Shuttle Chicken
Space Shuttles Discovery and Endeavour face off outside Orbiter Processing Facility-3 (OPF-3) at the Kennedy Space Center in this NASA handout photo dated August 11, 2011. The two orbiters, following the agency’s final shuttle mission, are being readied for a ceremonial “epic smash joust” to provide a dignified send-off to the 30-year Space Transportation System program. Photo: NASA / Reuters.
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The Super Mario Movie, As It Should Have Been
Comedy studio Pixels Per Second recently launched this awesome parody trailer for a Super Mario Bros. movie. No, not that one(which…okay, which really never should have been), but a better one. Think Super Mario Bros. as an indie flick about a down-on-his-luck guy who find the spark he needs to become a hero. And maybe takes a few drugs on the way.
And when you’re done watching that, you should check out one of PPS’ other videos: an exposé on adorable kitten videos.
Gia Manry is a Texas-based geek who you can hire. Or you could just follow her on Twitter.
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UK to ban face coverings, and will use the army next time to put down rioters.
Among the post-riot measures to be enacted in Britain, Reuters reports, will be controls on face coverings and the possible use of the army to suppress future disturbances.
Britain will crack down on gangs and may call in army support if this week’s riots are repeated, Prime Minister David Cameron said on Thursday, saying he would not allow a “culture of fear” to exist on the streets.
The government will also give the police powers to demand people remove face coverings after many looters who ransacked shops during riots in London and other English cities this week wore masks to avoid being identified.
For what criminal activities (such as looting) is the appropriate response to demand someone remove a mask, instead of being arresting for the crime?
The Guardian has full details on Prime Minister David Cameron’s report today in Parliament:
• Instant messaging services will be reviewed. “We are working with the Police, the intelligence services and industry to look at whether it would be right to stop people communicating via these websites and services when we know they are plotting violence, disorder and criminality,” he said.
• The police will have new powers to order people to remove facemasks. “On facemasks, currently [the police] can only remove these in a specific geographical location and for a limited time,” Cameron said. “So I can announce today that we are going to give the police the discretion to remove face coverings under any circumstances where there is reasonable suspicion that they are related to criminal activity.”
• Curfew powers will be reviewed. “On dealing with crowds, we are also looking at the use of existing dispersal powers and whether any wider power of curfew is necessary,” he said.
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AntiSec: We’ve breached NATO’s security.
LONDON (The Blaze/AP) — A group of computer hackers claims to have breached NATO security and accessed hordes of restricted material.
The group called Anonymous says it would be “irresponsible” to publish most of the material it stole from NATO but that it is sitting on about 1 gigabyte of data.
Anonymous posted a PDF file Thursday on its Twitter page showing what appeared to be a document headed “NATO Restricted:”
The first page of one of the alleged leaked documents.
Anonymous is a loosely organized group of hackers sympathetic to WikiLeaks. It has claimed responsibility for attacks against corporate and government websites worldwide.
The group also claims credit for disrupting the websites of Visa and MasterCard in December when the credit card companies stopped processing donations to WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange.
The reported hack comes on the heels of cyber security arrests made Tuesday. Fourteen people were taken into custody for allegedly mounting a cyberattack on the website of PayPal in retaliation for its suspending the accounts of WikiLeaks as part of the hacker group LulzSec.
Separately, FBI agents executed more than 35 search warrants around the country in an ongoing investigation into coordinated cyberattacks against major companies and organizations.
As part of the effort, there were two arrests in the United States unrelated to the attack on the PayPal payment service. Overseas, one person was arrested by Scotland Yard in Britain, and there were four arrests by the Dutch National Police Agency, all for alleged cybercrimes.
Could it be that this is in part retaliation? Maybe. The group also sent out a joint tweet with LulzSec giving a statement to the FBI:
The statement is bold. It says the FBI will not be able to stop the groups, and lays out complaints both have against the government:
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And now, a very special public service announcement from Captain Tight Pants…
Two “Nerd PSA’s”:
Kaley Cuoco addresses Slave Leia Fatigue.
Nathan Fillion on Swamp Ass.
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Operation #AntiSec
Those of you who know me, know I don’t know shit about computers. I’m just one of those Drones In Sector 7-G.
But, this doesn’t look to be a good thing.
Salutations Lulz Lizards,
As we’re aware, the government and whitehat security terrorists across the world continue to dominate and control our Internet ocean. Sitting pretty on cargo bays full of corrupt booty, they think it’s acceptable to condition and enslave all vessels in sight. Our Lulz Lizard battle fleet is now declaring immediate and unremitting war on the freedom-snatching moderators of 2011.
Welcome to Operation Anti-Security (#AntiSec) – we encourage any vessel, large or small, to open fire on any government or agency that crosses their path. We fully endorse the flaunting of the word “AntiSec” on any government website defacement or physical graffiti art. We encourage you to spread the word of AntiSec far and wide, for it will be remembered. To increase efforts, we are now teaming up with the Anonymous collective and all affiliated battleships.
Whether you’re sailing with us or against us, whether you hold past grudges or a burning desire to sink our lone ship, we invite you to join the rebellion. Together we can defend ourselves so that our privacy is not overrun by profiteering gluttons. Your hat can be white, gray or black, your skin and race are not important. If you’re aware of the corruption, expose it now, in the name of Anti-Security.
Top priority is to steal and leak any classified government information, including email spools and documentation. Prime targets are banks and other high-ranking establishments. If they try to censor our progress, we will obliterate the censor with cannonfire anointed with lizard blood.
It’s now or never. Come aboard, we’re expecting you…
History begins today.
Lulz Security
The top priority of operation #AntiSec is to steal and leak any classified government information, including email spools and documentation. Prime targets are banks and other high-ranking establishments. Below is a quote from LulzSec depicting their humor and future plans for the internet.
We encourage any vessel, large or small, to open fire on any government or agency that crosses their path. We fully endorse the flaunting of the word “AntiSec” on any government website defacement or physical graffiti art. We encourage you to spread the word of AntiSec far and wide, for it will be remembered. To increase efforts, we are now teaming up with the Anonymous collective and all affiliated battleships.
Something to keep in mind through the wake of this online devastation and carnage, is your personal security. With banks personal information being top on #AntiSec’s hit list, you should change your passwords and closely monitor your account activity.
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The Liberal Bias on Sesame Street…
No, really.
I heard it on FOX News. So it must be true.
Because we all know how Cookie Monster used all that welfare money on his addiction…
And Elmo was red! That Commie bastard.
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Hero Training Workouts
Are you fit enough to chase down a purse snatcher, lift and carry someone to safety, or leap across rooftops? Training to develop these sorts of heroic skills can build some fun into your fitness routine and also keep you motivated.
The first in this hero training series from blog Art of Manliness is designed to help you build explosive speed and endurance. The exercises in the series are pretty intensive and challenging, both physically and mentally. But even if you’re not an exercise buff (or care about being manly), they’re full workouts that you might be able to adapt to your personal fitness abilities.
And, as an added bonus, you might be able to save someone some day. Other workouts include: The Pulling to Safety Workout, The Carry a Person to Safety Workout, The Lift an Object Off Someone in Distress Workout, and The Leaping Ability Workout.
Hero Training: The Chase Down a Purse Snatcher Workout | The Art of Manliness
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“I Am Large, I Contain Multitudes”
It’s easy to feel boxed in at your job or in your personal life, so today, in honor of Walt Whitman’s 192nd birthday, remember: Occasionally contradicting yourself isn’t the worst thing in the world.
“Song of Myself” from Whitman’s Leaves of Grass is a celebration of both the unique and the universal. One of his most poignant verses reminds us that we are never just one thing, and all the quirks, imperfections, and contradictions are par for the course.
Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself;
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)
Next time you find yourself doing something unusual or contradictory that surprises other people or yourself, remember that you contain multitudes. Sometimes that contradiction is a sign of progress. See the whole epic poem on the Walt Whitman Archive below. Photo remixed from one by Dave Heuts.
Song of Myself – Leaves of Grass (1892-92) | The Walt Whitman Archive
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The Conscience of a Hacker – (A Hackers Manifesto)
The Hacker Manifesto
by
+++The Mentor+++
Written January 8, 1986
Another one got caught today, it’s all over the papers. “Teenager Arrested in Computer Crime Scandal”, “Hacker Arrested after Bank Tampering”…
Damn kids. They’re all alike.
But did you, in your three-piece psychology and 1950’s technobrain, ever take a look behind the eyes of the hacker? Did you ever wonder what made him tick, what forces shaped him, what may have molded him?
I am a hacker, enter my world…
Mine is a world that begins with school… I’m smarter than most of the other kids, this crap they teach us bores me…
Damn underachiever. They’re all alike.
I’m in junior high or high school. I’ve listened to teachers explain for the fifteenth time how to reduce a fraction. I understand it. “No, Ms. Smith, I didn’t show my work. I did it in my head…”
Damn kid. Probably copied it. They’re all alike.
I made a discovery today. I found a computer. Wait a second, this is cool. It does what I want it to. If it makes a mistake, it’s because I screwed it up. Not because it doesn’t like me… Or feels threatened by me.. Or thinks I’m a smart ass.. Or doesn’t like teaching and shouldn’t be here…
Damn kid. All he does is play games. They’re all alike.
And then it happened… a door opened to a world… rushing through the phone line like heroin through an addict’s veins, an electronic pulse is sent out, a refuge from the day-to-day incompetencies is sought… a board is found. “This is it… this is where I belong…” I know everyone here… even if I’ve never met them, never talked to them, may never hear from them again… I know you all…
Damn kid. Tying up the phone line again. They’re all alike…
You bet your ass we’re all alike… we’ve been spoon-fed baby food at school when we hungered for steak… the bits of meat that you did let slip through were pre-chewed and tasteless. We’ve been dominated by sadists, or ignored by the apathetic. The few that had something to teach found us willing pupils, but those few are like drops of water in the desert.
This is our world now… the world of the electron and the switch, the beauty of the baud. We make use of a service already existing without paying for what could be dirt-cheap if it wasn’t run by profiteering gluttons, and you call us criminals. We explore… and you call us criminals. We seek after knowledge… and you call us criminals. We exist without skin color, without nationality, without religious bias… and you call us criminals. You build atomic bombs, you wage wars, you murder, cheat, and lie to us and try to make us believe it’s for our own good, yet we’re the criminals.
Yes, I am a criminal. My crime is that of curiosity. My crime is that of judging people by what they say and think, not what they look like. My crime is that of outsmarting you, something that you will never forgive me for.
I am a hacker, and this is my manifesto. You may stop this individual, but you can’t stop us all… after all, we’re all alike.
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Configuring Static Routes
Static routes improves overall performance of your network (especially bandwidth saving). They are also useful in stub networks (i.e. there is only one link to the network). For example, each LAN (located at different offices) is connected to HQ IDC (Internet data center) using single T1/LL/Wan links.
For example under Red Hat/Fedora Linux you can add static router for eth0 network interface by editing /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/route-eth0 file. Under Debian Linux add static route by editing /etc/network/interface file.
Display Current Routing Table Using ip command
By using the ip command, you can setup and view static route. For example, to display current routing table you can type command:
# ip route show
Sample output:
192.168.2.0/24 dev eth1 proto kernel scope link src 192.168.2.1 192.168.1.0/24 dev eth0 proto kernel scope link src 192.168.1.2 default via 192.168.1.254 dev eth0
You can add static route using following command:
ip route add {NETWORK} via {IP} dev {DEVICE}
For example network 192.168.55.0/24 available via 192.168.1.254:
# ip route add 192.168.55.0/24 via 192.168.1.254 dev eth1
Alternatively, you can use old good route command:
# route add -net 192.168.55.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 gw 192.168.1.254 dev eth1
Linux Persistence Routes
The drawback of ‘ip’ or ‘route’ command is that, when Linux reboots it will forget static routes. So store them in configuration file. Static routing describes a system that does not implement adaptive routing. In these systems routes through a data network are described by fixed paths (statically). These routes are usually entered into the router by the system administrator
Red Hat (RHEL) / CentOS / Fedora Linux Persistence Static Routing
You need to open /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/route-eth0 file to define static routes for eth0 interface:
# cat /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/route-eth0
Sample Output:
default 192.168.0.1 dev eth0 10.10.10.0/24 via 192.168.0.1 dev eth0 172.16.1.0/24 via 192.168.0.1 dev eth0
How do I define static routing for network 10.0.0.0/8 via 10.9.38.65 router?
Open /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/route-eth0:
# vi /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/route-eth0
Append following line:
10.0.0.0/8 via 10.9.38.65
Save and close the file. Restart networking:
# service network restart
Verify new routing table:
# route -n
Debian / Ubuntu Linux Persistence Static Routing
Open configuration file /etc/network/interfaces
# cat /etc/network/interfaces
Output:
auto eth0 iface eth0 inet static address 192.168.1.2 netmask 255.255.255.0 gateway 192.168.1.254 up route add -net 192.168.2.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 gw 192.168.2.1 down route del -net 192.168.2.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 gw 192.168.2.1
Debian / Ubuntu Linux Static Routing for 2 interfaces:
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
auto eth0
iface eth0 inet static
address 10.9.38.76
netmask 255.255.255.240
network 10.9.38.64
broadcast 10.9.38.79
### static routing ###
post-up route add -net 10.0.0.0 netmask 255.0.0.0 gw 10.9.38.65
pre-down route del -net 10.0.0.0 netmask 255.0.0.0 gw 10.9.38.65
auto eth1
iface eth1 inet static
address 204.186.149.140
netmask 255.255.255.240
network 204.186.149.128
broadcast 204.186.149.143
gateway 204.186.149.129
# dns-* options are implemented by the resolvconf package, if installed
dns-nameservers 10.0.80.11 10.0.80.12
dns-search nixcraft.in
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Life will bring you pain all by itself.
“Life will bring you pain all by itself. Your responsibility is to create joy.” -Milton Erickson
It’s inevitable we’ll hurt in life, and in it’s inevitable we’ll want more of the good times, less of the bad, and more control over the distribution.
We can’t change that pain is a part of life, but we can choose to be responsible for joy instead of sitting around waiting for it–wondering when someone will change or something will change and happiness will seem less elusive.
We can do the things we love a little every day. And tell the people we love how we feel every day. And try something that scares us every day. We can live bold, passionate lives by deciding to be bold and passionate, right now.
Every day won’t be easy, but on any moment we can let go and start anew.
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Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone 1st edition sells for $29,875
I’m not surprised that Action Comics #7 (1938) sold at Heritage Auctions for $143,400, because it’s the second time Superman appeared on a comic book cover. I am surprised that the first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone sold for $29,875, because it came out in 1997. Is it really that rare?
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone 1st edition sells for $29,875
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Be Water
One of the key elements to Buddhism, is acceptance. Only Bruce Lee can fully put that into perspective.
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The SuperMoon Apocalypse Is Near! (No, Actually It’s Not)
On March 19 the Moon will be at its closest point to Earth in 18 years: 356,577 kilometers, according to the perigee and apogee calculator. Naturally, this means that WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE in a clusterfuck of mad hurricanes, raging volcanos, furious tsunamis and mad earthquakes. Why? Because some people have used very special instruments to detect the impending disaster in their own assfog.
Moonpocalypse Then
These fear mongers point out to all the different times in which the so-called SuperMoonbrought disaster to Earth, according to them. They say the lunar perigee caused the New England hurricane in 1938, the Hunter Valley floods in 1955, cyclone Tracy in Darwin, Australia, in 1974, and hurricane Katrina, in 2005. Oh, and the 2005 Tsunami in Indonesia, which happened two weeks before the lunar perigee, but nevermind. It’s close enough.
Of course, the Supermoon experts forgot about all the disasters that happened nowhere near the lunar perigee. You know, the disasters that keep happening all year around, every single bloody year. Where was the lunar perigee when hurricane Andrew struck Florida in 1992? Or when Haiti was reduced to shambles by the 2010 earthquake? Or during the 9.5 magnitude 1960 earthquake in Valdivia, Chile? It was on vacation, in a nice beach in Santorini, having grilled sardines and fresh white wine, that’s where.
The fact is that, if there are any disasters around March 19, they will not be caused by the Moon—which is actually progressively spiraling away from Earth at a rate of 38 millimeters per year. They will just happen because natural disasters happen. Like the astronomer Pete Wheeler—at the International Centre for Radio Astronomy—says: “There will be no earthquakes or volcanoes erupting, unless they are to happen anyway […] just a lower than usual low tide and a higher than usual high tide around the time of the event, but nothing to get excited about.”
It doesn’t matter, because there will always be some morons that, if anything happens, would say: “I told you so!” Humans like to attach explanations that seem logical to any kind of event, even while they are only logical in their brains and they are not supported by any science. In a way, it’s comforting to know that there’s a hidden reason for everything, which is why so many nincompoops believe in things like astrology and tarot cards.
But the truth is that, even while some scientists think the Moon’s gravity may trigger Earthquakes, pointing at some yet-to-be-proved correlation between full moons, new moons, and Earth, there’s no impending Moonpocalypse.
Zoombiepocalypse, on the other hand, that’s a different matter altogether.
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LA’s Hottest Bartender
http://www.youtube.com/p/96FA90BA24F548EA?hl=en_US&fs=1
LA’s Hottest Bartender teaches you how to make a variety of great alcoholic drinks.
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GaGa Studies 101
Gaga Stigmata: Critical Writings and Art About Lady Gaga is a new (begun in March), heavily “theory” laden, online journal that takes the much-discussed pop phenomena of the Lady very seriously (or tongue-in-cheek, it’s hard to tell).
Lady Gaga, Pearl Face
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The Waves of Sand Roll On
In 1957, Frank Herbert was a journalist and writer of short stories, on his way to Florence, Oregon to do an article about the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s attempts to control sand dunes that were shifting. The USDA was searching for something to stabilize the dunes, and they came upon European beach grass. Herbert’s research was for an article tentatively titled “They Stopped The Moving Sands.” The article was never completed, but his research of dune stabilization lead to larger ecological matters, and eventually the novel Dune. This year marks the 45th anniversary that novel. The world of dunes, both fictional and real, has changed quite a bit in the years.
Frank Herbert
Though never completed, They Stopped The Moving Sands (select pages on Google Books) is now a section of The Road to Dune, a companion book to the Dune novels. The section includes the proposal from Herbert to his agent, as well as letters back and forth. Herbert casts the battle against the endless waves of sand in a larger scope, from The Horizon of Aten to the seemingly endless Peruvian dunes. Thomas Flippin of the Soil Conservation Service, director of the efforts to arrest the movement of the sands, commented that “the sand promises a slow death to everything it touches.” As Herbert mentioned in “Dune Genesis” (Google Quickview / PDF), he saw the struggle over the environment as a key issue in future power struggles:
While this concept [of power structures, politics and the mistakes of (super)heroes] was still fresh in my mind, I went to Florence, Oregon, to write a magazine article about a US Department of Agriculture project there. The USDA was seeking ways to control coastal (and other) sand dunes. I had already written several pieces about ecological matters, but my superhero concept filled me with a concern that ecology might be the next banner for demagogues and would-be-heroes, for the power seekers and others ready to find an adrenaline high in the launching of a new crusade.
If not a full crusade, there was the mentality that dunes could be stopped and made into something more permanent. European beach grass was once used as the first of three stages of succession planting (abstract from a 1975 USDA article). Now, this foreign grass is classified as an aggressive invasive species in North America, as is one of the USDA’s earlier choice for succession plants, Scotch Broom.
Oreagon Dunes National Recreation Area was established in 1963, and is now . Some residents one area carved out a community, and formed Dunes City, Oregon that same year. In Colorado, the Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve was established as a national monument in 1932, and later expanded into a national park and preserve in 2000-2004.
Elsewhere in the world, shrinking dunes are seen as environmental oases, the last locations for certain species. And ever-shifting dunes can hide armies for centuries, speaking in short to the archaeological potential for deserts and dunes of sorts.
Back to the fictional side: Frank Herbert created a world that Arthur C. Clark likened to The Lord of the Rings, spanning six novels in the “Classic Dune” (works written by Frank Herbert), eleven novels that expanded the universe, written by Herbert’s eldest son, Brian Herbert, and Kevin J. Anderson, plus another six short stories written by the duo. The derivitive works of the Dune universe range from much-despised (see also: the comic book adaptation) to still loved, influential classic (note: earlier RTS games do exist).
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Ask a Spy!
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That’s My Uncle Kim
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“He takes a $1.98 tape into Folsom Prison and comes out with an album.”
“Hello, I’m Johnny Cash.”On January 13, 1968, Johnny Cash played two concerts at Folsom State Prison with June Carter, Carl Perkins, the Statler Brothers, and his band, the Tennessee Three. At Folsom Prison, drawn mainly from the first show, is often ranked as one of the best albums of all time and turned Cash’s career around. Reporter Gene Beley covered the concert and recorded some songs from the audience.
Cash closed both shows with “Greystone Chapel,” written by Folsom inmate Glen Sherley. Cash heard the song for the first time the night before the concerts, and acknowledged Sherley during the shows.
Cash had been playing in prisons since the late 1950s; Merle Haggard saw several of his concerts from the audience at San Quentin. The 1968 concerts were the second time Cash had played at Folsom. He’d done a show there in November 1966. Reverend Floyd Gressett arranged the 1966 concert and gave Cash the tape of “Greystone Chapel” in 1968.
The 1951 movie Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison inspired Cash to write his 1955 single “Folsom Prison Blues” when he was serving in Germany in the US Air Force. The song’s melody and lyrics are very similar to Gordon Jenkins‘ “Crescent City.”
Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison [trailer] is a 2008 documentary about the concerts. (It apparently doesn’t include concert footage.)
In 1969 Cash recorded At San Quentin, which included the hit single “A Boy Named Sue.” In 1973 he recorded På Österåker at Sweden’s Österåker Prison.
Cash’s prison albums started a trend that included B.B. King’s Live in Cook County Jail and Live at San Quentin, John Lee Hooker’s Live At Soledad Prison, Little Milton’s Live at Westville Prison and the Sex Pistols’ Live at Chelmsford Top Security Prison, Thom Chacon’s Live at Folsom Prison, Tracy Nelson’s Live from Cell Block D, and Charles Manson’s Live from San Quentin [AKA White Rasta]. Freddy Fender’s Recorded Inside Louisiana State Prison is a fake live-in-prison album. “If it is a prison recording, then where, praytell, are the prisoners?” AMG
Men singing at women’s prisons was a trend-within-a-trend, with The Moments’ Live at the New York State Women’s Prison, Sonny George’s Live At The Tennessee Prison For Women, Mack Vickery’s Live At The Alabama Women’s Prison. Leona Williams reversed the gender roles with her San Quentin’s First Lady (with Merle Haggard, who’d done time there).
At the time of Cash’s concert, Folsom was a model prison. “Administrators came from New York and Texas to find out how Folsom kept its violence so low and its inmates from coming back.” It’s much worse now.
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Number 49: When Cash was 5 years old, his dad shot his dog for eating the table scraps meant for the hogs.
In honor of what would have been the Man in Black’s 78th birthday on February 26, Flavorwire presents 78 Things You [Probably —Ed.] Didn’t Know About Johnny Cash. Number 14: During his act in the 1950s, Cash flaunted a killer Elvis impersonation. Number 36: An ostrich attack in 1983 left Cash with five broken ribs and internal bleeding.
Perhaps the attack was about Cash’s response to being sued for (Number 32) a forest fire he started in Los Padres National Wildlife Refuge, which (Number 33) killed all but 9 of the endangered condors at the refuge. When questioned about the birds at the deposition, Cash replied: “I don’t give a damn about your yellow buzzards.”
Some of the items on the list aren’t terribly surprising or new, but the few that are are worth it. (Number 64, for example.)
RobDurdle.com 
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