Saturday, October 11, 2003 Spam Control By Diana Hsieh @ 11:27 PM Yesterday, I hit my limit. I'd finally had just way way way too too too much much much spam. A few months ago, I started using PopFile to filter my mail, as sorting through my inbox had become way too cumbersome. (I must have a high tolerance for spam to begin with, for at that point I was probably getting about 150 spams per day.) But as of yesterday, spam accounted for about 75% of my messages -- around 400 per day. As a result, even a super-quick scan of the "from" and "subject" fields in PopFile (in increments of 100 messages per page) in order to catch the inevitable occasional error was becoming way too cumbersome. Downloading mail while travelling via dialup took forever. It was time to do something server-side. Since I run my own mail and web server, I had options... and much work to do. So yesterday, I spent hours trying to get a few of the friendlier DNS-based blockers to work with sendmail, based upon recommendations from sysadmins on Politech. (Politech is an excellent list on the intersection of politics, culture, and technology run by Declan McCullagh.) As it turned out, the setup was fine; the recommended test was what was broken. Unfortunately, that solution didn't seem to block all that much spam. More drastic and time-consuming measures were needed. So today, instead of working on philosophy (like I was supposed to), I implemented some further anti-spam measures. One fairly easy change to make was to the e-mail address listed in my internic registrations. The old address (internic@brickell.net) attracted a fair amount of spam. So I created a new alias for those registrations, changed my account information with my registrar, and eliminated the old alias. I expect that I'll have to change that address periodically. A more cumbersome change was eliminating my auxiliary diana@whatever.com e-mail addresses in favor of just my dianahsieh.com address. Basically, one common problem is that I often get multiple copies of the same spam within a short time period, one to diana@olist.com, another to diana@geekpress.com, another to diana@brickell.net, and so on. So I changed all of my web sites to list only my dianahsieh.com address (in a de-spamified format, of course)... and then set up my virtual user table to reject all the other addresses as "user unknown." (I did e-mail the dozen or so people still using my brickell.net address.) Basically, that's about as much as I can reasonably do at the moment. There's one more spam-attracting address I might want to change. And I should google for other suggestions from sysadmins. But I want to see how effective these changes are... and for that I need a few days to track the effect. But sadly, I don't expect to be able to cut my spam down to less than 100 messages per day -- at least not while still letting all my real mail through. In closing, I should mention that after grappling with spam in my own small way on my own small server, I see now what a massive problem it is for real sysadmins. Before, I knew that the problem was big, but I thought the anti-spam tools were more effective and reliable than they are. Now I know better. Spam is a huge drain upon computing and human resources -- one that requires a technical rather than legal solution. But I don't see one forthcoming any time soon. Link / Noodles / Trackback Friday, October 10, 2003 Food Blogging By Diana Hsieh @ 9:38 AM In addition to her always-funny cat blogging, Hanah Metchis often blogs about her exploits with new recipes. So in that grand tradition, I thought I'd tempt you with thoughts about three days worth of meals cooked up in my kitchen: Last night, Paul and I enjoyed delicious steak au poivre with brandy cream sauce, braised belgian endives (a favorite), and baked spiced pears. Tonight, we'll be having chicken marsala, mango and tomato salad with basil dressing, green beans with orange essence and maple-toasted pecans, and sangria. On Saturday, we'll be enjoying chicken cutlets stuffed with gorgonzola, walnuts, and figs, carrots vichy, and some as-of-yet unknown dessert. Let's just say that I was in a serious mood to cook when I made up the dinner menu. By the way, almost all of these recipes are courtesy of the fine folks at Cooks Illustrated. Unlike most, their recipes are reliably stellar. Why? Because unlike most, they focus on the science of cooking -- and always test an insane number of variations of a recipe in order to get the most delicious one. As a result, I totally trust their recipes to be well worth my time, effort, and money. But you might wonder whether such extensive testing of recipes is really necessary. After all, shouldn't a cook be able to deduce the effect of changes to a recipe based upon past experience? It's just chemistry, right? Well, it's not that easy, as cooking involves such complex chemical processes that reliable prediction is often impossible. And even in cases where general principles might apply, many recipes will have some obscure, not-yet-thought-of confounding factor in terms of ingredients or preparation. Thus it is critical to test variations of recipes, to vary the factors that are most likely to result in changes for the better. (As such, it's also necessary to have an idea of what constitutes better or worse, i.e. to know what your goal for a dish is.) The Cooks Illustrated recipes always have a short essay on their testing, which (in addition to being interesting and well-written) is invaluable for implementing the recipe well. Okay, I admit it, I'm in love with these folks... or at least my stomach is. Link / Noodles / Trackback Tuesday, October 07, 2003 Vile Cartoon By Diana Hsieh @ 4:23 PM Want to see something vile and dishonest? Then go visit this cartoon by Pat Oliphant which paints Ahnold as a Nazi, as someone Hitler would love. In a bit of gross irony, these leftist attacks fairly well exemplify the sins-of-the-father ideology of the Nazis. Arnold is supposed to be guilty due to his father's association with Nazism, not due to any action or sympathy of his own. The comment "Well, you can take the boy out of Austria, but..." paints Arnold as unable to shed himself of birth-nation, despite his choice to become an American. What ever happened to judging people on the basis of their own choices and ideas? Personally, I think I would have voted for Tom McClintock if I still lived in California, but the barely-Republican Terminator doesn't deserve this kind treatment. Link / Noodles / Trackback Dam Beavers By Diana Hsieh @ 10:57 AM The following exchange between the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, State of Michigan and citizen Ryan DeVries is hysterial -- and better yet, true! STATE OF MICHIGAN Reply to: GRAND RAPIDS DISTRICT OFFICE STATE OFFICE BUILDING 6TH FLOOR 350 OTTAWA NW GRAND RAPIDS MI 49503-2341 JOHN ENGLER, Governor DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY HOLLISTER BUILDING, PO BOX 30473, LANSING MI 48909-7973 INTERNET: http://www.deq.state.mi RUSSELL J. HARDING, Director December 17, 1997 CERTIFIED Mr. Ryan DeVries 2088 Dagget Pierson, MI 49339 Dear Mr. DeVries: SUBJECT: DEQ File No.97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Montcalm County Dear Mr. DeVries: It has come to the attention of the Department of Environmental Quality that there has been recent unauthorized activity on the above referenced parcel of property. You have been certified as the legal landowner and/or contractor who did the following unauthorized activity: Construction and maintenance of two wood debris dams across the outlet stream of Spring Pond. A permit must be issued prior to the start of this type of activity. A review of the Department's files shows that no permits have been issued. Therefore, the Department has determined that this activity is in violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Michigan Compiled Laws, annotated. The Department has been informed that one or both of the dams partially failed during a recent rain event, causing debris and flooding at downstream locations. We find that dams of this nature are inherently hazardous and cannot be permitted. The Department therefore orders you to cease and desist all activities at this location, and to restore the stream to a free-flow condition by removing all wood and brush forming the dams from the stream channel. All restoration work shall be completed no later than January 31,2003. Please notify this office when the restoration has been completed so that a follow-up site inspection may be scheduled by our staff. Failure to comply with this request or any further unauthorized activity on the site may result in this case being referred for elevated enforcement action. We anticipate and would appreciate your full cooperation in this matter. Please feel free to contact me at this office if you have any questions. Sincerely, David L. Price District Representative Land and Water Management Division The response: Dear Mr. Price, Re: DEQ File No. 97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Montcalm County. Your certified letter dated 10/17/02 has been handed to me to respond to. I am the legal landowner but not the Contractor at 2088 Dagget, Pierson, Michigan. A couple of beavers are in the (State unauthorized) process of constructing and maintaining two wood "debris" dams across the outlet stream of my Spring Pond. While I did not pay for, authorize, nor supervise their dam project, I think they would be highly offended that you call their skillful use of nature's building materials "debris". I would like to challenge your department to attempt to emulate their dam project any time and/or any place you choose. I believe I can safely state there is no way you could ever match their dam skills, their dam resourcefulness, their dam ingenuity, their dam persistence, their dam determination and/or their dam work ethic. As to your request, I do not think the beavers are aware that they must first fill out a dam permit prior to the start of this type of dam activity. My first dam question to you is: (1) Are you trying to discriminate against my Spring Pond Beavers or (2) do you require all beavers throughout this State to conform to said dam request? If you are not discriminating against these particular beavers, through the Freedom of Information Act, I request completed copies of all those other applicable beaver dam permits that have been issued. Perhaps we will see if there really is a dam violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Michigan Compiled Laws, annotated. I have several concerns. My first concern is -- aren't the beavers entitled to legal representation? The Spring Pond Beavers are financially destitute and are unable to pay for said representation - so the State will have to provide them with a dam lawyer. The Department's dam concern that either one or both of the dams failed during a recent rain event causing flooding is proof that this is a natural occurrence, which the Department is required to protect. In other words, we should leave the Spring Pond Beavers alone rather than harassing them and calling their dam names. If you want the stream "restored" to a dam free-flow condition please contact the beavers -- but if you are going to arrest them, they obviously did not pay any attention to your dam letter, they being unable to read English. In my humble opinion, the Spring Pond Beavers have a right to build their unauthorized dams as long as the sky is blue, the grass is green and water flows downstream. They have more dam rights than I do to live and enjoy Spring Pond. If the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection lives up to its name, it should protect the natural resources (Beavers) and the environment (Beavers' Dams). So, as far as the beavers and I are concerned, this dam case can be referred for more elevated enforcement action right now. Why wait until 1/31/2003? The Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice then and there will be no way for you or your dam staff to contact/harass them then. In conclusion, I would like to bring to your attention to a real environmental quality health problem in the area. It is the bears! Bears are actually defecating in our woods. I definitely believe you should be persecuting the defecating bears and leave the beavers alone. If you are going to investigate the beaver dam, watch your step! (The bears are not careful where they dump!) Being unable to comply with your dam request, and being unable to contact you on your dam answering machine, I am sending this response to your dam office. Ryan DeVries Link / Noodles / Trackback Blogging Resumes By Diana Hsieh @ 8:55 AM Hi folks, I know that I haven't blogged much over the past few weeks (okay, not at all). Life here has been crazy in both wonderful and terrible ways. Blogging shall now resume. Diana Link / Noodles / Trackback

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