"I'm from the government and I'm here to help you"
I was working on a project recently that required me to find the cost of and requirements for mailing 500 packages by USPS Standard Mail (what used to be called Third Class). The packages would weigh about a pound. I went to USPS.com, the website operated by the US Postal Service. I've used the site previously without too much trouble. But not this time.
My preferred browser is Firefox, but it didn't work. By examining the Javascript console, I could see that there was a Javascript error. Some browsers (Internet Explorer, for example) are more forgiving when the page contains an error. So I sent the webmaster a note and opened Internet Explorer. It didn't work either, so I concluded that the corporate firewall must be blocking something. So I tried again when I got home. No luck there, either .Click any of the images below for a larger view.
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Firefox - Windows XP
I tried Firefox at home just in case the problem was solely the result of the corporate firewall. Clearly, it wasn't. This page isn't very useful. |
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Firefox - Mac OS X (Tiger)
My next stop was Firefox on the Mac. The USPS doesn't seem to support Firefox on the Mac, but the website can't even find the page that's supposed to explain you're using a browser they don't support.
I was beginning to wonder what genius designed the site. |
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Opera - Mac OS X (Tiger)
Because I was using the Mac, I decided to stay there for a while. I tried Opera and got a page that might have worked if the text hadn't written all over itself. |
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Internet Explorer - Mac OS X (Tiger)
IE will have to work, I thought. Wrong. I guess if you're using a Mac, you shouldn't be using it for business -- at least not on the USPS website. If you want to send something, try UPS or FedEx. |
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Opera - Windows XP
Back to Windows and let's see what Opera does here. The genius in charge doesn't seem to know there's a new version of Opera (it's been out only for a few months and the letter notifying the website designer probably went missing).
So the site tries to display the "non-supported browser" page ...
... and can't find it. |
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Internet Explorer - Windows XP
This is my final chance. It works.
So if you have everything set up exactly right and you're using Windows, you can get a "business mail" price from USPS.com. |
Closed circuit to the United States Postal Service: Not everyone owns a Windows PC and uses Internet Explorer. Some people own Macs and actually use them in businesses. Some people prefer Opera, Firefox, or Safari to Internet Explorer. You really should fix your website to be a little more open.
Beware what you find on Google
I had a good reason for a Google search using the word "ipod" and the results were interesting. One of the links promised me a free Ipod Photo 60GB device. I was skeptical and, as it turns out, that was a good thing.
 Among the "sponsored links" I noticed this:
That was enough to get my attention, so I clicked. I was offered the opportunity to get a "free" Ipod. All I had to do was see if my Zip code was eligible for the gift. I "accidentally" typed "00000" instead of my real Zip code and found that the Zip code "00000" (which doesn't exist) was eligible!
Click any of the images below to see the full-size view.
 Here I've told the "online reward center" that my Zip code is 00000.
 And the response was that my Zip code is eligible. Before we get past the second screen, they're lying to me. I thought I'd see how much more involved their lies might be.
So I moved back to the previous screen and suggested that my real Zip code is "YouLie" and that was OK, too.
What do they think about the Zip code "How dumb"? No problem!
 So I went back to the screen with Zip code 00000 and completed the application. You'll note that I created a special e-mail address (goofball@blinn.com).
 I clicked a series of obscure links and finally learned that to "earn" the "free" Ipod I would have to complete several additional steps. Clearly, one involved obtaining and using a Discover card. The final step wasn't disclosed anywhere, but may have involved a trip to Florida for a high-pressure sales visit to look at some swampland.
 I also noticed that starting the process was an "opt-in" for spam. That's why I used the throwaway address that I've since eliminated. Within 90 minutes, I had received my first spam to the address.
You might wonder why Google allows companies such as this (not exactly illegal, but certainly questionable) to participate in the sponsored links program. I wondered, too, and I asked Google.
Google's response?
Google did not reply, even though I sent my question to the public relations people whose job is is to respond to questions submitted by the public and by journalists. Google can't vet every advertiser, but you'd think they would work quickly to rid the service of the liars. All Google has to sell its its reputation and its public perception. If Google loses the public's trust by continuing to accept money for questionable deals such as this (and the offer is still there as of July 16, 2005) they will find that the business model is not sustainable.
And the spam I opted out of several weeks ago continues to roll in from the promoter. Today I'll stop it permanently by deleting the special e-mail address. General guideline: If a website lies to you on the first or second screen, it's probably not a good idea to proceed.
And speaking of the US Postal Service ...
 How much does the US Postal Service know about the Web and about Internet communications? Not much, apparently. A postmaster from eastern Ohio sent me a copy of an e-mail message.
"The attached e-mail," he wrote, "is an internal one which is supposed to be copied and given to employees to encourage them to use the district health unit's website."
What's wrong with encouraging employees to use the district health unit's website? Nothing at all. What's wrong with encouraging the postmaster to print the e-mail that encourages employees to use the district health unit's website? Nothing.
But do you see the address of the district health unit's website anywhere on the message? Neither do I and even if you click the image to see a larger view, you won't find it.
Anyone viewing the e-mail on a computer that's attached to the Internet will undoubtedly find live links that work, but apparently the writer doesn't understand that links don't work on paper copies and when you encourage postmasters to print and distribute copies, it's important to include a link that people can read.
Useful (and sometimes amusing) Mac responses
Last week I said that I'm quite impressed by Apple's latest operating system. Were it not for 20 years of experience with DOS and Windows, along with some applications I depend on that work only on Windows machines, I would settle on a Mac. That's what I said. But that wasn't enough for some Mac fanatics.
I complained about having to reboot a Mac if a CD or DVD gets stuck and received two responses indicating that my description of booting to open firmware was needlessly complex."Just restart and hold the mouse button down," is what some correspondents said. True, you can do that.
But the point is that you have to reboot the damn thing. That's
ridiculous when the operating system is capable of running for weeks
(months, actually) without ever having to be restarted. It's like buying a Ferrari that you have to start with a crank. If you have 20 applications open, you have to close them all and then
re-open them again after restarting. Yecch.
Why can't Apple just specify CD/DVD devices that allow for the use of a paperclip. That way those who want to restart the system to fix a minor problem can do so and those who want to use a paper clip to eject the CD or DVD manually, and without rebooting, can do that.
Jim said, "Your method is neat and uses Open Firmware (which is not always available, see below) Another easier way to do this is to boot the machine and hold the mouse button down as it boots. That is the command to eject any removable media.
Open Firmware is not always available since as a security measure you can password it (I have to on a number of lab machines)."
Good point, and thanks, Jim.
My objection overall, though, is having to reboot (major disruption)
to clear a relatively minor problem. Unix can run for weeks (months;
in some cases, years) without having to be rebooted -- unless a CD/DVD
gets stuck. Until Windows 2000, rebooting was no big deal; many users
needed to do that several times a day. At the office, Windows XP runs
for months at a time without being rebooted. For Apple to force users
to reboot a solid, stable operating system to fix a minor problem is
just bad design.
I'd equate it, more or less, to having to make an emergency landing in
a Boeing 737 whenever the flight attendant runs out of coffee.
But I will keep the mouse trick in mind. It's simpler than getting to
Open Firmware.
Jim and I continued our conversation for several messages and I learned about some additional ways to convince the Mac to release a CD or DVD it's holding hostage. Jim also pointed me to some useful utilities for the Mac -- ones that I'll tell you about later.
And then I received message from a "Mike", who quoted my comment, "For the past 6 months or so, Kaydee's Mac has been crashing half a
dozen times a day or more" and then said "I find this really hard to believe. If you can do this to a Mac
running OS X you should not own a computer! For 6 months?
"I have not crashed my Mac running OS X half a dozen times in a whole
year! My father-in-law thats 82 years old and has been running an old
version of OS X (10.2.8) hasn't crashed his Mac 6 times in one year.
Please have her go back to Window maybe you can help her trouble
shoot that system better. GOOD LUCK, God knows you'll both need it."
This is the kind of condescending comment the never fails to amuse me. It's the kind of attack mentality that seems to come from those who have so little confidence in their own ability that they cannot respond rationally to others. Mike didn't understand the problem, but he was sure that he had a solution.
Fortunately, there are more Jims than Mikes in the world. Most Mac users are reasonable folk, as are most users of Windows machines. Hearing from the Mac Attack Brigade does little to endear that crowd to me.
Nerdly News
Lots of patches this week
Microsoft, Apple, and Mozilla all released security patches this week. No matter what computer system or browser you use, checking for an update would be a good thing to do.
The Microsoft patches were part of the usual monthly patch release --
2 of the fixes are for Windows and the other 2 are for Office. Both Windows patches and one of the Office patches are rated "critical", Microsoft's highest rating.
Mozilla's Firefox 1.0.5 release fixes 12 vulnerabilities. Of the 12, 2 of them considered "critical" and four of "high" severity. The worst problems being fixed by the latest release would allow an attacker to execute any code with enhanced privileges.
Apple's OX X 10.4.2 update takes care of problems with TCP/IP that could allow incoming data to cause a kernel panic and crash the machine. The only machine affected are those running Tiger and OS X Server 10.4. The patch also repairs a problem with Dashboard that would allow Apple's widgets to be replaced by non-Apple widgets. Now any application that attempts to replace Apple code with 3rd-party code will generate an alert.
Steve Jobs is starting to sound like Bill Gates
For many quarters, Microsoft reported huge, unsustainable gains and Bill Gates said words to the effect of, "Hey, this is great, but these gains are huge and unsustainable."
Apple has just finished its best quarter ever, in part because of strong Ipod sales and in part because of Tiger and hardware sales. The company reported a profit of $320 million on revenue of $3.52 billion for the third quarter. That's a 425% increase in earnings over the same period last year and a 75% hike in sales.
But
Apple announced a move to the dark side, planning to abandon the IBM/Motorola PowerPC processor for Intel chips. The first of the new machines will be available next year. The change could hurt sales in the interim, although there's no sign of that yet. Apple suggests flat sales for coming quarters, but stock analysts say the company is wrong. They feel that sales will continue to be strong.
There's something to be said for that point of view: If someone needs an Apple computer, there's little point in waiting a year for the new models to arrive. Back-to-school sales, say the analysts, will be strong.
Let us know what you think. Write to:
Bill Blinn --
Joe Bradley --
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