Comments on: Ad Subtract

By: AndreH

AndreH — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 13:49:08 +0000

@BA

I had the same problem as Sticks. After not beeing able to post since friday, I was today the first time on your site.
It happens to times that the blog closed and the windows which offers “device cleaning” and “anti spy software” opened which were only to close by closing the cross to the upper right.

My Computer is protected by AntiVir (with daily updates) and this is the very first time I encounter the problem.

Andre

By: BigBob

BigBob — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 20:10:36 +0000

Sticks old buddy

> However there seems to be an issue with NoScript and embedded
> wma files, I spotted it on one of my own websites.

Don’t mind us everyone … just talk amongst yourselves for a while.

I wonder if the embedded wma thing is to do with NoScript. I have that addon too and it works wonders, but you have to teach it to execute stuff on a per site basis, so for example, I go to a new site where a script is meant to function but of course it doesn’t. So I click on the NoScript ‘S’ icon (bottom right) and click on ‘[Temporarily] allow xyz.com’. The page then refreshes and the script fires on every subsequent visit. What I didn’t realise for a while was that noscript expects Firefox to have scripts enabled for all sites – (Tools/Options/Content – tick both enable javascript and java), and let NoScript take care of the rest, then if Firefox appears to be hiding something, you have to educate it as above.

As you were.
Bob

By: The Bad Astronomer

The Bad Astronomer — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 19:28:04 +0000

There was a another freelotto ad I missed, but it’s blocked now. I can’t seem to find the redirect one. Interclick isn’t listed, nor is the ad that was inbetween. I’ll keep looking.

By: Sticks

Sticks — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 18:02:34 +0000

Adblock Plus and NoScript are now on my laptop

However there seems to be an issue with NoScript and embedded wma files, I spotted it on one of my own websites.

By: Haliday

Haliday — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 17:13:46 +0000

Ugh! I just got one of the “redirect” advertisements. That has to be the most irritating and offensive form of avertising since the invention of telemarketing.

When I enter a URL, I expect to go to that webside and not have my browser hijacked to go to some schlock “contest” that exists only to collect and sell personal information.

http://a1.interclick.com/Transition.aspx?requesturl=http%3A//www.badastronomy.com/&wsid=7635&ind=

By: Holiday

Holiday — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 17:12:55 +0000

Ugh! I just got one of the “redirect” advertisements. That has to be the most irritating and offensive form of avertising since the invention of telemarketing.

When I enter a URL, I expect to go to that webside and not have my browser hijacked to go to some schlock “contest” that exists only to collect and sell personal information.

The URL of the redirect destination was …

http://a1.interclick.com/Transition.aspx?requesturl=http%3A//www.badastronomy.com/&wsid=7635&ind=

By: Halidai

Halidai — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 17:10:09 +0000

Ugh! I just got one of the “redirect” advertisements. That has to be the most irritating and offensive form of avertising since the invention of telemarketing.

When I enter a URL, I expect to go to that webside and not have my browser hijacked to go to some schlock “contest” that exists only to collect and sell personal information.

http://a1.interclick.com/Transition.aspx?requesturl=http%3A//www.badastronomy.com/&wsid=7635&ind=

By: Sticks

Sticks — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 16:13:18 +0000

All the ones I am using are free as well

Have now added Adblock Plus and NoScript to my firefox as well now, on my desk top at least.

By: BigBob

BigBob — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 14:06:21 +0000

Sticks
Not familiar with Avast. I use Ad-aware and Spybot as a belt and braces approach. Never a problem, all free of charge, amazing.
BigBob

By: Bruce

Bruce — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 12:59:42 +0000

In addition to the aforementioned gripes, some of the ads load slowly, maybe because the ad-server is overloaded. Doubleclick seems bad in this regard. The Google text ads at the top are the least intrusive. I like that many Google ads are relevant to the topic.
Mostly I’ve tuned out the ads, it was just this post that made me look at them.
The price of a “free” Internet arena is ads. I filled out the survey, and wouldn’t even mind filling out another survey on what stuff I’m looking to buy in next year, if that would help select the ads relevant to my needs.

By: Sticks

Sticks — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 12:58:56 +0000

BigBob

Thanks for your comments

I am already on the latest FireFox and due to comments on the forum, when I can tonight, I will try and find this add on plus another that was mentioned.

Interms of anti-spyware, I am running Avast and Windows Defender.

I was wondering if the all clear I got last night from Avast was because I was running FireFox instead of IE.

By: BigBob

BigBob — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 12:53:00 +0000

@Sticks

quote
It was on the blog when this happened

The main browser shut down and a browser in the shape of a dialog box appeared which was very similar to Winfix2005. When I clicked the top right hand corner close box another browser opend up trying to sell some â€œanti-spywareâ€.
unquote

Whoa mule! Immediately google Firefox. Download and install. Next go back to the firefox site and check out addons. Grab the one called Adblock Plus. Install. Next time you see an annoying ad, right click on it, select Adblock Image from the list to get adblock’s dialogue. It will display the address it’s trying to get to, something like this:
http://www.LovelyAds.net/promo/fdgeghdcghy.gif
simply edit it to say
http://www.LovelyAds.net/*.*
click ok
et voila, no more ads from them, on any site, regardless, ever.
Finally go to Lavasoft and download Ad-aware SE Personal. It will scan your machine and rip out anything untoward that those ad people saw fit to dump on your machine. You don’t have to take it. Similar job is done by ‘Spybot Search and Destroy’.
Bob (big)

By: Walabio

Walabio — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 11:47:46 +0000

It would be nice to just have text-ads.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 10:44:38 +0000

http://www.freelotto.com/register.asp?skin=FlashWinner2&partner=1051176
Free lotto isn’t quite gone. This morning I had a couple eye searing images buzz and hurt my lazy eyes at the top of the page. There’s an ultra annoying one that flashes white and green rapidly…

By: John

John — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 08:13:15 +0000

Quite frequently ads for Astrology related sites appear next to this blog. At times I don’t whether to laugh or cry.

By: Sticks

Sticks — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 07:38:12 +0000

Phil

It was on the blog when this happened

It was a mad panic to close things down and then run Avast to do a sweep of my system, which at 5years old is very nerve wracking.

I do not recall being on any other site at the time other than this blog.

By: Qd

Qd — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 07:30:12 +0000

Jesus’ face scares me.

By: Pascal

Pascal — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 06:46:39 +0000

Oh and the error/warning is still here:

Regex ID: 18261 () appears to be an invalid regex string! Please fix it in the Blacklist control panel.

Warning: Cannot modify header information – headers already sent by (output started at /home/badastro/domains/badastronomy.com/public_html/bablog/wp-content/plugins/SK2/sk2_util_class.php:208) in /home/badastro/domains/badastronomy.com/public_html/bablog/wp-comments-post.php on line 67

By: Pascal

Pascal — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 06:45:19 +0000

Thank you for removing the flashy-jumpy ads. I sure hope the ad agency is not playing the site owners by not showing the most obnoxious ones based on cookies set while registering your site…

I’ll go take that survey now. At least that way the ad agency knows more about me than I do.

And I have that $25 for you, so where is that paypal link? I’m not ever going to actually click any of those ads anyhow, so that is about the only way you’re ever going to see revenue from me…

You really should not feel bad about taking donations. People, me anyway, donate money because they want to support a cause and/or have (slightly) too much of the stuff. But I’ll buy your book instead, if you want the publisher to have some money too.

By: Evolving Squid

Evolving Squid — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 02:32:15 +0000

Why bother, when others are willing, and have wheelbarrows full of cash?

There’s a certain logic to that, but in my opinion our culture is allowing advertising to become too ubiquitous. By permitting them everywhere simply because the advertisers want to spend the money is kind of an ends-justifying-means situation. The problem is… how many regular people are actually willing to spend the money to make up for lack of advertising?

By: The Bad Astronomer

The Bad Astronomer — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 23:58:06 +0000

Adtegrity is gone.

Sticks, are you sure it was from this site? The ad agency checks such things VERY carefully before letting them run.

By: PJE

PJE — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 22:23:26 +0000

Any ad that flashes is really annoying

I will try the addon to firefox

Pete

By: Sticks

Sticks — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 21:38:10 +0000

As I mentioned in the main BAUT forum in the thread dedicated to this blog, whilst looking at this blog one of the ads, closed the browser and then started opening some kind of pop up offering some solution to cleaning your PC (Look up Winfix2005) it was that revisited!!

It was a race to kill them by clicking the x in the top right corner and not the “close” box it offers. It seemed like it was trying to plant something on my PC.

I had to spend nearly an hour in a nail biting virus scan afterwards.

This never happened with the old format and I do not feel comfortable visiting the blog if it is going to put my computer at risk.

Sorry I did not catch names, as I was in a mad panic to shut things down before any damage was done.

By: Paolo Amoroso

Paolo Amoroso — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 20:51:49 +0000

This is what I get when I right click the “You are the 999,999 visitor: Congratulations you WON! Click here to claim” ad (still up and running) with Firefox and select Copy Link Location:

http://ad.adtegrity.net/click,CQ8EAIj2AgA0wQIAUx0BAAIAHAAAAP8AAAAFFwIABAIvmAMA588BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANEIqUYAAAAA,http%3A%2F%2Fwww.burstnet.com%2Fads%2Fad15743a-map.cgi%2FBCPG75825.106059.111751%2FSZ%3D468X60A%7C728X90A%2FV%3D2.3S%2F%2FREDIRURL%3D,http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badastronomy.com%2Fbablog%2F2007%2F07%2F26%2Fad-subtract%2F,

By: Paolo Amoroso

Paolo Amoroso — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 20:45:51 +0000

I hate these ads out of my guts (the first one flashes like crazy):

You are the 999,999 visitor: Congratulations you WON! Click here to claim [if this is the free lotto ad, it's not gone yet]

You have 1 message waiting for you OK

As for where they lead, I’m not going to click any of them even with a 1 km pole. But I have copied the link of the second one by right clicking it with Firefox and selecting Copy Link Location, and this is what I get:

http://ad.adtegrity.net/click,CQ8EAIj2AgDiEAIAzdAAAAIADAAAAP8AAAAFFwIABAMvmAMAcxkAAExcAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOUFqUYAAAAA,http%3A%2F%2Fwww.burstnet.com%2Fads%2Fad15743a-map.cgi%2FBCPG75825.106059.111751%2FSZ%3D468X60A%7C728X90A%2FV%3D2.3S%2F%2FREDIRURL%3D,http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badastronomy.com%2Fbablog%2F2007%2F07%2F26%2Fad-subtract%2F,