Security update MS09-017 addresses the PowerPoint (PPT) zero-day vulnerability

From MSRC Engineering :

Security update MS09-017 addresses the PowerPoint (PPT) zero-day vulnerability that has recently been used in targeted attacks. We issued security advisory 969136 with workarounds on April 2nd after we first saw the exploits in-the-wild abusing this vulnerability. We also published an SRD blog entry describing how to analyze exploits and an MMPC blog entry with more details about the exploits we had seen. Now the security update is ready for you to install. This update has a few differences compared to previous Office security updates that we’d like to make sure you understand.

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-017 - Critical

When recruiters lie II

Rules of thumb when dealing with recruiters:

• Stay away from anything that has the word “contract”.
• Don’t trust the recruiter (internal company recruiters can be trusted a little more but still be careful).
• If they don’t speak good English when calling you about a job hang up.
• Don’t waste your time interviewing with a recruiter at a physical location. They often ask for this so they can see that you look presentable to the client. It has nothing to do with your skills and is a waste of your time. If they insist on this then move on….unless you want to waste your time.
• If the job description is vague insist on getting details. Be persistent they will hide as much from you as possible.
• When you interview with the company confirm it is a permanent position (recruiters will say it is perm just to get you to the interview where you find out it is really a contract).
• Ask to see the benefits package before accepting the position.
• Ask the recruiter how they are paid by the company seeing the contractor? Knowing the type of arrangement they have will help determine your standing. If they are a new recruiter to the company you might have a little more leverage.
• Ask the recruiter how much they are charging the company for you. I doubt they will tell you but that put them on notice you know what they are up to and not to play games with you.
• Often the recruiter is stupid, and does not know about the industry you work in or your skills (most of time they don’t care and just want a warm body) so ask lots of questions be persistent.
• Stick to your guns when negotiating. Ask for way more then you think you are worth (trust me you are worth more then you think). If they say you are too high what they are really saying is that they can’t make any profit off of you. Ask them what the margin is? Remember you bargaining with the recruiter not the company and the company does not care how much you make from the recruiter. They have worked out a separate deal with the recruiter. The recruiter sends the most profitable candidate for them to the company not the most qualified for the job. The company does not care who is most qualified because it is just a temp job to them.

When recruiters lie

The phrases “contract to hire” or “temp to hire” seem at first to be tempting offers if you trust the recruiter you are working with. Keep in mind most recruiters don’t care about your well being and will say anything or do anything to get you into the position they are pushing. Think of them as car salesmen. It is their commission that matters most to them. They will say the job is contract to hire when in fact it is only a contract and you will be out of a job in 30 or 90 days once the project is finished.

The reasoning they use is that the employer wants the opportunity to evaluate you before they make you permanent. This is a lie. If the company actually wanted a permanent employee they would hire and would not use a recruiter. The company does not want to spend money on finding temporary employees so they use recruiters. Recruiters know that most people won’t take an outright contract so they have to fudge the truth and say it will turn into a permanent job. The truth is there is no such thing as a contract to hire. There is only contracts (temp jobs). Recruiters spin it to make it look better then it is. Don’t be fooled.

Companies play the game as well and may also say it will turn into a permanent position just to get you on board for the project. Once the project is finished however , they get rid of you because to them you were nothing more then a temp worker. This setup works out great for the company because most of the work they have is project based and they need highly skilled workers for only a short time. They don’t have to worry about benefits or taxes, all they have to do is use a recruiter who is good at lying to people who think they are getting an opportunity to prove themselves when in fact it is all a lie.

If you decide to take a contract anyway remember when negotiating pay that YOU have to pay your benefits. That means you pay for healthcare, retirement, and you get no time off. No sick time, no vacation time, not family leave time….nothing. If you have to miss work you simply lose pay because as a contract worker you are paid hourly not a salary. There are no raises and no bonuses. It may seem like they pay you a lot hourly but remember they are not paying taxes for you and no benefits. They actually save money on you when you are a contractor. If they paid you the hourly rate that factored in all the benefits, loss wages for being sick, vacation, whatever; they could not afford you and they would not be able to make money off of you. A lot of people forget about this and realize (after they become a contractor) they are making less then if they were as a perm employee. Think about it. How are recruiters able to stay I business? Why do companies do it? It’s not because they love paying high hourly wages. There are hidden costs to having a perm employee. Contractors are a cheap work force and it is all based on the lies of the company and the recruiters. The business of contracting is based on taking advantage of people who simply don’t know any better. Recruiters may even try to offer you benefits but guess what, the benefits are only available to you while you are on the contract and typically are not very good to begin with. They will try to keep you on the contract by extending it and telling you more lies like your doing a good job and just to wait a little longer and you will be perm. Don’t believe them. It is a lie. They are profiting more and more the longer you are on the contract. Don’t fall for this, it is an effort to keep you from leaving and finding perm work.

The only time a contracting position should be considered is if you are unemployed and you need to make ends meet. Even then, you must understand it should be a temporary situation until you can find permanent employment. No one regulates this industry and it is kept hush because businesses benefit greatly from this type of arrangement. Recruiters benefit. You do not.

Why people quit Linux...its the users fault.

Keir Thomas wrote an article for PC World discussing his "Top 7 Reasons People Quit Linux". at first I thought it might be an insightful essay on why Linux is unable to make in roads into desktop OS industry Microsoft still dominates. Instead I was treated too to the same arrogant single mindedness so common among Linux fanboys. To make it worse Mr. Thomas gloats that he writes Linux guidebooks for Windows users. Wow! No wonder Linux can't make the cut to mainstream desktop OS and server OS.

The tone of this article is astounding.

Under reason No. 2 I installed Linux but some element of my hardware didn't work!

Thomas states:

Some people expand this complaint to point out that Linux can sap their precious time as they work through getting it setup the way they like. Again, this is as true of Linux as it is of Windows. It's just the way PCs are.

Mr Thomas, maybe you have lots of free time and maybe you enjoy endless frustration but most people just want things to work. You don't have to berate them for wanting that.

Under reason No. 3 I tried Linux but I had to type commands!

Thomas goes off:

OMG!!! Really?

But seriously. So what? Are you scared of the keyboard? This is usually related to point #2 above, and it's usually a one-off manoeuvre designed to get something working.

and

But typing a few strange words won't kill you.

and

Why do we always assume that other people can't possibly be as smart as we are?

Good question Mr Thomas, perhaps you should heed your own words.

And this beauty under No. 4:

Again, so what? Nobody said Linux was a clone of Windows. Things are going to be different now you're using Linux. Not necessarily better, not necessarily worse. Just different. You're over the rainbow, Dorothy! Rather than griping about your troubles, why don't you get used to it? If you're unable to adapt, it says more about you than it does about Linux.

I see, so it is the user and not the OS that is the problem.

Another under No. 6:

But what people with this complaint always do is make a spurious argument about usability – that wonderfully nebulous term that means different things to different people. “Linux just isn't as usable as Windows or OS X,” they'll say. When asked to backup their complaint with evidence, they don't bother to reply.

How about the fact Linux has barely 1% of the market. If Linux was truly so great then was is there not wider acceptance. I could go on but you get the picture. Unfortunately, this is the typical condescending attitude you find in Linux land. The simple truth is Windows is easier too use the Linux. Period.

Perhaps if Linux people were nicer there would be broader appeal of the OS but I won't hold my breath.

But hey keep writing your books Mr. Thomas someone might buy them.