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Writing on software engineering, Linux, health, and the things I build and learn along the way.

Writing from the Field

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Laravel, From the Eyes of an Old-School Developer

I started my programming life in a different world. Back then, Visual Basic 5 and 6 felt like magic. You could drag a button onto a form, double-click it, write a few lines of code, and suddenly you had a working Windows application. You did not start by arguing about architecture. You started by making something useful appear on the screen. Later came AutoIt, classic ASP, small server-side scripts, admin tools, automation helpers, and a lot of “just make it work” programming. Some of it was ugly. Some of it was clever. A lot of it lived longer than expected. ...

All the world's a Stagefright

Here’s how security vulnerabilities are supposed to be handled. One, a researcher discovers an issue. Two, the people who make the software find a solution. And three, the solution is then made available, ideally by automatic update. That’s what Windows does, and what Apple does. It isn’t always as fast as it should be, but at least once the fix exists it’s available almost instantly. Here’s how it works with Android. ...

Taylor Swift's Vanity Fair PhotoShoot 2015

PHOTOS: Taylor Swift, Photographed by Mario Testino Released on VF: vanityfair.com “I think I know how to put together a good outfit,” says Swift. “But any day you’re going to admit to being a style icon is a day you need to look in the mirror and really check yourself.” Taylor Swift relaxes at the Beaufort Bar, in the Savoy hotel, on the eve of her concert in London’s Hyde Park. ...

Taylor Swift Notches Six Months at No. 1 on Billboard Artist 100

from Taylor Swift Universe Taylor Swift makes it an even six months at No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 (dated June 6), as she rules the list for a 26th week, bolstered by the coronation of her new single, “Bad Blood,” on the Billboard Hot 100. The Artist 100 is the first weekly survey dedicated to measuring artist activity across Billboard’s most influential charts, including the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, Top Album Sales and the Social 50. The Artist 100 blends data measuring album and track sales, radio airplay, streaming and social media fan interaction to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity. ...

Facebook farewells flaky SHA-1

Facebook has set the date: on September 30, the ancient and creaking SHA-1 hashing algorithm will make its tumbril trip and get the chop. SHA-1, designed by the NSA in 1995, is a one-way algorithm: a block of data is turned into a message digest. The digest can’t be turned back into the original message, but serves as a digital signature confirming the authenticity of (for example) the software you’ve downloaded. ...

New Computer

Happy New Computer (To me!) Finally it was time to get a new computer as the old one was not working any longer for my needs and about a month ago passed away with a broken Graphic Card. After saving a few $$$ and considering my budget I got a good balance of power-computer and price. Here is configuration of my new computer (Click on images to see full size): ...

What you need to know about BERserk and Mozilla

The Intel Security Advanced Threat Research Team has discovered a critical signature forgery vulnerability in the Mozilla Network Security Services (NSS) crypto library that could allow malicious parties to set up fraudulent sites masquerading as legitimate businesses and other organizations. The Mozilla NSS library, commonly utilized in the Firefox web browser, can also be found in Thunderbird, Seamonkey, and other Mozilla products. Dubbed “BERserk”, this vulnerability allows for attackers to forge RSA signatures, thereby allowing for the bypass of authentication to websites utilizing SSL/TLS. Given that certificates can be forged for any domain, this issue raises serious concerns around integrity and confidentiality as we traverse what we perceive to be secure websites. ...

Symantec to Overhaul Its Norton Security Line

Symantec is overhauling its Norton security software, going from nine products to just one as the company turns its attention to smartphones and connected devices. The new product, called Norton Security, doubles down on the company’s renewed focus on subscription models. In its most recent quarter, when Symantec reported a $236 million profit on a 2% gain in revenue to $1.74 billion, the company said it planned to optimize the Norton business while streamlining product support. ...

New Facebook scams in 2014

So many Facebook scams in 2014 have been a little worrying even though at first they all seem innocent enough, but these are social scams to lure users in to gain money or access to computers. One particular Facebook scam this year was the “Robin Williams goodbye video”, which was apparently made before his death. This fake BBC News video is a scam and no such video exists. The “Robin Williams goodbye video” started to circulate on Facebook and asks users to share the video before they can watch it, DO NOT click on it. There is no video so no point on sharing it, Symantec explains in detail that when Facebook users click on the video it asks them to either fill out a survey or install an application. When the survey is complete the scammers gain money for each one completed. ...

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine’s Day