Hard News by Russell Brown

Colbert's bid got shot down

In other soft-launch news, www.leftfield.co.nz. They're giving away some huge flatscreen telly to the best clip uploaded in the next week or two. We helped out with look and feel.

Che.... Can't some of you Wellington web wankers take a break from invoicing for our tax dollars

Some of us Welly web wankers periodically get Che's site (and others, although I was surprised at how long it took to get Hubris shut off) blocked because it triggers dirty word filters, and you have to make friends with the IT people to get them to turn on access again.

ecohumour -

(I don't think I've got the embedding bit right)

David Farrar has been told that "all blogspot blogs" are being blocked at Parliament with a Websense filter. It actually appears that not all such blogs are being blocked, but a number of political blogs, including No Minister and Michael Earley's blog are. But why are grown-ups being denied access to anything that's not outright pr0n?

FWIW,
the word from the techie types at parly is the problem was caused by a database update. Apparently an exploit threat was detected on one blogspot site and that's where issues have stemmed from.

Definitely nothing sinister or deliberate

!!!!!1!!!!

huge props for PA here.

i can see i'd better put up my "roast chicken" and "curry laksa" recipes pronto.

then we'll see if stephen judd and i can't do a post on "smoking a joint of lamb".

and now, over to stephen...

First, get some really really big papers...

PA is "counselled" by ContentKeeper, which is a pretty big web content-checking appliance. Apparently it's a "chatroom". The trouble is, virtually every site that allows comments is so tagged - and really, what media-related/technical site doesn't have that functionality these days? Even Al Iverson's antispam blogs are "counselled".

I actually don't have a problem with blocking chat protocols and actual chat sites - unless you're using IM in the enterprise, it uses up a schwag of bandwidth and is a nice vector for viruses/malware. So too with gambling sites and the like. But I would like these things to be correctly categorised.

Amusingly enough, sites that are banned (Wired - it's "entertainment") can be freely viewed via an RSS reader, including Google Reader. Any chance of getting full RSS feeds of PA content? It's a pain being "counselled" every time I come here (and I must say that partial "teaser" RSS feeds irk me - you can plonk your advertising in as post footers or whatever).

Make sure you kill the lamb before you set it on fire. Apparently there was some unpleasant footage of battery pigs on TV last night, so there might be some feeling out there.

Definitely nothing sinister or deliberate

Thanks Felix -- I've updated the post.

Ok... so we convince a Minister to Ban water - no journos interested.

Blog gets filtered due to some IT Cock up...journos are interested.

Strange.

Amusingly enough, sites that are banned (Wired - it's "entertainment") can be freely viewed via an RSS reader, including Google Reader. Any chance of getting full RSS feeds of PA content? It's a pain being "counselled" every time I come here (and I must say that partial "teaser" RSS feeds irk me - you can plonk your advertising in as post footers or whatever).

Hey, don't announce that or someone will start blocking google reader as well as my bloody gmail ; )

I would be stoked if you guys posted more recipes, I love cooking - Stephen I'm definitely making those bagels sometime.

In other NZ video sharing site news there is also http://www.sealion.co.nz/. How did I find this site? Well it seems the best way to promote your site is with a sandwich board with a picture of sea lion on it out the front of your house!

You know, a foodie channel would be a great PAS addition.

David: good luck! Just be warned, you get a LOT of bagels out of that recipe. Good excuse to have people over for lunch - you supply bagels, tell them to bring topping of choice.

You know, a foodie channel would be a great PAS addition.

well... i've got $200 saved towards my new imac.

let's tee up some recipes. by the time i actually get the apple we'll have a catalogue of foods to run on "ourtube".

maybe rb will link to us.

Colbert's bid got shot down

And was anyone even slightly surprised - as the commentariat has pretty much appointed Hillary Clinton to the White House, you've got to wonder why the primaries are being held at all. :)

Che, can you come to my office next week for a development meeting please? There's a food show I'd like to discuss with you... Heh heh.

And ta for the link to the Nelson Arts Festival gig, Russell. Expertly filmed on someone's cellphone (managing to obscure Bret with Dan's double bass for the entirety of the song...). Not entirely sure what we did to be YouTubeNZ's number one pick, but we're not complainin! Russ - your name's on the door at the Classic tomorrow night...

From the still really, really lame YouTube.co.nz

I just had a look at most of the front-page YouTube NZ clips, and was most taken by this two-minute effort from a young man in search of his soul mate:

Plot summary: he wakes up, showers, shaves, straightens his hair, and stares at the camera, mouthing "I love you", all the while his speaks in voice-over of his desire to find his soul mate.

I can't help but wonder if he's already found his soul mate right there in the bathroom mirror.

gemma old friend, if i believed that for a second, i'd be on your doorstep.

(maybe 6 weeks? hee hee)

oh, and...

I just had a look at most of the front-page YouTube NZ clips, and was most taken by this two-minute effort from a young man in search of his soul mate:

ad should read "boney emo seeks same"

"...but a number of political blogs, including No Minister and Michael Earley's blog are."

Surely that should be No Minister?

Well hey, there was nothing in the user agreement about not engaging in shameless blog-whoring...

It's the weekend! Time for nonsense:

http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=eyMXZFbxyxY

That's DJ Ryusei, aged six, and DJ Sara, already a veteran at age 8. I was stoked I could count up to 100 by the time I was six. I'm not as celever as I thought I was.

And James Earl Jones' redubbing of Darth Vader has cheered me when I was blue up several times in the last few months:

http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=6A0rwG39Jzk

"In 1924, I posed for another sculpture, it was a nude bronze! It depicted me singing Deep River!"

I'm fairly sure that the 1689 Bill Of Rights proscribes the filtering of MPs web access.

If they must run a content filter (most sites consider this unnecessary) they should really look specifically for exploits, not blacklist domains. Plus, they should really passthough a text only (and hence secure) version of blocked sites. I think WebMarshal can do this.

Blogspot *does* have a bit of a security loophole, generally. When you are asked to enter your Google creds, how do you know that someone hasn't hijacked you to a phishing page? It wouldn't be hard - and Google credentials are quite valuable as they potentially give access to password reset capabilities.

I feel the following is the all-time best video to be put on utube and nothing will ever supplant it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe-er9FqhYA

However the "wanking" scene from Big Train is pretty good:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn6Z9djh8eA