From Russia with Love?

I'm crushed.... I thought I had an impressive blog following from Russia, but it appears they may simply be trolling blogs for contact information for phishing scams.  As I mentioned in a previous post, I enjoy the stats that Google provides for bloggers on their site.  They not only let you know how many views your blog/posts have, but also provide information on which countries readers are connecting from and what websites/search engines are leading the most readers to your site.

On my blog, my second highest 'readership,' after America, has come from Russia and the most common referal site has been yandex (a Russian version of Google).  I was flattered, until I took a look at my spam e-mail folder and discovered many 'love letters' from yandex users like Juliya, who wrote:

Hi. I write this and I believe that you answer me. I hope you will be an interesting conversationalist and a good friend and maybe more. Many Humans began their relationship through correspondence. And so I decided to try it.
I am an educated, active, ambitious ... I appreciate in people a sense of proportion and the ability to laugh. :) But most of all I appreciate the confidence and the willingness of men to a new relationship. You are ready to start a new relationship? What do you think about this? Write to me. My email pinace@yandex.ru I look forward to a response. Best wishes, Juliya

'Her' e-mail sounds innocent enough, but also came with a warning from my e-mail spam box that the e-mail was similar to other e-mails associated with scams/phishing, and recommending I do not respond or provide personal details.  Such a shame, I thought Juliya and I could have been something, "and maybe more."

Meanwhile, I assume Tonya had been love struck by two of Cupid's arrows, because she sent me two e-mails... each from different accounts and with different contact information.  I liked her first subject line: 'Lets Talk More My Bunny.'  Aawwwe, we already have pet names.  In that e-mail she told me a bit about herself:  "I am 25, I have finished medical university in our city and now I work as the children's doctor. My free time I spend on a hippodrome, as I 7 years am engaged in equestrian sport.  I think more about my appearance will tell you my photos."  And in the second she focused more on me: "I would like to start correspondence with you, i have seen your profile and I'm very interested. I'm looking for loyal, romantic and intelligent guy for serious relations."

I'm sure we would have hit it off, but I think she should focus on giving great medical care to the children, rather than our long distance romance.  Although, I did appreciate the fact that she knew the way to my heart was talking about how awesome I am.  Thanks Tanya, I'm glad you noticed. 

With all the love interest from Russia, news of cyber attacks on the US from China, recent cyber attacks on S. Korea's banking and media industry, and a recent flair up in e-mail hacking on my friends' accounts, I thought I would also offer some computer/Internet security advice:

1) Not everything you read on the Internet is true.  Shocking I know, but please do a search before forwarding that warning or government conspiracy e-mail, or reposting it on Facebook.  Snopes.com is a good place to start for those.

2) If you receive an e-mail from a friend with a hyperlink or attachment, be suspicious first. (This is also true for social media posts)  If it contains no personal message from your friend, or the message is very generic, contact them and ask if they really sent it, BEFORE you click on the link or open the attachment.  This is a common way viruses, trojans, worms and other malware/spyware is spread. 

If your e-mail account is hacked and this kind of e-mail is sent from your account, or if you click a link or attachment on an e-mail like this you should:

a. Contact everyone in your contacts and tell them not to open attachments, or click on hyperlinks.

b. Delete the e-mail

c. Update your anti-virus/malware software and run a virus scan of your computer. 

d. Change your e-mail password from a separate/clean computer.  You may want to change other passwords you have for other accounts/services as well.

3) I could go on forever, but instead, here are some other good reference sites to learn more:

As I mentioned above: http://www.snopes.com/  Interestingly, snopes started as a 'mom and pop' website founded by Barbara and David Mikkelson, who did it as a hobby because they enjoyed researching urban legends.

Hoax-Slayer: http://hoax-slayer.com/ which "is dedicated to debunking email hoaxes, thwarting Internet scammers, combating spam, and educating web users about email and Internet security issues."

The FBI e-scam alerts: http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/e-scams Although, you know how efficient the government is... so if you find it here, it is probably already too late.

And, if you dont have anti-virus software, get some ASAP. If you use Microsoft software you are at greater risk because they are the largest target.  Also, for mobile devices Android platforms are more risky because their APP vetting is not as controlled as Apple.  If you are big into Android APPs watch your bills (phone and credit) closely, because free APPs can cost you big, when they are a scam.  But I digress... Here is a review of Antivirus software products with some good links for discount purchase: http://anti-virus-software-review.toptenreviews.com/ppc-index.html?s_kwcid=TC-17158-13623072708-bp-1466630141

4) Did you click those links on number three?  If so, please review number two?  I'm kidding, but seriously, be suspicious of links.  

5) If you read this far and you are actually a legitimate Russian who enjoys my blog, tell Juliya and Tonya I said Hello, from America with love.

Coffee and Music in Colorado Springs

Since I'm currently anchored on American shores, I thought I'd write a little more about the local scene here in Colorado Springs.  I guess that would make it Random Ramblings of an American, which is three out of four unitl I can get abroad again... or return to writing about previous travels.  At any rate, I hope you enjoy the ramblings...

COFFEE

In yet another study, they have determined that coffee is awesome, and drinking large amounts is not only unharmful, but may extend the life of drinkers.  I drink coffee, and I didn't need another study to motivate me to drink more, but in a recent visit to a local coffee shop I was humbled by true parishioners of the cult of coffee.

Urban Steam is a new coffee shop in Colorado Springs.  It doesn’t have the best location, tucked away on a side street behind a power plant’s billowing steam, which may have inspired the coffee shop’s name.  Inside, the shop has an industrial chic look with light fixtures you might see in a mine shaft, classic pictures of workers lunching on a sky-rise I-beam, exposed cinder-block walls, and concrete floors splattered with colorful paint.  On one wall, they have several colorful posters explaining the various attributes to coffee flavor surrounding a 'Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel' that looks like a round periodic table for a chemist studying the flavor and aroma influences of coffee.  Meanwhile, their menu was fairly stark with black and yellow large font lettering, reminiscent of a construction sign.  Unlike Starbucks’ wide array of flavored concoctions, Urban Steam would only deviate as far as offering a mocha. 

I got in line behind a local girl who was chatting with the proprietor about life and coffee and after she ordered I stepped up, ordered a latte, and asked if they could add a shot of caramel.  I could almost detect a slight wince at my request -- like the response one might expect at a fine steak house if you asked for A1 -- but he said he could do it.  I took a seat and he and the local girl began chatting again.  The first thing out of his mouth was, "I'm glad to see you’ve moved away from the flavored syrups." 

Ooh, nice jab. I thought as she replied, "Yeah, I really noticed how the flavored syrup was concealing the nutty flavors of the coffee."

I would have accused her of cheating by using the periodic flavor poster to bolster her response, but it was across the room, so I sat quietly, buried my nose in my book, and waited for my drink to arrive.  Meanwhile the next customer arrived and again struck up a conversation with the barista, like he was catching up with an old friend.  He too was a coffee connoisseur, and began discussing the various beans on offer noting, "I liked the coffee I had last time with the leathery notes." 

Taking this feedback the barista went down his shelf of bean jars and pulled one down, like a classic novel from the library shelf.  "You'll like this one then, it is a dirty bean." 

What?! Dirty? Are we talking about martinis or coffee here? 

My latte arrived and I must say it was flavorful. He had also gone light on the caramel, so I could appreciate the nutty flavor of the coffee.  However, I dared not compliment him on the coffee, for fear that he might launch into Quentin Tarantino’s coffee diatribe from 'Pulp Fiction':  "I don't need you to tell me how fuckin' good my coffee is, ok? I'm the one who buys it. I know how good it is."

Instead, I quietly enjoyed both the coffee and the friendly 'Cheers'-like banter in the coffee shop where everyone knows your name.

MUSIC

I arrived at the 'Black Sheep' to find a line wrapping around the building and down the street to the neighboring bar. The crowd in line made me feel like I was crashing a high school dance, and as I made it inside I found close to half the crowd had X's on their hands to indicate they were underage.  The venue has been a 'Best Live Music' winner in the local Independent paper for years, which accurately describes it as "vaguely dungeon-like."

The interior is painted in all black, except for the white venue logo in the middle of the side wall. The whole venue is about the size of a basketball court, but with ten-foot ceilings, you’re not going to be putting in a hoop.  Except for the benches lining the two side walls, the place has no furniture and consists of a long bar running back to the end of the building, on your left as you walk in 'at half court,' and then the standing-room only section on the other half court in front of the stage.

The pit quickly filled to near the 400-max capacity before the first act, Motion Trap, sauntered onto the stage.  Like the crowd, they were young and looked like they had dropped out of high school to come on tour.  The band was dressed in buttoned-down shirts and thin silk ties, and started us out with an electronic jam session. 

Their lead had a Justin Beiber haircut and a baby face.  He was so committed to his electronica art that he even arrived on stage smoking an oversized electronic cigarette, which seemed almost like a prop and reminding me of the hookah- smoking caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland.  During the set, the lead worked the computer mixer and played bass accompanied by two more guys on guitar and one on drums.  

The young band had not developed a strong stage presence and didn’t have lyrics for any of their jams, so it felt a bit like we had snuck into a garage session among friends. Their music was well received, but the audience was obviously more interested in the upcoming performances and I heard several comments from the crowd like, “I have no idea who these guys are.  I finally asked a bouncer, and he said they are 'Motion Track.'”

New Politics were far more comfortable on stage and quickly got the audience jumping with their deep bass beats and lyrical rap anthems.  The lead singer had incredibly high energy and as he danced, jumped and sang across the stage.  I began to wonder how he could maintain this energy and performance level through a set let alone an entire tour. 

At one point in the show the lead singer asked the crowd to create a circle in the middle of the venue and then asked those closest to the circle to kneel down so others could see.  "A little bigger or I might kick you guys in the face." he warned before he did a back flip off the stage to start the next song, followed by a break dance routine in the middle of the crowd, before returning to the stage to sing the tune 'Just Like Me.'

The bands lyrics seemed to be tinged with American political themes, like guns in schools in their song 'Dignity,' so I was surprised when the band announced they hailed from Denmark and touring America was a dream come true for them.  They left the crowd pumped and the bar raised for the main event: Twenty One Pilots.

As condensation began to fall from the rafters like rain and the temperatures climbed in the packed house, the lights dimmed and the crowd cheered in anticipation of the Pilots’ entrance.  Drummer, Josh Dunn, entered the stage in the bands Skeleton suit and began the first bass track before the singer, Tyler, leaped over the piano in a blaze of lights and smoke to open their set with 'Ode to Sleep,' which served as more of a wake-up call to the audience.

Their songs are laced with hints of suicide, but the band focused on overcoming the hard times. Between sets, Tyler took this to an evangelistic crescendo in a ‘Come to Jesus’ like moment.  He said, “I know I’ve asked this already, but I’m going to ask again; and only answer if you mean it; but I want hear you.  Are you happy to be alive tonight!?”  As the screams of affirmation died down he continued, “I know we struggle and may be facing the same struggles, but when you are down remember this night, this energy, this crowd.” And as the crowd roared, and the bass beat threatened to rattle the rivets loose in the rafters, they got the crowd jumping with their next song.  

If the Black Sheep is a dungeon, than a life sentence sounds pretty awesome in the company of bands like these.