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No, really... check it out!

http://xepher.net/chat/

So, it's certainly a long way to christmas or whatever, but I was just looking around online at various "toys" that I wish I could afford, and I'm curious as to what sorts of things the rest of you wish for. Let's ignore the semi-practical like "more ram" or "a more economical car" and stick with the really FUN stuff... but keep it possible. I want a MIG Fighter Jet too, but...

Here's a couple of mine...
http://www.wacom.com/lcdtablets/index.cfm
21" LCD tablet screen. Pressure, tilt, and rotation sensitive pen table, with 1600x1200 resolution. I'm not even a real artist and I want one of these!

Oh, and a 16.7 megapixel camera would be nice too...
http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=10598

But I could "settle" for the Rebel XT
http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=11154

As I'm sure you noticed, Xepher.net was down for the first half of Saturday. Someone hacked into the server, and replaced every single file with a name starting with "index" with redirects to a hacked forum in germany. I believe I found and fixed the bug they exploited to gain access (a very obscure heap overflow in the perl compatible regular expression library) but I'm not 100% positive that was how they did it. As such, I'm still a bit jumpy about bringing things back online. As such, PLEASE report anything suspicious to me as soon as you see it.

Now, the damage. As I said, they replaced all those files with redirects, completely destroying whatever info used to be in the file. I wrote a script that went and found all such files, then replaced them from the system backup. Problem is, the system backup is a couple months old, and therefore many websites are gonna be rather anachronistic. If you have local copies of your files, go and replace anything named "index" that might have been changed in the past couple months.

Also, I'm gonna be adding more layers of security to the system. I'll post notes on that as I go, but some of it will be stuff you need to know about. Most noteably, I'm going to install a system that watches for failed logins (bad passwords) and will completely ban an IP address if you get too many failures in a row. As such, if you forget/lose a password, do NOT just keep guessing, or you'll get completely blocked for at least an hour.

If anybody has some suggestions for security measures I could add, suggest them here.

Grrr... this whole thing makes me so angry. Today was a beautiful fall day, but instead of getting out and going fishing, I ended up spending the entire day digging through files and code. Completely ruined my Saturday just because some hackers got bored and wanted to show off.

I hate people.

I just got the highest score I've ever seen!

...then I realized I was at a gas pump.

1 tank of gas
3.15 per gallon
42 gallons of fuel
132 dollars

I left the place laughing a bit hysterically (Many brontasauri died to bring us this fuel!) but I was whimpering on the inside.

So, I was listening to music... and "House of the Rising Sun" came on my random playlist. I didn't realize the irony (in light of current events) until it was almost over. Then I had the urge to write better lyrics.

To the tune of 'House of the Rising Sun'


There was a house in new orleans
Lost in the rising flood
And it's become a ruin of soggy wood
And now I fear a dud

My father was an oilor
He pumped the black gold seas
My sweetheart was a looter, lord
Down in new orleans

Now the only thing a looter sees
Is profit from other's loss
And the only time he's satisfied
Is when he's hauling dross

He fills his truck up to the brim
And he'll pass the guns around
And the only pleasure he gets out of life
Is shooting rescue choppers down

Oh tell our fellow cities
Not to do what we have done
Don't build below the ocean
Where we all will sink as one

Well it's one foot in the dome
And the other's in the rain
I'm goin' back to new orleans
But never shall remain

I

Okay, so I finally broke down and got a gmail account, mainly so I can use google talk, as I'd like to see AOL die a horrid death as soon as possible... but I need instant messaging. Anyway, for those with accounts, I'm Xepher42, so that should be easy enough. Those who don't, well you should look into it. Google's gonna take over the world soon no matter what, so I'm just crossing my fingers for "Benevolent Dictatorship" and drinking the kool-aid. :-P

http://www.power-leveling.com/

I really enjoy WoW, playing with people online in a huge, pervasive world is great. Problem is, no matter how much I focus on making my character good, there will always be thousands of these lamers that have simply paid some poor korean to do their gaming for them. What is the fracking point? If you buy a game to play, and then pay someone else to play it for you... does that make any sense?

...you realize you just googled for "Baked Potato Howto."
...and you realize you just used made "google" into a verb.

No, really, I bought a bag of potatos and all the fixins today, but I realized I had only the foggiest ideas of how to actually bake one. I know you wash it, and it goes in the oven. No idea at all about temperature, time, other prep, etc. The surprising thing is that it seems howtos for cooking are just as prevailant as ones for various computer tasks. My search for "baked potato howto" was just as useful as "Linux VPN Howto."

Anyone else want to share some of those moments when you realize just how geeky you are?

So yeah... What bands are your favorite. I don't want the huge list of all the bands you like, but just those that really hold a special place in your heart. The music you listen to when you're drunk and you can lay on the floor and raise your fist at the sky and just be happy. The songs that let you cry and scream and boast... the music that gives you strength to get through the day... the melody that lets you continue the fight.


For me, that changes depending on my mood. But right now, it's Social Distortion. On the long term though, They Might Be Giants, Iron & Wine, Enya, Loreena McKennitt, Bowling for Soup, and Less than Jake usually cover it.

Or optical illusions...

I saw this and thought "ouch, eye-bleedy!"



I want to get that as a huge poster for my wall.

Here's a site full of similar fun stuff. http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/

I started reading some of the quotes at bash.org after Joaquim sent me a link to one of them. Some funny stuff I thought I'd share here.

stfu mat|t u cu.nt
* Acaila sets mode: +b MortalKombat!*@*
<@Acaila> FINISH HIM
rofl
omg wtf man
* MortalKombat was kicked by Acaila (forward, forward, back, back, forward, punch)
<@Acaila> FATALITY!

Purely in the interests of science, I have replaced the word "wand" with "wang" in the first Harry Potter Book
Let's see the results...

"Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Harry.
"Oh, well -- I was at Hogwarts meself but I -- er -- got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wang in half an' everything

A magic wang... this was what Harry had been really looking forward to.

"Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wang. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wang for charm work."
"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wang. Eleven inches. "

Harry took the wang. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wang above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls

"Oh, move over," Hermione snarled. She grabbed Harry's wang, tapped the lock, and whispered, 'Alohomora!"

The troll couldn't feel Harry hanging there, but even a troll will notice if you stick a long bit of wood up its nose, and Harry's wang had still been in his hand when he'd jumped - it had gone straight up one of the troll's nostrils.

He bent down and pulled his wang out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy gray glue.

He ran onto the field as you fell, waved his wang, and you sort of slowed down before you hit the ground. Then he whirled his wang at the dementors. Shot silver stuff at them.

Ok
I have found, definitive proof
that J.K Rowling is a dirty DIRTY woman, making a fool of us all
"Yes," Harry said, gripping his wang very tightly, and moving into the middle of the deserted classroom. He tried to keep his mind on flying, but something else kept intruding.... Any second now, he might hear his mother again... but he shouldn't think that, or he would hear her again, and he didn't want to... or did he?
O_______O
Something silver-white, something enormous, erupted from the end of his wang

Then, with a sigh, he raised his wang and prodded the silvery substance with its tip.

'Get - off - me!' Harry gasped. For a few seconds they struggled, Harry pulling at his uncles sausage-like fingers with his left hand, his right maintaining a firm grip on his raised wang.

*** Now talking in #christian
-Word_of_God- Welcome Abstruse to #christian I am a Bible Bot. For more info type: /msg Word_of_God !info
!kjv numbers 22:21
 Numbers 22:21 -- And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. -  (KJV)
*** SageRider sets mode: +b *!*@c211-30-208-111.rivrw3.nsw.optusnet.com.au
*** Word_of_God was kicked from #christian by SageRider (Please dont Swear)
I know I'm never going to be able to come back in this channel again after this, but damn was it worth it to see that...

heh, if we sent all the criminals to some empty continent and just left them there to die
and showed up like 50yrs later like, "sup?"
whatd u think they'd say?
something along the lines of, "G`Day mate"

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
hahahahaha
some girl just came onto our floor
and was yelling "sexual favors for anyone who does my sociology paper"
i just asked her what the paper was about
and she said the accomplishments and growth of feminism
<`Neo> bahahahaha

Im going to be the next hitler
Im going to kill all the jews and 1 clown
why the clown
See? no one cares about the jews
lmao

Canada volunteered 10 Battleships, 4 Jet Fighters, and 200 Soldiers to the U.S. anti-terrorism cause, after the exchange rate, that came up to 4 canoes, 2 flying squirrels and 3 canadian mounties

You know that big mall in Edmonton has three fully working submarines.
the Canadain Navy has two.
<@Airs> lol
So if war ever broke out in that mall ... they'd never make it past the Gap.

WallJam7: roses are red
WallJam7: violets are blue
WallJam7: all of my base
WallJam7: are belong to you

Metallica sold out in 45 mins :/
Yeah I know.
Oh wait
You mean, like, a concert?
yes

do you know of any major organizations that are similar the CDC?
who?
center for disease control
i said WHO
what? i'm asking you
World Health Organization

<@Terror> "It's easy to forget what a sin is in the middle of a battlefield."
<@cky> opposite over hypotenuse

Radio interview quote from Marine Corps General Reinwald and a female radio host. He wants to host some boy scouts at the training center for some practise excercises. As follows
: So, General Reinwald, what things are you going to teach these young boys when they visit your base?
: We're going to teach them climbing, canoeing, archery, and shooting.
: Shooting! That's a bit irresponsible, isn't it?
: I don't see why, they'll be properly supervised on the rifle range.
: Don't you admit that this is a terribly dangerous activity to be teaching children?
: I don't see how. We will be teaching them proper rifle discipline before they even touch a firearm.
: But you're equipping them to become violent killers.
: Well, you're equipped to be a prostitute, but you're not one, are you?
The radio went silent and the interview ended. You gotta love the Marines!

*** Zeron is now known as you
* you farted.
* you sigh in frustration.
* you lose
* you suck at life
*** Wildfyre is now known as our
* Goblin_Leecher thinks you need a life
* our conversation is entirely too weird
*** Goblin_Leecher is now known as we
* we are going stir crazy
* you are going a little too far
* our laughter fills the offices nearby.
* you are fired.
* we need new jobs
* you agree
* you wonder when this madness will end
* we are not sane
* you are correct
* our sanity has left?
you know...if a sane person were to walk in here...they'd be very very confused right about now...
* you are one with the matrix.

Scud: The other day, in the park, I was wondering why frisbees look bigger and bigger as they get closer to you
Scud: And then it hit me

So I was at work today, signing for a package from UPS..
When the FedEx guy walks in with a package of his own.
And at that EXACT moment, a customer changes the channel to TBS and the Mortal Kombat movie is on, right when the fight theme music starts.
Did they break out into a delivery duel to the death?
I was prepared for parcel projectiles and fedex fatalities.
They eyed each other, and I knew something was about to happen...
But then the guy changed the channel to "Trading Spaces" and the fight was over.

I know a lot of us here are nerds... So maybe some of you have heard it already, but there's a really great nerd-core song you should hear.

Fett's Vette Warning, it does contain some offensive lyrics.


Suddenly I had this image of myself rollin' down the street and blasting that song. Of course, you can't cruise and blast music like that without fuzzy dice... and I found the perfect set!


That's right... Fuzzy D20 Dice! On equip: +2 nerd

You can actually buy these over at http://www.advancinghordes.com They're in the novelty section.

So, went hiking some this summer. Took pictures too.

This first set is a few from a small hike just a few minutes out of town here.
http://xepher.xepher.net/Albums/Fish-Creek-Falls/

This second set is from an all day hike over in RMNP... about three hours drive (and we left at 4am.)
http://xepher.xepher.net/Albums/Rocky-Mountain-National-Park/

Couple highlights for the second album.

I just love the dark woods.

Squirrel!

Chipmunk!

Long's Peak from the meadow.

Me + Chasm Lake + Long's Peak.

Willsan... Taking a "break."

"Just Add Singing Swiss Children!"

Peacock Pool

So I was listening to the audio recording of "Spamalot" and went to see if there might be a video of the play for sale... Didn't find one, but did find this commerative edition meat-like product. Note the "features" bit... I don't know about you, but when it comes to "trusted" brands, I don't think mystery meat is going to make my list.

If you'd like your post count from the old forums restored to the new system, post a message here. If you had a different user name on the old one, make sure to point that out.

After the string of repeated security holes in phpBB, I've decided to move the forums over to a new system. Not only are is it now different software on the front side, it's now running SQLite on the backend as well. This should be a lot faster, as it doesn't utilize the MySQL server at all. I was going to try and migrate everything from the old forums... but it proved too difficult. I also think it might be good to start off fresh, as we had a LOT of dead users on the old boards.

Anyway, start trying this new one out. You'll have to create a new user here, but everything should be pretty easy to use. I'll be leaving the old forums up for another month or so, while I see how this works out. Also, don't post any applications here yet.

[Violence:]

This thread is going to be used for clarification on the various rules and what-not that relate to applications. I will try and keep this first post up to date with a total listing of all "rulings" that may arise out of various application threads. Feel free to discuss such stuff below as well, but remember that only this initial post is "official." :-)



Violence: I notice a lot of people trying to point out that their comic (or what-not) will keep violence to a minimum. Most of these are not what I'd even consider borderline cases though. This suggests that many people are thinking I'm a lot stricter than I really am about this.

Violence Ruling: Violence shall not be excessive. I've yet to see an example of excessive violence in any application or site here. Violence is allowed for anything short of "violence for the sake of violence." There are people who get their kicks from things like watching snuff films, or seeing horrid depictions of blood and gore. Most anything short of that is probably okay. Basically, if the violence is plot or story related, no problem. Start posting pictures of dead babies to get your jollies, and you're out. What I do ask for anything above about a PG-13 rating is that you post some sort of warning before people see it.

Porn/Sex/Nudity: This is another one that comes up quite frequently, and a lot of confusion seems to revolve around it. It's pretty much the same as the violence one though.

Porn/Sex/Nudity Ruling: Nudity is allowed. Sex is allowed. Porn is not allowed. Let's seperate the three. Porn is nudity and/or sex only for reasons of carnal gratification. Are you drawing or writing a scene as part of a real story or plot? Or just for purposes of arousal and pleasure? I really think this one should be pretty obvious to most people... with the possible exception of anyone who genuinely reads playboy for the articles. :-) The easiest analogy is the difference between R and NC17 rated movies. NC17=No (most of the time.) R is allowed, but like violence, I ask you to have warnings for any content above about a PG-13 rating.

Drugs/Drug Use: This is again, similar to the prior two.

Drug/Drug Use Ruling: Promotion of drug use is explicitly forbidden. That doesn't mean you have to make every story into an after school special or anything, but rather that you can't post instructional materials for creating, obtaining, or using drugs or drug paraphernalia. Can you show a character shooting up or doing a bong hit? Yes, if it's part of a legitimate story, and not just a ploy to circumvent the restrictions here. Like the above rules, if drugs come up in context, that's okay, but drugs should not be the focus of the content.

Multiple Accounts: Some people have multiple, distinct projects they run, and sometimes it's useful to have them under seperate accounts/sites.

Multiple Accounts Ruling: You can have and/or apply for multiple accounts. Getting a second account is going to be tougher to justify though. You'll need to truely have two independant sites that independantly qualify. Usually this happens when a single artist has multiple comics, both of good quality. In cases like that, it actually can make things easier on me to keep them seperate, as I can assign seperate domains to each one, keep stats seperate, and even promote them more directly though things like the newsbox. Bottom line: If you think you need a second site, then feel free to apply. Be sure to note that it's a second site though. The worst that'll happen is I say no. :-)

Personal Sites vs. Home Pages: I've said in the past that I don't accept simple "home pages" or blogs. However, I do take personal art/comic sites, many of which have blogs.

Personal Sites vs. Home Pages Ruling: While I will not accept a site that is merely meant to be a person's daily journal or contact point, I do allow people to do most anything that want on the side. That is to say, if your site is accepted for the comic you run, or an art showcase you have, you are free to also keep a personal journal, pictures, links to your favorite band, or other things that would normally be part of a "home page" site.

So you want a site at Xepher.net? Okay, then follow these instructions to apply.

Before you apply, please keep in mind that I will be looking for people who can provide original, creative content on a regular or semi-regular basis. Anyone is welcome to apply, but just don't be mad if you spend an hour on the application (and a week waiting) then find it rejected.

Make sure you've read all site info. Specifically the "What is Xepher.net?" page and the FAQ. Pay special attention to the rules stated therein. If you think your content might be borderline, then email me for a clarification first.

Next, I suggest you read through some of the previous applications, to get a feel for how the process works, and what I'm looking for. You don't have to just blindly imitate them though. Originality counts for a lot around here. Just get a feel for the process, and pay special attention to my replies. They may help clarify things before you start. Also, if you're not in a rush (or still a bit confused) you may want to just hang out for a while first. Get to know people on the forums, ask any questions you may have, etc. This could let you get a better feel to see if Xepher.net is right for you.

Now, a few basic layout/protocol instructions. Make sure you have a registered account here on the forums. Your username here doesn't have to be the same as the one you apply for, but it helps if it's at least similar.

Next, come to this forum (Applications) and post a new topic with the title of your site. This is not the same as your username or URL here. For example: A comic might have the username "antarctic-u" Whereas the actual title is "Antarctic Unsanity." Use the full title for your application.

Now, start your post with a couple of simple things...

First, I need the username you hope to get. It must be less than 64 characters, and begin with a letter. Only lower case letters, numerals, and the hyphen/dash ( - ) character are allowed. I suggest you make it something at least reminiscent of your planned site title. Usernames are part of your sites URL, and the easier it is for visitors to remember, the better it is for you.

Next, I need your email. This may be spam proofed, something like "bobATniDOTcom" or "bob SPAM_ME_NOT @ ni . com" It will be read by human eyes, so as long as I can decipher it, we're good.

Next, a site description. Tell me what you plan to do, what your site will contain or be about. Include any thing else you want to mention, or that you think I should know.

Now, the main part of the application. Basically, what you're trying to do is convince me that you're going to provide something interesting and creative to the world. Keep in mind the site motto "Free Hosting for Free Thinkers."

One way, and probably the best, is to provide me with a URL to your current website. This is the most accurate way for me to judge what your website will be like here. Keep in mind, I understand that places like geocities don't let you show of your mad php skills and such. While presentation is important, what I'm really concerned with is content. If your html is circa 1995, but your writing is amazingly insightful or your art is awe inspiring, you'll still get in.

Now, another option is that you can post some of your content along with your application. This doesn't give me quite as much insight into what the final outcome will look like, but it's none-the-less a good way to see how creative people are. Be sure to try and explain any items you post, since I can't see them in context of a site.

Of course, some people are just starting out their creative careers, and don't really have much to show as of yet. Because of this, I'm going to allow a third option I call "The Challenge." This one is based on the old Phase 1 application system. Basically, it works like this: You let me know you want to go by the challenge method, and I'll start asking you questions. Some questions will have direct answers. Some will be very difficult to answer. But a lot of these questions are going to be off-the-wall... completely "whack" to use the vernacular. It's not so much of a right/wrong thing, as it is a way for me to get to know you better. It'll be a cross between a quiz show and a job interview. Also, since it'll be conducted here on the forums, it may take a few weeks.

Oh, that reminds, even the other application options will probably take a couple weeks or more. I'm holding them on the forums for a reason, that is, to let people ask questions or make comments of their own. Likewise, you'll have an opportunity to answer or correct them, filling in any details you may have neglected the first time around.

No matter which way you go, I'll eventually get to a decision. The yes or no will be posted in the forum. If it's a yes, I will also send you an email giving you temporary login info to allow you to establish your account here, along with instructions for use. You must log in within one week of receiving the email and set your basic account info. Following this, you will have two weeks to get your site up and running. At the end of this probationary period, your site will be inspected.

Now, this isn't an excuse to nitpick... I'm just looking to see if you're actually putting your webspace to the uses you originally stated, and that you've integrated the XepherNet newsbox properly (if you choose to use it.) Don't worry, everything doesn't have to be in perfect order, but I just want to see that you're actively using your account. In the past, I had too many people get accounts, then never do anything but post an "opening soon" page.

At this point, if all has gone well, then you're done. All that's left is to keep your site in good shape, and continue making the internet a better place.