Treasury: Beautifully Abstract

Be Safe... on your Blog.

My computer is just sitting there, in the room. I go downstairs to enjoy dinner and some time with my guy. I go upstairs, sit in the chair, and look at the screen.

My background has changed to green and black with "WARNING! Your computer has been infected. Serious malware has been detected!" Things are popping up (those gray pop-up boxes with the "dun!" noise) about Trojans. Yep, my computer has been infected. Still is, as I type this.

It was just a month ago when my PC had been infected the first time. Not the first ever time, but the first in a long long time. That was easily taken care of, but I noticed weird programs in my task manager's list. Jipsysguard.exe, by the way, is not something you want in there. So this could've been the root of this new virus, deemed Netsky.

The first infection came right after I visited a blog I follow. A popular one. I won't name names, and I'm sure this person doesn't know about it, but viruses can creep through the net. I hadn't opened any attachments, but I clicked on an article link and boom, infected. So keep an eye out on what you put on your blog and keep your computer clean by regularly checking up using software. (By the way, AVG version 9.0 is not good enough unless you're willing to pay, because it will not clean those viruses. Get an older free version.)

So be safe everyone! Other than that, I am excited about Christmas and, as a gift, Patrick is getting computer parts to build a new computer, so hopefully I won't have to deal with this crap anymore. :P Happy holidays!

Friday Featurette and Halloween!

Hey everyone, sorry it has been so long. The internet going on and off doesn't help a blogger, that's for sure! Here's a quick featurette of a journal-maker (I'm obsessed, remember?) and some Halloween photos!

This week's featurette goes to BlueToad. The name itself is pretty cool. This store specializes in journals with beautiful OOAK covers for very reasonable pricing. Usually handmade journals, even of small sizes, can be expensive. Also, some ACEOs are available. Here is the shop description:

Entwined Journal, $14

"Welcome to Blue Toad, a collective world of the creative mind, a place that will take you on a creative journey offering a variety of items to meet your whim and bring a smile.

BlueToad, a part of Tremundo, was the featured artisan on HGTV. Additional information on our shop profile and more creative collection at tremundo.etsy.com and visit us online at tremundo.com"

Peaceful Moments on Pale Blue Journal, $14

I'm definitely hearting this shop and keeping a close eye on it for the holidays. Several of these designs relate to this fall season, so they'd make perfect fall gifts for writers and sketchers alike. I'm so glad I found it! :)

Okay, so Halloween was a blast. Lots of good food, good costumes, and good dancing. Saturday night was the main one where I took the most pictures. Sunday was more of a nerd party, not so much dancing, but still fun.

1) Merrilee and I dancing away! 2) Merrilee, the artist hippie; Drew, the boy wizard; me, the pirate lass! 3) Cupcakes!!! 4) The nightlight set up (featuring glow-in-the-dark splatter paintings). 5) My pirate outfit. Yar!

Fiber For All!

If you're into Twittering as much as I am, then let me ask you: have you seen #fiberforall flying around lately? First off, it's nothing to do with irregularity. ;) It's referring to fiber technology. (And a wicked cool contest, which will be mentioned at the end of this post.)

I'm a very visual person, being a right-brained artist and all, so I'm going to start with a video you may or may not recognize.

Yes, indeed, he loves to blow things up. But he's also mentioning something here that's very important for you to know about: fiber technology, specifically in communications. That includes the internet. And we all know that faster internet is better internet. So, what is it?

When it comes down to it, fiber technology boils down to fiber optics. It allows our lovely interweb communications to transmit over longer distances at a faster rate. Fibers (usually made from glass or plastic) replace the typical metal wires because the fibers enable signals to travel faster with less "loss" (or attenuation) and no interference, which is always a good thing. Nothing irritates me more as an internet addict than when my internet's not working efficiently.

I'm not much into science, so you know this has gotta be good to get the attention of someone like moi. That's what fiber is all about, but why is it worth mentioning? How much better is it than, say, DSL or Cable? Like I said, I'm no computer person, but here is a great, short article to sum up the victor when it comes to the battle: Fiber vs. Cable vs. DSL - What You Need to Know.

As seen in the Michael Bay commercial, Verizon offers Verizon FiOS, or "Fiber Optic Service." Honestly, they should've left out the "i" so it could be interpreted as "Forget Other Services." ;) But anyway, here is another article from the same site that discusses what Verizon offers, and where it is available: http://fiberforall.org/verizon-fios/

But that is the main downside to this whole deal: fiber technology is not available everywhere. As of now, it is limited to some states like California (figures), Delaware, New York, and Oregon (what?). Poor lil' ole Tennesseeans like me can't get to it yet. But fear not, the technology is rapidly growing in its efficiency and availability, as soon as people start to recognize its significance. And, of course, Verizon won't be the sole solicitor of this great technology of the world wide web, for AT&T is jumping on the bandwagon (called AT&T U-verse). The main thing you'll have to worry about when the time comes is which price will fit your budget. Verizon is known to be more expensive, but it's all about their reliability. My phone service with them is rather nice, thank you. Better than T-Mobile, at least. (However, their mascot is hotter than Verizon's.)

If you want to learn more, check out places like FiberforAll.org and even look into articles placed around the web. Wikipedia was a good start for me, since I'm clueless about science and math. Google, as always, is the best option.

I highly suggest looking into this first at FiberforAll.org, and follow them on Twitter @FiberforAll, because it so happens that they're doing a fantastic giveaway to bloggers and Tweeps alike in celebration of illumination. Prizes include an HP Mini 10.1-Inch Netbook and a Sony Bravia 26-Inch 720p LCD HDTV (services, as usual, are not included). You don't want to miss out! They've extended the deadline to Labor Day, so go visit for more details! http://fiberforall.org/fios-triple-play-bundle/

Say it with me now, loud and clear: FIBER FOR ALL!

-Laura