Toyo tires > Real Life Internet Evil: Ezula

Real Life Internet Evil: Ezula

Our purpose with this series is to use real life examples ofdeception, fraud and other evil to show how you can betterprotect yourself. The examples cited in these articles areintended to demonstrate best practices and recommendations.If you were worried about Microsoft's smart tags, then perhapsyou should read this article. Whereas you could argue thatMicrosoft didn't have the best of intentions with smart tags,at least they provided a way for webmasters to prevent themshowing on their pages.On the other hand, Ezula (and it's product TopText) is thescum that scum wipes off scums feet. The company is evil. Whilethey are not in the same league as Osama Bin Laden (who needs tobe volunteered to a special project to determine the effectsof nuclear missles on human flesh), they are evil.

With them,though, the best "nuke" is to ignore their pitchand never install the product. If you've got it, remove itimmediately. It's simple and and obvious.Here's what Ezula does. They sell users on some exaggeratedbenefit (much like that other scum product called Gator) anduse this to get their product installed on the user's computer.In this case, Ezula "gives" their users something almostidentical to smart tags.The product basically scans HTML pages as they are loadedonto a system, looking for keywords. When it finds a keyword,it replaces it with a special link to the page (or pages) ofa page advertiser (along with some links to content of somekind - that's the "benefit" that gets people to install thesilly product).Let's take an example.

Pretend you want to sell tires, so youpurchase the Ezula rights to the keyword "tires". Now, everytime any web page of any Ezula user loads it is scanned for theword "tires". Ezula replaces those with links to your site -even if it is the site of one of your competitors! Or even asite about how people get tired ("he tires easily") or anythinglike that.Here's what they tell the users (the poor suckers who downloadthis excrement): "eZula, Inc. is a leading provider of real-timecontextual Internet solutions. eZula's flagship product TopTextiLookup is the premier personal Internet reference andsimplification tool, empowering millions of Internet users withan easy way to retrieve relevant information and simplifyInternet Navigation."Sound's great, doesn't it? Man, if that's all you read you'd runto download this garbage.

But wait, read more of the website. Goto the advertisers section and you will read, "eZula's platformleverages the content that the user is viewing in real time andturns key phrases, that best describe the advertiser, into aglobal advertising opportunity that drives qualified traffic tothe advertiser from anywhere on the Web."They further describe, "ContextPro?, eZula's Contextual KeywordPlatform, puts you in front of millions of Internet Users,wherever they are on the Web, and enables you to reach them,based on the Context of every Web page that they are viewing inreal time."Here's an analogy. Suppose you were a webmaster and had a productto sell. You spend your good money creating a beautiful brochurewhich you are going to pass out at the local mall. The brochureincludes some helpful content and some advertisements of yourproduct.

You are proud of it because you've put your heart andsoul into it's creation and you expect to make a few sales aswell.Now as you walk around the mall handing out your brochure, somesleazy guy in a trench coat is following you around. Once in awhile, as you give the brochure to someone, he steps in front ofyou, takes the brochure out of your hands, pulls out a pen andmakes a few changes. He crosses out a few words, writes in somenew advertisements (along with some "content" to make it seemlegitimate), then hands it off to the person you were giving itto. Worse yet, you don't see this happening and as far as youare concerned the end user received your brochure with your ads.Only it's been changed without your knowledge or permission.You, the webmaster, have no control over these links. They couldbe competitors.

They could be the links of pornographic sites (Icouldn't find anything on the Ezula site which excluded suchsites). They could be links to sites which you disagree with forethical, moral, religious, racial or any number of other reasons.The point is you (the webmaster) have no control over the linksfrom YOUR site. To the user, these appear to be YOUR links.In fact, they will be sites of people and companies who areunethical and scummy enough themselves to sink to this level ofadvertising. They will be the sites of any company which iswilling to shell out the cash.Want more information? Check out the following site for thewhole story. http://scumware.com/If you want to help stop this special brand of evil, then youcan take some steps yourself.

First, don't install the producton your computer systems. If you've already installed the thing,then immediately uninstall it.Second, if you do have a problem with this form of scum, then byall means file a report with the better business bureau, write anarticle of your own, send tell your friends and spread the word.You might also send an email to the advertisers who purchase this"service" (if you installed the product you would find out whothey are) and inform them of your distaste. Be sure and point outthat you will not purchase their products as long as theyadvertise in this method. The mighty dollar speaks volumes.Finally, if you are a webmaster, you can add the followinggraphic to your pages, along with a link to http://scumware.com http://scumware.com/images/bugverysmall.gif.

Car Detailing Manuals ? Tips and Tricks that Save!

If your idea of car detailing is washing and waxing your car, you might be in for a bit of a shock. While you can save a lot of money making this a do-it-yourself (DIY) project, this is definitely a skill which has been developed over the years.If you do not want to pay the detail shops to perform this work for you, buying a DIY manual on car detailing is probably the next best step. A manual will provide time-saving shortcuts, as well as tips to give you the professional edge you need.Repair Minor Body DamageWe all hate the annoying dings and scratches we get from everyday driving. Luckily, a repair book can save you a lot of money. There are many how-to tips which will enable you to repair simple dents (such as hail damage), saving hundreds or even thousands of dollars.Waxing and Buffing TechniquesThink you know how to wax a car? Well, after reading a manual you might find out you didn't know as much as you thought!...

Car Detailing Manuals ? Tips and Tricks that Save!

Toyo tires > Car Detailing Manuals ? Tips and Tricks that Save!

Flat Tires Need Not Be A Burden

When your car's tires go flat, this kind of situation should not be a burden for you. After all, most cars already come with spare tires and a jack, along with other odds and ends that would help you facilitate changing your tires in no time at all.

To change a tire or a couple of tires, park your car first in an area where the ground is level. Do not forget to put on the parking brake. If your car is equipped with a manual transmission system, place it in gear.

Turn off your engine for there is no need for it to be turned on and running. However, if you have parked in an area where there is an incline, put a huge rock or a wheel chock beneath the opposing wheel so that you would not find your car rolling down the incline.

This is now the time to take out your spare tire as well as a tire iron and the jack. If you have to remove a hubcap, do such. Then, loosen the lug nuts on your wheel.

Do this before you place the jack in your car....

Flat Tires Need Not Be A Burden

Toyo tires > Flat Tires Need Not Be A Burden

Real Life Internet Evil: Ezula

With them,though, the best "nuke" is to ignore their pitchand never install the product. If you've got it, remove itimmediately. It's simple and and obvious.Here's what Ezula does. They sell users...

Real Life Internet Evil: Ezula

Toyo tires > Real Life Internet Evil: Ezula

What to look for when making that Racing Go Cart purchase

With all the choices in chassis and motors, it can become a dilemma if you don't know what you are looking for when making that racing go cart purchase. If you have an unlimited racing budget, then by all means just buy all new stuff, any of the major go cart manufacturers make a great product. If your racing budget is small, and you are looking for the right cart for your money, I will give you some things that I look for in buying a potential cart for resale, or for personal use.Overall appearance is most important, because you can see just how well the cart has been treated by the way it looks at first glance. From there I look at the axel and all components linked to it, I am looking for the axel to have little or no rust on it and I spin the tires to make sure the axel isn't bent, and that the bearings roll free. You should not hear the bearings when the axel is turning, if you do they will need to be changed soon.

Then check the brakes out to make sure there are no leaks...

What to look for when making that Racing Go Cart purchase

Toyo tires > What to look for when making that Racing Go Cart purchase

Did You Change Your Oil?

Copyright 2006 Donovan Baldwin

The year was 1976, the place was Milton, Florida, a small, semi-rural community in the Florida panhandle, not far from Pensacola, where I had grown up.
I had recently returned to northwest Florida, after working as an accountant for the Florida State Department of Education in Tallahassee and Sarasota, to take the position of Business Manager for the Santa Rosa County Mental Health Clinic.

It was a beautiful sunny day, and I was standing outside Red's service station on one of Milton's street corners (You remember service stations, right?) while a set of tires was being put on my car.
I had a lot of my automobile maintenance done at Red's, and frequently bought gas and had oil changes done there.
He was a nice guy, his prices were reasonable, and the service was great.

As he often did with his customers, Red came out and visited for a couple of minutes.
I had been watching the activity...

Did You Change Your Oil?

Toyo tires > Did You Change Your Oil?

Used Car Extended Warranties

An extended warranty is a policy that provides the car owner protection against any mechanical failures and breakdown of the car. One should buy an extended warranty as it pays for mechanical repairs on the expiry of the manufacturer's warranty. Used car extended warranties are available; their rates depend on the mileage of the car.

Whenever you buy a used car, it is important to check if there is any time left on the warranty of the car. Warranties are generally transferable when a vehicle is sold, and the longer the time remaining on the warranty, the better it is for your peace of mind. While the used car extended warranty only covers half the failures of high-mileage cars, those with mileage over 60,000 km don't generally get a used car extended warranty at all.

Generally, used car extended warranties have little standardization in them. The most common used car extended warranty is the three-month/3000 mile warranty that covers only the major drivetrain (the...

Used Car Extended Warranties

Toyo tires > Used Car Extended Warranties