Friday, December 23, 2011

Passive Aggressive Sunset Cookies

Sorry if I disappoint, but this entry is not some new recipe for a tasty bakery treat. 

This is all about swapping out the word “expire” with the term “sunset” and then applying such terminology to files deposited into someone’s file structure as a result of interacting with a web site.

First, the cookies I am referencing are basically scripts designed to provide open portals of communication between your computer and the source of the cookie so the source can chat it up with your computer based on the permissions you gave the cookie combined with the source deciding what it wants to take from you whenever it decides to (can’t let a piece of hardware go lonely for too long, otherwise insecurities might pop up!)

For example, when you access an account with a service provider, it is likely a cookie will be placed in your file structure containing information such as your log-in name and password.  The decision tree theory applied is that an end-user will find far more convenience in being a host to these little transmitters such as with some of the gaming sites that really load up the plate, let alone any analytics being deployed by an operator of a site playing the role of source.

These cookies take on a passive position in the minds of an end-user, usually sinking to the farthest of recesses of ones mind while poking holes in the notion that there is absolutely no such thing as “too aggressive” or even “illegal” about setting expiration dates beyond even a year or two, but even that duration has some elegant attributes that suggest even a 5 or 10 year cookie isn’t too aggressive of a contractual agreement between the host of the transmitter and the receiver of said data.

The representation of aggressive longevity intent is when these cookies are delivered with expiration dates in the 60’s…the 70’s…the 80’s…even the 90’s.  I’m not talking about 20th century references (long live rock n roll baby!), rather these dates all apply to the 21st century.  I’m talking 2060.  2070.  2080.

And although fierce debate typically surrounds attempts to embed some form of a sunset clauses into a variety of legislation to where a tax is promised to expire at a certain date and time, these types of cookies simply aren’t designed to expire through the potential for advancement of such a date each and every time someone visits the source of the cookie…despite the suggestive labeling.

Because these cookie-related activities are so invisible – and yet so active – it’s tough to believe all are yummy treats to be savored and harbored entirely intact, let alone at all.  Unfortunately (perhaps) this isn’t about some elephant convincing the rest of the world there are lives existing on a puff of nature and that proposed destruction would mean total and complete annihilation of a 6, 7 or 8 digit loss of life.  It’s all about wondering how anyone is supposed to keep track of such activities…

especially when a click continues to represent virtual permission to install the cookie in the first place.  No visible disclaimers pop-up prior to deposit.  No forestalling of any kind built into the browsers used to access a site.  Even with browser add-ons adding at least one or two extra steps, there is not one moment whatsoever to where the end-user is forced to at least glance at the permissions being given whenever one of these reaches a system.  There is no formal cookie review interface built into any operating system.

Nope.  If someone wants to take a peek at their list of cookies on their machines, it has to come from a manually-generated search for such items designed to intentionally search for such things, unless you know the directory tree branch such data is deposited into – which typically includes a series of clicks, rather than some form of a one-stop shopping place.

Ain’t it funny how much time and energy continues to be invested into securing a computer from “unwanted intrusions” compared to how much time and energy is spent monetizing all of the data being sucked into so many externally located machines.

Kinda like it being impossible to be guilty of illegal activities if the activities are not designated as illegal.  After all, we’re the ones doing the clicking in the first place.  What does it matter if this click activity gets sent all over the place for analysis, right?

I’d point out in matters plenty, but I think I’ll pass on the opportunity and instead sunset my way out of this particular entry.

A cookie that expires 1/2/2080???  Really???  Serious???

Oh wait!  That’s right.

Now if I could only find where I placed my delete button.

Online Reputation Management

The V Decision Tree Hand-crafted Definition:  The act of intentionally coordinating online efforts so that a string derivative moves in an upwards or downwards direction in a search engine setting

The V Decision Tree Hand-crafted Example:  A person or a company has negative content ranking in the Top 20 of the major search engines.  Actions are taken to intentionally sink such data by strategically adding data so that the negative content sinks in the ratings and the strategically added data takes over the Top 20.

The V Decision Tree Hand-crafted Notes: The tone of the content is irrelevant with this strategy (negative/positive, true/false, etc.)

Search Engine Optimization

The V Decision Tree Hand-crafted Definition:  A school of thought in which a data contributor has control and ability to place content in an optimal position based on a search engine's decision tree


The V Decision Tree Hand-crafted Example: 
A company might hire a search engine optimization specialist to add "behind the scenes" options such as meta tags, keywords and descriptions to each web page while another company might hire a search engine optimization specialist to help with the development of a database intended for internal use only.

The V Decision Tree Hand-crafted Notes:   One builds based to pre-determined boundaries while the other builds the boundaries based on the behaviors being sought by the possessor of the database.

Search Engine

The V Decision Tree Hand-crafted Definition:  Programming that provides connectivity to a set of data via a call and respond interface

The V Decision Tree Hand-crafted Example:  A person using their computer at work decides to use the search and replace feature on their word processing software while another person begins a search within a company database while a third person turns to an outside data source.

The V Decision Tree Hand-crafted Notes:  All three search attempts rely on a mathematical equation to provide results, each with a separate formation and formula behind the match-ups.

Decision Tree

The V Decision Tree Hand-crafted Definition:  A structure built from a starting point that branches out into a step by step analysis map born from the established starting point and then built out based on the programmers parameters as to what should be done at each decision point

The V Decision Tree Hand-crafted Example:  A person creates a household budget by starting with a list of obligations (the starting point).  Decision points begin with consideration of how one will satisfy such obligations, such as through a paycheck.  Each line item demands a separate decision as to what portion of the paycheck will be applied, if at all.

The V Decision Tree Hand-crafted Notes:  Decision trees can be authored to accommodate all expectations with a clear and intended end point vs. structure designed to provide room to build all expectations to an undefined limit

Poison Words

The V Decision Tree Hand-crafted Definition:  A set/list of string derivatives that will be scored as a negative if they are present

The V Decision Tree Hand-crafted Example:  A search engine applying a filter for a set of words frequently abused in fraudulent manners.

The V Decision Tree Hand-crafted Notes:  The tone of the list is irrelevant with this label (the term "love" can be classified as a "poison word")

Pay Per Impression

The V Decision Tree Hand-crafted Definition:  A pay-out structure by and between an advertiser and a host of the ad.  Each visitor and/or page view equals a pre-determined exchange of cash, credit or other trade

The V Decision Tree Hand-crafted Example:  A website operator agrees to publish a hyperlink on their site connecting them to another location in exchange for compensation based on a formula of $.005 per page view/visitor.

The V Decision Tree Hand-crafted Notes:  Payment from an advertiser typically is up front and prior to the clicks being established, with the operator being responsible only for producing the purchase quantity of page views.  With affiliate programs, an operator typically doesn't get paid until the click count demands it.

Pay Per Click

The V Decision Tree Hand-crafted Definition:  A pay-out structure by and between an advertiser and a host of the ad.  Each click of a clickable feature equals a pre-determined exchange of cash, credit or other trade

The V Decision Tree Hand-crafted Example:  A website operator agrees to publish a hyperlink on their site connecting them to another location in exchange for compensation based on a formula of $.005 per click.

The V Decision Tree Hand-crafted Notes:  Payment from an advertiser typically is up front and prior to the clicks being established, with the operator being responsible only for producing the purchase quantity of clicks.  With affiliate programs, an operator doesn't get paid until the click count warrants it.

Filter

The V Decision Tree Hand-crafted Definition:  A method of narrowing a set of data based on a pre-determined set of criteria

The V Decision Tree Hand-crafted Example:  A search engine and/or anti-spam software applies filtering techniques to provide results.

The 1st 2011 V Decision Tree Short List* - Hochstadt Hail Restoration

Knocking sounds coming from walls and windows during the good ol’ days of trademark, copyright and patent searches usually was geared towards a head-banging and/or hand-banging energy source, mostly due to extraordinary levels of frustration for the masses when it came down to accessing the info in a timely manner. Can you fathom what used to happen if someone included a middle initial one legal document while leaving it out on another legal document as their legal identity? Imagine flipping through mountains of manila file folders trying to determine whether or not a piece of paper has any relevance to what you were looking for and then add the words “copyright office”…is your mind as numb as mine with such an equation being locked into the history books as “how things used to be done before the Internet.”

Now this piece of nostalgia might date me a little towards the ancient, but I remember the days of cartoons and graphics coming through a fax machine at work, and a popular motif that would frequently go viral around the office was a picture of a bulls-eye with a phrase like “Bang Head Here” in big, bold letters. This mostly pre-dates the current commonly accepted understanding that “going viral” has zero to do with fax machines and far more to do with emailing and social networking capabilities to take a piece of information and mass distribute it with and/or without a persons permission to distribute, let alone permission to act as a receiver of such efforts.

Going back to those good ol’ days for one more moment, the price tag for a legal professional to perform trustworthy(?) intelligence gathering didn’t have as much digit elasticity as it now has in this world of trillions and trillions of bits of bites of something or other, but it always had a spike in the back pocket of the process, which was the potential ramifications if there was an existing trademark, copyright, patent, etc. and it was somehow overlooked(?). These legal professional would lubricate these record-keeping mechanisms through heavy doses of charm(?) on the behalf of a client, so is it any wonder the inverse is now in action to where there is so much data available to the public, it remains nearly impossible to find relevant content…no matter what kind of a string combo is entered into a search engine.

So whereas an author, a painter or a musician used to rely on good ol’ fashioned pavement pounding and mountains of calls to have even a sliver of a chance of finding out if an identity string was available for further branding efforts, nowadays it’s a complex game of True or False, complete with a form of Truth or Dare embedded directly into these types of decision trees. If one dares to decide even once between True or False as to whether or not one Al is the same as another Al being displayed in an array of search results delivered via technology...

Therefore, the publishing of this particular V Decision Tree Short List is certainly a piece of the puzzling materials available to the public via the Internet in connection with Alert M. Hochstadt, but it is buy no means an actionable piece of evidence as a stand-alone exhibit. However, whether or not a bankruptcy filing in connection with ABA Hail Restoration was an intentional side-step away from the same system he has initiated multiple proceedings against others across this nation or instead reflects a fair and reasonable course of events for a legal entity other than Hochstadt, based upon collaborating accounts of the circumstances surrounding the case, the move into bankruptcy court with a questionable $60 million+ deficit/debt merits further scrutiny and challenge.

So although the bottom line for this particular list grows from the little I know surrounding the legal circumstances, it is difficult to erase or even diminish images of severe conflict and contradiction between Hochstadt and Any Courtroom In the U.S. Based on a legal case count, his lawsuit initiation tally far supersedes any victory against legal charges filed against him. And amongst all lawsuits initiated by Hochstadt (as contained herewithin), he was more often than not defeated and yet all lawsuits against him (as contained herewithin) seem to slip into some sort of legalese hold-up.

If he was running his business affairs with relatively fair and square mannerisms in the State of Illinois, Idaho, California, Washington and/or Florida, one might begin to wonder why such a supposed champion of The Little Guy Victim Of Wall Street Greed as was demonstrated in the Merrill Lynch incident…something else that had/still has questionable challenges to the merits of the case brought forth by Hochstadt…doesn’t seem to be frothing at the mouth for the chance to make his case in these other legal matters.

And so, with nothing but dramatic fanfair and flare being entirely absent due to text-based restrictions, following is The 1st 2011 V Decision Tree Short List* for the string derivative “Hail Restoration.” Using legally recognized organizational format extensions as primary line-item decision points and ABA Hail Restoration as the legal identity associated with Abert M. Hochstadt as the starting point, this collection participates in some form and/or fashion in the race to the top of the search engine ranking systems. Credible or not as to whether or not there really is an organization by any and/or all of these string derivatives, it all goes back to those good ol’ days of paper, the pen and a human as the engine behind a search for information vs. the prevailing wisdom to digitalize, classify, categorize and analyze any and all elements known or unknown to mankind and beyond.

Click here to view the list

The Bounty/Booty Derived From A Harvest Production For Directory Purposes

With complex legal arguments aside, data harvesting activities by the one and the many provide sophisticated opportunity to divide/liquidate the value of a string derivative via a variety of directory-based structures.

Irrelevant of pay-to-control-content schematics, these sites aggregate data from other locations and bring it under one roof, or one brand as the circumstances may be.  For example, there are multiple sites that are constantly harvesting data from the databases provided by each Secretary of State business licensing division, court records, phone books, etc.

It is within the economic value of such data harvesting activities that grows a variety of value inflation/liquidation techniques and tactics designed to operate from within the scope of concepts such as Reputation Management and Search Engine Optimization that can capture mass quantities of traffic for the operator of such a site to then attempt to convert into literal cash, frequently via some form of a pay-per-click or pay-per-impressions schematic being deployed from within the site.

For example, product and/or service review sites rely on commentary support as a part of garnering and gathering threads of credibility as a quality content provider able to compete on their own foundations as directory service providers.  Then there is the more questionable form and format that involves the creation of a record, publication of such data and then a shout-out to the world via a mass-marketing campaign inviting people to take over ownership/control of the content being broadcast by a site.

Hazy as this subject matter may initially appear to the untrained eye, it is through complex arguments both for and against such aggregation of people and business identity data that provides the opening for this particular collection of connections to Albert M. Hochstadt.

Without going too deep into structural issues surrounding networking and algorithm tracking/tracing, the number of locations holding some semblance of factual data surrounding the business identity of ABA Hail Restoration and derivatives as listed in The 1st 2011 V Decision Tree Short List* - Hochstadt Hail Restoration.  The syndication levels of such content seems especially curious due to other factors, including lack of Top 20 ratings for other content providers, such as the news media, and is symptomatic of intentional vs. incidental reputation management conflicts arising from the challenge of an engine producing a results roster containing sufficiently relevant content relative to the search criteria.

When evaluating a string derivative, ultimately it must first become irrelevant as to whether or not the content is true or false in any capacity.  It's all about the strict tally counts derived from the presence of content containing the string derivative.