http://www.ivory-tower.net/ Ivory Tower RSS Newsfeed en-us http://www.ivory-tower.net/images/logo.gif http://www.ivory-tower.net/ webmaster@ivory-tower.net http://www.ivory-tower.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=268 Greetings and suck me. I'm Jeff Woods, maintenance programmer for Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided. As a maintenance programmer it is my responsibility to manage existing code, write bug fixes, integrate new code while analyzing its impact on existing functionality and be the brunt of your jokes and flames on the forums. Suck me. I'm writing this Friday Feature because I'm about sick of your, the valued customer's, torrent of never ending sass-mouth and ill-informed crap. I repeat, suck me. Suck me long. Suck me hard. http://www.ivory-tower.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=267 Recent cinema (rented, of course, unless at the Alamo Draft House) includes "Be Cool" starring Travolta. For entertainment value, it's about three star, but the style is four or five on the Hollywood zeitgeist scale. One interesting point that continues to come up in the film is the role of shylock that Travolta's character portrays. Theater has done much to glamourize the role of loanshark and gangster, and this movie continues the tradition by making sure to liberally plant the word in every character's dialog available. Don't get me wrong, it's a good word. It's a good movie, too. Proly a lot of rewatchability available there. Of course, exposure to the word shylock also tends to present the concept of a "pound of flesh", something with even more cultural signifigance. http://www.ivory-tower.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=266 A Chinese exchange student in Japan has been arrested for "virtual muggings". Apparently, the young man was using bots to go about systematically killing other players and selling anything that they might drop when they die. Personally, I'm holding out for the first virtual money laundering arrest. Full details at NewScientist.com. http://www.ivory-tower.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=265 In what appears to be a consolidating move to further build it's Station Exchange offering, Sony will be purchasing the MxO franchise and (according to OGaming.com) giving the axe to all but 26 people, including event staff. Apparently, Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) cannot sit still while an MMO franchise goes underquested. Story on OGaming.com http://www.ivory-tower.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=264 After over a year of dedication to Lineage 2, the creator of Darklands picked up a display copy of Everquest II. I spent the evening chatting him up about it while I skipped over to download the trial install... except it's not a trial install. You get to download the game for free. FREE. You can run around and level up to 5 or 6 before you outgrow the starter island. In order to advance further (as well as leave the island), you have to start paying for a subscription. Which is fine, we're all used to that now. Guild Wars can try their non-subscription method all they want, but it will never be able to fund enough content development to make the game viable... ...unless they made it open source. There are a few games out there like that, such as and , but they are still works in progress at this time. Moving on. As I was saying, Sony covered all the angles. They began with a movie preview style release campaign that got shown before Star Wars III here, I believe. Smart, very smart. Now the free hookup, which should be running for about the next six months. The game allows character customization (to uninspiring models, ymmv) to an extensive degree. Everyone can be a crafter. There are mounts (all types of horses, afaik). There are, quite frankly, a cubic ton of features that all sound like they came from an MMORPG wishlist or suggestion box (I'm sure Sony has the latter, but they also apparently READ it, which is unusual). All in all, a formidable game. Piece it together with StationExchange, where you can buy and sell in-game items for real world dollars, and you have one monster of an MMORPG enterprise that will be incredibly difficult to contend with sans a revolution in the interface. Expect to keep seeing Mortecai on Sieghardt for some time to come, because Lineage just looks too good to stop playing (and I don't have a strider yet). But it looks like the next game on the docket will be Everquest II... http://www.ivory-tower.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=263 Over a year ago, word began to circulate about a new anime by Masamune Shirow. On June 17, this year, ComingSoon.net released the details of Geneon acquiring world wide distribution rights. The animation looked entirely rendered, which can be either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on who you are. We took this as a positive move on their part. There was even a teaser piece in one of the trailers that showed Deunan Knute mid-combat with "bullet time" maneuvers. The soundtrack? They got Paul Oakenfold and Basement Jaxx. Need we say more? We found on AnimeNewsNetwork that scheduled debute of the film will be at Otakucon in Miami from Dec 17-19. http://www.ivory-tower.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=262 What kind of mind does it take to devote hours, days, weeks, even months to the development of a virtual character in one of the very du jour MMORPG's? Some may be tempted to wonder what sort of warped social drive exists within the MMO addict. Anyone. Anyone at all. The social engineering behind it all can be quite easily explained in terms of Behavioral Psychology. The addiction is built up over a short period of time that begins with easy conquests and rapid rewards. Operant Conditioning and shaped responses help guide those who are inclined to extend their addiction into pastimes like farming or crafting. Regardless of the system (Everquest, Final Fantasy and Lineage II being some of the more popular), the same social patterns emerge and form. Take an extended look at the psychology of MMORPG addiction in The Norathian Scrolls: A Study of EverQuest http://www.ivory-tower.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=261 A recent analysis of St.Ego's handwriting was conducted to further explore the mind behind the agenda. Potentially exploitable (ie: negative) traits and characteristics have been removed. To conduct a Dossier quality analysis of your target, obtain a sample of their handwriting (ie: cursive script) and use Handwriting Wizard to process the style and nuances for a detailed psychological report. When you are done, don't forget to record the information in your Dossier profile for the target. Happy gaslighting! http://www.ivory-tower.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=260 It is official: having kids makes you significantly less intelligent. Those of us who have suspected this for years based on observational evidence can now feel justified. Apparently, the act of reproducing creates a long term effect in the ability of adults to utilize an objective perspective. The social opportunities to point out this phenomenon abound... Original article: Indiana University study: having children significantly lowers parents’ IQs (by Mike Gaddis, THG News) http://www.ivory-tower.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=259 Social engineering is about pushing the limits of sanction within society. In keeping with that, we present the Social Engineers guide to pushing the limits while driving. These are a series of exploits that are available to everyone who spends time on the road. The only way you have to control the driving of other motorists is through the use of subtle (or not) patterns on the road. It can be done; you can take more control on the road. You are not restricted to just being a safe driver. Approach slower vehicles at speed. Do not deccelerate over distance. A driver in front of you is going to notice a rapid approach faster because it represents a potential complication to his or her own driving. If you wait before you tailgate, it will only indicate to the other driver that you are being a nuisance. Most places charge for speeding tickets a flat amount for the first 10 miles over the limit. If you drive 8-9 miles over the limit (4-5 off the highway), consistently, you virtually eliminate your chances of being pulled over for it. Push the limit. A slow moving vehicle in the fast lane is not likely to increase speed unless other vehicles are passing it. You don't have to try to pass them up, you just have to change lanes and speed up a little. This is ideal when they are only going a small amount below the limit and passing them would require going faster than 10 miles over the limit. If you have a manual transmission, do not rely on your brakes to deccelerate when you see a police car; downshift and let your gearbox do the work for you without giving a way a bright flashing tell-tale that at least you think you were doing something wrong. Avoid signalling your attention. If you are caught speeding, by a stationary police car, and you are NOT on the highway, start making turns. If you do so in a controlled fashion (read: do not maintain or increase speed, slow down) they police will tend to think you intended to go where you went instead of thinking you are trying to run. Either way, they can't stop you if they can't find you. Take at least 2 turns, don't linger to see if they followed. If you are being tailgated, first evaluate your driving. If you in the fast lane going at or below the speed limit, move. No, move. You don't belong there. Most highways post signs indicating the left lane for passing only. If you are already going over the speed limit (8-9 miles or so) and the right lane is open, the vehicle behind you is fair game. If you are bold and in need of money, you can throw on your brakes. Otherwise, you can simply begin slowing down until the other driver gets irritated enough to pass you. If there is traffic, move over anyway and let the other driver be someone else's problem. This concludes our recent edition of pushing the limits while driving. Remember, it's not aggressive driving, it's assertive driving. http://www.ivory-tower.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=258 Helpfully provided by Mithoron at the Lineage 2 Vault is the C2 KOR Patch Notes Translated by Factor_K. This is a preview of what to expect after the Chronicle 2 update (release date not published) on the American servers. New weapons, spells, quests, skills, monsters, towns, et al. New social actions for Clap, Dance, and Cry. (we are still holding out for Point) Characters can use Swimming instead of trying to cross water along the bottom (we assume everyone will finally have to start worrying about air supply now) Hatchlings can become Stryders via quest after they are level 55 Ability to start riding Stryders (wing-less dragons... for now) Planting and Harvesting Seedlings (we are afraid to ask) Monster Races (and betting on them...) Lottery (smaller odds, bigger payout, of course) Dice A Colosseum, with adena powered pay-per-view, for PvP arena combat. Completely revised crafting interface with Recipe Books to register new recipes in. Clan Bulletin Boards (now we know what the Community window is for!) Complete Macro interface! (up to 24 macros with up to 12 commands each, accessible via quickbar) Conquerable Clan Hall - Ruined Castle (in case you were wondering who you had to kill to get your own hall...) Store up to 100 personal memos in-game (no more pad of paper for tracking quest progress) Each race/gender now has an additional hair style, two new hair colors, and a new face available (existing characters are SOL, unfortunately) New Time command (in case the "you have been playing 24 hours" notice was not enough) Between the gothic aesthetic and the incredible array of functionality, we may need a tissue... http://www.ivory-tower.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=257 After a few anxious days scrambling to re-establish the site, it is finally time to sit back and wait for DNS to catch up. As everyone regains access over the next couple of days, we'll be working to find a replacement module for My_eGallery. That is, BTW, the expected source of the attacks, something with the way the module allows file uploads that can be run from the tmp directory. Just to throw salt on the would, the hosting service, Page-Zone.com, decided to delete the entire site; domain, files, database, the works. They returned a statement indicating that their policy is to delete accounts that encounter repeated hack attempts. No attempt was made by Page-Zone.com to indicate the source of the security hole, just some vague indication that the CMS, PostNuke, is a big security risk. As far as we are concerned, the host is just making up excuses to stick with the boutique site demographic and Fantastico. Whatever. The apparent culprits, DaRk SOFT GrouP, are quite the miscreants. Searching on Google will show their latest site exploits (3 at this time), at least one of which is a *Nuke site. We will be doing an exposé on DaRk SOFT GrouP as we recover. It truly IS all about them this week... http://www.ivory-tower.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=256 Now, before we begin, let us remember that "hackers", by acknowledged definition, exploit security loopholes in systems to bring risks to the attention of administrators. They generally do it in a fun, but often annoying, way. If it wasn't obvious that something was broken, you wouldn't know to fix it, right? Such continues to seem the case here at Ivory Tower. Our hacker friends have left yet another calling card indicator that password security has been embarassingly lax. To their credit, the following text was left on the homepage: "owners **DaRk SOFT GrouP oWNed you BOX xdr0p455 posix PlayBoyZinhhU tsK_PODEROSO_FACAman xg1rl serginho0 C4rr4p4t0 somos quem somos viemos para fikar all_star9mm@hotmail.com" So, in today's subculture parlance, we got "owned" by DaRk SOFT GrouP. Kudos to xdr0p455 and crew! You are all cordially invited back for another round of hacking the 'Tower. They say that the third time is the charm, so, if you can deliver a repeat performance, you've got an interview. Here at the 'Tower, it's your soapbox, DaRk SOFT GrouP! http://www.ivory-tower.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=254 The industry is full of stories about sites getting "hacked". Ivory Tower has joined the ranks of hacked sites. At some point today, the index.php file was overwritten with a "you got hacked" message. In my curiousity to see how easy the hack was to fix, I forgot to save the original message. I probably should have checked and recorded the existing file's last modified date to gauge when the hack occurred. It was a bit flattering, to be quite honest. Hats off to whomever is out there sharpening their mad skillz here. Please let us know if it was something we said, because the goal of the game is to keep you coming back for more! Cheers. http://www.ivory-tower.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=255 There are many opinions concerning the executive force of the local government. Most seem to consider the police as executors of policy, namely the law, in whatever form. However, the typical day-to-day execution of that law tends to (in this country) run more towards defusing situations where the public comes into disagreement, often violently. Whether breaking up a domestic disturbance, a loud party, or traffic congestion, the role of Police does not generally have much to do with enforcing the law, per se. A few citations may be issued in the course of dealing with a situation, but the goal is to smooth out any issues and let them be dealt with in court. http://www.ivory-tower.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=253 The music industry, RIAA et al, as well as any application development or game company, has been the target of having it's copyrighted materials downloaded using various P2P sharing services. Through it all, the battles have been consistently pushed to the courtroom, and there brought legal heavyweights from afar to achieve a marginal, almost unknown, victory. Every time another Metallica sees it's brainchild being disseminated online, the knee-jerk reaction has been the cliche American warcry of I'll sue! The real battle has then successively been lost online, with new P2P sharing services becoming available daily. The battle can no longer be won or lost in the legal institutions that rest within national boundaries. The online world simply doesn't care. And so the lawyers and judges and politicians trudge home, quite convinced (and reasonably so) that the system no longer works. What used to be "he'll be back on the street in 24 hours..." is now "he'll just license rights legally and charge for it next week..." The solution that no one has looked at (publicly) has been bubbling up through the subculture for decades: Disinformation http://www.ivory-tower.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=252 We've all been through the last few years of ultra-creative splashpages, and, quite frankly, most of us are tired of them. Wait while it loads... Wait while it plays... Search desparately for the Skip Intro button... And so, the dominance of the splashpage waned. Many a voice was raised, some going so far as to write books with titles like Skip Intro. Sites took down their splashpages almost as fast as they had put them up. Across the globe, aspiring Flash artists cried out in dismay. All is not lost, however. The splashpage has not yet gone down for the count. It has found, at last, a niche it can call home. Nestled comfortably between login and browsing the site rests a little known page of golden opportunity. In the 5 seconds it takes for a site to register your signin, there is traditionally a transition page that automatically redirects the browser. Soon, the mark of a quality website will not be whether or not it has invested in a splashpage, but where it has placed the splashpage. The next time your visitors grace your site with a signon, let them know what kind of experience to expect: invest in a transition page. http://www.ivory-tower.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=251 The time came to start making use of PostNuke's Dynamic User Data capabilities. The pnUserSetVar/pnUserGetVar combination was supposed to be functional. I wasn't 100% on that, but I was hoping, since, if it didn't work, I'd have to jury-rig it under a deadline. The possibilities that using this feature successfully open up, btw, are quite amazing, truly. But I digress... In order to make use of the feature, however, you must first create some dynamic user data variables. Unfortunately, the link to the page that accesses this form did not contain the correct URL. Let me state that this is a very fragile moment for developers. The knee-jerk response is to blame the platform. So I asked around to see if anyone else had seen the issue, and came up with nada. That is when the slow realization dawns: Am I the only one with a problem? Our journey begins... http://www.ivory-tower.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=250 When I first conceived of labAccounting, I was looking for an application that would let me schedule future deductions from my checking account and show me the projected budget. By the time some transactions finally showed up in my account, I had almost completely forgotten about them. If I ever kept up with a pen-and-paper checkbook for more than two transactions, I'm not aware of it. If I can get to it from any computer online, though? I don't think I could become financially responsible unless it was all on my website... The same goes for a business account, a project budget, a vacation budget, a college fund, a credit card, and a betting pool. Any financial account you need to keep track of can be broken down to (basically) a series of monetary transactions. Accounts and transactions are the basic building blocks of labAccounting. With this foundation in place, any number of other features can be easily integrated... Allow your debtors to catch up using PayPal. Charge your debtors late fees Categorize transactions to track spending habits Create professional invoices for clients Give your debtors access to their own accounts Schedule expenses for successful budgeting These are just some of the ideas being implemented in the next phase of labAccounting. Keep checking the subscriber area at MirageLab.com for future releases that incorporate these and other exciting features. http://www.ivory-tower.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=249 "Something is different..." Yes, something is. St.Ego is coming up for air soon, and he is going to share some of the things he has been developing. There was a time before the break when new ideas were being whispered about on the now defunct pnCommunity site. Much of the talk involved a project management solution that sounded like an open source version of MS Project. Then there was no word from development... until now. http://www.ivory-tower.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=248 There are several hundred PostNuke Blocks available for use on your site. How many can you use? Might be able to squeeze an extra half dozen on there with a good centerblock or alternate theme engine. How many does your PostNuke site have rotting as inactive blocks, or center blocks in a non-centerblock compliant theme? When it comes down to it, your options for organizing information creatively can seem limited. labPanels fixes the problem. Read the MirageLab subscription release article http://www.ivory-tower.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=247 The Web Links block you've been waiting for! Features: * Allow multiple copies to run at once * Select which category or subcategory to pull links from * Filter by link ratings * Filter by hit popularity * Randomly selected links option * Most recent / latest links * WARNING: security is not yet hacked in, do not use on your private link lists download demo ("Top CMS Resources" block) further details in the MirageLab release article http://www.ivory-tower.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=246 What is the difference between Topics and Categories? Both are pretty much arbitrary classifications of information. If you add another category to your article categories, it doesn't automatically add one to your web links categories or your downloads categories. They are not the same list, but all too frequently, I've found myself wishing that they could be. I've written category utility modules using both primary and sub categories (like Web_Links and Downloads). I've also tried straight parent ID's, and even Celko. In the end, it doesn't really matter what structure your categories end up being in, so long as they are in the same place. Avoid duplicating data? The module I ended up with that gets the job done is labCategories, and is fork of the original categories module. Much of the up and coming development planned for release on MirageLab will utilize the labCategories module. Some will even require it. If you need something to facilitate unlimited category depth for your next module, labCategories has got you covered. MirageLab release article download http://www.ivory-tower.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=245 There is a time and a place for using every single function in the PostNuke core. Each provides some advantage when used appropriately. The vast majority can do nasty things to your site when used inappropriately. Developers discover this in the course of their work. They call it debugging. After writing a few hundred thousand lines of code, you get to a point where you cut-and-paste whatever tends to work most often. This is how you get a code library. Ostensibly, you end up where you don't have to write any more code, you just reconnect pieces of existing code to do the job. Today, we are going to take a look at a couple of items that need to get added to everyone's code library. This goes out to all of the core, module, and aspiring developers out there. If you have ever copied core code and ended up with forms in your module that started halfway down the page, you need to keep reading. http://www.ivory-tower.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=244 Feeling a strong need to resurrect the search for cool symbols, I started pushing things like "cool symbols", "glyphs", and "sigils" through Google. One of the first places that I landed was a gold mine. Robert McNally maintains the Glyphilia page. This served as an invaluable resource not only for links to sites that had what I was searching for, it also proved a fine education into the difference between glyphs, runes, fonts, and sigils (sigils, btw, are the only category reputed to have mystical powerz).