Wow, what a day. Woke up, and got to class almost an hour late. Par for the course on this module. Stressed out, and noticed NO ONE else in class slept either. We were ALL working on proposals this week. I was stressing thinking I had other work to catch up on too. Another guy came in an hour after I did, that made me feel a lil better, especially since his topic was almost the same as mine (Artificial Intelligence) Did I mention I feel STRESSED? Been having mood swings and depression and stuff all week. Dunno if it's cause the weather has been gray and rainy all week, or because of the mounting deadline on all this work I had to do. Could also possibly be because all this happened during FREAKIN SPRING BREAK!!! That might also explain why the town has seemed so quiet. Anyway, presentation went ok, didn't follow the prescribed format, didn't know there was one. Gotta pay more attention to electronic blackboard.
Tired....May go on road trip to topeka tomorrow to pick up a part. WANT to go somewhere where I know NOBODY for a month. After I graduate next year, I'm going on sabbatical. Peace Corps, whatever. I need out of here....BADLY
Saturday, March 26, 2005
Friday, March 25, 2005
Now Watching Anime: Sadamitsu the Destroyer vol 1, Read or Die the TV Vol 2, Legend of Himiko Vol 1. They all pretty much kick ass. Himiko is older cell drawn anime from '99. None of that new digital shit ;) Good stuff, like 12 kingdoms story wise.
Now Watching Movies: Equilibrium, BoonDock Saints, King of the Hill s3vol1. I gotta say I'd been kinda wanting to see Equilibrium for a long time. Don't know why I waited so long now. That movie was pretty good. The Gun Kata, a fictious martial-art, was the sexiest thing I had seen in a long time. Volcano High has been released on domestic dvd now, so that means my Hong Kong bootleg just became worthless....
Events: Going to a 'con this year, if it effin' kills me!
http://www.freewebs.com/naka-kon/ Anime Con in Lawrence on the 17th of April. Free, all day Sunday. Anime, music, COSPLAY!!!! I am gathering my fellow Acolytes for the exodus now. Prepare your souls for the animated goodness!
http://www.mini-con.com/ Anime Con in Broken Arrow, OK. $10 at the door, $8 pre-reg. Artists Gallery and stuff. It is on the 9th of April. This one seems less likely for me to show up at, but I have an aunt that lives in Tulsa (I think) and a few other friends and relatives in the state, I will try to show up.
All above information via www.anime-cons.com
been screamin, cryin and moanin all week bout homework due tomorrow. Now I'm actually almost done. Go figure. Need to work on them stress management skillz. ;o It's wierd, but I think I'm starting to get the hang of takin care of myself. My normal mode is that of most computer nerds....Work or study, with 30 seconds or less delegated to care and feeding of the meat puppet.
Speaking of Computer nerds, went to a seminar yesterday. Told my job it was a "school function" and it WAS, dammit. ;) It got moved from the posted room, so I ended up waiting till 15 minutes before it was to start in the wrong place. Got back downstairs and nobody there. Wandered around for 5 minutes, wandered back in, and all of a sudden it was standing room only. Dean of my progam, a coupla instructors, and one classmate from the 2 year program I transferred out of were all the people I knew there. The rest of the room was filled with coders. UBERgeeks. ;) Man, I felt so overwhelmed by the knowledge in that room! Most of the stuff talked about during the presentation I only had a general knowledge of, all these guys and gals (yes, SEVERAL female geeks!) knew the stuff intimately. They were all also averaging 10+ years older than me, except for a coupla guys in the back. That made me feel slightly better. I tell you though, God is paying me back for not paying attention in my programming classes back in the 90's. Now that I need it, I don't have it. Screw it, I'm a hardware/management guy ;)
Anyhow, the presentation itself was very interesting. The hacking demonstration wasn't separate, but more along the lines of a powerpoint footnote. The speaker was interesting too, and the guy flew in on his own dime, which impressed me. He explained how current day hacking is less and less at the network level (getting harder and harder to do) and is now done at the web applications and software level...or a combination of software and hardware. Alot harder for "security professionals" to catch, cause this method bypasses common security procedures. I think I pissed him off cause I started having to work hard not to nod off near the end of his presentation. My excuse was I brought neither sugar nor caffeine to the presentation (was SUPPOSED to be provided) and so my eyes were starting to shut as he finished. Whatever you thought of me sir, it WAS a GREAT presentation. I learned alot. I learned that I have more to catch up on programming wise than I thought too. Some of the exploits he talked about were so simple and so commonplace it was scary. I also relearned that cookies are not your friend. Didn't win any of the free swag, which was disappointing, but I am gonna try to show up for these things more often....Here is the email I got about it, from my local AITP chapter:
http://www.wichitadevelopers.net/
March Meeting
Topic: Live Hacking Demo: Top Web App Attack Methods and How to Combat ThemSpeaker: Dennis Hurst, Senior Consulting Engineer, SPI DynamicsDate: March 24, 2005 3:00-5:00pm.
Web applications by nature are not static. Content is continually being altered and new features are added, in some instances on a very frequent basis. Each time the Web application is , a risk is imposed that the application will not be secure. Even the simplest of changes could produce a vulnerability that may pose a major threat to the assets of the company or, just as important, information about a company's customers.By taking advantage of the public access to a company through port 80 and 443 and using it to subvert your applications, hackers can gain easy access into your company's sensitive back-end data. Firewalls and IDS will not stop such attacks because hackers using the Web application layer are not seen as intruders.Watch and learn as top security experts from SPI Dynamics show you how to defend against attacks at the Web application layer with examples covering recent hacking methods such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting, parameter manipulation, session hijacking and LDAP injection.
Dennis Hurst is a senior security engineer for SPI Dynamics, the expert in web application security testing and assessment. In this role he is responsible for working with developers to educate them on the need for web application security and practical ways to protect web applications from hacking attacks.
With more than 15 years experience in the Information Systems/Application Development industry, he is an expert in system design, implementation and maintenance of complex multi-vendor, multi-platform computer applications and networks. He has extensive experience in planning developing and enhancing Internet systems as well as integrating Internet systems with legacy systems. For the past four years he has focused on developing tools to test and secure the HTTP protocol. He was the lead developer of SPI Dynamics’ flagship web application vulnerability assessment product, WebInspect™, during the initial years of the product’s development, and now works with other development organizations evangelizing the need to integrate security into the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC).
Dennis is a Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MSCD) and a Certified Novell Engineer (CNE) for version 3.x and 4.x. Furthermore, he has published articles and developed classes on the secure application development process. Dennis has spoken on the topic of secure coding practices at Software Development West 2004, Better Software 2004, WebSec 2003 and various user group chapter meetings. He has been published in asp.net PRO and on 15 Seconds http://www.15seconds.com/Issue/000612.htm.
Useful Links
MSDN Developers Centers
http://msdn.microsoft.com/developercenters
MSDN Webcasts
http://msdn.microsoft.com/training/webcasts
.Net Rocks!
http://www.franklins.net/dotnetrocks
SPI Dynamics
http://www.spidynamics.com
Location:
Friends UniversityBusiness & Tech. Building2100 W. University St.Wichita, KS 67213Ph: 316-295-5579Fx: 316-295-5130
(View Map)
(Campus Map)Building closest to Maple, between Seneca and Meridian
Date/Time:
March 24, 2005
3:00pm - 5:00pm
Food/Drink:
Snacks and drinks will be provided.Vending Machines Avail.
Prizes and Giveaways:
Microsoft has provided our user group with several giveaways. You must be in attendance to win.Ex: Visual Studio.Net, Wireless Keyboard, XBOX games, etc.
BAck to homework....
Now Watching Movies: Equilibrium, BoonDock Saints, King of the Hill s3vol1. I gotta say I'd been kinda wanting to see Equilibrium for a long time. Don't know why I waited so long now. That movie was pretty good. The Gun Kata, a fictious martial-art, was the sexiest thing I had seen in a long time. Volcano High has been released on domestic dvd now, so that means my Hong Kong bootleg just became worthless....
Events: Going to a 'con this year, if it effin' kills me!
http://www.freewebs.com/naka-kon/ Anime Con in Lawrence on the 17th of April. Free, all day Sunday. Anime, music, COSPLAY!!!! I am gathering my fellow Acolytes for the exodus now. Prepare your souls for the animated goodness!
http://www.mini-con.com/ Anime Con in Broken Arrow, OK. $10 at the door, $8 pre-reg. Artists Gallery and stuff. It is on the 9th of April. This one seems less likely for me to show up at, but I have an aunt that lives in Tulsa (I think) and a few other friends and relatives in the state, I will try to show up.
All above information via www.anime-cons.com
been screamin, cryin and moanin all week bout homework due tomorrow. Now I'm actually almost done. Go figure. Need to work on them stress management skillz. ;o It's wierd, but I think I'm starting to get the hang of takin care of myself. My normal mode is that of most computer nerds....Work or study, with 30 seconds or less delegated to care and feeding of the meat puppet.
Speaking of Computer nerds, went to a seminar yesterday. Told my job it was a "school function" and it WAS, dammit. ;) It got moved from the posted room, so I ended up waiting till 15 minutes before it was to start in the wrong place. Got back downstairs and nobody there. Wandered around for 5 minutes, wandered back in, and all of a sudden it was standing room only. Dean of my progam, a coupla instructors, and one classmate from the 2 year program I transferred out of were all the people I knew there. The rest of the room was filled with coders. UBERgeeks. ;) Man, I felt so overwhelmed by the knowledge in that room! Most of the stuff talked about during the presentation I only had a general knowledge of, all these guys and gals (yes, SEVERAL female geeks!) knew the stuff intimately. They were all also averaging 10+ years older than me, except for a coupla guys in the back. That made me feel slightly better. I tell you though, God is paying me back for not paying attention in my programming classes back in the 90's. Now that I need it, I don't have it. Screw it, I'm a hardware/management guy ;)
Anyhow, the presentation itself was very interesting. The hacking demonstration wasn't separate, but more along the lines of a powerpoint footnote. The speaker was interesting too, and the guy flew in on his own dime, which impressed me. He explained how current day hacking is less and less at the network level (getting harder and harder to do) and is now done at the web applications and software level...or a combination of software and hardware. Alot harder for "security professionals" to catch, cause this method bypasses common security procedures. I think I pissed him off cause I started having to work hard not to nod off near the end of his presentation. My excuse was I brought neither sugar nor caffeine to the presentation (was SUPPOSED to be provided) and so my eyes were starting to shut as he finished. Whatever you thought of me sir, it WAS a GREAT presentation. I learned alot. I learned that I have more to catch up on programming wise than I thought too. Some of the exploits he talked about were so simple and so commonplace it was scary. I also relearned that cookies are not your friend. Didn't win any of the free swag, which was disappointing, but I am gonna try to show up for these things more often....Here is the email I got about it, from my local AITP chapter:
http://www.wichitadevelopers.net/
March Meeting
Topic: Live Hacking Demo: Top Web App Attack Methods and How to Combat ThemSpeaker: Dennis Hurst, Senior Consulting Engineer, SPI DynamicsDate: March 24, 2005 3:00-5:00pm.
Web applications by nature are not static. Content is continually being altered and new features are added, in some instances on a very frequent basis. Each time the Web application is , a risk is imposed that the application will not be secure. Even the simplest of changes could produce a vulnerability that may pose a major threat to the assets of the company or, just as important, information about a company's customers.By taking advantage of the public access to a company through port 80 and 443 and using it to subvert your applications, hackers can gain easy access into your company's sensitive back-end data. Firewalls and IDS will not stop such attacks because hackers using the Web application layer are not seen as intruders.Watch and learn as top security experts from SPI Dynamics show you how to defend against attacks at the Web application layer with examples covering recent hacking methods such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting, parameter manipulation, session hijacking and LDAP injection.
Dennis Hurst is a senior security engineer for SPI Dynamics, the expert in web application security testing and assessment. In this role he is responsible for working with developers to educate them on the need for web application security and practical ways to protect web applications from hacking attacks.
With more than 15 years experience in the Information Systems/Application Development industry, he is an expert in system design, implementation and maintenance of complex multi-vendor, multi-platform computer applications and networks. He has extensive experience in planning developing and enhancing Internet systems as well as integrating Internet systems with legacy systems. For the past four years he has focused on developing tools to test and secure the HTTP protocol. He was the lead developer of SPI Dynamics’ flagship web application vulnerability assessment product, WebInspect™, during the initial years of the product’s development, and now works with other development organizations evangelizing the need to integrate security into the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC).
Dennis is a Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MSCD) and a Certified Novell Engineer (CNE) for version 3.x and 4.x. Furthermore, he has published articles and developed classes on the secure application development process. Dennis has spoken on the topic of secure coding practices at Software Development West 2004, Better Software 2004, WebSec 2003 and various user group chapter meetings. He has been published in asp.net PRO and on 15 Seconds http://www.15seconds.com/Issue/000612.htm.
Useful Links
MSDN Developers Centers
http://msdn.microsoft.com/developercenters
MSDN Webcasts
http://msdn.microsoft.com/training/webcasts
.Net Rocks!
http://www.franklins.net/dotnetrocks
SPI Dynamics
http://www.spidynamics.com
Location:
Friends UniversityBusiness & Tech. Building2100 W. University St.Wichita, KS 67213Ph: 316-295-5579Fx: 316-295-5130
(View Map)
(Campus Map)Building closest to Maple, between Seneca and Meridian
Date/Time:
March 24, 2005
3:00pm - 5:00pm
Food/Drink:
Snacks and drinks will be provided.Vending Machines Avail.
Prizes and Giveaways:
Microsoft has provided our user group with several giveaways. You must be in attendance to win.Ex: Visual Studio.Net, Wireless Keyboard, XBOX games, etc.
BAck to homework....
Monday, March 21, 2005
Lotta stuff been happening. Finally went to an interview with Primerica, after they have been consistently calling every year for like the past 3 or 4. My brother got into that and had a bad time, so I have stayed away from it...seems like a pyramid scheme to me. I found the whole process bordering and very often crossing over into the absurd, but it kept me amused for a few minutes, and I used it as a stress free interview experience. The "interview process" asked for 5 references, and I would bet all my most valued possessions that that is how they get your number in the first place. These guys sure will do a lot to make money....We as a nation really should do something about this free enterprise capitalistic society crap. I think competition and stuff is a good thing, but the cutthroat & telemarketing tactics have GOT to go.
Went to class Sat. Got up all extra early @ 6:30 and everything. Still walked in 30 minutes late. Ah well. Screw it. It's not like I'm the only one. And half the class didn't show up this week, spring break plans I suppose. Our instructor for this module is taking the same class he's teaching (Research Methods) except while he's teaching Master's level, he's taking Doctorate level. I've been stressing and panicking all week trying to get my stuff I missed last week turned in, and it seems I've been stressed for nothing. I gotta say, that's what I like about Friends University. The work is hard enough, they seem to not try to make it any harder on you....most of the time. I am gonna have to either hump it or half ass it this week, cause I got so many papers due it's not even funny. 1)7-10 minute presentation on my research topic 2)Final paper on my research proposal topic 3)Data analysis in excel for a statistics problem we were assigned 4)Literature Review 5)Annotated Bibliography Besides all that, still trying to find a better job, pay for grad school, pay for new grad school books next week, etc. etc. Well, definetely living in interesting times, even if I don't always find them very interesting.
Went to SCA fighter practice Sunday. Fighter practice has gotten a LOT smaller, but most of the same people are there. Felt good to get out in the warm sunny weather and swing a pseudosword around for a while and shoot the shit. The new fighter marshall there is an old buddy of mine that I was in kenjutsu class with for a while. It seems he has kept the bullshit and drama out of fighter practice that is so prevalent to most social groups, especially ones dealing with SCA or LARPS or reenactments in general. I'm just happy to be able to be brash, crass and aggressive, without having to deal with stressful things like lawsuits or police ;) Being able to swap bruises with a bunch of like minded guys and gals, and then have a beer or two afterwards is what its all about. Had a problem doing that back when I ran with some of my old Larp groups, because many were not "fighter" types, but drama queens wanting to role play and get attention. Nothing wrong with role playing, mind you, but the drama got tired really really fast. May have made a contact tho, one of the fighters there (if I heard right) rebuilds transmissions for a living. He's not showing up next week, but I will have to pursue that.
Did some partying Sat nite, and met some really cool folks. My main problem has been that with grad school, being an introverted computer nerd, and life in general, I don't get out much. :) Compound that with the fact that I'm a wanderer like Kaine and tend to show up and genuinely want to help people and solve problems, I sometimes wonder how I don't get into trouble all the time. It seems that since I hang out with the goth and underground folks, I've had to re-learn my "polite" social skills. This has taken some doing, since I tend to be crass, semi-perverted, but upfront and truthful. Still, useful because when/if I ever land an upper management mega money job, the ability to tolerate douchbags will be important ;) Its much easier with car people, their ass-kissing is much more transparent. Egos and quick tempers lead to thrown wrenches and sugar in your gas tank. Getting back in touch with "polite" society, means that I get to see quips, slights, hurt feelings and veiled insults, which can be amusing to witness. Thankfully, none of that b.s. was at this party, although I was amused by how profuse apologies can become when someone thinks they hurt your feelings. We had some underage drinkers crash the party tho, which did suck. Beer is not THAT expensive, people. I met some cool folks, and got to shake my booty a bit before I left. Intelligent conversation, hot chicks, No hurt feelings and no fights. I call that a success. I do admire these folks for trying to be who they want to be, and (it was a masquerade ball) the costumes were FANTASTIC. Wish I had been able to hang with these boys and girls 5 years ago when I was still sorta heavy into this stuff.
Link time:
Webcomics:
The Order of The Stick An online comic for d&d type gamers. If you don't know what a d6 or d20 is, you may not understand the humor.
The Font Bandit @ deviant art An art chick I met @ a cafe a while ago. Really good art, and a fellow otaku (anime freak) Although I gotta say I have yet to meet an artist that sucks, I'm really liking a lot of the stuff she does
Livejournal user akbal Another cool person I've met that I consider in my "inner circle" of friends. This girl has some very interesting thoughts and experiences. She is soon to be quit of wichita, which is a good thing, but its sad to see her go....
sgvy.com Sparkling Generation Valkyrie Yukie. A webcomic about a boy that gets turned into a girl that gets turned into a superhero. The chick that runs this webcomic is an accomplished writer and artist.
www.pennyarcade.com Penny Arcade. Written and Drawn by our very own Gabe & Tycho.
www.megatokyo.com Everyone knows about Piro. If you don't, go find out.
Researching Depression and drugs related to the affliction. The anti-depressant drugs seem really scary to me, but I'm thinking I might need to look into this further. the manic depression quiz....depressed me ;) But if it's an honest to god illness that makes it so hard for me to get up and get shit done, then I need to get it fixed, quick
Went to class Sat. Got up all extra early @ 6:30 and everything. Still walked in 30 minutes late. Ah well. Screw it. It's not like I'm the only one. And half the class didn't show up this week, spring break plans I suppose. Our instructor for this module is taking the same class he's teaching (Research Methods) except while he's teaching Master's level, he's taking Doctorate level. I've been stressing and panicking all week trying to get my stuff I missed last week turned in, and it seems I've been stressed for nothing. I gotta say, that's what I like about Friends University. The work is hard enough, they seem to not try to make it any harder on you....most of the time. I am gonna have to either hump it or half ass it this week, cause I got so many papers due it's not even funny. 1)7-10 minute presentation on my research topic 2)Final paper on my research proposal topic 3)Data analysis in excel for a statistics problem we were assigned 4)Literature Review 5)Annotated Bibliography Besides all that, still trying to find a better job, pay for grad school, pay for new grad school books next week, etc. etc. Well, definetely living in interesting times, even if I don't always find them very interesting.
Went to SCA fighter practice Sunday. Fighter practice has gotten a LOT smaller, but most of the same people are there. Felt good to get out in the warm sunny weather and swing a pseudosword around for a while and shoot the shit. The new fighter marshall there is an old buddy of mine that I was in kenjutsu class with for a while. It seems he has kept the bullshit and drama out of fighter practice that is so prevalent to most social groups, especially ones dealing with SCA or LARPS or reenactments in general. I'm just happy to be able to be brash, crass and aggressive, without having to deal with stressful things like lawsuits or police ;) Being able to swap bruises with a bunch of like minded guys and gals, and then have a beer or two afterwards is what its all about. Had a problem doing that back when I ran with some of my old Larp groups, because many were not "fighter" types, but drama queens wanting to role play and get attention. Nothing wrong with role playing, mind you, but the drama got tired really really fast. May have made a contact tho, one of the fighters there (if I heard right) rebuilds transmissions for a living. He's not showing up next week, but I will have to pursue that.
Did some partying Sat nite, and met some really cool folks. My main problem has been that with grad school, being an introverted computer nerd, and life in general, I don't get out much. :) Compound that with the fact that I'm a wanderer like Kaine and tend to show up and genuinely want to help people and solve problems, I sometimes wonder how I don't get into trouble all the time. It seems that since I hang out with the goth and underground folks, I've had to re-learn my "polite" social skills. This has taken some doing, since I tend to be crass, semi-perverted, but upfront and truthful. Still, useful because when/if I ever land an upper management mega money job, the ability to tolerate douchbags will be important ;) Its much easier with car people, their ass-kissing is much more transparent. Egos and quick tempers lead to thrown wrenches and sugar in your gas tank. Getting back in touch with "polite" society, means that I get to see quips, slights, hurt feelings and veiled insults, which can be amusing to witness. Thankfully, none of that b.s. was at this party, although I was amused by how profuse apologies can become when someone thinks they hurt your feelings. We had some underage drinkers crash the party tho, which did suck. Beer is not THAT expensive, people. I met some cool folks, and got to shake my booty a bit before I left. Intelligent conversation, hot chicks, No hurt feelings and no fights. I call that a success. I do admire these folks for trying to be who they want to be, and (it was a masquerade ball) the costumes were FANTASTIC. Wish I had been able to hang with these boys and girls 5 years ago when I was still sorta heavy into this stuff.
Link time:
Webcomics:
The Order of The Stick An online comic for d&d type gamers. If you don't know what a d6 or d20 is, you may not understand the humor.
The Font Bandit @ deviant art An art chick I met @ a cafe a while ago. Really good art, and a fellow otaku (anime freak) Although I gotta say I have yet to meet an artist that sucks, I'm really liking a lot of the stuff she does
Livejournal user akbal Another cool person I've met that I consider in my "inner circle" of friends. This girl has some very interesting thoughts and experiences. She is soon to be quit of wichita, which is a good thing, but its sad to see her go....
sgvy.com Sparkling Generation Valkyrie Yukie. A webcomic about a boy that gets turned into a girl that gets turned into a superhero. The chick that runs this webcomic is an accomplished writer and artist.
www.pennyarcade.com Penny Arcade. Written and Drawn by our very own Gabe & Tycho.
www.megatokyo.com Everyone knows about Piro. If you don't, go find out.
Researching Depression and drugs related to the affliction. The anti-depressant drugs seem really scary to me, but I'm thinking I might need to look into this further. the manic depression quiz....depressed me ;) But if it's an honest to god illness that makes it so hard for me to get up and get shit done, then I need to get it fixed, quick
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