Logan’s Run Online

Ever get some text that looks strangely bizarre, foreign, and incompregensible? Undecipherable, even? Maybe like this:

Ó̡͖͖̘͂͂͑͂͆́Ḫ̵̛̹̖̘͖̍̃ͤ͒͂́ ̬̟̦̹͈̯͒͌̽ͤĜ̘̰͚ͥͮͩ̅͝͞O̷͔̦͖̬̦ͦͥ̆̌͂͛ͭ̈́D̡̮̯͚̞̻̾́̋͑͆ ̛̥͎̹̣̥̜ͥ͛ͬ͘Ţ̤͓͎̜̩̩͍͇ͣ̉͒̍̉͛H̥̟̯̞̬͐̀͌̅̐̒̀͢E̸͓̝̤͉̰̩̥͛̊͑̆͗ͮ̊͌͘͘R̵̢͇̩̄̋̐̽͊̀̕E̸̽̉ͥͧ͗͑ͫ̚҉̦̬̻͍͓̹͔’̭͕̥̘̳̌͡͝S̥͖̰̿̾͢ ̑̃ͧͥ͆ͪ̔͏̝̠̬͙̹̫̳̹A̝͕̖̠̜͚̪͙ͣ̏͛͌ͤ̓ ̜͙͖̝̠̤̳̣͑V̶̨͉͓͙͖̟̙̮͙̉̅̉̏͋̂̊̓I̟̯̲ͯ̉̑̉̑͗ͥR̛̛̺̪̗̩̺̊̎͂͑̌́̈́̂͠U̴̮̜̼̫̲͛ͦ̿ͯS̵̱̖̮͉̍ͬͨ̾̾ͤ́ ̟͊̑̃ͧͥ͊ͦO̞̯͇̯̲̤͔ͭͣ͋͘N͇̲̈̌͢ ̱̠͕̰̩͔͑̇͌ͪ̆ͦ̈́ͩͅF̨̟͙̟͙̮͙̪̲͗̚͠ͅA͚͂ͭ̋̏ͩ̕͟C͔̦͓͈͚͎̻̘̮͑̂̈͑̋͗͐ͧ͘E͈̝̠͙ͣ̓̽ͫͧ̓B̴̳̭͕́̀ͤͮ̑͝Ö̧͉̝͙̳̬̻̺̘̮́ͮ̇̓͌͞O

Then use my tool to fix it! Over here at http://logansrunonline.com/dezalgo.php, you can just input the text and have it output a proper rendering, stripping everything but letters and some punctuation (. , !). Should be enough to get you to figure out what’s going on. As an example, the above run through my tool reports back:

OH GOD THERES A VIRUS ON FACEBOO

Happy days for all! Code is given freely away with no license (i.e., in the public domain) over here: http://pastebin.com/f308de256

And right here, if you’re too lazy to click a link:

1. <?php
3. # Character un-obfuscator
4. # really, really simple
5. # Just put the text that’s all weird in between the two EODs, and run the script
6. # replaces http://pastebin.com/m7079017c
7. # Add 0-9 into the preg_replace first argument (right before a-z) to keep numbers
8. # working example at http://logansrunonline.com/dezalgo.php
10. ?>
11. <form action=“dezalgo.php” method=“post”>
12. <textarea name=“badString” cols=100 rows=30></textarea><br />
13. <input type=“submit” name=“submit” value=“Un-obfuscate!” />
14. </form>
15. <?php
17. if (isset($_POST['submit'])) {
18. echo preg_replace(‘/[^a-zA-Z.,!() ]+/i’, ”, $_POST['badString']);
19. }
21. ?>

Getting an error along the lines of “this form was installed as part of a XXXXXXX feature” and you can only remove it by “uninstalling that feature”?

This blog was SUPREMELY helpful in me figuring out what to do. Maybe it’ll help someone else out in the future.

http://blog.qumsieh.ca/2008/01/30/removing-a-form-template-from-central-admin-generates-an-error/trackback/

Yes, today’s my birthday…hooray to me!

Not only was I smug enough to write and post this, I actually wrote it two days ago (on Monday) and set it to auto-publish on my birthday! Take that!

Preliminary reports have been confirmed that AT&T is regionally blocking access to 4chan’s /b/ and /r9k/ boards, citing them as a “security issue” as originating DDoS attacks against AT&T. Believe me, AT&T, if they weren’t before, you’re certainly going to incite them now! Censorship of the Internet in this form is not only uncalled-for, but also in direct violation of the Internet’s freedom principles. This certainly can’t and won’t go over well–I’ve already heard plans of possibly posting AT&T executive’s information online, or orchestrating an attack on them for real at this point in retaliation. You don’t mess with 4chan, apparently!

Here’s a few pertinent updates (from a very well-received blog over here):

UPDATED 3: It turns out 15.5% of all US internet users use AT&T DSL, so this is quite a big problem. It will severly affect 4chan, both in regards of traffic and advertising volumes.

UPDATED 4: moot, the founder of 4chan, officially acknowledges the ban – calling for disconcerned users to «call or write customer support and corporate immediately»: http://status.4chan.org … Somehow, I get a feeling they’re gonna do a lot more than that, moot.

UPDATED 5: From rumors on /b/, it seems 4chan’s first retaliatory strike will be towards Randall Stephenson, CEO of AT&T. The Consumerist has more. There are also murmurs about the AT&T block being put into place because of supposed mass DDoS-attacks to and from img.4chan.org, but so far there has been no official, verifiable response from AT&T.

Also, apparently there’s a retaliatory plan in-place (or being developed) in 4chan’s favor against AT&T over on ED.

Anyone else remember the YTMND and eBaum’s war from ‘05? This could easily shape up to be the same.

More updates as I find them out!

UPDATE: AT&T has apparently unblocked 4chan. That took, what, 12 hours or so? Not a bad turnaround when you considered what they were about to get themselves into. More over here: http://stormen.wordpress.com/2009/07/27/att-blocks-4chan/ http://mashable.com/2009/07/27/att-unblocks-4chan/

It might not make any sense for me to repeat the title of my posts again down here, but, seriously: where’s my beard?! Apparently I need one. Well, perhaps “need” is a strong word. Because no one actually ever needs anything, except for perhaps some oxygen from time to time. But beards are helpful, or so I’ve been told. Useful, even. Some other friends I know have one (or, at least, had one, back when it was more applicable). I guess, seeing as it’s no longer applicable to me at this stage in my life, I guess I don’t really need one. Maybe I shouldn’t get one. Still, could be fun. I’ve heard some people have had great times together. And who knows what the experience might garner me? Maybe some extra-dimensional wisdom, or knowledge beyond my years. Hell, who am I kidding? It won’t do me any bit of good.

What’s the deal with Seinfeld, anyway? I downloaded all of the seasons of his show and started watching them recently. How does he take the most mundane stuff and blow it up to extreme proportions, devoting paragraphs of prose to something that really deserves no more than a simple interregatory remark? It baffles the mind sometimes. These pretzels are making me thirsty.

So this morning I woke up a bit late. Too late, some might say. I rescued the day, though, by riding my bike down to the beach and back, then jumping into my car for a smoothie and an hour at the bookstore. Now THAT’S a fun day. Beach, exercise, shower, smoothie, bookstore. I think I’ll do this again.

And apparently my birthday’s coming up. In 10 days. Hooray me! Let’s celebrate when I popped out of one of those things* and started living. Perhaps I’ll bake a cake in honor of the occasion. I hear it’s a piece of cake…

I’ve got a $70 gift card for Dell’s website that expires in a week. What should I buy?

*vagina, in case you’re too dense to figure it out.

**Descending sizes rock.

So Rodrigo first played a brief clip of this for me like three weeks ago, back during the second RHPS trip this summer. I had heard of Auto-Tune the News previously; back during Spring semester (I think mid-to-late April) I had first seen coverage of one of its videos on digg about gay marriage and something like that. I didn’t really pay much attention to it until Rodrigo showed me this (as of when this written) current installation #5, about unemployment, smoking lettuce, and American exceptionalism.

This song has been stuck in my head for the past 3 weeks.

I can’t get it out of my head. I can’t stop listening to it. I even frakking bought it on Amiestreet.com for $0.98 (not a bad price, really) so I could put it on my iPod and listen to it my car!

WTH did they do to this song?! Put nicotine in the audio waves?

It’s really amazing what the Gregory group has done with this concept. The videos are funny, the songs are addicting, and it’s really a terrific idea, too.

For those interested, here are the lyrics to #5 (along with a link to watch it):

ML: Any world order
That elevates one nation over another
Will fall flat
SG: Ah, snap
ML: I think that goes against the idea of American exceptionalism
SG: Exceptional fast food and exceptional dance moves.
ML: Most Americans believe that this country was gifted by God, a blessed nation, and that we are better.
SG: Yeah, we the promised land, a sacred place, gettin blessed by Joe Biden in space!
JB: God bless America!
All: Ay!
JB: Gah-awd bless America!
All: Ay!!
JB: God bless, God God bless
God bless America!!
All: Ay-men!!!
SB: Do you realize if you were to take that lettuce, dry it, and roll it, and smoke it…
MG: I know, it tastes like goat shit.
SB: You smoke your lettuce.
MG: Believe me, I’ve tried.
SB: You’re gonna end up with similar problems than if you were smoking tobacco.
MG: I know, fo sho, you should try it with tomato - burnin salad in my throat!
RM: Steve Buyer, warning complacent Americans about the risks of smoking lettuce.
MG: You can warn me all you want, but you’ll never stop my leafy green fetish.
SB: It’s not the nicotine that kills! It’s the smoooooke! The smooooooke. Cancer: it’s the smoke. Heart disease: it’s the smoke. Respiratory disease: it’s the smoooooooke! It’s the, it’s the inhalation, it’s the smooooke, the smooooooke. If they wanna obtain their nicotine, it’s okay. It’s the smooooooke, the smooooooooooooke!
SG: The more produce we come across, the more problems we see.
KC: Some companies say they’ve received hundreds of applications for just a single opening.
One man sent a shoooooe to his prospective employer
EG: Shawtayee, don’t you know
That Air Jordan was from meeee?
KC: I wore a long, white eyelet dress and a floppy white hat
And carried a walking stick
EG: Oo-wee! Am I crazy, am I trippin on shrooms
Or you singin bout pimpin on the late night news?
Katie Coo, baby boo, you got swagga like a star
Don’t stop, real talk, we gon take it to the charts!
You can be
KC: Lady Gaga
EG: I can be
KC: T-Pain
EG: We can be
KC: Bringing on the boogie
EG: Droppin rhymes like rain
You can be
KC: Lady Gaga
EG: I can be
KC: T-Pain
Both: Bringing on the boogie
EG: With floppy hats and pimp canes
LC: We’ve got some breaking news
Let’s go to Tracy Burns–she’s got all the news
TB: Actually, Liz, I think you wanna jump up to Robert
Robert: Tracy, baby, you crazy
I don’t know what the hell’s goin on
Or where the camera belongs
Let’s go to Nicole
NP: Me?
Robert: Yeah, you
NP: Me?
Robert: Baby boo
NP: Me?
Robert: Whooo-ooooooooh
NP: Me?
Robert: Nicole don’t know; let’s throw it to Joe
Joe: Uh, you know, I’m, uh, tryna get a hold of this myself
Breaking news guys, um
I, I don’t have it, Liz, I have to send it back down to you
I’m afraid
LC: Okay, that’s okay
But the basics of it is
Clearly this is a fascinating story

I saw this recently with an eclectic mix of other films, and I just had to get some thoughts down on it.

In this movie, an unknown source releases a chemical that causes entire populations of people to kill themselves and become suicidal. As a matter of fact, the only people in the movie who do not become an heroes are the main characters, as if this wasn’t a drawn-out horror movie cliché. As the movie does not fully explain the cause, watching it is a huge waste of time for anybody. At the end, though, the “unknown source” actually turns out to be a bunch of freaking trees. Angry, vengeful trees. Never before in a movie have there been so many stock shots of wind blowing ominously through foliage, and never before have so many enviro-Nazis simultaneously wet themselves the world over.