amoeba's recent activity

  1. Comment on Worthwhile to post about a spammer targeting nonprofits? in ~talk

    amoeba
    Link Parent
    Thanks for the response and the good suggestion. I'll try reaching out to the Tides Foundation tomorrow. Might reach out to the EFF for advice, too. For what it's worth, your comment helped give...

    Thanks for the response and the good suggestion. I'll try reaching out to the Tides Foundation tomorrow. Might reach out to the EFF for advice, too.

    For what it's worth, your comment helped give me a direction with this. I was feeling frustrated, and kind of floundering for what to do. So, seriously, thank you.

    5 votes

  2. Worthwhile to post about a spammer targeting nonprofits?

    ~talk Text 383 words
    I volunteer with several small nonprofits. A few weeks ago, one of them got a spam message from a "volunteer" offering to create a free website for the organization and disclosing a connection to...

    I volunteer with several small nonprofits. A few weeks ago, one of them got a spam message from a "volunteer" offering to create a free website for the organization and disclosing a connection to DonorComplete. There was no unsubscribe link. I hit Google, which eventually led me to a thread on TechSoup where I commented with what I had found to that date under the same user name: http://forums.techsoup.org/cs/community/f/24/t/43439.aspx This & other results showed that the "free" website is linked to historically very expensive hosting (historically , ~ $20-$40/mo, now showing about $10/mo) for a static website with very limited support or options.

    My research continued intermittently, but there appears to be a network of over 100 domains (active, expired, dormant and/or returning server errors) connected to spam efforts over roughly the last 6 years, questionable marketing tactics dating back to ~ 1998, 4 overlapping corporations with one man as a central figure, several throwaway email addresses and a couple that seem to be dedicated & longer running, a handful of apparently dedicated servers and several shared servers with many connected domains hosted. The messages target nonprofit organizations and churches, with 4 textual variations posted via email, mailing lists, and comments. The first archived comments I found targeted FOSS project mailing lists. Based on the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, many small nonprofits used their service years ago, but it looks like the spammers' services have been largely abandoned over the last few years - probably why the new campaign started ~ June.

    I've filed complaints with two of the registrars, and at least one of the recently active domains appears to be in non-hosted status. Would there be any interest in my posting a thread with the details of what I've found so far (spreadsheets and mind maps in progress)? Would anyone be interested in helping me present the data in a more easily digestible format a la r/dataisbeautiful? Or can anyone recommend an easier way to report the registrant tied to the spam? I'm not trying to start a witch hunt, but these people seem to have flown under the radar for a long time, and I know many small nonprofits aren't tech savvy enough to recognize the warning signs these folks present.

    8 votes

  3. Comment on Punctuation that failed to make its mark in ~humanities.languages

    amoeba
    Link Parent
    Thanks for the info. I'll check Breevy out.

    Thanks for the info. I'll check Breevy out.

  4. Comment on Punctuation that failed to make its mark in ~humanities.languages

    amoeba
    Link Parent
    Once upon a time, a friend's father explained punctuation as akin to music notation. For some reason, that really clicked with me; it just made sense that different punctuation could indicate the...

    Once upon a time, a friend's father explained punctuation as akin to music notation. For some reason, that really clicked with me; it just made sense that different punctuation could indicate the length and the intended tone.

    Tangentially, what program do you use for dashes? That sounds interesting.

  5. Comment on The Lie of Little Women - Peering into the secrets of Louisa May Alcott’s real life sheds light on her treasured coming-of-age tale in ~books

    amoeba
    Link
    That was a very interesting read. Despite having read Little Women and the sequels when young and later reading some writeups on the author, I "went down the rabbit hole" upon reading this...

    That was a very interesting read. Despite having read Little Women and the sequels when young and later reading some writeups on the author, I "went down the rabbit hole" upon reading this article: transcendentalism, questionable communes, genteel poverty, maternal mortality, early feminism, social work, art history, proto-veganism, et. al...

    I was also interested to learn that Little Women had historically been seen as an uncontroversial work. When reading it as a child, I identified with the (I guess, countercultural) undertones of Alcott's writing.

    These are not books I've reread over and over like some books I was exposed to at a similar age. However, Meg & Jo remain in my memory as stronger, more evocative characters than Amy & Beth. Marmie, in my memory, is more of an environmental influence - less of a character in her own right.

    Overall, this article made me want to revisit Louisa May Alcott's writings, to discover nuances I'd missed as a younger reader.

    I don't know if my comment contributes anything to the overall discussion, but (as there were no the comments) I hope it can serve as an inspiration/impetus for further discussion.

    2 votes

  6. Comment on The Cost of JavaScript in 2018 in ~comp

    amoeba
    Link Parent
    uMatrix is a great extension, if you're willing to put some time into learning how it works. It's made by the same dev behind uBlock Origin. If you're using Waterfox, I think this link will work...

    uMatrix is a great extension, if you're willing to put some time into learning how it works. It's made by the same dev behind uBlock Origin.

    If you're using Waterfox, I think this link will work for you, if you want to add the extension: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/umatrix/

    3 votes

  7. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~talk

    amoeba
    Link Parent
    While I'd never heard the term fasciation before, I think you're almost certainly correct after following your link and doing some cursory research. This blog talks about a couple heritage...

    While I'd never heard the term fasciation before, I think you're almost certainly correct after following your link and doing some cursory research.

    This blog talks about a couple heritage varieties of fasciated tomatoes that you can grow: https://laidbackgardener.blog/tag/fasciated-tomato/

  8. Comment on Is there a space for the extremes of "alt right" on Tildes? in ~tildes

    amoeba
    Link Parent
    I'm another one who tends to lurk more than post or comment, only doing so when I think I have some valuable to contribute. I agree with your stance.

    I'm another one who tends to lurk more than post or comment, only doing so when I think I have some valuable to contribute. I agree with your stance.

    1 vote

  9. Comment on Daily Tildes discussion - approaches to self-promotion in ~tildes.official

    amoeba
    Link Parent
    Your comment mirrors my feelings on the matter closely. While self-promotional activity may occasionally contribute to discussion, it seems to veer into spamming far too often. I would support...

    Your comment mirrors my feelings on the matter closely. While self-promotional activity may occasionally contribute to discussion, it seems to veer into spamming far too often. I would support rules discouraging self-promotional activity with very limited exceptions.

    3 votes

  10. Comment on US opposition to breast-feeding resolution stuns World Health officials in ~health

    amoeba
    Link Parent
    Baby formula is a dirty business, and Nestlé's behavior and actions regarding baby formula is not as well known as it should be. In developing countries, they sent representatives into hospitals...

    Baby formula is a dirty business, and Nestlé's behavior and actions regarding baby formula is not as well known as it should be. In developing countries, they sent representatives into hospitals dressed as nurses, giving out samples to new mothers in quantities designed to ensure the mother's breast milk would dry up before the samples ran out. The mothers often only had access to contaminated water and buying enough formula was being their economic means, so many babies ended up malnourished or sick from too few nutrients or contaminants. These issues were exacerbated by English-only product labeling. Nestlé basically bribed the hospitals to allow representatives & marketing materials by providing supplies and subsidies to the hospitals. Business Insider has a decent overview here:
    http://www.businessinsider.com/nestles-infant-formula-scandal-2012-6#the-bad-publicity-sparked-a-global-boycott-of-nestl-11

    This 2013 Reuters article indicates similar practices remain an issue in China for Nestlé & other producers of baby formula. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-milkpowder-specialreport/special-report-how-big-formula-bought-china-idUSBRE9A700820131108

    My mother refused to buy or let me consume any Nestlé products when I was growing up (harder than it sounds). She continues her boycott, and has passed it on to me; my reasons for boycott include Nestlé's statements over access to clean water as a fundamental right as well as the issues with their marketing of baby formula.

    13 votes

  11. Comment on Daily Tildes discussion - proposals for "trial groups", round 1 in ~tildes.official

  12. Comment on Summer Dinner Salads suggestions please in ~food

    amoeba
    Link Parent
    I've used garlic scapes occasionally; I was taught to blanch them to knock off some of the bite. They've got a similar but noticeably different flavor than garlic bulbs. I usually mince them....

    I've used garlic scapes occasionally; I was taught to blanch them to knock off some of the bite. They've got a similar but noticeably different flavor than garlic bulbs. I usually mince them. They're wonderful sautéed; you can do a garlic scape infused olive oil, of course. I've also used them just blanched in yogurt-based dressings, or as an accent flavor in a salad.

    Qinoa and amaranth work well as grains in a salad, adding an interesting texture and mild nutty flavor. You can add herbs to the water or stock you cook them in to add some additional depth to the flavor. Pine nuts, if you can find them at a decent price, are another great addition, raw, toasted, sautéed, etc.

    For me, salads are about blending flavors, textures, and colors in ways that delight the eyes and taste buds. mat & sxo have given some great suggestions to play with.

    You can also add flowers for unexpected color, texture, and/or flavor. A lot of flowers are edible, including violets, clover, nasturtium, marigold, bee balm, and calendula.

    1 vote

  13. Comment on Summer Dinner Salads suggestions please in ~food

    amoeba
    Link
    I love a good salad, too. Depending on the flavors you like or the particular salad mix, here are some things to try adding or substituting: vegetables like radishes, carrots, mushrooms, rhubarb,...

    I love a good salad, too. Depending on the flavors you like or the particular salad mix, here are some things to try adding or substituting:

    • vegetables like radishes, carrots, mushrooms, rhubarb, asparagus, olives, onions or shallots, zucchini, peppers, garlic, water chestnuts, mung beans, alfafa sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, & tomatillos
    • fruits like cranberries, mandarin oranges, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, kiwis, starfruit, pears, apples, plantains or bananas
    • unusually textured/flavored greens like sorrel, lambsquarters, and kale & broadleaf plaintaiin (very young kale or plantain because they get really tough as they mature)
    • nuts like almonds, walnuts, cashews, pecans & peanuts
    • cheeses like cheddar, blue cheese, brie, feta and fresh mozzarella
    • different herbs & spices like lemon balm, marjoram, cilantro, chives, rosemary, thyme, dill, and fenugreek, smoked paprika, sage, tarragon, clove, cardamom, allspice, mustard seed, turmeric, celery seed, and cumin

    You can experiment with preparing your ingredients in different ways. For example, I like to sauté portabella mushrooms in a light herbed sauce (like balsamic vinegar or a sweet white wine) till they're golden brown. I'll brush thin zucchini slices with olive oil & smoked paprika and bake them till they're lightly browned. In either case, I'll let them cool before adding them to a salad.

    Try making your own salad dressings to completely change the character of your salads. Simmer some olive oil and minced garlic on low heat for 10-20 minutes, being careful the olive oil doesn't brown. That'll give you garlic-infused olive oil. That's a good base for lots dressings. You could then blend in some dry white wine & honey with a little salt, ground black pepper, dill, lemon balm, capers and chives for a light, citrusy dressing. If you added balsamic vinegar, you'll get a richer flavor; try blending in crushed or puréed raspberries with oregano, basil, ground fenugreek, and some salt and pepper. I also use low fat/no fat unflavored Greek yoghurt as a dressing base; it has a sour, citrusy favor and creamy texture that goes well with a lot of flavors.

    I don't really use recipes for salads, but here are a couple I make pretty regularly.

    Coarsely chop a bunch of tomatoes & sweet onions, throw in lots of fresh basil & rosemary, some almonds, dried cranberries, julienned sweet peppers, slivers of water chestnuts with ham or prosciutto, a dusting of a grated sharpish cheese, and toss it all with balsamic vinaigrette. I also like a butter lettuce, spinach and sorrel salad with crisp pear slices, green onions, a bit of sliced brie, walnuts, & grilled chicken with a warm honey vinaigrette.

    2 votes