Categories

Archives

It’s Tick & Spam Season!

The warmer weather has definitely brought out the ticks already, as so far I’ve picked a big juicy sucker off of each dog. I’ve already dosed them both with Frontline – which typically works for about 3 weeks in our experience, not the month claimed – but our stuff might be out of date. Both doggies have gotten Lyme disease before, and one, Ehrlichiois. Considering that we got a dusting of snow within the past week, the grass and weeds have yet to take off and it’s hard to say where they’re picking up the buggers.

Speaking of parasitic bloodsuckers, I’ve been noticing a new form of comment spam that Akismet is rather hit-or-miss on (they’re mostly picked up, a few get through). They appear to be legitimate comments except for not relating much to the post in question. Usually generic “thanks for the post” remarks, and the only link is entered into the website field, directed toward garbage sites with no real content.

But one of these spam comments was nice enough to point out their MO – linking to a blogger page with an automated commenting software for ‘backlinking’ and building up search engine ranks. It’s at the “dofollowblogcommenter” blogger site for those interested, but my investigation is ending at the trialpay.com link for downloading said software.

For now, I’m flagging most of it as spam, unless the comment text could by any conceivable stretch be considered legitimate, in which case I’ll just strip the website link.

End Of The Year Time-Wasters

Post-holiday depression? Middle of the winter doldrums? Job search got you down? Here’s my list of things to turn your mind off whatever and onto zombie cruise mode – here’s to better days far away.

Oblivion box art

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

An oldie but a goodie, available cheaply. From Bethesda Softworks, Oblivion plays similarly to their newer Fallout 3 title, but takes place in a quintessential fantasy land replete with elves, ogres, and plenty of rats. I missed Oblivion originally (pre-PS3 pour moi), played Fallout 3 last year, and felt right at home picking up the new (old) title. The game occasionally shows its age – fraggy graphics, hang-ups – but is still worth a play for fans of the genre who might have missed it originally.

MGS4 box art

Metal Gear Solid 4

You guessed it – I’m not one to jump and fetch the latest and greatest game at an outrageous MSRP. But I did recently pick up MGS4. Enjoyable, short on actual gameplay but long on cinematic cut-scenes, and a real eye pleaser. Being the first of the series I’ve played, I was a little lost without knowing the full back story. There is plenty here to make a replay or two worthwhile and it’s as fine a platform as any to show off the graphic prowess of the PS3. I had non-gamers following the storyline for pete’s sake!

Crumb's Genesis

R. Crumb’s The Book of Genesis Illustrated

Lest everyone think I’m permanently wired to a playstation, I’ve also been giving my thumbs a workout by turning the pages of Crumb’s illustrated book of genesis. Finally, find out what everyone’s been talking about! Crumb and I might be heathens, but as stated in the intro, this is meant to be “a straight illustration job, with no intention to ridicule or make visual jokes.” A faithful reproduction of the King James bible illustrated along Crumb’s signature style? If you get offended, then you’re taking life too seriously.

Dog Hikes book

Dog Hikes in the Adirondacks

This was a pleasant surprise during the conspicuous consumption season, perhaps of little interest to most of you, but just the resource I was looking for. This helpful paperback (published by Shaggy Dog Press in Westport, NY) rounds up 20 trails in the Adirondacks ripe for canine companionship, with the proceeds going to animal shelters and humane organizations throughout the area. It also includes topics like acclimating your dog to the hike, elderly canine hikers, and additional precautions and considerations to take in mind. Don’t ruin a hike by bringing other people – bring your dog!

(Note that I didn’t link a single thing here, as I believe you’re all adept at googling by this point.)

Add A Dog

We’ve been checking the local shelters recently, trying to find a second dog. Baja would enjoy some canine companionship, and if they click, two could be easier than one. Something the same age, maybe a little bigger. There was a nice two year old shepherd mix that we went back to take a second look at today, and he was just being adopted as we walked it. We’ll find another good dog eventually, it’s a process.

Meanwhile, I’ve neglected the blog, watched for job openings, and played a lot of NHL 09 for the PS3. Which is great, by the way.