Management at my company recently freaked out over the abundance of four-letter words in our source code. Some random examples (paths hidden to protect the innocent):

…java:281: “Why the fuck did you pass a null repository?” ); …jsp:50: // alert(“fuck”); …scm:187: ;; the case fucking me here is when (java.math.BigDecimal:instance? x) …scm:127: (if (assq ‘fuckup args-alist) …scm:915: ;; *CURRENT-SQL-MANAGER*, we will now fuck up …scm:47: (list->parray (unfuck-query-results …java:101: “fucketyfuck” ); …txt:41: set, resulting in obscure and often quiet fuckage) …scm:131: (else ‘what-the-living-fuck))))))))

And my fave:

…whoami.jsp:18: whoever the fuck you are

The unfortunate QA engineer tasked with fixing the problem wrote this script:

for bad_word in fuck shit piss bitch # [etc.] do find $CVS_TREE -type f \ | egrep ‘\.(scm|java)$’ \ | xargs grep -i ‘”[^"]*’$bad_word’[^"]*”‘ done

FYI: I am fully aware that I am a dork for posting this under “humor.”

The Long Now Foundation sponsored a Sam Harris talk entitled “The View from the End of the World.” It was a controversial reframing of faith from a “Long Now” point of view. In a nutshell: apocalyptic beliefs result in large-scale policies and individual behaviors that defy reason. Why worry about global warming if the second coming is just around the corner?

I wasn’t there (click through for Stewart Brand’s summary of the talk, below), but there seems to have been an unfair focus on religion. Similar beliefs abound in progressive movements as well. “The Day After Tomorrow” was every bit an apocalpytic vision as the Book of Revelations. I’m also reminded of a sticker on gknot’s door: “Envision Market Collapse.” To the degree that such orientations serve as a warning to repent and change our environment-spoiling ways, I feel this is a positive. But they are often used to justify the destruction of property and sometimes even life. Case in point: the Church of Euthanasia.

Stewart Brand’s summary of the talk: Read the rest of this entry »

This recent article provides a somewhat sensationalized description of the ‘e-hijacking‘ of 3.9 million consumer credit records. What is interesting about this theft (and it was an actual physical theft, not simply a copy like most supposed data ‘thefts’) is the extraordinary sophistication of the attackers:

“Spoonamore, a veteran of the intelligence community, said in his analysis of this e-hijacking, upwards of 15 to 20 people needed to be involved to hack five different computer systems simultaneously to breach the electronic safeguards on the electronic manifest. The manifest was reset from “secure” to “standard” while in transit, so it could be delivered without the required three signatures, he said. Afterward the manifest was put back to “secure” and three signatures were uploaded into the system to appear as if proper procedures had been followed.”

This case has several interesting aspects. For one, this was apparently a very well-planned and well-funded attack. Clearly, the culprits had a reasonably precise estimate of the value of the data they were appropriating, which puts them one up on the people who are ostensibly in charge of protecting the data (UPS?? UPS?!?!?!). Second, the attack was performed on backend infrastructure, completely out of the hands of the individuals whose information was lost and whose personal financial lives are at risk. The victims have no idea what was obtained, what they could have done to prevent it, or even if they are a victim. Do you shred your credit statements? Avoid buying things over the internet? Doesn’t matter. Unless you work for Citigroup, Experian, or UPS corporate security, nothing you could have done would have prevented this event.

The corporations responsible for the failure of this link in the chain are more or less completely without exposure. So now we have unaccountable third parties collecting material for their own reward that exposes millions of individuals to enormous personal risk. Yet they take no risk themselves. Your identity is being bought and sold (and stolen and abused), and you have no say in the transaction. This is an untenable situation.

More to come.

The WB is planning a new series based on the early days of Aquaman. The story will follow Arthur Curry (Aquaman’s secret identity), as he discovers and learns about his super powers. I’m certain that the actor will be a muscly young stud a-la Tom Welling from The WB’s Smallville, and that there will be enough teen heartthrob and heartthrob-ette flesh to make MTV Spring Break pale in comparison.

In the spirit of Aquaman’s return to fame, check out this essay on the rise and fall of the King of Atlantis. It’s an enjoyable read, and the author makes some interesting observations.

The United States Postal Service is set to launch a full sheet of DC Comic book character inspired stamps. Not only was (am) I an avid comic book fan, but I also collected stamps as a kid. I’m going to buy tons of these.

Note: Stamp prices increase to 39 cents in 2006.

Also, I read a DailyKos post about how Democrats are like Superheroes. Most interesting was his comment on Superhero movies:

“…the best of the crop spend less time on special effects and blowin’ things up, and more time delving into character. And many of the most memorable and sympathetic superheroes spend a lot of time searching their consciences: am I doing the right thing kicking so much criminal ass? Should I hang up the outfit and channel my efforts in a more conventional direction? Am I crossing a line with my unusual approach to serving the public good? Where exactly is the line?”

I decided to categorize the Superhero movies of the last 30 years based on how much and how well they focused on a hero’s moral dilemma and character development. Of course, I also made some predictions about how upcoming superhero movies will stack up.

The Good: X-Men, X2, Spiderman, Spiderman 2, Batman, Batman Begins, Superman, Superman 2, Blade, The Incredibles Prediction: Superman Returns, Spiderman 3, X3, Wonder Woman, Wolverine

The Bad: Superman 4, Batman Returns, Fantastic Four, Punisher, Hellboy, Blade 2, Blade Trinity, Prediction: Fantastic Four 2

The Ugly: Superman 3, Batman Forever, Batman and Robin, Daredevil, Catwoman, Elektra, League of Extraordinary Gentleman, Van Helsing, Hulk, Prediction: Daredevil 2

Last night I walked over to the Traveling Jewish Theater to enjoy The Arab-Israeli Cookbook, a play by Robin Soans. The title of the play doesn’t quite suggest the powerful and beautiful story the play delivers. My friend Clive Chafer directed and produced this play consisting of eight actors portraying 42 different characters.

The set design was minimal and the props consisted mainly of traditional Arab-Israeli foods. The minimalist set-design served its purpose, allowing the viewer to focus solely on the characters and their stories. And what amazing stories they were! I found myself wide-eyed and riveted during the play’s two acts. Several times I anxiously held my breath and could hear my heart beating loudly in an intense response to the story unfolding in front of me.

TheatreFIRST, the non-profit theater company responsible for bringing us the Cookbook, presents a fantastic ensemble and a touching look into the lives of everyday Arabs, Israelis, and Christians in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank. All eight of the actors were phenomenal, truly breathing life into each of his or her several characters.

The play is scheduled for 3 more performances: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It’s walking distance from the False Profit Soap Factory, and definitely a play worth seeing.