Coleman Web - Anthony Coleman’s Personal Website

McAffe SiteAdvisor is a free Firefox extension which adds an additional layer of protection to the browser.
As described at the official website:

SiteAdvisor is a consumer software company dedicated to protecting Internet users from all kinds of Web-based security threats and annoyances including spyware, adware, unwanted software, spam, phishing, pop-ups, online fraud and identity theft.

We built a system of automated testers which continually patrol the Web to browse sites, download files, and enter information on sign-up forms. Our easy to use software for Internet Explorer and Firefox summarizes our safety results into intuitive red, yellow and green ratings to help Web users stay safe as they search, browse and transact online.

I have been using it for about a week now and have come across some sites which I often visit with a red or yellow warning indicator. This is often because the sites in question link to software downloads, some of which are classed adware. A version for Internet Explorer is also available.

Details of the petition I have signed through Oxfam:

Dear Tony Blair

Your efforts at the G8 summit in 2005 to persuade world leaders to make poverty history, have alreasy provided millions of people in Zambia with free health care.

I want you to continue to honour your promises, and the next three months are critical.

• Please use your influence to drive a deal that will benefit poor countries, rather than just the EU’s self-interest, in current world trade talks,
• Please keep the preasure on decision-makers at the UN to introduce an international Arms Trade Treaty and tougher arm controls by the end of 2006.
• Please ensure that the World Bank, IMF, the G8, and rich contries make long-term commitments to make health and education available to everybody in poor countries.

I am just one of millions of others who want to see an end to poverty - and we are all relying on you to keep your word.

June 2006

We the undersigned kindly ask Carol Vorderman to please stop doing adverts for secured loans. Advertising works, that’s why companies pay for it, and over time her powerful adverts will have contributed to the growing normalization of this form of borrowing. We believe this is truly worrying, as secured loans should only ever be seen as loans of last resort.

With secured loans, failing to repay can result in losing your home or leave you locked into long term debts which means the overall interest cost is substantially increased. Rates are often higher than unsecured loans, and much higher than remortgages, which is one of the viable alternatives. Carol, we believe, that after nine years of linking yourself with these products, disengaging from the sales of these loans would be a real benefit to our increasingly debt ridden society.

We would also ask at this point that secured debt companies take a charter of responsible advertising that only targets those limited niche individuals who would actively benefit from secured debt; and that lowering monthly repayments, which in fact increases the cost of the loans because the interest is spread over a longer period, is never portrayed as saving people money.

At the moment I’m seeding the latest instalment of Star Trek: Hidden Frontier by BitTorrent. This is another fan based Star Trek series, but is based in the Next Generation/Deep Space Nine/Voyager time. Although it does not have the same quality in terms of sets (mainly due to the use of blue screens) as Star Trek: New Voyages it does have good storylines, with what I consider good acting from the bulk of the actors. The space scenes are very good and I’d rate some of them higher than even from the television series. The series has six seasons of episodes behind it, with production quality and the major story arcs progressing and improving over time. The series has recently started its seventh season and I await further episodes with anticipation. The URL is http://www.hiddenfronier.com

Good Night!

Anthony