Java patched!

The big exploit has been patched, so update java at www.java.com now!

A big Java exploit has been found, disable Java now!

As per Reuters,

A major Java exploit was just found, US Department of Homeland Security recommends disabling Java plugins until it is patched.


How to disable:
Chrome, type "about:plugins" into browser bar, hit enter. Scroll down to "Java", click "disable", restart browser.

Firefox,  click Firefox tab, add-ons button, click plugins tab on left, scroll down to "Java" (may be more than 1 entry), click "disable" on all of them, restart Firefox.

Safari, click Safari button, then preferences, under security tab, deselect "enable Java"

Again, I wouldn't be making such a big fuss about this, except this is a big hole, and it could quite easily allow your data to get stolen, even if you only go on legitimate websites.

Thanks for reading, and please pass this on!

--RAf

Make sure to have good sources/how to avoid being scammed

Just a quick PSA. When you are buying anything (but especially electronics), you need to be careful to avoid:

• Having your credit card info stolen
• Not having your product arrive
• Having a broken product arrive

A few things I do to avoid said problems:

• Pay via Paypal whenever possible (so they can't steal your data, or charge you extra)
• Check out the company beforehand
• Is the deal too good to be true?
• Is the company/seller in China (I'm not trying to be offensive, but the fact is that stuff from China is likely to be lower quality. It just is.)
• Do they have a phone number you can call if you have problems? (In general, a phone call will deal with any problems much faster than using email)
• Do they have a return/refund policy?
• Can you find other people who have used that site?
• When the item arrives, I do a full check/scan (depends on what I'm buying), so I can report any problems quickly.

I hope these tips help!

Parts shopping time!

So I just purchased some of the parts I need for my RepRap. Those parts include:

5 Stepper Motors (unlike a regular servo motor, which just spins, a stepper motor moves in discreet clicks or "steps", so you can make it much more precise). I bought 5. 1 for the X axis, 1 for the Y axis, 2 for the Z axis (it requires 2 because it moves everything up and down), and 1 for the extruder itself. They were $15 each, so that's $75 so far.

Next came the RAMPS, which stands for "RepRap Arduino Mega Pololu Shield". Mego Pololu is just the name of the first model of the Ramps, and a "shield" is just a circuit board that goes on top of an Arduino. But more of that later. Anyway, the RAMPS is what runs all the motors. Now, you could go with separate drivers (chips that run each motor), but they can be this big, as opposed to the new Ramps, where you squeeze 5 drivers into a chip that is about the same size as an individual old-style driver. The Ramps cost me $80

Then, there is the Arduino itself. The brain. The heart of the whole printer. This is where all the magic happens, where you go from a computer model, to actually having the printed out model. In the past, people who were building RepRaps would use an Arduino Mega. Now, I will be using the brand new Arduino Due, which is special because it is the first one to use a 32-bit processor. Basically, it can run a lot more stuff, a lot faster. The Due cost me $50.

So far, I have spent ~$200. I will have some more costs, but none of them will be nearly this big. My goal is to have the RepRap up and running using under $350.

I'm back + main plans.

Hi everybody! Sorry I've been away for so long, I kinda forgot.... Anyway, I plan to update this as regularly as I can from now on.

Recently, I've been working quite a bit on what is to be my big "capstone" project, which is to build a 3D printer. Specifically, a RepRap variant. A RepRap is a type of 3D printer that is simple, compact, easy to use, cheap, and most importantly, open source. So instead of buying a premade printer from MakerBot (which makes very good printers), I can build my own, for a fraction of the cost.

I personally plan on building mine based off of the designs of Nophead. As of now, I think I will have to spend around $300 to get it up and running, which all things considered is very cheap.

I suppose I should back up a bit, and explain how a 3D printer works, for those who might not know. Basically, it is just like a regular printer, except it prints in liquid plastic. While a normal inkjet printer prints ink back and forth, line by line, a 3D printer prints back and forth, rising up layer by layer, putting down beads of liquid plastic, which quickly harden. (For that matter, it doesn't need to print just plastic, 3D printers can be made to print anything from metal to chocolate!)

So, when (fingers crossed) I have the printer up and running, what will I do with it? Well, besides from printing random plastic/chocolate figurines, and stuff like that, I am looking into possibly printing custom arch supports. Basically, while pre-made arch supports are very cheap, custom ones (molded to an individual's foot) are usually a few hundred dollars. Since arch supports (also called orthotics) are just made out of a plastic/gel polymer, I'm thinking I might be able to print them, to give/sell cheaply to lower-income families (specifically to children, who of course grow very fast, and require new shoes frequently).

Anyway, those are my main plans, and I plan on posting more in the next day or so.
Cheers,
-Rafaello

Why Nerds are Unpopular, and what I aim to do about it.

           In the piece “Why Nerds are Unpopular”  by Paul Graham, he talks about his experience growing up as a nerd. Graham argues that the reason nerds are more successful after school is they did real, useful activities/projects while still in school.

           First off, I need to say that I have had the good luck to not experience much of what is in Graham’s essay, due to my being homeschooled. I am somewhat of a nerd myself. But I have always just hung out with other nerds, and nobody picked on me because of it. In the last few years (AKA since I became a teen), I hang out with the popular nerds. It seems to me that in this day and age, it is cool to be a nerd.
            Anyway, enough about me. They honed skills they would need in the real world, such as computer programming. These days, schools mostly teach skills that while very (somewhat?) important, have little practical use in life. The “popular” kids spend a lot of their time staying popular, while the nerds can spend their time learning. As a homeschooler, I personally love the fact that I can learn stuff that is useful to me. For example, I am currently working towards building a 3-D printer. Along the way, I’m learning how to use a wide range of skills, among them: how electricity works; how to put mechanical items together (or take them apart again); and a wide range of other skills that I can use in the real world. I highly doubt many high-school kids are doing the same stuff.
           Maybe this is just a sign of the changing times. Up until maybe 50 years ago, kids would have jobs/internships/ starting as young as 8 years old. They would learn a trade, and within a few years would be quite good at it. Today, kids don’t really get to do anything that has a lasting impact until they are around 21.
However, there is a bright side to all this. I have personally noticed that in recent years it has become “cool” to be a nerd, and I’m seeing more and more kids who want to learn, not just because they have to, but because they can do cool things with their knowledge. I hope this trend continues.
           So what can we change with the system? For one, even if you are in school, you can spend some of your free time building a 3-D printer like I am, or maybe a LEGO record player, or something else cool. Learn to program (there are numerous good textbooks for this), build a cool toy, or whatever you want to do. Also, share what you are doing with friends, try to get a few of them interested as well. That’s what I will be doing, care to join me?

Hi! My name is Rafaello. I'm a 17 year old. I, like most of you, love to use technology, and especially love to browse the internet.

When I first started using the internet (when I was around 8 or 9), it was a strange place to me. Of course, everybody told me to not use my real name on the internet, don't share data etc.. So I didn't. Over time however, I started to put a bit of my personal data online, such as my name, and so forth. Now, I look at it, and realize just how much of my personal details are online, and just how much corporations have access to.

For example, Target would track exactly what you had purchased, and an algorithm could figure out whether the customer was pregnant, often before other members of the woman's family even knew.

Now I'm not saying the internet is all evil, or is out to get you. But I am saying that we need to be more careful with what data we have online, and how it gets used.

Throughout this blog, I hope to be writing about computer security in general, both at a personal, and at a large scale (such as cyber warfare or industrial espionage level). I also aim to write about about internet privacy, and how to protect your data. Also expect some random pieces about really cool technology I'm reading about, or whatever's on my mind. I hope to update this once a week, maybe more.

Regards,
-RAfaello