I recently noticed an iframe was being inserted into the bottom of letsdrinkcoffee.org. In it, there was a link pointing to some random chinese domain. I found that the code had been inserted in the index.php file, located in the theme/ldc directory, where ldc is the name of my custom wordpress theme. Click on the thumbnail below to see a screenshot of the code that I found:

I get the iframe part, but I’m still trying to guess at what the file access stuff is trying to do. Leave a comment if you have an idea what this code is doing. My best guess so far, is that it reads files from my server and makes them available to the infiltrators.

Now, for $8000, you could put a soda can in orbit! See Interorbital Systems’ TubeSat.

TubeSat

The politicos of St.Louis are currently debating the merits of a smoking ban. See a pro-ban blog post here. I have left a comment at the bottom of the post.

It always amazes me how quickly and remorselessly people are willing to sanction the violation of the natural rights of others, especially when their sense of smell is involved. It’s been said many many times by angry supporters of individual liberty, but I will say it again. If you don’t like the smoke, go somewhere else. No, you do NOT have a right to dine out. Not at all. It’s an entirely voluntary exchange between you and the restaurant/bar owner. If you don’t like the conditions, stop taking part.

As you may or may not have noticed, one of the domains in my garage has recently been dusted off, tuned up, and made ready for the road. The truly gifted among you will have already guessed that I am refering to automatown.org. You are correct. Go, learn about the tiny corner of computer science that I understand well enough to explain to others, cellular automata. I have written about this topic previously on this blog, and even posted a few examples.

Browncoats on digg – http://digg.com/d3ys8T

Check out the new Browncoats website. If you’re a firefly/serenity fan, there’s something there for you. If  you’re not a fan, you soon will be.

Since my move to Ubuntu, I have found that, for a gamer with tastes like mine, there is nothing to fear in stepping away from the Window. So before I go on, I’ll define “tastes like mine”. First, I am not a fan of first person shooters. I have nothing against the form itself, I just don’t enjoy playing. I am, however, a fan of turn based strategy games. So I will concentrate on this field. So, I will list a few good options for open source games, most available on Linux, Windows, and Mac.

First, the first really well done Linux based strategy game, online casinoThe Battle for Wesnoth. Wesnoth is a turn based strategy game, on a hex map, in tolkien or D&D type setting. One may play as any of a number of factions, all with different types of units, which happen to be fairly well balanced. An interesting aspect of the game is that one’s units will level up after gaining sufficient experience. They attain new powers, improve their stats, and look different. This really makes the game enjoyable. Here are some screeenshots.

Second, an indispensable fixture in computer games, civilizations. The open source civ clone is known as freeciv. This game can function in a way that is indistinguishable from Civ2. The designers have reproduced the functionality, the AI, and all other aspects of the game with great fidelity. The only major difference is the improved interface, which is welcomed.

Third, and similar to the second, is freecol. This is a clone of colonization, another carrier to noise ratioSid Meyer game. While this project is still in alpha phase of development, it is entirely functional, and reliable.

A note on the above, I only intend to speak for the build of each game which is found in the Ubuntu repositories. I have not tried any of these on Windows, though each does provide a Windows version. Those of you using Ubuntu may go to System->Administration->Synaptic Package Manager and do a search for each of the above games. Simply install the proper package and go to Applications->Games-> X, where X is the name of the game you installed.

I know there are a tonne of Firefly fans out there. For those of you in the know, this will be a bright point of your day.

“The Hero of Canton” – a song by The Browncoats

Russ Carnhan is the Representative for the 3rd Missouri House of Reps. district. Today I wrote him to express my opinion of his vote on the $700 Billion bail-out bill.

Dear Sir,

Your vote on the recent wall street bail-out bill is extremely disappointing. As a person who works for a living, I am keenly aware of the purchasing power of the U.S. Dollar. As you may have noticed, this purchasing power has been eroding steadily for the last 100 years, and has recently accelerated its decline. Your vote to debase the currency by at least $700 Billion this Monday is extremely damaging to those who do not own investment banks or receive contributions from them. This additional money, in addition to driving up commodity prices across the board, will also permit the firms which have proven to be not economically viable to continue in operation. You will be personally responsible for prolonging the downturn by preventing the failed investments and the overpriced securities from clearing out of the market, if you press forward with this approach to any further attempts to pass a bail-out bill.

My question to you, and I would very much appreciate a reply, is this:

You swore to uphold the constitution when you were sworn into office. The constitution forms the ground rules for our federal government. Where in the federal constitution do you find the authority to grant the treasury secretary the ability to become a purchaser of failed securities? Do you not feel restricted by the 10th amendment, and its explicit reservation of all powers not specifically delegated to the federal government to the people and the states?

Robespierre