Warning: I’m about to rant here, big time. I really don’t care if anyone reads this or not, I’m doing this for my own benefit so I can try to move on. Whether you agree or disagree with me is something I have no interest in.

My blog title is a reference to the UK TV series “Nathan Barley”, in which one of the characters (Dan Ashcroft) wrote a magazine article called “Rise of the Idiots”. Every day I’m finding myself thinking about this more and more.

Whatever happened to critical thinking? What happened to healthy skepticism? Why don’t people ever question things and try to learn/grow?

Every day I’m bombarded with ridiculous emails and messages, such as:
“If you don’t forward this email on to 5 people, your Hotmail account will be deleted!”
and it includes “proof”, which is a link to a BBC article from 2004 saying that Hotmail is CONSIDERING adding a paid account option. But nothing about them forcing everyone to pay, and nothing about them deleting accounts. And what kind of company says “We’ll only protect the accounts of the people who forward a chain email”?. They probably make billions from the advertising of the free email accounts anyway, why in the world would they delete a huge revenue stream?
But people don’t question the email, they just panic and forward it on without thinking.
Another one I get:
“Join my Facebook Group to protest the mistreatment of people in Some Country”.
Because joining a Facebook Group will help. The Government of Some Country says “Well we were going to be brutal dictators, but 30,000 people on Facebook were opposed to it so we decided to become a democracy instead”.
Be honest, you’re not joining the group because you really care about the issue, or else you would be out protesting, lobbying politicians, or donating money to charities to try to help.
You’re only doing it because it’s a quick and easy way to say “Hey look everyone! I’m a good person, I joined a Facebook Group!”.

Let’s look at another aspect of society, the news. In America, you have Fox News. In the UK you have those tabloid newspapers. In Australia you have Seven News (the others aren’t perfect, but this bunch of morons really stands out).

They have reporters who turn news reporting into opinion pieces. No serious journalist should ever use the word “Amazing.” as a sentence during his report. Or using the word “disgraceful”. Those are opinion words, you’re being paid to present the facts without bias or opinion. It is up to the public to form their own opinions, the minute you start doing that for them then you’re taking away something important from society. “Seven News said I should be against this, so that’s how I’m going to be”.
So much for journalistic integrity.
Nine News was just as bad the other night, interviewing a woman who had been dead for 45 minutes before being revived. She talked about how she could see and hear everything that was going on, how she floated around the room before re-entering her body. Sounds like a classic Near Death Experience, where a simple hallucination caused by the lack of blood to the brain gets interpreted as a religious experience. It’s the exact same thing that happens when test pilots black out in centrifuges during training, they hallucinate too. But this isn’t the point, this woman is entitled to her opinion (even though 5 minutes of research on the internet would show there was nothing religious about her experience at all). What is the point is how Nine presented the story, at no stage did they present the woman’s opinions as her own personal beliefs. They made it sound like fact. Perhaps the reporter who wrote the story is religious, or they believe in life after death, but this kind of thing should not be presented as fact.
And using the word “miracle” is a total cop-out to the paramedics who revived her. God didn’t save her, the paramedics and science saved her. They’re the ones who studied hard for years to learn how to revive patients, there was science behind everything they did. Science which has been tested over and over in controlled conditions with hard evidence to back it up.
If I saved someone’s life and they thanked God instead, I’d be more than a little irritated.

Of course it’s just as much the fault of the public that the news can get away with this kind of behavior. We don’t have good attention spans anymore, we want emotion rather than the facts, entertainment rather than knowledge. The news are doing whatever gets ratings, if the public wanted truth and facts then that’s exactly what they would be getting.

Don’t get me started on A Current Affair and Today Tonight, it’s depressing that these poor excuses for entertainment are classified as part of the “News Hour”. They’re opinion pieces with the power to destroy criminal cases by biasing the public, getting facts wrong and ruining people’s lives.

If anyone is reading this, please join with me. Be skeptical in a healthy way, don’t accept things as fact without at least making an attempt to check for yourself. If someone forwards you a chain email, just quickly Google it to see if it’s backed up by a news article from a credible source. Don’t do something just because everyone else does it. Don’t be afraid to think outside the square. Don’t be afraid to miss a terrible TV show that everyone else watches just because you’re afraid of being left out of the conversation the next day.

Read books, watch documentaries, expand your mind. Never take news articles and TV stories as the absolute truth. Watch TV shows that point out the errors of the media, such as Media Watch, or Jon Stewart, but have a healthy skepticism of these shows as well as they can also get things wrong sometimes. Make sure you’re getting all the facts and all sides of the story.

Life isn’t meant to be easy, it shouldn’t be. Overcoming challenges is what gave us many of the greatest innovations of the human race. It gave us literature, science, technology, music, and the great works of film.

What has the Human Race accomplished in 2009?

You only have yourselves to blame.

I’m writing this as a personal favor to anyone working on decoding the IT Crowd Series 3 DVD Easter Eggs. There’s a lot of incorrect info going around, and although I have no interest in the hidden messages myself, I feel I should point out a few important things.

Firstly, my website www.reynholm.co.uk has NOTHING to do with the DVD. It’s a personal fansite, it’s been around for several years and I have no affiliation with Channel 4 or the IT Crowd. Please don’t email me asking for the password to the intranet, it’s easy to find. In fact I believe it’s on the Wikipedia page. And most of the sequences of numbers on the site (the password file, etc) have no meaning. Either way, nothing on my website will help you with the Series 3 DVD.

Secondly, and this is the most important one, all the IT Crowd sites are hosted on the same web server.

The IP address is 89.16.172.246

If you visit the IP address on it’s own, you get a blank placeholder site that says “The cake is a lie” and “Coming soon…”. http://89.16.172.246/

Here’s a list of the sites that I could find sitting on that server:
http://www.hokerspoker.com
http://www.itsveryblue.com
http://www.friendface.co.uk/
http://www.fiendface.com/ (Yes, FIENDface, without an ‘R’)
http://www.ilovewillies.com/
http://www.howlonghaveyougot.com/
http://www.bluffball.com/
http://www.bluffball.co.uk/
http://www.cuke.me/
http://www.cuke.co.uk/
http://www.reynholmindustries.co.uk/
http://www.ilovewillies.com/
http://www.itcrowd.com/

As with all these sites, if you go to a page that doesn’t exist you’ll get the standard “Coming soon…” and “Cake is a lie” error page. The same thing will happen if you replace “www” with something else. “Coming soon…” should be interpreted as actually meaning “Page Not Found”. I can pretty much guarantee that http://fakefakefake.bluffball.com/ is not just “coming soon”.

I hope this helps, it’s just basic knowledge to anyone who has ever run a web server or setup DNS

I’ve just spent 3…no…4 hours messing about with this, until I finally got it to work.

The new Amazon Associates (or as it’s to be renamed, Amazon Product Advertising API) requires that by August all requests include a Signature.

Documentation here:

http://docs.amazonwebservices.com/AWSECommerceService/latest/DG/rest-signature.html 

Here’s how I implemented it in PHP (I had to make some changes to support multiple keywords, such as ‘dan aykroyd’. The space was causing huge problems after being urlencoded and decoded, parsed, hashed, etc).

define('AMAZON_ID','YOUR AWS DEVELOPER CODE');
define('SECRET_KEY','YOUR AWS SECRET KEY');
$keyword = "steve martin"; // The keywords you're searching for
$aws = array();
$keyword = urlencode($keyword);
$url = "http://webservices.amazon.com/onca/xml?Service=AWSECommerceService";
$url .= "&AWSAccessKeyId=".AMAZON_ID;
$url .= "&Operation=ItemSearch";
$url .= "&SearchIndex=DVD";
$url .= "&Keywords=".$keyword."";
$url .= "&ResponseGroup=Small,OfferFull,Images,Reviews,ItemAttributes,SalesRank";
$url .= "&Timestamp=".gmdate('Y-m-d\TH:i:s\Z');
$url = str_replace("+",urlencode("+"),$url);
$url_a = parse_url($url);
$url_a['query'] = str_replace(',',urlencode(','),$url_a['query']);
$url_a['query'] = str_replace(';',urlencode(':'),$url_a['query']);
parse_str($url_a['query'],$params);
uksort($params, 'strnatcmp');
$qstr = '';
foreach ($params as $key => $val) {
$qstr .= "=".rawurlencode($val);
}
$qstr = substr($qstr, 1);
$qstr = str_replace('%20',urlencode('+'),$qstr);
$qstr = str_replace(',',urlencode(','),$qstr);
$qstr = str_replace(';',urlencode(':'),$qstr);
$sig = "GET\n"
. "webservices.amazon.com\n"
. "/onca/xml\n"
. $qstr;
$sig = base64_encode(hash_hmac('sha256', $sig, SECRET_KEY, true));
$sig = str_replace('+','%2B',$sig);
$sig = str_replace('=','%3D',$sig);
$params['Signature'] = $sig;
$p = array();
foreach($params as $k=>$v) {
$p[]=$k."=".$v;
}
$qstr = implode("&",$p);
$rebuilt_url = $url_a['scheme']."://".$url_a['host'].$url_a['path']."?".$qstr;
$aws['url'] = $url."&Signature=".$sig;
$xml = file_get_contents($aws['url']);
echo '';
var_dump($xml);
echo '';


I know what you’re going to say, why didn’t I do it ‘this way’ or ‘that way’?

The problem is that you don’t just encrypt the query string and tack it onto the end of the URL as a Signature. You need to split the query string up, re-sort them, and then join them back together again first. And if the query doesn’t come out looking exactly the same as the original, then the Signature won’t validate. I tried dozens of other ways and in the end I had to go for the most longwinded and seemingly illogical method.

I *could* probably waste time finding a way to condense this and make it simpler, but I’ve already lost my entire night because of this. And at least I know it works.

For the record, I love Amazon.com. I order dozens of CDs and DVDs through them all the time.

On my site I wrote a function to use Amazon Web Services to download product data for actors. For example, you visit Dan Aykroyd’s page and all his DVDs appear at the bottom. Simple enough.

Then today I get this confusing email from Amazon:

In addition to the new name, signatures will be necessary to authenticate each call to the Product Advertising API. This requirement will be phased in starting May 11, 2009, and by August 15, 2009, all calls to the Product Advertising API must be authenticated or they will not be processed. For pointers on how you can easily authenticate requests to the Product Advertising API, please refer to the developer guide, available here.

Sounds fair enough to me, I figure I just have to add a line of code to my script or something.

So I read the documentation:

http://docs.amazonwebservices.com/AWSECommerceService/latest/DG/rest-signature.html

TEN Extra Steps!!!

I’ve now spent an entire hour trying to update my code. It works fine without the Signature (and it will continue to do so until August), but as soon as I add the Signature it gives me a 400 Bad Request.

According to the documentation this is the crucial line:

base64_encode(hash_hmac('sha1', $sig, "1234567890", true)) 

Anyway I’ve had enough for now, I’m going to drink something.

Update: Well it turns out that the part of the documentation they don’t include is that I need to get  a Secret Key, they didn’t mention that “1234567890″ is a fake number.

Now I have to see if using my Secret Key will fix it…

Network Ten in Australia have been airing the TV series “Lie To Me” since it began. This is one of the few shows they “Fasttrack” (ie they air it 1 week after it airs in the USA).

Tonight we saw an episode called “Do No Harm“, it’s episode #6.
It originally aired in the USA on March 11th, we didn’t see it until tonight (March 24th).

At the end of the episode they announced:

“Due to a delay in the States, Lie to Me will return on April 21st”

Now, I understand that the big problem with fasttracking a TV series from the States is that if the show goes on break there, we have to wait for it here as well. Fair enough, I’d be in the same situation if I was downloading the show.

But here’s the list of episodes:

• Do No Harm (Aired March 11)
• The Best Policy (Aired March 18)
• (Break on March 25)
• Life is Priceless (Airing April 1)
• Depraved Heart (Airing April 8 )

So Australia is 2 weeks behind the USA. The States go on break for just 1 week, and Australia has to wait 4 weeks?
Here’s confirmation that Fox is airing “Life is Priceless” on April 1st:
http://www.fox.com/lietome/

The Australian schedule should be as follows:

• Do No Harm (March 24)
• The Best Policy (March 31)
• (Break on April 7)
• Life is Priceless (April 14)
• Depraved Heart (April 21)

Of course it’s entirely possible for Ten to skip the April 7th break and just show the next episode, but that will make it only 6 days after the original airdate and I’m not sure if that would cause any problems. I doubt it given that NCIS is aired 6 days after the USA, but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt.

It’s an outright lie to say that the reason they aren’t showing it for 4 weeks because a 1 week delay in the USA.

Ironic for Ten to be lying to millions of people who have just finished watching a TV show that teaches them how to spot liars…

I’m now available on both Twitter and Facebook.
http://twitter.com/bbcentral
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1544206560&ref=name

I’m now about 97% finished rebuilding Blues Brothers Central (www.bluesbrotherscentral.com)

It’s a massive overhaul I began in Feb 2006. The site I’m currently running has existed since 2003, and although I’ve constantly added new content/features and redesigned it several times, it’s essentially the same framework.

The new site is a complete rebuild, everything has been changed, from the logo to the color scheme. Even the URL format has gone from the ugly:
/album.php?album_id=7
to the much more friendly:
/albums/made-in-america/

So, what’s left to do and why haven’t I finished it yet?
Well there’s a couple of incredibly boring data entry tasks I have to finish. One of them was adding all the hundreds of gigs the band has played since the 1970’s, I’ve almost finished these but there are many I won’t bother adding. On the current site people have submitted gigs with useless vague information, like “I think they played in Belgium in 1990, or it could have been 1991″. Because I obviously have the time to waste hours trying to track down when it happened…
Over time more people will submit gigs and this time they’ll be able to be more specific, so if there are any missing then they can be filled in later on anyway.

There’s a MASSIVE picture gallery containing around 1000 photos, these will need to be tagged into the correct categories, however this is something I can ask my members to help with.

I’ve got plenty of products to add to the Blues Brothers Store, and a couple of bootleg albums to add. Plenty of multimedia needs to be uploaded and tagged.

I need to also finish:

• The Blues Brothers Revival page
• Blues Brothers 25th Anniversary page
• Movie Cars (If I don’t finish this I’ll get flooded with annoying emails

I’m also working on a new section that I’m not ready to reveal, mainly because so far I’ve only done the artwork and some basic designs. The programming is only about 5% finished at this stage.

And finally there’s a secret project I’m working on to go with this site, it’s codenamed “Project B12″, it has it’s own separate website. I may launch that along with BB Central v2.0, or I may hold off until the site has stabilized.

A decision I made a while ago was that I won’t be running any banner rotations on Blues Brothers Central. The main reason was that it slowed down the pages, it was another piece of software I had to keep updated, and it wasn’t really getting enough interest. It’s a shame that I won’t be able to promote the websites of my friends and members, but in the end I have to think of the bigger picture. I’ll only be running Google Adsense and Amazon Associates advertising, along with some small promotions for other affiliates I’m involved with.

Finally, here’s some artwork I created but ultimately never ended up using, it was to promote the new site:

That’s a photo I took myself while in Chicago in 2005, I’ve just modified it heavily and added some new signs. I hated it, but it was enough to inspire me to design something 100 times better (and completely different).
Here’s the original:

So as you all know I built www.lcarsdeveloper.com back in 2002, when I used to be a bit of a Star Trek fan (something I lost interest in very quickly).

At the time I was teaching myself Flash, and I wanted to take on a big project to test my Flash skills and improve on them, so I started messing around with the computer interface from Star Trek, which is known as “LCARS”.

In 2005 my site merged with another site called STEngineer.com, a site that was trying to build an operating system called “LOSS” (LCARS Operating System Shell). I gave control over to the STEngineer owners, but after writing their name all over the site and redirecting their domain name to mine (as well as breaking half the pages) they left and never returned.

Eventually I closed down the forum on the site because it was being overrun by spammers and I couldn’t be bothered moderating it. I had offers from people who wanted to take over the forum, I was even prepared to give them all the posts that were made, but nobody had any serious offers (just amateurs who would have given up 2 weeks later).

In the end I just stopped touching the site, uploaded all the source code (Flash FLA files) and said “do what you want with them”.

A lot of people took me up on that offer, the best example is www.lcars.org.uk, which has essentially expanded on my work and built another site out of it. I’m glad to see there’s a decent credit in the footer of the site, although to just say “thanks for designing the menu” is a little bit of an understatement when he’s kept the original logo and all the animations too. I’m embarrassed to see he’s even posted my hideously inaccurate animation here, the one I only made as a placeholder and never got around to finish.  And these:
http://www.lcars.org.uk/lcars_m.htm
http://www.lcars.org.uk/lcars_o.htm
http://www.lcars.org.uk/lcars_p.htm
http://www.lcars.org.uk/lcars_r.htm
http://www.lcars.org.uk/lcars_x.htm (this one he finished)
http://www.lcars.org.uk/lcars_n.htm
http://www.lcars.org.uk/lcars_s.htm (I hated this one)
http://www.lcars.org.uk/lcars_aas.htm (not sure if this is based on mine)
http://www.lcars.org.uk/lcars_u.htm
http://www.lcars.org.uk/lcars_zh.htm (From my LOSS8 demo…I think?)
http://www.lcars.org.uk/lcars_w.htm (Never finished this one)
http://www.lcars.org.uk/lcars_t.htm
http://www.lcars.org.uk/Enterprise.htm (The big animation half way down with the scrolling text, although he finished it)

Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled that this guy has gotten so much out of my work, and it’s obvious from the hundreds of animations he’s made on his own that he has his own talent, he’s just used my work as a shortcut for his own. I think that’s fantastic, it’s exactly what I posted the files online for!

But I’m getting very tired of getting emails from…lets face it…morons who think I somehow stole his website.

Like this gem:

Why do you own ADGE’S lcars web site if you are not going to do anything with it.
Some of my friends wanted a new screen save of save trek. but so far there are no new changes. if you are not going to comtrubute to the star Trek then sale the web site to someone who will do something with it.

I mean come on, I don’t OWN his website! I have nothing to do with, aside from the fact that his menu system is 90% my work.
And since when did I make screensavers? I’ve NEVER made a screensaver, and I never even tried to!
If I’m not going to contribute to star trek I should sell my website to someone who will? Well I’ve already given the whole thing away for free, who would possibly want to pay for it when they can do what Adge did and click “DOWNLOAD”?

Anyway that’s my rant for the day. Stop emailing me.

Programming is more fun when you’re drunk. I’m actually enjoying it again for the first time in months! And all it took was 2 glasses of bourbon and 2 glasses of Irish Whiskey!

This function I just wrote is so awesome, seriously.

Now I have to fix someone else’s website before I can go back to working on my own. Stupid hosting company has messed up something. Now when you get a UNIX_TIMESTAMP() from the MySQL database it gives you the wrong timezone, so when I convert it back into a date it comes out as 1 day before I wanted!

So it goes into the database table as 2008-10-13, it comes out as 2008-10-14!

They probably changed the timezone on the servers or something stupid, so now I have to rewrite all the functions.

This is why I host my own sites in Texas instead of Australia…

Man…Firefly was one hell of a great show. I make sure to watch the whole series and movie at least once a year, half way through it again right now. There should be more sci-fi.

This is something I’ve been thinking about for quite a while, how you can use Google and their associated products to get more out of your life online!

http://www.bluesbrotherscentral.com/forum/computers-video-games-technology/7452-how-google-your-life.html