yaleman.org

This one took a little bit of network trickery, connecting to a remote server and responding to requests quickly, else your connection gets dropped.

The first attempt was to do it manually, thinking it was just a few simple ones. I rapidly realised it was going to ask many questions of me - 125 to be exact. Thankfully it was the same five questions. The question “what is the substitution” really threw me, because it’s supposed to be a math challenge, and I tried a whole load of things before I realised it was just letting me through anyway.

The first challenge in the AusCERT 2016 Shearwater CTF I tried was a fairly simple one, it said that the programming language was adults only and that the flag was in a file they offered for download. The contents were:

++++++++[>++++[>++>+++>+++>+<<<<-]>+>+>->>+[<]<-]>>++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++.>++++.-----------.++++++.++++++++++++++++++++.---------------------------------------------------------.++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++.<-------.>>+++++++++++++++++.++++++++++.-----.<<+.>>++++++.<<-.>------------------.<+++++++++.<++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++.>---------.>>-.<-----------------.<++.>+++++++++++++++.<<+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++.++++.

It happens that due to my rather scattered experience I’d seen this rather hilarious language before, called brainfuck.

I found an online brainfuck interpreter and pasted it in, getting the flag.

I’ve got some homegrown OSX Automator services for tracking packages in Australia Post or DHL. For an online shopping addict it’s helpful to just select the tracking number, right click, select the shipping service and head off to the site.

Recently I’ve been trying out the Safari Technology Preview and had changed my default browser. It seems that the original implementation of my services used AppleScript to directly call Safari instead of the default system browser. It was time to update the scripts!

I’m going to be honest, I’m not sure I actually achieved anything this week.

Bleh.

I’ve been fighting with an issue for a while where every time I restarted my Windows 10 machine, it would go through a ridiculous loop of trying to install an update, then failing, then trying to do it again. From what I can tell it’s KB3156387 that’s failing, and it’s a common one for most people. It’s a fairly large update, which brings Windows 10 Build 10240.16854 to users’ machines.

I found some information in the microsoft answers forums that led me to this failing service. (Example information’s not mine, but it’s valid)

• Made a bottom for the Octobag
• Wired the tow bar plug
• Built some more shelves for my workshop
• Cut some melamine and MDF for Aunty Mary - who in response, cleaned my whole house and bought me a lotto ticket. Luckiest. Guy. Ever.
• Attended Chantelle’s patterning for dresses class at RMB’s house - learnt a lot about speed-patterning clothes.

One of the things left over from the Tow Bar install was the wiring for the trailer. All that was required was to find a place to run the wire through the body, make sure it seals and find a place to mount the socket.

It’s a simple 7-pin flat plug, but the plug’s way too wide for going through any sensibly-sized hole, and the other end of the harness looked too compled for me to remove the pins to push it through a bung. I decided to un-wire the plug, feed it through the bung then re-wire it. Fairly simple:

• Converted yaleman.org to Hugo
• Ordered my 7’x5’ trailer
• Made myself a simple notebook holder

Plenty of work in that first one, I’m super excited about the second. 😀

I fairly regularly carry a Field Notes notebook around, because I’m a terrible scatterbrain. Unfortunately, living in my pockets leads to their rather quick ruin, so I needed to find a way to make them last a little longer.

$14 worth of leather from the local leather shop and a few minutes work was all it took. I wasn’t looking for anything particularly fancy - I found an offcut which was just the right size and made some folds.

This blog has been running for eleven years today - first on Mambo CMS - then transitioning to Wordpress in September 2005.

It’s time for another move, this time to Hugo. Written in go, stored in Markdown syntax and generating static HTML it fits my needs well. I don’t need a crazy CMS, I just need something I can post content with and use as few server (and mental) resources as possible.

Wordpress has been great. It’s very simple to use, and provides incredibly powerful publishing tools, but at a cost. The security implications of running a hyper-extensible PHP-powered site are pretty terrifying at times, and the server resources required for keeping a relatively small site running keep going up and up. I host all my own sites, with a locked down server running on a VM somewhere in cloudspace. The less I have to do with securing that the better, so a static site’s perfect.