Tonight, whilst experimenting with the various advanced Google search techniques (hacks) to locate web content, I had an epiphany. Any web directory/folder that has indexes enabled (show an index of the contents of the folder of no directory index file exists) will list the contents of said directory with the phrase “Index of” followed by the actual root-relative path to available list of assets. This is due to the fact that the directory/folder does not have an index document/file present, so the web server spits out the entire list of the folder’s content. But I digress.

I have been using WordPress as my blogging platform for a few years now. Before that was a hybrid of PHPBB and custom PHP application I wrote. WordPress works great and has robust features that make blogging a snap for the more technical (such as myself, ehem) and also for the less technical netizens out there. Now, one of these great features is the ability to upload pictures and files (content) through a web interface. What a great concept (this is where the epiphany came in) except if you weren’t planning on listing up the contents of your entire uploads folder to the world. which happens to be the case with some (okay a lot of) default installations of WordPress.

Lets say you “Google” the “Index of” any WordPress uploads folders (/wp-content/uploads). You don’t have to be a rock scientist (yes, that was a joke) to realize the possible implications. Let me give you an idea of the figure as of tonight: 4,143,000 indexes. That’s 4,143,000 WordPress installations that have directory indexes enabled and are completely wide open to crawlers and spiders that can pilfer (argh) their content.

Try it yourself: http://www.google.com/search?q=Index+of+%2Fwp-content

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One of the greatest features of Flash is the ability to encode video for online playback. For those that have not done this, the quick notes version:

1. Create a blank Flash movie (somewhere near the dimensions of the source video)
2. File | Import | Import to library…
3. Select Windows | Library OR CTRL + L for those key-jockeys out there
4. Select the imported movie from the library
5. Right-click | Properties
6. In the Embedded Video Properties dialog box, click Export.
7. Save the movie for later use

Now, what if we want to be able to download an FLV movie from somewhere on the web. Lately I have been researching ways to leverage various online social media provider’s technologies (and uhm, assets.) In doing so, I rely heavily on Fiddler, an HTTP debugging proxy which logs all HTTP traffic between your computer and the Internet (that is all IE traffic.) By listening to the HTTP requests being sent from any embedded Flash application from your local computer, FLV assets from YouTube, Brightcove and others are easily retrievable. Although there are freely available plug-ins for Firefox and Internet Explorer that occasionally work, oftentimes it becomes necessary to dig in and get your hands dirty. Let’s dirty up…

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Not sure exactly what prompted my interest in this topic tonight, but I recalled a Japanese simulation I saw online a while back in which an enormous interstellar object (like an asteroid or comet) was shown to have impacted the earth. I was able to find various renditions on YouTube and am posting the one I felt had a good accompaniment.

Incidentally, it turns out there is a known asteroid that has the potential of impacting the earth (somewhere near the year 2800 AD).

• Averting Asteroid Armageddon
• NASA/JPL on 1950 DA
• Wikipedia on 1950 DA

Nothing brings a smile to my face more than watching some bozo cruise along I15, alone, cut around me to jump in to the HOV lane, tout his tinted window, chrome, low profile wheeled, forest green Land Rover SUV hoping to skirt the law, only to instantaneously appear in the side view mirror of officer friendly who just happens to be in the inner lane.

He slows to cut out of the carpool lane in front of some poor, law abiding citizen nearly causing a 10 car pileup. A sigh of relief as he gradually passes the officer on the left. Whew, lucky bloke just about got busted. But wait, we have an astute, observant servant of the law who ever so smoothly slides behind Mr. Belvedere, flicks on his (or her) police lights and gloriously nails the not-so-bright law breaker for: driving in the HOV lane, reckless driving, and pissing off the guy in the beige Pathfinder behind him.

Yet another slinky to push down the stairs.

Apparently I’m a dork. Okay, not just a dork, but a bumbling idiot. When I migrated this site on to WordPress, I assumed I had set it up to allow people to register to my new blog so you could all comment. “I get traffic, why doesn’t anyone comment?” Well, I just realized today I had not enabled that particular feature. Well, my sin has been forgiven and I have turned on registration and commenting. With moderated comments, I can keep those “free Paris sex video” type posters at bay.

Enjoy!

Every night, part of the our bedtime routine is for Nicole to sing to each of our children and for I to either read or tell them each a story. Often, I tire of rereading the same collection of Dr. Seuss or other previously read short stories so I’ll recite an impromptu story of my own. After having done this for a year or so (the impromptu versions that is) I’ve decided to write them up as an archive for the kids to have when they are older. I don’t claim to be a master story teller, nor do I expect any kind of consistency between them. This is yet a means to appease their ever-growing imaginations as well as make it an enjoyable 10 minutes for me.

Enjoy the first one.

So as usual, I am up late, doing work (or things related to it) and have run across a blog that really disturbs me.

http://isawyournanny.blogspot.com

Basically, catch someone else’s nanny’s benevolence (or malevolence), then report them to the “nanny police”. Apparently, this site is gaining a lot of momentum in the blogosphere.

COME ON PEOPLE! Society please take a Valium, relax, breathe a little. Are we all so caught up in other everyone else’s business that we forget to worry about whether or not we should be doing so? I realize there are those out there that would say it is our “responsibility” as a society to take care of each other. At what point will we say enough is enough? Like I want people “spying” on me on every little thing I do as father, husband, etc.

However glorious the Internet has become, its amazing things like this continue to draw our attention. Social networking sites, blogs, and other such personal web site mediums are effective ways for an individual to communicate with the world. Now we have sites like this, welcoming blatant defamation about real people, who may or may not merit such discussion, by completely arbitrary (and more often than not anonymous) participants. How insane is this?

However helpful such a service like this (or others like it) may be to society, perhaps we should see really observe what’s down that dark alley before we attempt to stomp on personal freedom and individualism. After all, by allowing society to run your life, you are in effect, losing it.

The other day Nicole and I were thumbing through the channels and came across one of the oldies from my teen-hood, Revenge of the Nerds. As a software developer I have to say it hits close to home since I am regularly called a nerd by my wife. After lavishing in the splendor that is a smidgen of 80’s film making, the scene appeared where the Lambda Lambda Lambda nerds perform an amazing, synthesized, musical piece. As it finished playing I thought to myself, “that would make for one kick-ass ring tone to replace my generically boring default Treo ring-tone.” So I decided to make one! Fellow nerds, behold, the Revenge of the Nerds movie theme song ring-tone!