95: Sunday Signage
Posted: December 26, 2010 Filed under: 365 Life in the Bogs Challenge, Adventures in Life, home, nature, Photography, pond, rants, snow, Spirit, Walking, water, weather, winter | Tags: AntiVirus, Cleveland, Great Lakes Science Center, Malware, Pennsylvania, Quaker Steak & Lube, snow 19 Comments(Sign in front of the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland.)
Great sign. What I was unable to capture in the same photo was the snow sitting on the canopy. There is a lot of that around here. We have several of those heavy ice and snow overhangs around the outside of the house. It’s best not to stand under them.
Hijacked
At approximately 10:30 this morning my computer was hijacked by a malware program called System Tool 2011. I don’t know where I picked it up but do know M picked it up on his laptop around the same time. He caught it by running an anti-virus program, the same one I have that should have caught it before it hijacked my computer. I am not a happy camper about that (or any of it, for that matter). The malware takes over the computer with a message that your computer is filled with viruses and spyware, and the only way to fix this (of course) is to buy their program. It’s a scam, of course, but someone not very computer savy might not realize it. I was unable to run anything else while System Tool had control of my computer. Fortunately M was able to use his laptop to find out how to get rid it. It’s easy enough, but not so easy if you are unable to access the internet.
If you haven’t run an anti-virus, anti-spyware scan lately, you might want to do that. It seems you can’t depend on it to stop this sort of thing before it happens even if the program you’re using has it included in their list of virus definitions.
While M was working on deleting the malware, I ran through a mental list of where I had been on the computer this morning. I’m not sure it matters as I don’t know where I picked up the Trojan. I was visiting TripAdvisor.com when my computer was taken over. However, I can’t say for sure (or even as a guess) that I picked it up there.
Running down that list got me to thinking about how much time I waste doing silly things on the computer. That time could be put to much better use so I’ve decided to give up the games I play. Facebook and Twitter might be next on the list of things I need to relinguish. We’ll see.
Today’s Walk
It is windy, cold, and snowing. (No surprises there, eh?) I’m not sure what the ultimate accumulation is expected to be. I’m not sure it matter except that M and I are crossing the border into Pennsylvania this evening for our annual wingfest meet-up with friends at Quaker Steak & Lube. Our friends live in California and have family in Pennsylvania. We meet up with them every year around this time for an unhealthy (and fun) feast of fried and heavily sauced chicken wings.
It is incredibly stark and white outside. Finding color is difficult. During my walk around the pond and into the woods I almost felt as though I’d stepped into a black and white world.
(A spot of color on the ground.)
My body is sore from the past three days of cross-country skiing. That’s why I opted to walk instead of ski today. Most of the soreness seems to be from that first fall. Hopefully it will work itself out soon.
HAHA! Great sign! I love your last shot…and the shot of the leaf! Great job, Robin!
Thanks, PF4A. 🙂
I love the sign!
Bummer on the virus. I thought maybe we had picked one up on Christmas Eve – my screen went white and the clock in the corner seemed to have stopped. So far we are up and running okay, so I’m hoping our spyware/antivirus program took care of whatever it was.
Thanks, Karma. 🙂
Glad you caught whatever was happening with your computer. It’s annoying to have to spend a good portion of a morning fixing something like that. That said, I am thankful it wasn’t the type of virus that causes the loss of everything.
I agree … great sign. I think we have too many generic signs that do not require any thought at all. About a year and half ago, however, there was a sign on a bridge under construction not far from here that said “Take Turns” … I just loved it. When they are unique, you remember them.
As for spyware and such the only thing I have to say is “think Mac” 🙂
Oooo! That’s a great one, Bearyweather. 🙂
I used to have a Mac. I miss it. I would love to have another but they are so expensive compared to the PC.
My boss got that same virus – I spent about an hour or so on Christmas eve rescuing his computer (was there for a social visit, not working).
I’m glad to hear you weren’t working, J… although rescuing your boss’s computer does sound a bit like work to me. 😉
I love how you’ve framed the inage of the creek. And sorry to read about what you went through with the malicious program – such an annoyance and waste of time.
Thank you, Kala. 🙂
That is a great sign! LOL Oh dear, that is nasty business with the malicious program. I’ve had that happen before even with the greatest of anti-maleware and so forth. They seem to strike out of nowhere. I hope everything with get righted with your computer.
Seems to be working fine now, Anna. Thanks! 🙂
That is a great sign, Robin.
Thanks for the reminder. I’ll do a scan now.
The pond and the creek look pretty. I love the leaf pic too.
Thank you, Marianne. 🙂
I hope your scan came out clean as a whistle.
Glad your computer was “saved”, Robin. I hate it when these things happen! Can’t believe how much in synch you and I are sometimes. I am pondering less computer time…trying to figure out how to streamline and get down to essentials. Funny sign, too! I love humor like that.
Thanks, Kathy. 🙂
If you come up with a good solution to the computer time problem, please let me know. I’m going to use the next few weeks to see how I feel about giving up some of that social networking. I already know I prefer blogging over visiting Facebook so this should be simple. I hope. *fingers crossed*
Great pics as usual my friend ,I appreciate the simplicity of the starkness of the background against the snow , hope your com is running smooth now , wishing you a happy new year filled with much love and happiness , may all your dreams and hopes be realized
Ian aka Emu
Thank you, Ian. 🙂
Wishing you all the best in the new year, too!
I agree too, great sign, and great feeling of ‘yeah right! bring it on!!’ type of thing. ‘ lol!!
I wish we could rid the world of whoever creates these virus’s, so much damage caused and for what?… just ‘cos they can? the nerds!! Lost my hard drive twice,…and I still never learn to do a complete back-up… (note to self :-must do one soon!!) Lovely photo’s of that white stuff….What’s it called again? 😀
xx