Pictures from the CPLUG Security Conference
You can see the few pictures I took at the CPLUG conference on saterday here, in the CPLUG picture page
You can see the few pictures I took at the CPLUG conference on saterday here, in the CPLUG picture page
On Saturday I went out with some friends of mine from WPLUG (Western PA Linux User Group) to CPLUG’s (Central PA Linux User Group) Security Conference. It was pretty good; I found one of the more interesting talks was from a PA trooper on the PA cyber crime laws. They seemed to be well written, I have read about other states that have very poorly written laws, but from what I saw of the PA laws from his presentation the PA laws are well written, and pretty technology friendly, while still outlawing the stuff that would hurt people.
Also they were giving out door prizes, I won one of them, I did not even expect to win, since I don’t win things like that. I got a book on Building Linux VPN’s the cool thing is I been looking into how to do this for a few months, so this book is a God sent. I look forward to the day when I can open up a VPN on my network for my use and have access to all the resources I have on my home network when I am at work.
Well today was “fun” my computer (laptop) was hacked into by some one, I assume it was just some stupid kiddy scripter. Why do I say it was probably just a stupid kiddy scripter, was because the stuff that was put on. A ftp server was put on, so it makes me think it was some stupid kiddy scripter who wanted to have some place to drop his/her stolen software. Well within about 15 minutes of the hacking the computer was taken off the network, and the hard drive will be blasted so that little child will not get the “warez” site he/she wanted. Unfortunately for me I will lose the use of the laptop over a weekend I really needed it. I think that the law should have stiffer laws about computer crimes, some one who is convicted of a computer crime should be bard from using a computer for 20 years, that way their limited knowledge will be totally useless by the time they are allowed to use a computer again.
The kicker is last night I installed the latest XP security updates from MS last night, more proof that XP is not secure period.
Ok in my inbox today got two of those Nigeria scams today, normaly I just delete them but for some reason I was so board I read them for the humor factor.
The first was for a lotory I never entered WOW I won 500,000GBP wow 😉 I can not belive that there are people stupid enouph to fall for this scam, but there has to be a stupid person out there or these scams would not continue, here is the email for this scam.
FROM: THE PROMOTION DIRECTOR INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS DEPT. REF: 014/060/532 BATCH: 762901-PCD03 ATTN;WINNER, AWARD FINAL NOTIFICATION: We are pleased to inform you of the release, of the long awaited results of the INSTANT CO. LOTTERY INTERNATIONAL PROMOTION PROGRAMES held on the 30th January 2005. You were entered as dependent clients with: Reference Number:REF: 014/060/532 and Batch number BATCH: 762901-PCD03 . Your email address attached to the ticket number: 369739 that drew the lucky winning number, which consequently won the INSTANT CO. LOTTERY first category, in four parts. You have been approved for a payment of 500,000.00POUNDS(FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND POUNDS.) in cash credited to file reference number:014/060/532.This is from a total cash prize of FIVE MILLION POUNDS Shared among the ten international winners in first categories. congratulations!!!!! To begin your claim,do file for the release of your winning by contacting our accredited agent: INSTANT CO. LOTTERY. Foreign Transfer Manager. Mr Mike Egarton FAX +44 8716616579 Email:mikeegarton@mail2world.com They are your agent, and responsible for the processing and transfer of your winnings fund to you. YOUR SECURITY FILE NUMBER IS 27522465896-6453 (keep personal) Remember, your winning must be claimed not later than 31-2-05). Congratulations again from all our staff and thank you for being part of our promotions program. Your Sincerely, Mrs. Lori Myer THE PROMOTION DIRECTOR. INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM (NL) N.B. Any breach of confidentiality on the part of the winners will result to disqualification. Contact your claims agent.
FROM: Dr Paul Okoro. E-MAIL:(info@drpaulokoro.com ) DATE: 24th February,2005 ATTN: CONTRACT / FUNDS BENEFICIARY Dear Sir, Sequel to the secretive arrangement in regards of the shipment of your contract sum, I wish to inform you that all necessary modalities have been automatically concluded and have left Nigeria to your country via South Africa today by Express Cargo Flight. Note carefully the contents of the crates is "MONEY" but I did not disclose it to the Courier Services as Money, rather I informed them that the crates contain Vital "DIPLOMATIC DOCUMENTS" belonging to my client (thats you). Furthermore, the weight of the consignment is 220kg but I manage to pay 120kg, which cost US$75,600.00. On no account should you disclose the contents of the crates to the Diplomatic Courier Services to avoid them from seizing the consignment. So do not allow them to know that the content is money. In the meantime, contact the Diplomatic Courier Services agent Frank Thando on Tel: 27-833 606 170 to know the status or position of the consignment and also furnish them with your particulars such as your full names, address and telephone number so that they will know exactly where the consignment will be delivered to and then get back to me as soon as possible so that we can have an agreement signed before I will give you the shipment documents. Meanwhile, I will be coming over to your country immediately the consignment arrives to you for my 40% share. Send me your response via: info@drpaulokoro.com Congrats!! Best Regards, Dr Paul Okoro
I have given people the ability to add comments to the Photo section of my web site. I will see how this goes, if I see that there to many spam or hate posts I will disable them, but for now I am going to see how it works out.
I was looking though the logs for the web site to see where people have been coming from and I see the following hit, http://www.technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?rank=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mikeoconnor.net%2F. So it looks like some one was searching for my blog on a search engine, out of curiosity I looked at their about page, and find out they are a search engine devoted to just blogs, well ok now I have seen everything.
I don’t know about others, but I would be afraid of a medicine developed by Microsoft, I don’t want any parts of my body to crash like their OS crashes. I can just imagine it now, some one is driving down the road after getting some medication helped devolved by MS and then their brain crashes for no reason, I wonder how many lives could be lost if MS is allowed to continue on this path.
I could not resist it. Today I picked up a Betta, and a 2 gallon tank for it. He is a beautiful fish. You can see pictures of him here. I am sure that once he start to settle into his new home. I know that there is a myth out there that Bettas can be kept in a small bowl. But I have read other peoples accounts of how Bettas react to different tank sizes, and the people that give the Bettas seam to have them live longer and they seam to be more colorful. To me that says they should be in a larger tank.
The funny thing is he is trying to fight his own reflection in the glass. It is funny to watch him.
I am so looking forward to the coming of spring. I do not like the winter; I am looking forward to the warmer weather when I can go biking again. When the temps start to get into the 50’s consistently the time will be ripe for the bike to be pulled out. And more pictures of Pittsburgh from a bikers point of view for the web site.
I am also hoping to get a group going for a weekly bike ride, I am right now looking into it and talking with friends about it, there is some mild interests, so I am hoping I can get something going.
I just looked at the web logs for my web site, and found some one came in for a search “Michael O’Connor” normally I am use to my web site being hit #1 for “Michael P. O’Connor” but I never thought that I would get in the top 10 on Google for just “Michael O’Connor” Well I have hit the top 10, I am hit number 10 for my first and last name alone no need for the middle initial anymore just to be on the first page of google. Now the question is can I make my way up to the top part of the page.
I have also noticed I get a lot of hits from google for search requests I would not have though would have returned my page, but when I look at the results I do have all those words and/or phrases on my page but they are usually not connected
The other day while walking though Wean hall down at CMU, I saw the following poster, some one had put a push pin where the S in the No Skills Required was, so at first I read No Kills Required. I have enclosed a image of the flier (sorry about the low quality of it but it was taken with my cell phone, maybe I should consider getting a cheap 2MP camera to keep on my person at all times for pictures like this, I see many of them but the cell phone does not take good pictures.)

I had some fun tonight, I had a few friends over, we played a verity of games. First we did some Egyptian Rat Screw, then some Fluxx (2 games with the basic rules, and a game with some of my custom rules, found that 2 of the ones I made I did not like it made the game drag instead of going well) Then another one that I do not remember, and some pounce.
I found this link on the net, it is the possible next 10 threats from terrorists. All I can think of is how those terrorists have mistreated that poor doll; well they must be bad they can pick on a doll. I am sorry this story is just too funny to let go unposted about here.
But as all good stories like this it turns out it is only a hoax. But even CNN fell for it since they did report it as news. So I looks like the picture was really taken but not by a terrorist group, but by some kid. But it is funny as all get out, to think that the news media can be suckered into reporting such a story, I would think off the bat that it would have been a non-story to begin with, oh wow, they captured a DOLL!! oh what ever shall we do. I think that to report it really is just a waist of air space, it is better left to the comedy web sites.
I have given 19 of them away, keep the requests coming guys (m.p.oconnor@gmail.com), and I will keep sending the invites out until I am all out of them, as of right now I have 31 invites left. I am wondering just how long it will take me to blow them all. I just want to see if it is possible to use them all up, I don’t think so it seams that almost every one has an gmail account as of now, and those that do not have them don’t want them
I have posted to 5 differiant bulletin boards my gmail address (m.p.oconnor@gmail.com) in hopes that people will eat them up. Also I put up on a white board in the SCS undergrad lounge at CMU the email to email for an invite, for a total of 6 places that it is listed. Unless some one has been living under a rock at CMU I doubt any one there will respond.
I should also note if you know any one that wants one, just have them email me and I will be happy to send one to them also.
Today I have noticed google really crawling my web site like it has never been before, I seen the googlebot coming from 6 IP address. It is also going to pages that google has not crawling before; the Photo section of my site google has never done before now there are 6 of their bots going though that section. Ouch is all I can say for them, it does not hurt me but I have over 1418 pictures, and each one has 2 pages for it, a normal view and a full view of the picture. It will only cost me about 1.6Gb to let them do the whole site, no big deal for me, I have 50Gb of transfer a month, but I dread to think how this will just clutter up their database when it comes to my site, They will have over 3000 pages from my site indexed. Are they about to update their search tool again, and I wonder what they are going to be adding.