Recent Posts

1651

Living Room / Purism - Secure devices that protect you rather than exploit you

« Last post by Deozaan on October 25, 2017, 03:51 PM »

I recently discovered Purism, a company that makes hardware which runs free/open software specially tuned to remove trackers and analytics and other spyware.

Right now they only sell high-end laptops (15" and 13") which run a Debian variant of Linux, called PureOS, but they recently successfully completed crowdfunding a 5" phone, and are prototyping a laptop-to-tablet convertible device as well.

They all come with hardware killswitches to disable the wifi, camera, microphone, cellular, GPS, etc.

All of the default software is open source (which isn't surprising for a Linux machine) but also privacy-centric, where applicable, which I think is cool.

1652

DC Gamer Club / Re: Latest GOG Giveaway

« Last post by Deozaan on October 25, 2017, 03:31 PM »

That was my intention when I started this topic, which is why I didn't include the names of the games in the thread title.

I'm glad doing so helped suggest the idea to others as well. My plan is working perfectly! *cackles maniacally*

1653

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by Deozaan on October 24, 2017, 05:46 PM »

While cleaning out an old Downloads folder from a backup drive I hadn't touched for a few years, I came across this image.

I leave you, without further comment, Maze Images.png:


(Or click the image to follow a link)

1654

DC Gamer Club / Latest Game Giveaway

« Last post by Deozaan on October 24, 2017, 12:14 PM »

Stronghold HD and A.D. 2044 are free on GOG for the next ~48 hours. Just go to their homepage and click the banner to claim them.

https://gog.com/

GIVEAWAY: For the next 48h, both Stronghold HD and A.D. 2044 are FREE!

Get them through the banner on the front page.

Make sure to grab your copies now - the offer lasts until October 26, 12PM UTC.

-https://www.gog.com/news/ad_2044_stronghold_hd_48h_giveaway

1655

DC Gamer Club / Re: "Crawl" release date delayed - awesome blog post!

« Last post by Deozaan on October 23, 2017, 09:29 PM »

Crawl is part of a current Humble Bundle which lasts for another 7 days. You get it if you beat the average, which is currently about $3.86.

https://www.humblebu...om/down-under-bundle

1656

DC Gamer Club / Anyone up for a McDroid 4-pack on Steam?

« Last post by Deozaan on October 23, 2017, 08:43 PM »

McDroid looks like an interesting take on the Tower Defense genre. It's currently on sale for only $2.50, but if we organize a 4-pack it will come to about $1.88 each. Looks like it even has some form on multiplayer.

Anyone want in?

1657

Post New Requests Here / Re: Super Simple "Alarm Clock"

« Last post by Deozaan on October 23, 2017, 02:25 AM »

Easiest and most efficient way to do this?

Got an Android or iOS device?

"OK Google/Hey Siri, set alarm for 2PM." Done.

1658

DC Gamer Club / Latest Game Giveaway

« Last post by Deozaan on October 19, 2017, 03:03 PM »

Civilization 3: Complete is free on Humble Store for approx. the next 2 days.

https://www.humblebu...ization-iii-complete

Redeems on Steam.

1659

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 Announced

« Last post by Deozaan on October 17, 2017, 06:19 PM »

Microsoft's website has been updated to say the Fall Creators Update is available now.

https://www.microsof...e-download/windows10

I'm downloading (what I hope is) the Fall Creators Update now.


EDIT: It worked. I'm currently getting things set up again after a fresh install with 1709 Build 16299.19.

1660

Living Room / ROCA - 5 year old vulnerability can break RSA

« Last post by Deozaan on October 17, 2017, 03:39 PM »

A crippling flaw in a widely used code library has fatally undermined the security of millions of encryption keys used in some of the highest-stakes settings, including national identity cards, software- and application-signing, and trusted platform modules protecting government and corporate computers.

The weakness allows attackers to calculate the private portion of any vulnerable key using nothing more than the corresponding public portion. Hackers can then use the private key to impersonate key owners, decrypt sensitive data, sneak malicious code into digitally signed software, and bypass protections that prevent accessing or tampering with stolen PCs. The five-year-old flaw is also troubling because it's located in code that complies with two internationally recognized security certification standards that are binding on many governments, contractors, and companies around the world. The code library was developed by German chipmaker Infineon and has been generating weak keys since 2012 at the latest.

-https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/10/crypto-failure-cripples-millions-of-high-security-keys-750k-estonian-ids/

1661

Non-Windows Software / Re: Google Play Store Android updates not new

« Last post by Deozaan on October 17, 2017, 03:28 PM »

Are you checking the version number both before and after "updating"? I ask because I have come across places that sometimes show your current version in the store until after you update.

Well, it still shows the current version after updating, but updating changes the current version.


But the real important detail is that all Android apps have a release/build version code that must be higher than the previous one for the Play Store to accept it as an update. This number can be different than the publicly displayed version number. Make sure you're comparing the correct number when checking for updates.

1662

General Software Discussion / Re: Fruits of my gamejam labour

« Last post by Deozaan on October 17, 2017, 01:45 AM »

Interesting game. I found it really easy to find 3 keys and the locked treasure while wandering kind of aimlessly, without having to think very hard about the map layout. But then it took me forever to find the 4th key and I had to create a mental map of it all. The colored glyphs were really helpful in helping me realize where I was in relation to everything else, especially after teleporting to somewhere new.

I know time is limited in game jams, so there wasn't much room for polishing things, but an option to restart or quit the game would have been nice. I was playing in fullscreen mode and had to press alt-f4 to close it after I got stuck on the "win screen."

The music was enjoyable. The sound effects were kind of hit & miss. The graphics were passable. I liked the way the feet animated, and how they even turned to face a wall if you pressed toward a direction you couldn't travel in.

Thanks for sharing.

1663

Living Room / Re: KRACK - WPA2 Vulnerability Exposed

« Last post by Deozaan on October 16, 2017, 09:45 PM »

This is pretty terrible for devices that are old enough to no longer be supported by the manufacturer.

I guess I'm going back to WEP.

1664

Living Room / Re: Share your photos! Travel shots, photoblogs, etc.

« Last post by Deozaan on October 16, 2017, 06:08 PM »

It's an alligator's eyes poking up out of some water covered with plant life.

1665

General Software Discussion / Re: SafeBrowse chrome extension hides a cpu draining trojan

« Last post by Deozaan on October 16, 2017, 12:49 AM »

Politifact is the latest site to be compromised with CoinHive:

https://www.engadget...urrency-mining-code/

1666

Living Room / Re: Gadget WEEKENDS

« Last post by Deozaan on October 15, 2017, 04:06 AM »

It can also be used as a FIDO U2F device for 2FA logins. Now if I only knew whether or not any sites I use support the FIDO U2F standard. . .

-Deozaan (October 14, 2017, 08:04 PM)

Check here: Dongle Authentication

I use mine mainly for Google, CoinJar, and one other site.

-4wd (October 15, 2017, 01:15 AM)

Thanks! Pretty slim pickings according to that site. In fact, CoinJar isn't listed as one of the sites that use U2F. And BitBucket is listed on that site but when I checked my login options I only found TOTP.

1667

Living Room / Re: Gadget WEEKENDS

« Last post by Deozaan on October 14, 2017, 08:04 PM »

I have recently become an owner of a Ledger Nano S:



It's what is known as a "hardware wallet" for cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Doge, Dash, Zcash, and more. It's widely considered to be one of the safest ways to securely store your cryptocurrency, because (if I understand it correctly) it never exposes your private keys to the computer/internet. It can also be used as a FIDO U2F device for 2FA logins. Now if I only knew whether or not any sites I use support the FIDO U2F standard. . .

I'm still playing with it, trying to figure out how it works, but so far I'm really glad to have it and am enjoying it.



Not shown very well in the images above is the fact that it has a couple of buttons on it that you can use to interact with the device and navigate the menus and confirm/cancel certain actions.

1668

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 Announced

« Last post by Deozaan on October 11, 2017, 12:28 PM »

Are we talking about the soon to be released Fall Creators? Why would the 'regular' (not that there is another kind that I know of) upgrade assistant update to an unreleased version? Last I read it was October 17th ...

-rgdot (October 11, 2017, 11:12 AM)

Good point. Because Microsoft confusingly named them both the Creators Update, I failed to realize that Arizona Hot's link wasn't about the Fall Creators Update.

1669

DC Gamer Club / Re: GOG Connect - DRM-free access to your Steam library

« Last post by Deozaan on October 11, 2017, 12:20 PM »

Torchlight 2 on GoG Connect right now.

-wraith808 (October 11, 2017, 12:05 PM)

And Torchlight 1.

https://www.gog.com/connect

1670

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 Announced

« Last post by Deozaan on October 11, 2017, 01:34 AM »

Thanks, but the Windows 10 Upgrade Assistant doesn't seem to do anything. It just says this:



(It actually does create a bunch of files at C:\Windows10Upgrade, and a shortcut on the desktop, but then it just shows what's in the image above.)

But I'm still not on the Fall Creators Update:



Anyone got a direct link to an ISO? Or a hash of the Windows 10 Pro x64 1709 ISO?

I did a search for and downloaded the Media Creation Tool, but it doesn't indicate which version of Windows 10 it is downloading for me.

I went ahead and used the tool to download an image and installed it to a VM to find out what version it was and it's 1703 Build 15063.0

1671

Living Room / Re: Licence Key- Screenshot Captor

« Last post by Deozaan on October 10, 2017, 10:36 PM »

https://donationcoder.com/Keys

1672

Non-Windows Software / Re: Pi-hole - A black hole for internet advertisements and trackers

« Last post by Deozaan on October 10, 2017, 01:45 PM »

So, I just encountered my first confirmed blocked ad from Pi Hole. I'm currently using a device I don't often use, and which currently doesn't run any ad blocking software. I loaded up YouTube's home page and saw this:



Obviously that's not quite as nice as the ad blocking software which completely removes the HTML elements which display ads, but it is what it is.

1673

Non-Windows Software / Re: Pi-hole - A black hole for internet advertisements.

« Last post by Deozaan on October 09, 2017, 05:50 PM »

I feel I should clarify something: I already run an ad blocker (Ad Guard) on my main PC and I haven't disabled it since installing Pi Hole. So I can't say for sure how well Pi Hole works in comparison to other ad blockers because it's possible that Ad Guard is blocking ads that Pi Hole is missing.

Even so, the setup of Pi Hole was so easy that I feel it's probably worth it to block some ads on various devices that can't or don't normally use ad blockers (a smart TV, video game console browsers, Internet Explorer for Surface RT, etc.)

1674

Non-Windows Software / Re: Pi-hole - A black hole for internet advertisements.

« Last post by Deozaan on October 09, 2017, 04:02 PM »

What about sites what detect ad-blockers and demand you disable your add-on blocker for access that sites.

-antekgla (October 09, 2017, 03:53 PM)

Can you give me a link to a website that you know does that so I can test? I haven't encountered such a site since I started using Pi Hole.

It is easy to add sites to whitelist?

-antekgla (October 09, 2017, 03:53 PM)

Yes. The web admin interface allows adding sites to a whitelist, and even comes with a few already added (as shown in the screenshot, these are added so the ad-lists don't unintentionally blacklist each other). It even has multiple one-click options to disable Pi Hole blocking for a short time (or permanently).

I've added an entry to my hosts file so I can access the web admin by simply typing pi.hole into my address bar and it points to my Odroid's LAN IP.

1675

Non-Windows Software / Re: Pi-hole - A black hole for internet advertisements.

« Last post by Deozaan on October 09, 2017, 03:37 PM »

It comes with a nice web admin console with some quick statistics. So here's a shot of statistics for the past ~20 hours:



The blue area on the graph represents the percentage of all DNS requests which were blocked by Pi Hole. As you can see from the large numbers at the top, about 75% of all requests are being blocked.

I had installed the pi hole software on my Odroid the night before I posted about it here, but hadn't yet configured my router to use it for DNS lookups. According to my previous post in this thread, it seems I hooked it up at around the 18:00 marker on the graph, so even though it says those are my 24 hour stats, as mentioned above, it's really only showing about 20 hours of actual usage.

Pi Hole blocks ads, trackers, telemetry, etc. No troubles so far. But I kind of wonder how badly my entire LAN will fail if my Odroid somehow goes down and thus my router can't connect to it for DNS lookups.