CannibalisticApple's recent activity
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Comment on PHP warns it plans to release two emergency patches imminently in ~comp
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Comment on PHP warns it plans to release two emergency patches imminently in ~comp
CannibalisticApple Link ParentUnfortunately, don't think so. Fairly sure that it got all transferred to Cpanel directly once I uploaded it. Used Duplicator or some similar back-up plugin to migrate it.Unfortunately, don't think so. Fairly sure that it got all transferred to Cpanel directly once I uploaded it. Used Duplicator or some similar back-up plugin to migrate it.
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Comment on PHP warns it plans to release two emergency patches imminently in ~comp
CannibalisticApple Link ParentWell, my brain has woken enough that your comment let me know to google "can you turn off server from Wordpress admin panel". And after some tweaks to that, because it keels recommending plugins...Well, my brain has woken enough that your comment let me know to google "can you turn off server from Wordpress admin panel". And after some tweaks to that, because it keels recommending plugins for maintenance mode (which I don't think will help in this case)...
Google's AI says I'd need to use Cpanel. Which is on Bluehost. Which I cannot access at 2:3p am because my cousin is asleep and has the 2FA info. Never a problem until tonight since I could do whatever little help she needed from the Wordpress dashboard.
It also said something about blocking PHP access to .htaccess and/or folders. And... Any other night, I could go down that rabbit hole and figure it out at 2:30 am because I'm basically nocturnal and don't get tired until like 3 or 4. But tonight, my brain is definitely not up to the task and is already flagging again while writing this comment. Definitely not good enough to risk messing with the site that deeply right now without a solid guide on how to mitigate damage right now.
I think I'm resigned to not being able to shut down the site tonight. I'm hoping the fact it's for a small-town day center for people with dementia means it's not exactly disastrous. The site is just for people to get info and contact her, so at most they should just get names, emails, phone numbers and the fact that Bob Personman is the Caretaker of Alice Oldwoman, and is reaching out to ask about tours and would prefer to be contacted by email.
(Honestly more concerned about Bluehost itself being potentially vulnerable. The only financial and serious personal info of any sort that should be tied to this site should be my cousin's billing information on there.)
That said: if anyone can tell me a concrete method to specifically minimize damage from within the Wordpress dashboard, I'll do it. Unfortunately, I do need some specific actions specific to working with Wordpress, because my brain is in a state where I can't fully "translate"... Or maybe "parse"...? general terminology, to figure out what to do. (Can't even think of fitting words...)
At this rate I'll probably only be awake for another hour at best before I crash for good. Only reason I'm even awake right now is probably because I'm waiting for my sleeping mask to dry after desperately washing it a few hours ago.
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Comment on PHP warns it plans to release two emergency patches imminently in ~comp
CannibalisticApple Link...Well. Tomorrow will be interesting to see the fallout of this. Currently it's 12:30 am and I'm operating on less than 4 hours of sleep, so brain is a bit fuzzy. I made a website for my cousin's......Well.
Tomorrow will be interesting to see the fallout of this.
Currently it's 12:30 am and I'm operating on less than 4 hours of sleep, so brain is a bit fuzzy. I made a website for my cousin's senior day center business using Wordpress, and am trying to figure out if I should try to get in and temporarily shut it down. As far as I remember, the only information it collects should be the contact form for people's names, emails and phone numbers (and last I checked, most of the responses are honestly bots). So not sure how urgent/serious that one is.
If I do shut it down, I'm also not sure how to best go about that because A) brain fuzzy, and B) I've never had to shut down a site. Made more complicated by the fact that I don't know if I can access the actual web host (Bluehost). Last I remember it requires 2FA from my cousin's email or phone. I still have admin access to the WP panel at least, but if I have to do it from Bluehost itself I can't do much right now.
(...And writing that just made me realize that Bluehost itself may also be vulnerable. And I am definitely not clear-headed enough to... Contemplate and search into the potential ramifications of that...?? I can't even come up with words. Of all the days to be horrifically sleep deprived...)
So I humbly ask you, lovely people of Tildes who are both more awake and more experienced: should I shut it down, and if yes, what's the best way to take a Wordpress site offline in this case?
back to googling "does [insert every site I use] use PHP" to see how many of them night be down or on fire tomorrow
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Comment on eMudhra intermediate CA compromise in ~tech
CannibalisticApple LinkCan someone ELI5 what exactly this means, and give some examples of who and what could be impacted by this?Can someone ELI5 what exactly this means, and give some examples of who and what could be impacted by this?
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Comment on What is your passion? And why? in ~life
CannibalisticApple LinkTelling stories. I mention often about how I'm a writer (though admittedly fallen very behind on it the past couple years), and I've had this passion for my entire life. The first "complete story"...Telling stories.
I mention often about how I'm a writer (though admittedly fallen very behind on it the past couple years), and I've had this passion for my entire life. The first "complete story" I remember writing was a seven-chapter Pokémon fan fic, each "chapter" one paragraph long (and each with their own word document), when I was seven. Since then, I've never really stopped. No exaggeration, probably 90% of my life experiences can be tied back to writing in some way.
I grew up writing and posting stories on forums, starting with the official Nintendo Pokémon board back when I was probably... 10?? Looking back, most of the early communities I joined stemmed from writing in some way. I was guaranteed to be most active on the writing board of whatever forum I joined. I often say I grew up on an Animal Crossing forum called AXA, and most of my fondest memories of it are specifically about writing stories about AXA where other users could submit themselves as characters.
Offline, I was still writing constantly. My grandparents' computer was full of the first one or two chapters of story ideas. I remember telling my babysitter over summer story concepts that I knew I'd never actually write down. In seventh grade I'd get in trouble for writing in my notebooks during class. In high school I read how Stephen King published a story from high school and I finally started writing short stories in this big notebook of mine. (Still need to type them up.) I'd spend lunches writing on my laptop and probably had a registerable typing speed on a graphing calculator. I put off getting a proper smart phone as long as I could because mine had a slide-out keyboard (and I still hate touch screen keyboards 10+ years later).
Prose is obviously my main medium, but this passion extends to telling stories in all mediums. Every medium has its own strengths and opportunities, and some stories are more suited for one medium than others. I have ideas for all mediums: comics, TV shows, games... Prose is just the most accessible to me because all I need are words.
I ultimately majored in game development specifically for the unique opportunities it presents for storytelling. Even beyond the obvious with multiple endings, it's an immersive medium which creates a stronger connection to the characters. They can communicate a story even without words (Another World is a favorite mine for that exact reason), and you can extrapolate so much backstory just from clues in the environment. I especially love when games can intertwine mechanics and gameplay with the narrative (Wandersong's Steam achievements are a BIG favorite). And of course, a good story can make a good game legendary (Thomas Was Alone had people crying over *squares).
And outside of all that, you know what the biggest strength of being a storyteller is?
Everything is experience and potential reference material for writing.
Every bad experience I have can be filed away as a potential reference for the future. I remember noting my reactions to horrible news, or how injuries felt, and later using that in writing. Sometimes I've done activities solely because I thought it could be good reference. I've also learned so many things just doing research for stories. Every nightmare becomes writing material (though admittedly helps my dreams are more narrative-based).
And this passion for writing genuinely shaped me into who I am today.
As a writer in high school, my goal was twofold: to make people think, and to help people empathize with experiences they could never experience themselves. I've long believed that fiction can be easier for people to "connect with" than tales of real life figures, because there's just something more personal about reading about a character. You get to see their whole lives for the duration of the story, there are (usually) no secrets. I often cite Uncle Tom's Cabin as a big example of the power of fiction.
Those remain my goals, but now with the added goal of providing a bit of much-needed escapsim. In college I wrote fan fiction for a niche that seemed to attract kids and teens with hard lives. I swear I was one of the only people who wasn't subject to a bad home, bullying, or various mental health crises. I think I became a pretty comforting figure in the community, and it really pushed me towards being sort of protective of my readers.
The most important comment I ever got though: someone told me that waiting for new chapters to my story was the reason they didn't kill themselves.
We didn't talk in detail back then, but I've thought about it a lot over the past ten years about how my writing could do that. I don't think it was about my writing being so amazing it gave them the will to live, but that it had more to do with the fact I made a point to update on a set schedule every week. So I think that having that one, tiny thing to look forward to every week gave them something concrete that they could use to counter particularly bad thoughts and moments.
I already understood escapism could be a refuge for people, but that comment and all the other interactions from that time showed me how it could be the literal difference between life and death.
So now one of my main goals as a writer is to give people that respite, to let them disconnect from reality for even just a few minutes, so they don't shatter and break from the pressures and horrors of their lives. I can't do much to fix the world, but I see this as one way I can help people.
All of this to say: practically my entire life has been built around my love for telling stories in some way. Nearly every facet of who I am stems from it. Even when I'm not writing, I've always lived in a bit of a dream world as a lifelong immersive daydreamer. I'm constantly making up stories in my head, and through that I can understand myself and others a little more.
I genuinely have no clue who I would be if I did not tell stories. It's the core of my identity. So thank you for giving me a chance to ramble about it a bit.
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Comment on A deep sense of ease – what the Danes call ‘tryg’ – is a collective responsibility that allows individuals to flourish in ~health.mental
CannibalisticApple Link Parent...I am 99% sure we also used to refer to opening windows for ventilation as "airing it out". So why burping of all things...? I expected it to be just a direct English translation of the German...The practice is derived from the German tradition of lüften (lit. "airing"), a long-standing cultural norm of regular natural ventilation.
...I am 99% sure we also used to refer to opening windows for ventilation as "airing it out". So why burping of all things...? I expected it to be just a direct English translation of the German word/phrase.
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Comment on I survived the certificate expiration of October 19th 2026 and all I got was to make a silly shitpost in ~tildes
CannibalisticApple Link ParentSurely we'll have some warning before that happens, right? Right? c':Surely we'll have some warning before that happens, right? Right? c':
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Comment on I survived the certificate expiration of October 19th 2026 and all I got was to make a silly shitpost in ~tildes
CannibalisticApple LinkI had to socialize with the people in my house. The horrors... (Mostly jesting, but we ARE hosting my mom's friend from high school. And she's actually more talkative than my mom. She's fun but my...I had to socialize with the people in my house. The horrors...
(Mostly jesting, but we ARE hosting my mom's friend from high school. And she's actually more talkative than my mom. She's fun but my social battery as an introvert is so drained c': )
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Comment on Three children and a teacher were killed in Bend, Oregon, elementary school shooting, police say in ~news
CannibalisticApple (edited )Link ParentWell, this article cites 343 mass shootings in the US (as defined by having 4 or more victims, either injured or killed) as of October 1. Given there's 365 days a year, and October 1 is day 274 of...Well, this article cites 343 mass shootings in the US (as defined by having 4 or more victims, either injured or killed) as of October 1. Given there's 365 days a year, and October 1 is day 274 of the year... Well, that's at least one mass shooting every day.
Getting grim here though: that definition doesn't necessarily line up with the "typical" expectation of mass shooting, as in a public mass shooting. As noted by that link, the two deadliest incidents were domestic violence incidents of people killing their children or other relatives. (Actually, it's the three deadliest incidents now: there was another shooting with 10 victims on October 9. And the Wikipedia page for mass shootings in the US in 2026 when sorted by number of deaths lists 10 shootings before getting to the first clearcut non-domestic violence incident (tragically, this one).)
If we narrow it down to the type that just targets strangers in public places, the number gets smaller. Here's the Mother Jones tracker, which focuses on public locations with 3 or more fatalities, and lists four incidents this year so far. Note that tracker only reports shootings with 3 or more fatalities, and excludes shootings with mass injuries.
If we look at all school shootings, it gets different again. Without counting mass shootings, there have been 26 shootings at schools leading to death or injuries. 17 deaths and 26 injuries, for a total of 43 victims.
All of this to say: no matter which definition or metric is used, mass shootings are FAR too common in the United States.
I don't know what the equivalent stats are in your country or others, but I'm fairly confident the US is far in the lead. I think other countries often react to gun violence with appropriate restrictions ASAP in part because they're looking at the US as a cautionary tale of how bad it can get if not nipped in the bud.
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Comment on Three children and a teacher were killed in Bend, Oregon, elementary school shooting, police say in ~news
CannibalisticApple Link ParentOn the contrary, I think Tildes is probably one of the better places to discuss them (at least on occasion). Putting aside the debate in this particular topic, this site and community is fairly...On the contrary, I think Tildes is probably one of the better places to discuss them (at least on occasion). Putting aside the debate in this particular topic, this site and community is fairly civil and serious compared to most communities. Sometimes, people need to vent or just talk about how messed up the world is, and this is one of the better places to do it.
This sort of news definitely does get people more heated than most, but... Honestly, I prefer that. Because the alternative is total numbness because we've become desensitized, just accepting it as a messed-up "normal". So long as people are able to still feel angry, then that gives me some hope that maybe someday something WILL change.
That said, may be worth filtering out the "shootings.mass" and/or "shootings.school" tag. They're actually fairly rare (this post is only the fourth and third topic to use those tags this year, and one post was relating to a trial for a shooting from last year), but it's obviously a heavy topic when it does come up.
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Comment on Prime Minister Mark Carney confirms four dead and next of kin notified after fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta in ~news
CannibalisticApple LinkThe link currently says four deaths have been confirmed by the prime minister. A bit chilling to wonder what exactly went wrong. To die not on the front lines, but in a training exercise... That's...The link currently says four deaths have been confirmed by the prime minister. A bit chilling to wonder what exactly went wrong. To die not on the front lines, but in a training exercise... That's got to hurt even worse.
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Comment on Exposing AdFection - how Discover-Tech turned targeted ads into a pipeline for zero-click mercenary spyware in ~tech
CannibalisticApple Link ParentRead the executive summary since it's fairly concise and not 20k words. I haven't read the original but I think that might be more accessible, and does a good job at expressing how serious this is...Read the executive summary since it's fairly concise and not 20k words. I haven't read the original but I think that might be more accessible, and does a good job at expressing how serious this is (granted, speaking as a tech-savvy layperson here, but still). I highly recommend people read at least that.
Pasting this bit in particular because it specifically calls out fairly "civilian" sites and apps serving ads from them:
We observed Discover-Tech ads displayed in apps ranging from DuoLingo to dating apps, period trackers, German weather apps, Yahoo Mail, Viber, and calling apps such as Truecaller.
Discover-Tech appears to favour ads in mobile apps, but we observed a wide range of targeting across websites ranging from popular sites in specific geographies ranging from Armenia and Serbia, to Denmark. We also observed their ads displaying on sites including CBC, AccuWeather, FoxNews, the New York Times, Haaretz, and the BBC, among many others.
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... At minimum, we assess that these ad impressions would have resulted in profiling by Discover-Tech. In some cases, the impressions could have resulted in code from Candiru or other entities running on the user’s device.
For those also unfamiliar, an "ad impression" refers to any time an ad loads and displays on a screen (not click, just load).
Definitely alarming. The summary makes the point that just having an ad does not mean those specific ads had spyware, but highlights how insecure the ad ecosystem is. However, we also don't know what ads DO have spyware or not.
It goes on to list some pretty critical networks confirmed to have had ad impressions from Discover-Tech. Again, recommend checking out the article and at least scrolling down to that point.
...On a lighter note, this sentence that made me pause:
Controlium’s users include mercenary spyware firm Candiru (reportedly now owned by US-based Integrity Labs).
My first thought: "Integrity Labs is an ironic name." Then, "Wait, isn't candiru the name of that fish people claim swim into urethas whenever someone pees near them?" A search confirmed yes, that is the fish. And a graphic in the summary showing the Candiru spyware logo is indeed fish-like.
I guess at least whoever named the thing has a sense of humor...?
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Comment on Three children and a teacher were killed in Bend, Oregon, elementary school shooting, police say in ~news
CannibalisticApple Link ParentYes, I know. My sentiment is more about how he's a normal man. Parents will do a lot to protect their children, but I don't think any parent ever expects or plans to intervene in a school...Yes, I know. My sentiment is more about how he's a normal man. Parents will do a lot to protect their children, but I don't think any parent ever expects or plans to intervene in a school shooting. At least police and emergency responders sign up for the jobs expecting to encounter scenarios where they'll fail to save someone, and even they still get beaten down by those failures.
He doesn't have any of that training or expectation though. He was just a dad who was passing by his kids' school at the right moment.
Just... It's sad he has to feel any sense of guilt and responsibility for the deaths of those children and teacher, when he already went far above and beyond what a typical person could and would do. No one should ever have to be in a position to feel that sort of weight.
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Comment on Grand Theft Auto VI | Launch trailer in ~games
CannibalisticApple Link ParentI think the anger is A) just general anger at the rising costs of games and everything these days, and B) the lack of an actual physical disc, just a code. I actually do agree some games are worth...I think the anger is A) just general anger at the rising costs of games and everything these days, and B) the lack of an actual physical disc, just a code.
I actually do agree some games are worth the higher prices, especially when you compare it as dollars to hours played. But the economy in recent years is..... Bad. Really bad. Spending $80 or $100 on a game, even a long-anticipated one, is a big splurge compared to "just" $60 or $70. Compounded by the fact it's currently releasing for consoles which are also experiencing price hikes, so people who want to play it ASAP but lack a console would need to spend even more money.
I'm sure people would always complain about the price hike, but the current state of the world makes it even more contentious.
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Comment on Three children and a teacher were killed in Bend, Oregon, elementary school shooting, police say in ~news
CannibalisticApple Link ParentTragic he has to feel that weight and guilt. He had no obligation to step in and he saved countless people by intervening, but it can be harder to think of those hypothetical lives in the face of...Tragic he has to feel that weight and guilt. He had no obligation to step in and he saved countless people by intervening, but it can be harder to think of those hypothetical lives in the face of actual deaths. It's a heavy burden to bear on your conscience, even knowing there was nothing else to do. I think even fully trained emergency responders and police struggle with that, and he was just there by pure coincidence.
I'm glad he was there and intervened so that it didn't become a bigger tragedy, and sad it left him in a position to feel that sort of guilt.
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Comment on iPhone Duo sells out immediately, now backordered until next year in ~tech
CannibalisticApple Link Parent...Now I'm trying to imagine using a touchscreen folded into an origami crane. Imagine designing an app or site with "crane mode" in mind....Now I'm trying to imagine using a touchscreen folded into an origami crane. Imagine designing an app or site with "crane mode" in mind.
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of October 12 in ~society
CannibalisticApple Link ParentI was thinking of the 5 days, but I suppose most of her work really was just 14 minutes. I almost feel bad for her. Almost. Being press secretary for Trump has to be one of the hardest jobs in the...I was thinking of the 5 days, but I suppose most of her work really was just 14 minutes.
I almost feel bad for her. Almost. Being press secretary for Trump has to be one of the hardest jobs in the world with how unfiltered and erratic he is, and that's on a good day. She took the job at one of the most critical times politically AND when he's already under a lot of scrutiny from even his own party. Everyone is out for blood right now, anyone taking that job is basically set up for failure if they're anything less than absolutely perfect.
Hopefully their family can move back and just return to their old lives ASAP. Kids would only miss a week of school at most.
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of October 12 in ~society
CannibalisticApple Link ParentIs that a record for shortest job in the Trump admin? Seems like it, but genuinely unsure because I remember his first term was just a constantly rotating roster.Is that a record for shortest job in the Trump admin? Seems like it, but genuinely unsure because I remember his first term was just a constantly rotating roster.
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Comment on Summer Eternal presents: Red Rooster, an incendiary RPG in ~games
CannibalisticApple Link ParentI'm not automatically assuming the worst. Given they're not on a tight deadline, I figure they'll make sure it's at least functional, and I expect them to do their best to make it feel good. This...I'm not automatically assuming the worst. Given they're not on a tight deadline, I figure they'll make sure it's at least functional, and I expect them to do their best to make it feel good. This is clearly a product of passion, so I've got high hopes for them!
Still, sometimes developers can get tunnel vision and lose track of how tedious something would actually be. Like how Fable III had the pause menu be a pocket dimension: cool idea and a big hit for some, but tedious for other players since it takes up more time than a regular pause menu.
With the repeated emphasis on physics and immersion for Red Rooster, I see some room for that sort of tunnel vision. Particularly since it mentioned the inventory and UI elements. So fingers crossed they figure out a way to keep it from being tedious!
Well, guess I'll back it up then. Thankfully it still has Duplicator installed, so already got that done and downloaded. Not sure she'd be able to figure out how to shut off the site herself though unfortunately. May need to shoot her an email.
For now, I also remembered I still have another site on Dreamhost that I used for my capstone in college. That one I'm considerably less concerned with since A) there's no user information whatsoever, besides B) the "staging/prototype site" I used until we got her domain and hosting set up (started out on it locally, but it became more convenient to let her see updates while still designing the site). That one though, I CAN easily access and edit the .htaccess file.
If it breaks and goes down permanently... honestly, oh well? It was my capstone project and just used to host some comic pages and a text-based branching narrative made with Ink. If I don't still have the existing files somewhere, I should be able to rebuild it fairly easily.
or maybe just finally take it offline, genuinely forget it exists most of the timeEdit: Renamed the wordpress folder to just "[Cousin]SiteBREAKTIME". Seemed quicker, and now gives a Wordpress "page not found" error page. Might just do it to the root folder for my whole site to be safe. Or maybe just the .php folder?? Research required.
Edit 2: Personal site is now fully on break time. Yay. Gonna see if I can find clear instructions to email my cousin. My brain is coming back online enough I might be able to accomplish that. Problem is accessing and navigating the Cpanel may be beyond her ability, and I don't know the Bluehost interface off the top of my head to give her tips on how to specifically navigate it...