Archive for the ‘General’ Category
Phishing of RapidShare accounts became prevalent around a year ago and has been a right nuisance. Numerous unsuspecting users have been caught out by these thieving sons-of-bitches, who in turn resell the stolen accounts.
RapidShare has finally put in place a precaution to prevent account stealing and I suggest everyone that owns a premium account to activate it!
Just don’t be naive enough to set your RapidShare account password the same as your email address password !
Cøbra
As I am sure you’ve all noticed, the entire network has had a bit of downtime over the past few days. This is due to some problems our host has been enduring with the network. There were multiple issues, some of which I am unsure of the full extent however it had to do with network connectivity issues to the entire data center, not just Katz.
We’re now making efforts to move the entire network to a new data center, and we’re also working on a more redundant system where we will have spare servers already online if we’re to have issues with network connectivity etc.
Another thing we plan on is actually “balancing” our users across multiple data centers to ensure reliability and minimal downtime. We’re hoping to get Katz Forums back online by the end of the week.
Stay tuned.
UPDATE - 29 September 2008:
We’re currently waiting on RAM upgrades for our servers. There has been a delay on ordering hardware, and our servers are currently struggling to handle the load. We’ve been assured that the new RAM should be installed in the coming 48 hours. How accurate the time frame is we’re unsure though remain hopeful.
We’ve opted not to accept submissions for the previous few days, as we’ve had no real way of updating the site as we’re running a modified version of the code to use less resources. We’re also planning on Katz Forums making a return once we get some hardware upgrades.
-Erratic
UPDATE - 01 October 2008:
Katz Downloads is now back to normal. Downloads are being accepted again. DNS updates will take a while to propogate.
-Cøbra
UPDATE - 03 October 2008:
We’re trying to get the latest database backup from the previous hosting company. If that fails, we’ll have to bring back Katz Forums on an older (mid-September) backup.
-Cøbra
In my current job, I’m part of a team where I have to deploy 100s of computers. This involves setting/hooking up computers (monitors, keyboards, mice, network and power), and one of the most annoying things has got to be the USB connector. Not just in this job, but generally speaking.
USB connectors
The normal rectangular USB connectors, male and female, both being almost identical with half of the insides solid… goddamnit, why am I explaining this thing, just look at the image alongside to remind yourselves.
What I’m getting at is, how annoying is it when you’re trying to plug in your USB device and it’s the wrong way around. Grr, it’s bloody annoying. 
You then look at your device’s USB connector, then look at the USB slot on the PC, then plug it in correctly. It’s even more annoying when you’re trying to plug it in in the back of the PC. Who the f**k designed these things? (Answer to that is Apple, HP, Intel, Microsoft, etc.)
God knows how many people have destroyed the connectors on their USB devices in this way.
FireWire connector
So how come industry leaders come up with such an un-user-friendly design? I mean, look at Apple’s FireWire. Granted, it’s slightly larger and isn’t anywhere as successful as the USB, but the connector is a beauty… with its amazing two angled corners. 
All the USB designers had to do was make at least one corner angled or make it obvious which way it’d go in.
That’s all folks, rant over. Hope you enjoyed my first blog entry. 
- Cøbra
“CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) — Bernie Mac, the actor and comedian who teamed up in the casino heist caper “Ocean’s Eleven” and gained a prestigious Peabody Award for his sitcom “The Bernie Mac Show,” died Saturday at age 50.”
Source: CNN
I first heard the news from my friend UltimA, to be honest I was shocked when I heard it, I went on a searching spree to find out what happened.
Bernie Mac was not in politics, not a religious icon, but damnit he was one of the greatest comedian out there, he made a lot of people laugh.
You may have seen him in many shows or movies, such as Ocean’s Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen, The Bernie Mac Show, the good ol’ Def Jam Comedy and many other shows, he was also one of the original Kings of Comedy with Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley and Cedric the Entertainer, according to CNN: “The comedian suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body’s organs, but had said the condition went into remission in 2005. He recently was hospitalized and treated for pneumonia, which his publicist said was not related to the disease.”
Its really sad news, all I can say is rest in peace Bernie Mac, you cheered a lot of people with your comedy and jokes, and you will definitely be remembered.
Article by el_jentel1
This is like THE simplest, easiest way to make a certain web page only viewable by certain IP[s].
<?php
/*****************************
* Fetch IP
* You can also use:
* $ip = $_SERVER["REMOTE_ADDR"];
* Instead of:
* $ip = getnv(”REMOTE_ADDR”);
******************************/$ip = getenv(”REMOTE_ADDR”);
// Add authorised IPs here
// example: $myip[0] = “127.0.0.1″;$myip[0] = “IP_HERE”;
$myip[1] = “IP_HERE”;/************************************************
* If you want to add more IPs, just copy the $myip line
* and change the IP and [0] accordingly
* [0] = first IP, [1] = second, [2] = thrid, and so on.
*
* Also if you are going to add another IP, don’t forget to
* edit the if line, for example, if you added a third IP
*
* this:
* if ($ip == $myip[0] || $ip == $myip[1])
*
* should be:
* if ($ip == $myip[0] || $ip == $myip[1] || $ip == $myip[2])
**************************************************/if ($ip == $myip[0] || $ip == $myip[1]) {
?>Your Site Content
<?php
}
else {
echo “Your IP is not authorized to view this page”;
}
?>
Of course there are many other ways in doing this, like using array(”ip1″, “ip2″), but this is the easiest one to understand for people who don’t know much about PHP.
This can basically be used for paranoid security, htpasswd + that script will make your page very secure.
Enjoy.
Article by el_jentel1
You’ve all seen that most warez sites have the “Code your links” rule, most don’t have a clue why this rule was made in the first place, so I’ll try to explain why the rule was made, and why its being used for the wrong reasons now.
The code links rule was made to prevent any tracebacks to the websites providing those links, which was a big issue before the free file hosting services were popular or even existed (ie, Rapidshare), but since that most uploaders and linking is now done through 3rd party websites (Rapidshare, Megaupload..etc), there is no need to code the links, since anything would be traced back to the file hosting site, not you, you’re not hosting or uploading the files as attachments (like the good ol’ days), its all done through file hosting sites.
However, the rule still exist, most still make the rule for the same reason it was used before, well my friend, if you’re enforcing that rule for that, then you seriously need to get an upgrade for your brain.
In my opinion, the coded links rules should be used because it helps the staff and other members of a site track phishers and spammers, most phishers mask their links with a rapidshare links, but if they code their links they won’t be able to do so, hence the easier track part.
And of course, it makes the download links look “cleaner” in the download page, so thats basically it, I’m not against coding links, in fact I think ALL download links should be coded at all times for the reasons mentioned earlier.
Keep the scene clean people.
Article by el_jentel1
I’m sure that many “Scene” webmasters faced the annoying complaints about the “You know what”, and its seems that its a non-ending fight between both parties, the Scene and the “Others”, but where is Google from all this? I mean if you really think about it, Google is one of THE biggest linkers out there right?
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, search “happening dvdrip” in Google without the quotes, you’ll find a lot of torrent links, blogs, forums with links to download the movie, isn’t that considered linking?
How about all those free blogs that are used to provide warez? (blogspot), why aren’t they closed down? I don’t know if you’ve seen this, but some of those blogs when you visit them, it gives a warning message by Google, something like “This blog was reported, it might have illegal or unwanted content, Google does not check those blogs…Enter at your own risk…” or something like that.
Wtf does that mean? does that mean that Google is immune? or does that mean that they always win? if they always win, how do they win?
I mean we’ve heard it all “I’m not really hosting the files, I’m just linking to it”, yes that might be in a gray area, but we’ve heard about a lot of those linking sites being closed down by the host due to “Illegal Problems”.
What are you doing Google? What is your secret? expensive lawyers? billions of dollars? but doesn’t that make Google a better target for the “Others”? I mean if it was me, choosing between a website that makes a few bucks a day, and Google making million bucks a day, I’d choose cake? (Yes, I said cake because something fishy is happening here).
I guess we’ll just add that to one of the world’s unsolved mysteries.
Article by el_jentel1
After recently discussing this with Ultima, I asked him to write an article. Spot on the money. Here it is:
—–
So over the past couple of weeks, many DDL sites have noticed a huge slump in their traffic. Why is this? Google now recognizes dynamic content. What does this mean? Sites that use Google bombing techniques - ie, people who are using the same design as hundreds of other DDL sites, packed full of ugly keywords trying to scam users using services such as clickbank, have gone from their high and mighty 150,000 uniques per day, down to a crawl of 10,000 - if that, due to Google throwing out their pages. These sites tried tricking Google, and had small amounts of returning visitors, with almost no support. Majority using a similar design (most ugly at that), trying to earn their living off users.
This may actually mean that new DDL sites will come up with a unique design and some good content!? Shocking, isn’t it.
This sparks off the originality comment by st0ne regarding forum skins - although this time we’re talking about layouts in general. If you want good content, and visitors that return (ones that actually give a damn about your site), then you have to be unique! With virtually any DDL site, you could show me the design, and I’d show you another 10 sites using the same one. Do people not take pride in their site anymore? I can understand needing to cover the server bills, but quite frankly, is it necessary to bombard your users with pop up advertisements, clickbank links (ie: click here for free mirror + keygen + lulz), and other retarded shit nobody cares about?
My message to those who use the same design as most other sites, and have a bounce rate of higher than 99% - you’re an idiot. You’re one of those people who in school wasn’t “included”, and who tried being cool by copying everyone else. It worked for a while, and then you fell flat on your ass. Maybe the ones earning their living and hundreds of dollars per day through these pathetic methods will actually ventune outdoors and get a job?
As shown countless times, for your site to be successful, you need to be innovative! Don’t just copy the other 1,000 people thinking you can do the same. If you wish to buy a $3 info domain, $5 hosting, and then fill up your site with more ads than content, get the fuck out and work for McDonalds. Your pay will be higher.
If you’re planning to start a DDL site (which I have nothing against), don’t become one of the people I mentioned above. Whether you own a forum, blog, or DDL site - love and sculpt your site. Show everyone that you’re better than the others around. It’ll be hard, but ultimately, it’s worth it.
Posted by Erratic on behalf of UltimA
Alright people of the interweb, today I’ve decided to touch on another sensitive subject. Skin (and/or site) ripping. Its a rampant problem across the internet and yet somehow a large number of idiots think this is a good idea. News flash buddy, this proves several things at once. You’re an idiot, you’re not creative, and your site will fail. Recent events have prompted me to write this article, so I’d like to explain a few things below. There are several types of skin/site ripping, but in the end it really falls into one category: Ripping.
Ripping Defined:
Ripping is the act of stealing and using another persons work. The use of a design, images, and ideas without permission and using as your own is ripping.
Cry-Baby Defined:
“Oh NooOOez!!1!one! He stole my design, even though its not the same, but its close!! waaa boohoo i r sadface noobcakes wtfbbqcopter” SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY.
Skin/Site Ripping:
Okay, now that i’ve got that out of my system I can navigate to my point and educate some of you idiots out there. Of course this is an impossible task, but if I can just get through to one person then this article has done its job.
We’ve all seen some cool shit on websites that we’ve wanted to use. Some of us have been tempted to “use” the idea, and others have outright ripped the idea. Being unique is what helps you, the webmaster, and your site survive. Completely ripping, or “borrowing” parts of another website to help make yours stand out isn’t going to keep your site going. It’s the ability as a webmaster to be creative and to think on your feet that helps a site thrive.
Ripping does in fact make you, and your site look like a complete n00b-fest. Ultimately your stolen design and ideas are looked down upon by others in the scene, people lose respect for you and your site, and eventually people stop worrying about your site. Truth is that its these types of webmasters (the same type as mentioned in my previous article, “Killing the Scene“, over saturating) that think their website will be the next best thing because they’ve used a design and idea of another ’semi’ successful website. Trying to make your formula work on another sites already working formula. You need to come up with your own formula, and run with it. You don’t need a flashy, graphic intensive, ajax-stuffed website with animated banners, images, and marquee’s to make your site successful - you just need to be yourself, and let your site form its own identity as it matures.. not the identity of another.
Final Thoughts:
This is mainly for myself, and other webmasters that have something unique to offer. It’s very difficult to stand by and watch someone steal your work. Your images, coding, design, and ideas. The very things you’ve put all your hard work, time, energy, and money into and stand by and watch someone else use your work. The truth of the matter is that mockery is the sincerest form of flattery. It’s the very site who’s ripping your work that will eventually fail. Your members get to know you as a webmaster, and your site and can tell the difference between who’s got the experience and creative flair, and who’s faking the funk.
There is one major difference I want to touch on before I close up this article. Ripping Non-Unique and Totally-Unique designs. If you’re using a publicly available skin, such as one from vbskins like satellite, greenfox, or something from extremepixels like enlighten you need to come to grips with the fact that no matter what you do to that skin, its still a publicly available skin. If you see that style being used by another webmaster and its similar in color and look, but all the images are different - ask yourself what crime has been committed and what real impact it will have on your site? Someone may have used your “idea” and built off of it, but who really cares? Is the site going to thrive? No. Stealing images, code, or complete design chunks off of a unique skin/theme is however something to get upset about. Again though, in the end that site will end up like all the other crap-infested noobcake sites out there - fail.
Article by: st0ne
I’m sure many have thought about this before, but I just had to make a topic about it, now in most countries paying someone to have sex is against the law (ie. prostitution), which is understandable I guess.
If you don’t know why paid sex is against the law in most countries, its because paid sex is basically a (Get in, get it done, get out) no strings attached, so there will be a lot of single parenting (more than it is now!), and of course the main factor is the disease factor (HIV..etc)
But this is not what the topic is about, I understand the law, and I think its reasonable, I believe that paying for sex (sorry if I’m going to offend anyone), but in my opinion it is pathetic.
Paid to have sex = Against the law…. what about porn movies and porn stars? Aren’t they paid to have sex? how about celebrities and regular movies? aren’t they paid (extra) to make sex scenes? why isn’t that against the law?
Is it because its “Show Business”? hmmm come to think of it, lots of porn sites pay girls (or guys) to have sex, for example bangbros? isn’t that against the law? why is no one being arrested here?
Does that mean that if I have a camera and a license to make an adult movie, I could just pay any girl to have sex with without getting any trouble from the law?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking about the general “acceptance” of paid sex, I’m merely pointing out the legal view of “Paid Sex” which seems to be in a gray area, I’ve heard many replies to such discussions such as “Porn stars do it indoors, the prostitution is considered as public exposure”, What?! my response to that is, damnit there are many porn sites/companies that are based on “pubic exposure”, in cars, parks.. I’m sure you know all the information about it :P.
The only thing I could think of is that they didn’t didn’t fully “ban” sex (paid) simply because, well, everyone wants it, and everyone can’t get enough of it.. so, its a just “in case I don’t get any” law.
Article by el_jentel1