Evolved and Rat/i/onal

Hackers, electrical grids, hysteria, and whitehat FAIL

2009-11-21T00:42:00.003-05:00

Okay, folks. I've finally sat down and watched the entire '60 Minutes' segment on ~~OMG HAXORS CAN PWN ELECTRICAL GRIDS AND FUCK THE SHIT OUT OF A WHOLE COUNTRY BUT SOMEHOW THEY HAVEN'T DONE SO, HURR DURR~~ "Cyber War".

A few thoughts:

Why do people still think that critical system control loops should be exposed to the internet, and then whine about "hackers"?
WHY ARE CRITICAL CONTROL LOOPS EXPOSED TO THE INTERNET?!! ARGH! ARGHHHHH!
If such a thing were feasible at this point and is actually as easy as claimed in that segment, someone, some organization, some country out there...or even E/b/aums...would have done it by now, don't you think?
I'm not denying that such threats are real, and that things should be done to improve security. However, such threats are often hyped up by certain parties who seek to impose draconian restrictions on the internet.
The Brazilian blackout was caused by soot, not hackers.

Before any of you start snickering, pointing, and laughing at the FAIL, I would like to direct you to the actual FAIL - which shockingly is not the segment itself - but this analysis by Nick Selby. His whole premise is that it doesn't matter - as far as the public is concerned - if the blackout was caused by soot or by hackers, as long as people get the message that security is ~~srs biznes~~ important.

Folks, he thinks that journalistic accuracy and basic fact-checking isn't all that important after all. On top of that, his shilling for security awareness without, well, awareness sets off my cynical alarms over the fact that whitehats stand to profit if people are more security conscious (security consciousness is a good thing!), but hell - why would a whitehat care what exactly it was that set off the ~~hysteria~~ security consciousness of the general public in the first place?! Why care? Why care as long as the public is semi-aware, ie. aware enough to pay for 'security', or the illusion thereof?

Of course, Nick Selby is way smarter and educated than lowly me, but lowly me is of the opinion that the public should know the truth. Not only because if the average person realized that soot, and not OMG EVIL HAXORS was the cause of the blackout, (s)he wouldn't have a nice ready-made reason to call for the blood of 'hackers'. Said person would also be more likely to think twice before (s)he is led like sheep to support the locking-down of the internet due to hysterical propaganda over 'evil hackers attacking our electrical grids!"

What Selby is advocating - basically, awareness without awareness - would sell more whitehat security products, but as far as truth is concerned, and as far as educating the general public is concerned, I have this little demotivational:

Chrome OS

2009-11-20T02:08:00.000-05:00

So, everything will be in the cloud and nothing on the local disk? Who exactly decided that this will be a good idea, again?

*facepalm*

Child murderers got TOLD

2009-11-18T22:33:00.003-05:00

Jonathan Turley has a nice article in the Washington Post about how faith should never be used as a justification for letting child murderers get off scot-free or on greatly reduced sentences. Parents who mumble words to an imaginary sky-daddy instead of seeking medical help for their sick children are ~~no better than~~ parents who murder their children in cold blood, and should be legally dealt with as such.

He comments on a case in which loony vegan child murderers were IRL b&hammered but the religious murderers got off with a slap on the wrist:

The key to the use of such a defense is that it must involve belief in a divine being, not a particular lifestyle. In 2007, Jade Sanders and Lamont Thomas of Atlanta were convicted of malice murder and given life sentences for the death of their 6-week-old child. The defense attorneys cited the couple's strict vegan lifestyle to explain why they fed their newborn son a diet of soy milk and organic apple juice, though during the trial Sanders said she had also breast-fed her son, who died in an emaciated state at 6 weeks, weighing just 3 1/2 pounds. The prosecutor and court had no qualms in treating this couple's beliefs as a poor excuse for murder, calling a nutritionist and vegan expert as a witness to show that a vegan diet can be safe for an infant. The prosecutor even told the jury: "They're not vegans, they're baby-killers."

So why aren't the Christian loonies treated as such? OH WAIT RELIGION OH LAWD NOW THAT MAKES PERFECT SENSE...not. If we allow the religious loons to directly harm their children by denying them access to medical care, we are no better than enablers and accomplices to murder. It is fine and dandy if a religious whackaloon chooses to remove himself from the gene pool by trusting in his imaginary sky-god, but when children are murdered at the altar of their parents' lunatic stupidity, the parents deserve no better than to be treated like the murderers they are.

Why so selfpwn?

2009-11-16T01:00:00.001-05:00

Hey theists, here's a friendly reminder from a concerned internet denizen. If you're a rabid defender of Christianity and are part of a Christian group on Facebook which is being raided by E/b/aumsworld, for the love of Longcat, do not selfpwn yourself like this tard by volunteering your home address (aka dox), unless you are willing to be a lolcow and pizza recipient.

kthxbai

Water cooling FAIL

2009-11-10T20:46:00.001-05:00

Typical conversation at Micro$oft

2009-11-08T13:31:00.001-05:00

"Let's design an operating system that runs processes as root and allows non super users to fork processes off them with root privileges! Totally secure idea, eh Bill?"

"You bet."

...and thus Windows was born.

He's BAAAAACK!

2009-11-06T00:54:00.002-05:00

Ted Haggard is back in the business, this time starting a new church in his house ~~in the hope that it would soon grow into another cash cow~~ after being made miraculously straight by the power of prayer.

Isn't this awesome?

*snicker*

The internet explains psychology

2009-10-24T12:03:00.000-04:00

[click to enlarge]

New twitter

2009-10-22T23:13:00.001-04:00

STALK STALK STALK GO!

Whitehats, the skiddie enablers

2009-10-22T14:55:00.005-04:00

Certain nicks have been redacted.

14:48 <+G> who the fuck posts this
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/10/time-warner-cable/
14:48 <+G> ruined a good thing
14:49 <&ophelia> fuck
14:49 <&ophelia> everyone knew about it loooong ago
14:49 <&ophelia> now its public
14:50 <&ophelia> that means they will patch it
14:50 <+G> I know lol
14:50 <&ophelia> FUCKING FULL DISCLOSURE WHITEHATS
14:50 <+G> ^
14:50 <&ophelia> raaaage
14:50 <+G> or at least disclose it before a patch
14:50 <&ophelia> so much fail
14:50 <+G> I've found a few exploits that aren't published, but
they are all simple ike that
14:50 <&ophelia> yeah
14:50 <+G> but the point is kiddies don't have em
14:50 <+G> or they find em on their own
14:51 <&ophelia> whitehatfags are kiddie enablers
14:51 <&ophelia> cause they want the kiddies to start shit
14:51 <+G> pretty much
14:51 <&ophelia> so people will be scared
14:51 <+G> whitehats depend on kiddies
14:51 <&ophelia> and buy their shit products
14:51 <&ophelia> yeah
14:51 <&ophelia> cause they have the skill level of kiddies
14:52 <&ophelia> im not claiming to be leet, but im not the one claiming to
be a "security expert"
14:52 <+G> ^
14:52 <+G> People know buckets more than me
14:52 <+M> also, why just don't ddos wired?
14:52 <+G> but I know buckets more than alot of people.
14:52 <+M> or deface em?
14:52 <+G> im not a skid
14:52 <+G> that's why
14:52 <&ophelia> ^
14:52 <+G> leave that to the kiddies.
14:52 <&ophelia> ddosing and defacing == lame

The stories an information here are works of fiction, etc, disclaimer yada yada. <3

Oh look, it's a vid

2009-10-21T19:50:00.000-04:00

Pirating Downloading using Google!

2009-10-20T22:56:00.000-04:00

YARRRR!

With all the BAWWWWW from the MAFIAA about torrent sites promoting copyright infringement, perhaps it is time to refresh our memories on how Google is one of the easiest and safest ways to pirate (as in, the likelihood that you'll get v& or sued by the MAFIAA is close to none).

Here are some simple instructions on using Google to ~~pirate~~ search for files that you may want to download.

The format you're looking for is:

intitle:"index.of"(FILE TYPE) FILE NAME

So, if you're searching for an mp3 called "Kao Dekai", your search query will be:

intitle:"index.of"(mp3) kao dekai

Instead of searching for the file name, you can also search for an artist, album, etc.

If you're searching for the district 9 avi, for example, your search will be:

intitle:"index.of"(avi) district 9

If you want to eliminate certain types of files, you can do so by adding an "- FILE NAME" at the end of your search,for example:

intitle:"index.of"(avi) district 9 -html -mp3

Good luck and happy ~~pirating~~ downloading!

Pedobear <3 Catholic Church

2009-10-20T22:54:00.001-04:00

Want an example of one of over 9000 calculated, despicable cover-ups that the Catholic church employs to either deny or shirk responsibility over sexual abuse inflicted by so-called 'men of god'?

Here you go.

A Catholic diocese conveniently filed for bankruptcy to delay a high-profile sexual assault case. Not only was religion an epic FAIL in ensuring that their own priests are not child-molesting scumbags, the church has demonstrated that religion is not enough to even want to make them claim responsibility for what happened.

Pedobear must be proud.

Internet FAIL

2009-10-17T23:35:00.003-04:00

A whitehat money-grubbing CEO failing at the internet? No shit!

*snicker*

That's it? What's wrong with the design of the Internet?
Eugene Kaspersky: There's anonymity. Everyone should and must have an identification, or Internet passport. The Internet was designed not for public use, but for American scientists and the U.S. military. That was just a limited group of people--hundreds, or maybe thousands. Then it was introduced to the public and it was wrong…to introduce it in the same way.

I'd like to change the design of the Internet by introducing regulation--Internet passports, Internet police and international agreement--about following Internet standards. And if some countries don't agree with or don't pay attention to the agreement, just cut them off.

Internet police? Somebody call our beloved Honorary Ed Lolington!

Who does he think he is? Someone should get him a slot next to O' Reilly on Faux Noise, as that is where his talents would probably serve him better.

*double snicker*

Copypasta from IRCland

2009-10-16T12:50:00.003-04:00

Kids, here's a lesson on how not to fail at trolling.

12:44 <&lucifer> ive arp poisoned some shithead neighbors
12:44 <&lucifer> and goatsed and nimped them
12:44 <+NIGGER> how??
12:44 <&lucifer> thats what they get for using WEPathetic
12:44 <+NIGGER> with sum milw0rm stuff??
12:44 <&lucifer> `kick NIGGER fail troll is fail
12:44 -!- NIGGER was kicked from #invasion by Hitler
[fail troll is fail (lucifer)]

Fall Out Boy?

2009-10-15T15:47:00.011-04:00

Story here.

So, where's the kid? Did he go KERSPLAT or was he never in the balloon to begin with? I bet he would get grounded if they find him alive.

Trolls 1
Media 0

----------

Fall Out Boy's name : Falcon Heene

Father : Richard Heene

Richard Heene Residential Listing
5434 Fossil Ridge Dr W
Fort Collins, CO 80525
(970) 204-0482

----------

Thought of the day

2009-10-15T14:22:00.001-04:00

Wouldn't it be cool to have a mod for L4D where the infected will be turned into raving Scientologists who try to give the survivors personality tests?

#boobiewed

2009-10-14T09:56:00.001-04:00

That's the hashtag for Boobie Wednesday on Twitter. Join in the fun and support breast cancer awareness.

That's right, breast cancer awareness, you internet pervs! <3

Also, BOOBIES!

Scientology: The dox keeps on dropping!

2009-10-13T21:21:00.006-04:00

Everybody knows that the Church of $cientology has more leaks than a strainer, especially where delicious dox are concerned. What makes the latest leak more lulzy is that this nice document exposes one of the realities that the church so desperately tries to hind - the church is falling apart and is in a state of total disarray.

You just have to read the document, as it is a mixture of desperation, lulz, bureaucracy, batshit lunacy, and Scientrollogy bullshit.

Think the lulz ends here? NO IT DOESN'T! What makes the affair more hilarious is that the document was leaked by a Scilon who now considers herself out of the Co$ but still a practicing Scientologist. She is part of a ~~cult splinter group~~ group of Scilons who want to practice the ~~idiocy~~ teachings of Hubbard without the "excesses and abuses" of the Co$.

I lol'ed.

NASA pwned

2009-10-09T22:21:00.002-04:00

Sacrifices apparently aren't enough...

2009-10-09T13:26:00.003-04:00

...especially when you've given up everything and when you have nothing left to give, you're hung out to dry like nothing ever happened.

It's so true that we don't realize what we have until it is gone, and then it is too late - because we lost it due to nothing more than chasing after something that was never real to begin with.

Sometimes there is only so much you can give up for something or someone, till you realize that it would only require more and more sacrifices on your part, and when you have nothing left to give, what then?

Sacrifices that only go one way are no better than emotional abuse. Sometimes it is possible to care too much, or to love too much, or to simply do too much.

Amirite?

Oh hey, a YouTube video. Lyrics here.

Always wanting what your eyes can't see
Needing what your arms can't reach
Thinking you are in need
Always hearing what your ears can't hear
Feeling what your hands can't touch
Thinking you're incomplete

(Enough)
It was,
Never enough that I gave to you
All of the horror that you've put me through
(Never enough)
How can I make up my mind this time?
This is where I will draw the line

A question for my wonderful readers

2009-10-09T00:03:00.002-04:00

See WEPathetically 'secured' wifi. What do?

IDiot logic FAIL

2009-10-08T23:55:00.000-04:00

Barry Arrington over at Uncommonly Dense has written yet another post so mind-numbingly stupid that it seems almost like a miracle that there are people who actually fall for that IDiotic crap.

Considering the fact that most of you are probably in tears after reading his pile of dung, I'm going to keep this short.

Even if the Columbine killers were the most ardent atheists/skeptics/believers in evolution to ever grace the planet, the fact that they were, you know, killers doesn't impact the validity of their beliefs and/or the scientific facts supporting the theory of evolution. This goes both ways, as the fact that pedophile priests exist does not mean that Catholicism is by default factually wrong.
Even if there were in fact negative ethical implications to the theory of evolution, this does not disqualify the scientific validity of the theory.

tl;dr: Even if accepting the theory of evolution meant that you would instantly become a psychopathic mass-murderer, that still wouldn't have any impact either way on the scientific validity of the theory.

The IDiots apparently still haven't figured out how science works. Who would have thought?

Oh look, it's a wild Scilon!

2009-10-08T21:22:00.002-04:00

"I'm proof of what study technology can accomplish."--Tom Cruise, epically losing the game.

Another leaked Scilontrollogy video? OSHI--

Chatlogs of the now

2009-10-08T14:00:00.002-04:00

All names have been redacted.

Now, enjoy the lulz!

[13:46] A: All you're doing is demonstrating that you're an immature asshole with issues of your own
[13:47] B: issues? knowing something about internet security is considered "having issues" now?
[13:48] B: oh dear
[13:48] B: someone alert the bullshit whitehat industry
[13:48] B: oh wait
[13:48] B: they dont actually know anything
[13:48] B: my bad

In response to the above:

[13:52] C: loooool
[13:52] B: told
[13:52] B: macfag whitehat got told
[13:52] C: yep
[13:53] C: whitehats always get told

With someone who discovered a little AdBlock vuln:

[13:53] B: remember the adblock shit?
[13:53] B: and when ppl assumed that you discovered something important?
[13:53] C: yep
[13:53] B: and started a loooong discussion about full disclosure?
[13:53] B: i was trying so hard not to LOL
[13:53] C: lol
[13:54] B: they all assumed you knew shit
[13:54] C: yep
[13:55] C: that was fun

Discussing the wonders of the infamous gay.pl script:

[13:37] B: i just spammed a channel
[13:38] B: with gay.pl
[13:39] B: do i win?
[13:40] D: haha
[13:40] D: What is gay.pl?
[13:40] B: google it fgt
[13:40] B: n00b :)
[13:41] D: ah
[13:41] D: See
[13:41] D: I went to the website
[13:41] D: gay.pl
[13:41] D: and I was like
[13:41] D: wtf
[13:41] B: newb

Continuation of the above story with another person:

[14:05] B: and theyre running an old version of unreal
[14:05] B: so i can exploit it
[14:05] B: and pwn the whole network
[14:05] B: tsk tsk
[14:05] B: im so not going to heaven XD
[14:05] E: lol
[14:06] E: going where?
[14:06] E: isn't that where dogs go?

That's all for today, and I hope you folks are having a more productive Thursday morning.