It seems that the WordPress “Incoming Links” is a good feature to display but it is not working properly for me. In doing my research on Incoming Links I found the correct URL from Google, but this contains mostly Pharma Hack links and therefore highly undesirable. In contrast when I go to Google directly I get sites that link to my site, or the proper Incoming Links. I cannot, however, figure out a URL that will give me the correct RSS to input into WordPress.
The correct URL I should use for Incoming Links would seem to be https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=link:http://www.dontai.com/wp/&tbm=blg&output=rss
Damn I was infected by the Pharma hack yet again. While my web site content was without error, page titles into Google were being hacked, appearing as if I was flogging pharmaceuticals. I assure you that I do not do this. Google stated that my site might be infected, yet in Google Webmaster Tools they saw no malware and there were no fetch errors. This time I found four offending files and two offending SQL table entries. Here’s what I found and how I found them.
Anyone who lives here in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, a suburb of Toronto, can tell you that incomes have markedly dropped. We see it in our schools and neighbourhood. A Toronto Star article on the widening income gaps here in Toronto brought me to a couple interesting maps by Dr. J. David Hulchanski. His paper “Report: The 3 Cities within Toronto, Income Polarization, 2007” gives much food for thought.
Dr. Hulchanski’s paper includes a couple of maps of Toronto by change in income from 1970 to 2000. It is a very sobering map for those of us who live in Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto. It is not that we are special, because other suburbs of Toronto have also experienced similar income drops.
Old PCs die a terrible death, lonely and forlorn. In the Windows world you need to upgrade your physical PC hardware every 3-4 years as well as buy the newest operating system, wasting money and stressing your budget. As an IT professional I not only do not buy into this propaganda, but rail against it. When the Windows operating systems on old PCs do not receive any upgrades, the PC slows down, often heavily laden with fat, bloated software. Ubuntu, a Linux OS version, and Xubuntu, it’s lighter version, may be the answer to unlocking the innate functionality of your old PC.
Some interview questions are simply very puzzling to me. They beg the question “Why do they ask them”, and what is there to be gained. Interviews are stressful events, and to ask a candidate seemingly idiotic questions that prove seeming little about their innate talents can be worse than pointless. These questions may show that the interviewing company treats their employees irresponsibly.
A case in point the question above: What is the next in the sequence SSS SCC C SC? This IT interview question is said to be from Google Corp. You can google for the answer, as I did. I found the solution here.
Call it part of my personality, but I like to be thorough. I also like to have proof of some statement, even if proof is difficult or impossible to come by. When scientific double blind studies are not possible, I don’t mind having a sliding scale of proof where a little proof is better than no proof at all. I dislike old wive’s tales and relish when Mythbusters does their show. A case in fact is my reliance on Google as a search engine. Of course all my knowledgeable friends rely on Google as much as I do, and it’s the best search engine that I’ve used, but it’s far from perfect. Today I wondered if Yahoo’s search engine, the one I used to use long ago, had improved enough to rival Google. The skinny is that Google still is the best for my research, but don’t write off Yahoo either.
Google's China specific search engine is gone, ending self-censorship
You have to admire Google for standing up for its corporate philosophy. I could not see how Google could continue to self-censor its content in China while continuing to uphold its corporate values. I also could not see how Google even agreed to enter the Chinese market in 2006 on the condition that they self-censor. Today Google will dismantle its China-specific search engine and redirect queries to its Hong Kong based site. Of course the Chinese government was outraged, as expected. I believe that for the internet as a community, something was lost today, though I am unsure what. Was it possibly a global sign that we can all get along?
Google Street started today, and they sure take some detailed photos.
There’s a pesky grey and white cat at the end of on my driveway. Who it belongs to I know not. It seems to be waiting for the garbage truck, or a taxi. The photo was taken in early spring, because our tulips are in bloom and our apricot tree is showing off their lovely white flowers. It’s about noon time. The image quality of the newly released (to Toronto) Google Street View is pretty amazing, and though I am not sure of its usefulness, it sure is interesting.
I like Google, I really do. It’s my primary search engine. I like their university roots and what they’ve done. There’s no question they have shaped and nurtured the internet in a way no other search engine has done. Searches come back lickety split and Google Scholar is awesome. Their photos and news section are tops.
I can input both English and Chinese (Mandarin, 普通话, 国语) on my computer. Mostly I type English, and every so often I do Chinese. Sometimes I like to torture myself by going to Mainland China and Singapore websites to read Chinese. It’s not often but a little searing pain between the ears helps you appreciate what you have. A reasonable memory for Chinese words. And English.
