Something Creative » My Comptuer & Me

My Hacker

Nil17 — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 04:39:11 +0000

Over the weekend I was informed by my sister-in-law that my blog had been hacked. Not the best gtalk message to receive as my pillow was getting fluffed just right on Saturday night.

Off I went to my desktop pc and logged into my webhosting site where I contacted the live support person. They immediately directed me to submit a help ticket request to the tech support center.

I submitted the help request, changed my password for the blog site and headed back to bed. Of course my brain was on overload at this point so I was rather wide awake. I went to check my blog from my phone (from whence I am composing this missive) only to find that it had been hijacked yet again. By now I was really pissed off.

Abe was awake and we were talking about what a hassle the whole thing was and how silly that I had gotten hacked. I started to think of all the websites out there on the interwebz my little blog got hacked. I mentioned how it was nearly worthy of a “REALLY?!?!?!?” segment a la Weekend Update. Abe laughed and told me I had my next blog post…so without further ado here it is.

The following text was basically what appeared on my blog. It was white text on a black background & there was a stylized skull and crossbones in the center of the page.

{#} Team [redacted Middle Eastern Country] hacker{#}
{#}The [redacted] hack{#}
This What We Do Hacking all The Time
Just open your eyes you fucked
Team [redacted Middle Eastern Country] hacker We Never Play
See ya

Really? That’s the scariest language you’ve got? I mean really…you *never* play? That just sounds boring. And you “do hacking” all the time? Really? So you don’t take time to eat or sleep or go to the bathroom? I suppose that guarantees you don’t shower… And really?? You manage to hack my blog…my teeny little onlyhasonereader (my cousin…okay, two readers since my sis-in-law noticed the hack) blog. Wow, what an accomplishment! I mean really…all the other hackers will be so impressed. You managed to disable what could be the most insignificant site in all the interwebz. Oh wait, was this your “jumping in” to the hacker world? That would make slightly more sense. Seriously though I doubt it would give you much street cred…really, I wish you luck in your quest to be taken seriously in the hacker world. Really. As of now everything is restored (obviously as you’re reading it) and not too badly for wear. We now return you to your regularly scheduled prattle.

Honest Scrap Award

Nil17 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:10:02 +0000

For the love of Aunt Carrie’s corset I got my first ever blog award yesterday. My awesome friend Mary over at FitThisGirl was more than kind to award me one of her coveted 10. ”Becci!! I am nominating you for the Honest Scrap award!! I love your blog honest and raw humor, it is refreshing!”, says the cool girl with the rocking blog. Well I’m flattered & a little taken aback to be thus noticed. Anyway, I am here fulfilling my part of the bargain with a post of my own.

The Rules

? “The Honest Scrap Award” must be shared!

? The recipient has to tell 10 true things about themselves.

? The recipient has to pass this prestigious award along to 10 more bloggers.

? Those 10 bloggers need to be notified they have received this award.

? Those 10 bloggers should link back to the blog from where they received their award.

1. I am afraid of heights! I mean terrified, petrified, completely phobic about heights yet I still want to walk to the edge of the cliff & look down. I guess I’m trying to face my fear but it never seems to help…instead I’m just paralyzed at the edge of a cliff which seems like a bad thing…. 2. I am also terrified of drowning…needless to say while I love the architecture of bridges crossing them can be my own personal Waterloo. The Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth, MN is a classic example…I never get tired of looking at or photographing it. Crossing it is just plain out of the question…. 3. I have 2 tattoos. One on each shoulder. My first tattoo is a head shot of Betty Boop & I’ve had it for something close to 12 years. My second tattoo is a grouping of 4 flowers…each represents a grandparent that Hubby & I have lost. I am anxious to get a 3rd tattoo which will be a representation of my life with Abe. If I’m lucky I would also like a 4th tattoo designed by Abe…I have to be patient & wait though as Abe has some ink of his own he’d like to have added on.

4. I am an incurable insomniac. Even though right now I’m so tired I’m sliding out of my skin I’m typing away on my laptop. It’s very hard for me to turn my brain off at the end of the day…even lying in bed trying to clear my mind often ends up having the opposite result. This will lead to me wide awake in the dark listening to Abe softly snore & wondering if I should have worn different shoes with a particular outfit when I was 14.

5. I am terrible at keeping my own secrets. Yours I will take to the grave (maybe I’ll tell Abe but you can trust him…he talks a lot less than I do) but mine I blurt out all the time. I want you to know what I’m getting you for your birthday/anniversary/Christmas etc so that you can be excited too.

6. I am slightly envious (ok, maybe I’m really envious but in a totally good way) of anybody who is an artist. I wish that I had the talent to paint, draw or sculpt. Unfortunately I can’t even draw a decent stick figure so I’m out of luck. I do however love the feeling of movement & swirl of emotion I get when looking at someone else’s creation. It’s a truly intimate thing to share what comes out on canvas or marble (or any other media) with an audience & I applaud those who do it.

7. Kids….I adore kids. There are few things I won’t do to earn a smile & laughter from a child. Nothing in this world is more fleeting & pure than the sound of a child or baby bubbling over with joy. It melts my heart every time.

8. Someday I want to own the following: a motorcycle, a horse, a sailboat & a late model Chevy Corvair convertible. Preferably all at the same time…yes I realize that it’s impractical because where exactly can one own a horse & sailboat and but them both to use? I have no idea but in my land of make-believe it’s not only possible but mandatory.

9. I knew (but wouldn’t admit) the first time I saw Abe that I would marry him. He picked me up at my apartment, walked me to his car & opened my door, holding it until I was in & then closing it for me. I leaned across to unlock his door & as I did that I knew I wanted to do it for the rest of my life. How a nice quiet guy like him ever decided to put up with a crazy, insecure girl like me I will never know.

10. Books…what can I say? First off I guess I should mention that some people (looking pointedly at Abe) think I read fast. I don’t know why anybody would come to that conclusion…just because I can read & retain major portions of books of 500+ pages in a 24 hour period does not mean that I read fast. Seriously, didn’t all of you read the 7th Harry Potter in 18 hours? Second I should mention that since I have been a rabid, ravenous, rapacious reader since the age of 3. I vividly remember checking out the complete works of Shakespeare at age 10. Both the librarian & teacher looked at me as if I were mental…yet I devoured it—enraptured. I can read a book with a singular focus…blocking out all things around me (including natural disasters, fire drills & screaming in my ear).

Yes that makes me part of the “dork force”

Nil17 — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:17:14 +0000

Just over a week ago I was on Twitter (I know you’re shocked) when I saw a conversation among some friends about books that should be read. Now being the naturally curious person I am (okay when it comes to books I’ll jump in w/both feet) I asked the guys (the 3 talking were? are all male) to make some recommendations as I was looking for something new to read. To say that I got bombarded is an understatement. I got books, authors, genres thrown at my head so fast I could barely keep up. In true bookdork fashion I scribbled it on paper (then promptly added it to my Evernote account so I can access it anywhere) and proceeded to ask questions about why these were recommended. I got the standard answers people give when they are passionate about their reading material: the best books I ever read, true classics, I can’t believe you’ve never read those, etc. Seeing those responses only fueled my desire for new books. When I finally took a break from the interweb I ransacked my collection of paperbacks (if a book has an interesting cover chances are I’ll buy it so I have a lot of books….most I only read once) and stacked up many that I no longer had a desire to keep. Off I went to the local used bookstore to trade (turn in all the books you don’t want, the lady tallies up what she’ll give for them & gives store credit.) for new packets of magic & wonder. Of course I was going WAY off my normal path of reading material. Although I have a pretty wide path of material from memoirs to mysteries to classic myth to poetry & everything in between. One of the few genres I don’t really read or know anything about is scifi/fantasy….(also horror & bodice rippers…) not from dislike mind you but because I know so little about the genre. Thus my education began. I was told to check out Anne McCaffrey for what was described by more than one person as truly excellent in scifi/fantasy. This lady wrote A LOT of books. I’m going to be busy reading through them for a while. I was also turned on to (but have yet to read the following: David Drake, Andrea Norton, Robert A Heinlein, Storm Constantine & Terry Goodkind). While my search at the local used bookshop began I also ran across two names I am familiar with in theory but have not read much of their work—Ray Bradbury& Issac Asimov. I had seen/been involved in a discussion of literature a few days previously regarding Asimov’s legendary “Foundation” series. When I saw all but one of the series (missing the last one) I grabbed them up along with a nice copy of “Fahrenheit 451” by Bradbury. Even to a virtual scifi ingenue’ such as myself I knew these to be “serious” science fiction works. As a student of literature I’ve read my fair share of excerpts from the writings of Asimov. I believe it was in high school that I first read Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics:

A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

For some reason (okay so I’m a dork) I can remember these three rules (and yet I flunked algebra repeatedly in high school & college)…. I’m well into the 1st Foundation book “Prelude to Foundation” & I absolutely love it. The elegance & spareness of Asimov’s writing is moving. It takes me out of this world and into the Galaxy. Not since the first time I read “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” have I enjoyed a science fiction book. (“Hitchhiker’s” is a totally different blog post…I was also told to read that book by someone (a Marine friend of mine….he was right I love it) and listened). Basically all of this to say that I am embracing the dork force & plan to wield it with all my might…I am now a true convert to the scifi/fantasy genre. I can’t believe it took me so long!

Impatience Thy Name Is…Me

Nil17 — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 04:39:45 +0000

As you are aware I am in the process of getting this new (and maybe improved) blog off the ground. After a promising start {in which I found the theme, learned to upload & use it, and imported all the post (and pics) from the old blog} I have run aground. While trying the seemingly simple task of adding the Blogroll (yes if you ask nice I’ll consider adding you) I managed to put it up in some weird triplicate. Not to mention that I have zero (nil, zip, zippo, the big goose egg, nada, zilch) idea on how to add plugins…or even what plugins I would/should be using. I have some great people (you know who you are) helping me with this mess of epic proportions. Of course since they have lives outside of my blog (I know right…who knew?) we haven’t been able to connect. Not that I’m bothered all that much by this fact. I figure that it’s just more incentive for me to do some stuff myself & then show off how smart (I’d say and beautiful but I don’t want anybody to die laughing) I am. Of course this all sounds good in my mind. I’m notorious for deciding I can handle something I’m just learning about on my own so I go off half-cocked & usually manage to make a fine disaster of things. My mind can’t seem to slow down & wait for results. I want to do something & I want to have learned all about it, perfected the skill and finished the project last week. I can only assume that this drives everybody completely insane. Of course if I try to rein myself in then I just go completely bonkers & pick fights with anything around me including the house plants. Tonight was no exception…. I sat down to read (another giant project I won’t begin to discuss here) but ended up staring at the code for this blog again. After deleting all the blogroll & other links, changing the theme several times (even deleting the one you are looking at only to regret it in 3 seconds & re-upload it) I did manage to do one thing I wanted. There are no longer 3 completely identical blogroll areas on my blog. Do not ask me how I did it….I have no freaking clue! Anyway, to the great, fantastic, patient, obliging, kind people (you know who you are—if you don’t try asking me for a favor & see what happens) THANK YOU for tolerating the one track mind I possess when embarking on something new. I shall continue my attempt to be rational and relax a bit (rather than over-analyze every single aspect of how this thing looks & functions). I know I (we) will get this done.

CSS…Crap Someone Save (me)

Nil17 — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 04:04:38 +0000

Well I’ve had the new website for nearly a week. I did manage to narrow my theme choices down to three…well 2 but one may be too “masculine” for me. I’m still looking at my options. The one theme that I’m using right now I like the look of but do not like the colors. Therefore I am looking to learn & understand CSS so that I may change the colors while keeping the design intact. Right now I am more than stuck. Per usual I’ve bitten off more than I can chew….I am always doing that. Some idea pops into my mind & I grab it and run. Whether this works out or not I have no idea. Sometimes I’m optimistic but more often than not I’m certain this is headed straight for disaster. If you want to check on what the new blog looks like visit http://nil17.com from time to time to see if there is any progress. I won’t be posting here very often as I still have to figure out how to move this whole thing at some point & I”m pretty sure increasing the size will be a thing I come to regret.

An Official Announcement

Nil17 — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 18:58:01 +0000

Friday was the day…I went ahead & purchased my own domain & hosting package. As of 11 o’clock yesterday morning I became the proud owner of http://nil17.com. Excitement rushed through me as I made the commitment to see where this blog thing will take me. Then I left the office to get my hair done. Last night I struggled, freaked out, got angry, got depressed, felt stupid & still managed to work out enough to make it into a live if completely blank page. Now all I have to do is choose a theme, customize it, move everything from here to there. I have managed to narrow down my theme choices so that part is getting closer to finished. (Ooops, completely forgot that I need a title to my blog… “Something Creative” is working okay but I’m noticing that people are searching for different things on Google with “something creative…” in the terms & ending up here. I’m pretty sure the “something creative for bedroom” searcher was wildly disappointed!) So far I’m getting some great help, advice & encouragement from a bunch of my Twitterati. It is much appreciated. Being the neurotic, self-doubting girl I am not being able to just read the directions & make the whole thing work drives me mad. I’m hanging on though…for now! This site will remain up & running indefinitely as I want the new site to be in perfect working order before I show you around the new place. I’ll keep you up to date as much as I can w/o ruining the surprise of what the new digs will look like. *This concludes the official announcement. You may go back to your regularly scheduled lives….I shall go back to freaking out*

Making a Move

Nil17 — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:23:11 +0000

Not a literal move but a virtual move. I’m thinking about taking the blog to a new site. I haven’t made any final decisions as of yet. I’m weighing my options & consulting with some people who have their own blogs. I’m thinking of the move so that I have more flexibility with my design & also more storage space for pictures. One of my problems is what the new address should be. I’m open to suggestions. Right now I’m thinking about www.nil17.com. Please let me know what you think.

My Name is…And I’m a Twitter Addict

Nil17 — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 05:23:50 +0000

I joined up with Twitter sometime in 2008. I don’t remember the date but looking back I should have written it down. Since I joined I’ve encountered not a few interesting people. It’s been great fun meeting new people & getting to know them. There’s really no limit to the types of personalities, backgrounds & ideas to be found. There are few times I can be found obsessively checking for updates from Twitter (while I’m sleeping, showering or driving…yeah that’s about it….) It’s rather crazy but I have some great (and some not so great but completely hilarious) coversations with people I’m following on there. It’s the best people watching ever. Of course I don’t get a chance to tweet with everyone I’d like. Still it’s a glimpse into lives that are different than mine which I enjoy immensely. I love to live vicariously since I don’t have the means to do everything I’d want to do right now. It’s a very easy way to “travel” the world & see what’s happening in London, Toyoko or anywhere else you’d like to find a friend. Another great thing for me has been the opportunity to meet so many fantastic people who are way more into politics than I am. I’m learning something every day. Many of them are very active & it’s a challenge to me because I want to be sure that I’m standing up for what I want to see happen. There is a down side though. It’s hard to close down the system & do other things when so many interesting conversations are happening all at once. Walking away is like leaving the best day of your life halfway through…you know something great will happen & you’ll be trying to play catch up later. Or you get sucked into some bizarre contest of “wits” and time suck your productivity. I have learned & am continuing to learn from many of these people. Life has been dragging me down over the last year. Just when I feel like I can catch my breath something comes along and knocks me back down. Living where I do so far from family & not having any super close friends has left me feeling very alone. Abe is always a comfort to me but he needs encouragement too & we both need to get it from outside ourselves. Happily I’ve found a great many people who encourage me daily in life, my faith & just generally allowed me to be who I am. While we may not be “friends” in the traditional sense of the word I trust a good many of them to give me aid should I need it & would be more than happy to return the favor should be called upon to do so. Of course I make it sound so serious….it’s not always. Tonight we had a time where a bunch of us were suddenly six years old, calling each other names, tattling & avoiding virtual cooties. Always nice to be able to forget about real life for a few minutes & fall back on the times of your mis-spent youth. PS I also get occasional help with my blog. I definitely get encouragement to write more & practice a craft I’ve been neglecting for far too long.

Crotches & Scotches

Nil17 — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 05:28:44 +0000

Let me start by saying that this is an entirely G-rated blog. The following is a list of words that my spell checker recommended to me when I went looking for the correct spelling of “tchotchke” also spelled “chotchke” (see “My Pink Coat for context). Had I used any of the suggestions let alone the title options I would have had an entirely different blog!! I got a good laugh out of the suggestions. Enjoy!

chocked
thatches
thatched
thatcher
chock
thatch
thatchers
cocked
cocker
cockle
hotcake
scotched
scotches
crotches
Scotch
hatches
hitches
crochets

Please let me know of any funny or just plain outlandish suggestions you’ve received from your spell check.