Monthly Archives: October 2007

Internet

Fasthosts servers hacked

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I just received an email from Fasthosts saying they’d been hacked and I should change my password. Luckily I don’t use Fasthosts anymore due to their really piss poor customer service, so as far as them being hacked goes… good. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer bunch of tossers.

Fasthosts once switched off one of my websites on a Friday saying I had to email their abuse department to find out why and when I asked to speak to someone they said the abuse department didn’t have any phones. I shit you not.

Whoever hacked Fasthosts, well done.

Important information about your UKreg account

Dear Darren

We are writing to inform you that we have recently discovered evidence of a network intrusion involving a Fasthosts server. We have reason to believe that the intruder has gained access to our internal systems, and that this may have in turn given them access to your username and some service passwords.

We have since closed the vulnerability through which access was gained, and have taken steps to ensure that this cannot happen again.

We therefore recommend, as a precaution, that you now change the control panel login password on your account.

This can be changed within your control panel and further details on how to change your password can also be found in the support section of our website.

We strongly recommend that you choose a secure password so that it cannot easily be guessed. The password should include the following:

  • It should be a minimum of 8 characters long
  • It should contain an upper case and a lower case letter
  • It should also contain at least one number (numeric)

We recognise that this may cause some inconvenience and concern, and for that we sincerely apologise. Please be assured that your account security is extremely important to us, and we have taken every step possible to secure your information against any future intrusion attempts.

If you have any questions relating to this, please contact our Customer Support team on 0870 888 3600 or customersupport@fasthosts.co.uk who will be happy to help you.

Yours sincerely,

The Fasthosts Internet team

Google, SEO, Transformers

#1 in Google for Transformers

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Less that 48 hours ago I put a new Transformers website live (www.thetransformers.net) as I finally made the switch from ASP to WordPress. This meant changing the hosting from 1and1 Internet, who are located in Germany to the new host United Hosting, who are located in the UK.

The change went smoothly, and the new site has already been indexed. What is incredible though is that the new UK hosted site has immediately shown up #1 in Google.co.uk for sites located in the UK under the keyword ‘Transformers’.

Previously being hosted in Germany with a .Net extension had excluded it from UK only searches, and it is ranked 1st page for ‘Transformers’ in a non country specific search, but now it has a UK home it’s #1.

Beat that!

Humour

Woman seeks man with lots of money

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We all know women are only after men with cash, it’s the way of the world, but most try to hide that fact. How refreshing then that a 25 year old New York woman posted an ad for a man with a $500,000 income. The woman described herself as ‘spectacularly beautiful’ and was looking for someone who could offer her a Central Park West address.

You can read the full story here.

Now if she’s looking for a highly fertile guy with a large collection of comics and Transformers, I think I can help. As for a $500,000 income? With the current value of the dollar, that ain’t that much sweetheart.

Affiliate Marketing, Rants

Lloyds TSB always shut, what gives?

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For those of us that work, and I realise we’re becoming a thinning minority in the UK, chances to get to the bank are becoming slimmer and slimmer. Luckily we have the Interweb where we can do all of our banking online, except for the small matter of paying in foreign currency cheques.

I get these from, among others, Amazon.com. With these foreign cheques I cannot drop into the overnight deposit as I need to fill out a mammoth form, complete with my life story and contact details of everyone I’ve ever met. I have to physically go into the bank, and Amazon.com still do not offer direct deposit for UK based affiliates.

Now, these are the opening hours of my local branch of Lloyds TSB.

Mon: 09:30 – 16:30
Tue: 09:30 – 16:30
Wed: 10:00 – 16:30
Thu: 09:30 – 16:30
Fri: 09:30 – 16:30
Sat: Closed
Sun: Closed

Please tell me when the sodding hell can I actually go into the bank? I start work at 8:30 and I finish at 5:30, the lazy arsed Lloyds crew start after me and finish before me, and of course don’t even bother on a Saturday. I’m sitting on an affiliate cheque from Amazon.com and can’t pay the bastard in anywhere.

The solution? It could be to find another bank.

The real comedy here comes from the fact that one of my RSS subscribers is my sister, who currently works for Lloyds TSB and will be receiving this blog in her inbox. Any ideas Karen?

British Telecom, Rants

BT prices extortionate?

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I spoke to my good lady last night from Nantes, in France, and she explained how she’s getting a ‘nuefbox’ (excuse the spelling) for around 30 Euros a month, which works out around £20.

This gives her over 100 TV channels, Internet and phone. PLUS – free land line calls to Germany AND the UK. Not a bad offer eh? Meanwhile I’m paying BT £68 per month for Internet.

Isn’t the UK just great? I love living here, it’s the best ever. Shit weather, shit roads, shit police, shit taxes, shit prices and shit beers.

Affiliate Marketing, Make Money, Transformers

Tips to save money with your online business

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Scott Wainner, one of the oldest (by that I mean long-standing, not ancient and decrepit) online money makers has posted a great tip on his new blog about saving money on your travel by starting a travel reviews website and declaring all travel expenses as business expenses. Thus they are tax deductible!

Nice tip eh?

Well I’ve been doing something similar for years now. I own the website WhatDVD.Net, which reviews DVDs and Films, so naturally any movie related expenses I incur are legitimately offset against earnings as I review the films and DVDs I see and buy.

It doesn’t stop there either, as I also run 3 Transformers websites whenever I buy a Transformer, which is often, the cost of the little sucka is once against offset against earnings for tax. This is all perfectly legit as they are used for money making ventures. For example, I recently purchased the Ultimate Edition Bumblebee at a mind blowing £79.99… ouch. Thankfully, because of the review on TheTransformers.Net the money spent on him can be offset.

Nice tip huh? Remember it has to be legit, so start those websites now.

Humour, Rants

Blog Action Day: Save the Cyclists

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As yesterday was Blog Action Day, where bloggers are encouraged to blog about ways they’d do their bit for the environment, here’s my suggestion, albeit late and against what Blog Action Day is all about.

I heard on Radio 5 this morning on my way into work that the all powerful government in the UK are considering reducing the speed limit in city centres and built up areas to 20mph. The reason for this genius idea is that the death tolls on the UK’s roads have been falling year on year, but the fall has slowed this last year. The thinking being that if we all drive at 20mph we’ll help save more lives, in particular cyclists…

hmm, how do I feel about that?

Fuck the cyclists. They’re the reason there’s congestion around where I currently work and live. You get mile upon mile of tailbacks through the country lanes and narrow roads as all of the cars follow some fat guy puffing away trying to get his ‘racer’ up a hill as he sways from side to side, oblivious of the delay he’s causing.

Save more cyclists? I say increase the speed limits and offer rewards to drivers who maim and kill cyclists. Aim for the bastards, not slow down to save them.