2010.05.11 / standards

posted by Mike Watts

With all the fuss in the tech press about Flash, HTML5 and H.264 et al, it's easy to get caught up in the buzz.

this article from Webmonkey tells it a litle closer to how it is - support is spotty at best.

HTML5 is still a long way off being finalised. I think Flash will be hanging around for a while yet.

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2010.04.30 / I think we're there

posted by Mike Watts

I just upgraded the server hosting this blog from Ubuntu 9.10 to 10.04.

I typed a single command, said 'y'es a few times and then waited a while. It's all done!

Linux is as easy as any of the others now.

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2010.04.29 / Hacking

posted by Mike Watts

Hacking Your Bank

We started the screening call with the standard meet and greet, and an explanation of why we were interested in the opportunity. Once we felt that the conversation was flowing smoothly, we began to dig in a bit and start asking various technology questions. In doing so, we learned what Anti-Virus technologies were in use and we also learned what the policies were for controlling outbound network traffic.

That’s all that we needed…

This is really interesting - I came to this post via a link from the register that suggested it was Facebook profiles that leaked the crucial details required. Actually, when you read the story, all that really did was make identifying the names of people a little quicker - they actually got most of what they needed from a job interview!

The most interesting part is:

we decided that the ideal scenario for stealth penetration would be to embed an exploit into a PDF document

Adobe really need to up their game.

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2010.04.26 / RE: Missed Opportunities

posted by Mike Watts

What If You Had Bought Apple Stock Instead of That Apple Product? [via DF]

Amazing.

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2010.04.19 / Missed opportunity

posted by Mike Watts

It strikes me that with the giant ash cloud hanging over Europe, the UK has missed an opportunity that Spain appears to be about to capitalise on.

According to the BBC Spain is currently in the process of setting itself up as the main hub for European and possibly even N/S American travel. The UK government is sending naval ships in to evacuate stranded Britons.

The Spanish rail operator has reported a 15% increase in demand for rail services, and is laying on extra services from Madrid and Barcelona to Paris. (BBC @ 1321).

Now, I am not an Environmental Scientist, Vulcanologist (or indeed Vulcan), but how about if we had, instead of sitting around accepting the ash cloud as Aircraft Enemy #1, doing what Germany are reportedly doing; mapping and working out the limits of what we can and can't do - we could then have become the travel hub and reaped the benefit of a boost to our economy.

Sure, it might just be that the UK has it the worst, but from what I've been reading over the last couple of days, a lot of the talk has centred around compensation and bailouts.

Shame.

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2010.04.19 / Saving the planet, 1 volcano at a time

posted by Mike Watts

CO2 emissions, planes vs. volcano

I thought this was quite interesting, more so for the first comment below it:

Yeah, nice idea but alas totally misleading. No sulfur or methane, for example. Volcanoes are thought to have caused a runaway greenhouse effect before. And then there are the effects of the toxins. But a pretty graphic!

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE CARBON!!1one!2!!"two!

Thus we are taught by our media.

I'm finding the whole Eyjafjallajökull thing fascinating.

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2010.03.29 / Creation

posted by Mike Watts

Faern It occurs to me that I haven't 'created' anything for some time. My website is largely stagnant and my iPhone applications sit half-finished.

I wonder how much this has to do with the fact that I started playing World of Warcraft again a month or so ago...

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2010.03.25 / Cyborgs

posted by Mike Watts

There's something decidedly rat-like about the way this thing moves. What's quite interesting though is that it doesn't just run away and hide!

(Via Derren Brown Blog

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2010.03.19 / Dear 221.214.180.169

posted by Mike Watts

My FTP server doesn't have a user called Administrator, I'm not fucking stupid.

Please fuck off.

KTHXBYE.

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2010.03.19 / RE: Chat Roulette

posted by Mike Watts

I tried it, I was judged, I judged.

I do not enjoy watching men masturbate.

Fin.

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