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Source: JoeMyGod

Update to Computer / Hotel email scam

Here is an update to my entry about the hotel/email scam. I actually received two of the scam emails. Here is one:

Dear Client!

Transaction: Credit Card 4920_fXqpb
On July 26th, 2011 Hotel made wrong transaction from your account for an overall amount of $1752. This partner hotel was divested accreditation in Moverick Company with reference of noncompliance of the service contract. Please see the attached form. You need to fill it in and contact your bank for the return of funds. In the attachment you will find expense sheet with the sum of wrong transaction debiting.
Company just mediates and bears no responsibility for any money transactions made by Hotel. Sorry for the inconvenience. We trust you can solve this unpleasant problem.

Keven Benes,
Manager of Reception Desk & Reservation Departament

And of course there was the inevitable attachment, that if opened would release the virus.

The 'refund' form is actually a nasty Trojan horse virus that attempts to install bogus antivirus sofware on your computer, which provides annoying alerts to phantom security problems on your computer. It then keeps pestering you until you pay some money to buy a phony antivirus product.

The trick is - of course - not to open the attachment in the first place - or use your anti Virus software. Also make sure your anti-Virus software is up to date, as spammers change the code on their viruses regularly to circumvent your protection software.

Just goes to show, you should never trust someone who puts an exclamation after the salutation.

Additional Info: Scamtends

American Architects design their own Barbie® Dream House™!

The American Institute of Architects has collaborated with Mattel and run a design competition for Barbie®'s new Dream House™! (Squeel!)

They have received 30 submissions, and a panel of jurors has selected 5 finalists (with input from Mattel's own team of Barbie® experts©. (Squeeeeeeel!).

The winning design is a typical™Malibu Beach House® designed by Ting Li and Maja Paklar. It has a Library™ because Barbie reads®! and a meditation room™ because Barbie thinks®! and a kind of weird wardrobe staircase thing - that you are going to have to download the PDF here to see. It even has floor plans!

 

I know you want to know more . . .

Scource: AIA  Orlando Sentinal

John Travlota removed from Qantas - at last!

It's strange how John Travolta who these days just seems to want to fly planes gets involved in the stoush between The Australian and International Pilots Association, and Qantas Management.

Qantas has recently removed the in-flight safety video featuring the Scientology believing American star.  The Pilots Assocation say that it is because Travolta talks about 'Australian Pilots' when Qantas is rumoured to replace them with outsourced and off shore alternatives.

Have they considered it is just because:

1. The safety video is not very good
2. the last time I saw it the copy was scratched and distorted
3. Passengers are distracting the pilots because of their volume of groans each time the video plays?
4. Qantas management got as bored as passengers already are with viewing the video?

Well those are my theories.  For anyone who hasn't seen the video - its presented below for your viewing pleasure - or pain, depending on you point of view.  This clip from Fox - also reminds us that Qantas Crew weren't too happy when the video was first introduced:

Scource: fox, SMH, and others

British American Airlines ?

If you want a really BIG airline:

AMERICAN Airlines has raised the prospect of a full merger with British Airways and Iberia in a move that would create the world's largest carrier.

Tom Horton, the American Airlines president, said he believed that restrictions on the foreign ownership of US carriers would be relaxed before he retires -- he is 50.

International Airlines Group, which owns the BA and Iberia brands, was given regulatory permission to form a transatlantic alliance with AA last year. The $US7 billion ($6.4bn)-a-year joint venture allows them to co-operate on schedules, sell each other's flights and share revenues from transatlantic operations.

They are already co-ordinating flights between London and New York. And if they do merge, they will be the biggest airline company in the world.

Scource: Reuters. The Australian

Google plays with hotel finder search tool

As Google slowly takes over the online world - it brings us a beta of a find the hotel application.

Google's Hotel Finder . . . can find the ideal accommodation for a particular user based on a few different priorities, such as location and budget. For example, when searching for where to stay, the user can draw shapes around neighborhoods using a mouse rather than searching by individual addresses.

Source: CNET

Every aircraft needs a bar!

I recently travelled on V Australia, and they had a bar in business class. It was nice to get up, stretch your legs and meet some other travellers.  The odd things was that once more than 4 or 5 of us grouped on one side of the aircraft, staff - very politely - pointed out that this was against regulations, and could we break up the group.

Well, not to be outdone, Korean Airlines is adding not just one, but three bars to their A380's:

The airline is calling them "Celestial Bars," and plans to add one to first class and two to business. Oh, did I not mention coach? That's because all of us in the cheap seats are going to have to buy our liquor from the trolley as we always have.

One of Korean Airlines new A380 bars

The Celestial Bars in business will be self service and, since cocktails in the upper tiers are usually comped, that could make for some pretty inebriated passengers. First class will get a bartender. Of Korea Air's 10 A380 planes, it's uncertainly how many will get all liquored up.

Anyone for a drink?

Source: DVICE

That wrong transaction on your credit card could cost a lot more

Latest email message scam tells you a hotel has erroneously charged your credit card account.

The messages started popping up in recent days and there are already hundreds of variants on the same theme: A hotel wrongly charged a credit card number and the victim is supposed to fill out an attached form to process the refund.

"Please see the attached form. You need to fill it out and contact your bank for return of funds," read one such message, titled "Hotel Breakers Palm Beach made wrong transaction."

The 'refund' form is actaully a nasty Trojan horse virus that attempts to install bogus antivirus sofware on your computer, which provides annoying alerts to phantom security problems on your computer. It then keeps pestering you until you pay some money to buy a phony antivirus product.

The trick is - of course - not to open the attachment in the first place - or use your anti Virus software. Also make sure your anti-Virus software is up to date, as spammers change the code on their viruses regularly to circumvent your protection software.

Source: PC World

More rumours about how iPhone 5 will look

Its hard to know what to believe about the upcoming iPhone 5. Will it arrive in September? Will it look almost the same as iPhone 4? Or, will it look like this - the latest rumour:

Don't ask me.

Scources: AllNewsMac, AppleInsider

iPad bag review

I wouldn't travel without my iPad 2 these days.  I don't have a cute bag for it, but slip it into my current Jack Spade shoulder bag. But if I were considering buying a new bag for it, this Waterfield one might be the one:

Full Review: Gadgetier

Is that a gun in your pocket . . .

Obviously not pleased to see this United Airlines employee:

A worker for the US airline; united Airlines was accidentally shot by a passenger during the check in process at a US airport, it has been revealed. According to the reports, the airline worker was accident ally shot by a man who was checking in a hunting rifle for an upcoming flight.

The right to bare arms . . .

Scource: Boosh Articles

The art in the Chelsea Hotel is going walkabout

It appears that the mountains of art left by former occupants of New York's famous Chelsea Hotel are slowly disappearing prior to a major remodelling:

The hotel, designated a landmark in 1966, put up for sale in 2010, has walls "caked with art" by former and current hotel residents, like Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Willem De Kooning. That art has been vanishing, piece by piece, either taken away with evicted owners, thrown away, or just "going missing." Ed Hamilton, who writes Living with Legends: Hotel Chelsea Blog, was tipped off that several of Brett Whiteley's paintings, which sell for millions, "were observed being carted out of the hotel last Wednesday and taken away in a van."

Scource: The Village Voice

Macdonald's demonstrates the difference between Apple and Windows

Scource: JoeMyGod