"Windows Support Centre" scam

I just got called by the folks running the "Windows Support Centre" scam. If you haven't seen this one, the pitch is that they have noticed that your PC is producing a lot of Windows error messages and will crash and burn unless you let them help you. They are pretty skilful. If you express skepticism (as you should!) they ask you to examine the Windows Event Viewer whereupon you will see many error messages. This is normal for a Windows machine, but they will try to tell you that it is not.

It gets better. I continued to express my skepticism, so they went to the next page in their script. They get you to issue the "assoc" command in a windows command session, which produces several hundred lines of output. They draw your attention to a line near the bottom which contains .ZFSendToTarget=\CLSID=<888DCA60-FC0A-11CF-8F0F-00C04FD7D062>. They read if off to you over the phone in an attempt to convince you that they are legitimate. After all, how would they know your "computer id" if they weren't a genuine Windows support centre?

I was still skeptical, but I decided to play along. They had me open a browser window and type in a URL for a site that does remote management of PCs. I stalled for a few minutes while I opened up another browser window and Googled the URL. Sure enough, on the first page of hits were a couple of postings about this scam.

I hung up on the guy. I felt good about wasting his time, time he might have used to reel somebody else in.

See this link for more information. Among other things, it explains that .ZFSendToTarget is not a unique value; most Windows PCs have it.

Boss talk

What he says: "How is it going?"
What he means: "Why aren't you finished yet?"

What he says: "This is a challenging task."
What he means: "I don't know how to do it either."

Artifacts

I have to fight to suppress a smile whenever I hear people talk about the "artifacts" that have to be produced as part of any modern systems development methodology.  As far as I can tell, the term "artifact" has replaced the more descriptive "deliverable", but that's not what I find amusing.

To me the word "artifact" has always meant something like: "An man-made object of historical or scientific value that has no practical use."  Or, in another sense, "data corruption produced by an error in the process that measures the data".  To those of us in the trenches who are required to create "artifacts" in addition to executable code, both of these definitions seem apt.

Ergonomic impact of full screen debugging tools

Speaking of RDz, as I was in my last post, full screen debugging tools can have an unexpected ergonomic impact, at least on my decrepit old frame.

When writing code, launching and monitoring batch jobs, or testing an online screen the old fashioned way, I tend to sit back in my chair in a fairly relaxed posture.  Debugging interactively, whether using RDz or another tool, tends to change that.  I lean forward in my chair intently focused on the screen in front of me as I watch the code execute.    I feel poised, ready to pounce when the next breakpoint comes up or when the execution flow appears to go awry.

All this is good fun (I love debugging), but it gets physically wearisome when you do it continuously for 8 hours or so.

Cruelty to Mainframers

Was IBM deliberately cruel to us old mainframers when they designed RDz?  Why else would they assign F8 to "Run until next breakpoint"?  I cannot tell you how many RDz debugging sessions I've ruined by hitting F8 in the source window when all I meant to do was scroll down. 

Social media inside the company firewall

After the first kneejerk reaction to ban social media sites from the workplace, companies are now beginning to explore ways to exploit them.  In some quarters social media are touted as a way to spur productivity by encouraging employees to share ideas.

I have a few concerns about this trend.

1.  It is based on the perhaps dubious assumption that 1000 average people are wiser than one wise man.
2.  In any group collaboration only a few voices will be heard.  Ask anyone who's been on a committee and they will tell you that a vocal minority tends to dominate.
3.  The Man is watching.  Will people be willing to put forward unconventional ideas knowing that the Boss is watching?  No one wants to look stupid, so the less confident individuals will hold their peace.

It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

I live in Canada, and I have a question for my fellow Canadians. With people all over the world dying in the streets for the right to vote why do less than 60% of us bother to show up at the polls?  The numbers are truly dismaying.


Honour their sacrifice by voting on May 2.  It's more than a right, it's a duty.