage by malicious software that demands a ransom be paid before allowing access.
The latest threat comes in the form of a self-proclaimed anti-spyware product called SpywareNo. This ransomware uses the security vulnerabilities in unpatched versions of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer web-browser to install itself on a user’s machine and then issue fake spyware warnings until the user agrees to pay for a “full-version” of the software from the developer.
As always, consider running an anti-spyware program, such as Webroot’s Spysweeper in addition to your anti-virus software, and make sure that both are updated to the latest patches. Also, consider a network firewall, even if it’s a simple $30 hardware router between your computer and broadband modem or a software firewall like Zone Alarm.
If you’ve been following the news this week, you’ve no doubt heard that the identity of Deep Throat, the secret informant who provided the Washington Post with information about the Watergate Scandal in the 1970s that resulted in Richard Nixon’s resignation from the presidency.
The side-effect of this news story, however, is the unintentional comedy of headlines involving the “Deep Throat” pseudonym, which was based on the name of a very successful 1972 pornographic movie of the time.
Like the ABC News story above, one has to wonder if news writers really are that oblivious to the connections made by the more puerile members of the public, or are they equally giddy over the ability to publicly resort to a bit of subtle, though immature, humor like the rest of us.
At the Meister House we traditionally make a visit to Geneva on the Lake, Ohio during the Memorial Day weekend to mark the yearly opening of Eddie’s Grill.
Geneva on the Lake has been something of a hidden getaway spot in northeast Ohio for nearly a century, providing a number of cabins and inns located right next to Lake Erie in a small town atmosphere. The area feels like a seaside resort in some ways that just happens to be just under an hour away from downtown Cleveland.
In the center of the lakeside area there is a long strip of road which is pretty much the place to cruise in your classic car or motorcycle. There are open-air arcades, novelty and souvenir shops, restaurants and nightclubs all along the main drag, but our favorite destination is always Eddie’s Grill.
Eddie’s Grill has been around since the mid-40s, and going there is like taking a trip back to the 50s. It’s an open-air burger joint, where you can grab a booth or sit at the roadside stools and partake in exactly the kind of burgers and chili dogs you would imagine such a place would serve.
It’s a great place to visit during Memorial Day to celebrate the arrival of decent, if not always warm, northeast Ohio weather. It’s also just far enough away from the bigger cities and suburbs of Ohio that driving the twenty-five miles seems like a real trip away from all your worries at home.