Recent Posts

1676

Living Room / Re: Keybase and the Keybase Filesystem (KBFS)

« Last post by Deozaan on October 08, 2017, 11:10 PM »

Try manually installing the latest version from their download link here: https://keybase.io/download

That's what I did to get the feature on the Linux client.

1677

Developer's Corner / Re: Long thought-provoking essay on programming

« Last post by Deozaan on October 08, 2017, 11:07 PM »

Interesting article. It really makes the case for programming languages with formal verification, especially with regard to mission-critical software such as transportation and finance. One such upcoming language is Michelson.

1678

Living Room / Re: Interesting read: Apple is really bad at design

« Last post by Deozaan on October 08, 2017, 08:34 PM »

It seems to me that most tech sites have reacted to the news of the iPhone X with anything ranging from excitement to cautious optimism to confusion, as well as some disapproval. But I haven't seen anything that matches the derision like when Microsoft announced Windows 10.

1679

Living Room / Re: Disabling autoplaying videos in Chrome goes viral

« Last post by Deozaan on October 08, 2017, 07:21 PM »

The question still remains, however...

It puzzles me that so many sites seem to think that annoying people is the best way to endear themselves to their audience, but even I hadn’t realized just how annoying people find it.

Why do sites insist on annoying their visitors?

-wraith808 (October 05, 2017, 12:38 PM)

I think the answer to this is similar to why so-called "free to play" games have become so popular (and annoying!) over the past few years. The games themselves are "free" for anyone to play but generally are severely limited or hampered in some way (often by making players wait N hours before they can perform an action vital to gameplay/progression). These games also offer in-app purchases (IAPs) which buy consumable items that players can use to (temporarily) remove or bypass these limitations which objectively improves their experience with the game (meaning the game is designed to suck for everyone who isn't paying anything). The fact that these items are consumable (meaning they can only be used once per purchase) and their effects are only temporary, this encourages players to repeatedly buy more and more. These types of games don't care much about the freeloaders, which make up the vast majority of their players. They only need to capture a few so-called "whales" who end up spending hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on these consumable IAPs.

I suppose that many sites have a similar philosophy: Quantity over quality. Get your message out to as many people as possible in an effort to capture the few who "fall for it" and give them money. And who cares what happens to all the rest.

1680

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

« Last post by Deozaan on October 08, 2017, 07:03 PM »

It's been running for about 10 minutes and it has already blocked some ads and even Microsoft's (or more specifically, Windows 10's) telemetry traffic.

1681

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

« Last post by Deozaan on October 08, 2017, 06:55 PM »

I just discovered pi-hole.net, which, with a single command, allows you to set up your Linux installation to block ads.

After that, you can configure your router to use Pi-hole as your DNS to block all ads on every device on your network. Combined with a VPN into your home network, this allows even your mobile device(s) to browse ad-free from anywhere.

I found it super simple to set up on my Odroid C1 (a Raspberry Pi 2-like device) and look forward to seeing it in practice more.

More details in the video above and at their website: https://pi-hole.net/

1682

Living Room / Re: Keybase and the Keybase Filesystem (KBFS)

« Last post by Deozaan on October 08, 2017, 05:21 PM »

Looks interesting- but it's not in my installation, which makes me sad.

-wraith808 (October 08, 2017, 12:59 PM)

I'm not sure what you mean by that. Are you saying the feature isn't available for you? If so, have you updated the app since they launched this feature? I can see it on my mobile (Android) device. I have to click the hamburger menu (settings) to get to it, but it's there. I also updated the app on Linux and I see the git tab on the sidebar.

I only wish the feature supported Mercurial as well, because I prefer that over git. But I'm still glad to see this even without Hg support.

1683

Living Room / Re: Keybase and the Keybase Filesystem (KBFS)

« Last post by Deozaan on October 08, 2017, 11:09 AM »

Keybase has recently launched encrypted git repositories. Both personal and team repositories are available.

It is end-to-end encrypted. It's hosted, like, say, GitHub, but only you (and teammates) can decrypt any of it. To Keybase, all is but a garbled mess. To you, it's a regular checkout with no extra steps.

Even your repository names and branch names are encrypted, and thus unreadable by Keybase staff or infiltrators.

We think this is better than paying a fee to store it in plaintext. Remember, it is impossible to delete cloud data with any kind of confidence, and your host may already be compromised.

-https://keybase.io/blog/encrypted-git-for-everyone

I'm a fan of what Keybase is doing. I like privacy-by-default technologies, and ones that make it as easy as Keybase does (when it works). Here's a good example of what I mean:

Everything is signed.

All data you push is signed by your device's private key, which never leaves your device. Fetches are cryptographically verified or else they'll fail. Unlike casual PGP signing of commits, which no one in the world ever does, this is fully enforced for yourself or team.

You don't need to think about it: if you do a git pull, you'll only get the data if it's bit-for-bit exactly what the pusher pushed.

-https://keybase.io/blog/encrypted-git-for-everyone

They even include a wizard to help you move a repo from some of the other git hosting services (github, etc.) into an encrypted Keybase git repo! (But it requires using the command line.)

Read more on their blog post here: https://keybase.io/b...ted-git-for-everyone

1684

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 Announced

« Last post by Deozaan on October 03, 2017, 11:30 PM »

Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (v16299.15) is scheduled to be released starting on October 17th.

Here's a changelog.

Anyone know if it's possible (and if so how) to get the official image early, since it's technically already available to Insiders? I accidentally broke some important things on my installation a few days ago and have decided to start with a clean format to fix these issues and other things that have always been broken for me on Windows 10 (such as using a Gmail account in the Windows 10 Mail & Calendar apps). But I decided to wait until the Fall Creators Update before wiping everything and starting fresh. It'd be nice if I didn't have to wait another 2 weeks before I can do that.

1685

DC Gamer Club / Re: Hawken beta sign-up

« Last post by Deozaan on October 03, 2017, 10:58 PM »

This is why I don't buy online-multiplayer-only games.

EDIT: Seems like I misunderstood. The game is still in Early Access on Steam. So... they're shutting down a game that hasn't released yet so they can focus on... releasing it? But not for PC? I'm confused.

1686

Living Room / Re: Unable to Terminate Domain Registration

« Last post by Deozaan on October 02, 2017, 12:16 AM »

I've also never heard of that being possible. But I suppose I never tried since I figured they are paid for in advance so there's no point in trying to release them early.

1687

Coding Snacks / Re: A sand clock

« Last post by Deozaan on September 29, 2017, 07:08 PM »

This may cover most of what you're after:

https://portableapps.../cook_timer_portable

1688

DC Gamer Club / Re: Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game for free until Sep 30, 2017

« Last post by Deozaan on September 29, 2017, 06:18 PM »

Thanks for the heads up.

I already own it on Steam and GOG. But I haven't really played it much. I've heard it was wonderful, and I probably would have loved it back in the day. Which is why I bought it on both Steam and GOG. But some of the game elements haven't aged well, IMO. And it's hard to play older games that, in retrospect, and without the benefit of nostalgia, seem so cumbersome due to the limitations of the technology at the time.

Has anyone played this game recently, for the first time? If so, what did you think? Is it worth it (the time investment)?

1689

DC Website Help and Extras / Re: Official CMS Migration Progress Thread - September 2017

« Last post by Deozaan on September 27, 2017, 09:28 PM »

Maybe update the topic of this post to say [Current Year] 

1690

Coding Snacks / Re: Forum - Inverse revision of the posts

« Last post by Deozaan on September 26, 2017, 01:30 PM »

It's an option in your settings:

1691

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: Windscribe - Get 50GB free VPN bandwidth every month for life

« Last post by Deozaan on September 26, 2017, 01:14 AM »

Sounds like yet another Monero miner. What's the sudden craze with that?

This is going to be a bit off topic for the WindScribe thread, so I apologize for that.

Since it seems everything is attempting to mine Monero using CPU, I looked into it a bit and downloaded a simple Monero CPU miner for Windows. I'm getting about 33 h/s per thread. Running 4 threads since I've got a quad core CPU gives me about 132h/s. According to this Monero Mining Calculator, the mining reward is about 6.5 XMR per block, and it will take me about 7.09 years to successfully mine a block, which comes to about 0.91 XMR (~$85.20 at current prices) per year. But it will probably cost that much (or more) to pay for the electricity to run my CPU 24/7 mining.

While I suppose while it isn't profitable to CPU mine for yourself, if you had what is essentially a botnet of CPUs mining for you and you don't have to pay the electricity costs, I can see how it could make you a decent amount of change. Probably a lot more than ad banners.

1692

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

« Last post by Deozaan on September 26, 2017, 12:11 AM »

Showtime's websites recently did the same thing:

The flagship Showtime.com and its instant-access ShowtimeAnytime.com sibling silently pulled in code that caused browsers to blow spare processor time calculating new Monero coins – a privacy-focused alternative to the ever-popular Bitcoin. The hidden software typically consumed as much as 60 per cent of CPU capacity on computers visiting the sites.

[...]

However, it's extremely unlikely that a large corporation like CBS would smuggle such a piece of mining code onto its dot-coms – especially since it charges subscribers to watch the hit TV shows online – suggesting someone hacked the websites' source code to insert the mining JavaScript and make a quick buck.

-https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/09/25/showtime_hit_with_coinmining_script/

1693

Living Room / Re: Keybase and the Keybase Filesystem (KBFS)

« Last post by Deozaan on September 25, 2017, 05:57 AM »

I have installed Keybase. I see Deozaan uses also.

Do you recommend https://ipfs.io/docs/getting-started/ also, or is enough with Keybase ?

-Contro (September 25, 2017, 04:13 AM)

I think IPFS and KBFS are different enough that they can coexist and serve different needs.

FYI the IPFS thread is here: https://www.donation...ex.php?topic=41728.0

1694

Living Room / Re: The Keybase Filesystem

« Last post by Deozaan on September 24, 2017, 07:35 PM »

Ok, now the request does work in the Keybase installation on my Windows computer.

-Shades (September 24, 2017, 05:18 PM)

Funny, you requested access and I independently invited you shortly thereafter without realizing you had requested access.

I've also invited a few of the people on Keybase who I know from DC. If anyone else wants an invite, let me know your Keybase username.

1695

N.A.N.Y. 2018 / Re: NANY 2018 Release: Ethereum Denomination Converter

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

I updated the first post with more information and a download link.

1696

N.A.N.Y. 2018 / Re: N.A.N.Y. 2018 Announcement

« Last post by Deozaan on September 24, 2017, 02:09 PM »

Thanks.

1697

N.A.N.Y. 2018 / NANY 2018 Release: Ethereum Denomination Converter (EDC)

« Last post by Deozaan on September 23, 2017, 06:49 PM »

NANY 2018 Entry Information

Application Name	Ethereum Denomination Converter
Version	v0.2017.12.21
Short Description	Quickly convert between Ether, Finney, Shannon, Wei, etc., using this tool.
Supported OSes	Windows
Web Page	You're looking at it
Download Link	https://keybase.pub/...ationCoder/NANY2018/
System Requirements	.NET 4.6.2
Version History	v0.2017.12.21 Fixed displayed results when entering too many digits after the decimal place. EDC.exe MD5: 94e9a56bb50dda0ec08d6a88800769e6 0/18 scanners reported malware at Jotti Signed Verification Copy and paste the following at https://keybase.io/verify to verify the authenticity of the checksum. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA512 v0.2017.12.21 - - Fixed displayed results when entering too many digits after the decimal place. * EDC.exe MD5: 94e9a56bb50dda0ec08d6a88800769e6 * https://virusscan.jo...lescanjob/wqwuy811at -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: Keybase OpenPGP v2.0.76 Comment: https://keybase.io/crypto wsFcBAABCgAGBQJaPK/QAAoJEPP8TNlAue1eSEEP/i8N1psOufpmY9zpFd5ycjoR WJ17P3s5xgHw2IQH7GTWlqxSSd55WS3pPduKZXu8xQocFc/5iwiCubNNYWQi/40f agL5JIReV8dp5cSF9dfMi1prVqefIptKKUCqB6tsx+lDodBzOYr4JN6roRgNCRz0 pWjFH/l4c8WXMGOKltpYba6Rt/Nle2QRe/WxczbutNLxr9/8hfb9ViWyPRuRUKwd rAApOuFrhqz5UPINz1fwlanE0ysuEaVAwNubg0evdwfE6iHXmQhuNAjUVgPzWL7j Zt0lUw9XjSXNpUX7087TkiYHFRdhNplecoxagVeg1tNbVTlaQ/SFcQXq++iznDv8 J0M6K2/KjsfXk31G4NnGwZux2DQbZif6pY9lkigtRWibzC2GZUEdIuedgWHTddVJ y+xgXbrJcEi+JcWoA8jXc8AUBCqJQpMN9WOWCyijr0oIqJa/gCHFBweuMJCoMXrv IHd5PxN7adOgkQoPPC51CESmxH8dbSckwyO2x6ao96nwjBGGg0ZvrcFsXA4ul4n8 njtv10ySqm5Pp4sRMb3OR9bWJzWeDe6db/f1YAkVIN+ID+4/8hoWJEdbOWmzQes1 YXhytjOgnikz/wo+fT0wOF6QpCZhkvKLgTkqjQLi7z5qp8iHSZLJgSx/DL8/1f0M 4R98d4UCJjdsubPyM27H =zfEk -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- v0.2017.09.24 Initial release. EDC.exe MD5: 77724ed0a7064114a05b53d3dcb0e795 0/18 scanners reported malware at Jotti Signed Verification Copy and paste the following at https://keybase.io/verify to verify the authenticity of the checksum. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA512 v0.2017.09.24 - - Initial release. * EDC.exe MD5: 77724ed0a7064114a05b53d3dcb0e795 * https://virusscan.jotti.org/en-US/filescanjob/oxuzpn6gcm -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: Keybase OpenPGP v2.0.73 Comment: https://keybase.io/crypto wsFcBAABCgAGBQJZyBs5AAoJEPP8TNlAue1eqYYQAL2wULT9JuWFnl0WBK2Zm+Is CQbkMdl7aeYklHvIJcJlcW/GzxiCrD//3HO+0KylVAtl/Z9TGh+AlTsO5eKX8wuX eXrF7g7n0Iz883YeEA/FoHMU7901pIevkYA2dI6Zs+PqrJafxh7x5H2gH8eWXP1E GXphilm+unkDgvdoYfapyXtZKKHYOKNVr6SOhOCUfTrZqnJz9IkjL9w8CH2y0n0y nrJtkW3xFZ5+2En4N7j+oTUZYnXaeKdcVqHCb6ZL3c5n/RK8sBJ1UFmW1/wzVdo9 VXQ0SojmafHm29ljuqOU3k+pnZkf3GSv3awrnnQSI8p3f84D7YRsFmUmmrEfekVt jUkvCXTKBpWjpax2PEmpxeXJtxcsPD73YXI+oIwmt0t9NJWlXLeIpj51lPBhMWKZ ArVZ+L7uq+3Abv0TMylmx+YqIqqOMuzRt5H5e8rWHR+qz7a260jrr7bSKNoKYeNV 9z5ydKb5UzVR0nsbd2Bsig14T6j6I1jR9wEph1QOQD7zJROuSdZRBf6seFdZxewR iL2czQYVIcYz0oi99sVtfb6esA0L2V7yCGmeanfvu5KkQzGTVA1INn8936uj2rKv +TPoWVfYBtb629Wwp5Vs3M84ijLKi/ghDLodJA+Y0WfjAPTwizE5uSrJ08pdZVYI vy/Mxmu8/5AnnNmBg7yv =Ayhq -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
Author	Deozaan

Description
The "base" unit of measurement in Ethereum is called Ether, which can be broken down to the eighteenth decimal place into single units called Wei. While it is useful for machines and programs to be able to deal with such small amounts, it can be difficult for the human mind to deal with such significant differences in terms of numbers. For example, if you were to think of these values in terms of US Dollars, then a Wei is to a penny what an Ether is to 1 Quintillion (1,000,000,000,000,000,000) dollars. Not only that, but these denominations have been named in honor of people whose research and ideas cryptocurrency is built upon, so the names for the denominations are relatively obscure and unintuitive to the average person.

For example: I need to send 300 Finney to someone. The gas cost for the transaction is 2 Shannon (Gwei) (per unit of gas). It will cost 21,000 units of gas. But what does this all mean in terms of Ether?

Additionally, while we like to talk and deal with units such as Ether or Finney since they're closer in value to other currencies we're used to transacting in, Ethereum itself handles all the numbers internally in terms of Wei (as an integer). So if you start to get involved with programming smart contracts for Ethereum, you often need to enter values in Wei.

So I made this app that allows you to type in a value in any of the various Ethereum denominations and it will display the equivalent value in the other denominations.

If you use Ethereum and you find this tool useful, donations of ETH or ERC20 (or similar) Tokens are greatly appreciated: 0xDC201825Cc536b9541734eb975Cd6333840C736d

Features
Quickly see equivalent values in various Ethereum denominations.

Planned Features
No future features planned, since they don't seem needed.

Screenshots


Usage
Installation
No installation needed. Just run the executable.

Using the Application
Type in an amount in the appropriate denomination as desired.
Copy & paste to/from other fields if needed.

Uninstallation
No uninstallation needed. Just delete the executable.

Known Issues
None.

1698

N.A.N.Y. 2018 / Re: NANY 2018 Pledge: Some kind of unity game

« Last post by Deozaan on September 23, 2017, 06:37 PM »

I look forward to playing it.

If you need any help, tips, bug/play testing, or whatever, I'd be glad to help you out if I can.

1699

N.A.N.Y. 2018 / Re: N.A.N.Y. 2018 Announcement

« Last post by Deozaan on September 23, 2017, 06:24 PM »

Pinging mouser.

1700

General Software Discussion / Re: CCleaner contained malware for one month

« Last post by Deozaan on September 22, 2017, 06:11 AM »

Looks like simply installing the new version isn't enough to wipe out the malware.

The recent CCleaner malware outbreak is much worse than it initially appeared, according to newly unearthed evidence. That evidence shows that the CCleaner malware infected at least 20 computers from a carefully selected list of high-profile technology companies with a mysterious payload.

[...]

From September 12 to September 16, the highly advanced second stage was reserved for computers inside 20 companies or Web properties, including Cisco, Microsoft, Gmail, VMware, Akamai, Sony, and Samsung. The 20 computers that installed the payload were from eight of those targeted organizations, Avast said, without identifying which ones. Again, because the data covers only a small fraction of the time the backdoor was active, both Avast and Talos believe the true number of targets and victims was much bigger.

[...]

Now that it's known the CCleaner backdoor actively installed a payload that went undetected for more than a month, Williams renewed his advice that people who installed CCleaner version 5.3 reformat their hard drives. He said simply removing the stage-one infection is insufficient given the proof now available that the second stage can survive and remain stealthy.

-https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/09/ccleaner-malware-outbreak-is-much-worse-than-it-first-appeared/

Read more details here:

https://arstechnica....n-it-first-appeared/