Stupidity Exposed!

Einstein was right – stupidity IS infinite!

Archive for category Pet Peeves

WHOIS PRIVACY completely defeats the purpose of WHOIS!!

May 25

Posted by admin in Internet Service Provders, Pet Peeves, Uncategorized | No Comments

Do you own a domain name or two (or more)? Do you know about the WHOIS database that maintains owner and contact information for domains?? Do you know why the WHOIS database exists (at least in its original purpose)??? If so, WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT WHOIS PRIVACY!?!?!

This “service” completely defeats the purpose of WHOIS

Every time I renew my domains, my registrar tries to sell me WHOIS PRIVACY. They claim it protects me from spam – it does not. Using custom email addresses in my WHOIS records, I know if spam is being sent to the contact email address in my WHOIS record. I get so little spam at those email addresses, it completely nullifies any argument a registrar will try to give you that privacy will prevent spam!!

For years now, ICANN has allowed domain registrars to provide a service to hide WHOIS details under the guise of protecting the privacy of the domain owner. These registrars make shitloads of money selling this service which is in direct contradiction to the Domain Registrars’ agreements with ICANN, yet money talks! But no one forces you to sign up for this bogus domain privacy “service” – SO DON’T!

Think about it… if your server gets hacked, how is someone going to find your contact information to let you know about the hack? (especially when the hackers have removed all of your web site’s content!?) A proper WHOIS record with correct and up to date contact information is the only way to make sure someone can contact you swiftly and let you know if your server has been hacked or your web site altered. Maybe your server was hijacked and being use to send out spam. Your ISP may not be so understanding when you tell them “I didn’t know my server was hacked”. Give people the proper tools to contact you for any legitimate reason relating to your domain.

P.S. If you don’t want to use your regular email address in the WHOIS record, just set up an alternate email address and forward it to your regular email address. Also, I don’t recommend you use a Gmail account (or other “free” service email address) because they will filter emails that they deem something looks like spam or phishing. If someone is using your domain name in their phishing URL and it gets reported to Google before you, your “free” account will have it blocked before you ever get a chance to see it. Bad abuse contacts and abuse mailboxes with spam and other content filtering defeats the purpose of having an abuse contact.

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WEB.COM deletes incoming emails without reading them

Nov 1

Posted by admin in 800-Pound Gorillas, Internet Service Provders, Pet Peeves | No Comments

We already know that Domains@WEB.COM has a spam filter on a mailbox that is intended to be used to report spam, phishing, malware, and other abuses that may be occurring on their networks and servers.  Kind of makes the Domains@WEB.COM email address worthless!?

It turns out that even when we think the mail just might get through, it doesn’t.  I just received this bounce message indicating “Your message … was deleted without being read.”:

Nice job WEB.COM!!!

Why are many (not all) Human Resources departments so RUDE?!?!?

Sep 25

Posted by admin in 800-Pound Gorillas, Pet Peeves | Comments off

What is up with Human Resources departments in companies these days?!?!?  Why do they feel they have no obligation to respond to job applicants (let alone even acknowledge them)???

I must have applied for at least 2 dozen positions over the last several months.  If I received acknowledgements / responses from 5 of them, that would be a lot!  Big companies… little companies… all companies…  Don’t they realize people are waiting on them??  Don’t they realize how RUDE they are by not interacting with their applicants and just leaving us hanging??

Furthermore, they refuse to make their contact information available – not on their web site – not in their “auto-acknowledge” (the few that had them) – NOWHERE!

Even ADP – a HUGE accounting company with recruiting as part of their web site – won’t offer up a phone number, even though their web page footer indicates a number should be present:

The footer says “If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact number below.”, BUT THERE IS NO NUMBER BELOW!!!!

I don’t get it!?!  How is this game supposed to work???

WEB.COM has a spam filter on their abuse mailbox?!?!

Jan 14

Posted by admin in Internet Service Provders, Pet Peeves | Comments off

If there is one thing I CAN’T STAND, it’s an Internet Service Provider that puts a spam filter on their “abuse@…” mailbox!

Chicken shit WEB.COM hides their abuse department behind a spam filter

And here is WEB.COM (a.k.a. Network Solutions, Register.com, Name Secure, Snap Names, etc) – one of the world’s largest domain registrars and Internet Service Providers – blocking emails to their ‘abuse@web.com’ mailbox because a report of a phishing site or domain “matches a profile the Internet community may consider spam”?!?!?

How is someone supposed to report a problem to the Internet Service Provider of a phishing site if the simple mention of the phishing site scares the shit out of the abuse department?!?!

Shame on you WEB.COM!! (and all other tech companies that are afraid of their own shadows to run a PROFESSIONAL abuse department)

Public Domain Registry doesn’t make sense!

Jun 6

Posted by admin in Internet Service Provders, Pet Peeves | Comments off

I just ran across a web site that is being used to push fake Adobe Flash Player:

Fake Adobe Flash Player update

Fake Adobe Flash Player update

http://www.stupidityexposed.com/wp-admin/post-new.php

I checked the domain’s registration and saw that it was just registered that day, so I attempted to contact the registrar for the domain:

Public Domain Registry's contact email address

There is was, big as life: abuse-contact@publicdomainregistry.com

Now WHY would you list an abuse email address if you’re not going to accept abuse complaints sent to that email address?!?!

Public Domain Registry's lame response

Someone goes to the trouble of looking up the domain registration, and uses the abuse contact provided to send an email to alert the registrar of a problem, and they can’t accept the email!!  Instead, they send you back an email stating that you need to use some web form to file the complaint instead?!?!?

I’m so tired of Internet Service Providers who are so afraid of their own shadows that they won’t use email to perform the normal operations of a responsible ISP!!  Most ISPs understand that there’s a reason for standardized email addresses (abuse, hostmaster, postmaster, etc), but some ISPs think they’re above the rules and that it’s better to waste people’s time than to just do their jobs!

Printers that force you to use “genuine” ink cartridges!?!

May 14

Posted by admin in Consumer Products, Pet Peeves | Comments off

Another pet peeve of mine – printer manufacturers that make printers that will only accept their OVERPRICED “genuine” ink cartridges.  I have an Epson Artisan 837 printer.  It’s a nice printer.  I had the Epson Artisan 800 before this, and it worked well.  I was able to buy cheap cloned ink for that printer, and while it whined every now and then about the ink cartridges not being genuine, it used them and they worked well for the most part.

It’s bad enough that this error has to pop up in the middle of printing a document that is ALL BLACK AND WHITE, so it shouldn’t need any MAGENTA ink:

Replace cartridge

Now, with the 837, it appears Epson decided to get a lot more strict about the ink cartridges they accept?!?  I put in one of the clone ink cartridges, and I get the following message:

Unrecognized

I picked Epson because their ink cartridges are not nearly as expensive as HP and others, but to simply reject clone ink because they want to sell their own is stupid.  Now I have to run off to Staples to buy some magenta ink just so I can finish printing my black and white document!

 

I HATE my Samsung Galaxy S II

Jan 22

Posted by admin in Consumer Products, Pet Peeves | Comments off

Have I mentioned that I HATE my Samsung Galaxy S II?  Well, I do!!  I keep seeing these posts and ads on Facebook saying “<your friends> Like Samsung” and it drives me NUTS!  I got this Samsung Galaxy S II last March when I switched back to Sprint.  I was considering getting a new iPhone, but the guys at the store said “this is the best phone out there…”, and like a fool, I decided to be open-minded and try something new.  “Best phone out there…”?  I don’t think so.

In one of the software / firmware updates, they removed the “Contacts” button from the main phone screen.

Their mail client software SUCKS!  I can’t send emails with it.  I can’t open my (imap) mail folders.  I can’t use proper encryption with it.

The NBA app keeps crashing.

The battery charge indicator just disappears sometimes until I reboot the phone.

Sprint pops up with messages trying to promote their stuff (so, to me, it’s spam that I can’t turn off).

And why does it seem that reception on the Samsung phone is lacking when a Sprint based iPhone 1 foot away seems to work just fine?!?!?

Why didn’t I just go with the iPhone?!?

I AM AN AMERICAN!!

Apr 13

Posted by admin in Pet Peeves | Comments off

When someone is doing a survey/questionnaire (company, web site, store, etc…) and ask “Do you consider yourself…?” with selections like “African American, Asian or Pacific Islander, Black, Hispanic, Mixed Racial Background, Native American or Alaskan Native, White, or Other”, it’s time we all start selecting “Other (please specify)” and write “AMERICAN” in the fill-in box!!!

Domain Registry Of America stikes again (and PROVES their stupidity!)

Jan 24

Posted by admin in Internet Service Provders, Pet Peeves | Comments off

Domain Registry Of America is back, this time to TO PROVE how stupid they are!  After my previous post about DROA, I changed the mailing address for all my domains’ WHOIS records to include a line reading “DOMAIN REGISTRY OF AMERICA SUCKS!!”.  Look what I got in the mail today:

Simple proof that they are using WHOIS records for their own marketing purposes, a use that is (supposed to be) forbidden by their accreditation agreement(s) with ICANN.

Here’s a close up of the address label:

:o)

McDonald’s can’t control their franchisees?

Aug 23

Posted by admin in Pet Peeves | Comments off

I am so tired of huge companies like McDonald’s when they try to tell me that their franchisees are “independent” and each of the owners “have the authority to make certain operating decisions as they relate to their McDonald’s restaurant operations”, and that’s why I have to expect crappy service at many McDonald’s stores!  That’s their excuse when you complain about issues that you experience at many different McDonald’s stores.  Funny how McDonald’s corporate won’t set policy on things that would allow customers to have consistent expectations when they visit any given McDonald’s across the country, but McDonald’s corporate has no problem forcing (and I mean REQUIRING) the store owners to only use only certain software or certain food processing machines (i.e. they have to buy a special machine to do McRibs, but they only use that machine 6 weeks a year).