#Security
43 posts2024 Year in review - Movies and TV Reviews
Ratings of the movies and TV watched in 2024, from Deadpool & Wolverine to Joker: Folie à Deux, with notes from the Plex server.
Read postEnable copy and paste on website that disable copy and paste
A TamperMonkey script that re-enables copy and paste on websites that block it, written for Brim Financial.
Read post2023 Year in review - Movies and TV Reviews
Ratings of the movies and TV watched in 2023, after dropping Netflix over password sharing and moving to Plex.
Read postIdea 097 - Modern decoder ring
A decoder ring replacement with a screen and buttons that encrypts messages using modern public-key cryptography.
Read postIdea 080 - Real Identity provider
An identity provider for online platforms that proves who someone is through social trust instead of documents.
Read postIdea 67 - Deadmans vault SAAS SafePassage
SafePassage, an end-to-end encrypted online vault for messages that read-only recipients can open after the owner dies.
Read postIdea 051 - Enigma machine kit
A kit that recreates the German Enigma cipher machine using PCBs.
Read postIdea 041 - BioPunks Garden
A screensaver-style game where you breed genetically engineered plants by combining DNA from different species, meant to be played over a year.
Read postIdea 024 - Call to Adventure
Idea: a mystery letter full of puzzles whose solution gives directions to a meeting place where an adventure starts.
Read postIdea 011 - Birdhouse Crypto Puzzle
Idea: birdhouses that double as cryptographic puzzles for humans to solve.
Read postIdea 001 - Cherry Blossom Profile Photo Booths
Idea: a free portrait photo booth in a park during cherry blossom season, as practice for portrait photography with consenting strangers.
Read postTools and equipment 2022
Tools and equipment used in 2022: VS Code, KiCAD, Sony a6400, Sigma 150-600mm, Logitech MX Master 3S, and a Pixel 6 Pro.
Read postCurrent tools and equipment (2021)
The software, gadgets and gear Steven uses day to day in 2021, and what changed since 2018 after the move to working from home.
Read postWebsite theme update
Why blog.abluestar.com moved to a fresh Jekyll theme, plus a 20-year history of CMS choices from plain HTML to static sites.
Read postHow I buy bitcoins and Ethereum
How to buy Bitcoin and Ethereum from Canada using Coinbase, LocalBitcoins, and Quadrigacx, with the fees and signup time for each.
Read postNotes from January 2017
January 2017 links: HexCells, the Universal Play Machine, makerjs for laser drawings, Mosquitto MQTT, and Node-RED home automation.
Read postSimple security
Plain-language notes on picking a threat model and the low to high effort tools used to defend against it.
Read postDomain names and registrar
Notes on consolidating 100+ domains across 6 registrars into one, with a short list of Gandi, EasyDNS, and name.com compared.
Read postGeneral status update
Six-month status update covering Google Authenticator two-factor setup across daily web apps and adding it to a test server.
Read postThe problems with sending a lot of emails.
Notes on running EveryDayFiction.com: the cost and deliverability headache of sending 2 million daily story emails a month.
Read postIntro to Security, Passwords
Intro to password security: long passwords, multi-factor auth, password databases, and why to use different passwords per site.
Read postGetting started with your Raspberry PI
Step-by-step Raspberry Pi starter notes: NOOBS, SSH, AdaFruit WebIDE, and a Python blink script on the GPIO pins.
Read postRaspberryPI - Find the MAC address and change the host name
How to find your Raspberry Pi's MAC address and rename its hostname so you can pick it out on a shared network.
Read postRaspberry PI and the GPIO pins
Setting up a Raspberry Pi headless, wiring the GPIO pins to an LED and a magnetic door switch, and pushing readings to COSM.
Read postHost gator has bad security and sucks.
HostGator emailed back a forgotten password in plain text, showing they store credentials unhashed in their billing database.
Read postRaspberry PI - Start up questions
Answers to the first questions a Windows user hits when booting a Raspberry Pi: power, USB current, login, keyboard layout.
Read postHow do you talk to someone over a common, instant message client (Gtalk, MSN) securely, with encryption
How to set up Pidgin with the Off the Record plugin to hold encrypted, verified chats over MSN or Gtalk.
Read postSQL Injection License Plate
A bookmark about a driver whose license plate is a SQL injection string meant to crash the speed camera database.
Read postAbluestar.com privacy statement
A blunt parody privacy statement for Abluestar.com that says all data is collected, kept, and sold on request.
Read postInkPop.com, Are spammers and a security risk for their users. DON'T USE THEM. They suck
Rant about InkPop.com sending repeat SEO pitch spam and storing user passwords in plain text.
Read postA perfect example of why you should use the same password on different websites.
Plenty of Fish stored passwords in plain text and got hacked, which is why reusing that password on Facebook is a bad idea.
Read postWhat I did in 2010, Year end review
Year-end review of 2010: lockpicking, QR tags, GPS tracking, wheatpaste Marios around Vancouver, time-lapse videos, and SkyZoo.
Read postOur privacy policy: We sell your data. You get our content for free, Deal?
A blunt walkthrough of what a website operator can actually learn about you from HTTP headers, cookies, IPs, and user agents.
Read postA web masters thoughts on mortality
Notes on writing a will that hands off domains, passwords, and a deadman switch so my sites keep running after I die.
Read postRPXnow and Windows live ID, problems signing out
Why RPXnow users see scary Windows Live ID sign-out errors, with a link to the Google Groups support thread that explains it.
Read postCakePHP - Security.level
Why CakePHP logged users out at random, and the Security.level setting that stopped the session regeneration.
Read postinternet robot zombies
A plain-language take on form-spam bots, the botnets that run them, and why people buying the spam keeps it alive.
Read postAnti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement = BAD
A 2008 rant against ACTA and what it would mean for Canadian travellers, ripped CDs, and border laptop searches.
Read postOpen DNS
Review of OpenDNS, with notes on how its NXDOMAIN redirects break utilities that depend on a real not-found reply.
Read postHow to disable AVG 7 temporarily.
Steps to turn off the AVG 7 Resident Shield from the Free Control Center when you need to.
Read postSystem Information for Windows
SIW is a portable Windows utility that audited 30 office PCs in 15 minutes and exports full HTML hardware reports.
Read postThis Weeks Del.icio.us bookmarks 03/28/2007
Weekly del.icio.us bookmark roundup covering a Van de Graaff generator, an LED sequence learner, GPS loggers, password crackers, and more.
Read postGoogle talk
Notes on Google Talk, the XMPP protocol behind it, and how to connect to the GTalk network from Trillian with the Jabber plugin.
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