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Filed under: Internet, E-mail, AOL

Homer Simpson impersonator attacks fans' computers

chunkylover53 AIM
Earlier this week, a Homer Simpson impersonator began instant messaging fans with a link to an "internet-only exclusive Simpsons episode." This -- like many things spawned in the dark corners of 'net -- turned out to be a PC virus. But how did this impostor gain Homer's identity?

It turns out Mr. Simpson has a legitimate, real-world e-mail address: chunkylover53@aol.com, which appeared in the episode, "The Dad Who Knew Too Little." Before airing the episode back in 2002 for the first time, Simpsons writer-producer Matt Selman registered the address with AOL. As soon as the episode finished airing, Selman's inbox filled-up instantly. Selman began replying to emails under the guise of Homer, and fans got to enjoy a short conversation with the cartoon star

Six years later, the email account is no longer active, but fans begin receiving AIM messages from Chunkylover53. Fans forgot that an AIM screen-name can be tied to an email other than its AOL email counterpart, and Selman never registered it or abandoned it at a later time -- leaving it open for hijack.

[via TECH.BLORGE.com]

Filed under: Internet, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Web services, Freeware, Browser Tips

Meebo sidebar for Flock

Meebo for Flock

Meebo is great. It's full of AJAX-y goodness, connects through port 80 (which is useful when you're on a network that blocks standard IM ports), and works with the big 4 IM protocols. The only real issue I have with it is the fact that opening a new tab or new window hides my buddy list. Some intrepid soul has hacked up an extension for Flock which places Meebo in a persistent sidebar frame that stays visible as you browse. I normally just use Adium and OmniWeb, but the school network won't allow Adium to connect, so this looks like the perfect solution to my problem. As with flock, this extension is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

[Via UneasySilence.]

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With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet. They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...

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