The Nigerian email scam moves to Hong Kong.

I only opened this letter (which was in my aol spam folder), because for some reason, AOL doesn't show the full email addy in the opening mailbox window, and when I saw "[...]@live..." I wondered if I'd have to report something to the LiveJournal abuse team.

This is the message I read when I opened it:

( Read more... )

Really. How does anyone fall for such a naked scam? Especially since the promised share for the reader is only 30%? If it were 70%, or even 50%, I could see how greed might overcome reason. But 30%?

Naturally, I deleted it. But I thought someone here might be informed and/or amused by this

I can haz shiny? Yes, I can haz!

Dudes! I bought a birthday pressie for myself, today! I finally upgraded and bought a digital television (A 19-inch LCD set with a built in region 1 dvd player)! And I also got a new digital antenna, too.

Really, today was the deadline (not February 17th), so that I could watch THE INAUGURATION of BARACK HUSSEIN OBABA TOMORROW.

('cause... honestly? trying to watch all that RL shiny on a dying cathode ray tube was only going to end in tears of frustration)

OMG! Yay!!

It won't pick up analog signals at all ... You can select analog stations with the TV setup menu, but when you turn to them, all you get is a black, silent screen. And so, I learned today that several local stations haven't even bothered to start broadcasting in digital at all. I'll have to follow the PSAs' "Get ready for the digital switch" advice and redo the setup on February 18th.

When the signal's weak, though, the picture cuts out entirely, rather than giving me snow, and the signal is weak on several stations. The good news is, I can move the antenna until the picture comes back. The bad news is, for at least one station, this means sitting in front of the TV with the antenna in one hand, held out at arm's length. Apparently, the wall behind my TV set is blocking the signal (The signal is strong when both rabbit ears are pointing at the glass panes in the back door to my porch, so I guess glass is "transparent" as far as the signal's concerned. Maybe I could mount a shelf higher up on the wall, or something. Or arrange some mirrors to bounce the signal around the wall).

And only PBS, it seems, is bothering to use the technology to its full potential, and broadcasting many different channels on the same frequency (this does not surprise me). In addition to their regular station, they've also got one that's all documentaries, 24/7, and one that's all kids' tv, 24/7. That latter one may get a lot of use when I'm depressed in the middle of the night, and need a jolt of something Pro-Fun.

And speaking of pro-fun: they've brought back The Electric Company!. Or rather, they've brought it back and spiffed it up for a new generation. Normally, I think of myself as a curmudgeon when it comes to old school vs. new school. But this new version is made of win! With win flavored sprinkles on top.

The old version, which was on in the 1970s, was styled after the variety shows like Laugh-in and The Carol Burnett Show. For this generation, they've styled it after sci-fi dramas, and have made it about a core group of teenagers with superpowers, and their teenage friends from another planet, and each of their superpowers have something to do with the creative use of words, and using your words to make the world a better place. And, like the old school, they split up the ongoing story with shorter skits and songs. And it's just pretty to look at.

And yes, I know that, strictly speaking, I outgrew this show 38 years ago. But teaching reading in new ways means wordplay, and I love me some wordplay: rhythms, and internal rhymes and end rhymes, and beginning rhymes, and assonance and alliteration. All that stuff makes me happy.

So I am a happy camper (though my right arm may be sore tomorrow).

Excuse me. I'm off to play with my new toy, now.