Apparently, Verisign has a more secure product that it’s selling for half as much again as it’s normal SSL certificates. All well and good. However, Microsoft has ageed to turn the URL bar on IE7 green when it encounters on of these certificates, emphasising how good they are. Firefox, however, has been too busy to do this, and won’t do Verisign’s advertising for it. It doesn’t change the validity of the certificate AFAIK, but Versign are well miffed.
I’m motivated to post about this, not because it’s clearly just a way for Verisign to squeeze more money out of web builders, but because of the way the Verisign product marketing director, Tim Callan, describes the folks behind Open Source and Firefox. Just because they won’t leap on his bandwagon, they’re a “loose collection of technoanarchists”. I’m reminded of the famous Gandhi quote: “First they ignore, you then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” Go peddle your snake oil somewhere else, Tim.
Archive for October, 2006
Pay 50% more for a colour change
Thursday, October 26th, 2006It’s a geek thing…
Tuesday, October 24th, 2006Update update: Firefox 1.5.0.8 is due for release on Wednesday. Dependent on the exact timing, we should get it via auto-update Wednesday or Thursday, and thence 2.0 dreckly (as they say in my part of the country).
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Update: It seems that the ability to auto-update across major versions isn’t present in the 1.5.0.7 version of Firefox. This means that there will be an intermediate version (1.5.0.8) released automatically and that will auto-update to 2.0. Or you can get the full install manually from the main site. Poop.
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Don’t worry. Be happy. Eat fish.
Thursday, October 19th, 2006Have you been avoiding salmon because of mercury scares? Are you concerned about finding psuedo-oestrogens in your mackerel? The Harvard School of Public Health has carried out the biggest study of it’s kind comparing the health and longevity of icthyovores and fish non-eaters. The study shows that the risk of coronary heart disease is reduced by 36%, and death from all causes by 17% (!) irrespective of any ‘other materials’ that may be present in the fish.
As the article says: “Don’t worry. Eat fish. Be happy.” Although, you ought not to consume any more cod. Lists of fish you can eat without precipitously depleting stocks are available at the Marine Conservation Society and their sister site Fish On-line.
‘Toons
Wednesday, October 18th, 2006I’ve just noticed that my list of Toons-to-read-before-starting-work-each-morning has topped 16… No wonder it’s 9.30 before I get anything I’d get paid for done :)
Of those I really love, there’s
- Questionable Content (why can’t I find a coffee house like this?),
- Girly (‘love that artwork!),
- Able and Baker (“Magical wish droppings. Awesome.”),
- Weebl & Bob (“Sushi sushi sushi!”),
- and just added, Bunny (twisted, really twisted!)
With the Bristol Animation Festival (now, irritatingly diluted by combining with the Short Film Festival) on the horizon, some of the above (esp. Bunny) would be just fantastic done as an animation.
Them!
Thursday, October 12th, 2006One of my all-time favourite movies may just be coming true. Ok, it’s not Los Angeles and it’s not Giant Ants, but surely the appearance of radioactive snails some 40 years after a hydrogen bomb accident is too much like those great tales of yore to be overlooked.