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spiderweb

spiderweb

Final Approach
Joined
Feb 22, 2005
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Display name:
Ben
I have had to remove my avatar, personal information, PMing ability, etc. Environment isn't as friendly as it once was, I'm afraid. If you want to contact me, you'll have to let me know through one of these posts (unless you already have my personal info).
 
wangmyers said:
I have had to remove my avatar, personal information, PMing ability, etc. Environment isn't as friendly as it once was, I'm afraid. If you want to contact me, you'll have to let me know through one of these posts (unless you already have my personal info).
Click to expand...

What the heck ?

:mad:
 
I hope you haven't been a victim of identity theft or anything horrible like that, Ben.
I was just getting to like that double-oh-seven-ish avatar. :) You'll still give us regular training reports and stuff, I hope?

--Kath
 
No problems to report; I'm just being proactively cautious. :)
 
That's a heck of a change from just a few days ago. And what happened to the Mozart thread?
 
wangmyers said:
No problems to report; I'm just being proactively cautious. :)
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Are you trying to keep those photoshopping hoodlums out of your hair? :)
 
wangmyers said:
No problems to report; I'm just being proactively cautious. :)
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Ben, that's why I took the tail numbers off of my signiture -- I googled the a/c tail numbers and found my PoA messages...
 
RotaryWingBob said:
Ben, that's why I took the tail numbers off of my signiture -- I googled the a/c tail numbers and found my PoA messages...
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Now google your name and see what comes up...
 
..Thank god I've always been *somewhat* careful about what I've written on the internet. I googled my name the other day and found posts back to when I was about 12 years old..Doh.
 
I google myself, and find, well nothing. Too many Edward and Frederick returns. One advantage of having a firstname surname.
 
AirBaker said:
All your info is available from the FAA... Darn that google! :)
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Not if you request that your pilot certificate info be private.

They won't do that for aircraft registrations, but you aren't required to put your home address on the aircraft registration.

I was going to write to Harrison Ford to tell him that when he had the ranch address on his pilot certs, but he got the message since.
 
N2212R said:
I google myself, and find, well nothing. Too many Edward and Frederick returns. One advantage of having a firstname surname.
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Hum, wonder what I would get back.... Melissa Smith.... No one can ever find the real me! :)

Missa
 
Missa said:
Hum, wonder what I would get back.... Melissa Smith.... No one can ever find the real me! :)

Missa
Click to expand...

You'd be surprised what a determined or knowledgable person could do, even with a common name (admittedly, it's harder with a common name, but not impossible).

Despite the pseudonyms used on the Red Board, it took about 30 minutes to uncover the real name of one of the posters, their address, the company they work for, phone number, info on the spouse and children, and their former address.

Scary.
 
wsuffa said:
You'd be surprised what a determined or knowledgable person could do, even with a common name (admittedly, it's harder with a common name, but not impossible).

Despite the pseudonyms used on the Red Board, it took about 30 minutes to uncover the real name of one of the posters, their address, the company they work for, phone number, info on the spouse and children, and their former address.

Scary.
Click to expand...

I've searched for myself and it needs far more information then I tell msot people. You would have to be fairly determined to find me. I like it like that. B)
 
wsuffa said:
You'd be surprised what a determined or knowledgable person could do, even with a common name (admittedly, it's harder with a common name, but not impossible).

Despite the pseudonyms used on the Red Board, it took about 30 minutes to uncover the real name of one of the posters, their address, the company they work for, phone number, info on the spouse and children, and their former address.

Scary.
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My wife worked for a short time for a woman who ran an exec search company out of her home. She could get anything a client asked on any person. EX: she got the HS GPA on an exec who was over 65 years old. Folks, we're talking HS over 48 years ago.


Anything on any person, whatever the client asked. Often the intended information would crop up with other personal information. Forget the microchip implant, we got innernet.
 
Missa said:
Hum, wonder what I would get back.... Melissa Smith.... No one can ever find the real me! :)

Missa
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I've found the real me before, but only because I knew enough about myself to be able to tell the difference. Others would have a harder time picking the right link for me.
 
HPNFlyGirl said:
Ben was it because I said you were handsome? :dunno:
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No, Brook, it was because *I* told him he was handsome!

No, this is a loss.
 
wsuffa said:
Now google your name and see what comes up...
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I did that for "Jerry Crute" many months ago and came up with a same name who, apparently, is a college professor in the DC area. Though Jerry is only a professional name I adopted many years ago(and it stuck), now I feel like the dumb bunny of the "two."

HR(being careful of the secrets I share)
 
wsuffa said:
You'd be surprised what a determined or knowledgable person could do, even with a common name (admittedly, it's harder with a common name, but not impossible).

Despite the pseudonyms used on the Red Board, it took about 30 minutes to uncover the real name of one of the posters, their address, the company they work for, phone number, info on the spouse and children, and their former address.

Scary.
Click to expand...

It doesn't really scare me in the least. I'm not afraid of so-called internet detectives. If I were a woman, I would be a little scared because of the stupid sickos out there.

In case anyone wonders, I had my real name removed from both boards so that I could post whatever I wanted without fear of the feds coming for me. Since then though, I have started to wonder if I was being overly prudent.
 
If you google my name, you will easily find me, but you will also find a beer afficionado!
 
*shrug* Privacy on the internet is a fallacy. As Bill pointed out, no matter how hard you try to hide yourself.... you'll be found.

Cheers,

-Andrew
who used to be # 1 in Google, now is #10 because of some wanker comedian from Ireland
 
SkyHog said:
In case anyone wonders, I had my real name removed from both boards so that I could post whatever I wanted without fear of the feds coming for me. Since then though, I have started to wonder if I was being overly prudent.
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Too late Nick. You're the only one doing New Mexico Airport write ups on here, and your name, and picture, and the link to PoA to read the write ups was already published in Flight Training. It's off to Gitmo for you!
 
N2212R said:
Too late Nick. You're the only one doing New Mexico Airport write ups on here, and your name, and picture, and the link to PoA to read the write ups was already published in Flight Training. It's off to Gitmo for you!
Click to expand...

Ahh yes, but is Nick Brennan really my name?
 
MSmith said:
I've found the real me before, but only because I knew enough about myself to be able to tell the difference. Others would have a harder time picking the right link for me.
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Ahhh...but if you CLICKED on the right link YOU TOLD GOOGLE which one was the right one. So the next search will have that link ranked higher. Your only hope is that next searcher wanted one of the other yous. :rolleyes:
 
wangmyers said:
If you google my name, you will easily find me, but you will also find a beer afficionado!
Click to expand...
If you Google my name you will easily find me too, but my alter ego is a reporter in Tokyo.
 
The reality of the situation is that if someone wants to find you or steal your identity, it's not that difficult. For less than $100, I can pretty much find anyone, anywhere with things that I've learned over time (including helping some local police depts with network security stuff). And it's not always Google or online stuff. Sometimes a few phone calls is all it takes.
 
Everskyward said:
If you Google my name you will easily find me too, but my alter ego is a reporter in Tokyo.
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Tried googling myself and even threw in some randomly known facts... still couldn't find the 'real' me. :dunno:

Missa
 
Well, I've known for quite a while that I couldn't hide myself on the Internet, so now I just embrace it. Google me and you'll find writings I did more than 20 years ago. With a name like mine, there's not much chance of people getting the wrong one :-)
 
Missa said:
Tried googling myself and even threw in some randomly known facts... still couldn't find the 'real' me. :dunno:
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Truthfully, I started being careful about using my real name not because I was afraid that someone on the internet would find me but because posting on message boards was a guilty pleasure. I wasn't sure I wanted people in my "real life" to know about it. Of course as you know, my real life and my internet life have become the same thing so it really doesn't matter any more. ;)
 
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Missa said:
Tried googling myself and even threw in some randomly known facts... still couldn't find the 'real' me. :dunno:

Missa
Click to expand...

Googling just my first and last name, there are way too many hits for the average person who doesn't know me to figure out which is me and which isn't (I have a very common last name). Add in my proffession and state, and you find two hits that are me out of 600.. and those two are on job postings.

Even with being cautious about what you personally post, it's impossible for you to keep someone else from posting it. Thankfully all someone would find on a casual search would be what address to send me an application, but if they were determined to find me, it wouldn't take long. Hazards of working for a government agency I guess.

I never have a listed phone number, my address on my drivers license is a po box (benefits of the job) and I try to be careful about what I post, but I know it's very easy to find someone if you are really determined.. I do it all the time (work related of course).
 
I look at it this way. I don't regret things I've said or done, and am simply leaving a little time capsule of sorts on the Google servers. :D

But just by googling, looks like my name was overtaken... so you'd have to use my username or other pseudonyms to find me ;)
 
Ahh Google has me down for 2 things. Once in 1974 on ibdb.com & once with my Musketeer.

You would have to go to the FAA site directly to get my address.

My ex fixed my credit so good, ya'll can have it :) :)
 
I found out that I make sausage, acted in some movies in the 50's and 70's, I sang some songs, and died a horrific death. Eh, not too shabby.

James Dean
 
OK, I realize the PMing is reasonably secure, so I turned that feature back on.
 
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