Random Geekage

The router that I use for net.access (BT Voyager 2500v) sucks. To be more exact, the WiFi is buggy. My room is about 5 meters away from the router, only a single room between my room and the study, yet I only get 2 bars on the signal monitor. To top it off, I have to reaccossiate every half hour or so to get any form of network access. Even local access dies. The signal monitor shows that I am still connected.

I think I am gonna hook my main deck up by a hardline, less hassle.

Weblog geek, network, problems, WiFi

CRYPTOME reports that the US National Security Agency (NSA) has remote administrative access to several of the most popular Windows PC firewalls, and that it has also taken control of a number of supposedly “secure ” email services within the past few months.

It writes that the personal computer firewall software products from MacAfee, Symantec and Zone Alarm all “…facilitate Microsoft’s NSA-controlled remote admin access via IP/TCP ports 1024 through 1030… without security flag.”

On the Register via Sean Kennedy

And folk wonder why I like Linux so much…

Weblog backdoor, geek, linux, privacy, security, Windows

When coding a form that uses POST, it is helpful to use the $_POST variable for looking at the data rather than $_GET.

Weblog geek, php

Can anyone with some PHP knowlege help me with a little problem? I need a PHP function that grabs the html source from a website and returns the code as a string but I dunno what function to use. I have tried a few functions but nothing works.

Any ideas?

Weblog help, php

Got home a few hours ago. Had come chinese take-away and I’m now catching up on maintenence/websites/media etc.

Weblog

26/04/08
0756
Off to a great start. Net.access is down in the lobby and my keycard for my room is broken. Fan-fucking-tastic. Wasn’t very sociable last night. Just stayed in my room. Couldn’t be bothered with all the stuff going on. Gonna go see if I can get a new keycard.

0805
Success! Got a new keycard. Security is pretty lax, just have a good story and you can get the key to whatever room you want. The cards also seem to be pretty easy to duplicate. I’m pretty sure I saw the guy enter the room number and a bunch of zeros on the card programmer. Just heard my dad coughing which usually means he is getting up so breakfast should be soon. Got a 2 hour drive to Shannon airport, a 1 hour flight to Glasgow followed by a 1.5 hour drive back to Perth. Should be back in time for tea, then I belive I am heading out, need to confirm that with people.

1330

Airport has free WiFi so I am updating here before the flight. Security was a pain again. Took my belt off but my boots set off the detector and I had to take them off and run them through the xray machine. Pain in the ass.

Next post will be made from home.

Weblog airport, Ireland, security

25/04/08
0844
Sleep was bad. Far too hot for my liking. Or far too cold. Quilts are too thick and the sheets are not thick enough. Drifted in and out of sleep all night, feel really tired. Wish I could sleep like my brother.

Never really spoke with the relatives, too tired to do it last night. Just went to my room, had a shower and crashed out. Speaking of the shower, it is awesome. Wide head, powerful and hot. Loved it.

1447
Wedding over. In typical Irish fashion, it started late. Reminds me of why I no longer go to church or take part in any religious crap. While in the church, I came up with a new drinking game (yes I’m a heretic, I don’t care): When the preist mentions god, take a drink. If you do this in Ireland, $deity save you.

The meal is still likely to be some time away, thankfully the parents gave my brother and I some snackage. I think it is gonna be uppper class posh stuff again. Not a huge fan of that kind of lifestyle, too much pomp and fluff. Everything looks nice but it just distracts from the lack of food. Function over form is what I like. I would be happy with a ration pack, far more food in those albeit they do have a ton (5 years worth) of preservatives.

1900
Had the meal. I am stuffed, had 2 portions of soup and 2 plates of stuffed turkey and ham. Was bloody brilliant. Well worth the time. Gonna go for a wee kip.

Weblog Ireland

I’m currently sitting in the lobby of the hotel where there is free net.access. Dumping in the logs that were made today.

0757
Got to the airport. Bags got checked in fine. Sat down to a bacon buttie. Half way through the bloody fire alarm went off. We were evacuated and let back in 5 minutes later. Very strange.

0836
Went through security. Guess who got frisked? Yep, me. I suspect it was my belt buckle that set the detector off. Laptop was also swabbed for residue. Fun.

0940
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to your cattle class flight.” In the air. Sun is bright above the clouds. Think we are over the irish sea.

0950
Captain just said that we are going to be decending. Bloody advertisments have just started. I don’t want a scratchcard. Just felt the start of our descent. Plane has no wifi.

Shortly after switching off laptop
<GlaDOS>Wheeeeeeeeeeee</GlaDOS> landing is fun.

Unknown time
In the hire car. Irish road system is strange. At least they drive on the correct side of the road.

1145
Passed through second toll booth. Only gone 30km

1341
Just had a sausage sandwich in a nice wee resteraunt. Name was something galic but it was in the village of Tulsk (think I spelled that correctly).

1624
Finally in the hotel after a few wrong turns. Room is small but clean. There is an access point with the SSID of mulran-pi with WPA encryption. Not gonna be able to break it.

1839
Been to see a small selection of the relatives. Apparantley the whole family from my dad’s side is gonna be here. Lots of fun. Not seen folk for 14 years so I have forgotten names. Folk looking different doesn’t help.

Went for a swim. 1 - Pool water tastes bad 2 - the shampoo given to folk sucks 3 - I am VERY unfit, must rectify that. There is WiFi in the lobby so I may take a wee trip down there once the laptop is charged and the relatives are not there.

And thats me all up to date except the past couple hours. Just had a very large tea. BRead, soup, appetizer, fish, steak, appetizer and finally a creme brullee, all served with extra class and posh. I am stuffed.

Gonna go speak to the relatives. More tomorrow.

Weblog Ireland, relatives, trip

I’m awake. Everything is packed. I’m eating breakfast. it is 0514 GMT.

I am fucking tired. Alarm was set for 0500. Woke up at 0430. This is the earliest I have been awake. Even earlier than Lynsay is I think.

Weblog early, tired

After reading the latest XKCD comic, showing it to my mates and then squeeing like a crazed fangirl I decided to make one. The current plans are to borrow a chassis that a mate may have, interface it with my eeepc via an arduino, somehow work out how to get the webcam working and then mount an airsoft gun to the whole thing.

<scientist type=”mad”>MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!</scientist>

Ahem…

I have a first attempt at some sort of code to drive the robot. It is coded in Python (which I am falling in love with). Feel free to try it ou yourself (Disclaimer: if the code breaks something you agree to not hld me responsible. If it does any good, give credit)

#!/usr/bin/env python

def forward():
print “moving forward”

def reverse():
print “moving backwards”

def left():
print “turning left”

def right():
print “turning right”

while 1 == 1:
objectlocation = raw_input(”please enter the object location: “)
if not objectlocation == “front”:
forward()
else:
reverse()
if objectlocation == “left”:
right()
if objectlocation == “right”:
left()

Not very spectacular but it is a start. To use, run the script somehow on your system and type in stuff at the prompt. It only responds to front, left and right. Anything else is ignored.

Robot Army geek, python, robot, XKCD