Stopping web form spam in its tracks

Stopping web form spam is a key aspect of managing a website. Discover how to prevent comment and registration spam on your WordPress site.

I operate a number of websites, including this one.  One of the persistent problems that I’ve run across in website management is stopping web form spam.  Automated bots continually attack websites.  They try to log in, they try to comment on comment boxes, they try to submit fictitious orders.  Most people don’t realize how prevalent this form of spam is, but it is out of control.

You look at your site and you see you have a new comment!  Woohoo, someone reached out to you.  Then you read it and it says something to the effect of:

{In my opinion|Personally|In my view}, if all {webmasters|site owners|website owners|web owners} and bloggers made
good content as you did, the {internet|net|web} will be {much more|a
lot more} useful than ever before.|
I {couldn’t|could not} {resist|refrain from} commenting.

If you use WordPress (the blog software that I use), you are probably familiar with Askimet, which is loaded by default.  It works well, but it really only works on stopping spam on comment forms.  I have been looking for a solution that stops spam on forums, login pages, etc.  I think I have finally found the solution.   It is called Continue reading “Stopping web form spam in its tracks”

Why I am becoming a Vegan – My road to vegetables

Becoming a Vegan sounds pretty dramatic right?  I thought so too.  But I have been slowly working my way to veganism since about 2012.  The reality is as of the first of this year, I became a vegetarian.  Was it an overnight decision? Not really.  It was the result of four years of consciously eating better.  Eating whole foods, and plant-based foods.

Let me start my story back in 2012, when my beloved dalmatian, Buchi, and I went for a walk.  He found a chicken bone on the parkway and started to eat it.  I didn’t want it to splinter in his digestive track, so I pulled it out.  Unfortunately, the hand that was holding his mouth open was the one that extracted the chicken bone, so he immediately closed his mouth with bite force.  My pinky finger was still in his mouth and he bit through it at the first joint.  Shear pain!

I went to the Emergency Room, and they fixed me up.  I went through pinky therapy (seriously!).  But the major outcome of all of this was the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.  Of course, this was pretty shocking and I didn’t know what to do. Continue reading “Why I am becoming a Vegan – My road to vegetables”

Watching Internet based TV – Cutting the Cord

I’m now watching more and more internet based TV. It seems that television from internet providers is far superior to network broadcast TV.  I find myself watching a lot of Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video.  What is interesting is the original content from these providers is so compelling and well-written that I laugh when I watch what is being broadcast on traditional television.

The interesting thing is that Continue reading “Watching Internet based TV – Cutting the Cord”

Chromebook Internet Speed Faster than Windows

Tonight I discovered something pretty amazing.  I was messing around with my Chromebook (a Samsung Chromebook with the 11.6″ screen, I just bought recently) and my Windows 7 machine side-by-side.  (I originally had the first Chromebook, the CR-48, and finally upgraded to a newer model last month.)  As I was working Samsung chromebookon my Chromebook, I thought that I should check to see what the Internet speed I am currently getting.  I fool around with my router settings every so often, such as switching WiFi Channels to avoid neighbor’s signals, etc.  So I ran the speed test and discovered something unexpected. Continue reading “Chromebook Internet Speed Faster than Windows”