Bleadof’s world of tinkering

I seem to blog only when there’s a meme. Maybe it’s because I don’t really have anything to say but I find these memes amusing… This one I saw in Facebook.

1. Put your iTunes/Napster/Zune Player/WinAmp/etc on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Tag 10 or more friends who might enjoy doing this as well as the person you got it from.

IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?

Russia on Ice - Porcupine Tree

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?

San Tropez - Pink Floyd

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?

Don’t fear the reaper - Apollo 440

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?

Roy’s Keen - Morrissey

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?

Kohtaaminen - Ultra Bra

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?

Inertiatic Esp - The Mars Volta

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?

Shine on me - Kingston Wall

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?

A forest - Nouvelle Vague

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?

When the sun goes down - Arctic Monkeys

WHAT IS 2+2?

Transport is arranged - Pavement

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?

Monochrome - Dominique A - C’était ici

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?

Planet - Kemopetrol

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?

Monochrome - Dominique A - Le Phare

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?

flversögn - Sigur Rós

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?

Textures - Robert Miles

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?

Two minute warning - Depeche Mode

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?

Bang bang - Nancy Sinatra

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?

Ei - Maija Vilkkumaa

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?

Vuokralainen - Zen Café

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?

Nobody home - Pink Floyd

WHATS THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?

Winter - Coney Island Low - Clint Mansell

HOW WILL YOU DIE?

Starman - David Bowie

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?

Come here boy - Imogen Heap

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?

The slow drug - PJ Harvey

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?

Wednesday - Tori Amos

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?

Vähän ennen - Maija Vilkkumaa

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?

Bildungsrock - Tommi Liimatta

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?

Näkyvän valon olennot - CMX

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?

Satellite - Depeche Mode

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?

Cowboys - Portishead

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?

Miranda that ghost just isn’t - The Mars Volta

Book meme seen on Planet Gnome by Sebastian Pölsterl, Karl Lattimer and Mark Doffman.

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open it to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
5. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.

For example, many implementations of CORBA do not contain a security service at all.

Quote is from chapter which tells about different distributed object platforms and what things to consider when choosing one. It is from the “Building Secure Software: How to avoid security problems the right way” by John Viega and Gary McGraw. I’ve been reading for my thesis and it was just few centimeters from my right hand.

The juice of this blog post is here: AT&T x86 assembly instruction reference can be found in the Appendix B. with the the title “Common x86 Instructions” from Programming from the Ground Up by Bartlett, J.

The actual process how I came about finding this bit of info was when I was reading Building Secure Software by Viega, J and McGraw, G in towards efforts of finishing my bachelor and master thesis on “Common faults in software which lead to a vulnerability”. The book is a brilliant as an entry level book for everyone working on software development and trying to think more securely when programming. Although hopefully my master’s thesis will serve this entry level of thinking secure while programming as well. Anyway, I was reading the BSS book and on the Stack Overflows chapter there’s this part where you’re told to use the gcc with -S flag to compile the C code to Assembly language and tweak it. So to be able to tweak it I wanted to understand what were the instructions in the Assembly language. I googled a bit to find AT&T instructions and that didn’t give me much until I finally found a question on comp.lang.asm.x86 news group which said that one would be in the Programming from the Ground Up book and there it was.

I know that podcasts have been around for quite some time already but it’s just recently I’ve really started to listen more than one podcast. Because the podcasts I listen are pretty neat I just wanted to point them out to people who might read my blog. So I composed a list!

Podcasts

Entertainment

SModcast

SModcast is a podcast from Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier.

Rogues’ Gallery

It’s a progressive rock radio which is streamed live on Friday morning here in Finland. Frans Keylard is the host of the show and he plays mainly new progressive rock and occationally few wishes the listeners have submitted. You can interact with Frans during the show in IRC by coming to server irc.thedividingline.com:6667 on channel #dividingline.

Information technology

Software engineering radio

It’s a podcast where couple of German dudes interview people and talk about subjects in software engineering. They have some brilliant stuff there. I’ve started listening it just a while and I’ve picked up so much about different things that it’s amazing. Beats easily most of the lectures I’ve been to!

The Java Posse

It’s a podcast where Tor Norbye (Sun Microsystems), Carl Quinn (Google), Dick Wall (Google), Joe Nuxoll (Navigenics) talk about what’s happening in the Java community. Another one of those podcasts which I haven’t yet had really time to listen much but I will in the future.

Security

Silver Bullet Security Show

Is a podcast done by Gary McGraw and is sponsored by IEEE Security & Privacy. Gary interviews people from the field of security. I haven’t yet really started listening this, but it’s worth of mentioning.

Security Now!

Is a podcast done by people from Gibson Research Corporation. They talk about security in information technology. Another one of those podcasts I haven’t really had time to focus but I will in the future.

I had a problem for a while that I couldn’t launch iSync normally from /Applications, but it did still did work launching it from /Applications/iSync.app/Contents/MacOS/iSync . I knew this must be an issue for someone else as well so a little digging got me the anwser from the Apple Support discussion with title “iSync won’t open in 10.5.3.”.

Fix iSync launching problem

1. Drag iSync from Applications to Desktop.
2. Drag it back to Applications.
3. Try launching it normally.

 

I found this brilliantly written Assembler, which I’m reading for my thesis, book online a while back already but I thought it might worth mentioning now. It’s called “PC Assembly Language” and its author is Paul A. Carter. It can be downloaded in PDF and PostScript so I suppose most of the people can read it. I don’t about the accessibility of a PDF or PS so I won’t say everyone can read it, but the text itself is very clear and easy to understand. It also offers good examples. I think it’s a bit sad that it’s written in Intel syntax, but I suppose that’s unavoidable. I’ve been reading mostly AT&T syntax which is a bit different, but you get used to Intel syntax fairly fast.

Now I’m off to a meeting…

Why, oh why, is it so hard to get a job from Rovaniemi? I can’t believe my current luck with the companies there. They’re either in need of proper employees, who want to stay there but not in need for summer employees. What’s up with that? Boring I say!

Please someone who knows about something about the work possibilities for skilled software developer please point me to a some direction! Here’s my CV. Please find me a job!

To explain the title to non-Finnish speaking it translate something to: “The name won’t worsen the man if the man won’t worsen the name.”.

Another page has turned in my life! I’m now Tarmo Aidantausta and not Tarmo Friman anymore… It’s kind of weird, but then again it feels good at the same time. The reason why I changed my surname is that Aidantausta is a really rare surname and at the moment I’m the only male in our generation. It’s my mothers maiden name and because I’ve been raised by my mother, it just felt natural.

My parents divorced when I was something like three or so and I’ve never really got to know my biological father while I was still bearing his name. I don’t think that there’s really anything wrong with the name Friman but I guess Aidantausta is more the family I belong to. My grandparents and my few aunts are the only proper link in my fathers family I really keep in touch. Not to petty their impact on my life but more to embrace my mothers side of my family. I admire my inheritance also from the Friman family but come on Aidantausta-Friman is really far fetched. Besides it’s way cooler to have a surname which has ever had 36 members (me included)! Aidantausta is also more Finnish because Friman is actually Swedish and means free man. Of course having a Swedish name in Finland is very common since we were indeed once under their dominion.

Anyhow… I know it’s been a while (like two years now) since I’ve written anything and it kind of feels odd to blog again but I suppose I’ll get used to it. Now I had something to say and maybe I’ll have more to say while I’m writing my thesis which is about: “The common programming mistakes which lead to a security hole”. The title is still in draft phase but I suppose most of you get the drift of the subject. I still have almost two months before I have to deliver but I’m in a big hurry so we’ll see how it goes. I hope I have more to write soon…

Oh, yes indeed. The changes are really coming. I’m moving into a single room. Here are some facts about my apartment:

• Size: 29 m²
• Rent: 275 €/month
  • Includes water, electricity and internet connection.
• Vertical location: 7th floor (How cool is that

I like my new apartment. Hopefully the move will go smoothly. I’ll rent a car from Jaatinen and my friends are going to help me carrying the things. It’s nice to have friends.

University stuff

I’m just buried with work I have to do for the university. It’s scary. Thank goodness I got to relax a bit last weekend. Otherwise my head would’ve exploded. That’s not a nice feeling, I gather. Anyhow, basically I have to do courseworks, seminars, papers and all that shit. Then, it’s not even enough. The Project will start soon as well and with it few other modules. So I’m buried with even more work. I’m just going to have to get through until Christmas and see what I’m left with… It’s stressful but I think I’ll manage it. If I can’t I just have to leave something out. It’s so simple.

People

I hope Bogdana will get a new job soon. I think she will, she’s one of those people who gets usually what she wants and she is really talented, brilliant lady.

I hope that Tero’s bike will have bad charm on the idiot who stole it. I detest thieves, you’re all just bunch of sad wankers!

End of stuff

Apparently at least some of my exchange students are having fun. Anyway… I’m off again. Laters.

So, a lot has happened since I last blogged. Here’s a short list:

• I went to Romania to see Bogdana and Dracula. (Love you btw, thanks for everything and I hope I can visit you some day again.)
• I worked until 1.9. when my contract ended. (It’s nice beeing a summer trainee.)
• I tutored few exchange students who came to Jyväskylä around 29.9.(A lot of fun, cheers for Philipp, Jordi, Maria, Yu-Jin and Kyung-Duck, my tutor group.)
• Me quite a bunch of different people while I’ve around the exchange circles.
• Separated from my girlfriend. (Not so fun but this is for best for both of us.)
• Been studying a lot lately. (Took a whole lot of modules and it’s going to be a busy Fall.)
• I turned 23 on 13.9. (Scary stuff. I’m like, old and so on…)
• Got information about a apartment where I’m going to move on 1.11. (It’s my first own apartment. I’m excited!)

That’s a general overview of my life and happenings after my last post. A lot of insignificant stuff was left out but that’s always how it goes.

Hey! I almost forgot that I bought a Nintendo DS Lite in the end of August. It’s amazing! I also got if flashed by my dear friend Pasi who had the needed gadgets to do it. Then I bought a 1Gb MicroSD card, USB2 compliant card reader and SuperCard Lite. Now I have a Nintendo DS Lite PDA! It’s nice and cuddly.

Well, that’s it, so long, until the next time…