Monday, May 16, 2011
Donald Trump Bows Out
Setting aside his political views, Donald Trump wouldn't have made a good President because he's tacky. Of course, this is why he knew he had to run as a Republican.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Tough Review of Ubuntu
Every once in a blue moon, I dabble with the fantasy of leaving Windows XP behind and installing a flavor of Linux, such as Ubuntu. Piers Anthony wrote a criticism of Ubuntu, enough to almost persuade me that PC Linux OS might represent the best flavor for me--except that in the March, 2011 edition, he notes that PC Linux OS still will not print. I would rather not have to deal with a raft of unfamiliar technical problems if I'm not getting paid to do so. So I imagine I'll stick with Windoze through another year.
After a bit of poking around reading reviews of Linux distros, I wrote to suggest that he try Linux Mint, a refinement to Ubuntu, but its relation to Ubuntu nixed that. I tried Ubuntu myself a couple of years ago, but it never installed right on my machine--nor did Mempis for that matter. It's unfortunate, because I'd be happy to consider any decent alternative to Windoze. I think Linux in general works better on certain hardware configurations than others. If one has an unlucky configuration, Linux may represent nothing more than a big old waste o' time.
After a bit of poking around reading reviews of Linux distros, I wrote to suggest that he try Linux Mint, a refinement to Ubuntu, but its relation to Ubuntu nixed that. I tried Ubuntu myself a couple of years ago, but it never installed right on my machine--nor did Mempis for that matter. It's unfortunate, because I'd be happy to consider any decent alternative to Windoze. I think Linux in general works better on certain hardware configurations than others. If one has an unlucky configuration, Linux may represent nothing more than a big old waste o' time.
I Saw Bruno
I saw the supposedly homophobic movie Bruno, but was not offended. GLAAD urged a gay boycott of the film. I passed it by only because I'm not crazy about the Borat guy. Eventually, a year or so after its release, I decided to watch it to see what all the fuss had been about. Yes, homophobia in all of its many permutations is on full display in the film. No, I did not think it offensive. I think the movie is actually a satire on homophobes, portraying their primitive conception of gays. Of course real gays are not like Bruno. That's obvious or should it be to anybody who isn't living in a cave. Bruno plays every homophobic chord there is, and at the end of it all, the audience is thinking, "So what?" It renders mundane and non-threatening, through repetition, what may have seemed, in an earlier time, threatening. I think it's good and watched the whole thing to the end. In fact, I think the GLAAD boycott was a clever marketing strategy to give the film street cred among the homophobes. I bet it worked in large measure to lure the other side into the audience.
But there's a more important question. Was it funny? No, I didn't laugh, but I did smile. I kept watching because I wanted to see what shocking thing would happen next. That kept me going through the entire length. The best phrase I can use to describe the film is homophobic camp. As such, it has a little something to please everybody. Viewers can read the message that they want to read into the movie, but only at the risk of getting it completely wrong. I think the movie makes its message clear at the end when Snoop Dogg says, "If you're gay, okay."
But there's a more important question. Was it funny? No, I didn't laugh, but I did smile. I kept watching because I wanted to see what shocking thing would happen next. That kept me going through the entire length. The best phrase I can use to describe the film is homophobic camp. As such, it has a little something to please everybody. Viewers can read the message that they want to read into the movie, but only at the risk of getting it completely wrong. I think the movie makes its message clear at the end when Snoop Dogg says, "If you're gay, okay."
Friday, May 13, 2011
Blogger Pharted
I checked on my Blogger Dashboard twice today. First time, I noticed that my last blog post was devoured by Blogger's latest technical snafu. "Oh well," thought I, "it was just one of my typical rants against Republicans or foreigners. What's the loss?" Second time, I noticed the blog post was restored, but with a weird glitch. Two hexadecimal whatzits prefixed each of the two topic-labels assigned to the post, thus creating two weird new topics on the right-hand side of my blog. Another post written the same day or the day before was afflicted by the same bug.
Here's my policy. Deletion, okay. Mutation, okay in a player-character in Dungeon Crawl, but in my blog, Not Acceptable. I edited the categories and all is well now. I bet those programmers over at Google are about ready for some Zzz's right now. I know when I supported systems, a goof like that would have meant an all-nighter or two or three or four. Can't say I emerged unscathed over a period of ten years. Complicated systems that rely on other people's code sometimes do have a tendency to do unexpected things. No one is more understanding about such matters than another programmer. Of course, I have a recent backup of my blog and its template, so I'm not too concerned about a total wipe-out.
Here's my policy. Deletion, okay. Mutation, okay in a player-character in Dungeon Crawl, but in my blog, Not Acceptable. I edited the categories and all is well now. I bet those programmers over at Google are about ready for some Zzz's right now. I know when I supported systems, a goof like that would have meant an all-nighter or two or three or four. Can't say I emerged unscathed over a period of ten years. Complicated systems that rely on other people's code sometimes do have a tendency to do unexpected things. No one is more understanding about such matters than another programmer. Of course, I have a recent backup of my blog and its template, so I'm not too concerned about a total wipe-out.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
That'll Teach Them Doctors a Thing or Two
Republicans are at it again. This time they're censoring what doctors can say in the examining room. A $500 fine will be assessed against any doctor that asks a patient whether he has guns in the home. The N.R.A. wanted to make asking a felony.
I don't think the law will stand up in court. I think it's amusing. Just when you think you've reached the end of the Republican barrel of stupidity, they pull out the bottom to reveal a tunnel leading down into the center of the earth.
I don't think the law will stand up in court. I think it's amusing. Just when you think you've reached the end of the Republican barrel of stupidity, they pull out the bottom to reveal a tunnel leading down into the center of the earth.
Not Original
A proverb came to me on waking this morning. "Live in such a manner that you may die with few regrets." But I am not sure it is any better than the efficient carpe diem. Also, it sounds awfully similar to other proverbs I have heard before.
I do not believe it possible to die with no regrets, as some say for dramatic effect. That's hubris, in the first place, because everybody makes mistakes, great or small, in the human existence. Surely if one has no regrets, one would not wish to die at all. That too is a regret.
I do not believe it possible to die with no regrets, as some say for dramatic effect. That's hubris, in the first place, because everybody makes mistakes, great or small, in the human existence. Surely if one has no regrets, one would not wish to die at all. That too is a regret.
Monday, May 9, 2011
A Lack of Writing
One of my disappointments concerning ancient history is the lack of any written record for my closest ancestors from 3,000+ years ago. How did the people in Britain live, for instance? We can only draw general conclusions based on objects and bones that have been dug out of the ground. A great many questions arise which remain unanswered. Who were the heroes, the kings, the generals, the inventors, the priests? What were their names?
It's a pity our ancestors didn't take time out for writing in all the time they spent bludgeoning one another over the head with clubs. Have we strayed much from their ways? Not so much. There's literacy, but many prefer bludgeoning to writing. Literacy is viewed as a means to an end (a job, or more to the point, money). At the library, hordes are using computers, but few are reading any books. Funding for libraries continues to plummet. Soon, public libraries will go the way of the Tudor hospital.
Even the Roman Empire is a disappointment. At the height of their power and security, they chose to continue engaging in invasions, some extremely costly, much like our involvement in Afghanistan. The Romans showed little interest in seafaring or inventions, even though one of their inventors, the aptly named Hero, dabbled with a steam engine. Today also, the primary item on the national agenda is a costly, counter-productive war in which the country stands to gain nothing but debt. Our leaders are unconcerned with scientific research or development. All they care about is bludgeoning their enemies over the head with a club. Their evolution has not progressed beyond the ancient Celts or Romans.
It's a pity our ancestors didn't take time out for writing in all the time they spent bludgeoning one another over the head with clubs. Have we strayed much from their ways? Not so much. There's literacy, but many prefer bludgeoning to writing. Literacy is viewed as a means to an end (a job, or more to the point, money). At the library, hordes are using computers, but few are reading any books. Funding for libraries continues to plummet. Soon, public libraries will go the way of the Tudor hospital.
Even the Roman Empire is a disappointment. At the height of their power and security, they chose to continue engaging in invasions, some extremely costly, much like our involvement in Afghanistan. The Romans showed little interest in seafaring or inventions, even though one of their inventors, the aptly named Hero, dabbled with a steam engine. Today also, the primary item on the national agenda is a costly, counter-productive war in which the country stands to gain nothing but debt. Our leaders are unconcerned with scientific research or development. All they care about is bludgeoning their enemies over the head with a club. Their evolution has not progressed beyond the ancient Celts or Romans.
Stats Mislead
More than half of all net traffic today is composed of automated bots running errands for their masters--spammers, criminals, leaches, hackers, corporations, and spies for corporations and governments. If your stats page indicates you received 1000 visitors today, divide by half, to begin with, to arrive at a slightly more accurate figure. The number of bots may be much higher. Mine is an extremely conservative estimate. The actual number may be closer to seventy percent. I'm not pulling the number out of thin air. Out of curiosity, dedication, determination, or whatever strange whim possesses me, perhaps by channeling the spirit of a watchdog, I have burned the midnight oil many a night analyzing raw server logs.
Few bots identify themselves. Today, these seem rare as unicorns, except for the major search engines. Most disguise themselves as users with a browser. Thus, few are identified by statistical engines. Nevertheless, people often quote me high numbers for their site. Do I expect anyone besides another dedicated admin to believe me? No. And few admins these days go to the trouble of browsing a raw log.
On this site, I believe eighty percent of the visitors are non-human. But that's not so bad. The robot crowd may be smarter on the whole than the humans, based upon some of the lame comments I've received over the years that indicate my readers are reacting to the first phrase, sentence or technical difficulty they encounter rather than reading my posts in their entirety. Heaven forbid that any dungeon crawl user spend more than five minutes of his precious time on solving a problem before pestering me to figure every little thing out for them. Lazybones is a worldwide epidemic. Perhaps catering to the "cheating" crowd attracts a higher proportion of the lazybones. I'll tell you what, when I was fourteen, I did not have the Internet feeding me instant solutions to every difficulty. All I had were my programming manuals, which I read cover to cover, and the computer, and I figured things out on my own, enjoyed it and took pride in it. When one programs, one creates, and the thrill of creation brings one closer to God, in a manner of speaking. Programming is more fun than any game under the Sun, period, end of story. Some users of my regen.bat can't even be troubled to insert REMark statements into the batch. Knock, knock. Anybody home in there?
Few bots identify themselves. Today, these seem rare as unicorns, except for the major search engines. Most disguise themselves as users with a browser. Thus, few are identified by statistical engines. Nevertheless, people often quote me high numbers for their site. Do I expect anyone besides another dedicated admin to believe me? No. And few admins these days go to the trouble of browsing a raw log.
On this site, I believe eighty percent of the visitors are non-human. But that's not so bad. The robot crowd may be smarter on the whole than the humans, based upon some of the lame comments I've received over the years that indicate my readers are reacting to the first phrase, sentence or technical difficulty they encounter rather than reading my posts in their entirety. Heaven forbid that any dungeon crawl user spend more than five minutes of his precious time on solving a problem before pestering me to figure every little thing out for them. Lazybones is a worldwide epidemic. Perhaps catering to the "cheating" crowd attracts a higher proportion of the lazybones. I'll tell you what, when I was fourteen, I did not have the Internet feeding me instant solutions to every difficulty. All I had were my programming manuals, which I read cover to cover, and the computer, and I figured things out on my own, enjoyed it and took pride in it. When one programs, one creates, and the thrill of creation brings one closer to God, in a manner of speaking. Programming is more fun than any game under the Sun, period, end of story. Some users of my regen.bat can't even be troubled to insert REMark statements into the batch. Knock, knock. Anybody home in there?
Gays More Likely to Have Cancer?
An article in Pink News says gays are more likely to have had cancer than straights.
My own experience in the gay community leads me to think there may be something to that, because the bar scene was important in the pre-Internet days. There were other factors at play encouraging gays to drink up, including feelings caused by social ostracism, such as depression, guilt, shame, confusion--all of which can be rendered into numbness by alcohol. Alcohol is a big risk factor, by itself enough to explain the higher incidence of cancer.
Conditions are improving for gays overall in our society, as noted by Obama and Hilary Clinton, and I think many problems afflicting the gay community will reduce in severity, leading to improved efficiencies, happiness and productivity overall for society in general. People think gay rights are only for gays. They are mistaken. Gay rights will be good for everyone. It means the gay teacher who is great with kids can stay in his job instead of being summarily fired and possibly replaced by a know-nothing. It means the gay couple that take care of one another, take care of their friends, pay their taxes and pay their bills on time are more likely to stay together. Society as a whole reaps the benefits.
My own experience in the gay community leads me to think there may be something to that, because the bar scene was important in the pre-Internet days. There were other factors at play encouraging gays to drink up, including feelings caused by social ostracism, such as depression, guilt, shame, confusion--all of which can be rendered into numbness by alcohol. Alcohol is a big risk factor, by itself enough to explain the higher incidence of cancer.
Conditions are improving for gays overall in our society, as noted by Obama and Hilary Clinton, and I think many problems afflicting the gay community will reduce in severity, leading to improved efficiencies, happiness and productivity overall for society in general. People think gay rights are only for gays. They are mistaken. Gay rights will be good for everyone. It means the gay teacher who is great with kids can stay in his job instead of being summarily fired and possibly replaced by a know-nothing. It means the gay couple that take care of one another, take care of their friends, pay their taxes and pay their bills on time are more likely to stay together. Society as a whole reaps the benefits.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Uptick in Heroin Use?
This article reports on an uptick in heroin use among young people in Massachusetts. That hints at an increase in the region's misery index. When young people can't find jobs, when they don't have much hope for the future, then drugs of despair, such as smack and meth, gain allure.
Injection drugs--yuck. The thought of such a thing in the year 2011, when information is widely available on the Internet, seems peculiar. Is it a sign of worse things to come? I think most people in the country don't see much reason to hope for a brighter future. When there is an unending exodus of professional jobs, when the standard of living for the middle class is eroding fast, and Republicans wage class warfare against the workers, and our tax money goes to people who hate us in the Middle East, clearly it's a no-brainer that our leaders are no-brainers.
I'm just happy to have been alive during the boom times, the good times, and what could arguably be termed the Golden Age of America, 1980 - 2000. Now that that era is over, a long, steady decline is underway.
Injection drugs--yuck. The thought of such a thing in the year 2011, when information is widely available on the Internet, seems peculiar. Is it a sign of worse things to come? I think most people in the country don't see much reason to hope for a brighter future. When there is an unending exodus of professional jobs, when the standard of living for the middle class is eroding fast, and Republicans wage class warfare against the workers, and our tax money goes to people who hate us in the Middle East, clearly it's a no-brainer that our leaders are no-brainers.
I'm just happy to have been alive during the boom times, the good times, and what could arguably be termed the Golden Age of America, 1980 - 2000. Now that that era is over, a long, steady decline is underway.
A Bit of Mysticism
If there is a greater power or system, and if it perceives me, and if on occasion I perceive its perceiving, then at such times I feel cherished, as though I am cradled in the arms of the goddess.
Friday, May 6, 2011
They Don't Know What Time of Day It Is
Reading the views of analysts quoted by Voice of America indicates they don't know what time of day it is. Give more money to Pakistan? More money to Afghanistan? Whose money? China's, clearly. The U.S. government is not making any money. China is financing the war. I'd say Bin Laden's extermination offers a pretext for an early exit.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
I Love Teachers
Am I surprised Republicans and their propaganda organ, Fox News, declared war on teachers? No. It's just another one of the lame, counter-productive wars the Republicans wage, in this case against their own countrymen.
I love teachers. I think education and educators are the nation's top resource.
And teachers tend to like me, as well. Here's what one wrote regarding one of my presentations: "Excellent research, preparation and delivery! Nicely dressed & groomed. Nice use of scientific terms. Beautiful pamphlets. You have a talent for teaching and speaking. Get your Ph.D. & come back and teach for the university!"
I liked that so much, I posted it on the bulletin board in my study. My teacher did not have to write all of that. She could have just given me a 100 and been done with it. I think it's indicative that she cared. It's a pity that so many bankers did not care. They spent all their time devising ways to cheat their customers, clients, taxpayers, and shareholders. The current economic situation, the one that Republicans want the workers to suffer for, is the result.
I don't think teachers are overpaid. I think they are overworked. I think bankers are overpaid. Bankers have not been doing a good job. If anyone is lazy, it's the bankers.
Don't mess with the teachers, Republicans. On the other hand--do. I think that issue is going to come back to bite 'em in the next election. At least I hope it does. Seems like the Republicans get away with every type of nonsense under the sun. Voters keep signing up for more abuse.
I think the question of which party to support is simple. Democrats are on the side of the workers, that is, the 99% of the country that performs useful work. Republicans are on the side of those that want to profit at the expense of everybody else. There is overlap. There are exceptions. There are Democrats that vote like Republicans. I don't know whether there are any Republicans that vote like Democrats. The Republican Party tends to run a tight ship. But the general rule applies. That's why I vote straight-ticket Democrat. It's the only thing straight about me. In rare cases where the Democratic ticket is too similar to the Republican ticket on the issues, to the point that both appear identical, I vote Libertarian.
I love teachers. I think education and educators are the nation's top resource.
And teachers tend to like me, as well. Here's what one wrote regarding one of my presentations: "Excellent research, preparation and delivery! Nicely dressed & groomed. Nice use of scientific terms. Beautiful pamphlets. You have a talent for teaching and speaking. Get your Ph.D. & come back and teach for the university!"
I liked that so much, I posted it on the bulletin board in my study. My teacher did not have to write all of that. She could have just given me a 100 and been done with it. I think it's indicative that she cared. It's a pity that so many bankers did not care. They spent all their time devising ways to cheat their customers, clients, taxpayers, and shareholders. The current economic situation, the one that Republicans want the workers to suffer for, is the result.
I don't think teachers are overpaid. I think they are overworked. I think bankers are overpaid. Bankers have not been doing a good job. If anyone is lazy, it's the bankers.
Don't mess with the teachers, Republicans. On the other hand--do. I think that issue is going to come back to bite 'em in the next election. At least I hope it does. Seems like the Republicans get away with every type of nonsense under the sun. Voters keep signing up for more abuse.
I think the question of which party to support is simple. Democrats are on the side of the workers, that is, the 99% of the country that performs useful work. Republicans are on the side of those that want to profit at the expense of everybody else. There is overlap. There are exceptions. There are Democrats that vote like Republicans. I don't know whether there are any Republicans that vote like Democrats. The Republican Party tends to run a tight ship. But the general rule applies. That's why I vote straight-ticket Democrat. It's the only thing straight about me. In rare cases where the Democratic ticket is too similar to the Republican ticket on the issues, to the point that both appear identical, I vote Libertarian.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Bin Laden's Bin Deaden
At least one troublemaker in the world met his end last night. Hats off to the brave soldiers that slew Bin Laden. I'm willing to wager that there are hundreds of millions of people that would have pulled the trigger on Bin Laden, including yours truly. Our newly minted heroes have bragging rights for life, unless sworn to secrecy.
Questioning the legality of the assault does not interest me. If Bin Laden and cohorts were shot in their sleep, fair enough. One need only consider their admitted actions, capabilities, and intentions. They would have done worse. They did not honor the rules of war. Such a policy is not without consequences.
I'm tired of hearing about the radical Islamists. Their political and social views are medieval. Now that Bin Laden's Bin Deaden, I hope we can get the hell out of that lunatic asylum known as the Middle East in the near future and save some money for spending on these United States. The United States is where the United States should focus its attention and resources.
Questioning the legality of the assault does not interest me. If Bin Laden and cohorts were shot in their sleep, fair enough. One need only consider their admitted actions, capabilities, and intentions. They would have done worse. They did not honor the rules of war. Such a policy is not without consequences.
I'm tired of hearing about the radical Islamists. Their political and social views are medieval. Now that Bin Laden's Bin Deaden, I hope we can get the hell out of that lunatic asylum known as the Middle East in the near future and save some money for spending on these United States. The United States is where the United States should focus its attention and resources.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
New York Daily News on Gay Marriage
I disagreed with a recent opinion piece on the New York Daily News on gay marriage, so I registered in order to leave a comment. Their registration process is lengthy. Twenty questions are asked. They want to know how much money I make, what kind of job I have, and my birthday. Do they really deserve all of that information? In the past, newspapers were content if a letter-writer signed his first and last name, address, city, and state (zip code optional). NY Daily News also had a lengthy checklist for newsletters--every topic under the Sun. Are people still reading emailed newsletters?
I entered a valid email address, received the registration email, clicked on the link, and attempted to log in, only to be denied with an error message: "your email address is invalid." My foot. Looks like the New York Daily News needs to focus more on debugging their computer software and less on political issues that do not concern them. Why are there so many quarrelsome troublemakers in the world that want to interfere in the lives of others? Whatever happened to "live and let live?" In the end, the troublemakers will find solutions for one another.
I gave up on registering. Communicating with fools can be a fool's errand. Sometimes silence is best. My blog is good for venting, as always, if nothing else. And in Google News, I click on that wonderful new feature, "Show Less of..." in order to reduce the number of instances of New York Daily News. Using that feature has already eliminated several other media sources, such as Fox, from the headlines for me.
Bigots that defend DOMA would change their tune in a skinny minute if their own lives were impacted. A taste of their own medicine would do them a world of good. They need to experience firsthand an intrusive law that burrows into their own personal lives and causes them a multitude of hardships. They like pointing the finger at others, but when they point that finger, three are pointing back at them.
I entered a valid email address, received the registration email, clicked on the link, and attempted to log in, only to be denied with an error message: "your email address is invalid." My foot. Looks like the New York Daily News needs to focus more on debugging their computer software and less on political issues that do not concern them. Why are there so many quarrelsome troublemakers in the world that want to interfere in the lives of others? Whatever happened to "live and let live?" In the end, the troublemakers will find solutions for one another.
I gave up on registering. Communicating with fools can be a fool's errand. Sometimes silence is best. My blog is good for venting, as always, if nothing else. And in Google News, I click on that wonderful new feature, "Show Less of..." in order to reduce the number of instances of New York Daily News. Using that feature has already eliminated several other media sources, such as Fox, from the headlines for me.
Bigots that defend DOMA would change their tune in a skinny minute if their own lives were impacted. A taste of their own medicine would do them a world of good. They need to experience firsthand an intrusive law that burrows into their own personal lives and causes them a multitude of hardships. They like pointing the finger at others, but when they point that finger, three are pointing back at them.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Using .htaccess to Redirect Renamed or Deleted Web Pages, Forums, and Directories
A web admin may have a good reason for renaming the stray page or directory on a web site, but doing so impacts search engine optimization. One wouldn't wish to greet visitors or search engines accessing old links with a clumsy 404 page. An elegant solution is to redirect access attempts to a new page. For a simple rename, this is easy enough:
My solution is to use Apache's
redirect 301 /Atheism.html /atheism.html/messages/techforum/posts/, followed by many links such as 2009/12/75433.html? A common desire is to redirect many links in a directory to a single directory or file. The 301 technique no longer serves in that scenario. My solution is to use Apache's
RewriteCond command, which requires the following line somewhere near the beginning of your .htaccess file:RewriteEngine onRewriteCond and RewriteRule to redirect requests for /messages/techforum/post/2009/12/75433.html, for instance, to notice.html:RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} /messages/
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ /notice.html [R=301,L]
IP Addresses of Spammers, Hackers, Leaches and Bothersome Bots
This is the list of banned IP addresses for the web site I admin. It is the product of countless hours pouring over my server logs and observing activity from the addresses below. Pay no mind to the date of this blog post. I update this post periodically with my latest blacklist in use on the web sites I admin.
Not all IP addresses listed below are malicious hackers or spammers. I'm an aggressive admin that takes a dim view of bots other than the big three (Google, Bing/MSN, Yahoo) and social media sites like StumbleUpon, Digg and Facebook.
My list bans bots that may be content scrapers or researchers. If they're not human and not related to a major search engine, I don't care what they are. Rule of thumb--if my site gains nothing from the transaction and if the transaction isn't a human being on a browser, ban it as a waste of system resource and a potential liability. At the very least their leaching could reduce the response time of my site for a legitimate human user.
Some humans were observed engaged in non-browser activity, in some cases attempts at modifying or exploiting our site. If a human user isn't using a browser, but an automated script seeking to exploit the site, then they do not need to visit the site at all.
My many and varied bot-traps nail several IP addresses on a weekly basis, but sometimes just for fun and recreation, I scan for bots with my own eyes. My hands-on methodology of banning IP addresses is to examine my server's log file and note the obvious non-human activity. I identify bots based upon their actions and other criteria which I will not reveal here, but anyone who has looked at a raw server log should understand what I am talking about. It is not difficult to determine who is human and who is a bot, because bots are typically very stupid and, well, robot-like in their behavior, which should not come as a surprise. The authors of these bots are not terribly bright either, judging by what I have seen. When I have identified a single IP address, then that is not the end of the story. I want to know if it belongs to an entire neighborhood which is full of bad bots, because this is often the case in my experience, and why ban one single IP when one can ban 255 or more? It is more efficient to shut down bad IP ranges than play the game of one IP address at a time, which could result in a truly massive .htaccess in the end. I research Project Honeypot (I have been a registered user of that site for years and even authored a dark .css style for the web site) and related sites to determine the true nature of an IP address and the neighborhood in which it resides.
I take a dim view of Russia and China. For one thing, these states do not value freedom of speech and do not enshrine democratic principles. Also, our site is English, and I don't envision attracting any Russian or Chinese fans in this lifetime. Unlike some admins, I don't ban the entire region. But if I notice a large number of spammers in an IP address neighborhood in Russia or China, I don't hesitate banning the entire neighborhood rather than bother with singling out individual IP addresses. I'm also skeptical of Poland and the Ukraine based on the many bad bots I've witnessed from those nations. Among all nations, I give China short shrift, because of its poor reputation and poor compliance with standards. When you look up an IP address with WHOIS, Chinese accounts sometimes don't specify a small network neighborhood, but offer a range that may encompass millions of IP addresses rather than just hundreds or thousands. Where China is concerned, if I detect numerous bad bots in a general neighborhood, and China refuses to specify a proper narrow range in WHOIS, then I will not hesitate to ban the millions. With other countries, I take a more refined approach, depending upon my evaluation of the level of corruption in their government. I am reluctant to ban entire neighborhoods in democratic nations, but if an IP range is reserved exclusively for web hosting or what is termed "Direct Allocation," then that is a red flag.
I recommend the .htaccess security measures found on Perishable Press. The .htaccess code found on Perishable Press requires testing and adjustment for specific sites, because it is more complex than a mere Deny-from. However, Jeff's code is valuable and well-worth the effort of refining, because it adds another layer of protection in case attackers slip past the Deny-from barrier. I have integrated some of the intel from his excellent "5G Blacklist 2012" into my own .htaccess, but I do not include those bits here, because the credit for that is his, not mine, and he updates it and has the best version. I recommend visiting his site and merging his intel with mine to make a synthesis. An admin that does so may notice a reduction in leach and spam traffic. My .htaccess is a synthesis of my own work with that of Perishable Press. As for Wizcraft, which I used to recommend, I do not use his intel any longer, because he does not respond to emails, and some of his deny-froms have proven problematic, causing technical issues with Wordpress, for instance. I only use Perishable Press intel and my own. My code is in use on a Wordpress site right now.
Bear in mind that intel is perishable with the changing nature of the Internet, and I'm not sure what the shelf life is. I'll try and keep it updated periodically, but there are no guarantees. Some admins grant a reprieve to addresses on an annual basis. They worry that spammers will relocate, and the IP addresses may then become legit. I don't feel like that is a worthwhile concern for my purposes. I would rather continue blocking address ranges that have a lengthy history of hosting spammers and hackers. Let's say a spammer abandons or gets booted from an IP. The hosting company will rent the IP to somebody else, and chances are that sooner or later they will rent it to another spammer, because they were lax enough to rent to one spammer and are likely to make the same mistake again in pursuit of the almighty dollar. The only good IP addresses are those in use by end-users of an Internet Service Provider and major search engines such as Google. Anything else is questionable at best and likely to be used by spammers sooner or later.
You can pop this baby right into your .htaccess file if you admin an Apache server. Beware of Blogger's word wrap, though, which sometimes creates syntax errors in copied and pasted code. Note that the last Order directive in an .htaccess file will be the one used. If you already have a Limit paragraph in your .htaccess, add the Deny's to it, but use only one Limit container.
If you would like to hire me to harden the security of your WordPress blog, my one-time flat fee is $250. I can do all of the things described here and a bit more that is not. I require a response to emailed questions, payment in advance, and for twenty-four hours, admin access as well as Secure Ftp (SFTP) access to your site. As of 2012, I no longer offer this service, because I do not have the spare time to deal with new customers.
Not all IP addresses listed below are malicious hackers or spammers. I'm an aggressive admin that takes a dim view of bots other than the big three (Google, Bing/MSN, Yahoo) and social media sites like StumbleUpon, Digg and Facebook.
My list bans bots that may be content scrapers or researchers. If they're not human and not related to a major search engine, I don't care what they are. Rule of thumb--if my site gains nothing from the transaction and if the transaction isn't a human being on a browser, ban it as a waste of system resource and a potential liability. At the very least their leaching could reduce the response time of my site for a legitimate human user.
Some humans were observed engaged in non-browser activity, in some cases attempts at modifying or exploiting our site. If a human user isn't using a browser, but an automated script seeking to exploit the site, then they do not need to visit the site at all.
My many and varied bot-traps nail several IP addresses on a weekly basis, but sometimes just for fun and recreation, I scan for bots with my own eyes. My hands-on methodology of banning IP addresses is to examine my server's log file and note the obvious non-human activity. I identify bots based upon their actions and other criteria which I will not reveal here, but anyone who has looked at a raw server log should understand what I am talking about. It is not difficult to determine who is human and who is a bot, because bots are typically very stupid and, well, robot-like in their behavior, which should not come as a surprise. The authors of these bots are not terribly bright either, judging by what I have seen. When I have identified a single IP address, then that is not the end of the story. I want to know if it belongs to an entire neighborhood which is full of bad bots, because this is often the case in my experience, and why ban one single IP when one can ban 255 or more? It is more efficient to shut down bad IP ranges than play the game of one IP address at a time, which could result in a truly massive .htaccess in the end. I research Project Honeypot (I have been a registered user of that site for years and even authored a dark .css style for the web site) and related sites to determine the true nature of an IP address and the neighborhood in which it resides.
I take a dim view of Russia and China. For one thing, these states do not value freedom of speech and do not enshrine democratic principles. Also, our site is English, and I don't envision attracting any Russian or Chinese fans in this lifetime. Unlike some admins, I don't ban the entire region. But if I notice a large number of spammers in an IP address neighborhood in Russia or China, I don't hesitate banning the entire neighborhood rather than bother with singling out individual IP addresses. I'm also skeptical of Poland and the Ukraine based on the many bad bots I've witnessed from those nations. Among all nations, I give China short shrift, because of its poor reputation and poor compliance with standards. When you look up an IP address with WHOIS, Chinese accounts sometimes don't specify a small network neighborhood, but offer a range that may encompass millions of IP addresses rather than just hundreds or thousands. Where China is concerned, if I detect numerous bad bots in a general neighborhood, and China refuses to specify a proper narrow range in WHOIS, then I will not hesitate to ban the millions. With other countries, I take a more refined approach, depending upon my evaluation of the level of corruption in their government. I am reluctant to ban entire neighborhoods in democratic nations, but if an IP range is reserved exclusively for web hosting or what is termed "Direct Allocation," then that is a red flag.
I recommend the .htaccess security measures found on Perishable Press. The .htaccess code found on Perishable Press requires testing and adjustment for specific sites, because it is more complex than a mere Deny-from. However, Jeff's code is valuable and well-worth the effort of refining, because it adds another layer of protection in case attackers slip past the Deny-from barrier. I have integrated some of the intel from his excellent "5G Blacklist 2012" into my own .htaccess, but I do not include those bits here, because the credit for that is his, not mine, and he updates it and has the best version. I recommend visiting his site and merging his intel with mine to make a synthesis. An admin that does so may notice a reduction in leach and spam traffic. My .htaccess is a synthesis of my own work with that of Perishable Press. As for Wizcraft, which I used to recommend, I do not use his intel any longer, because he does not respond to emails, and some of his deny-froms have proven problematic, causing technical issues with Wordpress, for instance. I only use Perishable Press intel and my own. My code is in use on a Wordpress site right now.
Bear in mind that intel is perishable with the changing nature of the Internet, and I'm not sure what the shelf life is. I'll try and keep it updated periodically, but there are no guarantees. Some admins grant a reprieve to addresses on an annual basis. They worry that spammers will relocate, and the IP addresses may then become legit. I don't feel like that is a worthwhile concern for my purposes. I would rather continue blocking address ranges that have a lengthy history of hosting spammers and hackers. Let's say a spammer abandons or gets booted from an IP. The hosting company will rent the IP to somebody else, and chances are that sooner or later they will rent it to another spammer, because they were lax enough to rent to one spammer and are likely to make the same mistake again in pursuit of the almighty dollar. The only good IP addresses are those in use by end-users of an Internet Service Provider and major search engines such as Google. Anything else is questionable at best and likely to be used by spammers sooner or later.
You can pop this baby right into your .htaccess file if you admin an Apache server. Beware of Blogger's word wrap, though, which sometimes creates syntax errors in copied and pasted code. Note that the last Order directive in an .htaccess file will be the one used. If you already have a Limit paragraph in your .htaccess, add the Deny's to it, but use only one Limit container.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Infections
I was hit by two nasty, sneaky, time-consuming infections this week. Computer virus and cold virus. One I've licked, the other I haven't kicked. Guess which. Achoo!
There may be hailstones. I have a sturdy umbrella. In adversity, I swim along like a fish upstream. And when I reach the shallows, there will be others. Nature is a superb engineer that has built redundancy into all her systems.
There may be hailstones. I have a sturdy umbrella. In adversity, I swim along like a fish upstream. And when I reach the shallows, there will be others. Nature is a superb engineer that has built redundancy into all her systems.
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