Here's some of what has happened in the last little while:
• mig81.com was hacked by a Turkish, Muslim hacker, who left the following message: "Bütün Müslümanın Aleminin Kandili Mübarek 0lsun" (which, very roughly, translates to "Whole Moslem Aleminin Oil-lamp Blessed 0lsun", according to InterTran); he also left a few Arabic mass-mailing scripts on my server, breaking my installation of Movable Type and Gallery in the process. This is what one of the techs at my webhost had to say about the matter:
As far as file/folder permissions the following standard default permissions will always yield the best security:- All files excluding .pl/.cgi files = 644
- All folders plus .pl/.cgi files = 755These are standard permissions which should work in all cases EXCEPT those in which PHP scripts require write access. While you will likely find that some scripts will need access to write to specific files and folders there are always security concerns with writable files (666) and folders (777) as in addition to your legitimate PHP script having access write permissions can potentially allow an intruder who manages to exploit an insecure PHP script to access and change those particular files (or to add files to writable folders).
While often a 'necessary evil' write permissions should always be assigned as sparingly as possible only to those files and folders which absolutely require them.
• I continued working at the SAT prep school in North Vancouver.
• Intrigued by the narrative of BioShock, I began to read Atlas Shrugged (I'm about 900 pages in right now) and even wrote to Dr. Peikoff, Ayn Rand's most prodigious student and the executor of her estate. Dr. Peikoff's assistant, Kim Marzullo, first asked me to shorten my letter, since their office apparently "has long had a policy of reading only 1-page letters"; after I have politely complied, the response I got back was as follows:
Dr. Peikoff regards it as improper for anyone, and especially a stranger, to bombard him with such a plethora of questions, as though he had nothing better to do with his life than correspond. Further, he regards the tone of your letter as being antagonistic to the point of not being worthy of reply.It was then when I told Ms. Marzullo and Dr. Peikoff that they could both go to hell. So much for Objectivism...
• The U.S. dollar took it in the balls.
• I bought the HP Pavilion tx1305ca Tablet PC for the amazing price of $1,000 (plus tax). (It's an AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual Core Mobile, upgraded to 2GB DDR2, with a 8X Super Multi LightScribe DL DVD+/-R/RW burner and a built-in 802.11b/g WLAN adapter.)
• Demonoid died (no thanks to the Canadian CRIA).
• My desktop machine got infected with a Rootkit and a few viruses. I became extremely disillusioned with both Kaspersky and NOD32 and switched to AVG Anti-Virus. (It should be noted that the staff at Sophos - incidentally, the company my father works for - was extremely helpful in isolating and removing the W32/Rbot-GUP worm.)
• I got a raise from $25/hr. to $27/hr., but the amount of bullshit at work had also increased.
• My interest piqued by the pre-built Kithkin Militia deck that Matthew and Derek got me for my birthday, I started playing Magic: The Gathering (with the usual gang of SWC IB suspects), bought the Unraveling Mind pre-built deck and started tweaking both decks heavily, pouring about $100 into new cards. I then had to cut down on my spending, and even sell some of the cards back to The Connection Games (which turned out to be next door to my parents' house; thanks for pointing it out, James!). My obsession, however, persisted, and I began to actively build decks online, evolving my white and black decks into news ones, the latest incarnations of the two being Kamigawa Dynasty and Interview with a Vampire.
• I designed some pretty awesome t-shirts: 1, 2 and 3.
[Section temporarily self-censored.]
• I applied to Graduate Studies programs at UT, Carleton, UBC, UVic and UC Davis (down in the States), as well as for the OGS and SSHRC grants and some U.S. fellowships.
• I have realized that all of the following sucks: Yahoo Widgets, "Heroes," my video card, and being punched in the face.
• I have realized that all of the following rules: BioShock, Stranglehold, Portal (I love those turret buddies!), Half-Life 2 - Episode 2, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Crysis, Hellgate: London, Gears of War, TimeShift, World in Conflict, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, "Oz" (yes, the 1990s TV show; Blazej, danke schön!), Went the Day Well (a solid B for an interesting, WWII-era propaganda film), The Eagle Has Landed (B- for strong performances marred by inept writing), The Simpsons Movie (C+ for trying to break free from its own clichés), Transformers (B+ for straight-out enjoyment), Shooter (C+ for attempting to rip off Commando), American Gangster (C+ for trying to rip off Scarface, The Godfather and Goodfellas), Hostel: Part II (C+ for a ho-hum massacre - and the ending is not shocking or even clever, as promised - for the record), Shoot 'Em Up (a solid B- for a humorous, fast-paced genre satire with a weak story), Superbad (B- for a hilarious, laugh-out-loud teen movie with a few script flaws).
Well, that's it for now. Whew. ;) Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen.
Ooh! First one to post here! And my first post here, too!
Your proposed decks look awesome, man. Of course, I'll have to play against them, but it looks like they could give my decks a run for my money...which could ultimately help improve my decks...which could improve your decks... Positive feedback cycle, man!
Holy f*#&! I knew things at work were going south, but I didn't realize it was that serious! Hope you're feeling better, now.
Heroes...yeah, it had some highs, but a lot of lows. The executive producer apologized for how Season 2 progressed. Hopefully, Season 3'll be better. Of course, first they have to resolve that strike (writers of America: unite!).
So, regardless of all the crap, here's to all the good stuff, including the return of mig81.com!
Heh, I guess you're one of the regulars now. ;) Welcome!
Thanks, man. Yeah, I think you're absolutely right. Matthew and Derek's hegemonies won't last forever, heh. As for "Heroes," I basically think that the writers of the show have destroyed a perfectly good TV show concept. No amount of justification and exposition can save it now (and it was precisely this drawn-out backpedalling that made me stop watching).
It's too bad about that stupid strike, though, eh? Other shows I can't wait for, like "The Office," have been on hold as well. So it goes.
Anyways, it's all good, man! ;)
hi.
I like the shirts.
Thanks. ;) So...where have you been hiding?
it's been a busy three months.
and i was just too happy to see more futurama. it's been too long. I've used too too much.
No, no, I thought it was pretty great; I think they just need to find their groove again. Now, sir, can you please explain your mysterious second sentence to me?
Nothing mysterious really. my brain is fried. 13 exams over a matter of 23 days (starting November 28th and wrapping up on thursday the 20nd) has left me a quivering mass of burnout. and then i used the word "too" twice. and frankly, that's too much.
yeah, it does have to find it's groove back, but the nectar tasted sweet from having it back finally.
Thirteen exams?! You must be going for the rocket science degree, right? ;)
Ooh! You've used "too" too much! I get it now. AHAHAHAHA! You damn depunctuator!
Yes, the nectar is sweet, but now I want some vodka in it (read: edgier stuff; making fun of the Fox Network is just not enough anymore).
That's a real objective attitude towards Objectivism. As if Dr. Peikoff not playing nice has anything to do with the veracity of what you read inside Atlas Shrugged.
a. Not being an Objectivist myself, I do not intend to take objective attitudes towards anything; common politeness is as far as I am willing to go in this regard (and, even so, not in every case).
b. Actually, Dr. Peikoff being an arrogant, stuck-up asshole has everything to do with Atlas Shrugged, since his unwillingness to answer my questions, regardless of his own personal gain, indicates to me precisely what kind of people the Objectivists are - thereby answering my question.
P.S. Using the "as if" phrase in the beginning of a sentence (as opposed to a connector or a contrasting device) makes you sound like a douchebag.
a. I'm confused, then, what besides an objective attitude you intended to take from answers to your questions.
b. That you expected Dr. Peikoff to answer your questions regardless of his own personal gain is exactly why he refused to answer them. Incidentally, that you view the intellectual authority of a philosophy which you yourself found interesting enough to ask questions about as a servant at your beck and call is the height of arrogance.
P.S. Blocking out the implications of the point I made - merely because your pathetic defense against them made you feel uncomfortable - means you actually are a douchbag. Not because you insulted me, that's fine, but because you actually think that repressing the truth through ad hominem makes it go away.
a. Good point. Objectivist assholism should be taken for granted.
b. Servant? Oh, dear "Grnat," how should have I asked my questions? I was polite; I was direct. A person who does not wish to explain his philosophical theory - who avoids doing so by means of egotistic sophistry - he is the true arrogant bastard.
P.S. Uncomfortable? If any of this bullshit made me uncomfortable, I would have deleted your stupid comments outright; au contraire, I am quite comfortable on my high horse here (and the term, I believe, is "asshole"). All of this notwithstanding, what goddamn truth do you think I am actually "repressing"? That Objectivists are tit-for-tat egotists? That I resent this sort of attitude in life very much?
What is there to discuss at all? We both know how the Objectivists operate. You side with them; I cannot. *shrug* (Pun not intended, heh.)
a. I don't know if by this mean that you should have used your magical power to determine the essence of something without any effort or if you mean that the pop-Objectivism in Bioshock was self-evidently "assholish." In either case, why enquire further about it?
b. Yes, I typed my name as "Grnat." White text over a white input field is impossible to to see. I suppose flipping the color scheme on your website like you have done makes you feel like some sort of individualist in your own petty way.
What should you have done? NOT ASKED AS MANY QUESTIONS! Or when you did, realized the impropriety of it and moved on. Not come to some sweeping conclusion about all things Objectivist. Merely because a person does not explicitly request that he be spared unreasonable behavior does not mean he is inviting it. Have you ever heard - on any of Dr. Peikoff's Podcasts - him say something like "and now a 5th question from the same letter..." or "this week I want to devote all of my time to one of my writers"?
If someone were selling hotdogs from a cart in a street corner, would you think it proper to ask the man to cater your wedding?
a. The grammar and logic in your sentence do not follow; review your conditionals, my good friend. As for BioShock, it is rather better than Atlas Shrugged, in that, at the very least, it does not preach to me and lets me make up my own damn mind.
b. White over white? What are you, insane? I test this website regularly in IE, Firefox and even Opera, and it works and looks just fine. If you are, however, using anything older than four years or, worse yet, are using a Mac, you don't deserve colour schemes.
b.2. Impropriety? Why give out his contact information and invite comments if he is not going to address them? He wants to teach, then let him teach. Even Philip Zimbardo answered my e-mail.
b.3. Cater my wedding. Whoa, there, exaggeration boy. I did not ask him to come to my house, take off my clothes and wash out my brain with Lysol while whispering sweet nothings in my ear. I simply wanted to learn a bit more about his goddamn philosophy.
Why are you still here? What exactly are you trying to accomplish?