If you enjoy blogging so much that you log-sit (check your site counter umpteen times a day) you can now use AIM to notify you when someone is reading your blog.
It’s an HTML script, and if you use MovableType you can code it into a template, if you use other blogging platforms you code it into the post.

I suppose some people would find that fun, personally I prefer the extra counter that can be checked when I feel like it, not when the machine decides to tell me.
Visitor notification via AIM

When blog flame wars enter real life
This is nasty stuff. Two bloggers don’t think much of each other. Things escalated.
Instead of leaving well enough alone, the escalation continued and other bloggers wind up taking sides. The crunch comes when the 12 year old daughter leaves a 12 year olds angry comment at the other blog.
Children’s Services is called and shows up on the doorstep.

I think we’ll be seeing more of this. Anyone can blog, it doesn’t require social skills, or sound mental and emotional health.
Part of blogging that is enjoyable involves expression of feeling.
How negative feelings are posted and expressed can have consequences.
Anti-social people can find lots of fuel in blogging to feed their needs.

However, anger is the most dominant emotion we have, and many people have trouble with self-control. Blogs create neighbourhoods, and sadly we learn to make decisions about what neighbours need to be loved from afar. It is a lesson most of us learn the hard way.
Here is a summary of the fight from a blogger who has been watching, if you can stomach it, jump off from there.

When I had something similar happen, most of the anger and nastiness directed at me came through emails, on a thread and occasionally spilled into comments sections.
I sweat blood trying to keep things off my blog and hold my hurt, confusion and anger in check and not retaliate in a self-preservation mode. I couldn’t have without wise people standing by, who didn’t take sides and jump to defensive conclusions for or against me and the other party.

I know the person who is angry at me (anger/hurt/fear are mutual) doesn’t have a clue about the consequences of thier behaviour.
Eventually I hired a professional mediator because I couldn’t take any more.
The mediator pointed out to me what I needed to do and how I needed to change.
Things settled from the other party’s side, I suspect in part because of whatever the professional said to them, but it will never be ok, not until I can listen to this person and hear them out. I am still working through real grief and confusion about communication gone so horribly wrong. I am not able to find out what set them off, and what I may need to ask forgiveness for.
I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
All I can do is hold to faint hope there is a change of heart, and that courage will prevail over anger, hurt and fear so that a mediated discussion will be possible for them someday.

As for these two bloggers…..it’s out of control. Get some help.

Southern Neighbours
New York State sold some power to Canada yesterday so we wouldn’t have a black out. Thank you New York.

I watched the premier’s press conference yesterday. No rash promises. No political words or finger-pointing. No voter would have tolerated it.
He kept it simple.
Here is what we know so far about what went wrong.
Here is what we are doing.
Here is what you are doing and can do.
Here is what we will do.

He took a couple of easy questions and very wisely ducked out.
This needs to be the major election issue. Power is a commodity that cannot be successfully deregulated. It has been woefully mismanaged and neglected.
What the US decides to do is up to them, Canadians will have to decide they will be energy efficient and safe-guarded before they share.

The blackouts and brownouts haven’t happened yet. Every lightbulb counts. If citizens can conserve, then so can the business, manufacturing and industry sectors.

Good Worm?
Apparently there is a computer worm from Asia called “Welchia” or “Nachi,” that tries to patch the vulnerability in Windows that W32Blaster used.
And the worm tries to fix the damage left by Blaster.

Good intentions, bad idea. It’s slowing down computer networks. 1/2 million computers were affected by W32Blaster.
Welchia just started so computer security types aren’t sure yet Welchia it doesn’t have a malicious payload. It operates in English, Korean and Chinese versions of Windows.
Again, good intentions, bad idea.

Also, if you receive an email regarding Blaster, don’t open it.
Microsoft never sends emails about viruses, worms or patches.
This latest email has a harmful trojan horse program in it.
It looks like this.

From: “Microsoft”
Subject: Use this patch immediately !
Message:
Dear friend , use this Internet Explorer patch now!
There are dangerous virus in the Internet now!
More than 500.000 already infected!
Attachment: patch.exe

Don’t open it. Get rid of it.

If you suspect your computer was infected by W32Blaster, read up at your virus update site. Make sure your Windows critical updates are up to date, and use your virus program/firewall removal tool if you have been infected.

And if you can’t seem to stay on line long enough to get the information and removal tool you need, you can follow the CERT instructions without having to try to be online.

SARS
Waving or Drowning picked up this story on a possible SARS outbreak in a nursing home in BC.
It is SARS in a slightly milder form, confirming researchers belief it can show up in different ways. Five residents died.