Thursday, September 14, 2000
We are just 10,000 years out of a global glacial epoch. Of course, it should be getting warmer for the next 100,000 years or so. If anything, the concern should be that we are not warming faster or that we might even be stabilizing or slightly cooling as satellite temperature data and ground data exclusive of urban effects tend to suggest. Anyway, we will need another 10,000 to 20,000 years of data to establish a trend.
Yes, over time cities will get flooded or be left high and dry. That's life, because coastlines are transient geological features, geologically speaking, which sweep back and forth a couple of hundred kilometres every few hundred thousand years. It's time to put the study of global temperature variance back into the scientific sphere and the best way to do that is to cut off the funding that allows tabloid science to prosper.It would be nice, but its not going to happen because we all like to read provocative headlines even if the stories have no substance.
Rick Boulay
You are as wrong as you are ever going to be about global warming issues. It's called denial. Anyone who spends quality time in nature can attest to the fact that things have rapidly been going downhill for the last 30 years and it's a crying shame. The United Nations, all the major insurance companies, and the League of Concerned Scientists can't all be wrong.
Lily Haggerty
You do realize that it's a joke, right? (The first one, NSD 6.18) And electrically highly improbable?
Edward Floden
Well, that depends on how many potatoes you have.... :) - LN
This makes me wonder. Aren't they worried about a potato worm?
Handywerks - Albuquerque, New Mexico
I say potato... you say pota-doh!
Congratulations on becoming yet another victim of the silliest Net scam I've seen in years. You're in good company thought - most of the world's major new organisations swallowed the spud story as well, without even so much as a pinch of salt. (Hey, can I sell you a story about Intel's new oven ready chip? Or Spud-U-Linux?)
Or perhaps you'd also like to report on some of the more interesting porn sites, which (I'm told) feature detailed images and description about what you can do with half a dozen Swedes in the sack. AC/DC, naturally.
Congratulations, by the way, on an otherwise excellent and informative newsletter. Just give the spuds a miss from now on.
I've got root/vegetable/, you know...
D.A. Barham
You didn't hear this was a hoax/joke yet?
Really, I like ya, but try not to send out hoaxes as true a week after they were disclosed. Makes you look a little clueless.
Even the link you post says at the top, "stop, its a joke."
Blake Girardot
Seems like you've been had. I'd have expected better of you.
Fraser Smith
Yep, we saw that. Several other places fell for it, including Slashdot
and the BBC.
As for expecting better of us - what, you think
we're journalists or something? :) We just point you in the direction
of interesting things and make no claims about the accuracy of what you
find there. Nevertheless, I guess that's a compliment of a sort. For
that, we sincerely thank you. - AB
My tongue was firmly in my cheek. I read about it originally in USA Today and, I must confess, fell for it, hook, line and sinker. I guess, for every credibility gap, there is a gullibility fill.
FS
In NSD 6.23, you asked, "When was the last time you heard a really funny soccer story, or giggled over a collection of tennis aphorisms?"
Rising to the challenge, I sought out some sayings of the current England football (the game that only Americans call "soccer") team manager, Kevin Keegan:
"He can't speak Turkey, but you can see he's delighted."
"The 33 and 34-year-olds will be 36 or 37 by the time the World Cup comes around, if they're not careful."
There'll be no siestas in Madrid tonight."
"England can end the millennium as it started - as the greatest football nation in the world."
"They compare Steve McManaman to Steve Heighway and he's nothing like him, but I can see why - it's because he's a bit different."
"In some ways cramp is worse than having a broken leg."
"That would have been a goal if it wasn't saved."
"Goalkeepers aren't born today until they are in their late 20s or 30s."
"England have the best fans in the world and Scotland's fans are second to none."
"The tide is very much in our court now."
"Gary has always weighed up his options, especially when he had no choice."
"It's like a toaster, the ref's shirt pocket. Every time there's a tackle, up pops a yellow card."
"I'd love to be a mole on the wall in the Liverpool dressing room at half time."
"I don't think there's anyone bigger or smaller than Maradona"
"I know what is around the corner. I just don't know where the corner is."
"You can't do better than go away from home and get a draw."
"....using his strength. And that is his strength, his strength."
"I'm not disappointed - just disappointed."
"Chile have three options - they could win or they could lose."
"I came to Nantes two years ago and it's much the same today, except that it's totally different."
"Argentina are the second best team in the world and there's no higher praise than that."
Peter M. Forster - Suva, Fiji Islands
This is funny. In NSD 6.27, ("Just How Indestructible Is the Internet?"), you mentioned the Nature article "Error and attack tolerance of complex networks". When I tried to visit, I got this:
SITE UNAVAILABLE
Due to technical problems the site is temporarily unavailable. It is our aim and expectation to reinstate access within the next 90 minutes. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Nature Publishing Group
Michael A. Moore
I just received NSD, and got to the item "Just How Indestructible Is the Internet?" On attempt to connect, I got the following:
(same error message as above)
Oh, don't get me wrong - I'm not complaining or making a correction or anything. (I realise you're not responsible for starters.) I just like the irony.
Actually, I should take the op' to say that of all the different digests/Internet summaries I have subscribed to, it's only this and one other that I have stayed with (and yours is better). Invaluable info, objectively presented, and huuuuuuuge (relative to the other I subscribe to). Excellent work!
Marc Lawrence - Sydney, Oz
You parenthetically asked "Why are there no female open source deities?" in "Open Source Deities Weigh in on Napster" (NSD 6.18) and the answer is simple but only if you are a person of honesty and integrity. The facts of the matter indicate quite clearly that too many women who are capable of writing software are focused on selling pictures of themselves sucking cock. Well, let's say "penis" so we are politically correct....
Clinton Gallagher
(He wrote it, not us.) - LN
The writer who wrote the blurb on Meyer's article ("The Ethics of Open Source", NSD 6.18) didn't read far enough into it. Though Meyer's first part was consistent with the blurb's characterization, his analysis devolved into a flame. NSD should have included a note of caution, mentioning that the author departed from his precise analysis.
Wells H. Anderson - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Most people would not do it, and one would have to be careful about how it was done, but here is an idea: everyone with e-mail capability sends messages with words like "bomb", "terrorist attack", "murder", "steal", and other such words that might be picked up by the FBI. If every e-mail message carried these words, would Carnivore work?
Ed Parker - Spokane, Washington
I think you're confusing Carnivore, which is tied to a specific ISP, with Echelon, which is reputed to look at global Net traffic. In any case, I doubt that such action would prove to be anything but the most minor of annoyances. - LN
Laurie sent me Daniel Gartland's comments in response to the stuff I wrote about Metallica's assault on Napster users (Letters to the Editor, NSD 6.18). I've mulled over how best to respond, and I suppose the bottom line is that I'm glad that I at least made him stop and think. But he asks, "Do I know what I'm talking about?" Hmm. Well, admittedly the question has arisen before! And my wife certainly has her answer although I don't really want to share that with you. All kidding aside, if you mean am I an expert, as in an officially sanctioned and certified professional speaking of a field in which I am formally accredited? Nope.
So what do I know and what is just opinion? I assert that both patent law and copyright protection evolved to strike a balance between the right of inventors and authors and the rights of society. Ideally what emerges is a kind of win win. How do I know that? Well it's probably nothing much more than something I absorbed many years ago while working for a pharmaceutical company and patenting some of the things I came up with in the lab. In the course of that part of my life, I came in contact with a wonderful American patent lawyer who not only showed me around Washington during one noteworthy trip to bend the ear of a patent examiner, but also guided me in what it took to put together a successful patent application and what didn't work. And in the process I absorbed something about the patent system itself, which rubbed off, I guess. Now you come along and challenge me about what it was that rubbed off. Well, it's a big subject, and it would certainly be interesting to hear from real experts on the matter,
Derwent's Web site points out the first recorded patent of invention was granted in 1449 for a new glass-making process to John of Utynam, who was required to teach his process to others. (Note the obligation on the inventor.) Zipping through history, we come to the US Constitution, which says, "The Congress shall have power... to promote the progress of science and useful arts by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writing and discoveries." Note the concept of promoting science and useful arts (for society, it implies). And, of course, copyright has the well known "fair use" concept, even if it is legally a muddy field.
I take all this to indicate a strong ideal that says private gain is good, as it allows public gain. Does this mean a copyright holder can do whatever he or she pleases with their copyright?. I suppose legally yes, they can, but I'm raising the moral issue. Should they do whatever they please? Clearly not. Are Napster users really dangerous, anti-social, anti-free enterprise pirates? I'm sure the vast majority of them aren't. They're just kids and non-kids who just want to share music. I certainly don't equate them with the few kids who unleash viruses or distributed denial of service attacks or the ilk.
However, beyond the specifics of Napster and Metallica, which is where we came in, ideally, as I see it, every patent holder and every copyright holder has the obligation to consider the balance that is supposed to be struck between their own, perfectly reasonable selfish interests, and the larger interests of the public at large. It is clear that the public wants different, more flexible, and innovative ways of buying and distributing music, and so far copyright holders have mostly thwarted that desire. I'm inevitably suspicious when judges and publications inevitably side with the status quo, and look only narrowly at the strict legal issue. The bottom line is that the letter of the law allows the music business to act in any way in wants, but the spirit of the law imposes obligations and responsibilities that they are not living up to. Ultimately, if all holders of intellectual property come to be associated with old ways of doing business, non-innovative business methods, greedy exploitation of intellect
I very much like Arthur's comments about why don't they try this and why don't they try that - that's innovative, and you don't bet the whole farm on that but you try it, you explore it, rather than shutting it out. That's why I don't automatically side with the side that's legally right in these things.
Basically, the problem as I see it is that the music business, the industry, is at war with the consumer. The bottom line is that I am a consumer. The music industry doesn't show many signs of wanting to deviate from its nice cozy current business model, but the consumer - dazzled by myriad new ways of storing, sharing, and using music - doesn't want to be locked into that model any more. We want more flexibility, a wider range of options, and above all we don't want to get ripped off. Its not Shawn Fanning's fate that worries me, but that of the consumers - i.e. us, you and me - and the need to ensure our options are not closed off by an unprogressive industry that appears disinterested in working hard to earn consumer's money with innovation and pleasing offerings and ppears more enthusiastic about blocking doors rather than opening new ones.
The US Federal Trade Commission recently ruled that consumers paid close to $500 million more than they should have for CDs in the past three years. That's not the best way to appeal to consumers. Instead of suing their customers, record companies and bands should be trying to figure out how to give them what they want.
As a final note, CNet points out that the music sales are up something like 9%. So I naturally ask: where is the damage? Folk like Metallica and Dr. Dre seem to assume that shared files equal lost sales. I'm not so sure.
Michael Luke
I'm writing to comment on your remarks regarding the "Needlepoint Pirates" (NSD 6.27) reported in the LA Times. As with most things, there are two sides to the story and it's easy to reach wrong conclusions when you can only see one side.
My wife and I operate a retail store, selling sewing machines and related supplies. It is, perhaps, the last venue left for successful "Mom and Pop" operations, although the industry is changing and I don't anticipate continuing past the 20 months remaining on our lease. We don't sell needlepoint items, but a very similar situation occurrs with the products we do sell.
Sewing machines have evolved well beyond the $200 price range of our grandmothers. New, top-line embroidery models can top $5,000 and demand for them is high. A small industry has sprung up among artists who create the stitch designs for these machines. It requires equal parts artistic talent and near-programmer logic. The designs take the form of data files, which are essentially "programs" for the sewing machine. They sell in sets of 12-15 designs for a retail price of $35-$60.
Unlike the needlework folks, these designs are available on the Web, both as singles and sets. No matter how remote your location, you can buy them instantly. In spite of this, piracy is rampant. These peglegs are our mothers and grandmothers. They view what they do as sharing rather than stealing. The artists have formed a coalition to combat piracy, much like the Software Publisher's Association. However, without the benefit of a Microsoft-like member, it's having little effect. The only real victory was in Canada, where a family operated a Web "store" for pirated designs. Members could purchase designs they wanted, uploading designs they already had in returny. The RCMP jailed the family and seized their equipment. They eventually won probation by publicly admitting the error of their ways.
As an ex-programmer, I have thought long and hard about how the problem might be resolved. Nothing related to the design industry could generate revenue for the artists. The price of the designs is not the issue. A lady who can afford a $5,000 sewing machine shouldn't be hurt too much by a $50 design package, so they are not stealing out of financial need. It's not an availability issue, either. It's tempting to say that these sweet old blue-haired ladies don't understand that it's illegal to copy, but that's not likely. Copyright is constantly stressed in magazines, Web sites and mailing lists. The ignorance excuse just doesn't wash.
The real problem is human nature. It's so very easy to copy a file and send it to a friend, and the possibility of getting caught is virtually nil. Eventually this will kill the industry. In an ironic twist of fate, the Internet is returning artists to the market situation of the 1700s. Musicians of the time would attend the first performance of another's concert, furiously writing down the score as it was played. They would then travel to the next town and perform it as their own work. (The amount of skill required to copy a score "on the fly" suggests that the copied performance may have suffered badly.)
Charles Dickens summed it up nicely. It is the best of times, it is the worst of times. How ironic that an industry is being destroyed by its devotees.
Jim Stutsman - Lewisville, Texas
First of all, let me say that you guys seriously rock! I will personally smash in the mouth anyone who says anything to the contrary. (Just send me their picture and GPS coordinates.) Now, on to the matter at hand....
I just got NSD 6.17, with the article "Severe Windows Security Bug and Fix".
The part that confused me, and I'm probably to blame here so don't get all worked up about it (not that you would), is that I already have this patch installed. Like, as of a long time ago. But, I read about some other Office exploits and Windows e-mail bugs that surfaced recently like the Office Assistant exploit. That has led me to somehow confuse the "eyedog" issue with one or more other issues. So, as a favor, please send me a quick note confirming that the "Fix" link shown above is indeed the right link to get the fix for the issue mentioned in the text.
Thanks millions and billions (that I would pay you if I could).
Jon Bass, programmer (of a hellish proprietary telecom scripting language that I believe Satan himself created while God was napping), support technician (of systems that run Satan's scripts), and exportable system installation 'bot (as proven by the half a dozen different kinds of stamps in my passport) - Dallas, Texas
In "Severe Windows Security Bug and Fix", NSD 6.17, the first two links refer to a security item identified and patched over six months ago that has nothing to do with the "Love Bug" fix. It deals with Web sites being able to breach security using Activex controls and has nothing to do with e-mail. Since it is an ActiveX control, you could not be infected unless you were using the IE browser.
The latter two do deal with the impending patch for the "Love Bug".
Phil Elmhurst
After reading the opening sentence in "China Trying to Nail Jell-o to the Wall" (NSD 6.18), I think the writer has either previously burned up his mind on wacky weed or is on something that seriously impairs his mind! For anyone to write, "the usually painfully earnest President Clinton ..." should immediately draw out the men in white coats with their nets deployed!
Bill Byers - Kingman, Kansas
But seriously, he's always very earnest - even when he's lying! :) - AB
Great work you're doing. I'm always looking forward to receive the weekly NSD to see what new sites you have discovered.
I checked out the Squeaky Wheel site (NSD 6.18), but (did you notice?):
- It costs $5 to file a complaint;
- There is nothing on the site about privacy or non-disclosure of one's e-mail address to other sites/companies; nothing either about security (just give out your credit card number, trust us man);
- a search in Alta Vista on various random complaints suggested by the sites turned out zilch; seems like these complaints were not recorded by Alta Vista.
Looks like a major stinker to me.
D
What is happening to NSD? A while back I noticed the tacky ads (like the monkey), which are understandable. I won't down you for having to go where the money is, because I have enjoyed NSD and look forward to it.
A couple of weeks ago you offered a reference to some (elite?) porno site, or at least links from it lead totally to soft porn and probably more - I don't remember exactly. I have visited similar sites on my own, and I can't claim higher ground. It's just that I never expected that from you all, and I was unceremoniously puzzled as to why you would entertain that space when there must be other fabulous sites just waiting for notice.
After receiving today's edition, however, I simply must ask "What is happening with NSD?" The trailer park site is tasteless and although well done, isn't all that funny. And, this site was forwarded to me a couple of weeks ago. We're out here in the boonies and some stuff is slow to get to us. If we already have it, it must be well circulated - so why, especially considering the ignorant humor, are you promoting it? I subscribed to NSD because of the quality of the art links you offer and found myself traveling to many other sites you recommended. There were no art sites reviewed this time. In fact, there have been few for some time now.
Ruby
You raised a coupla issues here, which I'll
tackle one at a time.
I don't remember putting a porn site in NSD, but we did feature Salon's
sex pages as well as an article on open source geeks and their sexual
lifestyles. These sites might have had links of their own, but we can't
control that. We put them in NSD because they have very much to do with
the people who run the Net.
I laughed a lot at the trailer park page, myself. So I put it in NSD. I
tried to up its value with a second link, which indicated where the
photos come from. As for that site's timing, it takes two weeks or more
to get something non-urgent in NSD, and even so, we usually don't hear
about something until someone tells us. So it's not too much of a
surprise to find that you saw that page before it was in NSD. In sum,
it was in NSD because I thought it was funny.
As far as art goes, I too have noticed the lack of it in NSD. There's a
good reason: there are so few good art sites online. Let me
explain....
The quality of art is subjective, and given that, I try not to judge
art sites by the quality of the work to any great degree. I look for:
1) high-quality images of the art; 2) a description of the process of
creation, an explanation of its meaning to the artist, or its history;
and 3) more than just a "Here's my art, buy it" approach.
Unfortunately, 99% of the art sites I see give postage-stamp size
images and devote much more energy to selling than to art. When I find
good art sites, we use them - but I don't find many.
Not every issue will be great in your eyes, but not every one will be
crap, either. That's about all I can say, honestly. Take the bad with
the good.
Thanks for the comments. They always help. - LN
Saw your brief on ePrompter (NSD 6.22). While Outlook may have its weaknesses, it does allow the user to automatically check several POP3 accounts. No need to check them one at a time. Of course, it doesn't do Web mail, but...
Robert D. Knox
Since you mentioned RealJukeBox2 in NSD 6.22, I wanted to point out to you a link brought to my attention in Bruce Schneier's Crypto-Gram newsletter about Real Networks.
Roger Rosenblum - Berkeley, California
Why even bother to give space to these Mixedgreens.com hacks (NSD 6.22)? Like, we know better than you how to run your browser. I expected better from NSD. Are you trying for the Webmonkey Emulation Award?
Website
I am writing to comment on "Latest Netcraft Web Survey, and an Opposing Opinion" (NSD 6.24). The article states "some countries apparently feature strong encryption Web servers and operating systems in spite of US export restrictions against them."
Are you Americans so arrogant in your belief that other countries are incapable of producing strong encryption? There are numerous 128-bit SSL add-on packages available for the Apache web server that are produced outside of the USA. Most notable is the Mod_SSL package (which uses OpenSSL). These two are open-source projects that do not fall under the US's arcane export restriction rules. Having said that, the US government has only recently relaxed its posture to allow for the exportation of strong encryption (which makes sense if the US wants to stay competitive with the rest of the world). In essence, there are no longer any more restrictions, so why was it necessary to say what was said in the article?
Shashi Narain
The point of the line was to illustrate the futility of such export restrictions. And, yes, we are arrogant bastards, but that's another story. - AB
Why are you promoting someone ("Mei-Ling's Cup of Web Sugar", NSD 6.24) who is involved in copyright infringement (not to mention someone who is a quite amateurish Web builder and inflicted with "me-ism")? This Web site is a symbol of what is wrong with the Internet, and you're giving her a hand? Get real! You ruin your newsletter with crap like this.
Website
Please be advised that the Danish city called "Elsinore" in "Castles of Japan" (NSD 6.24) is actually named Helsingor. The castle, by the way, is named Kronborg.
Love your 'zine.
Morten Andersen - Copenhagen, Denmark
Yes, my half-Danish wife and copy editor pointed out Helsinger. I decided to stick with the English bastardization. - LN
Just a comment on "More Inexpensive Domain Registration" from NSD 6.29. While I haven't read the contract terms of all the inexpensive registrars you mention, at least one (EasyHosting.com) has an absolutely unbelievably bad contract they require their customers to agree to.
You've really got to read the smelly thing yourself truly to get the impact of just how contemptuous and one-sided their contract is.
Robert Alexander
Just one tiny comment about the hyperbole in NSD 6.25. E-mail on Windows is perfectly fine if you don't use Outlook. As far as I know, from SecurityFocus and elsewhere, no other mail client for Windows is known to be affected by either of the mentioned security problems. Now, if your headline had said "Outlook Is Not Your Friend", that'd be a lot closer to the truth.
Bernie Cosell
Sort of. The first exploit doesn't need Outlook to work: "Systems with Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora, or another mail reader that uses IE to render HTML are also vulnerable to exploiting this through e-mail." - LN
Well, that's true and it highlights the difficulties of these types of warnings. But note now you have the same problem. It isn't "e-mail on windows" but rather "HTML display with IE5", and the problem isn't specific to e-mail - nothing protects you from running into it websurfing. You could get infected while just surfing around - nothing to do with e-mail at all.
When I advise folk about this type of thing, I try to make clear what's what (e.g., that the first weakness - the one the KAK virus exploited - is an HTML problem and can be triggered any time you do anything with HTML) for two reasons: 1) so that they know what the actual problem is [e.g., even if you don't use Outlook or never look at HTML e-mail, you still have to get the patch for the ActiveX "safe for scripting" problem because just surfing can get you bagged); and 2) so that things sound more even handed and less like just more Windows bashing.
BC
Points taken, and they are good points. On the
other hand, with our format we have about ten lines per article - and
in this case that's five lines per bug. Our job is to get as concise
and accurate info as possible. I decided that it made more practical
sense - from a space perspective and from a bugtracking perspective -
to let all Windows users go and check out the bugs rather than set out
the lengthy conditions and caveats in NSD.
And not that it's Windows bashing, but it seems like every week users
have another Windows bug/hole/shortcoming to fix. Call it frustration
rather than bashing. We try not to let our true feelings about sucky
OSes show through. :) - LN
I understand about the need for conciseness. Alas, you can only do what you can, I guess.
Actually, there are remarkably few Windows problems/bugs/holes. The KAK hole was discovered almost a year ago, so it is hardly new news. And the recent one (in the date-handling DLL) is the only other problem of its type Windows has had since. Do you think the situation is much worse than that? Things like ILoveYou and Melissa aren't really faults in Windows but rather are psychological ploys which make it easy for users to shoot themselves in their feet, and I don't include them in the same category as real security issues. Yes, they were crafted to exploit and seduce Outlook users, but anyone who cares enough to bother could probably manage a psychological gambit of that type for any e-mail app: once you sucker the user into executing a file anything can happen.
If you want bugs and loopholes and security problems, try Linux or NT Server. At the moment, according to the SecurityFocus.com inventory, Unix leads in bugs with NT close behind, and Windows is barely on the list at all. Last I saw, RedHat's current release of Linux ships with an FTP server and a DNS server both of which have known security holes and require instant updating - and updating that stuff isn't near as easy as in Windows. I can only say that I feel a lot more secure about these sorts of things on my Windows system at home than the Linux boxes I have to help take care of at work!!
BC
We've known for four years how to send an e-mail which attacks you the instant it arrives on your desktop, before you read it with your eyeballs.
Last year's EIS exploit showed you don't even need to receive an e-mail for it to attack you. Even worse, EIS relied on the very antivirus software people use for protection. You could knock out whole companies with a single e-mail sent to a non-existent account. Embarrassed antivirus vendors didn't even bother to notify their own customers about the need to upgrade. However, users upgraded their antivirus products a few months later during the "Y2K virus" media fiasco.
Rob Rosenberger, Vmyths.com editor
Oooohhh, you guys are going to get ripped for this.... Although I was glad to see the announcement about FreeBSD 4.1 being released in NSD 6.26, you stated "the other open source Linux has been released." That is incorrect. Yes, FreeBSD is open source, but it is not Linux.
I do enjoy the Netsurfer Digest and I just thought I would point out this mistake.
Oscar Ricardo Silva
Alcoholical? ("The Big Easy", NSD 6.26)
Jim Wood
Poetic licence. :) - LN
In "ZooTV" (NSD 6.27), you mention "Smithsonian Institute". I believe the proper designation is "Smithsonian Institution".
Roger Griffin
You're right. - LN
One should probably inform readers when a site requires registration. Nature does. When I first registered, it took forever, and their server kept returning with errors, enough so that I had to contact Nature to get the issue resolved. Even to this day, I still have problems with that registration, in that it continually asks me to answer a question they claim was left unanswered - a different one each time.
In an unrelated vein, I want to ask about receiving this newsletter in plain text format. Quite simply, I find plain text easier and faster to read, and it does not require a connect to my ISP to actually read the piece.
Steve Szabo
We should warn about registration.
There's no plain text version of NSD because we need to count our ad
views. Without them, we don't get paid - and there is no NSD. If it's
any consolation, I'm a text-only advocate in NSD's virtual office, but
unfortunately right now it doesn't make any business sense to do it. -
LN
When you recommend something in the LA Times, it costs the viewer $2 after one week from date of pubication. Not good!
ave10
What was the purpose of including Betty Bowers ("Test Your Bible Literacy", NSD 6.28) in NSD? Obviously, Betty is a bitter individual who has been disappointed in the past by someone claiming to be a Christian. If she had met Christ rather than someone claiming to be a Christian, she'd have a different outlook. She takes quotes out of context for her own purposes: "A quote taken out of context is a pretext and therefore useless".
Please go back to reviewing news of interest and not people with an ax to grind.
Dave Mitchell
What were you trying to prove by advertising the Betty Bowers Bible Quiz home page? That was very insulting. It is a shame you chose to include such a insulting page in a newsletter that I used to enjoy. There are many other newsletters out there that we can read and not be insulted and made fun of. I will be canceling my subscription and contacting all my friends to do the same.
Shame on you!
Thomas Browell
Your link to Betty Bowers facilitated an attempt by that site to disrupt my Web browsing, and punishing any attempt to reply to her. Try writing Betty by clicking on the e-mail link, and watch what happens. Snippish drag queen!
You, like Betty, will be held accountable, ultimately, for your choices. Your site, seemingly more in the mainstream (except to your regular readers), will probably be brought to task more quickly, as I suppose it would be hard to pay your staff from the advertising revenues you might glean if limited to the likes of Marge's interiors.
If you continue to link to sites which sabotage any visitor, I will begin writing to your advertisers in protest. I'm sure others among your readers are already doing so.
Media Rays
The blurb titled "Nineteenth Century Humor" (NSD 6.29) repeats an inaccuracy from the Americanafunz.com Web site. They write that Dr. Seuss worked for the New York Times. Actually, "for two years, 1941-1943, he was the chief editorial cartoonist for the New York newspaper PM (1940-1948)."
Perhaps more annoying about this particular NSD blurb is that Americanafunz.com links to the Dr. Seuss Web site where I got the above quote - and otherwise has nothing to do with it. So in a way, NSD is kind of giving them credit they don't deserve. Finally, what does Dr. Seuss have to do with the 19th century?!
Just a rare bump in the usually smooth and enjoyable road that is NSD. Please keep up the good work!
Paul Golin
"RemarQ Acquired, Backs away from Brink" (NSD 6.29) stated that free Usenet was not dead. On accessing the Critical Path/RemarkQ site I discovered the following: "Critical Path will no longer provide free, Web-based access to newsgroups at RemarQ.com". It seems that, once again, I am a few days late and several dollars short.
Giles Paine
For several months now, Deja's Usenet archives have been limited to about the preceding one year. They say they intend to restore access to the whole archive, but offer no schedule for doing so.
Frank Denman - Seattle, Washington
"XYZZY" could be a true mystery to some Zork fans ("A Xyzzy Mystery", NSD 6.30). As I recall, in Zork, you get a response to the effect that "that magic word does not work here." In Zork II, a hollow voice calls you a "fool". On the other hand, XYZZY (and PLUGH) should not be a mystery to an Adventure fan.
Don Weiman
In "Radio for People without Radios" (NSD 6.30), you mentioned listening to Kid Leo beaming out of Chicago. As an indignant Clevelander, I feel obliged to point out that Kid Leo was here in Cleveland, broadcasting on WMMS. Doing a Google search turned up a little about Kid Leo, plus some unwanted information on Leonardo DiCaprio. There's not much about Kid Leo online, but this page seemed to have the most interesting tidbits.
Cleveland rocks! =)
Eureka Lott
So did "Moon over Parma", but whatcha gonna do? - LN
Your article "Radio for People without Radios" refers to WOWR: why are all Internet radio listings so p-poor? They claim to have everything that is on radio on the Internet, yet when I searched under the category "classical" I was presented with six listings, including two for the god-awful Net Radio service. Six listings in all the world? Hardly.
I know the purpose of your newsletter is to lead people to sites, not to review them, but I think you should be aware when they are truly abominable or utterly worthless.
Otherwise, thank you for all the work that goes into this free service.
Marckus Z. Thorensen
I just unsubscribed from your newsletter. Please consider me, the mother of three children, one of your first "knee jerk" reactionaries to the murder of preborn children. I'm afraid I don't see the validity in using their cells for good any more than I can see the validity in Hitler's using dead Jews for lamp shades and other memorabilia.
Badmoon4
Interestingly, the results of much of the medical
experimentation, such as it was, performed in Nazi concentration camps
has proven valuable since - such as how long it takes to die of
exposure.
That's beside the point however. If you want to fight stem cell
research, you're best armed with information rather than blinders,
which was our point. - LN
NSD 6.31 says Microsoft is releasing a beta IE update whjich will tell consumers where a cookie originates and reject cookies not from the server actually being visited. Opera Software's browser offered a fully functional cookie control in Opera 4.02! If the Web press let consumers know where innovation is really done that would prove the value of the new media.
Bryan Campbell
In reviewing "The Light of Other Days" (NSD 6.19), you call it "a wonderfully original concept rarely examined in SF." Wonderfully original, OK. But how does it compare with Bob Shaw's similarly-titled and plotted SF masterpiece?
Murray MacLachlan - Melbourne, Australia
I don't have the book in front of me, but if you're referring to that short story with "slow glass" then you'll be happy to know that Clarke and Baxter credit it in the afterword as the only other example of a past-looking gadget in SF. I actually thought of mentioning that short story in the review, but decided against it due to the tyranny of conciseness. - AB
I really enjoy NSD and your other assorted e-zines.
In NSD 6.23, you reviewed a Web site for classic books. This is the second time that I have seen a review for a site that has all the books that were originally on the Corel CD "World's Greatest Books" that went out in 1995. At the very least, this site was free - the other, reviewed in my local paper, charged for access. Something that was put out five years ago is ancient history, but some of us were surfing way back then.
I do find it interesting that the reviewers don't usually have any perspective on the past and that everything is in the here and now. They do appeal to my twisted sense of humor, as the titles of the reviews are sometimes misleading, as they are off on a tangent somewhere.
Great work on this NSD. Please keep them coming.
Ken Brixius - Denver, Colorado
It's not these places are copying the books from one another; it's that all these titles are now in the public domain, so anyone can publish them. - LN
This upsurge in Cat Stevens (NSD 6.24) amazes me. The music was good, and so were his attempts at movies, but there is one underlying problem. The man, currently, is so militant that he is considered an enemy of the State of Israel, and, I would guess, if we drew a label on him, an enemy of the US. He dismissed the man "Cat Stevens" long ago and took up a new life and name with nothing but disdain for his former life and for the US.
Now he has allowed this music to be re-released. We don't know under what circumstances this occurred, but are we so stupid as to give money to our enemies? Do we really think it sane to put needed finances into the hands of terrorists with which there is a good chance he may be connected, just because we like his music. Promoting his music is a highly foolish thing. We, and the world, can live without the militant causes the man formerly know as "Cat Stevens" supports. When his money stays here, or his causes are humanitary, the rules will change, but as for now, it is not a choice. He, as far as the latest information I have read, is still a militant enemy of every US citizen who we don't need to support.
JG
We thought about this very issue before placing
that recommendation in NSD and the conclusion we came to was that we
had separate the artist from the art, similar to current acceptance of
the works of Richard Wagner.
Granted, you added an element we hadn't thought of - that of any
proceeds going toward less-than-savoury causes - but I still think we
made the right decision.
Thanks for writing. - LN
I wonder why "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was called that in the US because it seems to be the Philosopher's Stone in UK, Australia, etc. Is this a trademark issue? Or maybe "philosopher" is a bit sophisticated for you guys. (g)
Paul Rogers - Oz
I'm not really sure. We get both versions here in Canada. The movie, a Brit production, seems to be taking the American title. - LN.
Just wondering how one gets a book considered for review in NSD. And thanks for the nice write-up on us last week!
Ellen Datlow
To get a book in NSD, we need to know about and
think it's neat enough to mention. Note that these aren't reviews, but
recommendations. We don't read them all, and it's not even a
requirement that we get a copy - although we do get sent review copies
on occasion.
Short answer: tell us about it, but we're pretty choosy/snobby. - LN
I really enjoy reading your stuff. What tremendous variety!! And good advice. One thing bothers me, though. You have a tendency to put commas and periods outside quotation marks rather than inside, where they belong. Anyhow, I'm compelled to mention this because I'm an English teacher and notice things like that.
Thanks for all your hard work. Aside from the commas, you get an A from me!
Nancy Gruttman-Tyler - Virginia
P.S. Semicolons, however, belong outside the quotation marks. Go figure!
We use British style on quotation punctuation. In general, a period ending a sentence, or a comma replacing a period ending a sentence go inside the quotation marks. If a comma is just separating a list of book names, for example, it goes outside. It just makes more sense to me. - LN
I'm confused. Is NSD based in England? If not, why don't you use standard American punctuation? Using British style in the US gives the impression that you don't know the standard punctuation taught in American schools. Also, as a college instructor, I had students who gave that answer, but their inconsistencies in practicing their version of "British punctuation" only served to show that they were just being sloppy and not paying attention to detail about their work.
NG-T
I'm Canadian, which explains my wishy-washy approach. Just be glad we're using American spelling. :) - LN
I thought it was very nice of you to give a recommendation to Mac users on a good reference book. I wonder if it is possible to cut down the list of zillions of books to one (or a few) on Win 98? I'm a pretty experienced PC maven (retired after 30 years at IBM), but I still lack the skills to deal with Microsoft Windows (sigh).
I have "Windows 98 Bible" by Simpson; "Windows 98 Secrets" and "More Windows 98 Secrets" by Livingston and Straub; "Win98 Resource Kit" by Microsoft; and a few other books. The above four are good but, contrary to their advertising, none is "The Complete Guide". I'm not sure one even exists! It would be a big help if you folk would put out an opinion as to what you think is the best reference book for Win98. I realize that the "Millennium Edition" of Windows is coming out but by now a zillion folks must be up to their hips in Win98 and suffering from a lack of understanding!
Jim Clayton (an old geezer who feels sorry for "Computerkind")
Look at it the other way. Now that you have a single best resource book, you can switch to the platform it talks about. :) Seriously, I asked around and no one here had any strong opinions. - LN
I haven't read this book, but the description of "Marrow" (NSD 6.28) makes it sound like a clone of Arthur C. Clarke's Rama series.
Dan Kyburz
Actually, this book is way more out there then Rama (at least the original and sequel which I read before the series degenerated into dreck). You've got people regenerated from scraps of brain tissue, you've got civilization rebuilding, you've got hot feuds between factions. I read the short story on which the book is based and it made for a very cool read. - AB
Just wanted to say great job with the free ISPs ("Free ISP, You and Me", NSD 6.18). Sure made looking for comments and comparisons very easy. Great surfing to find items like this.
Craig
I would suggest a poll at your Web site similar to mine so that we can vote on the value of your newsletter. Go here to to see the poll and how it works.
You guys are greaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatttttttttttttttttttttttttt. (Tony the tiger)
Steve Imhof
Thanks for such a well done site. I look forward to this one. The variety is amazing.
Joan Stanton
I just found the "Well Read Cats" article about my Web site that you included in NSD 5.36. I just wanted to say thank you, I appreciate it.
Gary Roma
Gif.com (NSD 6.19) is an interesting site. I own Gifs.net and people warn me all the time that Gifs.com is a porn site. Bet you'll hear from some misdirected souls. I often get complaints, but never a thank you!
Mike Shaikun
Best e-zine on the Net. Keep up the good work.
Cliff English
I just realised that NSD is my oldest source of information on the Web. In a medium famed for its speed of change and development and renewal, I think it's pretty amazing how you've managed to stay interesting enough to warrant my attention each week. Thanks, and please keep it up.
Michael Callaghan
I'm ashamed to admit that I deleted the first issue of NSD because I didn't wait long enough for the page to load in MS Outlook. It usually takes 20-30 seconds with a 56-kbps connection, which can seem like an eternity in internet time. Might I suggest a gentle reminder to your first-time subscribers to be sure to wait for the entire page to load?
That nit aside, what a perfectly wonderful piece of work! The content is timely, very well (and wittily) written, and the layout is just a knockout. Great use of color, very clean, sharp design, and the most unobtrusive banner ads in the business. (I click on them. And I'm in a demographic profile that's both filthy rich and hard to reach. Well, OK, maybe it's just "filthy," but boy, do I click! Click, click, click!) Frankly, I don't care how long it takes to load because it's worth the wait. Congratulations on a really fine job!
Best wishes for success with NSD, and thank you for producing a newsletter that I'm always excited to see in my inbox.
David H. Brown
Just wanted to take a moment to let you know how much I enjoy NSD. It has got to be my favorite e-mail item, I actually look forward to it. Thanks for doing a great job!
David Sloane
Thanks for the review of our site, HearBooksNow.com. We really appreciate our inclusion. We have corrected the spelling of "caracter" to "character" that your reviewer pointed out. Something went wrong with our spell checker. Thanks for the heads up.
Jeff Roehl
I read to the bottom of the latest NSD as usual, and then thought "there is an e-mail address for Letters to the Editor, so mebbe there is a link also." I scrolled back until I got text in the left-hand frame and sure enough there it was - a link to Letters. But it was a duff link! Grrr.... Is this a ruse at making us think that you publish letters that we send to you whilst secretly consigning them to a folder in your email system labelled the Black Hole? The public should be told!! :o)
Whilst I am here, I must congratulate you on an e-mail publication that has the best style of writing that I have ever seen on the Web - chatty without being patronising, suitably mid-Atlantic so as not to alienate either US folk or Brits (despite the subject matter being ostensibly American at times - baseball in the latest edition for example) and always informative and interesting. As you have probably spotted from my e-mail address, I am a Brit. :o)
You often mention sites that are timewasters or "time-sponges" but your mailing itself qualifies as that - I always know to reserve at least a couple of hours for each edition because I cannot resist following some of the links. The "Elian Cartoons" (NSD 6.23) did it for me this time - I had to go and see them, and there were indeed some poignant messages contained in many of them. I had to fight the urge to drill down further to links on the initial page, otherwise I would still be there now!
Thanks for such an interesting free read and please try to fix the Letters link.
Jim Ollerhead
I get lots of e-zines. This one is my favorite. Thank you for making it available to us. I know it's a lot of work and I hope it's also a lot of fun. Great work!
Adam Seaman
NSD 6.23 was a terrific issue! I added at least four new sites to my favorites list. The "Apps.com" may well be one of the best sites I've come across yet. Thank you for an issue well done.
Have you given thought to an index, compendium or even just a raw summary of the links in past issues? I have saved most of the issues but getting back to them never seems to make it to my list. Having access to all the links in one document could be helpful.
David Dunn
We do have a NSD search engine at our Web site. - LN
Just wanted you to know I always enjoy the latest editon of NSD. There's always something interesting, strange, and/or informative in every issue. Keep it coming!
David Brown
Thanks very much for the lead on the Texas death row Web site. I didn't know it existed until you published it in NSD 6.14. The site contains lots of valuable statistics, and gives the citizens of Texas peace of mind that these criminals will never repeat their horrendous acts.
J.T. Merrifield - Friendswood, Texas
You do an excellent job! Appreciate all the useful information.
Peter L. King
Most of my e-mail I trash. But NSD I love. Lots of info I don't see anyplace else. Just wanted to say thanks.
Joan Stanton
Thanks for mentioning the Doug and Sylvia Web site in "An Episode Based on a Word a Day" (NSD 6.25). On Saturday, I received NSD and six new subscription requests at the same time. Very nice! Probably more to come when everyone is at work (gulp).
I found the paragraph describing the series as flattering and fun. I'm almost certain my motives for writing Doug and Sylvia or BIKERS was and is to practice the art of writing. This e-stuff is a great forum to play with almost any art.
Dick Ellis
I want to thank you for reviewing my Web site in NSD 6.24. I was awfully shocked to suddenly see so many people visiting my site until I discovered the review! I must say that the review was very beautiful and sweet indeed. I am most grateful and truly appreciative. I am now a new subscriber!
Mardi (Mei-Ling)
Just a brief word - thanks! - in appreciation of NSD, wherein I always find well-written comments leading to interesting sites which I would not have found without your service.
Charles Gaulkin
I've been enjoying NSD for some time, but for some reason 6.26 seems more interesting than others: lighter, more lively, or something. Must be the heat.
Eric Sandel - Truckee, California
"Laughing at the Clueless" (NSD 6.26): Oh boy, what a continuous chuckle. Too bad the names are not mentioned; I think I know a lot of those idiots!
My face hurt after a session and I'm not even half done! Great entertainment.
Don Nyveen - Freeport, Bahamas
Just a note to tell you NSD is really cool. Keep it up!
David Cobb
Thanks! Great source!
Mirek
Thanks so much for the mention of Chowhound.com in NSD 6.26! What an honor! One thing though: we're now totally national on our message boards, which are the heart of our site. Tons and tons of super savvy chowhounds are in residence there, providing cutting edge chow advice from brownies to foie gras all over the country. My writing (admittedly New York-centric) is less and less the focus. I am the Mikhail Gorbachev of restaurant critics; my every action has led to my own inevitable destruction. The aggregate knowledge of so many savvy chowhounds is something I can't come close to matching. Other than that, I totally loved and appreciated your terrific review!
Jim Leff
Just a word of thanks from one of your recipients. I have been fascinated by your guide to the vast world of the Internet, and appreciate the work all of you go through.
Amazingly, in one issue, one place will teach you how to play the harmonica, and the other will teach you a language. What more is there that I don't know about?
Bob Adjemian - Hollywood, California
I was delighted to see your review of our Web site, Auinfo, in NSD 6.26. You seem to have captured the essence of what we are about. Will the page be maintained so we can point a link to it or do you update weekly? Thanks again for such a great review and wev'e certainly noticed a traffic increase.
Richard Jones
You can link to stories, but best wait until they find a permanent home in our Back Issues archive. You can find a little button/logo here. - LN
I've been involved with the Net since BBS days, and I've subscribed to dozens of newsletters. Yours is the only one I still read because it's well written (apparently for relatively literate adults) and concise. Every issue I've seen has maintained the appearance of consistency from one very good author, rather than a collection. Very nice. Very refreshing. I'd love to promote it on the site I maintain for Los Angeles City College Media Arts Dept., as well as other sites. Do you have a link and promo copy I can use?
kenschuster
Use any link. You can repost any issue you want, but please don't modify the issue in any way. - LN
It's always a pleasure to see NSD pop up in my mail box! I never fail to find several intriguing items to amuse, entertain, educate, or enlighten me. The layout is attractive, peaceful, easy, and enjoyable to read. It is truly one of the best online publications I receive. The only problem is that I tend to spend too much money on those interesting things you point out to me. Thanks again.
Ed Eberbach - Sanford, North Carolina
I just received your newsletter like usual, but wow - I have a beta version of AOL6 and reading your newsletter now is like going to a Web site without actually doing it. Beautiful!
Just thought someone should tell you that your hard work and dedication pays off in results. I'm impressed.
Tfshub
Congratulations! You are now seeing what
everybody else not on AOL has been seeing for the past three-plus
years. :)
Seriously, AOL up to version 5 (I have not seen v6 yet) is about five
years behind state of the art as far as displaying what the Web looks
like to the rest of the world. - AB
I've written to you about it before, but this issue makes me repeat it. You people are doing a great job. It's scary how good you are, and NSD 6.27 is proof.
Harold Pohl
I started getting lots of subscriptions. So I did a little research. And it turns out that your warm review of my "SexNews Daily!" (NSD 6.27) was the motivator. Thanks a lot for covering SND!
Jeff Laurie
If there was a doubt in my mind that Robin would have said no, do you think I would have risked my pride and my reputation? ("Rob's Online Marriage Proposal for Robin", NSD 6.28)
Rob
You might add another word to your Flotsam and Jetsam section title.
In the world of the Net, there is netsam. It is the useless ads and unrequested e-mail bombarding us. I believe it has the same characteristics as flotsam to boats and jetsam to planes.
Thanks for a great e-mail - yours does not qualify as netsam
Tfshub
I love your e-zine. Thank you!
Here's a question for you: Do you know what flotsam and jetsam mean?
Adam Seaman
Thanks. We know. We're professionals. - LN
We are??? Did I miss a meeting? - AB
Well, are you going to share the definitions with me? :)
AS
OK.
Flotsam is basically just junk floating on the surface of the ocean.
Jetsam is pretty much the same thing, except that it no longer floats -
it has either sunk and rests on the bottom or has washed up on shore.
I recommend you ask loved ones for a dictionary next birthday. :) Until
then: http://www.m-w.com/. -
LN
You guys do a really good job. Thanks a million for your efforts. It is appreciated.
Jerry Hagelberger
Sometime long ago in the dim recesses of cyber-time (oh, maybe five or so years ago), I happened upon NSD. I've been a subscriber ever since and still anticipate every issue - including Netsurfer Science now, as well.
As you intended, many of the best things about and on the Web I've discovered in your (electronic) pages. Thanks and keep up the good work.
Cris Matthews - Olympia, Washington
I am the MD of the company that developed and owns the English Sydneylink.com, part of the Sydney2000.com site. I would first of all like to thank you for a great review of our site (NSD 6.30).
I noticed your review of the great big elephant (Olympics.com) - although a great site, AU$2 million for a touch-up I agree is absurd. It makes me realise why Internet portals around the world are closing up. Our Web site from start to finish and in 3 1/2 months cost us AU$230,000 to develop, although I am not trying to compare the official site to ours, as obviously there is a big difference in data input time.
Adam Schmidt
Thanks for the nice comments on the NewRegistrars.com Web site that appeared in NSD 6.30.
Robert Simpson, Webmaster, NewRegistrars.com
I really like the service you provide. I have found some very useful sites, including the one about maps in NSD 6.30. I have encouraged my friends to look at your site. Keep up the good work!
Bob George
Thanks for a consistently amusing and informative newsletter.
Chris Thompson - Oxford, England
I experience difficulty accessing your newsletter on the Web. I have subscribed to NSD and when I receive your e-mail and click on the HTML link, Netscape 4.6 acts like it's trying to get there but never does. I have no such problem surfing the Net otherwise. Any recommendations?
Geoffrey L. Keith
Probably one of two things: 1) High security filters which won't let the JavaScript ads run; or 2) The ad servers are clogged up and your browser is just waiting to load them. - LN
I have not been reading your newsletters because havinge to download them is not only time consuming, but dangerous in this climate of viruses etc. I think you are making a mistake and missing readers by doing this. Also, the HTML format is gobbleygook.
Jglazer
All this because AOL is way behind the curve in
support for HTML enabled e-mail. We don't mind you not reading us, but
we'd rather you did it as an informed consumer. AOL is possibly the
worst major e-mail reading client available right now - they don't
adhere to standards and they don't make fixes available in a timely
fashion. They basically cater to the lowest possible common denominator
- which is fine, but they don't let their users even know that there
are better alternatives.
Anyway, thanks much for the feedback, it's always appreciated. - AB
I just opened NSD and noticed that the advertisements were in my native tongue; however convenient this may be, I do not subscribe to get pinned down to my geographical area. In other words, I would prefer to find Royal Dutch Shell advertisements in Dutch on a Dutch language newsletter instead of an English one.
J.H. Hartman
This is probably the result of an ad cookie.
Engage Media, our ad service, uses cookies to track viewers of its ads
- not just in NSD, but wherever Engage ads appear. It's called targeted
marketing, and most people find it a good thing.
Now, if it's not that, it's just sheer dumb luck. - LN
Are you owned by Flycast, or just in bed with them?
Robert Johnson
We frolick together in the silken sheets of commerce.
No, they (now called Engage Media, by the way) don't own us. We use
them as our ad service because they're low hassle, reliable, have good
clients, and they pay on time. - AB
Forty-two cookies on one page? Come on.
RJ
Yep, that's how we make a living. You are always
free to unsubscribe. Now, there is a real customer-friendly
approach.
Look, we're pretty honest about what we do and what we are and we
recognize that not everybody will like us. Instead of toading to
people, we just politely point out that like everything else on the
Net, the consumption of our material is entirely a choice. That's quite
a bit more friendly than trying to obscure facts or misrepresent
ourselves to our readers. We are what we are - not everybody's cup of
tea, and that's just fine with us and with most of our readers.
Actually, if you're willing to pay us, oh, say $100/year for your
subscription we'll be happy to turn off all cookies and ads for you. If
you're not and we irritate you that much, well, feel free to move along
with our best wishes. - AB
I've been reading NSD since 1.07. For at least two years, "More Signal, Less Noise" has been a joke. I don't know if it would be possible to make your site slower. Do you use a layout that enables one to read while the graphics download? No!
Don't you realize that leaving out the height and width parameters on graphic links means the browser can't compose the page until all the images are downloaded?
I have been willing to suffer this, but now you have devised a format that is wider than 800 x 600 pixels.
All those links in the left column don't add one wit to the value of the newsletter. You already have an introductory page that lists the section titles. So why is that column there? Obviously, only for the Amazon link/ad.
You are no longer worth reading.
David Thomas
I just subscribed to NSD and I am having problems reading it. When I try to read the message with Netscape Communicator 4.6, it doesn't show anything. There is just this rotation thing going around the N in the top right corner. I think it is trying to get NSD from some location. I had read that I don't need a Net connection to read NSD, so why is this rotation thing going on?
Ashu Bisht
I think the problem is a delay caused by the ad
servers. Netscape doesn't handle tables very well when data to fill the
table isn't forthcoming. If the ad servers are busy, Netscpae will sit
and wait.
Try Internet Explorer, or some other browser. Or try reading NSD in a
text processor, even. - LN
Why is it necessary for you to send so many cookies with NSD?
Marty Dee
NSD FAQ #19: How come there are so many cookies
on your Web site?
You're probably running with cookie alerts turned on in your browser,
and when you view our publications you see tons of warnings about
cookies. The cookies are used by our advertising service to manage the
display of advertising. The ads are dynamically generated and the
cookies help keep track of which ads were displayed and how many times
they were displayed. That accounting information is what determines how
much we'll get paid.
Just about all major web sites use cookies in one way or another since
they are the only viable method of maintaining state information
between Web site visits. There's really little point in running your
browser with cookie alerts turned on. It's kind of like having your car
telling you every time a cylinder fires - a waste of your time and
attention. - LN
Thanks for your reply. It is appreciated.
I must admit that I am not quite as blase about what and who loads God knows what onto my property without my permission as you are. Rather than the car analogy, it is more like someone planting a hidden antenna in my yard that sends my personal movements to them without my knowledge.
I think advertisers take great liberties with my property (hard drive) by way of cookies. Nevertheless, I really enjoy your Netsurfer publications. They are the best!
MD
I find your newsletter amusing, informative and just plain fun. I learn something from every issue. But whatever you have changed in your format is not a change for the better. I used to be able to view the entire width of your news panel in my newsreader. Now, it goes well beyond the right-hand edge. Scrolling right and left to read each line is a nuisance.
Roger Pearson
I use Eudora 4.0 and have text wrap set but your text still runs off the screen. I really dislike having to scroll back and forth. Is there something that can be done?
Jerry Fisk
In this wild wacky and not-so-wonderful world of Windows NT and all of its security, I am now unable to open NSD in any readable fashion. Are you able to send it in either rich text format, or just send a reminder notice that a new version is out?
Dawn J. Mahoney
We don't have a text - rich or poor - version, but would NSD display properly in Word? Otherwise, you can use the 55 kB NSD as a reminder notice. Uhhh, right? - LN
I very much enjoy your publication. However, I usually print it, in HTML and in color. If I print in portrait format, the right inch or so is cut off. So I print in landscape, but that takes lots of pages and lots of wasted white space in the left margin. Is there a simple solution?
Jon Wells
I believe so. Just reduce the font size in your
browser. A smaller font should make for a narrower issue. Give that a
try.
Frankly though, I'm rather amused that anybody would want to print out
our publications. They lose quite a bit of their value without those
convenient clickable links. Obviously you have not fallen for the trap
of instant hyperlink gratification. :) - AB
I have America Online as my browser and your HTML doesn't work for me. All I see is the actual code. I want to continue to read your e-mails - any ideas?
Trudy
Upgrade to a newer AOL browser. Or, save the NSD as a text file and look at it in MS Word or a different browser. - LN
Love your e-zine. You're doing a great job. Wouldn't mind more tech info, though. That is, news of the latest and greatest technology as it appears on the Web.
But I'm really writing to say I imagine that the Javascript function that is meant to open each link in your e-zine fails to display the link. I think this may have something to do with the location from which the e-zine is viewed. I have noticed this problem occurs when I use Hotmail.
Having used a little bit of JavaScript before, I should be able to figure out why it's doing this, or at least when exactly it does and doesn't do it. In which case I'll drop you a line when I know more.
Michael McMahon
Your current subscription process is open to abuse in the form of forged subscriptions. Please consider moving to a confirmed opt-in model. If there are problems with a forged subscriptions you leave yourself open to the possibility of being listed in the MAPS RBL. Securing your subscription process now can save you huge headaches in the future.
Mike Paulsen
Technically, you're right. But after six years of NSD, I can count on one hand the number of such false subscriptions. All it takes to rectify the same is a letter to us, at which point we can verify and make known the IP address of the forger and unsubscribe the victim. - LN
I should note that in at least a couple of those cases we were instrumental in shutting down the account of the responsible party. We take that kind of abuse very seriously. - AB
I agree that it is easy to unsubscribe from NSD. I'm concerned that the victims may be subscribed to numerous mailing lists. Unsubscribing from hundreds of lists is not a trivial task. It can also become a DoS attack if the mailing lists have heavy traffic.
I think we're going to see the confirmed opt-in model become the industry standard before too long. It protects the subscriber from forged subscriptions and gives the list owner the ability to document every subscription.
MP
We've not seen this yet. I'm reluctant to put up
possible barriers to ease of subscription until and unless there's a
credible threat - which is not to say that we're not ready to go to a
confirmed opt-in if it becomes neccessary.
Currently, we can look up and document every subscription - if a
subscriber has a problem, we're more than happy to document the trail
of their subscription for them. Confirmed opt-in just makes that a bit
more automated, and to some extent less personal. I actually like that
when somebody complains to us they get a real human to tend to them.
Fortunately, so far the volume of problems is so small that we have
easily provided that service. I can certainly see a future where that
becomes too much work and we install an automated solution.
We've thought of this years back, probably before anybody else had a
clue about possible problems of running a list like this in a hostile
environment. If this ever does become a problem you can be sure we'll
jump on it. Our reputation is our greatest asset.
Thanks for taking the time to write, and thanks for reading. - AB
I love NSD, but I rarely read it any more. The reason? It takes too long to open up the HTML version in my mailbox. If it doesn't open quickly, I don't want to wait around. Please, please consider sending the plain text version again, or at least reducing some of the heavy visual content/opening up time so that myself, and others, can enjoy NSD more readily.
C. Rainfield
Just a few minutes ago, I saw a flashing banner in NSD right where your banner is now which said to click to receive a $115 spending spree. I click it and it sent out mail and nothing else happens. Please tell me what gives here.
Alan J. Wechsler
I haven't yet seen that ad, so I can't really comment. Might be better to contact Flycast than us, however. - LN
In NSD 6.26, a banner ad stated "if this is blinking you have won a $115 shopping spree - click here". This could be a scam, says I, but NSD has been pretty good so far, so let's just see what's going on. I clicked on it, and nothing happened, no new Web site popped up, no e-mail pop up, nada, zip, the banner even disappeared. Hmmm, disconnected, maximized the message, looked around, checked further down, nada, checked my open windows, nada. Went back online and lo and behold the banner is gone, replaced with another one. So what gives? Scam?
Grant Johnson
In NSD 6.27, a blinking caption stated that if the ad was blinking, I had won a shopping spree. When I clicked on it, the ad disappeared but nothing happened. There was a second copy of the same ad and the same thing happened. What gives?
Carl and Dasha
I have subscribed to NSD for a long time now and enjoy it very much. But please, please, get rid of the blinking ads. The ones that don't blink are no problem, but the blinking gives me a headache.
Patrick Walsh
I will cancel my subscription if you continue the obnoxious blinking ads.
Dave Hass
Love NSD, hate "click this box and win" crap. Thank you, I feel so much better.
David Flores
Advertisements that blink or flash are extremly annoying. Would you consider asking your advertisers not to employ these methods?
Surely you must have some conditions on the use of the ad space you sell. I mean, would you take an ad for the Brooklyn Bridge? Or from anybody at all? You know: Mercenary needed for quick job in small country. Payment in Swiss francs.
If you have any conditions then how about adding this one: No flashing ads. Make it work that way!
Bill
I find these strobing banners on your Web site visually abusive. This means of attracting/distracting does not match the regard I have had for your service and I request that you terminate the advertising.
Terry Schoen
I love NSD, but the only thing that prompted me to even consider clicking on the blinking ad for the $115 shopping spree was the desire to make the dang thing go away! I quickly scrolled down the page to get away from the blinding blue blinking ad and never got up enough courage to scroll back up and read your first two articles. Please, please, no more blinking ads.
Sandy Moore - Little Rock, Arkansas
Sometimes even those of us who grudgingly accept banner ads find one that is just too obnoxious. The pale blue "$115 Shopping Spree" banner that flashes quickly is so bad that any NSD stories that can only be read with that thing visible on my screen simply do not get read. I just scroll down 'til I see the first story out of view of that terrible, fast-flashing, epileptic-seizure-inducing banner!
And three others who sit at work within 20 feet of me (and whom I turned on to Netsurfer Digest, I might add), all agree. It's hard to believe that that's the kind of response you want from your readers. Banner ads are bad enough. Do they have to assault us, too?
And the banner is tacky, tacky, tacky - which I would think a classy publication like yours would not tolerate.
Just my two cents worth - two cents that I'm about to spend on the mouseclicks it takes to cancel my subscription if that terrible banner doesn't stop showing up in my NSDs. Get your advertiser to stop the flashing, then it can stay. That seems a reasonable compromise. But as long as it flashes - especially fast - it's it or me.
You choose.
Gregg L. DesElms
I enjoy your magazine, but am rapidly becoming put-off by the increasing number of blinking and flashing ads that you intersperse between the articles. These are as distracting as hell as I am trying to read the article, and I find myself purposely scrolling them up or down off the page. I have even gone as far as to switch to "HTML design mode" to cause everything to stop. I am sure this is not the behavior you want to elicit from your readers.
I want you to know that I will never ever click on a blinking or flashing ad. Never. Ever. And if you insist on including more, then the advantage of receiving this magazine will rapidly diminish until I cancel and seek the information elsewhere on the Web.
So distinguish yourself from the rest and please only include tasteful static ads. Then I might be inclined to click on them once in a while.
Thanks otherwise for a great magazine.
Glen Lancaster
C'mon, it hurts my eyes and it insults my intelligence. Really, I ezpect better from youse guys!
Richard F. Jones - Lamma Island, Hong Kong
The flashing banner ads in NSD, for claiming prizes, are so hard on my senses that I skip over any text that occupies the screen at the same time as the ad flashes away. Is there any way that you can have the banner flash three times and then turn off?
I know that I am missing content due to the objectionable way banner ads are constructed.
Glen Gustafson - Los Angeles, California
The blinking "Shopping Spree" banner is really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really annoying.
Matt Feinstein
I really like getting NSD. There are often several links that I try out and sometimes bookmark. However, I am extremely annoyed by the flashing ads throughout NSD. I found that I had to skip sections that were too close to the ads to prevent permanent damage to my optic nerves (or at least annoyance). Have you thought about your liability for epileptic seizures caused by this?
I understand advertising and realize you need to display ads. However, please make sure that they are not painful to your readers!
Garry Star
We don't get to preview most ads (we do sell some
ourselves). We mostly just get what Flycast (Engage Media) feeds us.
Our options with respect to Flycast ads are - I think - only to ask
that a given ad not show up in the NSD space we sell to Flycast.
The way Flycast works is we save a space for a banner that comes from
Flycast's servers. We sell adspace to Flycast, and Flycast sells
adspace to the advertisers. When you load NSD, you are also loading ads
from Flycast - the ads do not come from us. In fact, which ads appear
differs from person to person, and - as you found out - from time to
time.
As I wrote earlier, I myself haven't seen this ad. I think I'd just
dismiss it as a stupid ad - sure, it wastes a few seconds of my time
but it does no harm, even if it doesn't live up to its promise.
We can ask Flycast to ban certain ads, but we only get to see them
after they appear. We have blacklisted one or two ads in the past, but
that was for content rather than style.
The practicality of banning this sort of ad isn't there, on two levels.
Firstly, I doubt Flycast is even capable of preselecting ads for
banning based on style. Secondly, we don't want to be too selective in
turning away ads, because that's our money. We are fortunate to have
developed a profitable non-porn Net business, and you are fortunate in
that it's free. It's a delicate balance that we shouldn't poke too
strongly. - LN
Thanks for the honest, straight-forward answer - how refreshing. Considering your response, I can live with blinking ads.
Sandy Moore
Thanks for your response. I understand your difficulty, and I know we are in the early days of this new medium yet, and many things will shake out over time. Hopefully in-your-face ads will be one of the wreckages on the side of the road.
Glen Lancaster
Wow, I only wrote that rant a couple of hours ago! It was Sunday morning here in Hong Kong, and that banner was flippin' blinkin' in my eyes. Ouch.
Strangely, it wasn't blinking later when I returned to that same page. Could it be that I really was selected for a $115 shopping spree?
Thank you for your thoughtful quick reply. I just think NSD is the greatest. I've had a link to you on my own Web site for at least five years. Keep up the great work of sorting things out.
Richard F. Jones
Thank for the information. It looks like the Flycast ads are the flashing ones that appear on the preview frame in Outlook. When I open up the e-mail, the offending flashing adds go away and are replaced by ads that do not cause a problem for me.
One other thing is that I don't object to the content of the ad. What I find a problem is the garish flashing, or, animated GIFs that move at super-fast speeds. If they could just slow it down, it would not be so distracting.
Glen Gustafson
I appreciate your rapid and reasonable reply. Here's hoping that no one gets an epileptic seizure from the blink-a-blink-a-blink-a- banners. Come to think of it, that banner does seem to put me into a perseverative mood - an actual neurological dysfunction symptom, if you didn't know.
Matt Feinstein
Publisher: Arthur Bebak
Editor: Lawrence Nyveen
Address your letters to editor@netsurf.com.
Letters and signatures edited for clarity and brevity.