Below is a copy of a fake e-mail I received today, supposedly notifying me of an account being opened at Commonwealth Bank.

The subject reads "Your Account Opening is completed", it looks quite legitimate (for a fake it is good to the unwary eye) and has a link that seems to lead to a Commonwealth Bank login screen.

Beware! This is a fake and designed to steal legitimate bank login details.

The link actually leads to http://www.srirecords.com/commbank/ and the underlying web site is nothing to do with the bank.

What makes this stand out is it is new enough that it slipped through GMail's spam filter.

It's a short video (2m:43s).

"Address Is Approximate": http://vimeo.com/32397612.

I think you will know what I mean when you watch it.

Here's an easy way to check if the password you have for a site/service/account/whatever online is safe and secure:

Request a password recovery (most sites have it on the login page).

Now check the e-mail they send you.

If the site sends your password back to you (or even part of it) then assume it is stored as "clear text" in their database.

What does that mean?

"Clear text" means anyone with access to the database can see your password.

And trust me in speaking as a software developer, if they are storing your password in clear text then the rest of their setup probably isn't that well thought out or secure either.

Your password is at risk of being stolen and re-used. Your other accounts are at risk too.

Even if a hacker does not break into the system, the people who maintain the software and database can still see it. Anyone with a dishonest streak and access to the database can hurt you. Here's how:

Consider the username or e-mail you used to register with the site is probably the same you use to register with many, if not all, other sites you are a member of (which is common).

Now consider that you probably use the same password (or small set of passwords) for most sites too (again, it's common).

Can you see where I'm going?

All someone with access to the database needs to do is go to all the popular web sites (Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, banks and other major services that a lot of people) and simply try to enter the username/e-mail and password from the database.

Stop for a moment and consider how many services you have signed up to and how often you use the same e-username/e-mail and password...

Here's something else to consider:

Just because the password recovery doesn't return the password does not mean they don't have a copy of your original password.

Any site you are a member of can potentially do this!

How much do you really trust the sites and services you are signed up to?

I owe someone an apology. I can't say who they are or what it's about. I write this even though I don't expect it to be received.

Old friend,

I said "sorry" many times a year ago. And I meant it - Every. Single. Time.

And for all that has happened I still do, sincerely.

A lot has happened since we last spoke. I've been angry and said things I wish I hadn't - both good and bad. The shit well and truly hit the fan and a situation was escalated to absurd levels. Maybe I deserved it - I don't know. To be honest, I look back and still wonder what the fuck happened and how the heck we got to this point. How do I go from "love you" to being considered the worlds worst? I wish I knew because I don't ever want to do that to another person.

I can, of course, guess where I went wrong... but is that enough against actually knowing? It doesn't matter now.

In the end I've lost a lot of innocence, hurt a great deal and have felt and still feel... well, you probably know how I feel. But I do know it takes two to create a problem and I regrettably played my part. I don't know what I could have done better. Truthfully. Walk away and say nothing was certainly one option... but that's not me. And I don't think that would have been the right way of handling the situation either. I would have felt like the one betraying a friend and I can't do that. I was obviously too naive to do the right thing so I did wrong instead.

I am sorry for everything, start to finish - because I should have known better. I make claims of being smart and observant and compassionate and yet I failed on those very things. With someone I cared about deeply. I failed you as a friend. And regardless of what other people think and how things turned out, I won't forget that.

This is the last time I say sorry - one old friend to another. I don't expect to ever hear from you. I don't expect forgiveness. I don't expect anything. Given what ultimately happened I do expect you to think poorly of me. I wish I could wind the clock back - back to... how far do I have to go? 2009 and before I started "acting weird"?
Back to a time when caring about a friend was actually a good thing.

I truly did care about you and I never wanted a thing for it. In many ways I still do care.

So one last time:

I am sorry.

I always have and still do wish the best for you and hope you find what you're looking for in life. I do wish I could have been a friend to stand beside and support you. I saw your name mentioned online recently: that made me smile.

Whatever else has happened, I was never wrong about the remarkable things I saw in you. I may have been blind to your other side but what I saw was real.

You changed my life. You showed me new ways to look at life and you opened my heart. Thank you!

Please, learn to trust those who care and give them a little slack. We all deserve a chance to make good on our mistakes. I hope you allow that of the next person.

Yesterday I pled guilty to the crime of stalking another person.

It was a crime I did not commit.

The accusation was laid against me by someone I called a close friend for almost 3 years. Someone I loved and cared a great deal about. Someone I still, for reasons I cannot explain or even fathom, feel love and deep, albeit sad, care for.

Yesterday, after more than 7 months of waiting I finally had my day in court.

I plead guilty not because I thought I was guilty but because it was the honourable thing to do. I did it to save dragging a friend through the justice system, an experience that I can say is not pleasant. I saved them from having to defend their own [false] accusations and face the scrutiny of the court.

The Magistrate, thankfully, recognised that too.

In a way I am still not happy I did not plead innocent because it does feel like I've let myself and my other friends down by not standing up for what I believe in. Some battles, unfortunately, need to be sacrificed in order to survive for greater goals.

As much as I do still care deeply about my lost friend, I cannot overlook the fact that this person acts in a way that is little more than that of a selfish, hurtful, spoilt brat - and in thinking of the beautiful spirit I used to see, it pains me to realise their ugly side.

The Magistrate who heard my case was wonderful. I have low regard for the overall justice system but I have endless respect and admiration for the Magistrates themselves. I've spend enough time watching 7 or 8 preside over various and different cases to understand the job they have at hand, the difficulties involved and how well they do it.

My Magistrate - who initially adjourned the hearing for two weeks to have a closer look at the details - hinted it would have been understandable, and not unreasonable, to have plead innocent (which reading into that suggests to me I would have had a good chance of winning my innocence). When looking at the actual facts and circumstances of the case there was never any doubt about my innocence. With hindsight and knowing now how the system works, given the volume of evidence I collected I dare say I could have quite easily ripped this case to shreds.

The Magistrate also said outright that my situation was categorised at the very lowest end of a very broad sliding scale and suggested that in time we may see more similar cases enter the courts. I think this to be a very true and accurate assessment - in fact, I've been saying the same to people over the past months.

Also, again having to read into his words because he could no say it outright, it seemed that he considered this a somewhat vexatious claim and a waste of court resources. That is of course how I read into his words, though it wasn't hard for anyone to tell what he was suggesting. Further, when addressing me to present his views and decision, it was not done so much as a rebuke or reprimand (as I have seen happen many times in the courts) but more with an air of sympathy and understanding. The seriousness of the allegation was never underestimated but, at the end of the day, I think all who have been involved with me in this matter and those who walked from the court room realised the absurdity of it having reached that level.

Because here's what it really boils down to:

I was someone who loved a friend dearly, and when they decided to walk away from me (due partly to my own words) then I was prepared to get down on my knees (via written messages) and beg for forgiveness. And I did that more than once.

But when I was ignored so many times, I felt what I'm sure we would all feel: anger. So in my final act of contact I sent them a card that expressed that emotion. No threats. No damage. Just me telling them what I now thought of them after all that had passed.

In my own view this case was both an abuse of the justice system and waste of time, not to mention a cause of pain and heart-ache that simply was not necessary. It is not so much a reflection on me as the defendant but on the nature of my accuser. It should never have gone to the courts. Five minutes was all a friend needed to give to show a small sign of respect and allow me to be heard - to allow me at least a small measure of dignity.

Instead, they chose to put me through this.

For my own part in this sorry mess (because let's face it, you would have to think a person does not lay criminal charges for no reason... or do they?) I undertook a short series of attempted communications (and later a couple of published statements) that were without any attempt or desire to harm or even upset, though some admittedly displayed my anger, and were driven from grief and despair to either attain reconciliation or closure. Unfortunately, they were "perceived" by an easily frightened person as something unreasonably different.
This was nothing more than a "crime of perception" - my ordinary actions skewed to fit someone's existing fears, possible feelings of guilt and anchored psychology.

Looking back, all I ever wanted was a little closure from a friendship that has changed my life with a person I adored, admired and respected. Closure I was denied and must live without. Worse still is to continue to feel as I once did for a friend who preferred to think only of themselves and see me suffer than act in good decency. I expect to be haunted by their memory for some time to come.

At the end of the day I may have been perceived as a stalker but it is I who cared about a friend. It is I who stood by and supported them through 3 years of combined personal struggles. It is I who saw inner beauty and more in them than even their own family. It is I who sleeps well because I'm prepared to do what I must for my friends. And it is I who has the courage to admit his mistakes, apologise, ask for forgiveness and fight to save a friendship.
And at the end of the day I now know who it is that can, and cannot, be relied on by their friends.

Regardless of what I believe and how the Magistrate saw it, my friend is still the victor at the end of this and punishment has been served. Through all of this, for well over twelve months, I have felt a hurt deeper than any law can inflict. As even my lawyer said when we left the court, "there's no punishment stronger than that of a broken-heart".

I once had the great fortune to see and feel so much in a friend that I loved them. And they betrayed that. They took from me, used me and abused my loyalty, faith and trust. They discarded me like I was worthless and nothing. No punishment of justice could ever outweigh what I feel inside from that betrayal.

In less than 12 months this will become another side-note of my life. But I will never forget. I will always remember a friend - someone I believed in - and how they choose to treat those who hold them so high.

I'm sorry I had feelings for a friend and loved them.

I'm sorry I questioned a friendship and criticised a person I care about.

I'm sorry I cared too much to just walk away.

I'm sorry I cared so much I got angry at being hurt.

I'm sorry I felt betrayed.

I'm sorry for my own display of selfishness and desires.

I'm sorry I felt the need to tell people about someone I felt abused their status among friends.

I'm sorry we had to end up this way.

After over 7 months of waiting, my hearing lasted approximately 20 minutes.

The Magistrate understood and appreciated my situation.

Having plead guilty, I left the court room with an undertaking for good behaviour. No fine, fees or penalties were issued.

I expect this whole episode to eventually cost me over $4,000 in legal fees. Total cost, including lost time and other expenses, is closer to $7,500. All because I cared about another person.

In 12 months, as far as my record is concerned, this case will be forgotten.

Here's a word scramble for you:

The real challenge is to see who is prepared to "put all the words you see in a sentence and post it online".

"Compassion, along with love, is the face of altruism."

-- Dalai Lama via Twitter

Spot the 8 differences.

It may be harder, or easier, than you think.

I just saw a sale sticker that said "2 for $50 or 3 for $75"

Can you guess what made me smile?

I was thinking about the difference between "simple", "complex" and "complicated" for a discussion post I'm creating for a new venture next year. And in one of those classic "shower moments" (you know, when you're in the shower, or bath, and have a "Eureka!" moment) I thought of a contrasting example that really made me stop, smile and say "wow".

And my example of the difference between complex and complicated?

The human body.

Think about it. We can now map the human genome with a computer. Or let's put it in really simple terms:

The code that identifies the physical make-up of a person (our building blocks) can be unravelled by a man-made device that essentially knows only two two states: on and off.

The human makeup can be de-constructed by a binary system!

It's like understanding how the Empire State Building was constructed at almost the lowest level by using a microscope that doesn't even know what it's looking at (but can still tell us how the building was made).

I know this may have more impact on me as a software developer but it really is mind-blowing to think one of the most basic state systems - and one created my man, at that - can, for lack of a better word, "understand" the code the is used to create a person.

"Bloody wow!" I say.

Absolutely, the human body is a complicated system of mind-blowing proportions, yet it is simple enough for a binary system to decipher. Complex, it is not.

And I kid you not, now that the significance of this has hit me it gives me a tingle of excitement just thinking about it and knowing how incredible mankind is to be able to develop machines that can show us how we are constructed.

I saw a speed sign for "8km/hr" in a Melbourne CBD laneway a couple of days ago and I couldn't help but wonder about that sort of speed limit. I still can't put my finger on it but it just struck me as a little... odd.

Think about it. The average walking speed of an adult is about 5km/hr (which I think is an over-estimate from my own experience), which means cars are allowed to travel 60% faster than a person walking in a narrow lane (or stepping from a hidden recess). And compare that to caravan parks which usually have a 5hm/hr - walking speed - limit. The reason for the low limits is increased reaction time of unexpected events - that's understandable.

Now consider the speedometer of most cars, or most cars up until the past decade. Firstly, how many cars actually have incremental speed markings below 10km/hr (or even 1km/hr intervals at all for that matter)? Secondly, how accurate to you think it is reading is at such low speeds (think of needle bounce)? Granted, modern cars with electronic speedometer displays probably now have that level of accuracy, but it does beg the question: at that speed, who is actually going to be concerned with looking at the display to keep the car below the posted limit?

I wonder if simply having a "SLOW" sign and allowing people to use their proper judgement is a more realistic option. The "reckless" or "fast" drivers - however you care to define that - are going to exceed 8hm/hr (or SLOW) regardless, and everyone else is likely to just use an appropriate level of caution (and speed) for the environment.

The other thing that struck me was the specific nature of "8" as the speed limit, as opposed to say 5 or 7 or 9.

It just struck me as an odd, and amusing, speed posting to see that seems to serve no great purpose.

I just found some spectacular time lapse footage of Earth fly overs by the International Space Station.

You're sure to love it and be awed.

For best results, watch it in HD and full-screen - it's like actually being there.

View it at http://vimeo.com/32001208 or  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls9yJTphLxg.

What is the proper grammar of ending a sentence and placing a smiley? Do you end with a full-stop before the smiley, after or not at all? #FirstWorldProblem

For example, is it:

I'm so evil. >:-)

or

I'm so evil >:-).

or

I'm so evil >:-)

I may be wrong about what I think I'm seeing, but I wonder if the fact that "The Age" newspaper has a unicorn in its logo is testament to the fact they write a lot of fiction?

Check it out.

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Age_logo.svg)

Here's a solution for an old problem with a slight twist.

My Scenario

I'm using ASP.NET WebForms with the .NET 4 framework.

I'm using WebForms Routing now built-in with the .NET 4 Framework, although this problem also happens when accessing the ASPX pages directly.

This is where the twist comes in: I'm using Server.Transfer to transfer page processing from a central request handling page to the actual page to display.

The Problem

Some forms allow HTML tags to be entered by the user. This causes the follow error to be displayed (which I'm sure anyone who's tried this in the past is familiar with):

A potentially dangerous Request.Form value was detected from the client (TestValue="<b></b>").

Description: Request Validation has detected a potentially dangerous client input value, and processing of the request has been aborted. This value may indicate an attempt to compromise the security of your application, such as a cross-site scripting attack. To allow pages to override application request validation settings, set the requestValidationMode attribute in the httpRuntime configuration section to requestValidationMode="2.0". Example:. After setting this value, you can then disable request validation by setting validateRequest="false" in the Page directive or in theconfiguration section. However, it is strongly recommended that your application explicitly check all inputs in this case. For more information, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=153133.

The Solution

The solution is actually stated in the description of the error:

• Add requestValidationMode="2.0" to the httpRuntime tag of the Web.Config file.
• Add validateRequest="false" to the <%@Page %> directive at the top of the ASPX page.

But wait, there's more!

I did this and continued to get the request validation error, both when accessing the ASPX page directly or via URL Routing.

The solution is to also add the validateRequest="false" to the controlling page that contains the Server.Transfer. Both the initial (handling) page and the target page being transferred to require this directive.

And with that simply but not immediately obvious solution, problem solved. Happy programming. :-)

Something I've noticed recently is scrollbar usability is subtly going backwards in a number of pieces of online software I've used. The most recent inclusion is Google Reader.

Can you see what I'm getting at? You may need to click the images for the full size to see better.

Both screenshots are the same with the exception of the second showing the scrollbar for the left-hand pane.

I have three usability concerns with these scrollbars:

1. They are way too narrow. The horizontal "click space" must be at least half the conventional scrollbar width in Google Reader. I consider myself an advanced computer user and even I notice my congitive load (amount of concentration required) increases to a conscious level to find and activate the scrollbar.
2. The left-hand scrollbar is hidden until you hover over it. This is so counter-intuitive to what I expect that it "loses" me - and as a software developer keenly interested in design it takes a bit to make me feel lost or uncomfortable using software.
3. The style of the scrollbar makes it hard to distinguish between what is the component you "click and drag" and the rest of the bar. The contrasting differences are just too small compared to what I'm used to. You can see what I mean when you compare the Google Reader scrollbars to the conventional versions as shown in the screenshot below.

I find this a very surprising development from Google especially given their great usability standards, and can't really fathom the benefits for the decision (I personally don't think "reducing screen clutter" is a good enough reason).

I'm all for innovation and making improvements in software and usability, but when you screw with well established and learnt conventions (at least, without dictating massive and complete changes to all software to follow suit) you run the risk of causing more unhappiness than the benefits provide. Just look at the fact we still use highly inefficient keyboard layouts in an age where DVORAK would be the wise choice. Why? Because it's a learnt and known convention... and "good enough" for most people.

PS: Update 02 November 2011:

I just checked out the new GMail interface today. Holy Crap! What are they thinking?! The contrast is so bad I have to consciously "hunt" for things I know are there and can't easily distinguish elements/parts of the page, no scrollbars automatically show, there's Chat shit I can't get rid of even though I never use Chat and the bloody Ads bar at the top looks like a part of my message now.

Google, what are you thinking?! You used to do usability and design so well.

There's a cheeky little sparrow that keeps flying in the front door of one of my favourite cafes to find food.

The little rascal is so brazen it's like watching a little kid testing the parents - as soon as you chase it off it's back again. The bartender and I just chased it out and not 15 seconds later - as we were still standing talking - it flew back in.

The problem is, it's such a Devilish pain you can't help but love the adorable little bugger.

And let me tell you, Sparrows are a lot smarter than they look.

(The theory is it's a mum and has a nest nearby with mouths to feed.)

Of course Sparrows are that damn quick I haven't been able to get a non-blurry shot if it in the most compromising position. Now I know why all the Bigfoot, Nessie and alien photos are blurry.

Just because something takes "effort" doesn't mean it has to be difficult or even a challenge.

Recently a psychologist said to me, "relationships can be a challenge". And yes, they can be... if you choose to see it that way.

I don't.

Certainly any relationship takes effort - from a simple friendship, to family to your deepest love - but my experience is, regardless of effort, all relationships are pretty damn easy if you approach them the right way.

Why does it take so long for creative people to produce their best work - the work they are happy with?

I believe, in part, it is because it takes time to discover and refine the creative "voice".

When you think about it, whether you are writing, painting, making music, building software... even mowing the lawn for a living - there is a wonderful and wide spectrum of possibilities to explore. Being creative means you have an innate, if inexplicable, sense of what you want to achieve and need to explore new places to find and mold those options that best suit the story you need to tell.

It takes time, practice and a lot of patience to find that voice.

I know this because I've spent years in various endeavours trying to find my own "voice". Still happily, I continue that search.

Right now the search is most evident in my writing.
I write every day. Some days it's only a few paragraphs, some days a few pages. Some days I compose the stories I need to tell only in my head, as I lay awake at night or head out for a walk.
Much of the writing you never see is poor quality (by my standards), though always seeded with a nugget of potential and a necessary step in my journey.
Even my published work I still find poor. I know I have a way to go, yet regardless of the quality it always spurs me to continue in a new day and with the next trial. For me, a day without writing is a day where my mind is not exercised and potential is wasted. Writing helps me discover and refine that voice in my head. It helps me make sense of a crazy, complex world. It unwinds my tension and relieves the stress - sometimes it even ends in tears. It helps me connect. And, critically, it allows me unlimited and unbridled freedom to grow.

Nothing is ever wasted either, with the certainty that some day it will all fold together to bloom into something marvelous. Oh yes, I have some special stories lined to tell in the future - stories even I haven't fully lived yet.

I've been searching for my "voice" and I've been aware of that fact for some time. I've watched it grow and falter, wander and change. It has found me in serious trouble (pah! - it is only other people's expectations) but it has also provided inspiration. It is a wonderful moment to have a stranger connect with you to say you have helped change their life.
My creative voice has allowed me to confront and overcome many fears and help me find the battles to fight and to discover my place in the world.
I will never give it up.

Contrasting the creative voice is the insidious "silence" that we are so often advised to enter by those who fear so much in life - a powerful weapon that I have experienced first-hand. But creativity and impassioned communication are so much stronger and always carry with them the power to shape the world - to inspire, help, advance our potential and change the world.
Silence and stagnation can only ever see things destroyed. Creativity is the birth of so many remarkable and life-changing delights.

This morning, as I was writing what must literally be my 40th preemptive and different draft for an article finally due to be released next week, something clicked, subtly, in my mind. I don't know what it means or how much further I need to go but I know it is important. It is my voice growing a little louder and stronger, growing in confidence and certainty, telling me I'm on track and closer to something wonderful. I'm rising to the high bar.

It could be months or years to come, yet slowly and surly that voice in my head is starting to mature and spark into a strong and confident resonance that will, some day, give people cause to stop and not just listen but, I hope, actually "hear" my mind.

Ignore me, criticise me, call me a fool, tell me that what I say and how I act makes me look stupid or that I'm an embarrassment - yes, it has happened. Just know you only drive me harder to speak and tell me one important thing: I'm on the right path. You may fear the truth but I embrace it. The truth really is what sets us free.

At the end of the day that strong voice of creativity is what breaks me through my fears, resistance and all the naysayers to add to a global collective of reason and truth.