I was one of the 3,521 who received the email with all 46,000 addresses in the CC field.
It was followed up by an apologetic email explaining what had happened and asking me to delete the original email; and another email sent to all 46,000, again apologising and explaining, and linking to the press release. The Register also promptly reported themselves to the ICO.
My first question to them was 'What mass mailing software or service do you use, and why did it allow this?' Considering the (assumed) IT literacy of The Register's staff, I hope they're at least using some semi-competent service, and not some home-brewed PHP script running a SQL query. They haven't answered this yet.
However, at least they have been honest and apologetic about it - this isn't the first time I've received mass CC'd emails from legitimate businesses, and usually they're a) unaware of it and b) don't really care even when I point it out. Always surprising considering how tight data protection laws are in Europe. (Maybe it's one of those pesky interfering European laws that the Tories want to get rid of, to let good old honest British spammers return to their traditional methods)
Anyway, I haven't deleted the email yet, but will be soon. While I have NO intention of sharing or using the 46k addresses (and have been impressed so far with the lack of replies from any of the other 3,521 along the lines of 'LOLZ!! EL REG FAIL!'), I might do some data analysis (eg. how many use each popular email service, what proportion use throw-away or site-specific addresses, how many apparently use real names) - any suggestions?
Yes, people will make snap judgements. Whether that is moral or not is subjective. People make snap judgements on ethnicity, sex (admit it - how many times have you turned down a girl for an IT position?), name (which might denote ethnicity or class), accent, disability, sexual orientation, looks, smell... all kinds of things which probably bear no relation to how well they might do a job. But... these things CAN be an indication - chances are a guy who turns up smelly to the interview won't get a public relations job, or a slim girl won't get a construction job. This is why when sorting through applicants, we keep personal details separate from experience details. A lot of UK based universities and employers do this. Applicant A might seem perfect for the job, and I won't be influenced by the fact that Applicant A is an ugly fat black lesbian wheelchair-bound African immigrant. With an AOL address. Even if I had a prejudice against any of those facts.
Also bear in mind that T-Mobile and Vodafone are also extensive brands in Europe, but as far as I know Verizon and AT&T are only used in America. I don't know about other parts of the world, but you see what I mean.
It's a good thing he didn't have a Blackberry Storm to mash his query out on, or he would have been confused by the instructions on "how to slither a navy"
Some parts of the world are more used to earthquakes than others, and plan accordingly. I'm guessing (from a quick glance at your blog) that you're in the USA - western? Your houses are probably designed to be quake-proof, and a 3.4 quake will do nothing but rattle your plates. Here in Europe most housing is traditional stone, and earthquakes are something that happens in far-flung corners of the Earth. Disclaimer - I don't know how severe a 3.4 quake is, maybe it really is inconsequential - but my point still stands in that it probably caused the residents of Basel to shit themselves. (Far from villagers, too, BTW)
This is what amuses me about America. In one post, you argue without a hint of irony that a) rights are endowed by a creator, and not inventions of man; and b) you have the right to bear arms.
But more seriously, I would take exception to your argument that rights are not given by man. It is only by becoming civilised that we can share equal rights. No matter how loudly you shout about your rights, they only exist if others recognise and respect them.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has not only rights to free speech, but rights to housing, food, clothing and clean water. These are commodities. The right to express yourself politically (vote) is also critical; as is the right of equal access to public service in your country. These require a communications network. This means broadband to me. Sure, you don't have to FORCE broadband on somebody; plenty of people don't invoke their right to free speech, but are very glad they have the right should they want to. In the same way, I'm fine with the fact that my parents live in the back of beyond and don't want broadband, but I'm glad that they COULD get it if they need it.
I can think of plenty of (perfectly sane) people who would happily bid for Douglas Adam's Mac. Especially if the files were left intact - some of them were used in constructing the Salmon of Doubt, the novel he was outlining at the time.
A collector's item only needs to be unique - it doesn't matter what it is, physically. Charlie Chaplin's bowler hat is just the same as any other bowler hat - but worth a lot more.
I repeatedly encouraged my girlfriend to store her PhD documents in Google Docs, rather than on her laptop (that she takes everywhere). Eventually she complied; then, after a week or so, all her Google Docs vanished without trace.
No previous versions, nothing. I was at a loss to explain it, and have you tried contacting Google with a tech support request? Not a chance.
She's reverted to her low-tech solution (keep on laptop, occasionally email self with document attachments as a backup). I can't blame her.
I'm not saying this WILL happen to anyone else, but it completely destroyed my faith in 'cloud' storage. I'm quite happy storing documents remotely, when I know where they are, but cloud storage by definition could be anywhere - or nowhere.
...if Apple WEREN'T bringing out a new iPhone sometime next year. An annual cycle is predictable; some manufacturers would consider it TOO long between launches.
The site showing the image has removed it. Google don't appear to have 'removed' it from their index, just promptly re-indexed the offending site. However, I don't remember Google (/youtube) being this proactive when offensive Thai royalty videos appeared. Or the 'Bush chimp' images (although those were funny*) *IRONY
I know this is contentious, but I quite like being the devil's advocate. Isn't Bill Gates more suited to the Nobel Peace Prize? His philanthropy is unparalleled (by monetory value alone, anyway). His influence on the world of computing is undisputed. I'm not saying his influence has been good or bad... just that he's had influence. The world wouldn't be the same without Windows. Regardless of which operating system you favour (for me, it's a tie between OSX and Ubuntu), you cannot deny that Windows has been an important component in the spread of information and education across the world, and enabled all kinds of communication. A lot of this stuff would have happened anyway, without Windows... but then I could argue that the US civil rights movement would have happened at some point without Martin Luther King (a previous Nobel Peace Prize winner).
What, because the Chinese are only interested in subverting the American way of life, and couldn't possibly be looking at it from an investment point of view!
I'm fully aware I'll be modded as a troll, but I find American's suspicion of Chinese investment ironic, considering the amount of American investment, development and exports worldwide in the last century.
I don't have a car. I commute by bus and ferry. There's a Cineworld on my way home that I frequent, but now cannot as I carry my laptop to work every day (I use it to get in a bit of work/browsing on the 2 x 30 minute ferry crossing daily commute).
Cineworld Southampton have therefore just lost my business. This is particularly stupid of them, as quite often (even with newly released films) I can count the audience members on my fingers.
Most people I know (non-techies) use Outlook for work communication and Facebook for friend communication.
I can't help feeling that if Sharepoint was all that Microsoft promised it would be, we'd be using it for work communication like we use Facebook. But when people have to call IT support to ask how to move a document from one folder to another, it's not going to get that far...
I don't know how relevant this theory would be to America (I know class boundaries are not as evident as in the UK), but here the most obvious cause of this evidence would be class lifestyles. Poor, lower class, under-educated children are more susceptible to criminal influences; while well-educated middle class parents are more likely to obsess over their children's diets. As goes the popular tag, correlation is not causation. You could equally theorise that wearing trainers cause crime, as children who wear Nike trainers are more likely to offend than children who wear Hush Puppies shoes.
I'll admit Sharepoint is a success when it works with browsers other than IE. After evangelising the benefits of alternative browsers around our company, I looked distinctly silly when we started rolling out Sharepoint and had to admit everyone had to revert back to IE.
I would also warn people against believing Microsoft's hype about Sharepoint. It's a good tool for a specific purpose, but it won't solve every problem you have. Make sure YOUR company is suitable for the way Sharepoint works. Don't expect Sharepoint to be flexible to your requirements.
Yes, llamatron was AWESOME. And very, very funny. And very hard. I did manage to complete it (well, get over level 100, where it reverts to level 1) in the 'assist' mode where instead of a second player you have a robot pal.
Hard is good though: It keeps you coming back. Not hard as in 'stuck at one particular point and can't go further', which seems to be a problem with modern games (eg. GTA4, there's one mission I can't get past, so I've just stopped playing), but hard as in 'try again, and again, and again, and gradually get better'
That would be CLINICAL depression. As in, the type caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain; as opposed to the type caused by your wife leaving you.
This is exactly why I stuck with my original iPhone for an extra six months, rather than taking the free upgrade to the 3G. It was obvious that Apple were bringing out the next version, and I would rather save money and have a phone I'm happy with than pay through the nose for the latest shiniest very-slightly-better version. Now (hopefully) I can have a free (or greatly reduced price) upgrade to the 3GS.
The big banks really are intent on shooting themselves in the foot. If they hold the auditor liable for security breaches, nobody else will be willing to offer certification services for PCI-DSS. And considering that it's the banks who desperately want everyone to be PCI-DSS compliant (does anybody other than the banks get any benefit from it? Really?), that is particularly stupid. It's hard enough achieving compliancy as it is - whenever we get near to completing the questionnaire, they change all the questions!
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I was one of the 3,521 who received the email with all 46,000 addresses in the CC field.
It was followed up by an apologetic email explaining what had happened and asking me to delete the original email; and another email sent to all 46,000, again apologising and explaining, and linking to the press release. The Register also promptly reported themselves to the ICO.
My first question to them was 'What mass mailing software or service do you use, and why did it allow this?' Considering the (assumed) IT literacy of The Register's staff, I hope they're at least using some semi-competent service, and not some home-brewed PHP script running a SQL query. They haven't answered this yet.
However, at least they have been honest and apologetic about it - this isn't the first time I've received mass CC'd emails from legitimate businesses, and usually they're a) unaware of it and b) don't really care even when I point it out. Always surprising considering how tight data protection laws are in Europe. (Maybe it's one of those pesky interfering European laws that the Tories want to get rid of, to let good old honest British spammers return to their traditional methods)
Anyway, I haven't deleted the email yet, but will be soon. While I have NO intention of sharing or using the 46k addresses (and have been impressed so far with the lack of replies from any of the other 3,521 along the lines of 'LOLZ!! EL REG FAIL!'), I might do some data analysis (eg. how many use each popular email service, what proportion use throw-away or site-specific addresses, how many apparently use real names) - any suggestions?
Yes, people will make snap judgements. Whether that is moral or not is subjective.
People make snap judgements on ethnicity, sex (admit it - how many times have you turned down a girl for an IT position?), name (which might denote ethnicity or class), accent, disability, sexual orientation, looks, smell... all kinds of things which probably bear no relation to how well they might do a job. But... these things CAN be an indication - chances are a guy who turns up smelly to the interview won't get a public relations job, or a slim girl won't get a construction job.
This is why when sorting through applicants, we keep personal details separate from experience details. A lot of UK based universities and employers do this. Applicant A might seem perfect for the job, and I won't be influenced by the fact that Applicant A is an ugly fat black lesbian wheelchair-bound African immigrant. With an AOL address. Even if I had a prejudice against any of those facts.
Also bear in mind that T-Mobile and Vodafone are also extensive brands in Europe, but as far as I know Verizon and AT&T are only used in America. I don't know about other parts of the world, but you see what I mean.
The Blue Whale's brain is around 6kg. Following this groundbreaking research by Discover Magazine, this must mean Blue Whales have an IQ of 430!
I, for one, would like to welcome our genius blubbery overlords.
It's a good thing he didn't have a Blackberry Storm to mash his query out on, or he would have been confused by the instructions on "how to slither a navy"
Some parts of the world are more used to earthquakes than others, and plan accordingly. I'm guessing (from a quick glance at your blog) that you're in the USA - western? Your houses are probably designed to be quake-proof, and a 3.4 quake will do nothing but rattle your plates. Here in Europe most housing is traditional stone, and earthquakes are something that happens in far-flung corners of the Earth.
Disclaimer - I don't know how severe a 3.4 quake is, maybe it really is inconsequential - but my point still stands in that it probably caused the residents of Basel to shit themselves. (Far from villagers, too, BTW)
This is what amuses me about America. In one post, you argue without a hint of irony that a) rights are endowed by a creator, and not inventions of man; and b) you have the right to bear arms.
But more seriously, I would take exception to your argument that rights are not given by man. It is only by becoming civilised that we can share equal rights. No matter how loudly you shout about your rights, they only exist if others recognise and respect them.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has not only rights to free speech, but rights to housing, food, clothing and clean water. These are commodities. The right to express yourself politically (vote) is also critical; as is the right of equal access to public service in your country. These require a communications network. This means broadband to me. Sure, you don't have to FORCE broadband on somebody; plenty of people don't invoke their right to free speech, but are very glad they have the right should they want to. In the same way, I'm fine with the fact that my parents live in the back of beyond and don't want broadband, but I'm glad that they COULD get it if they need it.
I can think of plenty of (perfectly sane) people who would happily bid for Douglas Adam's Mac. Especially if the files were left intact - some of them were used in constructing the Salmon of Doubt, the novel he was outlining at the time.
A collector's item only needs to be unique - it doesn't matter what it is, physically. Charlie Chaplin's bowler hat is just the same as any other bowler hat - but worth a lot more.
I repeatedly encouraged my girlfriend to store her PhD documents in Google Docs, rather than on her laptop (that she takes everywhere). Eventually she complied; then, after a week or so, all her Google Docs vanished without trace.
No previous versions, nothing. I was at a loss to explain it, and have you tried contacting Google with a tech support request? Not a chance.
She's reverted to her low-tech solution (keep on laptop, occasionally email self with document attachments as a backup). I can't blame her.
I'm not saying this WILL happen to anyone else, but it completely destroyed my faith in 'cloud' storage. I'm quite happy storing documents remotely, when I know where they are, but cloud storage by definition could be anywhere - or nowhere.
...if Apple WEREN'T bringing out a new iPhone sometime next year. An annual cycle is predictable; some manufacturers would consider it TOO long between launches.
The site showing the image has removed it. Google don't appear to have 'removed' it from their index, just promptly re-indexed the offending site.
However, I don't remember Google (/youtube) being this proactive when offensive Thai royalty videos appeared. Or the 'Bush chimp' images (although those were funny*)
*IRONY
I know this is contentious, but I quite like being the devil's advocate. Isn't Bill Gates more suited to the Nobel Peace Prize?
His philanthropy is unparalleled (by monetory value alone, anyway). His influence on the world of computing is undisputed. I'm not saying his influence has been good or bad... just that he's had influence. The world wouldn't be the same without Windows. Regardless of which operating system you favour (for me, it's a tie between OSX and Ubuntu), you cannot deny that Windows has been an important component in the spread of information and education across the world, and enabled all kinds of communication.
A lot of this stuff would have happened anyway, without Windows... but then I could argue that the US civil rights movement would have happened at some point without Martin Luther King (a previous Nobel Peace Prize winner).
What, because the Chinese are only interested in subverting the American way of life, and couldn't possibly be looking at it from an investment point of view!
I'm fully aware I'll be modded as a troll, but I find American's suspicion of Chinese investment ironic, considering the amount of American investment, development and exports worldwide in the last century.
I don't have a car. I commute by bus and ferry. There's a Cineworld on my way home that I frequent, but now cannot as I carry my laptop to work every day (I use it to get in a bit of work/browsing on the 2 x 30 minute ferry crossing daily commute).
Cineworld Southampton have therefore just lost my business. This is particularly stupid of them, as quite often (even with newly released films) I can count the audience members on my fingers.
Why? Because you can buy a USB keyboard for five dollars. Where's the profit to be found in that?
Most people I know (non-techies) use Outlook for work communication and Facebook for friend communication. I can't help feeling that if Sharepoint was all that Microsoft promised it would be, we'd be using it for work communication like we use Facebook. But when people have to call IT support to ask how to move a document from one folder to another, it's not going to get that far...
I don't know how relevant this theory would be to America (I know class boundaries are not as evident as in the UK), but here the most obvious cause of this evidence would be class lifestyles. Poor, lower class, under-educated children are more susceptible to criminal influences; while well-educated middle class parents are more likely to obsess over their children's diets. As goes the popular tag, correlation is not causation. You could equally theorise that wearing trainers cause crime, as children who wear Nike trainers are more likely to offend than children who wear Hush Puppies shoes.
I'll admit Sharepoint is a success when it works with browsers other than IE. After evangelising the benefits of alternative browsers around our company, I looked distinctly silly when we started rolling out Sharepoint and had to admit everyone had to revert back to IE.
I would also warn people against believing Microsoft's hype about Sharepoint. It's a good tool for a specific purpose, but it won't solve every problem you have. Make sure YOUR company is suitable for the way Sharepoint works. Don't expect Sharepoint to be flexible to your requirements.
Yes, llamatron was AWESOME. And very, very funny. And very hard. I did manage to complete it (well, get over level 100, where it reverts to level 1) in the 'assist' mode where instead of a second player you have a robot pal. Hard is good though: It keeps you coming back. Not hard as in 'stuck at one particular point and can't go further', which seems to be a problem with modern games (eg. GTA4, there's one mission I can't get past, so I've just stopped playing), but hard as in 'try again, and again, and again, and gradually get better'
What he's essentially saying is that it DOESN'T eat human bodies. However, that doesn't mean it COULDN'T.
Yeah! Ban the characters '0' and '1' from text messages and stop this binary nonsense!
That would be CLINICAL depression. As in, the type caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain; as opposed to the type caused by your wife leaving you.
I took a look at Second Life once and found all kinds of half-finished buildings and stuff!
Oh, wait...
This is exactly why I stuck with my original iPhone for an extra six months, rather than taking the free upgrade to the 3G. It was obvious that Apple were bringing out the next version, and I would rather save money and have a phone I'm happy with than pay through the nose for the latest shiniest very-slightly-better version. Now (hopefully) I can have a free (or greatly reduced price) upgrade to the 3GS.
The big banks really are intent on shooting themselves in the foot. If they hold the auditor liable for security breaches, nobody else will be willing to offer certification services for PCI-DSS. And considering that it's the banks who desperately want everyone to be PCI-DSS compliant (does anybody other than the banks get any benefit from it? Really?), that is particularly stupid.
It's hard enough achieving compliancy as it is - whenever we get near to completing the questionnaire, they change all the questions!