Wikipedia – SOPA Blackout Hacks
As you know yesterday Wikipedia blacked out it's site to protest against SOPA and PIPA. Around lunch time I started seeing tweets and getting emails from people who had figured out how to get past their banner. After viewing some of the solutions it was clear that the banner was being added through JavaScript. Here are some good ones I found:
- Disabling Javascript on the Browser
- Adding "m." after the "en." in the URL to access the mobile page
- Viewing wikipedia in another language, only the English wikipedia had the full banner
- Adding ?banner=none to the URL of the existing page
- run jQuery in a browser console. Opening a browser console in Chrome, entering the following line and pressing enter: $("#content, #mw-page-base, #mw-head-base, #mw-head, #mw-panel, #footer").show(); $("#mw-sopaOverlay").hide();
- Pressing escape as the page is loading
It was neat to see how people went out to seek a solution against the banner. Of course, since the "block" was just some javascript to hide the original page and show another element, it was easy to get past. This type of problem solving and out of the box thinking is what makes being a developer great!
My sources are from my own discovery and:
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/internet/3330856/how-bypass-wikipedia-blackout/
and
http://pastebin.com/fTrMfeB9
1966 Pontiac Tempest
Alot of people don't realize that I once owned a really neat car, a 1966 Pontiac Tempest.
Some stuff about the car:
- GTO Hood, it's not a clone nor did I attempt to make it one
- The engine and transmission were Chevy parts
- My dad and I restored it Fall of 2002
- It was fun to drive
KP
Secret Santa – Outdoor Storage Box
For Secret Santa this year I decided to make a storage box from wood I had off an old bunk bed.
It was fun to put together, I used 1.5" square pine around the edges of the sides to give it some character and make putting it all together easier. The top is fitted to give it a nice seal and keep it fairly dry inside.
I coated it with Thompson Water Sealer so it should eventually weather. My only complaint, man this thing was HEAVY
PS: I need to cleanup my garage, that's happening this weekend I swear! 
My Entry into the SOPA fight
I'm concerned about the "Stop Online Piracy Act". There is a ton of information online regarding SOPA so I won't post it here. I hadn't heard much about it until the past few weeks because of the huge amount of negative publicity I was seeing on Reddit. I figured the proper thing to do would be to write a letter to my congressman, Scott Garrett. I wrote about how I think it will hurt Open Source projects, do more harm than good. etc. It was a pretty nice letter, I should have saved it (UGH!). Here is the reply:
Dear Friend:
Knowing of your interest in the Stop Online Piracy Act (H.R. 3261), I would like to take the opportunity to update you on this legislation. Understanding your ideas and concerns is important because it helps me to better represent you and the Fifth District of New Jersey. I value your comments and appreciate the opportunity to respond.
As you know, H.R. 3261 was introduced by Congressman Lamar Smith (TX-21) on October 26, 2011. This legislation would allow the Attorney General to file injunctions against foreign websites that steal and sell American products and innovations. This legislation would also increase penalties on individuals or companies who illegally import military goods or counterfeit medicines, and improve coordination between U.S. intellectual property (IP) enforcement agencies. You may be interested to know that H.R. 3261 has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee, where it awaits further review.
Like you, I believe that theft of IP is damaging to American innovation and entrepreneurs, and hampers job creation. While I am not a member of the House Judiciary Committee, I do look forward to reviewing the committee's findings on H.R. 3261. Please know that your correspondence is important to me and that I appreciate your views. Should legislation concerning the Stop Online Piracy Act come to the House floor for a vote, I will consider it with your thoughts in mind.
At first, I was very pleased to get a response so quickly! I honestly didn't expect any reply at all. After reading it I wasn't entirely happy with the completeness of his reply. From the language in his letter it seems like he would be in favor of SOPA. However, the response does seem rather high level and perhaps misinformed, and he does state that he will review once it leaves the committee. I am giving him the benefit of the doubt for now, if the bill ever is presented to the House I will be contacting him again.
For some further reading, the Bergen Record has some Opinion letters regarding this topic.
First we have an Opinion article from December 12, 2011 Opinion: No free speech right to pirate software
Now we have two letters in reply to this article The Record: Letters, Dec. 17, 2011 The letters I am referring to are the last two letters on the page.
1991 Pro Line Wives
Random text message from a friend:
"One time my Dad brought me home a pack of NY Giants playing cards after his school had a scrimmage with them. One of the cards was of Bart Oates' wife"
Ok, so this guy doesn't exaggerate, even so I was like, get outta here.
Off we go on a google detective hunt:
Obviously let's start with Bart Oates:
I google "Bart Oates Wife"
1st hit wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bart_Oates (no personal life information)
3rd hit shows "Bart Oates, Michelle Oates" - http://manhattan.smugmug.com/2011MostRecent/3RD-ANNUAL-GIVE-KIDS-A-SHOT/16788050_rwsvXJ/2/1266619526_Cm9tZgM#1266619526_Cm9tZgM
Honorees: NMA honored former New York Giants Football great Bart Oates and his wife Michelle
2nd google "Michelle Oates" (nothing good here, random facebook and linked in profiles)
3rd google "Michelle Oates NY Giants"
4th google "1991 Pro Line Portraits Wives"
Yes - http://www.ebay.com/itm/1991-Pro-Line-Portraits-Football-WIVES-SET-NM-MT-/370020674908#ht_827wt_1396
I wonder if he still has the card.
WDW Music Freak
I'm a freak for anything Walt Disney World, recently I have come across some websites that host music from the parks.
http://www.subsonicradio.com/ - Subsonic Radio has a nice stream of background music
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrThemeParkAudios - Youtube user that has a ton of stuff
Occasionally I'll put some tracks from the park that will take me right to a specific spot.
Two that really stand out for me are:
Epcot Entrance Music - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCRj2OEXa2k
Tomorrowland Area Music - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgQ4EeSW1hc
It's fun to have a little magic when I'm stuck at work 
Sigh
I don't mind the random searching at Penn station, I guess I accepted it as part of the world we live in. I have been searched a few times, it's out of the way and quick. They wipe your bag with some cloth, maybe ask for a glance inside, and you're off. However this morning policemen with bomb/drug dogs were just milling about through the rush hour crowd. I was sniffed by two dogs, both times I was asked to stop so I could be checked.
Civil liberties are not taken away in a day they are slowly eroded. In order to enter the Meadowlands for Jets games I submit to pat downs. How long until we are subjected to random pat downs at Penn Station? How long until we have to present a fingerprint in order to use the ticket machine? Ok I'm done.
Kissing Ball
For Christmas this year Sarah wanted to have something hanging from the hook outside of our condo. During Spring and Summer months we have a hanging plant on the hook, but since its too cold in the winter Sarah found something else. At a nearby nursery she found what is called a "Kissing Ball". Pretty much its a foam ball with greens stuck into it, has a hook on the top. Sarah wanted to embellish this decoration and what she came up with is pretty interesting.
We placed lemons and bows in the kissing ball to dress it up. Here's a picture!
Lemons seem really weird but back in Victorian days using fruits such as oranges and lemons were a sign of extreme wealth.
Come Fly with me…
I was curious to see how many planes were in the air today since it is Tuesday before Thanksgiving and I came across this...
This is a snapshot of all the planes currently in the air over the US. Every dot represents a plane.
My prayers go out to air traffic controllers, because that looks like it could be a stressful job.
Here's a link to the site http://www.natca.org/flight-explorer/united-states.aspx
The Ring
This past weekend I lost my wedding band.
I was throwing the football outside with the boys and it fell off my hand in the yard. Not good.
Immediately we started looking in the area on our hands and knees. After about 45 minutes, we had to stop, it was getting too dark. Sarah and I would look the next morning. The next morning, Sarah rented a metal detector and we went out there and got to work. I had an idea of where the ring fell off, so we started there with the metal detector.
Initially we tested the metal detector on Sarah's ring in our living room, it seemed that we should be able to find the ring with the detector no problem. Also I tested by throwing a nickel into the yard to see if we were moving too fast. We found the nickel. We had confidence that this was going to work.
We search and search, no luck. An hour and a half goes by. The detector would seem to find something, and there would be nothing in the grass. I assume this was because the detector was finding a pipe buried underground in the area. It was to the point where Sarah was almost done searching the initial area where I was certain I had lost it. I was starting to panic and think about what we are going to do, when do we give up. I was a mess.
Then, I start walking a new area, just looking as the grass as I walk in a straight line, and I see it. I spotted the ring like a HAWK. Turned out we didn't need the metal detector. I put it back on my hand immediately, we put the metal detector away and head to the jeweler to resize my ring. They are going to make it one full size smaller which is pretty substantial.
I hope I never lose my ring like that again, it made me realize how important it was to me. My hand felt empty without it. I can't wait for it to be back from the jeweler =).
