cat >/dev/null

A few days ago, Schneier wrote:

Security requires a particular mindset. Security professionals — at least the good ones — see the world differently. They can’t walk into a store without noticing how they might shoplift. They can’t use a computer without wondering about the security vulnerabilities. They can’t vote without trying to figure out how to vote twice. They just can’t help it.

Me, I don’t know if I’m a good one. Sure thing I just can’t help it.

<?xml version=”1.0″?>
<mmc_consolefile ConsoleVersion=”2.0″ ProgramMode=”Author”>
[…]
<binarystorage>
<binary>
SUwBAQIAAwAEABAAEAD/////CQD//////////0JN
NgQAAAAAAAA2BAAAKAAAAEAAAAAQAAAAAQAI
AAAAAAAABAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAIAAAIAAAACAgACAAAAAgACAAICAAADA
….

Disclaimer: I have absolutely no idea what these binary fields are there for. Probably there is reason enough. Pfft.

the fact that you don’t have a clue does not necessarily mean the truth does not exist.

If you wrestle a pig, you only get dirty; the pig has all the fun.

Dharma, Dharma & Greg - The House That Dharma Built (2×11)

I’m going to share a secret with you.

Do you want to know how to make your computer work forever??

I know it sounds impossible, but it’s actually quite easy. Well, probably not that easy, but definitely possible. It amounts to two simple rules:

1. Keep your backups up to date. This is the most important. As soon as your backups are not in sync, your old computer will fail. And I mean instantly.
2. Plan to buy a new, more powerful or otherwise better computer, every single time you turn old faithful on. This is another key requirement. The slightest concession will lead to failure.

Trust me. Two years and counting. I had my last failure two days ago: a new power brick, and back here I am. My notebook will never die… as long as I follow the two golden rules.

I just wrote a very small plugin for the Wordpress content management system. It’s called “KISS-Subscriber” and it implements a very basic lock on post contents for unauthenticated users, based on a custom field value. It is liberally inspired from WP-Members by Chad Butler.

Let’s see if it crashes the site… If it doesn’t, I’ll soon start posting restricted articles.

Mirror, mirror,
What u see?
Have I still got those dark clouds over me?
Or, am I really feeling what I feel?
The last days of the Devil’s Deal
Oh, mirror, what u see?

Prince, “Family Name”, “The Rainbow Children” (2001)

I’m just listening to the new album from Radiohead, named In Rainbows, which was released yesterday. I’m still halfway through, but so far it seems like a good record.

So, what’s new?

I just downloaded it off the net.

Again, what’s the deal?

I actually paid for it.

Hm, interesting, for a change, but not exactly earth shattering, I can almost hear you think.

Well, think again.

I didn’t buy it from iTunes or another online music store. I got it directly from the album’s own website, after paying directly to the artists. Immediatly after checking out I received a web link that started the download of a zip archive, containing plain simple 160kbps mp3 files. No DRM. No strings attached. Just good music, click and play.

Now, hear this. What you pay for it is left up to you. No, really, it’s up to you.

So, what do you say? I say it’s high time you put your money where your ears are. I’m going to be quite upset when I see someone pirating this.

P.S.: curious about how much I chose to pay for the album? £3.33. I’d pay less for 160k mp3s, but I really wanted to vote with my purse on this one. I am generally concerned about sound quality; give me royalty-free, lossless high-quality audio files (hint: FLAC) and I will gladly pay more than that.

Moreover, while I understand it would somehow lessen the impact in this instance, generally I’d appreciate a little preview. Also, artwork does not necessarily mean paper.

P.P.S.: no, you can’t have my mp3s. Go download them off the site.