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Sonic the Anonymous WizHog

12:03 AM

@Unihedron An even further throwback: jsfiddle.net/yijiang/AYPpF/24/embedded/result

forest

3:47 AM

The truth about all crime.

Feeds

4:03 AM

Stormblessed

4:21 AM

32

Q: foo.com is sketchy; “How to Format” and help should use HTTPS links in examples

In the “How to Format” bar that shows when editing the body of a question or editing an answer, there is this example for how to format: <http://foo.com> [foo](http://foo.com) <a href="http://foo.com">foo</a> There is a problem with this: foo.com is a site that is owned by someone currently an...

@JourneymanGeek could you please mark this status-completed? Thanks

Catija

@Stormblessed Please use flags.

Stormblessed

@Catija oh sorry

There, flagged

Catija

Thanks! :D

Stormblessed

4:37 AM

@Stormblessed oh look at that, oneboxing question makes links links

But only the ones with no protocol at the front?

Backwards of how HTML works in my very limited experience to work only without “http”/“https”

Catija

Huh? Your URL starts with https:// ?

Stormblessed

Oh wait it does start with http

1

A: Formatting Sandbox

google.com https://google.com http://google.com google.com https://google.com http://google.com google.com https://google.com http://google.com (That’s a oneboxing test) Community! I am writing a bunch of words so this doesn't become a comment because that would suck. Here, look at my l...

The first one has no http or https, but the others do; it hides the http/https in the box and links those

1

A: Formatting Sandbox

https:// https://aaa http:// http://aaa aaaaa:// aaaaa://aaa aaaaa://google.com google.com https://google.com http://google.com google.com https://google.com http://google.com google.com https://google.com http://google.com (That’s a oneboxing test) Community! I am writing a bunch of ...

It doesn’t hide fake things that resemble protocols, but it does make links and hide https/http with non-URLs

There I’m done good night

forest

6:11 AM

24

Q: How do you deal with the emotions of not being the one to find the cause of a bug?

I've had a couple of occasions where I've been trying to find the root cause of a bug. These are bugs that might originate with the code or server configuration but their effect is quite broad so might involve networking and/or concurrency issues so cannot be covered solely by better tooling. I'...

learning lifelong-learning

I really don't get questions like this...

I mean, why would someone be upset at someone else finding a bug?

rene

It is my Bug!

You're stealing it from me!

Journeyman Geek

MY PRECIOUS!

@Stormblessed No

forest

I mean it'd make sense if he worked in infosec since those bugs are more valuable.

But a random concurrency issue or something? Or a livelock?

Journeyman Geek

So - there's a few things. status-foo retags are one of the few kinds of flags that we mods don't always handle - since we can't always tell if something has been fixed.

Also, SE isn't dumb and if you use a http link it gets redirected

forest

Either you have an insanely big ego, or there's a quota of bugs you're forced to find.

Journeyman Geek

6:20 AM

I do it on my own site so http vs https isn't important

forest

@JourneymanGeek It doesn't use HSTS though.

rene

I once ran on a project where we replaced the 20% budget for testing with a single bottle of wine: Who found the most bugs would get the wine. In that scenario people would get upset if you found their bug. (back story: management argued our testing budget was too high)

Journeyman Geek

@forest it apparently does not.

I do!

forest

nice

I do as well. I would also use HPKP if Google wasn't an idiot and didn't remove it...

Journeyman Geek

@forest I also cheat and just use the mozilla setting generator thing

forest

6:22 AM

I just read the nginx.conf manpage.

And then curse when I get the syntax wrong and bring down my server by mistake.

Journeyman Geek

anyway - where was I

Oh yeah

SOme folks probably just get a sense of accomplishment from the big things?

Me? I professionally stare at screens, and a day when I need to get nothing done is a good day

forest

Yeah but every single bug?

Journeyman Geek

Maybe that's what keeps him going from the soul crushing tedium of life

forest

I once spent like 6 hours trying to debug some MIPS assembly... Turns out I had a brainfart the whole time and used an argument for a syscall wrong. I spent literally hours reading the MIPS Linux syscall ABI and even reading kernel source code before I realized what was wrong.

Journeyman Geek

It is what gets him up at night.

forest

6:26 AM

I thought I was going crazy and totally misunderstood how arguments were passed on the stack in the MIPS ABI, but it turned out I was just being a completely idiot.

rene

@forest ... and you still remember that ...

forest

@rene Well yeah. It was the longest time I spent trying to fix the simplest bug. :P

Journeyman Geek

@forest though

its your bug

Its personal

forest

Yeah but if someone else fixed it for me... I'd have saved so many hours.

A fixed bug is a fixed bug, no matter who fixes it.

I mean unless you're never able to find any bug, in which case you shouldn't be a programmer.

Journeyman Geek

"Aw. ye we boggart. I have cooked yer goose. Fried yer bacon. Greased your gander. You are an ex bug, no longer a pestulous pustule upon the rump of my code...."

The world is lucky I don't code. Or that I don't code with unsufficient sleep

forest

6:29 AM

The world is unlucky that I sysadmin while high.

Better than doing it drunk though. I just waste time if I'm high.

I once worked with someone who wrote the most... interesting code on meth.

The comments were always a fun read.

He never used revision control either, so that was exciting.

Journeyman Geek

(I don't drink. And I'm staying away from the mod queues until I get enough sleep)

forest

I used to drink. I'm not a friendly (or productive) drunk, so I don't anymore.

Weed is far better anyway. Less damage to the liver.

Journeyman Geek

I'll stick to good chocolate, and the occational soda...

apparently sugar's public enemy number 1 these days anyway.

forest

Sugar's been public enemy number 1 since the 90s. It's "the white death".

For good reason too. It wreaks havoc on the immune system.

Sucrose, that is.

Journeyman Geek

(also, since I work inside a government facility - even the vending machines have low sugar stuff)

eh, Artificial sweeteners typically taste terrible to me

I think the one substitute that tastes non vile is sucralose, and that stuff typically tastes too sweet

So I'll stick to partaking in moderation

rene

6:38 AM

they taste artificial?

Journeyman Geek

@rene pretty much

rene

the name says it all

Journeyman Geek

Stevia tastes kinda chemically. Some of the other ones don't taste... sweet...

IDK if my taste buds are broken or something

forest

@JourneymanGeek Artificial sweeteners are toxic to dogs, that's why.

Journeyman Geek

and I kinda like the option of getting a nice, high sugar, caffeinated beverage at 2-4 am in the morning when I just need to keep the old engine running a few more hours.

@forest like xylitol?

forest

6:40 AM

mhm

Journeyman Geek

I mean

if you want to drink diet stuff, by choice, its fine

ANNOYINGLY, we have a fresh orange juice vending machine...

and its in the canteen that's locked at night

forest

ouch

Journeyman Geek

I wouldn't mind that. I don't mind fresh OJ, and the machines are cool to watch ;p

forest

Someone should make an orange juice vending machine that's genuinely 100% fresh. It would have a little orange tree inside it and plant lights to help it grow, and it'd take an orange off and juice it automatically whenever anyone wants OJ. All you'd need to do is fill it with water and fertilizer.

Journeyman Geek

lol

this stores a bunch of oranges, and chills em

so you order a juice, it cuts and sqeezes them, dumps the juice into a plastic cup, and seals it - bubble tea style

its fun to watch ;p

forest

6:44 AM

In Vegas, there's orange juice for like $10 but it only fills a quarter of a very, very small glass.

It's really delicious though.

ShaWiz

6:59 AM

o_O

forest

Oh it gets better. Imagine a $250 meal for one adult and one child... And it wasn't filling either.

And, of course, there's the $7 small bottles of water.

Journeyman Geek

having worked in a casino? I can imagine.

forest

It's a shame I don't drink anymore. They fill you up with alcohol for free at the big ones.

Journeyman Geek

I seem to recall the sands here has bottles of water. Can't remember seeing booze.

Cause we don't have casinos. We have "Integrated resorts"

forest

heh

Well Los Vegas is not like most other places.

It's a real trip.

Sin City fits perfectly. It's hedonism turned up to 11.

Journeyman Geek

7:13 AM

Singapore's all "we want the money, but we really kinda don't thinl... OH MONEY!!!!"

forest

Money makes the world go 'round.

ShaWiz

7:45 AM

Casino is illegal in Israel. :(

I went to the one in Jericho when it still existed.

(I was 17 or 18)

forest

Well move somewhere better. :P

Online gambling is also an option, but it's less of a rush.

There's nothing like playing poker or blackjack at a real table with a real person.

ShaWiz

@forest give me passport/visa and I'm there. :P

forest

China has a lot of gambling resorts, even though it's technically illegal there.

ShaWiz

ohh... no... not China..

forest

I worked for a Chinese casino once. It was... interesting.

I prefer Los Vegas casinos anyway, but I hate how many cameras there are.

ShaWiz

7:56 AM

Well they have to

Otherwise people will cheat and break the house

forest

They couldn't break the house by cheating.

They would, however, end up taking more money than the cameras cost.

Journeyman Geek

@ShaWiz I suspect the idea of the cameras is as much about "
You're being watched" than actual stuff

ShaWiz

hmm...

Martin

8:48 AM

What would be suitable tags for this question: Magic link for MathOverflow in chat and comments? It seems that magic-links might be a good fit - but after I added mathoverflow, all five slots for tags are already taken.

Martin

9:38 AM

@Martin The tags have been edit by Glorfindel: meta.stackexchange.com/posts/301138/revisions

rene

10:53 AM

@Martin talking to yourself again? ;)

→ 27 messages moved to Chimney

Martin

11:12 AM

Well, more intelligent audience would probably not find it interesting.

rene

:/

Martin

I'd guess that there are many generic jokes around this (writer/lecture/whoever considers the stuff fine - and the punchline is that when somebody checks their own stuff, they do not have very intelligent audience).

Journeyman Geek

Not everyone gets self depreciating humour

rene

11:29 AM

I couldn't come up with a good response .....

Mithrandir

It doesn't need to be good.

Stormblessed

1:47 PM

revathinair, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

1

This user posted spam, maybe should be destroyed?

rene

I think accounts are only nuked if posted on multiple sites.

Feeds

2:07 PM

stackoverflow.blog/2019/08/14/…

Stormblessed

@rene they’ve made another account on SO, so maybe they have posted spam?

Journeyman Geek

@rene accounts are nuked as we're made aware of them

I have an RSS feed from smoke detector of spam posts on MSE - so that tends to mean a lot of them go poof

So not necessarily multiple sites

just obviously a bad hat and well, someone sees them

Catija

@Feeds Not sure if that's an improvement or not.

rene

@Catija if you're quick you can earn 50 rep: meta.stackexchange.com/questions/329450/…

Journeyman Geek

@Catija - natural language search is awesome

Ever used ask jeeves before they rebranded to ask and went full... dumb?

Catija

2:18 PM

@rene Technically I have an additional 24 hours... but I also don't have a solution because... no one seems to think it's a particularly important thing to fix. :(

@JourneymanGeek Awww, I remember ask jeeves from when I was ... younger. Let's go with younger. I think I used it twice before I decided it was bad.

Journeyman Geek

Actually

4

rene

@Catija sounds like an answer ;)

Catija

It's not a particularly satisfying one.

Journeyman Geek

@Catija chat gets no love :/

lol

Tried that with a random/bad question....

er... could use polish

1. I ran out of charecters

2. I will never exit vim

OH

ALSO

I can't read

> Describe the Java Programming Task

oops

rene

life can't always be satisfying ...

@JourneymanGeek How to switch to a decent programming language?

Journeyman Geek

2:29 PM

lol

I can't think of any java programming tasks...

granted my paycheck is reliant on a few strange Java applications

rene

@JourneymanGeek something Factory should work

Huh? meta.stackexchange.com/review/suggested-edits/66311

canon

2:57 PM

Man, CROKAGE just does not want to give me javascript results. "HERE, HAVE SOME JAVA!"

rene

Maybe spell it as java script ?

Journeyman Geek

Ya. The blog post totally glosses that over.

JNat

3:17 PM

@SonictheAnonymousWizHog gone

Kevin B

meh

rene

5:20 PM

I'm out of options here maybe someone who can peek in a log can see something weird.

rene

5:35 PM

waffles

Sonic the Anonymous WizHog

6:31 PM

@rene Probably a CDN issue somewhere

rene

6:47 PM

maybe, but their other browsers don't have the same problem.

rene

9:23 PM

→ 17 messages moved to Chimney

Mithrandir

There were so many people using data that the cell providers were overloaded and nobody had data.

Stormblessed

10:21 PM

@Mithrandir context?

Mithrandir

10:53 PM

@Stormblessed I was offline for a while.

Awesome Poodles

11:23 PM

@rene It works in other browsers and in FF private mode. He's corrupted his FF profile and merely using other (obsolete) FF versions will not fix that.

The real question is who the duce upvoted such a poor question? It would belong on SU if it wasn't non-duplicable.

ArtOfCode

@AwesomePoodles How does corrupting an FF profile manage to persuade SE that data. doesn't exist?

Awesome Poodles

@ArtOfCode There's all kinds of potential ways, probably what's left of an extension (or virus) redirecting/caching that request. Anyway, that's the only thing that explains why it works with diff FF versions, other browsers, and in private mode (where most extansions are blocked, depending).

forest

I'm not sure where he says that he corrupted an FF profile.

Awesome Poodles

@forest He didn't say that. I did. Nor did he try a new profile, as suggested in the comments.

forest

oh

That's a freaking weird issue he's having.

Awesome Poodles

11:37 PM

He's on Windows 6, BTW. He's lucky that's all it is.

forest

It's serving a legitimate 404 so I can't imagine how malware would do it.

ArtOfCode

@AwesomePoodles I can't say I'm entirely sure how SE figures whether there's a site at a given subdomain or not, because that's not public - but it certainly seems like the kind of thing that would be decided server-side, i.e. unaffected by client changes.

forest

Maybe he should try dumping his DNS cache.

Whatever is happening, chances are he's sending the wrong GET request.

Although it's not like it's a simple glitch, or the 404 would show him trying to access a bad URL (e.g. ata.stackexchange.com instead of data.stackexchange.com)...

ArtOfCode

@forest Aye, that seems like the only thing that would do it... I'm missing the link between "corrupted profile" and "bad GET", though.

forest

So either SE itself is doing something funky, or there's an IDN homoglyph involved.

Well I can't see how a corrupted profile would do it either.

Awesome Poodles

11:40 PM

@ArtOfCode Except he claims that other configs on his machine, DO see the page. It's corrupted cache on FF. Seen it before, but not for years.

forest

SE won't just return "data.stackexchange.com cannot be found" unless something weird is going on.

ArtOfCode

Homoglyphs were the first thing that came to mind... no way of proving that if the OP wants to fool us, though.

forest

So it's either a cache issue, a homoglyph, or SE returns 404 even if the path is correct.

ArtOfCode

@AwesomePoodles Okay, but how is it corrupted cache doing that? How does corruption => 404?

forest

He should do a Firefox network inspector memory dump.

That'd answer it.

The 404 isn't cached though.

The Q&A site <b>bla.stackexchange.com</b> doesn't seem to exist…<i>yet</i>.

Awesome Poodles

11:42 PM

@ArtOfCode I don't know how exactly. Just know that I've seen it before and a corrupt FF profile is the only thing that fits all his claimed symptoms.

forest

From a dump of the returned HTML.

ArtOfCode

@AwesomePoodles I don't get how, though. Sure, if I've got a headache I could diagnose it as a bleed on the brain because it fits the symptoms, but it's way more likely to be dehydration. Without understanding what's going on, it's nigh on impossible to make a correct assumption.

forest

Can you provide a network dump using Firefox's network inspector? Go to the page that's giving you a 404, open Inspect Element (ctrl+shift+i), refresh the page that gave you a 404, go to the "Network" tab, right click on the data labeled "404", and click "Save All As HAR". — forest 5 mins ago

This will answer the question, if he does it.

Awesome Poodles

@ArtOfCode Please explain how else it fails on FF, but not in private mode, and not from any other browser on the same machine. Perhaps the corruption/zombie extension/virus is inserting hidden characters in the URL? With that user, we will never know. My point is tha the question should be closed.

forest

@AwesomePoodles If it was inserting hidden characters, the 404 would show that.

ArtOfCode

11:47 PM

not if they're zero-width...

forest

It would show "Couldn't find asdfdata.stackexchange.com".

@ArtOfCode Those aren't valid in a URL. They'll become ASCII (punycode).

@ArtOfCode When I go to "bla☻.stackexchange.com", it returns the punycode version as expected: "Couldn't find xn--bla-8s5a.stackexchange.com"

ArtOfCode

@forest Browser might display it as invisible, though, even if behind the scenes it's punycode

forest

The browser would display it as invisible in the URL bar (depending on settings), but not the HTML.

The HTML is raw ASCII: <h2>Couldn't find xn--bla-8s5a.stackexchange.com</h2>

Awesome Poodles

@forest Even if it was an obsolete version of FF running on Windoze Vista?

forest

Yes. It's the server that sends it as plain ASCII. The client isn't rendering any unicode.

ArtOfCode

11:52 PM

probably that's the browser converting the Unicode to puny client-side, sticking the result of that conversion in the Host header, and SE is sending the value of the Host header back

Awesome Poodles

@forest If that's true, why did we have such a problem with fake URL's that were undetectable to the human eye, several browser versions ago?

forest

@ArtOfCode I'm not sure what would happen if the Host header had unicode...

@AwesomePoodles That's still an issue actually for many browsers. And that's because the URL bar does render it as unicode. It's only detectable in SE's case because SE echos punycode back.

ArtOfCode

IDN homoglyphs don't work, either: this is a Cyrillic "a"

<p>
  The Q&amp;A site <b>xn--dta-6cd.stackexchange.com</b> doesn't seem to exist&hellip;<i>yet</i>.
</p>

forest

That's because it's a limitation of the internet itself, not the browser.

Let me try changing the Host header...

400 error.

Sending "Host ☻.stackexchange.com" returns 400.

Sending "Host xn--84h.stackexchange.com" returns 404.

ArtOfCode

Ah, gottit

$ curl https://dаta.stackexchange.com -H "Host: dаta.stackexchange.com"

(cyrillic "a" again)

<p>
  The Q&amp;A site <b>dаta.stackexchange.com</b> doesn't seem to exist&hellip;<i>yet</i>.
</p>

forest

11:57 PM

hm...

Which one has the cyrillic "a"?

ArtOfCode

first a in data

both occurrences

forest

Regardless of my punycode settings, that returns "Couldn't find xn--dta-6cd.stackexchange.com".

ArtOfCode

type that command into your terminal, as I wrote it here

If this is what this user has done, I'm not sure how they've persuaded their browser to accept it without conversion, but it's proof that it's theoretically possible if you can do so

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