June 2007


As you have probably recently noticed, The Yellow Subterfuge is sporting a PR 4 when just minutes ago it was a PR 3 (and thanks for paying so close attention).

My non-www version of the blog (ie yellowsubterfuge.com) was a 4 and the yes-www version of the blog (ie www.yellowsubterfuge.com) was a 3. There is a helpful redirect that SEO savvy people like to use called an HTTP redirect class 301. They like this redirect option because it is permanent and will pass on the precious google link juice to where you are redirecting to.

I picked up a simple, easy-to-use plugin that will send my yes-www traffic to my non-www site, pick up the PR 3 link juice from the yes-www version of the site, and have one official page for my blog. Not bad for 45 seconds of work.

Thanks for the easy to use plugin, Matt.

Ivan Mendes is the most fraudiest fraudster SewellDirect.com has ever seen. So much so, that Gewis, our expert fraud detector, made a certificate for him. Gewis even emailed it to him. It will probably cause him to use a different name.

The most common type of internet fraud of course is stolen credit card numbers. Fraudsters use unsuspecting internet retailers to launder money by purchasing goods with stolen credit cards and then liquidating them. Recently Preston took a whole trip out to Florida because the FBI tracked down a huge fraud ring with stolen merchandise that reached the ceiling of a house. They had purchased video cards from us fraudulently, over a thousand dollars worth I think.

There are some obvious red flags that Gewis looks for when orders come in and we are getting better and better at it. Usually the merchandise sold has mass appeal, and often times the fraudster wants the goods shipped somewhere internationally. When Gewis senses fraud with his spidey senses, he often calls the customer to make sure they are legit, and also performs queries with this really awesome search tool called "Google" to validate the identities of the purchasers. That’s at Google.com.

So anyway, watch out for Ivan Mendes. He’s so going to rot in hell.

If you’re an average homeboy like me, you probably BBQ a lot and probably use a charcoal chimney to get your coals ready. But for all of you from the streets, or those of you signing million dollar checks (in other words, you non-average homeboys), I will show you how to evenly light all of your coals perfectly, without match starter coals, and without lighter fluid.

This memorial day caught me alone with a nice thick 16 oz.+ ribeye. It was still a bit lonely. :(

Charcoal chimneys are very handy and save you money. They allow you to buy the cheapest charcoal and you’ll never have to spend money on ‘girl scout water’ (which Bob my roomate calls it).

charcoalchimney11. Simply stuff a couple leaves of newspaper in the bottom compartment of the chimney.

2. Fill the top compartment (the largest one) with charcoal.

charcoalchimney2

3. Light the newspaper through the air holes.

charcoalchimney34. Wait about 20 minutes.

You will see smoke rising from the chimney for about 10 minutes before you actually start seeing any red charcoals. This is normal. It is amazing that this even works, I still don’t understand it.

charcoalchimeny4This is what you will begin to see when the coals are well on their way. You’ll know that the coals are ready when the coals on the very top have 3-5 inch flames coming off them.

5. Once the coals are ready, use a glove and dump the coals evenly and replace the grill.

ribeyeYou will see that every individual coal will be perfectly and individually on fire. Perfectly and evenly lit coals means perfectly and evenly cooked meat. The coals will also be hotter initially than you can get them with lighter fluid, which is good news for all of you who eat your steaks rare.