Stupid spam/scam

I noticed this amusing bit of spam in my spam folder today (some headers stripped away. I'm only including those I'm using to make my point):

To: (my e-mail address)
Subject: (first 4 letters of my e-mail address), Notice to Appear in Court
From: "State Court" <support@electricgroovecrusade.com>
Reply-To: "State Court" <support@electricgroovecrusade.com>

Dear (first 4 letters of my e-mail address),

You have to appear in the Court on the February 19.
Please, do not forget to bring all the documents related to the case.
Note: The case may be heard by the judge in your absence if you do not come.

The Court Notice is attached to this email.

Yours faithfully,
Angel Denton,
Court Secretary.

Attached to this mail is a zip file named "Court_notificaton_#####.zip" (where #### is a bunch of digits I can't be bothered to re-type.) I didn't download it, but I think we can be 99% certain that this attachment, when opened, will install malware on your computer.

So let's see how stupid you would have to be to fall for this spam. In order to trust the source and believe it is important to open this zip file, you would have to believe:

• That a legitimate court will issue a summons via e-mail
• That such a summons will not identify which court it is that is issuing the summons
• That a court will issue a summons without your name on it, preferring instead to make up a fake name based on your e-mail address.
• That despite not knowing my name or address, they somehow know my e-mail address.
• That a court is going to send official correspondence from domain belonging to Electric Groove Crusade (a rock band whose web page has had nothing more than a "coming soon" message since 2010) and not from a domain that actually belongs to the court.

Wired: An Ingenious Projector That Transforms Kitchen Tables Into TVs

An Ingenious Projector That Transforms Kitchen Tables Into TVs

Small-scale projectors have been on the market for some time, but Beam is unique in that it is designed to screw into light sockets while pulling double duty as an ultrabright LED lightbulb. This is a simple change to the hardware, but fundamentally changes the way the product gets used. It’s not a matter or buying and installing a new gadget, but rather, upgrading an existing one.
...
Beam is more than just a lamp or projector. It connects to iPhone or Android phones via Bluetooth and an on-board computer allows it to deliver content over Wi-Fi. Obvious applications, like streaming Netflix or looking at pictures were a given, but a companion app that allows for the programming of “if this then that” scenarios allows it to be used in new ways.

This looks like a really nifty product. I'll be very interested to see how it works in real life once they start going into production.

Be sure to check out the Kickstarter page for a more detailed description of the product.

Wired: New Mod Lets You Use a Selfie Stick in Doom

New Mod Lets You Use a Selfie Stick in Doom

Just when we thought the year of the selfie was coming to a close, the selfie stick brought it all back. Now a modder is sending them to Mars.

InstaDoom is a new mod from DoomWorld user Linguica that adds a selfie mode to the 22-year-old first-person shooter.

Just the thing to introduce a new generation of teenagers to that ancient VGA-based FPS.

Now I want to go back and play it again, but I think I'll skip the Selfie Mod. If I don't go spamming them in real life, I don't see any reason why I should do it in-game either.

Slate: History of the High Heel

A Short History of the High Heel

As a fashion object and symbol, the high-heeled shoe is weighted with meaning. It’s also weighted with the wearer’s entire body weight. The stiletto might be one of the only designs that is physically painful but has somehow persisted for centuries.

High-heeled shoes were originally worn by men. As early as the 10^th century, many horseback-riding cultures wore heels on their boots and on their shoes, because heels help you stay in the stirrups (which is why cowboy boots have heels).

A fascinating article. The only thing I'd add is that although high heels are no longer fashionable for men, men's dress shoes all have heels (typically about 1").

Comic: St. Patrick

h/t Kosher Kola

I know it's not St. Patrick's Day, nor is it even close, but I ran across this comic today and wanted to share it with the world.

Monty Python explained: Housey-Housey

For years, I've been a fan of Monty Python's Flying Circus. There is one scene in The Cycling Tour where a bunch of mock-Chinese people are very keen on playing Bingo and keep on shouting "Bingo" and "Housey Housey":

This is probably one of the most annoying scenes ever, with lots of characters all shouting "Housey Housey" all over the place for no apparent reason.

Well, as it turns out, this is one of those places where I just don't get it because I'm an American. Doing a Google search this morning, I learned that "Housey-Housey" is what the British call the game of Bingo (and occasionally Lotto). And, like with Bingo, you shout the name of the game when you win.

And now you too know this piece of worthless trivia

Instant Ice - Waterbending In Real Life!

Instant Ice - Waterbending In Real Life!

Want to make a glass of water freeze instantly on command? What is this supernatural power and who can use it? Discover the secrets to Ice-bending ... in real life.

Detailed Instant Ice Tips & Tricks: http://youtu.be/7o8moFSHrAQ

You can do it with soda too!: http://youtu.be/5T68TvdoSbI

http://www.thekingofrandom.com
...
Project Inspired by: A friend at work, named Lew, told me he left water bottles outside overnight in freezing temperatures, then got the water to freeze instantly by shaking them. Since then, I've seen multiple videos on YouTube demonstrating the effect of supercooled water, and had multiple requests to make a video.

Sounds like something fun to try at home. I'll have to try it out one of these days.

Peanuts Movie trailer

Peanuts | Official Holiday Trailer [HD] | FOX Family

Published on Nov 18, 2014
Peanuts | Official Trailer: Watch the exclusive new trailer for The Peanuts Movie where Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the rest of the gang will make their big-screen debut.

Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the beloved "Peanuts" gang make their big-screen debut, like they’ve never been seen before, in state of the art 3D animation. Snoopy, the world’s most lovable beagle – and flying ace – embarks upon his greatest mission as he takes to the skies to pursue his arch-nemesis The Red Baron, while his best pal, Charlie Brown, begins his own epic quest. From the imagination of Charles M. Schulz and the creators of the ICE AGE films, THE PEANUTS MOVIE will prove that every underdog has his day.

Visit the official site at: http://www.peanutsmovie.com/

According to IMDB, it is scheduled for release on November 6, 2015.

Dry Bones: Good News, Bad News

So what, one wonders, are an Iranian general and Iranian troops doing on the Golan Heights, on Israel's borders? Hmmmmm?

What, indeed. And yet the US and Europe remain steadfastly dedicated to the idea that this whole conflict is over Palestinian refugees and Jews building homes on their own land. And when you tell them that this is, and always has been, a proxy-war with Iran, they laugh at you. But I'm sure they'll just dismiss this article as fantasy since it doesn't align with their prejudices.

Click through to the article to see a Yahoo News article about this.

Piece of junk bed frame

Hospitality Bed Full XL / Queen Size Hook-On Steel Bed Rails With Three Center Supports

This bed frame is absolute garbage. Don't buy it.

In December, out bed broke. The bed is a fairly traditional design. A headboard, a footboard, two wooden rails connecting them, and three wooden planks running between the rails, with mattress and foundation on top. The frame was pretty old, and eventually, one of the wooden rails broke.

Not wanting to go through the same problem again, I thought it would be best to keep the headboard and footboard, but replace the frame with a steel frame. After some Googling, we located Bed Frame Parts and selected the frame seen above. We thought $160 is overpriced (since the steel frame we got with the mattress only cost $100), but it was the best price for something that appeared solid in the picture and its description.

We ordered it in mid-December and it arrived in a few days. Assembly was a little tricky, but nothing I couldn't handle. We put the mattresses on it and considered it done. Until last night.