This is sorta OT, but I've left it unlabeled.

I started to do a design in Sketchup a while back, and used the add-on
CutList. CutList generates what its name implies: a list of cut pieces
that are superimposed on a standard sized plank, and tries to maximize
wood useage or minimize waste. After it's done all of that it exports
the pieces and their dimensions to a format that can be opened with a
spreadsheet program. If you have coloured the pieces with a wood colour,
it will also specify the wood used in manufacture.

In my case, I'd used a mahogany colouring, so CutList assumed I was
specifying mahogany. It didn't matter to me, I just wanted some colour.

I copy/pasted the piece sizes along with material specification to an
email client and then emailed myself at work so I had a list of what I
needed when I went to buy the wood.

A few days later, I came home and my wife said that someone had called
and was ready to quote prices on the cut up pieces of wood that I
wanted, all in mahogany. In fact, they could ship that day if she would
give them a CC number. I'd never mentioned mahogany to her, so she
decided to give them my phone number at work and let me deal with it.
She was a bit surprised by the call, and didn't get the name of the
company. They never did call me at work, which is really interesting.

My email client includes my name in the "From" box, but no other
personal information. I won't say I've never given out my phone number
on web forms, but I don't ever recall giving it out to any wood
suppliers. In any event, it's not an unlisted number.

In the project that I drew up the plans for, I'm either going to use
select pine from the local guy, or use some oak that I have in-house.
I've never used mahogany in my life, and have no plans in the near
future to get prices on it.

Somehow, someone got the cutlist email, and called.

I don't know what to think here. My "sent" mail folder has no email that
goes to wood suppliers or anyone else that would have received that
email, other than my work account. I've got theories, but they're a bit
wild and involve cyber sniffing, which seems a bit over the top at this
point.

I suspect I will never know for sure.

Tanus

Tanus wrote:
This is sorta OT, but I've left it unlabeled.

I started to do a design in Sketchup a while back, and used the add-on
CutList. CutList generates what its name implies: a list of cut pieces
that are superimposed on a standard sized plank, and tries to maximize
wood useage or minimize waste. After it's done all of that it exports
the pieces and their dimensions to a format that can be opened with a
spreadsheet program. If you have coloured the pieces with a wood colour,
it will also specify the wood used in manufacture.

In my case, I'd used a mahogany colouring, so CutList assumed I was
specifying mahogany. It didn't matter to me, I just wanted some colour.

I copy/pasted the piece sizes along with material specification to an
email client and then emailed myself at work so I had a list of what I
needed when I went to buy the wood.

A few days later, I came home and my wife said that someone had called
and was ready to quote prices on the cut up pieces of wood that I
wanted, all in mahogany. In fact, they could ship that day if she would
give them a CC number. I'd never mentioned mahogany to her, so she
decided to give them my phone number at work and let me deal with it.
She was a bit surprised by the call, and didn't get the name of the
company. They never did call me at work, which is really interesting.

My email client includes my name in the "From" box, but no other
personal information. I won't say I've never given out my phone number
on web forms, but I don't ever recall giving it out to any wood
suppliers. In any event, it's not an unlisted number.

In the project that I drew up the plans for, I'm either going to use
select pine from the local guy, or use some oak that I have in-house.
I've never used mahogany in my life, and have no plans in the near
future to get prices on it.

Somehow, someone got the cutlist email, and called.

Or perhaps they got the cutlist data, were able to associate it with
you, looked up your phone number, and called...

I don't know what to think here. My "sent" mail folder has no email that
goes to wood suppliers or anyone else that would have received that
email, other than my work account. I've got theories, but they're a bit
wild and involve cyber sniffing, which seems a bit over the top at this
point.

I suspect I will never know for sure.

Hmm - very disturbing. I'd be inclined to label it "industrial
espionage" and take it up with law enforcement.

SketchUp
CutList
spresdsheet program
home e-mail client (and plug-ins)
server chain
work e-mail client (and plug-ins)

It might be interesting to discover what kinds of data are being slurped
up from other users...

Just out of curiosity, was the e-mail sent using your gmail account?

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

Morris Dovey wrote:

Tanus wrote:
This is sorta OT, but I've left it unlabeled.

.... snip

A few days later, I came home and my wife said that someone had called
and was ready to quote prices on the cut up pieces of wood that I
wanted, all in mahogany. In fact, they could ship that day if she would
give them a CC number. I'd never mentioned mahogany to her, so she
decided to give them my phone number at work and let me deal with it.
She was a bit surprised by the call, and didn't get the name of the
company. They never did call me at work, which is really interesting.

My email client includes my name in the "From" box, but no other
personal information. I won't say I've never given out my phone number
on web forms, but I don't ever recall giving it out to any wood
suppliers. In any event, it's not an unlisted number.

.... snip

Somehow, someone got the cutlist email, and called.

Or perhaps they got the cutlist data, were able to associate it with
you, looked up your phone number, and called...

I don't know what to think here. My "sent" mail folder has no email that
goes to wood suppliers or anyone else that would have received that
email, other than my work account. I've got theories, but they're a bit
wild and involve cyber sniffing, which seems a bit over the top at this
point.

I suspect I will never know for sure.

Hmm - very disturbing. I'd be inclined to label it "industrial
espionage" and take it up with law enforcement.

SketchUp
CutList
spresdsheet program
home e-mail client (and plug-ins)
server chain
work e-mail client (and plug-ins)

It might be interesting to discover what kinds of data are being slurped
up from other users...

Just out of curiosity, was the e-mail sent using your gmail account?


I'd take Morris's advice here, especially if some of this e-mail flowed
through your company e-mail. If your company is large enough, you probably
have an information assurance officer (or similar title). This could be
indicative of a significant issue that affects more than the fact that your
name and phone number were identified with your sketchup plans.





--

There is never a situation where having more rounds is a disadvantage

Rob Leatham

Mark & Juanita wrote:
Morris Dovey wrote:



SketchUp
CutList
spresdsheet program
home e-mail client (and plug-ins)
server chain
work e-mail client (and plug-ins)

It might be interesting to discover what kinds of data are being slurped
up from other users...

Just out of curiosity, was the e-mail sent using your gmail account?


I'd take Morris's advice here, especially if some of this e-mail flowed
through your company e-mail. If your company is large enough, you probably
have an information assurance officer (or similar title). This could be
indicative of a significant issue that affects more than the fact that your
name and phone number were identified with your sketchup plans.



The email was sent through my personal ISP account.

I"m reluctant to go to law enforcement, but I will follow through with
our security people. I work for a government organization with a
population of about 15k, so I've got a few people I can tap, and maybe
even interest in this.

thanks.

Tanus

Tanus wrote:

The email was sent through my personal ISP account.

It also could be on your friends email account. I doubt it has much to
do with sketchup or the cut list program, as millions use this stuff and
I would think it would have come up long ago. My guess is either your
outgoing mail or your friends incoming mail is intercepted. Does your
friend have a web site? Does his email go through his web site?

I"m reluctant to go to law enforcement, but I will follow through with
our security people. I work for a government organization with a
population of about 15k, so I've got a few people I can tap, and maybe
even interest in this.

thanks.

Tanus


--
Jack
Using FREE News Server: http://www.eternal-september.org/
http://jbstein.com

Tanus wrote:
This is sorta OT, but I've left it unlabeled.

I started to do a design in Sketchup a while back, and used the add-on
CutList. CutList generates what its name implies: a list of cut pieces
that are superimposed on a standard sized plank, and tries to maximize
wood useage or minimize waste. After it's done all of that it exports
the pieces and their dimensions to a format that can be opened with a
spreadsheet program. If you have coloured the pieces with a wood
colour, it will also specify the wood used in manufacture.

In my case, I'd used a mahogany colouring, so CutList assumed I was
specifying mahogany. It didn't matter to me, I just wanted some
colour.
I copy/pasted the piece sizes along with material specification to an
email client and then emailed myself at work so I had a list of what I
needed when I went to buy the wood.

A few days later, I came home and my wife said that someone had called
and was ready to quote prices on the cut up pieces of wood that I
wanted, all in mahogany. In fact, they could ship that day if she
would give them a CC number. I'd never mentioned mahogany to her, so
she decided to give them my phone number at work and let me deal with
it. She was a bit surprised by the call, and didn't get the name of
the company. They never did call me at work, which is really
interesting.
My email client includes my name in the "From" box, but no other
personal information. I won't say I've never given out my phone number
on web forms, but I don't ever recall giving it out to any wood
suppliers. In any event, it's not an unlisted number.

In the project that I drew up the plans for, I'm either going to use
select pine from the local guy, or use some oak that I have in-house.
I've never used mahogany in my life, and have no plans in the near
future to get prices on it.

Somehow, someone got the cutlist email, and called.

I don't know what to think here. My "sent" mail folder has no email
that goes to wood suppliers or anyone else that would have received
that email, other than my work account. I've got theories, but
they're a bit wild and involve cyber sniffing, which seems a bit over
the top at this point.

I suspect I will never know for sure.


whitehouse.gov?

They have recently claimed no knowledge of how email was sent to people who
have never communicated with any government agency, so it's possible your
name miracled itself somewhere too.

Tanus wrote:
This is sorta OT, but I've left it unlabeled.

I started to do a design in Sketchup a while back, and used the add-on
CutList. CutList generates what its name implies: a list of cut pieces
that are superimposed on a standard sized plank, and tries to maximize
wood useage or minimize waste. After it's done all of that it exports
the pieces and their dimensions to a format that can be opened with a
spreadsheet program. If you have coloured the pieces with a wood colour,
it will also specify the wood used in manufacture.

In my case, I'd used a mahogany colouring, so CutList assumed I was
specifying mahogany. It didn't matter to me, I just wanted some colour.

I copy/pasted the piece sizes along with material specification to an
email client and then emailed myself at work so I had a list of what I
needed when I went to buy the wood.

A few days later, I came home and my wife said that someone had called
and was ready to quote prices on the cut up pieces of wood that I
wanted, all in mahogany. In fact, they could ship that day if she would
give them a CC number. I'd never mentioned mahogany to her, so she
decided to give them my phone number at work and let me deal with it.
She was a bit surprised by the call, and didn't get the name of the
company. They never did call me at work, which is really interesting.

My email client includes my name in the "From" box, but no other
personal information. I won't say I've never given out my phone number
on web forms, but I don't ever recall giving it out to any wood
suppliers. In any event, it's not an unlisted number.

In the project that I drew up the plans for, I'm either going to use
select pine from the local guy, or use some oak that I have in-house.
I've never used mahogany in my life, and have no plans in the near
future to get prices on it.

Somehow, someone got the cutlist email, and called.

I don't know what to think here. My "sent" mail folder has no email that
goes to wood suppliers or anyone else that would have received that
email, other than my work account. I've got theories, but they're a bit
wild and involve cyber sniffing, which seems a bit over the top at this
point.

I suspect I will never know for sure.

Data interception, plain and simple, most likely on your company side,
either in-house or clandestine. Packet sniffing is easy to practice and
is a big problem with many corporations and governments practicing it
routinely, and SMTP traffic, on either side of the server, is fair game.

Only defense for the little guy is to encrypt your e-mail.


--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 10/22/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)

"Swingman" wrote in message
...
Data interception, plain and simple, most likely on your company side,
either in-house or clandestine.

Right. It *can't* be related to anything he's running at home. It would be
so much easier and more direct to intercept email at the company's email
portal; trace where it came from; and call him at home to offer my services.
A smarter person might, if he could figure out how, just slip you something
in your SU add-in. Maybe even have you enter the contact information when
you downloaded the software, even before you installed it. I know it sounds
counterintuitively complex, but that's how I would go about it.

On Sat, 15 Aug 2009 21:29:24 -0400, Tanus wrote:

This is sorta OT, but I've left it unlabeled.

I started to do a design in Sketchup a while back, and used the add-on
CutList. CutList generates what its name implies: a list of cut pieces
that are superimposed on a standard sized plank, and tries to maximize
wood useage or minimize waste. After it's done all of that it exports
the pieces and their dimensions to a format that can be opened with a
spreadsheet program. If you have coloured the pieces with a wood colour,
it will also specify the wood used in manufacture.

In my case, I'd used a mahogany colouring, so CutList assumed I was
specifying mahogany. It didn't matter to me, I just wanted some colour.

I copy/pasted the piece sizes along with material specification to an
email client and then emailed myself at work so I had a list of what I
needed when I went to buy the wood.

A few days later, I came home and my wife said that someone had called
and was ready to quote prices on the cut up pieces of wood that I
wanted, all in mahogany. In fact, they could ship that day if she would
give them a CC number. I'd never mentioned mahogany to her, so she
decided to give them my phone number at work and let me deal with it.
She was a bit surprised by the call, and didn't get the name of the
company. They never did call me at work, which is really interesting.

My email client includes my name in the "From" box, but no other
personal information. I won't say I've never given out my phone number
on web forms, but I don't ever recall giving it out to any wood
suppliers. In any event, it's not an unlisted number.

In the project that I drew up the plans for, I'm either going to use
select pine from the local guy, or use some oak that I have in-house.
I've never used mahogany in my life, and have no plans in the near
future to get prices on it.

Somehow, someone got the cutlist email, and called.

I don't know what to think here. My "sent" mail folder has no email that
goes to wood suppliers or anyone else that would have received that
email, other than my work account. I've got theories, but they're a bit
wild and involve cyber sniffing, which seems a bit over the top at this
point.

I suspect I will never know for sure.

Google has a back door in Sketchup? Nah, Google would never do such a
thing.

krw wrote:
On Sat, 15 Aug 2009 21:29:24 -0400, Tanus wrote:

This is sorta OT, but I've left it unlabeled.

I started to do a design in Sketchup a while back, and used the add-on
CutList. CutList generates what its name implies: a list of cut pieces
that are superimposed on a standard sized plank, and tries to maximize
wood useage or minimize waste. After it's done all of that it exports
the pieces and their dimensions to a format that can be opened with a
spreadsheet program. If you have coloured the pieces with a wood colour,
it will also specify the wood used in manufacture.

In my case, I'd used a mahogany colouring, so CutList assumed I was
specifying mahogany. It didn't matter to me, I just wanted some colour.

I copy/pasted the piece sizes along with material specification to an
email client and then emailed myself at work so I had a list of what I
needed when I went to buy the wood.

A few days later, I came home and my wife said that someone had called
and was ready to quote prices on the cut up pieces of wood that I
wanted, all in mahogany. In fact, they could ship that day if she would
give them a CC number. I'd never mentioned mahogany to her, so she
decided to give them my phone number at work and let me deal with it.
She was a bit surprised by the call, and didn't get the name of the
company. They never did call me at work, which is really interesting.

My email client includes my name in the "From" box, but no other
personal information. I won't say I've never given out my phone number
on web forms, but I don't ever recall giving it out to any wood
suppliers. In any event, it's not an unlisted number.

In the project that I drew up the plans for, I'm either going to use
select pine from the local guy, or use some oak that I have in-house.
I've never used mahogany in my life, and have no plans in the near
future to get prices on it.

Somehow, someone got the cutlist email, and called.

I don't know what to think here. My "sent" mail folder has no email that
goes to wood suppliers or anyone else that would have received that
email, other than my work account. I've got theories, but they're a bit
wild and involve cyber sniffing, which seems a bit over the top at this
point.

I suspect I will never know for sure.

Google has a back door in Sketchup? Nah, Google would never do such a
thing.

Thank you for voicing that. Now I'm not the only one to go there. The
thought had crossed my mind, but it seemed a bit over the top. Frankly
it still does, but it's also a possibility.

It's terrible to think that way, but nonetheless the thoughts happen.
The entire creed of "Don't be evil" had always struck me as sophmoric.
Having said that, I still use Google search 10 times a day on a slow
day, and love Sketchup. Google has almost become an indespensable aspect
of many people's lives. The pressure to turn that to self-serving at the
expense of the rest of us must at times be overwhelming.

Tanus

On Sun, 16 Aug 2009 18:29:27 -0400, Tanus wrote:

krw wrote:
On Sat, 15 Aug 2009 21:29:24 -0400, Tanus wrote:

This is sorta OT, but I've left it unlabeled.

I started to do a design in Sketchup a while back, and used the add-on
CutList. CutList generates what its name implies: a list of cut pieces
that are superimposed on a standard sized plank, and tries to maximize
wood useage or minimize waste. After it's done all of that it exports
the pieces and their dimensions to a format that can be opened with a
spreadsheet program. If you have coloured the pieces with a wood colour,
it will also specify the wood used in manufacture.

In my case, I'd used a mahogany colouring, so CutList assumed I was
specifying mahogany. It didn't matter to me, I just wanted some colour.

I copy/pasted the piece sizes along with material specification to an
email client and then emailed myself at work so I had a list of what I
needed when I went to buy the wood.

A few days later, I came home and my wife said that someone had called
and was ready to quote prices on the cut up pieces of wood that I
wanted, all in mahogany. In fact, they could ship that day if she would
give them a CC number. I'd never mentioned mahogany to her, so she
decided to give them my phone number at work and let me deal with it.
She was a bit surprised by the call, and didn't get the name of the
company. They never did call me at work, which is really interesting.

My email client includes my name in the "From" box, but no other
personal information. I won't say I've never given out my phone number
on web forms, but I don't ever recall giving it out to any wood
suppliers. In any event, it's not an unlisted number.

In the project that I drew up the plans for, I'm either going to use
select pine from the local guy, or use some oak that I have in-house.
I've never used mahogany in my life, and have no plans in the near
future to get prices on it.

Somehow, someone got the cutlist email, and called.

I don't know what to think here. My "sent" mail folder has no email that
goes to wood suppliers or anyone else that would have received that
email, other than my work account. I've got theories, but they're a bit
wild and involve cyber sniffing, which seems a bit over the top at this
point.

I suspect I will never know for sure.

Google has a back door in Sketchup? Nah, Google would never do such a
thing.

Thank you for voicing that. Now I'm not the only one to go there. The
thought had crossed my mind, but it seemed a bit over the top. Frankly
it still does, but it's also a possibility.

It's terrible to think that way, but nonetheless the thoughts happen.
The entire creed of "Don't be evil" had always struck me as sophmoric.
Having said that, I still use Google search 10 times a day on a slow
day, and love Sketchup. Google has almost become an indespensable aspect
of many people's lives. The pressure to turn that to self-serving at the
expense of the rest of us must at times be overwhelming.

Nothing would surprise me, WRT Google. Other than Google Groups (I
read during breaks at work and they've blocked all NNTP access), I
don't use Google. There are other search engines.

Tanus wrote:

It's terrible to think that way, but nonetheless the thoughts happen.
The entire creed of "Don't be evil" had always struck me as sophmoric.
Having said that, I still use Google search 10 times a day on a slow
day, and love Sketchup. Google has almost become an indespensable aspect
of many people's lives. The pressure to turn that to self-serving at the
expense of the rest of us must at times be overwhelming.

Google is fine but because it seems indispensable and I'm a bit of a
non-conformist, I use http://clusty.com/ for my main search engine. I
have it in my Firefox search window as primary. It works just as good
as Google.

Also, on re-reading your problem, I thought you sent the email to a
friend... it was to yourself at work... Does your work have a web site
that processes the email, that would be my first place to look if it
does. Google mail would be next, the most unlikely would be sketchup/cut
list program because it "seems" the problem is unique to you.

--
Jack
Using FREE News Server: http://www.eternal-september.org/
http://jbstein.com

Jack Stein wrote:
Tanus wrote:

It's terrible to think that way, but nonetheless the thoughts happen.
The entire creed of "Don't be evil" had always struck me as sophmoric.
Having said that, I still use Google search 10 times a day on a slow
day, and love Sketchup. Google has almost become an indespensable
aspect of many people's lives. The pressure to turn that to
self-serving at the expense of the rest of us must at times be
overwhelming.

Google is fine but because it seems indispensable and I'm a bit of a
non-conformist, I use http://clusty.com/ for my main search engine. I
have it in my Firefox search window as primary. It works just as good
as Google.

Also, on re-reading your problem, I thought you sent the email to a
friend... it was to yourself at work... Does your work have a web site
that processes the email, that would be my first place to look if it
does. Google mail would be next, the most unlikely would be sketchup/cut
list program because it "seems" the problem is unique to you.


I called at work to the help line and they were particularly
uninterested. So far as I know, the email server is not a website at
work, but even if it is, I can't get through to the guys who could
verify it.

I suspect you're right about Google and CutList. I wouldn't be the first
by any means. This sounds more like sniffing between my end and work.
I'd also be very surprised if the people who called here were actually
anything other than someone looking for a CC number.

A lesson learned, and a cheap one at that.

Tanus

In article , Tanus wrote:

I suspect you're right about Google and CutList. I wouldn't be the first
by any means. This sounds more like sniffing between my end and work.

I think you ought to run a thorough malware scan on both PCs, using several
different scanners.

I'd also be very surprised if the people who called here were actually
anything other than someone looking for a CC number.

Probably so... but how'd they know to call you?

Jack Stein wrote:

Tanus wrote:

It's terrible to think that way, but nonetheless the thoughts happen.
The entire creed of "Don't be evil" had always struck me as sophmoric.
Having said that, I still use Google search 10 times a day on a slow
day, and love Sketchup. Google has almost become an indespensable aspect
of many people's lives. The pressure to turn that to self-serving at the
expense of the rest of us must at times be overwhelming.

Google is fine but because it seems indispensable and I'm a bit of a
non-conformist, I use http://clusty.com/ for my main search engine. I
have it in my Firefox search window as primary. It works just as good
as Google.


I've been using ask.com, but have recently found that something they have
done causes the pages to scroll very slowly on Firefox under Linux. I've
actually started trying Bing (yeah, I get the irony) and have found it to
work much better from that regard.


--

There is never a situation where having more rounds is a disadvantage

Rob Leatham

On Aug 18, 2:41*am, Jack Stein wrote:
Tanus wrote:
It's terrible to think that way, but nonetheless the thoughts happen.
The entire creed of "Don't be evil" had always struck me as sophmoric.
Having said that, I still use Google search 10 times a day on a slow
day, and love Sketchup. Google has almost become an indespensable aspect
of many people's lives. The pressure to turn that to self-serving at the
expense of the rest of us must at times be overwhelming.

Google is fine but because it seems indispensable and I'm a bit of a
non-conformist, I usehttp://clusty.com/for my main search engine. *I
have it in my Firefox search window as primary. *It works just as good
as Google.

Also, on re-reading your problem, I thought you sent the email to a
friend... it was to yourself at work... *Does your work have a web site
that processes the email, that would be my first place to look if it
does. Google mail would be next, the most unlikely would be sketchup/cut
list program because it "seems" the problem is unique to you.

--
Jack
Using FREE News Server:http://www.eternal-september.org/http://jbstein.com

Hi,

I am the author of the Cutlist plugin for Sketchup. I can assure you
that the version that I distribute and the current version ( or any
other officially distributed version) has no such software embedded
into it to collect personal information.

Having said that, my software is 'open source' and the code is freely
viewable and therefore freely modifiable - though I am not aware of
anyone having copied my code and making a different version
downloadable.

But it does make me wonder if there is anything I can do to prevent
that.

In any case, my day job is as an internet switching/routing protocol
developer. Part of my job is maintaining security software. There are
plenty of ways to secure email but that's certainly a huge topic.

FWIW, I would suspect either malware on your PC or snooping of
unencrypted SMTP messages to your workplace. As someone said, they may
really just be after a CC number and not so much interested in selling
you lumber. Though if they were snooping govt email, they would know
the govt just prints money when they need it, they don't need (or
probably even have ) a CC Snooping govt email may lead to good tips
about purchase activity, and when the govt is the only game left in
town still buying things, it may not be a bad tip but certainly
illegal and unethical.

Someone else already mentioned that it may be easy to put email
address and phone number together from some internet searches,
especially, as you said, you may have given this out previously.

Another option is that you got a rogue version of my software. You can
download from the only valid source and verify that your copy is an
official version v4/0/7 is the latest (download it from
http://www.box.net/shared/8nzm1tmdfm )

Best thing is to stay vigilant. Do not leave personal details in
public places. Contact people offlist if you wish to trade info. Even
this forum makes me nervous because a prominent message at the top of
the posting states "Messages posted to this group will make your email
address visible to anyone on the internet" I don't really like that
and it's not necessary. Luckily I'm got some reasonably good spam
filters but that's another story...

It's not the Cutlist plugin, unless you don't have my version. Check
it.

Steve

On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 03:52:04 -0700, daltxguy wrote:

Even this forum
makes me nervous because a prominent message at the top of the posting
states "Messages posted to this group will make your email address
visible to anyone on the internet" I don't really like that and it's not
necessary.

Steve, I and a lot of others use a different email address to post to
groups than we use in normal correspondence. Lots of free email
providers with spam filters out there. I check that email account once
or twice a week - occasionally there's a non-spam message in it.

--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw

daltxguy wrote:


Hi,

I am the author of the Cutlist plugin for Sketchup. I can assure you
that the version that I distribute and the current version ( or any
other officially distributed version) has no such software embedded
into it to collect personal information.

Having said that, my software is 'open source' and the code is freely
viewable and therefore freely modifiable - though I am not aware of
anyone having copied my code and making a different version
downloadable.

But it does make me wonder if there is anything I can do to prevent
that.

In any case, my day job is as an internet switching/routing protocol
developer. Part of my job is maintaining security software. There are
plenty of ways to secure email but that's certainly a huge topic.

FWIW, I would suspect either malware on your PC or snooping of
unencrypted SMTP messages to your workplace. As someone said, they may
really just be after a CC number and not so much interested in selling
you lumber. Though if they were snooping govt email, they would know
the govt just prints money when they need it, they don't need (or
probably even have ) a CC Snooping govt email may lead to good tips
about purchase activity, and when the govt is the only game left in
town still buying things, it may not be a bad tip but certainly
illegal and unethical.

Someone else already mentioned that it may be easy to put email
address and phone number together from some internet searches,
especially, as you said, you may have given this out previously.

Another option is that you got a rogue version of my software. You can
download from the only valid source and verify that your copy is an
official version v4/0/7 is the latest (download it from
http://www.box.net/shared/8nzm1tmdfm )

Best thing is to stay vigilant. Do not leave personal details in
public places. Contact people offlist if you wish to trade info. Even
this forum makes me nervous because a prominent message at the top of
the posting states "Messages posted to this group will make your email
address visible to anyone on the internet" I don't really like that
and it's not necessary. Luckily I'm got some reasonably good spam
filters but that's another story...

It's not the Cutlist plugin, unless you don't have my version. Check
it.

Steve

Hi Steve,

That is a wonderfully reassuring post. Thank you. Because of my own lack
of knowledge about how my email may have been sniffed, I was willing to
look down any road. The more I think about it, the more I can eliminate
both Cutlist and Sketchup itself. As mentioned in an earlier post, it
pained me to even think that that kind of software could be suspect.

My version is 4.0.6, so I'll download the most recent to ensure that
there isn't any issue with what I had. Truth be told, I can't remember
where I downloaded it from.

I've scanned my PC and nothing shows up. I"m using AVG free, but maybe I
need something more robust. I don't know. The PC at work is scanned
constantly as is the email server, although the occasional spam does get
through.

I agree with the vigilance. The email address on this post is a gmail
account, which is forwarded to my personal account. Gmail seems to
screen just about everything, and I rarely get spam from the forwarded
mail.

I like the plugin, Steve. I'm sorry I suspected it, and will continue to
use it. It's clean, easy to use and has a few quirks that I got onto
quickly.

Tanus

On 8/16/09 11:57 AM, "krw" wrote:

On Sat, 15 Aug 2009 21:29:24 -0400, Tanus wrote:


I started to do a design in Sketchup a while back, and used the add-on
CutList. CutList generates what its name implies: a list of cut pieces
that are superimposed on a standard sized plank, and tries to maximize
wood useage or minimize waste. After it's done all of that it exports
the pieces and their dimensions to a format that can be opened with a
spreadsheet program.

A few days later, I came home and my wife said that someone had called
and was ready to quote prices on the cut up pieces of wood that I
wanted, all in mahogany.

Google has a back door in Sketchup? Nah, Google would never do such a
thing.

Maybe. But the CutList add-on is just as likely to be the culprit. I doubt
that it is intercepted email.

You didn't say what OS you are using. You might install a program that
watches network trafic and run the program again. See if anything is
"calling home."