A bad hack gone good

A friend of mine in the web hosting industry got hacked today. Several of his clients' pages and the web host's page itself got defaced and several clients also had their files deleted and databases cleared.

Generally, this doesn't bode well for PR of a web hosting company... unless it's run by my friend. I'll call him Captain Spin.

So [redacted]'s new backup system saved our biggest client today...
(This is from the support forum on the web host's site. Captain Spin hasn't put together an ad just yet.)

5/17/2008, [redacted]'s most visited hosting Client Instant Messages me:
(4:35:30 PM) Cust: i got hacked. they got me through my outdated CMS
(4:35:46 PM) Me: What?!
(4:35:55 PM) Me: Please call me ASAP: [redacted]
(4:35:55 PM) Cust: hey I did a restore. everything's back to normal.

Facts:

• [redacted]'s new hourly backup system came online less than 72 hours ago. Prior to that, we had no form of backups and were like most other hosting companies: "We are not responsible for your data." He was able to log in to his cpanel, click on "Backup Retrieval," select a backup and go about his merry way.
• This client's website receives 86,400 visits on an average day and is his means of putting food in his stomach.
• The hack was executed via an outdated Content Management System (phpnuke,) which we are updating for him right now.

Great quotes from our phone call:
"I'm so glad I switched over to you guys - You saved my @$ big time here."
"Thank God you set up this backup system, seriously."

The Lesson
Can't figure it out still? Keep up-to-date backups!

Needless to say, [redacted] will push out a press release along with our backup software partner to [redacted] and all the other norms. Happy hosting, everyone. :-)

Fedora vs. Fedora

[I wrote this with a bit of an air of arrogance. It is satire.]
It's not often that I, the one and only Jack Schitt, make a mistake. Unfortunately, the record of three year, six months, and 18 days, stands no more. I know, I know. Console me if you like, dear reader. But it won't help.

An online friend of mine told me via AIM that he got a new fedora.

Me being the geek that I am, I figured that he was of course indicating that he had just installed a Linux distro named Fedora.

It was at this point in the conversation that I mentioned that I was more of an Ubuntu guy myself.

I didn't realize my mistake until my friend asked me what an 'ubuntu' was and if I could send him a picture.

The mistake that I made, my mistake, was not knowing that fedora, in addition to being a type of Linux, is also a type of hat. Distraught as I am in having made this mistake, it is disturbing, furthermore, that the mistake is such a stupid one. I can assure you, dear reader, that all attempts will be made in the future to prevent both similar and dissimilar mistakes from ever happening again.

Be aware, though, that they will happen. Nothing can prevent them. Not even me.

In closing, I would like to apologize to all of the witnesses of the IM conversation above and say that it was with my deepest regrets that I allowed such a mistake to occur. I'm sorry.

Lemonade: A Short Story

My mom reads this blog. It was at her request that I make the following story available here after rotting for years on my MySpace blog. Apparently, it's pretty easy to forget you have one of those.

I will now relate to you, my dear reader(s), and my mom, my lemonade experience of December 15th, 2006.

---

My Lemonade Experience

-or-

How to Get a Really Bad Sugar Rush Right Before Bed

A short story by Jack Schitt, The One and Only

As has been my tradition for some time now, I decided to have a tall glass of lemonade right before bed. Little did I know that there would soon be a party in my mouth and that I'd have to call the cops. Normally, the tradition requires three tablespoons of Country Time lemonade in a 16 ounce cup. I like it a little strong. The problem arose when I realized I was out of Country Time and had to fall back to the Crystal Light.

Mad was I with desire for my precious lemonade as I dove through the packaging to get to the... holly shit? Pre-measured individually wrapped tubs of lemonade? "They've thought of everything," I said to myself as I dumped the contents of the tub (about one tablespoon) into the 16 ounce cup I normally use. The strong whiff of lemonade at this point should have served as a warning for what was about to come.

I naïvely poured in the crushed ice that lemonade should be packaged with -- I guess they haven't thought of everything -- not aware of the danger I was currently in.

I ran the tap into the cup and watched it fill. If this were a movie, a sinister note would be playing. Thinking back, I can hear it. The psychologist says it has to do with a repressed memory, but that's a different blog.

I noticed that the water was a lot more milky than normal while I was stirring it. I stirred with reckless abandon. I stirred and I stirred, hoping against hope that the mix would dissolve. But it was not to be.

There was no warning. There were no screams. There was no time. There was only spit up lemonade, dripping slowly off the counter onto the floor.

A tumbleweed silently drifted by.

I stared in blankly in awe as I came to the realization: I had just prepared a half gallon worth of lemonade in a 16 ounce cup. Not being wasteful, I snapped up some pics, started my laundry, and posted this blog.

Yes, I did finish the lemonade. Yes, I did water it down. Yes, I will be up all night even though I have to be up tomorrow at seven. (I looked at the nutrition info on the side of the box and it lists one serving as "1/8 Tub".)

The Menthol Variety

Those of you who know me outside of the blogosphere know that I'm a supporter of legalized marijuana. I don't smoke it, and I probably still wouldn't even if it was legal. I just support it's legalization.

Legalization of pot would solve one particular problem touched upon in my next Yahoo Answers post:

(adyktd2thewrttnwrd (what a name) posted this on February 25th, 2008)
An Honest Question for Smokers ... Read Details?

This is for smoker's. Obviously, we smoke, DUH. We don't need the regulars telling us we will die of a horrible cancer or whatever. Having people tell you you will die gets a bit annoying.

We know this. But, there is a divide among smokers and here is MY question: Menthol - Yes or NO?

I tried to recall the last time that I'd seen the menthol flavored variety available to no avail.

My dealer laughed at me when I asked him if he had menthol. Does any body know where I can get menthol pot so I can more properly answer this question?

How rude of me... I answered a question with another question. Oh well.

March of the Penguins

In addition to Yahoo Answers, I've also found myself in the /b/ board (otherwise known as Random) of 4chan where I make random images. These two movie posters were made in response to a thread called Images of FAIL.

I didn't quite get the huge following I was expecting on this one. At least you get to see them.

The other fad on /b/ is motivational posters. I've made a few of these as well. The concept is pretty simple. Find an image and create a headline underneath that describes the image, usually in a way that isn't expected.

Below that, add a line that elaborates on the headline.

Have any images you think would make a good poster? Bring them to my attention in the comments and I might laugh at you.

Jack Schitt on co-dependence

Going through my previously answered questions, I found another gem, this one by Robson P. He asked this on December 30th, of 2006.

If i love her,should i go to her,because she wants me with her?
(This question had no body.)

Understanding that Robson P is probably all of 14 and still quite nervous around the women kind, I decided to be a bit of a jerk.

If you're asking this question with such an obvious answer, I'm going to have to say no as you'll be doing her more harm than good, I'm afraid.

Why? This question seems to imply that you have a co-dependence issue and that's never good. You already know the answer to the question, you know the answers other people are going to provide, you're just looking for confirmation.

I'd instead suggest that you seek psychological counseling for your co-dependence issues.

I was almost certain that I was going to get an angry email back from him or at least one of the other readers of the question. Instead?

i was just looking for comfermation

He even gave me the best answer vote. Nice.

The slight burning sensation

I frequent the Yahoo Answers site in search of questions to which I can reply with either a comprehensive or hysterically funny answer.

Today's question (actually from August 21st, 2008) was asked by user Fearlesshood:

Burns?????????????

For the followinf injurie i neeed to find :
Types?
Causes?
Signs?
Symptoms
Treatment or management
plz help, in full sentences plz

As you can see, this is most likely a homework question. This scares me a bit as this is the kind of question somebody studying for a career in health care might get.

By far, the best part of the question is the plz help, in full sentences plz at the end, suffering from absence of capitalization, incorrect grammar, and even the redundant plz.

Well, Fearlesshood, I'm happy to oblige:

Types of burns can include unintentional and intentional.
Unintentional burns happen, for example, when you drink sulfuric acid thinking that it is in fact water.
Intentional burns happen when you drink sulfuric acid knowing that it is in fact sulfuric acid.

Causes can include stupidity and depression.

Signs of burns can include blisters, charring, and loss of life.

The symptoms are typically excruciating pain, and learning the crucial difference between sulfuric acid and water.

The treatment of burns are dependent upon the cause. If the cause is stupidity, a smack across the head is usually sufficient to treat a burn. In the event that it is not, however, proper application of salt must also be considered. In the event of depression, Prozac and/or Zoloft may be prescribed by a qualified psychiatrist.

I am available to answer all appropriate homework questions that can easily be studied for.

And yes, I was chosen best answer.

The one-day Laryngitis sale

Marketing at it's best... the one and only Laryngitis sale.

This is an actual email I received from a company I frequently deal with that sells audio equipment and software. I slightly edited the email to remove the name of the salesman, the company's name, and his email address, but the email is genuine.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Dave ****
Date: Fri, May 9, 2008 at 8:01 AM
Subject: Dave's One Day Laryngitis Sale!
To: Jack Schitt


Hi Jack,

Dave from **** here. As I am sure you know, I make my living by talking on the phone to my great customers all day about their needs and wants in the musical world. Unfortunately for me (and my customers) I woke up this morning with an extraordinarily bad case of laryngitis. I'm not able to talk on the phone today--so in the name of saving my voice while still passing on great service and savings to you, I am holding a one day (email only) laryngitis sale.

Reply to this email and I will hook you up with a 10% discount off any item of your choice (except for just a few manufacturers, like Apple and Apogee). Not only will you be helping my vocal cords recuperate, but you'll also be getting even more savings off of ****'s already super-low prices, not to mention lifetime support on every product we sell, and expert answers to all of your questions!

Please let me know if you have any questions or if there is anything I can be doing for you. I appreciate your time, and hope all is well for you and yours!

Dave ****
Sales Engineer
****
800 **** ****
Dave_****@****.com