Cyber Crime Part Two

I haven't written in a few days because I have been feeling down. Just trying to be optimistic when some stranger dived into my bank account and made away with money I felt was my security...isn't much fun.

I did have a moment of trying to figure it out on my own. The research was taking up my time on the different methods used to hack peoples accounts. How they get pin numbers and even press new cards so they can steal the cash without ever seeing your face.

On top of that, my bank isn't doing much to make me feel better. I am sure things like this happen all the time. I am just some number and several smaller numbers were taken away into the void.

I did manage to google map the place where they took my cash. It was a Citibank I had never been too and a creepy thought entered my head that I was looking online at a bank where the rogue came in and made off with the loot.

A big part of me wants to hunt down people like this but that would be a fool's errand. In a city this big, I have a better chance of finding Nessie.

The economy is going into pretty bad ground now and I bet more of these events will happen. I have talked to a few people and it seems everyone knows someone who was hit. I am not sure if it is all connected to when the Citibank server was hacked and information was taken.

Maybe as a regular citizen I should start an investigation. I don't like it when I sit back and things happen to me. When things like this happen, I need to move in a positive direction.

~Julian
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The Borneo Monster...

Now this is a monster I can believe in.

I of course came across this article about a 100 foot serpent in Borneo. If the picture is a fake then I would hazard a guess that it is a good one. There have been hoaxes about monsters for as far back as human kind can remember. But like anything, I am sure there is some basis in fact.

When I was younger, I had a passion and love for cryptids. They made me feel so good to think of creatures lurking in far out of the way places waiting to be discovered. I used to have piles of books about Nessie and other creatures. I would read them over and over again just so I can dream of discovering something not meant for human eyes.

The famous Surgeon photo from 1934 would make my mind wonder with delight. I still remember in 1994 when it finally came out that picture was a fake. It was one of the nails in the coffin of my beliefs. You could say that is why I am believer and a skeptic at the same time. I feel as time passes I am more of a skeptic.

I have no idea if the picture above is a fake or real but it does set the mind to drift a little. Again it brings up the questions, is this all there is to life? Have we seen all we can see?

I believe there is more to this life and the hunt does continue.

~Julian
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Cyber Crime

I wont go into massive detail but I found out today my bank account was hacked and I lost a lot of money!

It actually happened yesterday. It would seem that Andrea and I were home the entire day and someone made a copy of my ATM, some how got my pin number, went to the upper east side and pulled out a bunch of cash from my account.

I was furious when I found out and did the usual rant and such. I am now in the works to figure out what happened. The research I am doing on the subject of "ATM hacking" is not filling me with security with our banking systems. The amount of occurrences is staggering when it comes to this type of theft. Tomorrow I have to make time to go to my local police station and file a report. I have no idea what they can do but I have to let people know.

Im sure this will consume me for a little a bit. Even thinking about it now upsets me.

Its just money......but I worked hard for it. We are all hitting hard times but this just blew me out of the water. I guess its easier to steal from people you dont know but dammit, I happened to be that damn schmuck who got hit.

I believe in Karma....Things can and do happen for a reason. I am just having a hard time wondering what the reason behind all of this is right now.

~Julian
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The Mad Gasser...

The other night I was talking about how the moon had just a dramatic effect on me. I did have those feelings but I was also coming off a very long period of being sick. Simply put, I could have just started to feel better. I say this because I infact do feel better and stronger.

My mind drifted toward thoughts of insanity. The things that may drive us to such strange moments or even the genetic disposition of one's birth. I was discussing the MothMan with Andrea when for some reason a thought popped into my head about the Mad Gasser. (We had been talking about humanoid cryptids.) Andrea had never heard about the Mad Gasser so I spent some of the time explaining the myth.

In case you didnt know, The Mad Gasser was some disturbed person who pumped gas into people's homes as they slept. In essence trying to slowly poison them. They never found out if this was myth, legend or boogey man story. What always made my mind wonder was, this indeed could have happened. Despite the main stream way of killing people with bullets, poison, A-bombs, One could reach of point where they wanted to hurt their neighbors by slowly killing them with gas.

Serial killers fascinate people on all sorts of levels. Why couldnt something like this have happened? Is this doll house of humanity at such a point where things out of the norm are REALLY out of the norm?

I am sure people have been killing each other in all sorts of inventive ways but when a story such as the Mad Gasser comes along, its almost something surreal and fantasy like.

The moon, like anything else on this planet is a force in our lives. But so is everything we are and come in contact with. The mind is a fractured mirror and we just try to keep the pieces together.

Sleep tight....and make sure your windows are secured.

~Julian
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The Moon....

I felt weird all day yesterday. It was really bizarre. Often at times things didnt make sense. It felt every part of the day was some different colored bubble and I was passing from one to the other in some strange slow motion.

When I was walking home, I looked up and saw the full moon. I dont know if things like this effect anyone but It seems to have a huge effect on me. I have always loved water, the ocean, lakes, streams, Etc. I am a very sensitive person at times as well. I cant help but feel the pull of such a wonderful celestial body such as the moon. I mean it tugs and pulls away and has what would seem a dramatic effect not just on me but everyone around.

Or I could just be crazy. I dont know. No one has come up to me and said so.

This is day two of the full moon and I have felt strange and its driving me crazy. I have no idea what to do with myself and I cant just sleep it off because I didnt sleep well last night.

In case you were born in a cave. This is what I am talking about.

I may have to perform an experiment where I drink on a full moon and see what effect will have on what I say or do.

I would like to hear more of people's stories about the moon. I cannot be the only person on the entire planet feeling this way?

Can I?

~Julian
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Sea Serpents

I came across this article today.

The poor creature was washed ashore and was soon discovered by the locals. The one thing I love about this world is when people see things they dont see everyday, it becomes such a huge event. I can just imagine drunken sailors when they would catch or see some bizarre beast, their minds would be completely blown. To this day, the ocean is so big and vast, any number of creatures can be lurking in the depths of the sea.

I personally am glad this creature just washed ashore and wasnt caught in those nets they use to drag the ocean bottom with. We could use a little more discovering and a lot less greed.

~Julian
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Zombies part 1

I have been sick for a few days now and it feels like I am just starting to beat this virus back. Throwing up, body pain and fever are not fun things to do at any time. I spent a lot of time sleeping or watching tv. Not as fun as you would think.

During this "bad" time, I thought about a few things between me passing out and the TV dumbing me down. The one thought I had the most was about zombies.

To start off, I dont believe in the actual undead zombies you see in so many George Romero flicks. (Dont get me wrong, I love his movies!) I thought more about the realistic possibility of a virus or parasitic zombie outbreak.

The human mind and body are amazing machines in a genetic sense but so is everything else in the planet. Viruses and parasites have been know to change the way people behave and think so the virus can open up chances for it to spread. One such possibility is Toxoplasmosis. Essentially it is a parasitic disease that can change the behavior of it's host. Another virus that has made it into movies is rabies. The movie Quarantine did a very good job of showing the possibility of such an outbreak. I know, truth is stranger then fiction. Mind you, Toxoplasmosis is some what mild and there are treatments for rabies but that doesnt mean down the road, they or many other diseases will not become stronger.

I do at times wonder if we are standing on the edge of a precipice, ready to fall in that black abyss of chaos.

The important thing to remember here is knowledge will help you survive. I do hope in my heart of hearts that this will never happen.

I need to lay down before I pass out again.

~Julian
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