myspace is not my space, which isn’t your space

I was browsing through my weblogs over the weekend, and discovered that my bandwidth use is waaaaaaaaaay up. Most of it comes from a clip of the Drew Carey show where Richard Simmons plays the part of various props. It’s one of those clips that brings tears to your eyes, so I’ll share for a little while longer, then change the URL in a day or so.

The other area that it comes from is people who use myspace and a few forums hotlinking to images as part of their sig. I have no problems with folks downloading and hosting them elsewhere (and with all the free image hosting services, there’s no reason why they can’t), but don’t use my fircking bandwidth. It’s a common problem, unfortunately.

Thankfully, apache’s rewrite rules makes dealing with the large majority of the requests originating from myspace pretty straightforward. If the browser sends a referrer (very few don’t, although programs like Norton Internet Security block them by default) from a myspace hostname, they’ll get a different image than what their browser requested.

Some folks use an image that is somewhat distasteful to punish hotlinkers, but I figure a simple message is more effective, and the image they get is only 900-odd bytes. (plus the image itself makes them look funny in their forums, because their sig is supposed to be an expression about them). Once they clue in, they usually change things pdq.

A little thing to be true, but I feel better about it.

The rewrite rule, in case you were wondering, is a whole two lines:

RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} ^http://([^/]+)myspace\.com/.*$ [NC]
RewriteRule \.(jpe?g|gif|bmp|png)$ /images/leech.gif [L]

Update: If you’re hosting your site on Apache using a provider, you can usually add rewrite rules using .htaccess files. JavaScript Kit provides a well-written overview on .htaccess, which includes a section on blocking access by referrers. Have a look-see, as it’s a great starting point for understanding how this stuff works, and what you can do to control how Apache handles page requests with your site.

the slanket

Tell me you don’t know someone who would love one of these. Don’t let the geek with the notebook throw you off, as I’m thinking sane people would use it for something other than surfing for… stuff. I can see several of the people I know using it to sip a beverage while becoming one with the couch. A little more practical, too.

P.S. to the folks who make The Slanket: Invite some pretty people over, and take their pictures with your product instead of you. The grimace of Mr. Ruby Wine as he ponders his book (and do you really use this for book reading?) and Mr. Limoges one-handed remote wielding while he FFs through the foreplay are not helping you sell anything. No, really.

fall out boy

I’ve noticed that Fall Out Boy has been getting some airplay locally the last few months. In case you missed it, be sure to check out their killer video for Sugar We’re Goin’ Down

Don’t be put off by the Boy Band, it’s actually pretty funny. Note: Some of the MS Paint drawings may be NSFW.

make money from the interweeb

I saw an ad for this site and had to laugh a little. It’s all about how to get rich by suing spammers for the low, low price of $34.95. (no legal knowledge required!) It even says that you can “Start looking forward to finding those emails selling Viagra, Mortgages and Porn”.

Sign me up, I need some dough! I’m actually tempted to see what’s in this wonderkit, but $45 is a little much to read the equivalent of a 1-800 ambulance chaser ad. Interestingly enough, the company that markets this package has a bunch of other domains (which I won’t bother listing), all of which hide any kind of real information by using their registrar’s contact information or a service like Domains by Proxy.

The final part that’s really funny, is that the parent company is identified as “Fusion Corp” in Austin, Texas. There’s a web advertising business that has a parent named “Fusion Corp” in Austin, TX as well. Maybe they’re hoping people will sue their competition to open up the market for them. Fusion Corp seems to have a bunch of other sites that sell/promote spyware that allows you to check up on your kids and spouse.

All in all, an entertaining company that I will stay well away from, curiosity and all.

indisputable

I’m sorry, but you cannot possibly convince me that Polamalu didn’t intercept that ball with 5 and change to go. He had clear control from the time he caught it, through the roll, and his knee popped it loose and he recovered it. If it was the offense, it would have been ruled complete, I’m pretty damn sure.

I understand the refs are under a lot of pressure, but there is no way in hell the review showed indisputable evidence the ball wasn’t intercepted. He had control fromt he time he laid hands on the ball. He brought it into the body prior to rolling, which is a “football move”. I just don’t understand how the ref didn’t rule it an interception from the replay and, barring that, where the indisputable evidence was that he didn’t cath the ball (as was ruled on the field).

The Colts quickly scored a touchdown after the call, and converted the two pointer. If this game goes to the Colts, I gotta question just what in the fuck the NFL has instant replay for, because I just don’t see what the ref saw (and I’m willing to bet the NFL will admit – if Pittsburgh wins – that he blew the call big time).

Update: The drunken kicker blew it as big as the ref did. The Steelers win, as they should have, but omfg it was an interesting finish. I feel for Tony Dungee, but the Steelers deserved the win. Oh, and Jerome, please tuck the ball before you take on the line.

Update 2: No kidding.

dinner, but no movie

Tonight was one of those nights where I had to stop and think. This is an oddity for me, and it was brought on by the fact that my dad has not been to a place that I’ve called “home” since I lived on Kilborne Place. For those who may be unfamiliar with where I’ve lived and when, I moved out of my Kilborne condo in November of 1999. Frig.

In any event, my Dad and his compadre Sue came over for dinner this eve, and it was most excellent. I gave them the grand tour, and I realised I really like what the place is turning into. A huge reason behind my being as happy with it as I am is due to Kristina, who has supplied a tonne of ideas and helped me figure out what I wanted to do with my living space. It is warm, comfy, and I love it.

Dinner consisted of Lee’s white chicken chili, complete with a dollop of fat-free sour cream and fat-full old cheddar cheese. I served whole wheat tortillas and a baby romaine with red onion, grape tomoatoes, mushrooms, and pine nut salad, and a really nice pinot grigio. We all sampled a wee dram in lieu of dessert (which I totally forgot about), and it was a really nice eve.

I must have more people over more often, it’s way too much fun. The really scary part is that Dad and Sue are my first dinner guests, and I moved in here mid-April last year. Firk.

I’m thinking some dinner invitations will be in the mail, soon, for some folks.

mostly painless

So. Welcome to WordPress 2.0. The transition seems to have gone decently, although I will admit I haven’t looked at everything. I’m still using Spam Karma, and will continue to do so as it has performed incredibly well. A couple tweaks were required, but this place seems to have come through just fine.

Now all I have to do is post.

coffee table

Would anyone in the Ottawa area like a coffee table? It’s solid pine, from Ikea, and has survived seven moves and six career changes. As expected, the pine has taken on a golden hue from aging, and has been oiled on a quarterly basis through its life. There are a number of minor dents here and there, but they simply add character. It’s served me well, and if you need something similar for your living/family room, drop me a line and we can talk. I don’t want cash, I just want it to go to a place where it’ll be happy. It looks very similar to the table in this pic, just two years older.

Update: It’s spoken for.

the impossible dream

Here’s an ad that’s really hard to describe, but can be summed up simply as “cool”. It’s a great bit that spans Honda’s history, the passion they attribute to themselves, their depth in the “things that go” market, and the rush that’s associated with doing things you couldn’t do unassisted. Beautiful imagery, and a great choice for the soundtrack.

Most excellent.