Blogger security

The BBC is reporting that a group is cracking Blogger and posting malicious blog entries that cause the reader to download spam or malware. Links in the entries put trojans on your system and some of the entries purport to be looking for testers for software and digital greetings cards.
The subject line will generally give it away, apparently most of the entries have things like "HAHAHAHA, man your insane!" (sic) or other such TXT SPK drivel (not that I ever use such things, oh no...). Unfortunately the system can use news stories to update some of the headers so unless you're sure the message is from me, don't use the links - or, hover over them and have a look at the target for the link without clicking on it, much as one would do with phishing emails.
Which does raise an interesting point. If the virus writers were switched on, they'd use an entry warning of the virus and containing the link to the virus itself, disguised like this entry. Ohh, existential!

New Webcomic

Been sent to another webcomic, xkcd, which isn't always clean, and sometimes most people won't get the jokes (knowing about computer languages, physics and maths helps) but there are some wonderful bits about getting your heart broken that I think almost everyone will understand.
My favourites so far are pages 137, 154, 128, 123, 112, 92, 90(!), 10, 13, 21 (google Kepler laws of planetary orbit), 36, 40, 45, 52, 54, 55, 59, 67 (nerd girls rock!), 68, 75, 77, 78, 83, 84, 88, 164 (politics), 169, 171, 179 (geek alert, I laughed out loud.), 184, 197, 207 (makes me think of Pippa in the last panel), 209, 229, 231, 236, 241 (if you don’t get it, read Ender’s Game, brilliant book), 242, 249, 250, 253, 256, 258 (oh so true), 273 (some sick stuff there), 275, 277 (another one for the engineers), 281 (been there, had a package marked as "left Aberdeen" and arrived six hours later. It’s 60 miles people! Arggh.), 282, 283, 288, 289, 291, 295 (DNE – do not erase), 296 (look for the hover over text), 300, 302, 304 and 305.
Don't forget to hover the mouse over the image for the hidden text, often an extra joke.

XKCD

Another web comic has come to my attention, from a number of sources,
www.xkcd.com

It's not always safe for work and many of the jokes aren't funny unless you know quite a bit about physics/computers/other specialised subjects. Quite a bit of "bad" language, but always justified. My favourites so far are:

pages 137, 154, 128, 123, 112, 92, 90(!), 10, 13, 21 (google Kepler laws of planetary orbit), 36, 40, 45, 52, 54, 55, 59, 67 (nerd girls rock!), 68, 75, 77, 78, 83, 84, 88, 164 (politics), 169, 171, 179 (geek alert, I laughed out loud.), 184, 197, 207 (makes me think of Pippa in the last panel), 209, 229, 231, 236, 241 (if you don’t get it, read Ender’s Game, brilliant book), 242, 249, 250, 253, 256, 258 (oh so true), 273 (some sick stuff there), 275, 277 (another one for the engineers), 281 (been there, had a package marked as "left Aberdeen" and arrived six hours later. It’s 60 miles people! Arggh.), 282, 283, 288, 289, 291, 295 (DNE – do not erase), 296 (look for the hover over text), 300, 302, 304, 305.

Don't forget to hover the mouse over the picture to get extra text!

Great dreams, crumbling away

In work on a Sunday morning, great.
Does mean I can catch up with the internet, there isn't much to do on these sort of shifts.
Looking at the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, they link to an old article in Esquire. The article could also have been featured on Phil Platt's Bad Astronomy blog, probably was to be honest. It's about the creationist museum in Kentucky, but in a broader sense it's about how American (and British to an extent) culture is being subverted by the lowest common denominator. It's a good article, if slightly biased (not much, but enough to be noticeable and I share pretty much the same bias).
Thing is, I like the idea of the USA, it's just the current implementation I have a problem with. Well, and the tendency for much of the US to ignore the rest of the world, the trend to think WWII started in 1941, that the founding of America was purely about freedom and not at all about tax and the right to occupy the land to the west - killing or moving the native occupants as necessary, all those things. Britain isn't much better, and it's getting worse. Most of the Americans I've met have been great, but while I was over there I saw plenty that filled all the stereotypes (especially the good ol' boys in the back of the rusty pickup tilting their stetsons at us while going "how ya'all doin'?"). Still going to try and go back, I do like the place but it's like having a friend that you know could do so much but they can't be arsed so spend their entire life sat watching Corrie and complaining that the world doesn't do enough for them, all the potential wasted. Maybe things will change, maybe the average American will realise that intellect is a good thing, that education is vital and that truth isn't always pleasant or what you want it to be, but may still be truth.
Well, that's me depressed, I'm going to go and watch a violent film when I finish here, just for the sheer hell of it.

From the e-goat

Starkle starkle little twink
who the hell you are I think
I'm not under what you call
the alcofluence of incohol
I'm just a little slort of sheep
I'm not drunk like tinkle peep
I don't know who is me yet
but the drunker I stand here
the longer I get
Just give me one more drink
to fill me cup
'cuz I got all day sober
to Sunday up.

Liked this one.