Find out where you fit in the grand scheme of geekdom with the Geek Hierarchy chart.

Pagans may also want to find out where they fit in the grand scheme of paganism with the Pagan Hierarchy Chart. [Disclaimer: If you don't know a Thelemite from a Wiccan, you probably won't get it. ;)] Pagans should start with the *second* link because it refers to the first one, although I suppose you could start with either one.

This was just sent to me by my friend Cory Doctorow, who works for the EFF. I'll be posting this at WWdN Monday, but I wanted to get maximum exposure as quickly as possible. This is a SERIOUS issue. If you're reading this, and you know an IEEE member, please make sure they see this. If you have a weblog of your own, please consider copying this post and putting it there, too.

IEEE members: save democracy from a broken standards-committee!

The IEEE, normally the sobersided epitome of integrity and accountability, has had one of its standards-committees jump the tracks. The people who are writing the IEEE standard for voting machines have been doing their best to rig their deliberative process ot exclude input from non-vendors who want the standard to include performance metrics that will guard against electoral malfeasance. This is heavy stuff: the standard this committee produces will likely form the basis of the US goverment's voting-machine purchases (as well as those of governments abroad), and if there are holes in the standard today, they will be biting our democracies on the ass for decades. There's never been a clearer demonstration that "architecture is politics."

IEEE is better than this. If you're a member of the organization, please take a moment to read up on this disaster-in-the-making and then use the form at the EFF's action-center to write to the IEEE and ask them to investigate this -- before it's too late.

...instead of using this opportunity to create a performance standard, setting benchmarks for e-voting machines to meet with regards to testing the security, reliability, accessibility and accuracy of these machines, P1583 created a design standard, describing how electronic voting machines should be configured (and following the basic plans of most current electronic voting machines). Even more problematic, the standard fails to require or even recommend that voting machines be truly voter verified or verifiable, a security measure that has broad
support within the computer security community.

To make matters worse, EFF has received reports of serious procedural problems with the P1538 and SCC 38 Committee processes, including shifting roadblocks placed in front of those who wish to participate and vote, and failure to follow basic procedural requirements. We've heard claims that the working group and committee leadership is largely controlled by representatives of the electronic voting machine vendor companies and others with vested interests.

Here is a link to the EFF, with more information.

Has anyone seen the following e-mail?

MS Client

this is the latest version of security update, the "September 2003, Cumulative Patch" update which eliminates all known security vulnerabilities affecting MS Internet Explorer, MS Outlook and MS Outlook Express as well as three new vulnerabilities. Install now to protect your computer from these vulnerabilities, the most serious of which could allow an malicious user to run executable on your system. This update includes the functionality of all previously released patches.

  System requirements Windows 95/98/Me/2000/NT/XP
  This update applies to MS Internet Explorer, version 4.01 and later
MS Outlook, version 8.00 and later
MS Outlook Express, version 4.01 and later
  Recommendation Customers should install the patch at the earliest opportunity.
  How to install Run attached file. Choose Yes on displayed dialog box.
  How to use You don't need to do anything after installing this item.

Microsoft Product Support Services and Knowledge Base articles can be found on the Microsoft Technical Support web site. For security-related information about Microsoft products, please visit the Microsoft Security Advisor web site, or Contact Us.

Thank you for using Microsoft products.

Please do not reply to this message. It was sent from an unmonitored e-mail address and we are unable to respond to any replies.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The names of the actual companies and products mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

Obviously it's a fake. It had an executable attached to it that was supposed to be a 'fix'. I had a user e-mail and ask me if it was for real, though.

Now, the e-mail itself looks somewhat real, aside from the fact that the greeting says 'MS Client:', along with the obvious grammatical errors. They grabbed some images from the Microsoft Web site, but I can't reproduce them here in this JE, obviously. Let's just say the formatting looks like it *could* be real. If we didn't already know that Microsoft never publishes patches via e-mail, that is. ;)

Anyone else see this? I wonder how effective it is on the unwashed masses?

Here is a first-hand demonstration of moderation abuse on Slashdot.

I said something *completely* unpopular. Look at how it got modded. The first point was *insightful* but after that, I got modded down *3* times as "overrated" because some people didn't agree with my viewpoint. They gave me the overrated mod because now they won't be subject to metamod. They didn't mod it troll or flamebait because they knew that it wasn't and that they'd get lambasted in metamod.

Just thought I'd point that out in case y'all thought I was crazy in my earlier JEs about my biggest /. pet peeve -- moderation abuse.

Warning: SPOILERS! If you haven't watched Enterprise GO NO FURTHER.

Synopsis from Startrek.com:
The mission to find the Xindi takes a treacherous turn when Enterprise is crippled by inexplicable, destructive spatial anomalies that distort the laws of physics. With systems down, Osaarian pirates board the ship and and raid it of valuable supplies. The crew captures one of the marauders, and Archer's sense of morality is tested when he interrogates the prisoner.

Pirates! Just in time for National Talk Like A Pirate Day!!! Minipoll: Do you think they planned that?
A) Of course they did. They're geeks too.
B) Pfft. Just a coincidence.

Archer really shows his darker side in this episode. He uses some rather coersive and brutal tactics with the Osaarian prisoner, including locking him in the air lock, and pointing a phaser to his head.

Obviously, Archer is desparate to know about the Xindi.

Why do you suppose the writers have taken this twist? Why is Archer so desparate?

And more importantly, what do you think of T'Pol's new hot new red uniform? ;-)

For I am the infamous Dread Pirate Kidd!

ph34r m3 dr34d m4d sk1llz!

Err....ARRRRR... something like that...

Uhhh...take the test.

Post your results here instead of Bethanie or FortKnox's journal 'cause you like me better. I know you do. ;)

SolemnDragon has a number of things she'd like to get off her chest. Including no less than 4 kitchen fires. She seem to always be setting stuff on fire, because i'm sure we covered this last week. Oh well. As Jim Morrison once said, "Baby, you can light my fire."

Em Emalb was recently hit in the head with a brick by SolemnDragon, after posting dirty things in magnets on Bethanie's refrigerator. Wondering why Bethanie had Sol hit him in the head, Em wants to know if you do this, too. Just don't answer A, though, because if you do there's no telling who might hit you in the head with a brick.

Speaking of bethanie, sometime prior to her romps with Surak and many others on Slashdot ("No, not HBI -- that's Tuesday night. gmhowell is Monday, Surak is Wednesday & Friday, Dave is Thursday, and Saturday is Take All Comers night [literally!!!]. Get it straight!"), she apparently had romps with "other women". Sources close to Weekly Recap(tm) have suggested that at least one of the other women involved may have been either Some Woman or LadyGuardian but details are still sketchy at this time. (Next week: Bethanie kills Surak!). Meanwhile, Bethanie was apparently being mounted while she blows. Or something like that. DubiousDave was part of this caper, as bethanie claimed to be having fun with him while he was gagged. Weekly Recap(tm) has no idea who the other person involved was, and Surak has denied being involved in anyway. For once.

Abm0raz is hvanig a ltitle truolbe seplilng ltaely. But taht's oaky, bceuase apapretnly yuo wno't hvae any toruble raednig it. Teh smae srtoy wsa psoted on teh mian pgae. (ed. note: I always thought it was just me because I would frequently not notice such mispellings unless I was looking for them (i.e., proofreading, something I don't do with WR(tm) ;), but apparently this is how the brain actually works.)

Some Woman knows that you lied on your driver's license about your weight and height, Mr. Green Eyes. (We'll find out just who that is after the /. photo contest, I'm sure.) She also knows the the thermal conductivity of apple sauce. Just think about what she might "know" tomorrow.

gmhowell wants you to get Surak off his ass. Surak is just glad that gmhowell is not like bethanie.

Hey, CmdrTaco, Disclaimer: this Weekly Recap(tm) is for you, do not forward and a host of other legal obligations. Some people have disclaimers added to their work e-mail on the bottom automagically these days, jackass. Try learning something about the way Outlook and Lotus Notes are used in a corporate setting IRL.

zptdooda was thrown in jail recently for breaking the laws of physics. I cannae change the laws of physics, Jim! Surak also violated the laws of Weekly Recap(tm) by posting this. Please repost your JE, z, with comments enabled this time!

sebi just celebrated his 27th birthday. And I'm telling you to go be his friend now, in case you hadn't noticed Xerithane's plug.

On a serious note, go read Jack William Bell's 9/11 essay. No matter what your politics, you'll enjoy it. I guarantee it.

Somebody tell FortKnox that it's not National Talk Like a Pirate Day yet. Maybe he'll figure out why the RIAA is after him. Don't forget the FortKnox /. pr0n-o-matic, aka the FortKnox Memorial Slashdot Photo Contest. You still have this week to send in your pics.

LadyGuardian was looking for inspiration after a very long day, so she was found getting all steamy. Details are sketchy, but WR is sure this involves Bethanie. (Next week: Bethanie kills Surak. Twice!)

But in the meantime, a poll:

Is netiquette dead?

Do you think, in light of the September That Never Ended[*], that netiquette is dead? I recently had an e-mail I sent to someone in private -- containing informatino of a private nature -- posted on a public forum without my permission. Call me an old fart, but in my day, you didn't do that. You asked permission before you forwarded such mails, and certainly before you posted them in a public forum.

This person may or may not know that that is improper netiquette, as they haven't been on the Net as long as some of us here.

So...is netiquette dead?

A) Yes. What kinda cave have you been living in?
B) No. Netiquette is just common sense.
C) I hope not. If you're in the cave, I'm in there with you!
D) I have NO IDEA what you just said.

[*] September that never ended: If you have no idea what I'm talking about look it up. No, it's NOT a 9/11 reference. But if you have to look that up, you're probably clueless anyway and should just answer D. ;)

Update: I'm extending the definition of the September that Never Ended to include e-mail and Internet forums at large, not just USENET.

Welcome to the Special End-of-Summer Swimsuit Edition of Weekly Recap(tm). Here you will find links to photos the most beautiful people from Slashdot and around the world wearing nothing but a thong!

PIC #1
PIC #2
PIC #3
PIC #4
PIC #5

Ha! I *tricked* you! Now that I've gotten your attention, go on and click a link above and if you haven't done so already, take the auracolors test mentioned in that JE. If you have taken the test, spread the link around your journals. I'm trying to get as many respondants as possible. So far there's only 16. And I thank all 16 of those people for taking the time to take the test in the name of hacker science! I'd like to get more repnsones, however. So please, before the JE gets archived, go out and take the auracolors test now and post your responses in that JE. Ok? Thanks. ;)

I was reading this little bit on Indigo Children and the hairs stood up on the back of my neck. I was like, dude, this is my story. As was the case when I read bio after bio of adult indigos. Many of their stories sounded way similar to mine.

So I noticed that they had a section on indigo adults. After reading this profile on an adult indigo, I was completely stunned. I fit this profile basically to a "T". But I was still (and am still) somewhat skeptical of this whole indigo thing. Although, OTOH, somehow I feel that I definitely am an indigo.

So I took the auracolors test at auracolors.com and was, I guess, not completely surprised that the my primary life color was indigo. In fact, I am, according to the test, a full 12-point indigo.

Now I noticed in the descriptions that many indigos are misdiagnosed as ADD or ADHD or Asperger's Syndrome (AS). This is also common in hackerdom. To quote esr from the Jargon File:

...hackers tend to believe they have good reason for skepticism about clinical explanations of the hacker personality. That being said, most would also concede that some hacker traits coincide with indicators for non-hyperactive ADD and AS ... It is probably true that boosters of both would find a rather higher rate of clinical ADD among hackers than the supposedly mainstream-normal 3-5% (AS is rarer at 0.4-0.5%).

Some of the indigo traits also seem to correspond to common hacker traits, IMHO, such as a strong dislike of broken systems (i.e., political, legal, health, etc.), a strong resistance to authority, fear of Big Brother, frustration with political systems such as voting, anger at rights being taken away, etc.

So a little experiment in the name of metaphysical science here: I'd like to see how many of you geeks (and even non-geeks ;) out there that read my journal rate on the auracolors test, and, as importantly, after reading the descriptions I laid out, do you feel that you are an indigo? If you, as I do, are a bit skeptical of the metagifted site, you might also wanna check out a some other sites on indigo children via this google search.

So here's what I'm looking for: what you are the results of your auracolors test, and do you feel from reading the descriptions that you might be (or your child might be) an indigo?

Weekly Recap(tm): Because enquiring geeks wanna know!

For all those who I told and *ahem* forgot, it was Surak's birthday on Sunday. He's 31.

jawtheshark returned from his alien abdution this week. While jawtheshark was quoted as saying "that my absence was not accidental," mumbling something about it being his "2600 post," we all know that jawtheshark was abducted by the same aliens that took FortKnox and SlashChick around the same time.

Red Warriorwas busy talking about something mysteriously referred to only as FTW. Nobody knows WTF FTW means, but Weekly Recap(tm) suspects it stands for Frisking The Walrus. The Walrus is believed to be a codeword for GMontag, whom Red Warrior frisked while he slept.

Servo was busted for smoking marijuana in Alaska. Fortunately for Servo, personal marijuana possession is now legal in Alaska. However, Servo apparently also thinks that "2 megapixels is good enough for 8x10 prints". Lay off the weed, man.

gmhowell, Mr. Don't care, don't care, don't care was also abducted by space aliens, although for not very long apparently. But long enough to go to Mars, apparently. Or at least wonder why he went there.

Em Emalb shot and killed a retarded Rhesus monkey clone on Thursday. No one knows exactly why, but shortly afterward, he declared ownership of cyberspace. Fearing the fate of the monkey clone, no one was arguing at first. At least not until Em got "a catheter shoved up [his] pee-hole, then jabbed on through [his] spleen, then out [his] ass--sideways."

Speaking of Em's fate, this will happen to you unless you send in your pictures for the Slashdot Photo Contest 2 , hosted by FortKnox right now. I mean it!

SamTheButcher had almost nothing to talk about last week, and then on Sunday, apparently blurted it all out in one big butt-fucking animal assed chunk on Sunday. Does anyone know what the flaming stick of fuck he was talking about?

TechnoLust has been busy pimping himself out with hottub girl, the girl from church, a hot blonde waitress and GMontag. I always knew that TechnoLust was into those Christopher Walken types.

Saige has been all upset about life in our anti-Christian America, And she has embarked in a new career in vehiclular art. So that's what the tank is for.

Bethanie has been a little too quiet lately. Weekly Recap suspects she's up to something. Maybe involving old fogeys and parades...hmmm...

Daoine wants to see your ID. She promises that she has no ulterior motives.

SolemnDragon has decided to start a cooking show. First, she teaches us all about cast iron, now she's teaching us french fries and grease fires. Sources close to Weekly Recap(tm) and SolemnDragon have said that Sol's insurance company is cancelling her renter's policy. Especially after she nailed this nastygram to her neighbor's door. Sol may have to take up having loud, screaming sex at 3:00 a.m. just to get even. (BTW, Sol ... I apologize if I haven't gotten back to you on some e-mails we exchanged, but I've been busy working overtime. Things are slowing down this week at work, so ... expect those interview questions! ;)

LadyGuardian came out of the broom closet this week and announced that she's a witch. Well, okay, maybe she plays one on stage or something. (Sorry, I couldn't resist. ;)

Get your web hosting from Simpli.biz, just 'cause Erica's cool.

Over at bOING bOING I picked up this link to a script that translates English to 12-year-old-AOLer.

I ran that e-mail from my last entry through it, and it makes much more sense now.

FARE AND BALANC3D IS NOT WUT U AER!11!!! OMG TEH REAL HOST OF SCREN SAEVRS NEVER BUSTED ON WINDOWS LIEK U HAEV!1!! OMG LOL I AGRE LINUX HAS ITS PLAEC BUT MAN U JUST LOST FAN WHEN U BUSTED HARSH ON WINDOWS!!!!!11 OMG WTF LOL U SHUD RAALIEZ PEOPL3 WRIET VIRUSAS FOR FME AND WUT OS IS DA BST 2 GET FME ON IS WINDOWS!1!!!!! OMG U SHUD ONLY HOP3 TAHT LINUX DOESNT BCOME DA MANE OS OF CHOIEC FOR TEH DESK2P SOMEDAY B/C IT WIL B ATAK3D IN DA SME WAY1!1!!11 AL I GOT 2 SAY IS OP3N UR MIND MAN BUT U WERE RILLY NEGATIEV ON TAHT SHOW 2WARDS OTHARS AND 2 PRO LINUX111! OMG WTF IF U WERE TEH PERMAENNT HOST ID S2P WATCHNG TAHT SHOW FARELY QUIKLY
A!1!1111 OMG WTF FAN U LOST
MIEK

After re-reading this, in its native language, I have to agree with our pal miek. WINDOWS FOREVER MAN!!!111! OMG WTF LOL WINDOWS RUL3S1!1!111 OMG LOL LINUX SUKS TEH MOST!111 OMG LOL

One day while drinking my diet pop* (this was maybe about 3 or more years ago), I noticed the following wording on the bottle:

PHENYLKETONURICS:
CONTAINS PHENYLALANINE

Being the curious sort of person I am, I typed phenylalanine into google and determined that phenylalanine is a protein that's used to make aspartame, aka NutraSweet(tm), and that phenylketonurics are people who are unable to process phenylalanine.

Interesting.

Well, one day someone asked me about aspartame and about whether it caused headaches, because they got headaches whenever they drank diet pop. Remembering that one symptom of phenylketonurics is that pheynalalanine can cause them headaches (and even mental retardation!) I thought it useful to look it up and again, and show them the article I found, because they also said they got similar headaches from almonds, which naturally contain phenylalanine.[**]

Well, I type in phenylalanine into google and the first site in the results is a site called phenyalanine.net. Go take a look. The site is hilarious if read it carefully.

It appears to be common e-mail spam cleverly disguised as an article on phenylalanine. Everything is in there: herbal Viagra, buy real Viagra online, penis enlargement, and even AdultFriendFinder. The only thing missing were Tawny and her naughty friends! ;)

So here's my thought: the guy who made this site is a spammer. He figures a lot of people drink diet pop and have no clue what phenylalanine or phenylketonurics are. So they type 'phenylalanine' into google, and his site, which has somehow cleverly got around the google pageranking system is right up at the top. They click the headline, which says 'phenylaline and sexual enhancement' and boom, get this "article" which actually appears to be the Ultimate Web Spam!

Ingenious! Spam on every bottle of diet pop on the planet!

Why didn't I think of that? ;)

[*] pop == what we call 'soda' in Detroit
[**] why do people ask me this stuff? I dunno. maybe they think I'm smart. Maybe it's cause I'm an herbalist. I dunno. *shrug*

I tried to get an Ultra 60 this morning booted into single user by issuing a Stop-A and a "boot -s". The thing wouldn't do it. It insisted on trying to mount all the NFS mounts, one of which isn't working due to a server that is down and being changed. I wanted the Ultra 60 booted into single user mode to comment out the appropriate line from the /etc/vfstab.

Unfortunately, the stupid thing wouldn't boot into the single user mode when I issued a boot -s. It just kept on mounting NFS stuff like it was nothing. *sigh*

So I ended up booting into single user mode off a Solaris installation CD-ROM with "boot cdrom -s" instead. Then I fixed the problem by "mount /dev/dsk/c0t0d0s0 /mnt" and then "vi /mnt/etc/vfstab" ;)

The question is: WTF wouldn't the thing boot into single user mode off the HDD? I don't get it. I banged on it for an hour before giving up and seraching for the dang install CD. Anybody got any clues? Something I should look for?

Woah! Surak is apparently suffering from amnesia after being hit on the head with a brick by SolemnDragon! He can't seem to remember anything about bethanie or their recent episodes with public sex. Sol's Wicked and Evil twins also had an encounter with the Good Twin who returned from her watery grave. The Wicked and Evil twins apparently got a hold of the Zippo again, because Sol cleaned her apartment again, which apparently involves "matches AND a fire hose".

Meanwhile, Bethanie has found a new a TechnoLust. Quote: "It was bad enough when I lunged and embraced TL intimately (copping a thorough feel whilst I was at it, for good measure!); it took all of Hubby's willpower not to take TL outside and thrash his philandering ass." So apparently, Bethanie is none the worse for wear over Surak's recent amnesia, instead opting for new trysts with TechnoLust and gmhowell. More details on gmhowell to come.BethaniesHubby was notably silent on the issue.

berniecase, noticing how bad pop music is, has decided to to use it to kill people. No word on how successful bernie has been, but the songs of death have included "Rock With you" by Michael Jackson and "Around the World" by Daft Punk. Em Emalb apparently got in on the action singing his rendition of "Easy Like Sunday Morning" by the Lionel Richie. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Sulli has apparently decided to set himself on fire in the Burning Man event at Black Rock City. Sulli is, in fact The Burning Man.

sparky4 has been learning things from puppies. Amongst the things she has learned: sit, rollover, play dead, and shake. Apparently, she accomplished all of these tasks by Labor Day.

Some Womanwas found sptting Vodka in the face of Jesus. The Pope was notably silent on the issue.

Turg apparently amused by the simplest of things, like this colour matcher would like to know something about colour theory. Apparently turg is colour blind because he didn't actually try using the thing, unlike your intrepid reporter.,

Things are Looking up for LadyGuardian, which is especially good given the fact that she sucks at ass o'clock. Whatever that means.

NaveWeiss's tactlessness has cost him a friend. And he's somehow surprised.

Heliocentric would like you to donate money so that he can cause mayhem. If he's going to cause mayhem, why doesn't he just steal the money?

robi2106 wants you to know that "most girls are evil". And robi wonders why he can't get a date, It might be okay to think that, robi, but never, ever say it outloud.

FortKnox is starting his NEW photo contest! Now your chance to sign up. Let WeeklyRecap(tm) know that we can use the photo, and maybe, just maybe, we'll put out a WeeklyRecap(tm) special photo edition! WOuldn't that be cool?

Servo apparently is a moron. That is all.

Red Warrior, who apparently dresses in business casual, will "personally tend to ignore your clothes", however. Ick. Hey, Red: the 90s called, they want their clothes back.

And, finally, SamTheButcher has been airing his laundry and, apparently, his garbage as well. And he wants to "ANYBODY NEEDS A LINUX ADMIN IN COLORADO???" He's serious.

Oh yeah...get all of your hosting needs from basic websites to dedicated servers from simpli.biz. Tell Erica that Surak sent ya. ;)