The far-right is the only place left for Elon Musk’s X-rated ego
Many are wondering how the poster boy for futurism ended up sounding like a conspiracy-theory-spouting uncle. But what if we’re all missing the point? ⌘ Read more

お知らせ：インシデント対応状況（日時）公開終了のお知らせ ⌘ Read more

On my blog: Developer Diary, Emma Nutt Day, Belated https://john.colagioia.net/blog/2024/09/02/emma-nutt.html #programming #project #devjournal

The free speech billionaires are losing the war
Elon Musk and Pavel Durov have been asking for trouble. It has found them. ⌘ Read more

On my blog: Weird Enough? https://john.colagioia.net/blog/2024/09/01/weird.html #harm #politics #rant

Can this repairable smartphone deliver a perfect social media detox?
The HMD Skyline has a killer pair of special features, which may or may not be as good as they sound. ⌘ Read more

On my blog: Free Culture Book Club — Geiko Eien Ni https://john.colagioia.net/blog/2024/08/31/geiko-eien-ni.html #freeculture #bookclub

Inside Australia’s love affair with the iPhone
The handheld marvel was perhaps the world’s first ‘smartphone’ and it’s more popular here than nearly anywhere else. ⌘ Read more

On my blog: Toots 🦣 from 08/26 to 08/30 https://john.colagioia.net/blog/2024/08/30/week.html #linkdump #socialmedia #quotes #week

‘We have a lot of issues’: Billionaire tech boss lifts lid on staff turnover
Airwallex CEO Jack Zhang says a lack of resources means he can’t compete with the likes of Canva or Atlassian in work perks. ⌘ Read more

On my blog: Real Life in Star Trek, Ethics https://john.colagioia.net/blog/2024/08/29/ethics.html #scifi #startrek #closereading

I’m hearing the call, it’s time to switch back to landline phones
Preferring a text message is fine when the topic of conversation is which mall to hang out, but try telling a potential employer to send you a voice note instead of calling. ⌘ Read more

Star Wars meets Grand Theft Auto in stunning but patchy new heist
The Star Wars underworld is a great fit for Ubisoft’s open-world checklist formula, but this criminal syndicate caper has a few major flaws. ⌘ Read more

@prologic@twtxt.net My pod, which is running the same commit you are, does not return an error like that. It returns the same HTML it always has. Try it. I nuked my cache before restarting.

Edit: Oh wait, the plot thickens. I do get an error if I use curl or if I use a web browser that isn’t logged in. That’s good!

@prologic@twtxt.net I believe you are not seeing the problem I am describing.

Hit this URL in your web browser:

https://twtxt.net/external?nick=lovetocode999&uri=https://socialmphl.com/story19510368/doujin

That’s your pod. I assume you don’t have a user named lovetocode999 on your pod. Yet that URL returns HTTP status 200, and generates HTML, complete with a link to https://socialmphl.com/story19510368/doujin, which is not a twtxt feed (that’s where the twtxt.txt link goes if you click it). That link could be to anything, including porn, criminal stuff, etc, and it will appear to be coming from your twtxt.net domain.

What I am saying is that this is a bug. If there is no user lovetocode999 on the pod, hitting this URL should not return HTTP 200 status, and it should definitely not be generating valid HTML with links in it.

Edit: Oops, I misunderstood the purpose of this /external endpoint. Still, since the uri is not a yarn pod, let alone one with a user named lovetocode999 on it, I stand by the belief that URLs like this should be be generating valid HTML with links to unknown sites. Shouldn’t it be possible to construct a valid target URL from the nick and uri instead of using the pod’s /external endpoint?

@prologic@twtxt.net @bender@twtxt.net I partially agree with bender on this one I think. The way this person is abusing the /external endpoint on my pod seems to be to generate legitimate-looking HTML content for external sites, using a username that does not exist on my pod. One “semantically correct” thing to do would be to error out if that username does not exist on the pod. It’s not unlike having a mail server configured as an open relay at this point.

It would also be very helpful to give the pod administrator control over what’s being fetched this way. I don’t want people using my pod to redirect porn sites or whatever. If I could have something as simple as the ability to blacklist URLs that’d already help.

Apple announces launch date for new iPhone 16, watches and AirPods. Here’s what to expect
Apple has sent out invitations for a product launch event at its headquarters on September 9 in California, when it’s set to announce details of the iPhone 16 and other new devices. ⌘ Read more

On my blog: Developer Diary, Women’s Equality Day https://john.colagioia.net/blog/2024/08/26/womens-equality.html #programming #project #devjournal

There is a bug in yarnd that’s been around for awhile and is still present in the current version I’m running that lets a person hit a constructed URL like

YOUR_POD/external?nick=lovetocode999&uri=https://socialmphl.com/story19510368/doujin

and see a legitimate-looking page on YOUR_POD, with an HTTP code 200 (success). From that fake page you can even follow an external feed. Try it yourself, replacing “YOUR_POD” with the URL of any yarnd pod you know. Try following the feed.

I think URLs like this should return errors. They should not render HTML, nor produce legitimate-looking pages. This mechanism is ripe for DDoS attacks. My pod gets roughly 70,000 hits per day to URLs like this. Many are porn or other types of content I do not want. At this point, if it’s not fixed soon I am going to have to shut down my pod. @prologic@twtxt.net please have a look.

Apple’s new iPhone 16, watches and AirPods set to land in weeks. Here’s what to expect
Apple is planning to hold its biggest product launch event of the year on September 10, when the company will unveil the latest iPhones, watches and AirPods, according to people familiar with the situation. ⌘ Read more

Confessions of an e-scooter commuter
Many believe that e-scooters and similar devices will play a big role in how we get around in the future, but the path remains bumpy. ⌘ Read more

On my blog: Free Culture Book Club — Morrisa Jeanine https://john.colagioia.net/blog/2024/08/24/morrisa-jeanine.html #freeculture #bookclub

🥳 NEW FEED: @tw@ctrl-c.club

https://galusik.fr/log/2024-08-23-frm.html Tonight #fridayrockmetal playlist

On my blog: Toots 🦣 from 08/19 to 08/23 https://john.colagioia.net/blog/2024/08/23/week.html #linkdump #socialmedia #quotes #week

The Facebook problem that only hurts Australians
Frances Haugen made global headlines when she blew the whistle on Facebook. She says the company treats Australia differently to other markets. ⌘ Read more

On my blog: Real Life in Star Trek, Power Play https://john.colagioia.net/blog/2024/08/22/power-play.html #scifi #startrek #closereading

Google’s Pixel 9 Pro approaches AI overload, but it’s still a fantastic phone
As well as providing brilliant hardware, the best version of Android and fantastic cameras, the latest Pixel introduces a raft of generative AI. ⌘ Read more

Fresh look at Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
New gameplay and story details have been revealed for the upcoming game Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, set to release on Xbox and PC in December. ⌘ Read more

On my blog: Developer Diary, World Humanitarian Day https://john.colagioia.net/blog/2024/08/19/humanitarian.html #programming #project #devjournal

お知らせ：JPCERT/CC Eyes「TSUBAMEレポート Overflow（2024年4～6月）」 ⌘ Read more

This new LG TV puts many pricier models to shame
For the fifth consecutive year, LG’s C-series ticks every box despite coming in a lot cheaper than the highest-end models. ⌘ Read more

On my blog: Free Culture Book Club — Antumbra, chapter 0 https://john.colagioia.net/blog/2024/08/17/antumbra.html #freeculture #bookclub

On my blog: Toots 🦣 from 08/12 to 08/16 https://john.colagioia.net/blog/2024/08/16/week.html #linkdump #mastodon #socialmedia #week

AI chatbot lands Google execs in a pickle at Senate hearing
One of Google’s top executives was facing questions about AI when she was interrupted by a chatbot. ⌘ Read more

James built a $28b fortune after inventing Dyson vacuums. Here is his next radical idea
Britain’s fifth-richest man says there’s a good reason he’s been growing out his hair. ⌘ Read more

On my blog: Real Life in Star Trek, Conundrum https://john.colagioia.net/blog/2024/08/15/conundrum.html #scifi #startrek #closereading

Telstra profits slide by 13 per cent, dividend rises
Higher operating costs and poor performance of the telco’s giant’s enterprise unit have weighed on its annual results. ⌘ Read more

Telstra profits slide by 13 per cent
Higher operating costs and poor performance of the telco’s giant’s enterprise unit have weighed on its annual results. ⌘ Read more

On my blog: Yet Another Dark Mode Post https://john.colagioia.net/blog/2024/08/14/dark-mode-again.html #programming #techtips

Google adds a foldable, smaller Pro model to its Pixel smartphone line-up
The Pixel 9 is joined by three Pro versions, as the web giant also unveils new watches and earbuds. ⌘ Read more

The billionaire-backed ‘people’s bid’ to buy TikTok is gaining steam
A move to buy TikTok’s US arm could radically reshape the controversial social media app and its mysterious algorithms. ⌘ Read more

Morphotrophic by Greg Egan is built around an idea for how life on Earth could have worked out differently. It gets increasingly strange and interesting as the story progresses. My partner and I finished it last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. The beginning is free online: https://gregegan.net/MORPHOTROPHIC/00/MorphotrophicExcerpt.html #scifi #reading

On my blog: Developer Diary, World Elephant Day https://john.colagioia.net/blog/2024/08/12/elephant.html #programming #project #devjournal

Earbud maker Nuheara falls into administration
This tech company was once a takeover target for Samsung. It’s now in the hands of administrators. ⌘ Read more

On my blog: Open Source Characters https://john.colagioia.net/blog/2024/08/11/open-source-characters.html #freeculture #licenses #rant

Can a Wi-Fi electric blanket and smart tracker really improve your sleep?
With its ability to heat and cool in line with your body, and maintain separate temperatures for your partner, Eight Sleep’s Pod 4 brings AI analysis to your bed. ⌘ Read more

On my blog: Free Culture Book Club — Viaje a la Tierra del Quebracho https://john.colagioia.net/blog/2024/08/10/quebracho.html #freeculture #bookclub

On my blog: Toots 🦣 from 08/05 to 08/09 https://john.colagioia.net/blog/2024/08/09/week.html #linkdump #mastodon #socialmedia #week

The EV haters have a point
Driving from Melbourne to Sydney in BYD’s latest plug-in hybrid underscores why electric vehicles sales are slowing down. ⌘ Read more