Blackmoor Vituperative

This is the neatest thing in tabletop RPG accessories I have seen in a while: inexpensive 3D dungeons, courtesy of DriveThruRPG and Fat Dragon Games.

Just thought I’d pass along a few security-related links which I thought were interesting…

• Advice for reading about security
• Code for ultimate rootkit to be released on 2009-03-19
• Recession: a chance to deploy open source security solutions

In particular, I think this comment strikes at the heart of what’s wrong with IT in many companies:

Open source software in general, and Linux in particular, also has an undeserved reputation for poor security in some circles. Part of the reason for this is the fact that many people simply don’t understand how software security, and open source development, works. They hear “open source”, and think “Hell, if anyone can get the source, then anyone can modify it. How do we know we aren’t getting software modified by some malicious ‘hacker’ who wants to steal our sensitive data?” Another part of the reason is that many people with limited technical skills — and a dismaying number of supposed technology “experts” — simply don’t understand that there’s more to security than counting vulnerabilities.

(from Recession: a chance to deploy open source security solutions, TechRepublic)

“There’s no way I would be involved in a sequel or prequel,” said director Zack Snyder, who turned the graphic novel “300” into a 2007 blockbuster.

“Will they make one? I have no idea how you would. The work is the work. This movie is about ideas. Anything else you would do, if you did a sequel to it, misses the point entirely of what ‘Watchmen’ is,” he said.

(from Watchmen sequel unlikelyYahoo.com)

That didn’t stop them from making sequels to Highlander and The Matrix.

Dave Howe, president of the Sci Fi Channel, does not understand or like science fiction and has contempt for the people who do.

In the most recent absurd move by the Science Fiction Channel, Howe has decided to change the name of the channel to “SyFy”. If you are rolling your eyes and saying, “What the …?”, you are not alone. In Mr. Howe’s words, “What we love about this is we hopefully get the best of both worlds. We’ll get the heritage and the track record of success, and we’ll build off of that to build a broader, more open and accessible and relatable and human-friendly brand.” In other words, “I don’t have a clue what science fiction is or why anyone would want to watch it. So rather than try and appeal to that market, we are changing the name of the channel to something nonsensical and hoping that will somehow improve our ratings.”

In making this idiotic change, Mr. Howe is following in the footsteps of Tim Brooks, who helped launch the Sci Fi Channel when he worked at USA Network. “We spent a lot of time in the ’90s trying to distance the network from science fiction, which is largely why it’s called Sci Fi,” Mr. Brooks said. “It’s somewhat cooler and better than the name ‘Science Fiction.’ But even the name Sci Fi is limiting.” In other words, “I have no idea why I was given the job to start a science fiction channel. I don’t like it, and I like the people who watch it even less.”

What’s next? Will the Pope be put in charge of Planned Parenthood? Will Sarah Brady be put in charge of Gun Owners Of America? Will Iran be elected to participate in the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women?

I intend to mock anyone using “SyFy” with all of the sarcasm I can muster.

Werewolf-Movies.com is the definitive resource for werewolf movies.

Google-owned web site YouTube has decided to block music videos in the UK rather than give in to the Performing Rights Society (PSA) of Music, a group representing artists and publishers in the UK.

“… PRS is now asking us to pay many, many times more for our license than before,” he wrote. “The costs are simply prohibitive for us – under PRS’s proposed terms we would lose significant amounts of money with every playback.”

He also claims PRS is unwilling to even tell the video streaming site what songs are included in the licensing renewal being negotiated. Walker claims the deal is “like asking a consumer to buy an unmarked CD without knowing what musicians are on it.”

(from YouTube blocks music videos in UK, The Register)

Good for you, YouTube!

It is a sad day.

RPGnet has a pretty good review of the Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide.

(This is for the tabletop game, by the way, not the computer game.)

Watch this short film about Julie Fowlis.

Ten Ton Hammer has a review (or preview) of Jumpgate Evolution. So far, it looks pretty interesting.