HanWorks Research

...attached a Ferris wheel. At Tokyo Dome City.
It's stereographic projected version of this pano.

See where this picture was taken. [?]
[MAP by ALPSLAB]

Roller coaster planet, originally uploaded by heiwa4126

Labels: Photo of the Day

It was so loud it was so quiet we didn't sleep we slept.
We didn't dream. We dreamt of panthers and hatpins, orchids and ashbins.
There was no moon; no moon was there
Ever so magnificent. Even the dogs were mesmerized.
Make that: the gods—even the gods were mesmerized.
There were no dogs; no dogs were there.
Even so, sleep was impossible—
All that howling! We dreamt of panthers and hatpins, orchids and ashbins.
Didn't we? No; and if we did,
We weren't dreaming.

-- The Howling of Gods, A New Book of Common Days by Jay Hopler

I couldn't comprehend today's XKCD comic...


... so I decided to google around for answers.

So what is this Debian-OpenSSL fiasco? I was surprised when I read that openssl's random number generator had a vulnerability that has affected the security of RSA keys since September 2006. This bug has gone unnoticed for more than a year!

However, surprise turned to shocked as I began to understand the bigger picture in layman's terms.

Instead of using random data to generate basic "seed" values for keys, the OpenSSL PRNG used the current process ID, a unique process identifier. The problem is that, in Linux, the default maximum process ID is 32,768, meaning the seed value could be overcome by brute force, or systematically applying different values in the range 0 to 32,768.

This is a security catastrophe. The experts are saying that "ANY cryptographic material created on vulnerable systems can be compromised."

Labels: Linux

I just installed Gnome Do on my Ubuntu Hardy and I am impressed. Gnome Do is inspired by Quicksilver.

$ sudo aptitude install gnome-do gnome-do-plugin-rhythmbox gnome-do-plugins

I love the fact that you can open apps and stuff right from the comfort of your keyboard. This is an immense time saver and it is a must-have for an serious Ubuntu user.

After installing, remember to read the user guide.

Tip 1: Get gnome-do to run at startup by going to (Menu)System->Preference->Sessions and adding the command

gnome-do -q

Tip 2: I didn't like the shortcut "Super + Space" so I changed it to "Control-Space" as the control key was the left most button. You can do this by opening Configuration Editor (run gconf-editor) and changing the key binding to "<control>space" in "/apps/gnome-do/preferences" inside gconf-editor.

Labels: Linux

Yes... the long awaited Ubuntu 8.04 is finally out... but everyone is trying to upgrade their system through the Ubuntu Update Manager. Why get stuck with the Ubuntu Update Manager and a sluggish Ubuntu server when there is a faster way? Even, the Ubuntu mirrors take time to get the latest release.

Note: This guide is meant for the impatient...

1. Get the alternate cd iso bittorent file. Get it. (Note: this ONLY works with the alternate cd, and NOT with the Live CD.)
   
   
2. Use a bittorent client such as transmission to download it.
   (Tip: sudo apt-get transmission if you dont have transmission.)
   This will take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours. Depends on your luck.
   
   
3. Verify the iso file you downloaded using a MD5 check. (Get the MD5 file from the same place where you got your bittorent file.) (This step is optional but recommended.)
   
   
4. Mount the iso file. E.g.: (note: /cdrom is similar to /media/cdrom) [Time saver: no need to burn CD!]
   sudo mount -t iso9660 ubuntu-8.04-alternate-i386.iso /cdrom -o loop
   
   
5. Hit Alt-F2, type in and run the following:
   gksu "sh /cdrom/cdromupgrade"
   
   
6. Sit back and relax. Go and grab a cup of coffee. Restart your computer at the end of the upgrade. The upgrade takes about 30 mins on a Intel C2D 2.0GHz.
   
   Enjoy a game of classic minesweeper while the installer runs in the background.
   Don't panic if your system does not function "normally" during the upgrade.
   
   

   Note: if you encounter the "exclusive lock" error associated with aptitude, hit ctrl-alt-backspace and re-login.
   

   
   
7. Say "hello" to Ubuntu 8.04 LTS! Congrats for making it through!
   Note: some programs may appear to "crash" when you first login. Don't panic. Simply click away the error messages, logout and re-login and most of your problems will be solved. (For me, I had to coax my wireless to work.)
   
   
8. You may now remove the CD entry to the image found in the file: /etc/apt/sources.list
   Tip: Hit Alt-F2 and run gksu "gedit /etc/apt/sources.lst" and comment the following line:
   deb cdrom:[Ubuntu 8.04 _Hardy Heron_ - Release i386 (20080422.2)]/ hardy main restricted (or something similiar, with the "8.04")
   
   
9. Total time I took ~ around 2.5 hours.
   
   

Thanks to Albert Bicchi's guide for insight into this matter.

Labels: Linux

This blog has been very quiet for almost a month. The primary reason is that I have been busy writing an extension called Fireclip for Firefox.


Fireclip is a nifty tool which allows you to clip out portions of webpages and reload them later to check for updates. The latest version is 0.2.1 and it is a stable release.

This blog post is a CFC (call for comments) or rather, call for reviews on Mozilla's Add-ons Page. Fireclip is currently labeled "experimental" and reviews are needed before it can go public. So, to all those out there, please get a Mozilla account and write a review here (on the right)! Thanks!

If you are interested in trying out Fireclip without registering an account, download fireclip-0.2.1.zip, extract the xpi file, and drag and drop it inside your Firefox browser.

More Resources:
- Official information
- Short video tutorial

Labels: Firefox

Here's a list of file sharing services which I find useful.

• File Dropper
• Drop.io
• Dropbox
• Windows Live Skydrive
• Box.net
  
• Omnidrive (very slow)

Anyway, it possible to solve a rubik cube in 6 seconds.... even better, 0 seconds for this one.

Labels: Web 2.0

Entrance, originally uploaded by Jordi (OWK)

Labels: Photo of the Day

Random stuff:

1. Flickr is turning 4 on 15 Mar. Here is your chance to get your photo printed and put up for display at Flickr's "pin-up" exhibit in San Francisco. (Do this before 12 Mar. Your photo must have a min res of 1500 x 2100 pixel too.)

2. This "horror story" on G-Archiver rocks. If you are a hacker, you got to be smarter too. If you frequently download shareware or freeware apps from "untrusted sources", you have to be more careful. On a side note, I didn't know there is such a cool tool as Reflector.

3. I have been reading Microsoft's "Heros Happen Here" (rss) Comic. I must say I like it.

4. Firefox 3 T-Shirt Contest. Oh, and Firefox add-ons developers who are able to achieve Firefox 3 beta 3 compatibility by March 18th are eligible for a Mozilla Add-ons Developer T-shirt.

Stanford Law Professor, Lawrence Lessig, is considering whether to run for Congress. Lessig is better know as the founder and CEO of Creative Commons and also the founder of the Free Culture movement.

In the above video, notes how Lessig rapidly displays short phrases to make his point. Some call his presentation style the "Lessig Method".

I will support Lessig if he chooses to run for Congress.

Update: Lessig has decided not to run for Congress.

Labels: Politics