From: crispen@NETSQUIRREL.COM
Reply-To: TOURBUS-Request@LISTSERV.AOL.COM
To: TOURBUS@LISTSERV.AOL.COM
Subject: TOURBUS -- 20 AUGUST 1998 -- TRAVELZOO UPDATE / GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS HOAX / GOLD-STAKES 4TH PRIZE NEWSLETTER / BUDDYLST.ZIP
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TODAY'S TOURBUS STOPS:
TRAVELZOO UPDATE / GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS HOAX /
GOLD-STAKES 4TH PRIZE NEWSLETTER / BUDDYLST.ZIP
TODAY'S TOURBUS ADDRESSES:
http://www.stockdetective.com/news.asp
http://www.tourbus.com/archive/tb080698.htm
http://www.valueline.com/prices.html
http://interactive.wsj.com/std_regchoice.html
With 500 days remaining until the year 2000, many people are
frantically worrying about the impact of the infamous Y2K problem.
But, according to a recent report in USA Today, even if the world
survives the Y2K problem intact, there is another problem looming in
the future that few people even know about: the Y2K+4 problem.
In the year 2004, many parts of the United States will be besieged by
the 17-year return of the locust. While the damage to United States
agriculture will be immense, even more frightening is the fact that
squirrels LOVE to eat locusts. So, in 2004 there will be a whole
mess of fat squirrels. Fat squirrels mean large litters. And large
litters mean MORE SQUIRRELS!
Remember that you heard it here first. :)
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On with the show ...
-------------------
UPDATE ON TRAVELZOO
-------------------
I have some more information on Travelzoo, a new company that was
recently giving away stock (they stopped accepting new stockholders a
few weeks ago). In a recent New York Times article, Gordon Anderson,
editor in chief of Hoovers Online, a financial news and database
service, questioned Travelzoo's promise to pay shareholders dividends:
"There is not an Internet company on the planet with the
wherewithal to pay dividends," he said. "Microsoft, with $12
billion in cash, doesn't cut dividend checks. The chance of
Travelzoo ever paying dividends is -- optimistically -- nil."
I would give you the URL for this article, but the address is NINETY
characters long (email me if you want instructions on how to locate
this article in the NYT archives).
Actually, there is a much more in-depth article on Travelzoo
here
In addition, if you missed my 6 August TOURBUS post on Travelzoo, you
can find it in the TOURBUS archives
here.
Finally, it looks like Ralph Bartel, the man behind Travelzoo, has
created a new, almost identical site called "1001computers." The
1001computers Frequently Asked Questions page
here
is taken almost word-for-word from the Travelzoo Frequently Asked
Questions page (which, unfortunately, no longer exists).
[Special thanks go to fellow TOURBUS riders Pam 0'Connell for telling
me about the NYT article, David Emery for telling me about the Stock
Detective article, and Bret Essing for telling me about
1001computers].
--------------------------------
THE WORLD'S MOST GULLIBLE PEOPLE
--------------------------------
As further proof that my computer's "brightness" knob must be
defective, I present the following urban legend / chain letter that
has been cluttering up the Net recently
If we keep this going until September 9th, 1999 (9-9-99), I
PROMISE YOU that everyone's name who this was sent to will be in
the Guinness Book of Records.
I HAVE PROOF! I E-MAILED THEM & TOLD THEM I WOULD START ONE &
THEY SAID THEY'D SAVE A SPOT FOR US IN THE 2000 Special
addition!
The story is a hoax. You should also be aware that many Internet
Service Providers, as well as many Internet network backbone
providers, have specific rules prohibiting the distribution of chain
letters over their networks. So, for the record, if you forward this
chain letter to your friends:
1. Your name won't be added to the Guinness Book of Worlds
Records; and
2. You run a very good chance of losing your Internet account.
[Special thanks go to fellow TOURBUS rider Mindy for first noticing
this hoax.]
---------------------------------------------------------
CONGRATULATIONS ... YOU HAVE WON A GOLD-PLATED NEWSLETTER
---------------------------------------------------------
A message currently making its way around the Net tells you that
Recently your email address was entered in our draw for a bar of
solid gold. (GOLD-STAKES)
In a preliminary drawing your address was pulled for 4th prize
(out of over 100,000 entries).
The message goes on to say that you need to visit a particular Web
site to "claim your prize." What, exactly, is your prize? A free,
three month "[m]ini-subscription to the Promotion Report ... The only
investment newsletter that gives you the inside track on stock
promotions - before they happen!"
You might be wondering what happens after your three-month mini-
subscription prize expires. Well, you can continue to receive the
Promotion Report for the incredibly low price of only US$299 a year.
How considerate.
Of course, what the "GOLD-STAKES" prize announcement fails to tell you
is that there are HUNDREDS of other stock and stock promotion
resources available, many of which cost far less than US$299. For
example, The Value Line Investment Survey, Expanded Edition, costs
US$249 a year (see http://www.valueline.com/prices.html). Better yet,
a subscription to the online version of the Wall Street Journal only
costs US$49 a year (see http://interactive.wsj.com/std_regchoice.html
-- and current print subscribers of The Wall Street Journal, Barron's,
or SmartMoney only have to pay US$29!).
By the way, if you want to save yourself even more money, visit your
local library. Most major libraries offer both Value Line and the
Wall Street Journal free. :)
[Special thanks go to fellow TOURBUS rider "Joann" for forwarding me
a copy of the GOLD-STAKES message]
-------------------------------
WARNING! DON'T DOWNLOAD JERKS!
-------------------------------
I have decided the death penalty should be expanded to include the
following three crimes:
1. Driving slow in the passing lane;
2. Driving to the end of a highway onramp and STOPPING;
3. Sending out messages saying "don't download this particular
file; it contains a virus."
The latest "don't download" hoax says that
If you download some jerk from the internet will get your screen
name and password!
So, let that be a lesson to you -- don't download some jerk from the
Internet! The message goes on to say
Please send this to any names you can think of and remember
never download BUDDYLST.ZIP This is a new, very malicious virus
and not many people know about it.
This information was announced yesterday morning from Microsoft.
First, you cannot get a virus from downloading a file. You can only
get a virus by executing (launching, double clicking, etc.) a file.
Second, warning people to avoid particular files is about as dumb as
driving to the end of a highway onramp and stopping. Neither helps
anyone. Instead of warning your friends to be on the lookout for a
particular file, your friends would be better served if you told them
to watch out for ALL files, regardless of the files' names. The fact
is *ANY* executable file *COULD* contain a virus or Trojan Horse, and
the only way to protect yourself from viruses is to operate in "full
paranoia mode" and virus-check every file. If you operate under the
assumption that *ALL* executable files could contain viruses, you will
soon realize how silly it is to warn people about only one particular
file name.
Third, "new, very malicious" viruses are created and discovered every
day. I updated my anti-virus definitions a few moments ago. In the
past seven days, the folks at Norton (the makers of my anti-virus
software) have found fifty-two new viruses. Let me repeat that again
in all caps for greater effect: FIFTY-TWO NEW VIRUSES IN THE LAST
SEVEN DAYS! In fact, my anti-virus program now recognizes 15,711
viruses. If there have been FIFTY-TWO new viruses discovered in the
past week, and if there are 15,711 viruses that my virus-checking
program recognizes (and who knows how many viruses it does not
recognize), why would ANYONE be interested in learning about only
*ONE* new virus? Instead of saying "beware of buddylst.zip -- it
contains a virus," wouldn't you be doing your friends a better service
by saying, "hey, you probably need to update your virus definitions
often because DOZENS of new viruses are discovered every week?"
Finally, Microsoft does not make virus announcements. They make money.
So, what are we left with? Pretty much, the message you should send
to your friends is
Watch out for ... well ... EVERY EXECUTABLE FILE ON THE INTERNET!
Every single executable file on the Internet *COULD* contain a
virus or a Trojan Horse. It doesn't really matter what the
file's name is. As long as it is executable, it could contain a
virus or a Trojan Horse. In fact, literally DOZENS of new
viruses and Trojan Horses are discovered every week, and there
are TENS OF THOUSANDS of viruses and Trojan Horses floating
around the Net right now.
How can you protect yourself? Buy a good anti-virus program
(they cost about US$40), install it on your computer, and UPDATE
YOUR VIRUS definitions every week (your anti-virus program's user
manual will tell you how to do this).
Should you warn people to stay away from files named
"buddylst.zip," "aol4free.exe," or "budfrogs.exe?" NO! Why?
The following analogy will help you answer that question. I
assume that you will agree that kids shouldn't play with guns.
So, should you warn your friends not to let their children play
with Browning Semi-Auto 22 rifles or Colt M1991A1 sidearms?
Maybe, but don't you think it would be more helpful if you
ignored specific firearm models and instead made the blanket
statement "don't let your kids play with guns?"
The same is true on the Internet. Telling your friends to beware
of specific files is not as helpful as telling your friends that
"*ALL* executable files could contain a virus or a Trojan Horse,
and you should therefore be on the lookout for, and virus-check,
*EVERY* executable file you see, regardless of the file's name."
That's just my opinion, though. :)
[Special thanks go to fellow TOURBUS rider Rose Barry for giving me
something to rant about.]
TODAY'S TOURBUS STOPS:
TRAVELZOO UPDATE / GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS HOAX /
GOLD-STAKES 4TH PRIZE NEWSLETTER / BUDDYLST.ZIP
TODAY'S TOURBUS ADDRESSES:
http://www.stockdetective.com/news.asp
http://www.tourbus.com/archive/tb080698.htm
http://www.valueline.com/prices.html
http://interactive.wsj.com/std_regchoice.html
------------------------
SOUTHERN WORD OF THE DAY
------------------------
COTTON (noun). Box or container.
Usage: "Ju' want a cotton of cigarettes?"
(Special thanks to Mike Todd for today's wurd)
You can find *ALL* of the old Southern Words of the day
here.
=====================[ TOURBUS Rider Information ]===================
The Internet Tourbus - U.S. Library of Congress ISSN #1094-2238
Copyright 1995-98, Rankin & Crispen - All rights reserved
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Send this copy to 3 friends and tell them to hop on the Bus!
=====================================================================
.~~~. ))
(\__/) .' ) )) Patrick Douglas Crispen
/o o \/ .~
{o_, \ { crispen@netsquirrel.com
/ , , ) \ http://www.netsquirrel.com/
`~ '-' \ } ))
_( ( )_.' Warning: squirrels.
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