World of Warcraft: one simple line of code can cost you dearly
A few days ago, a new type of gold/item scam made the rounds. Usually scamming in MMORPGs is done using social engineering techniques, e.g. an attacker sells a fake item code for alleged in-game items like mounts to a potential victim for in-game currency. But this most recent kind of attack...
Hasnain says:
Sure, let's make it easy for users to shoot themselves in the foot.
Posted on 2016-07-26T01:45:14+0000
Log Structured Merge Trees - ben stopford
A detailed look at the interesting LSM file organisation seen in BigTable, Cassandra and most recently MongoDB
Hasnain says:
A pretty good read on LSMs, why they're useful, and where they're needed. I still think it's unfortunate that I haven't seen them covered in databases classes
Posted on 2016-07-26T00:52:22+0000
Kashmir, and the Inheritance of Loss
Indian troops have responded to protests in Kashmir with a brutality rare even by their grim standards.
Hasnain says:
This was tough to read. A few snippets below.
"A single shot from a pellet gun sprays more than a hundred pellets. A pellet is a high-velocity projectile 2mm to 4mm around and with sharp edges. It doesn’t simply penetrate an eye; it ricochets inside it, tearing the retina and the optic nerves, scooping out flesh and bone."
"Omar Nazir, a reed-thin boy of 12, barely filled one corner of his bed. A thick swathe of bandages formed a cross across his chest and belly. He had black, adult-size glasses. “He’s lost both his eyes,” Dr. Shafi said. Doctors had yet to deliver the news to Nazir Ahmad, the boy’s father, a day laborer in Pulwama, a district in southern Kashmir, but he already seemed to know. Mr. Ahmad, tall and wiry, looked at the doctor, his eyes liquid with entreaty: “Dr. Sahib, we own one-fifth of an acre of land in the village. I will sell all my land, but please make him see.”"
"A few days later, the police raided the offices of Greater Kashmir, the daily that had run that story about Insha, as well as several other local newspapers, and shut down the printing presses. The authorities’ familiar silencing routine had begun again. Indian officials and thought leaders fell back on tired rituals of obfuscation and denial. But already one line of graffiti had appeared on every other wall throughout the entire valley: “Go India, Go Back!”
Posted on 2016-07-25T23:49:52+0000
Humans once opposed coffee and refrigeration. Here’s why we often hate new stuff.
Over the past 600 years, humans have had a rocky relationship with innovation.
Nintendo shares plummet after investors realize it doesn't actually make Pokémon Go
Nintendo shares have skyrocketed since Pokémon Go's release and instant transformation into global cultural phenomenon, but they fell dramatically today after investors realized that Nintendo...
Shtetl-Optimized » Blog Archive » My biology paper in Science (really)
Well, you can see the paper right here (“Synthetic recombinase-based state machines in living cells,” by Nathaniel Roquet, Ava P. Soleimany, Alyssa C. Ferris, Scott Aaronson, and Timothy K. Lu). Unfortunately there’s a paywall, but I think we’ll be able to post our own version before long (will che...
Hasnain says:
This is a super cool look into hardcore mathematical biology
Posted on 2016-07-24T19:27:32+0000
Japanese 'rent men' who are paid just to listen
From lonely pensioners to Japanese schoolgirls with shattered dreams, Takanobu Nishimoto and his crew of middle-aged men will lend an ear to clients who would never dream of spilling their guts to a therapist or worse, their families. "For me, the service is a hobby more than anything," says
Hasnain has not yet written a summary for this.
Posted on 2016-07-23T20:52:53+0000
That time a bunch of journalists confused an opinion piece for a study
Pile of neglected research gets passed off as new data by reporters.
Hasnain says:
"Here's hoping that, in future, scientists like Dr. Boobis will be taken more seriously."
Posted on 2016-07-23T20:45:51+0000
How we broke PHP, hacked Pornhub and earned 20.000$ | Bug Bounties - Evonide
We audited Pornhub, then PHP and broke both. In particular, we have gained remote code execution on pornhub.com and have earned a 20.000$ bug bounty.
Rich Countries Often Fail to Bolster Well-Being, Boston Consulting Says
Sub-Saharan Africa and Emerging Asia lead the pack over an 8-year term in improving its citizens lives, while Western Europe remains at the top of the current index
Hasnain has not yet written a summary for this.
Posted on 2016-07-23T17:02:03+0000