mikeOMGLOL's Xanga

5.11 Tactical Pants

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 13:45:25 GMT

One of the most important pieces of equipment I bring to work each day is my pants. I know most people take their pants for granted, but in my line of work as a first responder, my pants allow me to bring more equipment to a scene than I would normally be able to carry.

Both police officers and EMS personnel need pants that are super durable, have lots of storage space, and are comfortable enough to wear for long periods of time. 5.11 Tactical pants fit that bill. They allow me to carry in my cell phone, a pocket drug guide, a small flashlight, extra gloves, and my portable radio. They have double layers of fabric in the knees and seat which is important with all the kneeling we do on the job. They are priced the same as any other decent work pants, and last much longer. And they look like normal dress pants too!

Exposing the PageRank Scam

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 12:55:34 GMT

My crummy little Xanga is officially more "popular" than my hosted domain blog, EMS News. At least,according to Google it is.

EMS News is updated nearly every day, with attention paid to using targeted keywords. I submit it to blog directories. I link to it from other websites. Last month I got about 700 unique visitors. It *was* a PR2 blog. Not much, but better than a guy with no HTML skill should be able to get. Today it dropped to PR1.

This Xanga, however, is PR2. I don't submit it to directories, I don't link to it from anywhere, and I sell paid links on it just like on EMS News. I don't know how many visitors I get. Maybe I get thousands a month and I just am not aware of it. Who knows. My point is that I don't put much effort into this Xanga and I seem to be getting rewarded for it by Google.

Don't be evil? How about implementing a fair rating system for your search engine?

Health Insurance is Pretty Important.

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 21:19:15 GMT

Working as a paramedic gets you in contact with all kinds of different people. From the uber rich to the sub-poverty level, everyone needs a trip to the hospital sooner or later. So many people have to ask me "How am I going to pay for this ambulance ride?" that it makes me wonder why people don't plan for emergencies. Obviously no one thinks it's going to happen to them, but when the cost of that misjudgment can cost tens of thousands of dollars, you'd think people would give affordable short term health insurance a look. It's really affordable and you can scale it to fit your situation and lifestyle. Give an agent a call or visit one online, especially if you have a family to think about.

Back from Vacation!

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 20:14:37 GMT

Corrin and I just rolled (pun intended) in from Disney World. I have got to stop eating because I feel sluggish.

The first day back at work after vacation is a real pain because its worse than you remember it. Mickey made me realize that life should be a sand-bottom pool and air-conditioned shuttle busses, not tone boxes and fat naked men with guns.

We also learned that poor Oliver has to have some teeth pulled and its going to cost $250, so cross your fingers for the little guy and give us some money.

Get Your Game On

Sat, 29 Sep 2007 15:34:54 GMT

I love all things Apple, so I was like a kid in a candy shop when I found this website to download mac games. Best of all, they are almost all $20 or less! I downloaded Devastro and Virtual Villagers, which is like the Sims on an island. I take my MacBook with me everywhere so I need games to keep me occupied when nothing else is going on.

The games are a small download so you can even download them over Wi-Fi if you're at a coffee shop. True nerd bliss.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 23:23:02 GMT

Corrie has a pretty shiny ring. Were in chicago right now blogging from my phone at the pizza place! We will be back soon to show it off to everyone!

It's huge.

Blank CDs

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 17:44:12 GMT

I was digging around in my apartment last night trying to find a blank CD. I looked in all my drawers and couldn't find a thing! I have a ton of blank DVDs, but no CDs. I just wanted to burn a music CD for this morning. So I was looking around online for cheap blank media so I can be prepared next time I am in the mood to make a CD I don't have to dig. I checked out Supermediastore and found some awesome prices. They have a pack of 200 blank CDs for 19 cents a disc. And if I ever get sick of labeling my CDs with a Sharpie, I can buy the Primera Bravo disc printer which screens on high resolution images onto a bunch of discs.

Monday, September 17, 2007

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 17:08:19 GMT

4 years ago today I met Corrin for drinks at BW3 in Merrillville. Who knew we'd be married just a few short years later? She is cute as a button and smart++. I'm lucky to have snagged her before some other schmoe.

My gift to you:

Love <3 <3

Don't Get Hacked!

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 21:29:15 GMT

There is a new threat to people like myself who run their own websites, even something as simple as a personal blog. It's called cross site scripting, sometimes abbreviated XSS, and it works by a shady person embedding malicious code into a dynamic page fooling the user into giving away private imformation. There's a company called Acunetix that has released a tool to protect yourself from this hack. If you are paranoid like me, you need to read their press release:

What is Cross Site Scripting?
Cross Site Scripting allows an attacker to embed malicious JavaScript, VBScript, ActiveX, HTML, or Flash into a vulnerable dynamic page to fool the user, executing the script on his machine in order to gather data. The use of XSS might compromise private information, manipulate or steal cookies, create requests that can be mistaken for those of a valid user, or execute malicious code on the end-user systems. The data is usually formatted as a hyperlink containing malicious content and which is distributed over any possible means on the internet. Cross site scripting vulnerabilities are extremely dangerous and the number of the attacks is on the rise. More information about Cross Site Scripting can be found at http://www.acunetix.com/websitesecurity/cross-site-scripting.htm

Many a large-scale corporation has fallen prey to Cross Site Scripting (XSS), as it is one of the most common yet underestimated of web attacks. In August 2006, hackers stole the personal data of nearly 19,000 DSL equipment customers through a vulnerability in AT&T’s online store. Whereas in June 2006, PayPal users were tricked into giving away social security numbers, credit card details and other highly sensitive personal information through a cross site scripting vulnerability in the PayPal website.

A report from Mitre Corp., a US government funded research organization, issued in September 2006 indicated that Cross-Site scripting ranked first in a list of top security risks. In a study conducted by Acunetix, 42% of the websites scanned with Acunetix WVS were found to be vulnerable to Cross Site Scripting.

“Companies don’t realize the danger their web sites are under and are therefore reluctant to invest in web vulnerability scanners. Consequently, security officers don’t have the tools to protect their websites. The free XSS scanner will give security officers access to a professional cross site scanning tool, that will allow them to assess their web sites for the cross site scripting danger,” said Jonathan Spiteri, Technical Manager of Acunetix.

Scanning for XSS vulnerabilities with Acunetix WVS Free Edition
To check whether your website has cross site scripting vulnerabilities, download the free edition from http://www.acunetix.com/cross-site-scripting/scanner.htm. This version will scan any website / web application for XSS vulnerabilities and it will also reveal all the essential information related to it, such as the vulnerability location and remediation techniques. Scanning for XSS is normally a quick exercise (depending on the size of the web-site). A detailed guide how to scan for cross site scripting vulnerabilities can be found here http://www.acunetix.com/websitesecurity/xss.htm.

The Free Edition also allows you to sample what other threats Acunetix WVS can find by allowing you to scan the Acunetix test sites for vulnerabilities.

About Acunetix Web Vulnerability Scanner
Acunetix Web Vulnerability Scanner ensures website security by automatically checking for SQL injection, Cross site scripting and other vulnerabilities. It checks password strength on authentication pages and automatically audits shopping carts, forms, dynamic content and other web applications. As the scan is being completed, the software produces detailed reports that pinpoint where vulnerabilities exist. Acunetix WVS Reporting Application allows security alerts to be presented in a document which abides by the PCI Compliance specification.

About Acunetix
Acunetix was founded to combat the alarming rise in web attacks. Its flagship product, Acunetix Web Vulnerability Scanner, is the result of several years of development by a team of highly experienced security developers. Acunetix is a privately held company with headquarters based in Europe (Malta) and an office in London, UK. For more information about Acunetix, visit: http://www.acunetix.com; http://www.acunetix.de.

Get protected! Download Your Free Acunetix XSS Scanner today!

admit it

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 04:18:45 GMT

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