Have Laptop Will Travel

Real Fact #183

Originally posted on December 24, 2006 @ 5:45 pm

The Capitol building in Washington, DC has 365 steps to represent every day of the year.

Thanks Snapple!

Let’s Go to Prison – The Movie

Originally posted on November 17, 2006 @ 2:48 pm

Let's Go To PrisonThis weekend I want to catch a movie and there are a few funny one’s coming out today.

One in particular that I want to see:

Let’s Go to Prison.

The movie is Rated R for language, sexual content, some violence and drug material.

You might not want to bring the kids to this movie but for most 20 somethings and adults, this looks like a really good comedy.

Taken from the Internet Movie Database, here’s the basic plot outline:

When a career criminal’s plan for revenge is thwarted by unlikely circumstances, he puts his intended victim’s son in his place by putting him in prison… and then joining him.

Need a little more to show this will be a fun comedy? How about checking out the movie trailer:

From watching the trailer, you’re sure to notice all the great one liners:

Lynard: I killed my old man.
Nelson Biederman IV: You didn’t kill him with kindness, did you?
Lynard: With a hammer.
Nelson Biederman IV: …Like the Beatles song.

A lot of people like seeing movies, including me on the weekends, so if you end up seeing this, let me know and let’s compare reviews.

Google Search convicts hacker

Originally posted on December 22, 2006 @ 2:19 pm

A disgruntled ex-employee of a wireless communications company has been convicted after Google Search records showed that he used the search engine to find information on disrupting the company’s systems.

Matthew Schuster began work as a computer technician for Alpha Computer Services in Wausau, Wisconsin in 2000. Schuster provided technical support for a wireless Internet system called CWWIS and also was a paying subscriber to CWWIS for his home.

However, after being fired in May 2003, he used customer information to hack into the wireless network to ensure he had free access to it.

He additionally used Google to search for information on disrupting wireless systems. Searches which were provided in court as part of the prosecution.

It’s probable in this instance that service records from Alpha Computer Service were used, which showed user behavior and searches on their network.

However, it does demonstrate increasing concern over privacy issues, not least the fact that search engines such as Google can assign personal names to recorded behavior, if subscribed to their services.

A recent CNET report on privacy also showed Google do receive requests for personal information from legal authorities but refuses to provide any information on how this may be used.

Overall, it continues to raise tensions that ISP’s are collecting far too much personally-identifiable data, which may work against individual privacy concerns.

Real Fact #193

Originally posted on December 23, 2006 @ 3:40 pm

Thanks to Snapple, I bring you Real Fact #193:

The year that read the same upside down was 1961. That won’t happen again until 6009.

The year 6009. That’s so crazy to think about… four thousand years from now.

I can hear my friend Felix saying “Good grief!” to this post :)

On that note, here are 5 mind bending questions about the year 6009 to ponder while you relax over the holiday break:

  1. Will we still have an internet?
  2. Will it still be called the World Wide Web?
  3. How about the Galaxy Wide Web?
  4. Will blogging still be around?
  5. Will gas prices drop below $2.00 USD again?

Just a small heads up, over the next few days I’ll be updating my Unusual Trivia page, so be sure to check it out.

Bad Behavior 2.0.8 Released

Originally posted on December 15, 2006 @ 1:41 pm

The other day I posted about the rise in spam this holiday season and last night I got a comment from Michael Hampton of Homeland Stupidity the creator of the Bad Behavior script which helps deny automated spambots access to PHP-based Web sites.

Michael was kind enough to let me know in that comment and also a follow up email that a new version would be released in the coming days which fixes a few issues with false positives that I’ve experienced as well as a few of my friends and clients.

Some of the things fixed in this latest release of Bad Behavior:

  • Verizon Wireless EV-DO users are no longer blocked.
  • Blocked requests will be subject to a two-second delay before a response is sent.
  • Some blackhole lists previously used in Bad Behavior have been scaled back or removed.
  • The address for the Bad Behavior Blackhole has been added.
  • Some new spambots have been identified and blocked.

Thanks Michael for your wonderful script and taking the time to personally let me and my readers know about your updated version and the continued progress of Bad Behavior.

To find out more about this release, check out the official Bad Behavior blog.

Heads up for my friends, family and clients who I maintain blog hosting for, you’ve already been updated to the latest release as of this morning, I’m just now posting about it, so if you experience any glitches or false positives, let me know and I will pass it on to Michael to check out.