January 2011 – Moby Files: Blog

Random Schmandom

I’m pulling a ‘palin’ and making up words again. lol Anyhoo, I survived the 40th birthday. Actually, it was very low key and relaxed. Apple guy and I spent a day at Golden Gate park and a nice simple dinner. I’m not big on celebrating my birthday but it was very enjoyable. Yes, I did the obligatory going out to drink with friends. That said, I enjoyed the day at the park more. ^[1]Of course, I haven’t been huge on bars for years.

In other news, I’ve been getting a lot of meme requests lately. Sorry to disappoint but I hate those things and rarely do them. Every now and then I find one that strikes my fancy but it is rare. I appreciate the offer but don’t be upset if I don’t.

Apple guy and I spent this weekend finishing some projects around the apt. We also spent time on repeated trips to Target and Home Depot. He is very handy and always reminds me how easy some tasks can be when one applies oneself. I’d rather just pay someone else to do it. lol Ok, that’s only half true. Work takes a lot out of me and I’ll admit I rarely feel up to doing stuff that I consider to be “chores” around the house. I always help (as if I had a choice) when he does but he obviously enjoys it. I wish I got as much excitement out of it as he does. I’m just happy he’s happy and whatever makes him happy, I’m all about. *g* He also gets huge props for turning my bachelor bad into a very comfy home for us both. I don’t even recognize the apt from then and now.

One of Apple guy’s friends had a sick doggy last week. The doggy is up there in years. This made me think of Spike and I honestly don’t know what I’m gonna do when he starts declining. He is doing remarkably well for his 8 years but we’ve noticed little signs lately that his age is catching up with him. I’ll be honest, I am gonna freak out if/when he does gets sick. I have never in my life been so attached to an animal. I honestly don’t understand it either. lol Growing up on a farm the way I did, we were always taught that animals come and go and not to invest too much energy in something that would end up being food later. Not that we’d eat dogs but the mentality carried over from our livestock to pets. I lost several pets as a kid and I can’t ever remembering being teary-eyed. I would be sad for sure just not all blubbery. Hell, just the idea of Spike not being around makes me tear up. Seriously, I’m warning you now. I expect cards, gifts, and visits from all of you if/when Spike reaches his golden moment.

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↑1	Of course, I haven’t been huge on bars for years.

Sa-kur-atee!

I’ve noticed a huge upswing in attempts to crack the admin account for my blog lately. Way more than usual. Its no secret I monitor my log-in records. Its an easy way to spot people up to no good. I use a legacy hack from an old version of WP. It records your key strokes at log-in, your IP, how many times you fail to log in, etc. If I notice someone with too may attempts they get a friendly email (if I recognize them) or their IP blocked (If I don’t).

I can’t help but wonder if my last post might have spurred them on. hehehe I keep a pretty good password on my admin account already. Plus, you only get 5 tries before the system blocks you anyway. ^[1]courtesy of a little plugin called User Locker If you can crack it in 5 or less tries, I probably deserve to be hacked.

As an extra precaution, I switched over to a different user account. You probably won’t notice anything different on your end. I figured one extra layer of protection wouldn’t hurt. The administrator account with WordPress comes with a default administrator account and you can’t delete it. That said, there is no reason you have to use it either. You can simply set the password to something incredibly complex and create your own account with admin privileges. Tip: If you use the same plugin mentioned above (or a similar one), incorrectly log into your default admin account until it locks up. Now its permanently locked until you reset your password by email or change it from your newer admin account. Most savvy bloggers do this already. ^[2]Or they should! I confess after I switched over to my new database last year I never got around to it. I know, BAD MOBY! lol

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↑1	courtesy of a little plugin called User Locker
↑2	Or they should!

Hate Springs Eternal

I’m fond of saying “hope springs eternal”. It is something I picked up as a kid and it stuck with me. Well, I’m sad to say it seems the same is true of hate. I got my first hate mail in ages today. I think primarily as I’ve been bouncing around news blogs more than usual leaving comments on current events.

Today’s douchebag in ass-hattery was smart enough to use a hotmail account. An account I have since reported to MS as the content violates their fair-use clause. I have no idea what MS will do but whateva.

Said pathetic soul started out with the usual vitriol, you’ll burn in hell, filthy disgusting queer, blah blah blah. To his credit, the punctuation and spelling were pretty good. ^[1]Of course, anyone w/spell and grammar check can do that with a minimal of effort. Most of the hate mails of past were always riddled with typos, poor punctuation/spelling, etc. Not to say that haters are stupid, maybe they are just lazy?

Anyway, I enjoy getting hate mail as it signals that I hit a nerve somewhere. To date, I’ve yet to encounter anyone who can back up their hatred with cold hard facts. Oh yeah, the fall back on religion, biology, and tradition. But those are so pathetically frail as to be laughable. Anyone with half a brain can overturn the reasoning on all three counts with just minimal education. So called “christians” really get pissy when you quote their own book at them refudiating ^[2]I couldn’t help poking phone at Sara Palin’s stupidity. their nonsense.

I find the best way to approach said nut-jobs is to reply to them in calm, matter-of-fact tones, no matter how excited they get. This drives them absolutely fucking nuts! Being unable to rile you sends them into frenzies of anger. heehee It really is quite fun and I highly recommend it.

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↑1	Of course, anyone w/spell and grammar check can do that with a minimal of effort.
↑2	I couldn’t help poking phone at Sara Palin’s stupidity.

Resolute-toot

Did you make any resolutions for 2011 (twenty-eleven) yet? No? Well get busy damn it! lol Truth be told, I’m a little behind myself. Actually, I think I’m way behind at this point. Oh well, better late than never.

I’m wondering the average success rate of NY resolutions. My success rate is about 70% over the last 10 years. That’s not bad at all. To be fair some of them weren’t overly ambitious. Partly as I’m a big believer in making gradual changes vs abrupt ones. Most of the gradual changes I make stick with me while the abrupt ones often fall by the wayside.

This year I only have a couple new ones. ^[1]I still have my annual ones that I sort of reaffirm every year. Working out, eating better, staying fit, blah blah blah. One, I wanna get back into blogging more. I’ve gotten away from it in the last 6 or so months and I miss it. My schedule plays a big part of it but I should be able to find a little time here and there to blog. I also miss reading personal blogs. While I still follow a dedicated few, I haven’t added any new ones in ages and the bulk of my blog reading is usually news oriented.

Two, I plan to focus on developing the friendships that matter to me in my life. With the passing my buddy Gene recently, it really made me think about things. I offer friendship readily to anyone who shows interest but to build a real lasting friendship takes effort. I need to focus on those who return said energy in kind. Its easy being someone’s friend when it costs or demands nothing.

These are my goals for the year. What are yours?

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↑1	I still have my annual ones that I sort of reaffirm every year. Working out, eating better, staying fit, blah blah blah.

Deleted II

I deleted over 100 user accounts from my blog today. Most were sp*mmers. On the odd chance I deleted a legitimate account in error, you can just re-register. I only block IP’s for known baddies. This is becoming a chore so if things continue on this vein, I’ll have to remove the 3rd-party log-in plugin. I had to adjust the security controls in wordpress for it work properly and now I’m getting a weekly hit of fake accounts.

I’m also taking suggestions/recommendations for a new sp*m blocker plug-in. My beloved SK2 is no longer supported. Its held up for over a year of newer and newer versions of WP with no problems but lately, cracks are showing. The WP code is changing so much I think its time to move on. I have akismet loaded but no running. I’ve read good reviews but I’d love to find another plug-in as good or better than SK2. Suggestions?