From 41bd0ad58e44244fe67cb36e066d4bb68738516f Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Christian Cleberg Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2024 01:30:23 -0500 Subject: massive re-write from org-publish to weblorg --- content/blog/2018-11-28-aes-encryption.org | 103 ++ content/blog/2018-11-28-cpp-compiler.org | 128 ++ content/blog/2019-01-07-useful-css.org | 189 +++ content/blog/2019-09-09-audit-analytics.org | 229 ++++ content/blog/2019-12-03-the-ansoff-matrix.org | 117 ++ content/blog/2019-12-16-password-security.org | 121 ++ content/blog/2020-01-25-linux-software.org | 271 +++++ content/blog/2020-01-26-steam-on-ntfs.org | 93 ++ content/blog/2020-02-09-cryptography-basics.org | 171 +++ content/blog/2020-03-25-session-manager.org | 128 ++ content/blog/2020-05-03-homelab.org | 149 +++ content/blog/2020-05-19-customizing-ubuntu.org | 195 +++ content/blog/2020-07-20-video-game-sales.org | 175 +++ content/blog/2020-07-26-business-analysis.org | 380 ++++++ content/blog/2020-08-22-redirect-github-pages.org | 120 ++ 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*Advanced +Encryption Standard*. This specification was established by the National +Institute of Standards and Technology, sub-selected from the Rijndael family of +ciphers (128, 192, and 256 bits) in 2001. Furthering its popularity and status, +the US government chose AES as their default encryption method for top-secret +data, removing the previous standard which had been in place since 1977. + +AES has proven to be an extremely safe encryption method, with 7-round and +8-round attacks making no material improvements since the release of this +encryption standard almost two decades ago. + +#+begin_quote +Though many papers have been published on the cryptanalysis of AES, the fastest +single-key attacks on round-reduced AES variants [20, 33] so far are only +slightly more powerful than those proposed 10 years ago [23,24]. + +- [[http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/projects/cryptanalysis/aesbc.pdf][Bogdonav, et al.]] +#+end_quote + +* How Secure is AES? +In theory, AES-256 is non-crackable due to the massive number of combinations +that can be produced. However, AES-128 is no longer recommended as a viable +implementation to protect important data. + +A semi-short [[http://www.moserware.com/2009/09/stick-figure-guide-to-advanced.html][comic strip]] from Moserware quickly explains AES for the public to +understand. Basically AES encrypts the data by obscuring the relationship +between the data and the encrypted data. Additionally, this method spreads the +message out. Lastly, the key produced by AES is the secret to decrypting it. +Someone may know the method of AES, but without the key, they are powerless. + +To obscure and spread the data out, AES creates a substitution-permutation +network. Wikipedia has a wonderful [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/SubstitutionPermutationNetwork2.png/468px-SubstitutionPermutationNetwork2.png][example of an SP network]] available. This +network sends the data through a set of S boxes (using the unique key) to +substitute the bits with another block of bits. Then, a P box will permutate, or +rearrange, the bits. This is done over and over, with the key being derived from +the last round. For AES, the key size specifies the number of transformation +rounds: 10, 12, and 14 rounds for 128-bit, 192-bit, and 256-bit keys, +respectively. + +* The Process +1. *KeyExpansion=: Using [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Encryption_Standard][Rijndael's key schedule]], the keys are dynamically + generated. +2. *AddRoundKey*: Each byte of the data is combined with this key using bitwise + xor. +3. *SubBytes*: This is followed by the substitution of each byte of data. +4. *ShiftRows*: Then, the final three rows are shifted a certain number of + steps, dictated by the cipher. +5. *MixColumns*: After the rows have been shifted, the columns are mixed and + combined. + +This process does not necessarily stop after one full round. Steps 2 through 5 +will repeat for the number of rounds specified by the key. However, the final +round excludes the MixColumns step. As you can see, this is a fairly complex +process. One must have a solid understanding of general mathematic principles to +fully understand how the sequence works (and to even attempt to find a +weakness). + +According to research done by Bogdanov et al., it would take billions of years +to brute force a 126-bit key with current hardware. Additionally, this brute +force attack would require storing 2^{88} bits of data! However, there are a few +different attacks that have been used to show vulnerabilities with the use of +this technology. Side-channel attacks use inadvertent leaks of data from the +hardware or software, which can allow attackers to obtain the key or run +programs on a user's hardware. + +Please note that this is not something you should run out and try to implement +in your =Hello, World!= app after only a few hours of research. While AES +(basically all encryption methods) is extremely efficient in what it does, it +takes a lot of time and patience to understand. If you're looking for something +which currently implements AES, check out the [[https://www.bouncycastle.org/documentation.html][Legion of the Bouncy Castle]] for +Java implementations of cryptographic algorithms. + +* Why Does Encryption Matter? +There are limitless reasons to enable encryption at-rest or in-transit for +various aspects of your digital life. You can research specific examples, such +as [[https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/12/australia-passes-new-law-to-thwart-strong-encryption/][Australia passes new law to thwart strong encryption]]. However, I will simply +list a few basic reasons to always enable encryption, where feasible: + +1. Privacy is a human right and is recognized as a national right in some + countries (e.g., [[https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/fourth_amendment][US Fourth Amendment]]). +2. "Why not?" Encryption rarely affects performance or speed, so there's usually + not a reason to avoid it in the first place. +3. Your digital identity and activity (texts, emails, phone calls, online + accounts, etc.) are extremely valuable and can result in terrible + consequences, such as identity theft, if leaked to other parties. Encrypting + this data prevents such leaks from ruining lives. +4. Wiping or factory-resetting does not actually wipe all data from the storage + device. There are methods to read data from the physical disks/boards inside + devices. +5. Corporations, governments, and other nefarious groups/individuals are + actively looking for ways to collect personal information about anyone they + can. If someone's data is unencrypted, that person may become a target due to + the ease of data collection. + +​*Read More:* + +- [[http://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/FIPS/NIST.FIPS.197.pdf][Federal Information Processing Standards Publication 197]] diff --git a/content/blog/2018-11-28-cpp-compiler.org b/content/blog/2018-11-28-cpp-compiler.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1e2f802 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2018-11-28-cpp-compiler.org @@ -0,0 +1,128 @@ +#+title: The C++ Compiler +#+date: 2018-11-28 +#+description: Learn basics about the C++ compilation process. +#+filetags: :dev: + +* A Brief Introduction +[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%2B%2B][C++]] is a general-purpose +programming language with object-oriented, generic, and functional +features in addition to facilities for low-level memory manipulation. + +The source code, shown in the snippet below, must be compiled before it +can be executed. There are many steps and intricacies to the compilation +process, and this post was a personal exercise to learn and remember as +much information as I can. + +#+begin_src cpp +#include + +int main() +{ + std::cout << "Hello, world!\n"; +} +#+end_src + +** Compilation Process +*** An Overview +Compiling C++ projects is a frustrating task most days. Seemingly +nonexistent errors keeping your program from successfully compiling can +be annoying (especially since you know you wrote it perfectly the first +time, right?). + +I'm learning more and more about C++ these days and decided to write +this concept down so that I can cement it even further in my own head. +However, C++ is not the only compiled language. Check out +[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compiled_language][the Wikipedia entry +for compiled languages]] for more examples of compiled languages. + +I'll start with a wonderful, graphical way to conceptualize the C++ +compiler. View +[[https://web.archive.org/web/20190419035048/http://faculty.cs.niu.edu/~mcmahon/CS241/Notes/compile.html][The +C++ Compilation Process]] by Kurt MacMahon, an NIU professor, to see the +graphic and an explanation. The goal of the compilation process is to +take the C++ code and produce a shared library, dynamic library, or an +executable file. + +** Compilation Phases +Let's break down the compilation process. There are four major steps to +compiling C++ code. + +*** Step 1 +The first step is to expand the source code file to meet all +dependencies. The C++ preprocessor includes the code from all the header +files, such as =#include =. Now, what does that mean? The +previous example includes the =iostream= header. This tells the computer +that you want to use the =iostream= standard library, which contains +classes and functions written in the core language. This specific header +allows you to manipulate input/output streams. After all this, you'll +end up which a temporary file that contains the expanded source code. + +In the example of the C++ code above, the =iostream= class would be +included in the expanded code. + +*** Step 2 +After the code is expanded, the compiler comes into play. The compiler +takes the C++ code and converts this code into the assembly language, +understood by the platform. You can see this in action if you head over +to the [[https://godbolt.org][GodBolt Compiler Explorer]], which shows +C++ being converted into assembly dynamically. + +For example, the =Hello, world!= code snippet above compiles into the +following assembly code: + +#+begin_src asm +.LC0: + .string "Hello, world!\n" +main: + push rbp + mov rbp, rsp + mov esi, OFFSET FLAT:.LC0 + mov edi, OFFSET FLAT:_ZSt4cout + call std::basic_ostream >& std::operator<< >(std::basic_ostream >&, char const*) + mov eax, 0 + pop rbp + ret +__static_initialization_and_destruction_0(int, int): + push rbp + mov rbp, rsp + sub rsp, 16 + mov DWORD PTR [rbp-4], edi + mov DWORD PTR [rbp-8], esi + cmp DWORD PTR [rbp-4], 1 + jne .L5 + cmp DWORD PTR [rbp-8], 65535 + jne .L5 + mov edi, OFFSET FLAT:_ZStL8__ioinit + call std::ios_base::Init::Init() [complete object constructor] + mov edx, OFFSET FLAT:__dso_handle + mov esi, OFFSET FLAT:_ZStL8__ioinit + mov edi, OFFSET FLAT:_ZNSt8ios_base4InitD1Ev + call __cxa_atexit +.L5: + nop + leave + ret +_GLOBAL__sub_I_main: + push rbp + mov rbp, rsp + mov esi, 65535 + mov edi, 1 + call __static_initialization_and_destruction_0(int, int) + pop rbp + ret +#+end_src + +*** Step 3 +Third, the assembly code generated by the compiler is assembled into the +object code for the platform. Essentially, this is when the compiler +takes the assembly code and assembles it into machine code in a binary +format. After researching this online, I figured out that a lot of +compilers will allow you to stop compilation at this step. This would be +useful for compiling each source code file separately. This saves time +later if a single file changes; only that file needs to be recompiled. + +*** Step 4 +Finally, the object code file generated by the assembler is linked +together with the object code files for any library functions used to +produce a shared library, dynamic library, or an executable file. It +replaces all references to undefined symbols with the correct addresses. diff --git a/content/blog/2019-01-07-useful-css.org b/content/blog/2019-01-07-useful-css.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..fa5edc5 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2019-01-07-useful-css.org @@ -0,0 +1,189 @@ +#+title: Useful CSS Snippets +#+date: 2019-01-07 +#+description: Explore some useful CSS snippets. +#+filetags: :dev: + +* Introduction to CSS +[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSS][CSS]], the language used to markup +HTML code and make it "pretty", is one of the most effective ways to +increase the attractiveness of a website. It can also lead to increased +user engagement, retention, and satisfaction. In fact, there are whole +career fields are dedicated to the improvement of user experiences, +known as UI design and UX design. + +Some web developers are used to the common CSS properties, such as +element sizing, fonts, colors, etc., but are not as well versed in +less-used properties and values such as =flexbox=, =clip-path=, and +=transform=. This article will provide some insight into the less-used +and unique CSS properties. + +* CSS Variables +The first topic today is CSS variables. Variables are not often used by +smaller developers. CSS variables allow you to give your website a +well-defined structure, where you can easily reuse CSS properties +throughout the project. + +You can use variables to define things, such as color palettes. Then, +you can use these colors for backgrounds anywhere else in the HTML. This +could be extended, where extra variables could be defined for +=primary-text=, =quoted-text=, etc. Variables can also be used to define +spacing (e.g. =32px= or =2rem=), which can then be applied to margins, +padding, font sizes, and more. + +For example, here are some variables defined at the root of the website, +which allows for any subsequent CSS rules to use those variables: + +#+begin_src css +:root { + --primary-color: black; + --secondary-color: white; +} + +body { + background-color: var(--primary-color); + color: var(--secondary-color); +} +#+end_src + +* CSS Box Shadows +Box shadows were once my mortal enemy. No matter how hard I tried, I +just couldn't get them to work how I wanted. Because of this, my +favorite discovery has been CSSMatic's +[[https://www.cssmatic.com/box-shadow][box shadow generator]]. It +provides an excellent tool to generate box shadows using their simple +sliders. Surprisingly, this is the reason I learned how box shadows +work! You can use the sliders and watch how the CSS code changes in the +image that is displayed. Through this, you should understand that the +basic structure for box shadows is: + +#+begin_src css +box-shadow: inset horizontal vertical blur spread color; +#+end_src + +Now, let's look at some basic examples! You can copy and paste the +following code into a site like CodePen or your own HTML files. Feel +free to play around with the code, experiment, and learn. + +*Box Shadow #1* + +#+begin_src html +
+
+

Effect 1

+
+
+#+end_src + +#+begin_src css +.box h3 { + text-align: center; + position: relative; + top: 80px; +} +.box { + width: 70%; + height: 200px; + background: #fff; + margin: 40px auto; +} +.effect1 { + box-shadow: 0 10px 6px -6px #777; +} +#+end_src + +*Box Shadow #2* + +#+begin_src html +
+
+

Effect 2

+
+
+#+end_src + +#+begin_src css +.box h3 { + text-align: center; + position: relative; + top: 80px; +} +.box { + width: 70%; + height: 200px; + background: #fff; + margin: 40px auto; +} +.effect2 { + box-shadow: 10px 10px 5px -5px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.75); +} +#+end_src + +Try these box shadows out on your own and see how changing each shadow +value works. + +* CSS Flexbox +Now, let's move on to the best part of this article: flexbox. The +flexbox is by far my favorite new toy. I originally stumbled across this +solution after looking for more efficient ways of centering content +horizontally AND vertically. I had used a few hack-ish methods before, +but flexbox throws those out the window. The best part of it all is that +flexbox is /dead simple/. + +Flexbox pertains to the parent div of any element. You want the parent +to be the flexbox in which items are arranged to use the flex methods. +It's easier to see this in action that explained, so let's see an +example. + +*Flexbox* + +#+begin_src html +
+
+

1

+
+
+

2

+
+
+#+end_src + +#+begin_src css +.flex-examples { + display: flex; + flex-wrap: wrap; + justify-content: flex-start; + align-items: center; + padding: 10px; + background-color: #f2f2f2; +} +.sm-box { + display: flex; + justify-content: center; + align-items: center; + width: 20%; + height: 100px; + background: #fff; + margin: 40px 10px; +} +#+end_src + +You may notice that we no longer need to use the =top= property for the +=h3= elements in our code. This is because we set the display box to be +a flex container for the small boxes, AND we made the small boxes flex +containers for their elements (the h3 tags). Flex boxes can be nested +like this to center content that is inside centered content. + +For the example above, we designated the =justify-content= property to +be =flex-start= so that the boxes stack from the left side of the +screen. This property can be changed to =center= to make the boxes +appear in the center of the screen. + +For an interactive example, +[[https://codepen.io/LandonSchropp/pen/KpzzGo][check out this CodePen]] +from [[https://codepen.io/LandonSchropp/][LandonScropp]]. Resize the +window with dice to see how they collapse and re-align. + +* Even More CSS +For more inspiration, you can visit [[https://www.codepen.io][CodePen]], +[[https://dribbble.com][Dribbble]], or [[https://uimovement.com][UI +Movement]] to browse the collections of many amazing web designers. diff --git a/content/blog/2019-09-09-audit-analytics.org b/content/blog/2019-09-09-audit-analytics.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..77b3082 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2019-09-09-audit-analytics.org @@ -0,0 +1,229 @@ +#+title: Data Analysis in Auditing +#+date: 2019-09-09 +#+description: Learn how to use data analysis in the world of auditing. +#+filetags: :audit: + +* What Are Data Analytics? +A quick aside before I dive into this post: =data analytics= is a vague +term that has become popular in recent years. Think of a =data analytic= +as the output of any data analysis you perform. For example, a pivot +table or a pie chart could be a data analytic. + +[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_analysis][Data analysis]] is a +process that utilizes statistics and other mathematical methods to +discover useful information within datasets. This involves examining, +cleaning, transforming, and modeling data so that you can use the data +to support an opinion, create more useful viewpoints, and gain knowledge +to implement into audit planning or risk assessments. + +One of the common mistakes that managers (and anyone new to the process) +make is assuming that everything involved with this process is "data +analytics". In fact, data analytics are only a small part of the +process. + +See *Figure 1** for a more accurate representation of where data analysis +sits within the full process. This means that data analysis does not +include querying or extracting data, selecting samples, or performing +audit tests. These steps can be necessary for an audit (and may even be +performed by the same associates), but they are not data analytics. + +#+caption: The Intelligence Cycle +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20190909-data-analysis-in-auditing/intelligence_cycle-min.png]] + +* Current Use of Analytics in Auditing +While data analysis has been an integral part of most businesses and +departments for the better part of the last century, only recently have +internal audit functions been adopting this practice. The internal audit +function works exclusively to provide assurance and consulting services +to the business areas within the firm (except for internal auditing +firms who are hired by different companies to perform their roles). + +#+begin_quote +Internal Auditing helps an organization accomplish its objectives by +bringing a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the +effectiveness of risk management, control and governance processes. + +- The IIA's Definition of Internal Audit + +#+end_quote + +Part of the blame for the slow adoption of data analysis can be +attributed to the fact that internal auditing is strongly based on +tradition and following the precedents set by previous auditors. +However, there can be no progress without auditors who are willing to +break the mold and test new audit techniques. In fact, as of 2018, +[[https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/accounting-audit/news/12404086/internal-audit-groups-are-lagging-in-data-analytics][only +63% of internal audit departments currently utilize data analytics]] in +North America. This number should be as close as possible to 100%. I +have never been part of an audit that would not have benefited from data +analytics. + +So, how do internal audit functions remedy this situation? It's +definitely not as easy as walking into work on Monday and telling your +Chief Audit Executive that you're going to start implementing analytics +in the next audit. You need a plan and a system to make the analysis +process as effective as possible. + +* The DELTA Model +One of the easiest ways to experiment with data analytics and gain an +understanding of the processes is to implement them within your own +department. But how do we do this if we've never worked with analysis +before? One of the most common places to start is to research some data +analysis models currently available. For this post, we'll take a look at +the DELTA model. You can take a look at ****Figure 2***** for a quick +overview of the model. + +The DELTA model sets a few guidelines for areas wanting to implement +data analytics so that the results can be as comprehensive as possible: + +- *Data*: Must be clean, accessible, and (usually) unique. +- *Enterprise-Wide Focus*: Key data systems and analytical resources + must be available for use (by the Internal Audit Function). +- *Leaders*: Must promote a data analytics approach and show the value + of analytical results. +- *Targets*: Must be set for key areas and risks that the analytics can + be compared against (KPIs). +- *Analysts*: There must be auditors willing and able to perform data + analytics or else the system cannot be sustained. + +#+caption: The Delta Model +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20190909-data-analysis-in-auditing/delta-min.png]] + +* Finding the Proper KPIs +Once the Internal Audit Function has decided that they want to start +using data analytics internally and have ensured they're properly set up +to do so, they need to figure out what they will be testing against. Key +Performance Indicators (KPIs) are qualitative or quantitative factors +that can be evaluated and assessed to determine if the department is +performing well, usually compared to historical or industry benchmarks. +Once KPIs have been agreed upon and set, auditors can use data analytics +to assess and report on these KPIs. This allows the person performing +the analytics the freedom to express opinions on the results, whereas +the results are ambiguous if no KPIs exist. + +It should be noted that tracking KPIs in the department can help ensure +you have a rigorous Quality Assurance and Improvement Program (QAIP) in +accordance with some applicable standards, such as IPPF Standard 1300. + +#+begin_quote +The chief audit executive must develop and maintain a quality assurance +and improvement program that covers all aspects of the internal audit +activity. + +- IPPF Standard 1300 + +#+end_quote + +Additionally, IPPF Standard 2060 discusses reporting: + +#+begin_quote +The chief audit executive must report periodically to senior management +and the board on the internal audit activity's purpose, authority, +responsibility, and performance relative to its plan and on its +conformance with the Code of Ethics and the Standards. Reporting must +also include significant risk and control issues, including fraud risks, +governance issues, and other matters that require the attention of +senior management and/or the board. + +- IPPF Standard 2060 + +#+end_quote + +The hardest part of finding KPIs is to determine which KPIs are +appropriate for your department. Since every department is different and +has different goals, KPIs will vary drastically between companies. To +give you an idea of where to look, here are some ideas I came up with +when discussing the topic with a few colleagues. + +- Efficiency/Budgeting: + - Audit hours to staff utilization ratio (annual hours divided by + total annual work hours). + - Audit hours compared to the number of audits completed. + - Time between audit steps or to complete the whole audit. E.g., time + from fieldwork completion to audit report issuance. +- Reputation: + - The frequency that management has requested the services of the IAF. + - Management, audit committee, or external audit satisfaction survey + results. + - Education, experience, certifications, tenure, and training of the + auditors on staff. +- Quality: + - Number and frequency of audit findings. Assign monetary or numerical + values, if possible. + - Percentage of recommendations issued and implemented. +- Planning: + - Percentage or number of key risks audited per year or per audit. + - Proportion of audit universe audited per year. + +* Data Analysis Tools +Finally, to be able to analyze and report on the data analysis, auditors +need to evaluate the tools at their disposal. There are many options +available, but a few of the most common ones can easily get the job +done. For example, almost every auditor already has access to Microsoft +Excel. Excel is more powerful than most people give it credit for and +can accomplish a lot of basic statistics without much work. If you don't +know a lot about statistics but still want to see some of the more basic +results, Excel is a great option. + +To perform more in-depth statistical analysis or to explore large +datasets that Excel cannot handle, auditors will need to explore other +options. The big three that have had a lot of success in recent years +are Python, R, and ACL. ACL can be used as either a graphical tool +(point and click) or as a scripting tool, where the auditor must write +the scripts manually. Python and the R-language are solely scripting +languages. + +The general trend in the data analytics environment is that if the tool +allows you to do everything by clicking buttons or dragging elements, +you won't be able to fully utilize the analytics you need. The most +robust solutions are created by those who understand how to write the +scripts manually. It should be noted that as the utility of a tool +increases, it usually means that the learning curve for that tool will +also be higher. It will take auditors longer to learn how to utilize +Python, R, or ACL versus learning how to utilize Excel. + +* Visualization +Once an auditor has finally found the right data, KPIs, and tools, they +must report these results so that actions can be taken. Performing +in-depth data analysis is only useful if the results are understood by +the audiences of the data. The best way to create this understanding is +to visualize the results of the data. Let's take a look at some of the +best options to visualize and report the results you've found. + +Some of the most popular commercial tools for visualization are +Microsoft PowerBI and Tableau Desktop. However, other tools exist such +as JMP, Plotly, Qlikview, Alteryx, or D3. Some require commercial +licenses while others are simply free to use. For corporate data, you +may want to make sure that the tool does not communicate any of the data +outside the company (such as cloud storage). I won't be going into depth +on any of these tools since visualization is largely a subjective and +creative experience, but remember to constantly explore new options as +you repeat the process. + +Lastly, let's take a look at an example of data visualization. This +example comes from a +[[https://talent.works/2018/03/28/the-science-of-the-job-search-part-iii-61-of-entry-level-jobs-require-3-years-of-experience/][blog +post written by Kushal Chakrabarti]] in 2018 about the percent of +entry-level US jobs that require experience. *Figure 3** shows us an +easy-to-digest picture of the data. We can quickly tell that only about +12.5% of entry-level jobs don't require experience. + +This is the kind of result that easily describes the data for you. +However, make sure to include an explanation of what the results mean. +Don't let the reader assume what the data means, especially if it +relates to a complex subject. /Tell a story/ about the data and why the +results matter. For example, *Figure 4** shows a part of the explanation +the author gives to illustrate his point. + +#+caption: Entry-Level Visualization +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20190909-data-analysis-in-auditing/vis_example-min.png]] + +#+caption: Visualization Explanation +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20190909-data-analysis-in-auditing/vis_example_explanation-min.png]] + +* Wrap-Up +While this is not an all-encompassing program that you can just adopt +into your department, it should be enough to get anyone started on the +process of understanding and implementing data analytics. Always +remember to continue learning and exploring new options as your +processes grow and evolve. diff --git a/content/blog/2019-12-03-the-ansoff-matrix.org b/content/blog/2019-12-03-the-ansoff-matrix.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c845b2e --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2019-12-03-the-ansoff-matrix.org @@ -0,0 +1,117 @@ +#+title: The Ansoff Matrix +#+date: 2019-12-03 +#+description: Learn about the Ansoff Matrix, a strategic management tool. +#+filetags: :business: + +* Overview +As the world of business evolves, managers must approach business +planning and strategy with a contemporary mindset. According to Dess, +McNamara, Eisner, and Lee, managers must be willing to adapt to the +modern business environment by going beyond "'incremental management', +whereby they view their job as making a series of small, minor changes +to improve the efficiency of the firm's operations"(2019). + +One reason that strategic management is crucial is because most +businesses that fail in the United States each year fail due to a lack +of strategic focus or direction(2019). The rate of failure for +businesses with poor strategies shows that strategic planning and +management are crucial to a business's strength and longevity, injecting +the critical factors of growth and direction into a company's business +plan. + +One of the most significant strategic planning and management frameworks +that companies can use is the +[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansoff_matrix][Ansoff Matrix]]. While +this framework has unique purposes and use-cases, it can effectively +help an organization grow and compete. Specifically, the Ansoff matrix +is one of the most effective frameworks for companies who want to focus +on increasing sales revenue or profitability(2019). + +This framework uses a two-by-two figure to show the four strategic +options for companies to use in this framework: market penetration, +market development, product development, and diversification (see +*Figure 1*). The x-axis of the matrix focuses on the firm's markets and +also determines if the firm is looking to enter new markets or innovate +in its current markets. The y-axis of the matrix focuses on the firm's +products and determines if the firm wants to pursue strategies around +their existing products or explore new products. + +#+caption: The Ansoff Matrix by JaisonAbeySabu, Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20191203-the-ansoff-matrix/ansoff_matrix-min.png]] + +* Strategic Options +** Market Penetration +The most straightforward strategy in the Ansoff matrix is to focus on +existing products in existing markets, also known as market +penetration(2019). Companies such as Coca-Cola have used market +penetration successfully by investing a lot of money to get further +value out of their current markets. Coca-Cola does this by introducing +new features such as Christmas-themed bottles, personal names on the +bottles, and other marketing schemes. + +** Market Development +Market development extends existing products into new markets in an +attempt to increase the number of buyers. One interesting way that +Coca-Cola used this strategy comes from the stigma that Diet Coke is a +woman's drink(2019). Coca-Cola introduced Coca-Cola Zero, which +contained the same nutritional content as Diet Coke, but was packaged in +a dark black can to appear more "manly"(2019). + +** Product Development +Product development uses existing markets to introduce new products so +that the firm can better meet customer needs(2019). The extreme end of +diversification is home to companies such as Johnson & Johnson, a +healthcare company that has developed a business portfolio of more than +60,000 different products(2019). Johnson & Johnson's dedication to +continuous diversification has led them to a balance sheet rating of +"AAA", industry recognition for diversification, and increases in their +investor dividends for 57 consecutive years(2019). + +** Related Diversification +Diversification, the final strategy of the Ansoff Matrix, is more +difficult than the others since it involves exploring both new markets +and new products. Related diversification is a diversification strategy +that closely relates to the firm's core business. Coca-Cola's best +example of related diversification is its acquisition of Glaceau and +Vitamin Water, which expanded their drinking lines of business(2019). + +** Unrelated Diversification +Unrelated diversification is a diversification strategy that does not +really relate to the firm's core business but still diversifies their +business portfolio. A good example of this would be a coffee company who +has decided to enter the market for bicycle sales. The main purpose of +this strategy is to an extremely diverse company that will not go +bankrupt if one market goes through difficult times. However, this +requires a lot of independent skills and heavy investments since the +company most likely cannot easily transfer knowledge between the markets +they compete in. + +* Requirements for Success +To use the Ansoff Matrix framework, managers need to formulate corporate +goals and objectives. Without goals and direction, management frameworks +do not present much practical utility. Further, the Ansoff Matrix +requires the managers involved to make tactical decisions and create a +path for the company to take toward their goals. Lastly, both the Ansoff +Matrix needs to consider both internal and external perspectives +throughout the strategy formulation process. + +One interesting probability is that companies will be using multiple +strategic planning and management frameworks at the same time. While +this may sound like it could crowd the management process, there are +numerous reasons to do so. For example, the Ansoff Matrix and the +Balanced Scorecard are relatively popular, and they cover entirely +different parts of a company's strategy. Using the results from the +Balanced Scorecard could inform a company of the potential product and +market demands, such as from customer or supplier survey results, to +help the company determine which Ansoff Matrix strategy to pursue. +However, a combined approach at this level would require mature +frameworks and focused managers who are able to strategize at a high +level. + +Lastly, it should be noted that the author of the Ansoff matrix, Igor +Ansoff, often used the term +[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analysis_paralysis][paralysis by +analysis]] to explain the mistake of companies who overuse analysis and +spend too much time planning. Companies need to understand the utility +of a strategic management framework while ensuring that the company is +poised to execute as efficiently as they have planned. diff --git a/content/blog/2019-12-16-password-security.org b/content/blog/2019-12-16-password-security.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0ebbb84 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2019-12-16-password-security.org @@ -0,0 +1,121 @@ +#+title: Password Security +#+date: 2019-12-16 +#+description: Password security basics. +#+filetags: :security: + +* Users +** Why Does It Matter? +Information security, including passwords and identities, has become one +of the most important digital highlights of the last decade. With +[[https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/12/28/data-breaches-2018-billions-hit-growing-number-cyberattacks/2413411002/][billions +of people affected by data breaches each year]], there's a greater need +to introduce strong information security systems. If you think you've +been part of a breach, or you want to check and see, you can use +[[https://haveibeenpwned.com/][Have I Been Pwned]] to see if your email +has been involved in any public breaches. Remember that there's a +possibility that a company experienced a breach and did not report it to +anyone. + +** How Do I Protect Myself? +The first place to start with any personal security check-up is to +gather a list of all the different websites, apps, or programs that +require you to have login credentials. Optionally, once you know where +your information is being stored, you can sort the list from the +most-important items such as banks or government logins to less +important items such as your favorite meme site. You will want to ensure +that your critical logins are secure before getting to the others. + +Once you think you have a good idea of all your different authentication +methods, I recommend using a password manager such as +[[https://bitwarden.com/][Bitwarden]]. Using a password manager allows +you to automatically save your logins, create randomized passwords, and +transfer passwords across devices. However, you'll need to memorize your +"vault password" that allows you to open the password manager. It's +important to make this something hard to guess since it would allow +anyone who has it to access every password you've stored in there. + +Personally, I recommend using a +[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passphrase][passphrase]] instead of a +[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Password][password]] for your vault +password. Instead of using a string of characters (whether random or +simple), use a phrase and add in symbols and a number. For example, your +vault password could be =Racing-Alphabet-Gourd-Parrot3=. Swap the +symbols out for whichever symbol you want, move the number around, and +fine-tune the passphrase until you are confident that you can remember +it whenever necessary. + +Once you've stored your passwords, make sure you continually check up on +your account and make sure you aren't following bad password practices. +Krebs on Security has a great +[[https://krebsonsecurity.com/password-dos-and-donts/][blog post on +password recommendations]]. Any time that a data breach happens, make +sure you check to see if you were included, and if you need to reset any +account passwords. + +* Developers +** What Are the Basic Requirements? +When developing any password-protected application, there are a few +basic rules that anyone should follow even if they do not follow any +official guidelines such as NIST. The foremost practice is to require +users to use passwords that are at least 8 characters and cannot easily +be guessed. This sounds extremely simple, but it requires quite a few +different strategies. First, the application should check the potential +passwords against a dictionary of insecure passwords such =password=, +=1234abc=, or =application_name=. + +Next, the application should offer guidance on the strength of passwords +being entered during enrollment. Further, NIST officially recommends +*not** implementing any composition rules that make passwords hard to +remember (e.g. passwords with letters, numbers, and special characters) +and instead encouraging the use of long pass phrases which can include +spaces. It should be noted that to be able to keep spaces within +passwords, all unicode characters should be supported, and passwords +should not be truncated. + +** What Does NIST Recommend? +The National Institute of Standards and Technology +([[https://www.nist.gov][NIST]]) in the US Department of Commerce +regularly publishes information around information security and digital +identity guidelines. Recently, NIST published +[[https://pages.nist.gov/800-63-3/sp800-63b.html][Special Publication +800-63b]]: Digital Identity Guidelines and Authentication and Lifecycle +Management. + +#+begin_quote +A Memorized Secret authenticator - commonly referred to as a password +or, if numeric, a PIN - is a secret value intended to be chosen and +memorized by the user. Memorized secrets need to be of sufficient +complexity and secrecy that it would be impractical for an attacker to +guess or otherwise discover the correct secret value. A memorized secret +is something you know. + +- NIST Special Publication 800-63B +#+end_quote + +NIST offers a lot of guidance on passwords, but I'm going to highlight +just a few of the important factors: + +- Require passwords to be a minimum of 8 characters (6 characters if + randomly generated and be generated using an approved random bit + generator). +- Compare potential passwords against a list that contains values known + to be commonly-used, expected, or compromised. +- Offer guidance on password strength, such as a strength meter. +- Implement a rate-limiting mechanism to limit the number of failed + authentication attempts for each user account. +- Do not require composition rules for passwords and do not require + passwords to be changed periodically (unless compromised). +- Allow pasting of user identification and passwords to facilitate the + use of password managers. +- Allow users to view the password as it is being entered. +- Use secure forms of communication and storage, including salting and + hashing passwords using a one-way key derivation function. + +NIST offers further guidance on other devices that require specific +security policies, querying for passwords, and more. All the information +discussed so far comes from +[[https://pages.nist.gov/800-63-3/sp800-63b.html][NIST SP800-63b]] but +NIST offers a lot of information on digital identities, enrollment, +identity proofing, authentication, lifecycle management, federation, and +assertions in the total [[https://pages.nist.gov/800-63-3/][NIST +SP800-63 Digital Identity Guidelines]]. diff --git a/content/blog/2020-01-25-linux-software.org b/content/blog/2020-01-25-linux-software.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8397483 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2020-01-25-linux-software.org @@ -0,0 +1,271 @@ +#+title: Linux Software +#+date: 2020-01-25 +#+description: A look at some useful Linux applications. +#+filetags: :linux: + +* GUI Applications +** Etcher +#+caption: Etcher Screenshot +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200125-the-best-linux-software/etcher.png]] + +[[https://www.balena.io/etcher/][Etcher]] is a quick and easy way to +burn ISO images to CDs and USB devices. There are two different ways you +can install this program. First, you can navigate to the +[[https://www.balena.io/etcher/][official website]] and download the +AppImage file, which can run without installation. + +However, AppImage files are not executable by default, so you'll either +need to right-click to open the properties of the file and click the +"Allow executing file as program" box in the Permissions tab or use the +following command: + +#+begin_src sh +chmod u+x FILE_NAME +#+end_src + +If you don't like AppImage files or just prefer repositories, you can +use the following commands to add the author's repository and install it +through the command-line only. + +First, you'll have to echo the repo and write it to a list file: + +#+begin_src sh +echo "deb https://deb.etcher.io stable etcher" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/balena-etcher.list +#+end_src + +Next, add the application keys to Ubuntu's keyring: + +#+begin_src sh +sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 379CE192D401AB61 +#+end_src + +Finally, update the repositories and install the app. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo apt update && sudo apt install balena-etcher-electron +#+end_src + +Using Arch, Manjaro, or another distro using the AUR? Use this command +instead: + +#+begin_src sh +sudo pacman -S etcher +#+end_src + +** Atom +#+caption: Atom Screenshot +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200125-the-best-linux-software/atom.png]] + +[[https://atom.io][Atom]] is the self-proclaimed "hackable text editor +for the 21st century". This text editor is made by GitHub, +[[https://news.microsoft.com/2018/06/04/microsoft-to-acquire-github-for-7-5-billion/][now +owned by Microsoft]], and has some of the best add-ons available to +customize the layout and abilities of the app. + +First, add the Atom repository to your sources. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/atom +#+end_src + +Next, update your package listings and install atom. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo apt update && sudo apt install atom +#+end_src + +If you have issues updating your packages with the Atom repository, +you'll need to use the snap package described below instead of the +repository. To remove the repository we just added, use this command: + +#+begin_src sh +sudo add-apt-repository -r ppa:webupd8team/atom +#+end_src + +You can also install Atom as a snap package, but it must be installed +with the =--classic= flag. A +[[https://language-bash.com/blog/how-to-snap-introducing-classic-confinement][full +explanation is available]] if you'd like to read more about why you need +the classic flag. + +#+begin_src sh +snap install atom --classic +#+end_src + +Using Arch, Manjaro, or another distro using the AUR? Use this command +instead: + +#+begin_src sh +sudo pacman -S atom +#+end_src + +** Visual Studio Code +#+caption: Visual Studio Code Code +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200125-the-best-linux-software/vscode.png]] + +[[https://code.visualstudio.com][Visual Studio Code]] is yet another +fantastic choice for programming on Linux, especially if you need those +extra add-ons to spice up your late-night coding sessions. The theme +used in the screenshot is +[[https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=EliverLara.mars][Mars]] +by theme creator [[https://github.com/EliverLara][Eliver Lara]], who +makes a ton of great themes for VS Code, Atom, and various Linux desktop +environments. + +To install VS Code, you'll need to download the =.deb= file from the +official website. Once you've downloaded the file, either double-click +it to install through the Software Center or run the following command: + +#+begin_src sh +sudo dpkg -i FILE_NAME.deb +#+end_src + +You can also install VS Code as a snap package, but it must be installed +with the =--classic= flag. A +[[https://language-bash.com/blog/how-to-snap-introducing-classic-confinement][full +explanation is available]] if you'd like to read more about why you need +the classic flag. + +#+begin_src sh +snap install code --classic +#+end_src + +Using Arch, Manjaro, or another distro using the AUR? Use these commands +instead: + +#+begin_src sh +sudo pacman -S yay binutils make gcc pkg-config fakeroot yay -S visual-studio-code-bin +#+end_src + +** GNOME Tweaks +#+caption: Gnome Tweaks Screenshot +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200125-the-best-linux-software/gnome-tweaks.png]] + +[[https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-tweaks][Gnome Tweaks]] is the +ultimate tool to use if you want to customize your GNOME desktop +environment. This is how you can switch application themes (GTK), shell +themes, icons, fonts, and more. To install GNOME Tweaks on Ubuntu, you +just need to install the official package. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo apt install gnome-tweaks +#+end_src + +If you've installed Manjaro or Arch with Gnome, you should have the +tweak tool pre-installed. If you're on Fedora, this tool is available as +an official package: + +#+begin_src sh +sudo dnf install gnome-tweaks +#+end_src + +** Steam +#+caption: Steam Screenshot +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200125-the-best-linux-software/steam.png]] + +[[https://steampowered.com][Steam]] is one of the most popular gaming +libraries for computers and is one of the main reasons that many people +have been able to switch to Linux in recent years, thanks to Steam +Proton, which makes it easier to play games not officially created for +Linux platforms. + +To install Steam on Ubuntu, you just need to install the official +package. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo apt install steam-installer +#+end_src + +For Arch-based systems, you'll simply need to install the =steam= +package. However, this requires that you enable the =multilib= source. +To do so, use the following command: + +#+begin_src sh +sudo nano /etc/pacman.conf +#+end_src + +Now, scroll down and uncomment the =multilib= section. + +#+begin_src config +# Before: +#[multilib] +#Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist + +# After: +[multilib] +Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist +#+end_src + +Finally, install the program: + +#+begin_src sh +sudo pacman -S steam +#+end_src + +[[./2020-01-26-steam-on-ntfs-drives.html][Problem Launching Steam Games? +Click Here.]] + +* Command-Line Packages +** neofetch +#+caption: Neofetch Screenshot +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200125-the-best-linux-software/neofetch.png]] + +[[https://github.com/dylanaraps/neofetch][Neofetch]] is a customizable +tool used in the command-line to show system information. This is +exceptionally useful if you want to see your system's information +quickly without the clutter of some resource-heavy GUI apps. + +This is an official package if you're running Ubuntu 17.04 or later, so +simply use the following command: + +#+begin_src sh +sudo apt install neofetch +#+end_src + +If you're running Ubuntu 16.10 or earlier, you'll have to use a series +of commands: + +#+begin_src sh +sudo add-apt-repository ppa:dawidd0811/neofetch; sudo apt update; sudo apt install neofetch +#+end_src + +Using Arch, Manjaro, or another distro using the AUR? Use this command +instead: + +#+begin_src sh +sudo pacman -S neofetch +#+end_src + +** yt-dlp +#+caption: yt-dlp Screenshot +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200125-the-best-linux-software/yt-dlp.png]] + +[[https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp][yt-dlp]] is an extremely handy +command-line tool that allows you to download video or audio files from +various websites, such as YouTube. There are a ton of different options +when running this package, so be sure to run =yt-dlp --help= first to +look through everything you can do (or give up and search for the best +config online). + +While this shouldn't be a problem for most users, yt-dlp requires Python +2.6, 2.7, or 3.2+ to work correctly, so install Python if you don't have +it already. You can check to see if you have Python installed by +running: + +#+begin_src sh +python -V +#+end_src + +To get the youtube-dl package, simply curl the URL and output the +results. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo curl -L https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/latest/download/yt-dlp -o /usr/local/bin/yt-dlp +#+end_src + +Finally, make the file executable so that it can be run from the +command-line. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo chmod a+rx /usr/local/bin/yt-dlp +#+end_src diff --git a/content/blog/2020-01-26-steam-on-ntfs.org b/content/blog/2020-01-26-steam-on-ntfs.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f453ab9 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2020-01-26-steam-on-ntfs.org @@ -0,0 +1,93 @@ +#+title: Linux Gaming Tweak: Steam on NTFS Drives +#+date: 2020-01-26 +#+description: Learn how to fix Steam NTFS issues on Linux. +#+filetags: :gaming:linux: + +* Auto-Mount Steam Drives +#+caption: Steam Screenshot +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200125-the-best-linux-software/steam.png]] + +If you want to see how to install Steam on Linux, see my other post: +[[../linux-software/][Linux Software]]. + +Are you having trouble launching games, even though they've installed +correctly? This may happen if you're storing your games on an +NTFS-formatted drive. This shouldn't be an issue if you're storing your +games on the same drive that Steam is on, but some gamers prefer to put +Steam on their main drive and game files on another SSD or HDD. + +To fix this problem, you'll need to try a few things. First, you'll need +to install the =ntfs-3g= package, which is meant for better +interoperability with Linux. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo apt install ntfs-3g +#+end_src + +Next, you should set up the =/etc/fstab= file to automatically mount +your drives on boot. To automatically mount your drives when the +computer boots up, you'll have to create the folders you want to mount +your drive to first. I store mine in the =/mnt= folder using names that +I'll recognize, but you can create your folders wherever you want. + +#+begin_src sh +mkdir /path/to/folder +#+end_src + +For example: + +#+begin_src sh +mkdir /mnt/steam_library +#+end_src + +To automatically mount drives upon system boot, you will need to collect +a few items. The UUID is the identification number connected to +whichever drive you're using to store Steam games. + +Drives are usually labeled similar to =/dev/nvme0n1p1= or =/dev/sda1=, +so you'll need to find the line in the output of the command below that +correlates to your drive and copy the UUID over to the =/etc/fstab= +file. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo blkid | grep UUID= +#+end_src + +Next, you'll need your =uid= and =gid=. To find these, run the following +command: + +#+begin_src sh +id -u && id -g +#+end_src + +Now that you have collected the necessary information, open the +=/etc/fstab= file: + +#+begin_src sh +sudo nano /etc/fstab +#+end_src + +Each drive you want to mount on boot should have its own line in the +=/etc/fstab= file that looks similar to this: + +#+begin_src config +UUID=B64E53824E5339F7 /mnt/steam_library ntfs-3g uid=1000,gid=1000 0 0 +#+end_src + +Now all you need to do is unmount your drive and re-mount it. You can +unmount the drive by doing this (be sure to use the correct drive name +here): + +#+begin_src sh +sudo umount /dev/sdxX +#+end_src + +You can re-mount all your drives by executing the following: + +#+begin_src sh +sudo mount -a +#+end_src + +If you don't know what your drive name is, or you're nervous about +unmounting and re-mounting, simply reboot your computer, and it will be +done for you automatically. diff --git a/content/blog/2020-02-09-cryptography-basics.org b/content/blog/2020-02-09-cryptography-basics.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..366239a --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2020-02-09-cryptography-basics.org @@ -0,0 +1,171 @@ +#+title: Cryptography Basics +#+date: 2020-02-09 +#+description: Learn about the basics of cryptography. +#+filetags: :security: + +* Similar Article Available +If you haven't already, feel free to read my post on +[[../aes-encryption/][AES Encryption]]. + +* What is Cryptography? +In layman's terms, cryptography is a process that can change data from a +readable format into an unreadable format (and vice-versa) through a +series of processes and secrets. More technically, this is the Internet +Security Glossary's definition: + +#+begin_quote +[Cryptography is] the mathematical science that deals with transforming +data to render its meaning unintelligible (i.e., to hide its semantic +content), prevent its undetected alteration, or prevent its unauthorized +use. If the transformation is reversible, cryptography also deals with +restoring encrypted data to an intelligible form. + +- [[https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2828][Internet Security Glossary + (2000)]] + +#+end_quote + +Cryptography cannot offer protection against the loss of data; it simply +offers encryption methods to protect data at-rest and data in-traffic. +At a high-level, encrypted is when plaintext data is encrypted to +ciphertext (a secure form of text that cannot be understood unless +decrypted back to plaintext). The encryption process is completed +through the use of a mathematical function that utilizes one or more +values called keys to encrypt or decrypt the data. + +* Key Elements of Cryptographic Systems +To create or evaluate a cryptographic system, you need to know the +essential pieces to the system: + +- *Encryption Algorithm (Primitive):** A mathematical process that + encrypts and decrypts data. +- *Encryption Key:** A string of bits used within the encryption + algorithm as the secret that allows successful encryption or + decryption of data. +- *Key Length (Size):** The maximum number of bits within the encryption + key. It's important to remember that key size is regulated in many + countries. +- *Message Digest:** A smaller, fixed-size bit string version of the + original message. This is practically infeasible to reverse, which is + why it's commonly used to verify integrity. + +* Symmetric Systems (Secret Key Cryptography) +Symmetric cryptography utilizes a secret, bidirectional key to perform +both encryption and decryption of the data. The most common +implementation of symmetric cryptography is the Advanced Encryption +Standard, which uses keys that are 128 bits to 256 bits in size. This +standard came after the National Institute of Standards and Technology +(NIST) decided to retire the Data Encryption Standard (DES) in 2001. + +Since brute force attacks strongly correlate with key length, the 56-bit +key length of DES was considered insecure after it was publicly broken +in under 24 hours. However, there is a modern implementation of DES +called Triple DES where the DES method is applied three times to each +data block. + +The main advantages to symmetric systems are the ease of use, since only +one key is required for both encryption and decryption, and the +simplicity of the algorithms. This helps with bulk data encryption that +may unnecessarily waste time and power using asymmetric systems. + +However, symmetric systems have disadvantages to keep in mind. Since the +key is private, it can be difficult to safely distribute keys to +communication partners. Additionally, the key cannot be used to sign +messages since it's necessary to keep the key private. + +* Asymmetric Systems (Public Key Cryptography) +Asymmetric cryptography utilizes two keys within the system: a secret +key that is privately-held and a public key that can be distributed +freely. The interesting aspect of asymmetric cryptography is that either +key can be used to encrypt the data, there's no rule that dictates which +key must be used for encryption. Once one key is used to encrypt the +data, only the other key can be used to decrypt the data. This means +that if the private key encrypts the data, only the public key can +decrypt the data. + +An advantage of this system is that if you successfully decrypt data +using one of the keys, you can be sure of the sender since only the +other key could have encrypted the data. + +One of the major implementations of an asymmetric system is a digital +signature. A digital signature can be generated using the sender's +private key, or a one-way hash function and is used to provide assurance +for the integrity and authenticity of the message. A couple common +message digest algorithms are SHA-256 and SHA-512, which securely +compress data and produce a 128-bit message digest. + +It should be noted that man-in-the-middle attacks are one of the risks +with digital signatures and public keys. To combat this, applications +often use a public key infrastructure (PKI) to independently +authenticate the validity of signatures and keys. + +Due to the large key size and +[[https://crypto.stackexchange.com/a/591][inefficient mathematical +functions]] of asymmetric encryption, elliptical curve cryptography +(ECC) is often used to increase security while using fewer resources. + +* Applications of Cryptographic Systems +There are quite a few implementations of cryptographic systems around +the world. Here are a few popular examples: + +*Transport Layer Security (TLS):** One of the most famous cryptographic +solutions created is TLS, a session-layered or connection-layered +internet protocol that allows for secure communications between browsers +and servers. Using handshakes, peer negotiation, and authentication +allows TLS to prevent eavesdropping and malicious transformation of +data. The major reason for TLS popularity is that a major vulnerability +was found in the SSL protocol in 2014. Instead of SSL, TLS can be used +with HTTP to form HTTPS and is the preferred method for modern web +development due to its increased security. + +*Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTPS):** An application layer +protocol that allows for secure transport of data between servers and +web clients. One of the unique parts of HTTPS is that it uses a secured +port number instead of the default web port address. + +*Virtual Private Network (VPN):** VPNs are made to securely extend a +private network across public networks by utilizing an encrypted layered +tunneling protocol paired with an authentication method, such as +usernames and passwords. This technology originally allowed remote +employees to access their company's data but have evolved into one of +the top choices for anyone who wishes to mask their sensitive personal +data. + +*Internet Protocol Security (IPSec):** This protocol suite facilitates +communication between two or more hosts or subnets by authenticating and +encrypting the data packets. IPSec is used in a lot of VPNs to establish +the VPN connection through the transport and tunnel mode encryption +methods. IPSec encrypts just the data portion of packets in the +transport methods, but it encrypts both the data and headers in the +tunnel method (introducing an additional header for authentication). + +*Secure Shell (SSH):** SSH is another network protocol used to protect +network services by authenticating users through a secure channel. This +protocol is often used for command-line (shell) functions such as remote +shell commands, logins, and file transfers. + +*Kerberos:** Developed by MIT, Kerberos is a computer-network +authentication protocol that works on the basis of tickets to allow +nodes communicating over a non-secure network to prove their identity to +one another securely. This is most commonly used in business +environments when used as the authentication and encryption method for +Windows Active Directory (AD). + +* Cybersecurity Controls +If you're someone who needs solutions on how to control risks associated +with utilizing a crytograhpic system, start with a few basic controls: + +- *Policies:** A policy on the use of cryptographic controls for + protection of information is implemented and is in accordance with + organizational objectives. +- *Key management:** A policy on the use, protection and lifetime of + cryptographic keys is implemented through the entire application + lifecycle. +- *Key size:** The organization has researched the optimal key size for + their purposes, considering national laws, required processing power, + and longevity of the solution. +- *Algorithm selection:** Implemented algorithms are sufficiently + appropriate for the business of the organization, robust, and align + with recommended guidelines. +- *Protocol configuration:** Protocols have been reviewed and configured + suitable to the purpose of the business. diff --git a/content/blog/2020-03-25-session-manager.org b/content/blog/2020-03-25-session-manager.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..803d048 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2020-03-25-session-manager.org @@ -0,0 +1,128 @@ +#+title: Session Private Messenger +#+date: 2020-03-25 +#+description: Exploring the Session Private Messenger application. +#+filetags: :privacy: + +* Privacy Warning +The company behind Session (Loki Foundation) is from Australia. If you +didn't know, Australia has introduced +[[https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/legislation/bills/r6195_aspassed/toc_pdf/18204b01.pdf][legislation]] +mandating companies comply with government requests to build backdoor +access into applications. For more information, read my article on +[[./2020-01-25-aes-encryption.html][AES Encryption]]. + +* About Session +[[https://getsession.org][Session]] is a private, cross-platform +messaging app from the [[https://loki.foundation][Loki Foundation]]. As +someone who has spent years looking for quality alternatives to major +messaging apps, I was excited when I first heard about Session. Reading +through [[https://arxiv.org/pdf/2002.04609.pdf][Session's white paper]], +you can learn the technologies behind the Session app. Part of the +security of Session comes from the Signal protocol, which was forked as +the origin of Session. + +#+begin_quote +Session is an end-to-end encrypted messenger that removes sensitive +metadata collection, and is designed for people who want privacy and +freedom from any forms of surveillance. +#+end_quote + +In general, this app promises security through end-to-end encryption, +decentralized onion routing, and private identities. The biggest change +that the Loki Foundation has made to the Signal protocol is removing the +need for a phone number. Instead, a random identification string is +generated for any session you create. This means you can create a new +session for each device if you want to, or link new devices with your +ID. + +Since Session's website and white paper describe the details of +Session's security, I'm going to focus on using the app in this post. + +* Features +Since most people are looking for an alternative to a popular chat app, +I am going to list out the features that Session has so that you are +able to determine if the app would suit your needs: + +- Multiple device linking (via QR code or ID) +- App locking via device screen lock, password, or fingerprint +- Screenshot blocking +- Incognito keyboard +- Read receipts and typing indicators +- Mobile notification customization +- Old message deletion and conversation limit +- Backups +- Recovery phrase +- Account deletion, including ID, messages, sessions, and contacts + +* Downloads +I have tested this app on Ubuntu 19.10, Android 10, macOS Monterey, and +iOS 15. All apps have worked well without many issues. + +Below is a brief overview of the Session app on Linux. To get this app, +you'll need to go to the [[https://getsession.org/download/][Downloads]] +page and click to link to the operating system you're using. + +For Linux, it will download an AppImage that you'll need to enable with +the following command: + +#+begin_src sh +sudo chmod u+x session-messenger-desktop-linux-x86_64-1.0.5.AppImage +#+end_src + +#+caption: Session Download Options +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200325-session-private-messenger/session_downloads.png]] + +* Creating an Account +Once you've installed the app, simply run the app and create your unique +Session ID. It will look something like this: +=05af1835afdd63c947b47705867501d6373f486aa1ae05b1f2f3fcd24570eba608=. + +You'll need to set a display name and, optionally, a password. If you +set a password, you will need to enter it every time you open the app. + +#+caption: Session Login (Linux) +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200325-session-private-messenger/session_linux_login.png]] + +#+caption: Session Login (macOS) +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200325-session-private-messenger/session_macos_login.png]] + +#+caption: Password Authentication +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200325-session-private-messenger/session_password_authentication.png]] + +* Start Messaging +Once you've created your account and set up your profile details, the +next step is to start messaging other people. To do so, you'll need to +share your Session ID with other people. From this point, it's fairly +straightforward and acts like any other messaging app, so I won't dive +into much detail here. + +** macOS +#+caption: macOS Conversations +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200325-session-private-messenger/session_macos_conversations.png]] + +One key feature to note is that the desktop application now provides a +helpful pop-up box explaining the process that Session uses to hide your +IP address: + +#+caption: IP Address Help Box +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200325-session-private-messenger/session_ip.png]] + +** iOS +The mobile app is quite simple and effective, giving you all the +standard mobile messaging options you'd expect. + +#+caption: iOS App +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200325-session-private-messenger/session_ios.png]] + +* Potential Issues +I've discovered one annoying issue that would prevent from using this +app regularly. On a mobile device, there have been issues with receiving +messages on time. Even with battery optimization disabled and no network +restrictions, Session notifications sometimes do not display until I +open the app or the conversation itself and wait a few moments. This is +actually one of the reasons I stopped using Signal (this seems fixed as +of my updates in 2021/2022, so I wouldn't worry about this issue +anymore). + +Looking for another messenger instead of Session? I recommend Signal, +Matrix, and IRC. diff --git a/content/blog/2020-05-03-homelab.org b/content/blog/2020-05-03-homelab.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ffefe5d --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2020-05-03-homelab.org @@ -0,0 +1,149 @@ +#+title: An Inside Look at My Homelab +#+date: 2020-05-03 +#+description: A retrospective on the first iteration of my home lab. +#+filetags: :sysadmin: + +* What is a Homelab? +Starting as a developer, I have largely stayed away from hardware-based +hobbies (other than building a gaming desktop). However, as the +quarantine for COVID-19 stretches out further and further, I found +myself bored and in search of new hobbies. After spending the last few +months browsing the [[https://www.reddit.com/r/homelab/][r/homelab]] +subreddit, I decided it was time to jump in and try things out for +myself. + +Since I am a beginner and just recently graduated from college, +everything I've done so far in my homelab is fairly low-budget. + +* Hardware +#+caption: HomeLab Diagram +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200503-homelab/homelab-min.png]] + +*** Raspberry Pi 4 +Luckily, I had actually purchased a +[[https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-4-model-b/][Raspberry +Pi 4]] before the quarantine started so that I could try to keep Plex +Media Center running, even while my desktop computer was turned off. I +started here, using the Pi to hold Plex and Pi-hole until I grew tired +with the slow performance. + +Here are the specifications for the Pi 4: + +- Broadcom BCM2711, Quad core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.5GHz +- 4GB LPDDR4-3200 SDRAM +- Gigabit Ethernet +- H.265 (4kp60 decode), H264 (1080p60 decode, 1080p30 encode) +- 64 GB MicroSD Card + +** Dell Optiplex 5040 +Since I wasn't happy with the Pi as my main server, I turned to +Craigslist. I know a lot of other homelabbers use Ebay, but I can't seem +to ever trust it enough to purchase items on there. So I used Craigslist +and found a Dell Optiplex 5040 desktop computer on sale for $90. While +this computer might be underpowered, it was one of the few computers +under $100 that was available during quarantine. + +Here are the specifications for the Dell Optiplex 5040: + +- Intel Core i3 6100 +- 8GB RAM DDR3 +- Intel HD Graphics +- Gigabit Ethernet +- 500GB Hard Drive + +While this hardware would be awful for a work computer or a gaming rig, +it turned out to be wonderful for my server purposes. The only +limitation I have found so far is the CPU. The i3-6100 only has enough +power for a single 4k video transcode at a time. I haven't tested more +than three 1080p streams at a time, but the maximum amount of streams +I've ever actually used is two. + +** WD easystore 10TB & 8TB +Application storage and temporary files are stored on the internal hard +drive of the server, but all media files (movies, tv, games, books, etc) +are stored externally on my WD easystore hard drive. Creating auto-boot +configurations in the =/etc/fstab= file on my server allows the hard +drives to automatically mount whenever I need to restart my server. + +#+begin_quote +Update: In March 2022, I shucked the hard drives out of their external +cases, put some Kapton tape on the third power pin to prevent power +shutdowns, and stuck them inside my server tower using internal SATA +cables. + +#+end_quote + +** Netgear Unmanaged Switch +To manage all the ethernet cords used by my homelab, my desktop, and my +living room media center, I purchased an 8-port gigabit ethernet switch +for $50 at my local computer store. This is probably much more than I +should have spent on an unmanaged switch, but I am comfortable with the +choice. + +** TP-Link Managed Switch +Since I use the unmanaged switch to group all living room devices +together, I use the managed switch to configure VLANs and secure my +network. + +** Arris TM1602A Modem & Sagecom Fast 5280 Router +My default modem and router, provided by my ISP, are fairly standard. +The Arris modem supports DOCSIS 3.0, which is something that I +definitely wanted as a minimum. The Sagecom router is also standard, no +fancy bells or whistles. However, it does support DHCP and DHCPv6, which +is something you can use to route all household traffic through a +pi-hole or firewall. + +** TP-Link EAP +In order to gain better control over the network, I use my own wireless +access point instead of the one included in the Sagecom router above. +Now I can control and organize all of my ethernet connections through +the VLANs on the managed switch and wireless connections through the +VLANS on the EAP. + +** Generic Printer +The last piece to my homelab is a standard wireless printer. Nothing +special here. + +* Software +** Ubuntu Server 20.04 +While the 20.04 version of Ubuntu was just released, I always like to +experiment with new features (and I don't mind breaking my system - it +just gives me more experience learning how to fix things). So, I have +Ubuntu Server 20.04 installed on the Dell Optiplex server and Ubuntu +Server 19.10 installed on the Raspberry Pi. Once I find an acceptable +use for the Pi, I will most likely switch the operating system. + +** Docker +I am /very/ new to Docker, but I have had a lot of fun playing with it +so far. Docker is used to create containers that can hold all the +contents of a system without interfering with other software on the same +system. So far, I have successfully installed pi-hole, GitLab, Gogs, and +Nextcloud in containers. However, I opted to delete all of those so that +I can reconfigure them more professionally at a later time. + +** Plex Media Server +Plex is a media center software that allows you to organize your movies, +TV shows, music, photos, and videos automatically. It will even download +metadata for you so that you can easily browse these collections. + +** Pi-hole +Pi-hole is an alternative ad-blocker that runs at the DNS level, +allowing you to block traffic when it hits your network, so that you can +reject any traffic you deem to be bad. Pi-hole uses blacklists and +whitelists to decide which traffic block and, luckily, there are a lot +of pre-made lists out there on Reddit, GitHub, etc. + +** Nextcloud +While I had trouble with the Docker version of Nextcloud, I was very +successful when setting up the snap version. Using this, I was able to +map Nextcloud to a subdomain of a domain I own in Namecheap. +Additionally, Nextcloud has an integration with Let's Encrypt that +allows me to issue certificates automatically to any new domain I +authorize. + +** Webmin +To monitor my servers, and the processes running on them, I use the +Webmin dashboard. This was fairly painless to set up, and I currently +access it straight through the server's IP address. In the future, I +will be looking to configure Webmin to use a custom domain just like +Nextcloud. diff --git a/content/blog/2020-05-19-customizing-ubuntu.org b/content/blog/2020-05-19-customizing-ubuntu.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6461a9a --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2020-05-19-customizing-ubuntu.org @@ -0,0 +1,195 @@ +#+title: Beginner's Guide: Customizing Ubuntu +#+date: 2020-05-19 +#+description: A beginner's guide to customizing the Ubuntu operating system. +#+filetags: :linux: + +* More Information +For inspiration on designing your *nix computer, check out the +[[https://libredd.it/r/unixporn][r/unixporn]] subreddit! + +* Customizing Ubuntu +New to Linux and want to add a personal touch to your machine? One of +the best perks of Linux is that it is *extremely** customizable. You can +change the styles of the windows, shell (status bars/docks), icons, +fonts, terminals, and more. + +In this post, I'm going to go through customization on Ubuntu 20.04 +(GNOME) since most new users tend to choose Ubuntu-based distros. If +you've found a way to install Arch with i3-gaps, I'm assuming you know +how to find more advanced tutorials out there on customizations. + +** Required Tools +#+caption: Gnome Tweaks +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200519-customizing-ubuntu/gnome-tweaks-min.png]] + +Ubuntu 20.04 ships with the default desktop environment +[[https://www.gnome.org/][Gnome]], which includes the handy +=gnome-tweaks= tool to quickly change designs. To install this, just +open your terminal and enter the following command: + +#+begin_src sh +sudo apt install gnome-tweaks +#+end_src + +After you've finished installing the tool, simply launch the Tweaks +application, and you'll be able to access the various customization +options available by default on Ubuntu. You might even like some of the +pre-installed options. + +** GNOME Application Themes +To change the themes applied to applications in GNOME, you will need to +change the Applications dropdown in the Appearance section of Tweaks. To +add more themes, you will have to find your preferred theme online and +follow the steps below to have it show up in the Tweaks tool. While you +may find themes anywhere, one of the most popular sites for GNOME themes +is [[https://www.gnome-look.org/][gnome-look.org]]. This website +contains themes for applications, shells, icons, and cursors. + +Steps to import themes into Tweaks: + +1. Download the theme. +2. These files are usually compressed (.zip, .tar.gz, .tar.xz), so you + will need to extract the contents. This is easiest when opening the + file explorer, right-clicking the compressed file, and choosing + "Extract here." +3. Move the theme folder to =/usr/share/themes/=. You can do so with the + following command: =sudo mv theme-folder/ /usr/share/themes/=. + - Icons and cursors will be moved to the =/usr/share/icons/= folder. + - Fonts will be moved to the =/usr/share/fonts/= folder + Alternatively, you can move them to the + =/usr/share/fonts/opentype/= or =/usr/share/fonts/opentype/= + folders, if you have a specific font type. +4. Close tweaks if it is open. Re-open Tweaks and your new theme will be + available in the Applications dropdown in the Appearance section of + Tweaks. + +If the theme is not showing up after you've moved it into the themes +folder, you may have uncompressed the folder into a sub-folder. You can +check this by entering the theme folder and listing the contents: + +#+begin_src sh +cd /usr/share/themes/Mojave-Dark && ls -la +#+end_src + +This is an example of what the contents of your theme folder should look +like. If you just see another folder there, you should move that folder +up into the =/usr/share/themes/= folder. + +#+begin_src sh +cinnamon COPYING gnome-shell gtk-2.0 gtk-3.0 index.theme metacity-1 plank xfwm4 +#+end_src + +** GNOME Shell Themes +To change the appearance of the title bar, default dock, app menu, and +other parts of the GNOME shell, you'll need to install the +[[https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/19/user-themes/][user themes]] +extension on [[https://extensions.gnome.org/][Gnome Extensions]]. To be +able to install extensions, you will first need to install the browser +extension that the website instructs you to. See this screenshot for the +blue box with a link to the extension. + +#+caption: Gnome Extensions +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200519-customizing-ubuntu/gnome-extensions-min.png]] + +After the browser extension is installed, you will need to install the +native host connector: + +#+begin_src sh +sudo apt install chrome-gnome-shell +#+end_src + +Finally, you can go the +[[https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/19/user-themes/][user themes]] +extension page and click the installation button. This will enable the +Shell option in Tweaks. Now you can move shell themes to the +=/usr/share/themes= directory, using the same steps mentioned in the +previous section, and enable the new theme in Tweaks. + +** Icons & Cursors +Icons and cursors are installed exactly the same way, so I'm grouping +these together in this post. Both of these items will need to follow the +same process as installing themes, except you will want to move your +font folders to the =/usr/share/icons/= directory instead. + +** Fonts +Fonts are one of the overlooked parts of customization, but a good font +can make the whole screen look different. For example, I have installed +the [[https://github.com/IBM/plex/releases][IBM Plex]] fonts on my +system. This follows the same process as installing themes, except you +will want to move your font folders to the =/usr/share/fonts/= directory +instead. + +** Terminal +If you spend a lot of time typing commands, you know how important the +style and functionality of the terminal is. After spending a lot of time +using the default GNOME terminal with +[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bash_(Unix_shell)][unix shell]], I +decided to try some different options. I ended up choosing +[[https://terminator-gtk3.readthedocs.io/en/latest/][Terminator]] with +[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z_shell][zsh]]. + +Terminator is great if you need to open multiple terminals at one time +by simply right-clicking and splitting the screen into as many terminals +as you want. While this project hasn't been updated in a while, +[[https://github.com/gnome-terminator/terminator/issues/1][it is coming +under new development]]. However, this terminal is great and I haven't +experienced any errors yet. + +For the shell choice, I decided to choose zsh after trying it out on a +fresh Manjaro installation. Zsh is great if you like to change the +themes of your terminal, include icons, or add plugins. + +The desktop uses the +[[https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions][zsh-autosuggestions]] +to suggest past commands as you type. In addition, it suggests +corrections if you misspell a command. Lastly, it uses the =af-magic= +theme, which adds dashed lines between commands, moving the user@host +tag to the right side of the terminal, and changes the colors. There are +plenty of plugins and themes to choose from. Just figure out what you +like and add it to your =~/.zshrc= file! + +*** Steps to Replicate My Terminal +To install zsh on Ubuntu, enter the following command into a terminal: + +#+begin_src sh +sudo apt install zsh +#+end_src + +Then, enter the next command to activate zsh: + +#+begin_src sh +sudo chsh -s $(which zsh) $(whoami) +#+end_src + +To install Terminator on Ubuntu: + +#+begin_src sh +sudo apt install terminator +#+end_src + +To install Oh My Zsh on Ubuntu: + +#+begin_src sh +sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)" +#+end_src + +To install zsh-autosuggestions via Oh My Zsh: + +#+begin_src sh +git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-autosuggestions +#+end_src + +Then, add the following plugin wording to your =~/.zshrc= file (the +default config usually has the =git= plugin activated, so just add any +other plugins to the parentheses separated by a space): + +#+begin_src sh +nano ~/.zshrc +#+end_src + +#+begin_src sh +plugins=(git zsh-autosuggestions) +#+end_src + +Finally, you need to log out of your computer and log back in so your +user shell can refresh. diff --git a/content/blog/2020-07-20-video-game-sales.org b/content/blog/2020-07-20-video-game-sales.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..672558d --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2020-07-20-video-game-sales.org @@ -0,0 +1,175 @@ +#+title: Data Exploration: Video Game Sales +#+date: 2020-07-20 +#+description: Exploring and visualizing data with Python. +#+filetags: :data: + +* Background Information +This dataset (obtained from +[[https://www.kaggle.com/gregorut/videogamesales/data][Kaggle]]) +contains a list of video games with sales greater than 100,000 copies. +It was generated by a scrape of vgchartz.com. + +Fields include: + +- Rank: Ranking of overall sales +- Name: The game name +- Platform: Platform of the game release (i.e. PC,PS4, etc.) +- Year: Year of the game's release +- Genre: Genre of the game +- Publisher: Publisher of the game +- NA_{Sales}: Sales in North America (in millions) +- EU_{Sales}: Sales in Europe (in millions) +- JP_{Sales}: Sales in Japan (in millions) +- Other_{Sales}: Sales in the rest of the world (in millions) +- Global_{Sales}: Total worldwide sales. + +There are 16,598 records. 2 records were dropped due to incomplete +information. + +* Import the Data +#+begin_src python +# Import the Python libraries we will be using +import pandas as pd +import numpy as np +import seaborn as sns; sns.set() +import matplotlib.pyplot as plt + +# Load the file using the path to the downloaded file +file = r'video_game_sales.csv' +df = pd.read_csv(file) +df +#+end_src + +#+caption: Dataframe Results +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200720-data-exploration-video-game-sales/01_dataframe-min.png]] + +* Explore the Data +#+begin_src python +# With the description function, we can see the basic stats. For example, we can also see that the 'Year' column has some incomplete values. +df.describe() +#+end_src + +#+caption: df.describe() +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200720-data-exploration-video-game-sales/02_describe-min.png]] + +#+begin_src python +# This function shows the rows and columns of NaN values. For example, df[179,3] = nan +np.where(pd.isnull(df)) + +(array([179, ..., 16553], dtype=int64), + array([3, ..., 5], dtype=int64)) +#+end_src + +* Visualize the Data +#+begin_src python +# This function plots the global sales by platform +sns.catplot(x='Platform', y='Global_Sales', data=df, jitter=False).set_xticklabels(rotation=90) +#+end_src + +#+caption: Plot of Global Sales by Platform +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200720-data-exploration-video-game-sales/03_plot-min.png]] + +#+begin_src python +# This function plots the global sales by genre +sns.catplot(x='Genre', y='Global_Sales', data=df, jitter=False).set_xticklabels(rotation=45) +#+end_src + +#+caption: Plot of Global Sales by Genre +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200720-data-exploration-video-game-sales/04_plot-min.png]] + +#+begin_src python +# This function plots the global sales by year +sns.lmplot(x='Year', y='Global_Sales', data=df).set_xticklabels(rotation=45) +#+end_src + +#+caption: Plot of Global Sales by Year +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200720-data-exploration-video-game-sales/05_plot-min.png]] + +#+begin_src python +# This function plots four different lines to show sales from different regions. +# The global sales plot line is commented-out, but can be included for comparison +df2 = df.groupby('Year').sum() +years = range(1980,2019) + +a = df2['NA_Sales'] +b = df2['EU_Sales'] +c = df2['JP_Sales'] +d = df2['Other_Sales'] +# e = df2['Global_Sales'] + +fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(12,12)) +ax.set_ylabel('Region Sales (in Millions)') +ax.set_xlabel('Year') + +ax.plot(years, a, label='NA_Sales') +ax.plot(years, b, label='EU_Sales') +ax.plot(years, c, label='JP_Sales') +ax.plot(years, d, label='Other_Sales') +# ax.plot(years, e, label='Global_Sales') + +ax.legend() +plt.show() +#+end_src + +#+caption: Plot of Regional Sales by Year +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200720-data-exploration-video-game-sales/06_plot-min.png]] + +** Investigate Outliers +#+begin_src python +# Find the game with the highest sales in North America +df.loc[df['NA_Sales'].idxmax()] + +Rank 1 +Name Wii Sports +Platform Wii +Year 2006 +Genre Sports +Publisher Nintendo +NA_Sales 41.49 +EU_Sales 29.02 +JP_Sales 3.77 +Other_Sales 8.46 +Global_Sales 82.74 +Name: 0, dtype: object + +# Explore statistics in the year 2006 (highest selling year) +df3 = df[(df['Year'] == 2006)] +df3.describe() +#+end_src + +#+caption: Descriptive Statistics of 2006 Sales +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200720-data-exploration-video-game-sales/07_2006_stats-min.png]] + +#+begin_src python +# Plot the results of the previous dataframe (games from 2006) - we can see the year's results were largely carried by Wii Sports +sns.catplot(x="Genre", y="Global_Sales", data=df3, jitter=False).set_xticklabels(rotation=45) +#+end_src + +#+caption: Plot of 2006 Sales +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200720-data-exploration-video-game-sales/08_plot-min.png]] + +#+begin_src python +# We can see 4 outliers in the graph above, so let's get the top 5 games from that dataframe +# The results below show that Nintendo had all top 5 games (3 on the Wii and 2 on the DS) +df3.sort_values(by=['Global_Sales'], ascending=False).head(5) +#+end_src + +#+caption: Outliers of 2006 Sales +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200720-data-exploration-video-game-sales/09_outliers-min.png]] + +* Discussion +The purpose of exploring datasets is to ask questions, answer questions, +and discover intelligence that can be used to inform decision-making. +So, what have we found in this dataset? + +Today we simply explored a publicly-available dataset to see what kind +of information it contained. During that exploration, we found that +video game sales peaked in 2006. That peak was largely due to Nintendo, +who sold the top 5 games in 2006 and has a number of games in the top-10 +list for the years 1980-2020. Additionally, the top four platforms by +global sales (Wii, NES, GB, DS) are owned by Nintendo. + +We didn't explore everything this dataset has to offer, but we can tell +from a brief analysis that Nintendo seems to rule sales in the video +gaming world. Further analysis could provide insight into which genres, +regions, publishers, or world events are correlated with sales. diff --git a/content/blog/2020-07-26-business-analysis.org b/content/blog/2020-07-26-business-analysis.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6d60471 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2020-07-26-business-analysis.org @@ -0,0 +1,380 @@ +#+title: Algorithmically Analyzing Local Businesses +#+date: 2020-07-26 +#+description: Exploring and visualizing data with Python. +#+filetags: :data: + +* Background Information +This project aims to help investors learn more about a random city in +order to determine optimal locations for business investments. The data +used in this project was obtained using Foursquare's developer API. + +Fields include: + +- Venue Name +- Venue Category +- Venue Latitude +- Venue Longitude + +There are 232 records found using the center of Lincoln as the area of +interest with a radius of 10,000. + +* Import the Data +The first step is the simplest: import the applicable libraries. We will +be using the libraries below for this project. + +#+begin_src python +# Import the Python libraries we will be using +import pandas as pd +import requests +import folium +import math +import json +from pandas.io.json import json_normalize +from sklearn.cluster import KMeans +#+end_src + +To begin our analysis, we need to import the data for this project. The +data we are using in this project comes directly from the Foursquare +API. The first step is to get the latitude and longitude of the city +being studied (Lincoln, NE) and setting up the folium map. + +#+begin_src python +# Define the latitude and longitude, then map the results +latitude = 40.806862 +longitude = -96.681679 +map_LNK = folium.Map(location=[latitude, longitude], zoom_start=12) + +map_LNK +#+end_src + +#+caption: Blank Map +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200726-ibm-data-science/01_blank_map-min.png]] + +Now that we have defined our city and created the map, we need to go get +the business data. The Foursquare API will limit the results to 100 per +API call, so we use our first API call below to determine the total +results that Foursquare has found. Since the total results are 232, we +perform the API fetching process three times (100 + 100 + 32 = 232). + +#+begin_src python +# Foursquare API credentials +CLIENT_ID = 'your-client-id' +CLIENT_SECRET = 'your-client-secret' +VERSION = '20180604' + +# Set up the URL to fetch the first 100 results +LIMIT = 100 +radius = 10000 +url = 'https://api.foursquare.com/v2/venues/explore?&client_id={}&client_secret={}&v={}&ll={},{}&radius={}&limit={}'.format( + CLIENT_ID, + CLIENT_SECRET, + VERSION, + latitude, + longitude, + radius, + LIMIT) + +# Fetch the first 100 results +results = requests.get(url).json() + +# Determine the total number of results needed to fetch +totalResults = results['response']['totalResults'] +totalResults + +# Set up the URL to fetch the second 100 results (101-200) +LIMIT = 100 +offset = 100 +radius = 10000 +url2 = 'https://api.foursquare.com/v2/venues/explore?&client_id={}&client_secret={}&v={}&ll={},{}&radius={}&limit={}&offset={}'.format( + CLIENT_ID, + CLIENT_SECRET, + VERSION, + latitude, + longitude, + radius, + LIMIT, + offset) + +# Fetch the second 100 results (101-200) +results2 = requests.get(url2).json() + +# Set up the URL to fetch the final results (201 - 232) +LIMIT = 100 +offset = 200 +radius = 10000 +url3 = 'https://api.foursquare.com/v2/venues/explore?&client_id={}&client_secret={}&v={}&ll={},{}&radius={}&limit={}&offset={}'.format( + CLIENT_ID, + CLIENT_SECRET, + VERSION, + latitude, + longitude, + radius, + LIMIT, + offset) + +# Fetch the final results (201 - 232) +results3 = requests.get(url3).json() +#+end_src + +* Clean the Data +Now that we have our data in three separate dataframes, we need to +combine them into a single dataframe and make sure to reset the index so +that we have a unique ID for each business. The =get~categorytype~= +function below will pull the categories and name from each business's +entry in the Foursquare data automatically. Once all the data has been +labeled and combined, the results are stored in the =nearby_venues= +dataframe. + +#+begin_src python +# This function will extract the category of the venue from the API dictionary +def get_category_type(row): + try: + categories_list = row['categories'] + except: + categories_list = row['venue.categories'] + + if len(categories_list) == 0: + return None + else: + return categories_list[0]['name'] + +# Get the first 100 venues +venues = results['response']['groups'][0]['items'] +nearby_venues = json_normalize(venues) + +# filter columns +filtered_columns = ['venue.name', 'venue.categories', 'venue.location.lat', 'venue.location.lng'] +nearby_venues = nearby_venues.loc[:, filtered_columns] + +# filter the category for each row +nearby_venues['venue.categories'] = nearby_venues.apply(get_category_type, axis=1) + +# clean columns +nearby_venues.columns = [col.split(".")[-1] for col in nearby_venues.columns] + +--- + +# Get the second 100 venues +venues2 = results2['response']['groups'][0]['items'] +nearby_venues2 = json_normalize(venues2) # flatten JSON + +# filter columns +filtered_columns2 = ['venue.name', 'venue.categories', 'venue.location.lat', 'venue.location.lng'] +nearby_venues2 = nearby_venues2.loc[:, filtered_columns] + +# filter the category for each row +nearby_venues2['venue.categories'] = nearby_venues2.apply(get_category_type, axis=1) + +# clean columns +nearby_venues2.columns = [col.split(".")[-1] for col in nearby_venues.columns] +nearby_venues = nearby_venues.append(nearby_venues2) + +--- + +# Get the rest of the venues +venues3 = results3['response']['groups'][0]['items'] +nearby_venues3 = json_normalize(venues3) # flatten JSON + +# filter columns +filtered_columns3 = ['venue.name', 'venue.categories', 'venue.location.lat', 'venue.location.lng'] +nearby_venues3 = nearby_venues3.loc[:, filtered_columns] + +# filter the category for each row +nearby_venues3['venue.categories'] = nearby_venues3.apply(get_category_type, axis=1) + +# clean columns +nearby_venues3.columns = [col.split(".")[-1] for col in nearby_venues3.columns] + +nearby_venues = nearby_venues.append(nearby_venues3) +nearby_venues = nearby_venues.reset_index(drop=True) +nearby_venues +#+end_src + +#+caption: Clean Data +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200726-ibm-data-science/02_clean_data-min.png]] + +* Visualize the Data +We now have a complete, clean data set. The next step is to visualize +this data onto the map we created earlier. We will be using folium's +=CircleMarker()= function to do this. + +#+begin_src python +# add markers to map +for lat, lng, name, categories in zip(nearby_venues['lat'], nearby_venues['lng'], nearby_venues['name'], nearby_venues['categories']): + label = '{} ({})'.format(name, categories) + label = folium.Popup(label, parse_html=True) + folium.CircleMarker( + [lat, lng], + radius=5, + popup=label, + color='blue', + fill=True, + fill_color='#3186cc', + fill_opacity=0.7, + ).add_to(map_LNK) + +map_LNK +#+end_src + +![[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200726-ibm-data-science/03_data_map-min.png][Initial +data map]] + +* Clustering: /k-means/ +To cluster the data, we will be using the /k-means/ algorithm. This +algorithm is iterative and will automatically make sure that data points +in each cluster are as close as possible to each other, while being as +far as possible away from other clusters. + +However, we first have to figure out how many clusters to use (defined +as the variable /'k'/). To do so, we will use the next two functions to +calculate the sum of squares within clusters and then return the optimal +number of clusters. + +#+begin_src python +# This function will return the sum of squares found in the data +def calculate_wcss(data): + wcss = [] + for n in range(2, 21): + kmeans = KMeans(n_clusters=n) + kmeans.fit(X=data) + wcss.append(kmeans.inertia_) + + return wcss + +# Drop 'str' cols so we can use k-means clustering +cluster_df = nearby_venues.drop(columns=['name', 'categories']) + +# calculating the within clusters sum-of-squares for 19 cluster amounts +sum_of_squares = calculate_wcss(cluster_df) + +# This function will return the optimal number of clusters +def optimal_number_of_clusters(wcss): + x1, y1 = 2, wcss[0] + x2, y2 = 20, wcss[len(wcss)-1] + + distances = [] + for i in range(len(wcss)): + x0 = i+2 + y0 = wcss[i] + numerator = abs((y2-y1)*x0 - (x2-x1)*y0 + x2*y1 - y2*x1) + denominator = math.sqrt((y2 - y1)**2 + (x2 - x1)**2) + distances.append(numerator/denominator) + + return distances.index(max(distances)) + 2 + +# calculating the optimal number of clusters +n = optimal_number_of_clusters(sum_of_squares) +#+end_src + +Now that we have found that our optimal number of clusters is six, we +need to perform k-means clustering. When this clustering occurs, each +business is assigned a cluster number from 0 to 5 in the dataframe. + +#+begin_src python +# set number of clusters equal to the optimal number +kclusters = n + +# run k-means clustering +kmeans = KMeans(n_clusters=kclusters, random_state=0).fit(cluster_df) + +# add clustering labels to dataframe +nearby_venues.insert(0, 'Cluster Labels', kmeans.labels_) +#+end_src + +Success! We now have a dataframe with clean business data, along with a +cluster number for each business. Now let's map the data using six +different colors. + +#+begin_src python +# create map with clusters +map_clusters = folium.Map(location=[latitude, longitude], zoom_start=12) +colors = ['#0F9D58', '#DB4437', '#4285F4', '#800080', '#ce12c0', '#171717'] + +# add markers to the map +for lat, lng, name, categories, cluster in zip(nearby_venues['lat'], nearby_venues['lng'], nearby_venues['name'], nearby_venues['categories'], nearby_venues['Cluster Labels']): + label = '[{}] {} ({})'.format(cluster, name, categories) + label = folium.Popup(label, parse_html=True) + folium.CircleMarker( + [lat, lng], + radius=5, + popup=label, + color=colors[int(cluster)], + fill=True, + fill_color=colors[int(cluster)], + fill_opacity=0.7).add_to(map_clusters) + +map_clusters +#+end_src + +#+caption: Clustered Map +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200726-ibm-data-science/04_clusters-min.png]] + +* Investigate Clusters +Now that we have figured out our clusters, let's do a little more +analysis to provide more insight into the clusters. With the information +below, we can see which clusters are more popular for businesses and +which are less popular. The results below show us that clusters 0 +through 3 are popular, while clusters 4 and 5 are not very popular at +all. + +#+begin_src python +# Show how many venues are in each cluster +color_names = ['Dark Green', 'Red', 'Blue', 'Purple', 'Pink', 'Black'] +for x in range(0,6): + print("Color of Cluster", x, ":", color_names[x]) + print("Venues found in Cluster", x, ":", nearby_venues.loc[nearby_venues['Cluster Labels'] == x, nearby_venues.columns[:]].shape[0]) + print("---") +#+end_src + +#+caption: Venues per Cluster +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200726-ibm-data-science/05_venues_per_cluster-min.png]] + +Our last piece of analysis is to summarize the categories of businesses +within each cluster. With these results, we can clearly see that +restaurants, coffee shops, and grocery stores are the most popular. + +#+begin_src python +# Calculate how many venues there are in each category +# Sort from largest to smallest +temp_df = nearby_venues.drop(columns=['name', 'lat', 'lng']) + +cluster0_grouped = temp_df.loc[temp_df['Cluster Labels'] == 0].groupby(['categories']).count().sort_values(by='Cluster Labels', ascending=False) +cluster1_grouped = temp_df.loc[temp_df['Cluster Labels'] == 1].groupby(['categories']).count().sort_values(by='Cluster Labels', ascending=False) +cluster2_grouped = temp_df.loc[temp_df['Cluster Labels'] == 2].groupby(['categories']).count().sort_values(by='Cluster Labels', ascending=False) +cluster3_grouped = temp_df.loc[temp_df['Cluster Labels'] == 3].groupby(['categories']).count().sort_values(by='Cluster Labels', ascending=False) +cluster4_grouped = temp_df.loc[temp_df['Cluster Labels'] == 4].groupby(['categories']).count().sort_values(by='Cluster Labels', ascending=False) +cluster5_grouped = temp_df.loc[temp_df['Cluster Labels'] == 5].groupby(['categories']).count().sort_values(by='Cluster Labels', ascending=False) + +# show how many venues there are in each cluster (> 1) +with pd.option_context('display.max_rows', None, 'display.max_columns', None): + print("\n\n", "Cluster 0:", "\n", cluster0_grouped.loc[cluster0_grouped['Cluster Labels'] > 1]) + print("\n\n", "Cluster 1:", "\n", cluster1_grouped.loc[cluster1_grouped['Cluster Labels'] > 1]) + print("\n\n", "Cluster 2:", "\n", cluster2_grouped.loc[cluster2_grouped['Cluster Labels'] > 1]) + print("\n\n", "Cluster 3:", "\n", cluster3_grouped.loc[cluster3_grouped['Cluster Labels'] > 1]) + print("\n\n", "Cluster 4:", "\n", cluster4_grouped.loc[cluster4_grouped['Cluster Labels'] > 1]) + print("\n\n", "Cluster 5:", "\n", cluster5_grouped.loc[cluster5_grouped['Cluster Labels'] > 1]) +#+end_src + +#+caption: Venues per Cluster, pt. 1 +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200726-ibm-data-science/06_categories_per_cluster_pt1-min.png]] + +#+caption: Venues per Cluster, pt. 2 +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200726-ibm-data-science/07_categories_per_cluster_pt2-min.png]] + +* Discussion +In this project, we gathered location data for Lincoln, Nebraska, USA +and clustered the data using the k-means algorithm in order to identify +the unique clusters of businesses in Lincoln. Through these actions, we +found that there are six unique business clusters in Lincoln and that +two of the clusters are likely unsuitable for investors. The remaining +four clusters have a variety of businesses, but are largely dominated by +restaurants and grocery stores. + +Using this project, investors can now make more informed decisions when +deciding the location and category of business in which to invest. + +Further studies may involve other attributes for business locations, +such as population density, average wealth across the city, or crime +rates. In addition, further studies may include additional location data +and businesses by utilizing multiple sources, such as Google Maps and +OpenStreetMap. diff --git a/content/blog/2020-08-22-redirect-github-pages.org b/content/blog/2020-08-22-redirect-github-pages.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..cae5928 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2020-08-22-redirect-github-pages.org @@ -0,0 +1,120 @@ +#+title: Redirect GitHub Pages from Subdomain to the Top-Level Domain +#+date: 2020-08-22 +#+description: Learn how to redirect Github pages to the TLD. +#+filetags: :sysadmin: + +* Short answer +** Step 1 +Add a new file CNAME to your GitHub Pages repository containing only one +line: your top-level domain name. E.g.: =example.com= + +** Step 2 +[Optional] but highly recommended + +2.1: Remove all other top-level records (prefixed with @) of type A from +your DNS configuration. + +2.2: Remove a CNAME record for the second-level domain www if it is +present. + +** Step 3 +Add these 5 entries to the very top of your DNS configuration: + +#+begin_src txt +@ A 185.199.108.153 +@ A 185.199.109.153 +@ A 185.199.110.153 +@ A 185.199.111.153 +www CNAME your_github_username.github.io. +#+end_src + +Replace =your_github_username= with your actual GitHub username. + +** Step 4 +Wait for your DNS changes to propagate. DNS changes aren't effective +immediately. They can take up to a full day to propagate. + +* Long answer +This issue has two sides. One is the DNS configuration itself. Another +one is the way GitHub Pages will forward HTTP requests. + +We need to know a few things to understand what GitHub is trying to say +in their documentation. + +** DNS Entry Types +There are two types of DNS records which interest us: CNAME and A. + +=A= is also known as =Apex= or sometimes as =root entry=. It forwards +requests to a specified fixed IP address. =CNAME= entry forwards +requests to a specified URL (actual valid plain text URL, not an IP +address). + +** DNS Load balancing +GitHub has one central URL address which accepts all DNS requests for +GitHub Pages: =http://username.github.io=. That URL is resolved to +different IP addresses based on your geographical location. Website +hosted on GitHub Pages is a simple collection of =HTML=, =CSS= and =JS= +files. GitHub distributes these files to different servers across the +globe. So that when your browser sends a request from Europe, it +receives data from a server in Europe. The same is valid for the +requests from Asia and the USA. + +** What GitHub is trying to say +Since =A= records in DNS must contain IP addresses, and they must be +either =185.199.108.153= or =185.199.109.153= or =185.199.110.153= or +=185.199.111.153=, there is no way to forward requests to a server +located somewhere in Europe or Asia. Your website hosted at GitHub Pages +will be downloaded from a central GitHub Pages server. There is a minor +risk that if GitHub Pages DNS servers (=x.x.x.153=) are down for some +reason, all custom domains which use fixed GitHub Pages IP addresses +will not be accessible (their DNS requests will not be resolvable). + +That is why GitHub strongly suggests to either use a second-level domain +for your GitHub Pages (e.g. =blog.example.com=) or use a DNS service +provider that supports a record type =ALIAS= that acts as =A= record but +forwards request to a URL address (e.g. =username.github.io=) instead of +a fixed IP address. + +** How GitHub Pages treats HTTP requests +After a DNS request for =your_github_username.github.io= is resolved +into an IP address, e.g. =185.199.108.153= your browser sends an HTTP +request to that server with an HTTP header =Host=. Below are =curl= +examples that load the same website (these examples might not work if +you are behind a proxy server): + +#+begin_src sh +curl --header "Host: your_github_username.github.io" http://185.199.108.153/ +curl --header "Host: www.example.com" http://185.199.108.153/ +curl --header "Host: example.com" http://185.199.108.153/ +#+end_src + +This way GitHub Pages servers know which user website to serve. + +#+begin_quote +GitHub Pages server will automatically redirect HTTP requests to the +top-level domain if your =CNAME= file contains =example.com= but +=www.example.com= is requested. + +The same is valid if your =CNAME= file contains =www.example.com= but +the header =Host= in the =HTTP= request contains =example.com=. +#+end_quote + +** Why can't I add a =CNAME= record entry that accepts a top-level request (=@=) to my DNS configuration? +Quote from the GitHub Pages documentation: + +#+begin_quote +Warning: Do not create a CNAME record for your custom apex domain! Doing +so may cause issues with other services, such as email, on that domain. +#+end_quote + +** References: +1. [[https://docs.github.com/en/github/working-with-github-pages/configuring-a-custom-domain-for-your-github-pages-site][Setting + up a custom domain with GitHub Pages]] +2. [[https://docs.github.com/en/github/working-with-github-pages/troubleshooting-custom-domains-and-github-pages][My + custom domain isn't working]] +3. [[https://serverfault.com/questions/589370/cannot-access-my-github-pages-website-by-ip-address][Cannot + access my GitHub Pages website by IP Address]] +4. [[https://stackoverflow.com/questions/23375422/how-do-i-set-up-github-pages-to-redirect-dns-requests-from-a-subdomain-e-g-www][How + do I set up GitHub Pages to redirect DNS requests from a subdomain + (e.g. www) to the top-level domain (TLD, Apex record)?]] + diff --git a/content/blog/2020-08-29-php-auth-flow.org b/content/blog/2020-08-29-php-auth-flow.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2e5cf5c --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2020-08-29-php-auth-flow.org @@ -0,0 +1,188 @@ +#+title: PHP Authentication Flow +#+date: 2020-08-29 +#+description: Learn how to establish and maintain a basic user authentication flow in PHP. +#+filetags: :dev: + +* Introduction +When creating websites that will allow users to create accounts, the +developer always needs to consider the proper authentication flow for +their app. For example, some developers will utilize an API for +authentication, some will use OAuth, and some may just use their own +simple database. + +For those using pre-built libraries, authentication may simply be a +problem of copying and pasting the code from their library's +documentation. For example, here's the code I use to authenticate users +with the Tumblr OAuth API for my Tumblr client, Vox Populi: + +#+begin_src php +// Start the session +session_start(); + +// Use my key/secret pair to create a new client connection +$consumer_key = getenv('CONSUMER_KEY'); +$consumer_secret = getenv('CONSUMER_SECRET'); +$client = new Tumblr\API\Client($consumer_key, $consumer_secret); +$requestHandler = $client->getRequestHandler(); +$requestHandler->setBaseUrl('https://www.tumblr.com/'); + +// Check the session and cookies to see if the user is authenticated +// Otherwise, send user to Tumblr authentication page and set tokens from Tumblr's response + +// Authenticate client +$client = new Tumblr\API\Client( + $consumer_key, + $consumer_secret, + $token, + $token_secret +); +#+end_src + +However, developers creating authentication flows from scratch will need +to think carefully about when to make sure a web page will check the +user's authenticity. + +In this article, we're going to look at a simple authentication flow +using a MySQL database and PHP. + +* Creating User Accounts +The beginning to any type of user authentication is to create a user +account. This process can take many formats, but the simplest is to +accept user input from a form (e.g., username and password) and send it +over to your database. For example, here's a snippet that shows how to +get username and password parameters that would come when a user submits +a form to your PHP script. + +*Note*: Ensure that your password column is large enough to hold the +hashed value (at least 60 characters or longer). + +#+begin_src php +// Get the values from the URL +$username = $_POST['username']; +$raw_password = $_POST['password']; + +// Hash password +// password_hash() will create a random salt if one isn't provided, and this is generally the easiest and most secure approach. +$password = password_hash($raw_password, PASSWORD_DEFAULT); + +// Save database details as variables +$servername = "localhost"; +$username = "username"; +$password = "password"; +$dbname = "myDB"; + +// Create connection to the database +$conn = new mysqli($servername, $username, $password, $dbname); + +// Check connection +if ($conn->connect_error) { + die("Connection failed: " . $conn->connect_error); +} + +$sql = "INSERT INTO users (username, password) +VALUES ('$username', '$password')"; + +if ($conn->query($sql) === TRUE) { + echo "New record created successfully"; +} else { + echo "Error: " . $sql . "
" . $conn->error; +} + +$conn->close(); +#+end_src + +** Validate Returning Users +To be able to verify that a returning user has a valid username and +password in your database is as simple as having users fill out a form +and comparing their inputs to your database. + +#+begin_src php +// Query the database for username and password +// ... + +if(password_verify($password_input, $hashed_password)) { + // If the input password matched the hashed password in the database + // Do something, log the user in. +} + +// Else, Redirect them back to the login page. +... +#+end_src + +* Storing Authentication State +Once you've created the user's account, now you're ready to initialize +the user's session. *You will need to do this on every page you load +while the user is logged in.** To do so, simply enter the following code +snippet: + +#+begin_src php +session_start(); +#+end_src + +Once you've initialized the session, the next step is to store the +session in a cookie so that you can access it later. + +#+begin_src php +setcookie(session_name()); +#+end_src + +Now that the session name has been stored, you'll be able to check if +there's an active session whenever you load a page. + +#+begin_src php +if(isset(session_name())) { + // The session is active +} +#+end_src + +** Removing User Authentication +The next logical step is to give your users the option to log out once +they are done using your application. This can be tricky in PHP since a +few of the standard ways do not always work. + +#+begin_src php +// Initialize the session. +// If you are using session_name("something"), don't forget it now! +session_start(); + +// Delete authentication cookies +unset($_COOKIE[session_name()]); +setcookie(session_name(), "", time() - 3600, "/logged-in/"); +unset($_COOKIE["PHPSESSID"]); +setcookie("PHPSESSID", "", time() - 3600, "/logged-in/"); + +// Unset all of the session variables. +$_SESSION = array(); +session_unset(); + +// If it's desired to kill the session, also delete the session cookie. +// Note: This will destroy the session, and not just the session data! +if (ini_get("session.use_cookies")) { + $params = session_get_cookie_params(); + setcookie(session_name(), '', time() - 42000, + $params["path"], $params["domain"], + $params["secure"], $params["httponly"] + ); +} + +// Finally, destroy the session. +session_destroy(); +session_write_close(); + +// Go back to sign-in page +header('Location: https://example.com/logged-out/'); +die(); +#+end_src + +* Wrapping Up +Now you should be ready to begin your authentication programming with +PHP. You can create user accounts, create sessions for users across +different pages of your site, and then destroy the user data when +they're ready to leave. + +For more information on this subject, I recommend reading the +[[https://www.php.net/][PHP Documentation]]. Specifically, you may want +to look at [[https://www.php.net/manual/en/features.http-auth.php][HTTP +Authentication with PHP]], +[[https://www.php.net/manual/en/book.session.php][session handling]], +and [[https://www.php.net/manual/en/function.hash.php][hash]]. diff --git a/content/blog/2020-09-01-visual-recognition.org b/content/blog/2020-09-01-visual-recognition.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d703113 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2020-09-01-visual-recognition.org @@ -0,0 +1,197 @@ +#+title: IBM Watson Visual Recognition +#+date: 2020-09-01 +#+description: Exploring and visualizing data with Python. +#+filetags: :dev: + +* What is IBM Watson? +If you've never heard of [[https://www.ibm.com/watson][Watson]], this +service is a suite of enterprise-ready AI services, applications, and +tooling provided by IBM. Watson contains quite a few useful tools for +data scientists and students, including the subject of this post today: +visual recognition. + +If you'd like to view the official documentation for the Visual +Recognition API, visit the +[[https://cloud.ibm.com/apidocs/visual-recognition/visual-recognition-v3?code=python][API +Docs]]. + +* Prerequisites +To be able to use Watson Visual Recognition, you'll need the following: + +1. Create a free account on + [[https://www.ibm.com/cloud/watson-studio][IBM Watson Studio]]. +2. Add the [[https://www.ibm.com/cloud/watson-visual-recognition][Watson + Visual Recognition]] service to your IBM Watson account. +3. Get your API key and URL. To do this, first go to the + [[https://dataplatform.cloud.ibm.com/home2?context=cpdaas][profile + dashboard]] for your IBM account and click on the Watson Visual + Recognition service you created. This will be listed in the section + titled *Your services*. Then click the *Credentials** tab and open the + *Auto-generated credentials** dropdown. Copy your API key and URL so + that you can use them in the Python script later. +4. *[Optional]** While not required, you can also create the Jupyter + Notebook for this project right inside + [[https://www.ibm.com/cloud/watson-studio][Watson Studio]]. Watson + Studio will save your notebooks inside an organized project and allow + you to use their other integrated products, such as storage + containers, AI models, documentation, external sharing, etc. + +* Calling the IBM Watson Visual Recognition API +Okay, now let's get started. + +To begin, we need to install the proper Python package for IBM Watson. + +#+begin_src sh +pip install --upgrade --user "ibm-watson>=4.5.0" +#+end_src + +Next, we need to specify the API key, version, and URL given to us when +we created the Watson Visual Recognition service. + +#+begin_src python +apikey = "" +version = "2018-03-19" +url = "" +#+end_src + +Now, let's import the necessary libraries and authenticate our service. + +#+begin_src python +import json +from ibm_watson import VisualRecognitionV3 +from ibm_cloud_sdk_core.authenticators import IAMAuthenticator + +authenticator = IAMAuthenticator(apikey) +visual_recognition = VisualRecognitionV3( + version=version, + authenticator=authenticator +) + +visual_recognition.set_service_url(url) +#+end_src + +*[Optional]* If you'd like to tell the API not to use any data to +improve their products, set the following header. + +#+begin_src python +visual_recognition.set_default_headers({'x-watson-learning-opt-out': "true"}) +#+end_src + +Now we have our API all set and ready to go. For this example, I'm going +to include a =dict= of photos to load as we test out the API. + +#+begin_src python +data = [ + { + "title": "Grizzly Bear", + "url": "https://example.com/photos/image1.jpg" + }, + { + "title": "Nature Lake", + "url": "https://example.com/photos/image2.jpg" + }, + { + "title": "Welcome Sign", + "url": "https://example.com/photos/image3.jpg" + }, + { + "title": "Honey Badger", + "url": "https://example.com/photos/image4.jpg" + }, + { + "title": "Grand Canyon Lizard", + "url": "https://example.com/photos/image5.jpg" + }, + { + "title": "Castle", + "url": "https://example.com/photos/image6.jpg" + } +] +#+end_src + +Now that we've set up our libraries and have the photos ready, let's +create a loop to call the API for each image. The code below shows a +loop that calls the URL of each image and sends it to the API, +requesting results with at least 60% confidence. The results are output +to the console with dotted lines separating each section. + +In the case of an API error, the codes and explanations are output to +the console. + +#+begin_src python +from ibm_watson import ApiException + +for x in range(len(data)): +try: + url = data[x]["url"] + images_filename = data[x]["title"] + classes = visual_recognition.classify( + url=url, + images_filename=images_filename, + threshold='0.6', + owners=["IBM"]).get_result() + print("-----------------------------------------------") + print("Image Title: ", data[x]["title"], "\n") + print("Image URL: ", data[x]["url"], "\n") + classification_results = classes["images"][0]["classifiers"][0]["classes"] + for result in classification_results: + print(result["class"], "(", result["score"], ")") + print("-----------------------------------------------") +except ApiException as ex: + print("Method failed with status code " + str(ex.code) + ": " + ex.message) +#+end_src + +* The Results +Here we can see the full result set of our function above. If you view +each of the URLs that we sent to the API, you'll be able to see that it +was remarkably accurate. To be fair, these are clear high-resolution, +clear photos shot with a professional camera. In reality, you will most +likely be processing images that are lower quality and may have a lot of +noise in the photo. + +However, we can clearly see the benefit of being able to call this API +instead of attempting to write our own image recognition function. Each +of the classifications returned was a fair description of the image. + +If you wanted to restrict the results to those that are at least 90% +confident or greater, you would simply adjust the =threshold= in the +=visual_recognition.classify()= function. + +When your program runs, it should show the output below for each photo +you provide. + +#+begin_src txt +---------------------------------------------------------------- +Image Title: Grizzly Bear +Image URL: https://example.com/photos/image1.jpg + +brown bear ( 0.944 ) +bear ( 1 ) +carnivore ( 1 ) +mammal ( 1 ) +animal ( 1 ) +Alaskan brown bear ( 0.759 ) +greenishness color ( 0.975 ) +---------------------------------------------------------------- +#+end_src + +* Discussion +Now, this was a very minimal implementation of the API. We simply +supplied some images and looked to see how accurate the results were. +However, you could implement this type of API into many machine learning +(ML) models. + +For example, you could be working for a company that scans their +warehouses or inventory using drones. Would you want to pay employees to +sit there and watch drone footage all day in order to identify or count +things in the video? Probably not. Instead, you could use a +classification system similar to this one in order to train your machine +learning model to correctly identify items that the drones show through +video. More specifically, you could have your machine learning model +watch a drone fly over a field of sheep in order to count how many sheep +are living in that field. + +There are many ways to implement machine learning functionality, but +hopefully this post helped inspire some deeper thought about the tools +that can help propel us further into the future of machine learning and +AI. diff --git a/content/blog/2020-09-22-internal-audit.org b/content/blog/2020-09-22-internal-audit.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3074266 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2020-09-22-internal-audit.org @@ -0,0 +1,247 @@ +#+title: What is Internal Audit? +#+date: 2020-09-22 +#+description: Learn about the Internal Audit function and their purpose. +#+filetags: :audit: + +#+caption: Internal Audit Overview +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200922-what-is-internal-audit/internal-audit-overview.jpg]] + +* Definitions +One of the many reasons that Internal Audit needs such thorough +explaining to non-auditors is that Internal Audit can serve many +purposes, depending on the organization's size and needs. However, the +Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) defines Internal Auditing as: + +#+begin_quote +Internal auditing is an independent, objective assurance and consulting +activity designed to add value and improve an organization's operations. +It helps an organization accomplish its objectives by bringing a +systematic, disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the +effectiveness of risk management, control, and governance processes. + +#+end_quote + +However, this definition uses quite a few terms that aren't clear unless +the reader already has a solid understanding of the auditing profession. +To further explain, the following is a list of definitions that can help +supplement understanding of internal auditing. + +** Independent +Independence is the freedom from conditions that threaten the ability of +the internal audit activity to carry out internal audit responsibilities +in an unbiased manner. To achieve the degree of independence necessary +to effectively carry out the responsibilities of the internal audit +activity, the chief audit executive has direct and unrestricted access +to senior management and the board. This can be achieved through a +dual-reporting relationship. Threats to independence must be managed at +the individual auditor, engagement, functional, and organizational +levels. + +** Objective +Objectivity is an unbiased mental attitude that allows internal auditors +to perform engagements in such a manner that they believe in their work +product and that no quality compromises are made. Objectivity requires +that internal auditors do not subordinate their judgment on audit +matters to others. Threats to objectivity must be managed at the +individual auditor, engagement, functional, and organizational levels. + +** Assurance +Assurance services involve the internal auditor's objective assessment +of evidence to provide opinions or conclusions regarding an entity, +operation, function, process, system, or other subject matters. The +internal auditor determines the nature and scope of an assurance +engagement. Generally, three parties are participants in assurance +services: (1) the person or group directly involved with the entity, +operation, function, process, system, or other subject - (the process +owner), (2) the person or group making the assessment - (the internal +auditor), and (3) the person or group using the assessment - (the user). + +** Consulting +Consulting services are advisory in nature and are generally performed +at the specific request of an engagement client. The nature and scope of +the consulting engagement are subject to agreement with the engagement +client. Consulting services generally involve two parties: (1) the +person or group offering the advice (the internal auditor), and (2) the +person or group seeking and receiving the advice (the engagement +client). When performing consulting services, the internal auditor +should maintain objectivity and not assume management responsibility. + +** Governance, Risk Management, & Compliance (GRC) +The integrated collection of capabilities that enable an organization to +reliably achieve objectives, address uncertainty and act with integrity. + +* Audit Charter & Standards +First, it's important to note that not every organization needs internal +auditors. In fact, it's unwise for an organization to hire internal +auditors unless they have regulatory requirements for auditing and have +the capital to support the department. Internal audit is a cost center +that can only affect revenue indirectly. + +Once an organization determines the need for internal assurance +services, they will hire a Chief Audit Executive and create the audit +charter. This charter is a document, approved by the company's governing +body, that will define internal audit's purpose, authority, +responsibility, and position within the organization. Fortunately, the +IIA has model charters available to IIA members for those developing or +improving their charter. + +Beyond the charter and organizational documents, internal auditors +follow a few different standards in order to perform their job. First is +the International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF) by the IIA, +which is the model of standards for internal auditing. In addition, +ISACA's Information Technology Assurance Framework (ITAF) helps guide +auditors in reference to information technology (IT) compliance and +assurance. Finally, additional standards such as FASB, GAAP, and +industry-specific standards are used when performing internal audit +work. + +* Three Lines of Defense +[[https://theiia.org][The IIA]] released the original Three Lines of +Defense model in 2013, but have released an updated version in 2020. +Here is what the Three Lines of Defense model has historically looked +like: + +#+caption: 2013 Three Lines of Defense Model +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200922-what-is-internal-audit/three_lines_model.png]] + +I won't go into depth about the changes made to the model in this +article. Instead, let's take a look at the most current model. + +#+caption: 2020 Three Lines of Defense Model +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200922-what-is-internal-audit/updated_three_lines_model.png]] + +The updated model forgets the strict idea of areas performing their own +functions or line of defense. Instead of talking about management, risk, +and internal audit as 1-2-3, the new model creates a more fluid and +cooperative model. + +Looking at this model from an auditing perspective shows us that +auditors will need to align, communicate, and collaborate with +management, including business area managers and chief officers, as well +as reporting to the governing body. The governing body will instruct +internal audit /functionally/ on their goals and track their progress +periodically. + +However, the internal audit department will report /administratively/ to +a chief officer in the company for the purposes of collaboration, +direction, and assistance with the business. Note that in most +situations, the governing body is the audit committee on the company's +board of directors. + +The result of this structure is that internal audit is an independent +and objective function that can provide assurance over the topics they +audit. + +* Audit Process +A normal audit will generally follow the same process, regardless of the +topic. However, certain special projects or abnormal business areas may +call for changes to the audit process. The audit process is not set in +stone, it's simply a set of best practices so that audits can be +performed consistently. + +#+caption: The Internal Audit Process +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200922-what-is-internal-audit/internal-audit-process.jpg]] + +While different organizations may tweak the process, it will generally +follow this flow: + +** 1. Risk Assessment +The risk assessment part of the process has historically been performed +annually, but many organizations have moved to performing this process +much more frequently. In fact, some organizations are moving to an agile +approach that can take new risks into the risk assessment and +re-prioritize risk areas on-the-go. To perform a risk assessment, +leaders in internal audit will research industry risks, consult with +business leaders around the company, and perform analyses on company +data. + +Once a risk assessment has been documented, the audit department has a +prioritized list of risks that can be audited. This is usually in the +form of auditable entities, such as business areas or departments. + +** 2. Planning +During the planning phase of an audit, auditors will meet with the +business area to discuss the various processes, controls, and risks +applicable to the business. This helps the auditors determine the scope +limits for the audit, as well as timing and subject-matter experts. +Certain documents will be created in this phase that will be used to +keep the audit on-track an in-scope as it goes forward. + +** 3. Testing +The testing phase, also known as fieldwork or execution, is where +internal auditors will take the information they've discovered and test +it against regulations, industry standards, company rules, best +practices, as well as validating that any processes are complete and +accurate. For example, an audit of HR would most likely examine +processes such as employee on-boarding, employee termination, security +of personally identifiable information (PII), or the IT systems involved +in these processes. Company standards would be examined and compared +against how the processes are actually being performed day-to-day, as +well as compared against regulations such as the Equal Employment +Opportunity (EEO), American with Disabilities Act, and National Labor +Relations Act. + +** 4. Reporting +Once all the tests have been completed, the audit will enter the +reporting phase. This is when the audit team will conclude on the +evidence they've collected, interviews they've held, and any opinions +they've formed on the controls in place. A summary of the audit +findings, conclusions, and specific recommendations are officially +communicated to the client through a draft report. Clients have the +opportunity to respond to the report and submit an action plan and time +frame. These responses become part of the final report which is +distributed to the appropriate level of administration. + +** 5. Follow-Up +After audits have been completed and management has formed action plans +and time frames for audit issues, internal audit will follow up once +that due date has arrived. In most cases, the follow-up will simply +consist of a meeting to discuss how the action plan has been completed +and to request documentation to prove it. + +* Audit Department Structure +While an internal audit department is most often thought of as a team of +full-time employees, there are actually many different ways in which a +department can be structured. As the world becomes more digital and +fast-paced, outsourcing has become a more attractive option for some +organizations. Internal audit can be fully outsourced or partially +outsourced, allowing for flexibility in cases where turnover is high. + +In addition, departments can implement a rotational model. This allows +for interested employees around the organization to rotate into the +internal audit department for a period of time, allowing them to obtain +knowledge of risks and controls and allowing the internal audit team to +obtain more business area knowledge. This program is popular in very +large organizations, but organizations tend to rotate lower-level audit +staff instead of managers. This helps prevent any significant knowledge +loss as auditors rotate out to business areas. + +* Consulting +Consulting is not an easy task at any organization, especially for a +department that can have negative perceptions within the organization as +the "compliance police." However, once an internal audit department has +delivered value to organization, adding consulting to their suite of +services is a smart move. In most cases, Internal Audit can insert +themselves into a consulting role without affecting the process of +project management at the company. This means that internal audit can +add objective assurance and opinions to business areas as they develop +new processes, instead of coming in periodically to audit an area and +file issues that could have been fixed at the beginning. + +* Data Science & Data Analytics +#+caption: Data Science Skill Set +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200922-what-is-internal-audit/data-science-skillset.png]] + +One major piece of the internal audit function in the modern world is +data science. While the process is data science, most auditors will +refer to anything in this realm as data analytics. Hot topics such as +robotic process automation (RPA), machine learning (ML), and data mining +have taken over the auditing world in recent years. These technologies +have been immensely helpful with increasing the effectiveness and +efficiency of auditors. + +For example, mundane and repetitive tasks can be automated in order for +auditors to make more room in their schedules for labor-intensive work. +Further, auditors will need to adapt technologies like machine learning +in order to extract more value from the data they're using to form +conclusions. diff --git a/content/blog/2020-09-25-happiness-map.org b/content/blog/2020-09-25-happiness-map.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1eab63e --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2020-09-25-happiness-map.org @@ -0,0 +1,217 @@ +#+title: Data Visualization: World Choropleth Map of Happiness +#+date: 2020-09-25 +#+description: Exploring and visualizing data with Python. +#+filetags: :data: + +* Background Information +The dataset (obtained from +[[https://www.kaggle.com/unsdsn/world-happiness][Kaggle]]) used in this +article contains a list of countries around the world, their happiness +rankings and scores, as well as other national scoring measures. + +Fields include: + +- Overall rank +- Country or region +- GDP per capita +- Social support +- Healthy life expectancy +- Freedom to make life choices +- Generosity +- Perceptions of corruption + +There are 156 records. Since there are ~195 countries in the world, we +can see that around 40 countries will be missing from this dataset. + +* Install Packages +As always, run the =install= command for all packages needed to perform +analysis. + +#+begin_src python +!pip install folium geopandas matplotlib numpy pandas +#+end_src + +* Import the Data +We only need a couple packages to create a choropleth map. We will use +[[https://python-visualization.github.io/folium/][Folium]], which +provides map visualizations in Python. We will also use geopandas and +pandas to wrangle our data before we put it on a map. + +#+begin_src python +# Import the necessary Python packages +import folium +import geopandas as gpd +import pandas as pd +#+end_src + +To get anything to show up on a map, we need a file that will specify +the boundaries of each country. Luckily, GeoJSON files exist (for free!) +on the internet. To get the boundaries of every country in the world, we +will use the GeoJSON link shown below. + +GeoPandas will take this data and load it into a dataframe so that we +can easily match it to the data we're trying to analyze. Let's look at +the GeoJSON dataframe: + +#+begin_src python +# Load the GeoJSON data with geopandas +geo_data = gpd.read_file('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/datasets/geo-countries/master/data/countries.geojson') +geo_data.head() +#+end_src + +#+caption: GeoJSON Dataframe +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200925-world-choropleth-map/geojson_df.png]] + +Next, let's load the data from the Kaggle dataset. I've downloaded this +file, so update the file path if you have it somewhere else. After +loading, let's take a look at this dataframe: + +#+begin_src python +# Load the world happiness data with pandas +happy_data = pd.read_csv(r'~/Downloads/world_happiness_data_2019.csv') +happy_data.head() +#+end_src + +#+caption: Happiness Dataframe +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200925-world-choropleth-map/happiness_df.png]] + +* Clean the Data +Some countries need to be renamed, or they will be lost when you merge +the happiness and GeoJSON dataframes. This is something I discovered +when the map below showed empty countries. I searched both data frames +for the missing countries to see the naming differences. Any countries +that do not have records in the =happy_data= df will not show up on the +map. + +#+begin_src python +# Rename some countries to match our GeoJSON data + +# Rename USA +usa_index = happy_data.index[happy_data['Country or region'] == 'United States'] +happy_data.at[usa_index, 'Country or region'] = 'United States of America' + +# Rename Tanzania +tanzania_index = happy_data.index[happy_data['Country or region'] == 'Tanzania'] +happy_data.at[tanzania_index, 'Country or region'] = 'United Republic of Tanzania' + +# Rename the Congo +republic_congo_index = happy_data.index[happy_data['Country or region'] == 'Congo (Brazzaville)'] +happy_data.at[republic_congo_index, 'Country or region'] = 'Republic of Congo' + +# Rename the DRC +democratic_congo_index = happy_data.index[happy_data['Country or region'] == 'Congo (Kinshasa)'] +happy_data.at[democratic_congo_index, 'Country or region'] = 'Democratic Republic of the Congo' +#+end_src + +* Merge the Data +Now that we have clean data, we need to merge the GeoJSON data with the +happiness data. Since we've stored them both in dataframes, we just need +to call the =.merge()= function. + +We will also rename a couple columns, just so that they're a little +easier to use when we create the map. + +#+begin_src python +# Merge the two previous dataframes into a single geopandas dataframe +merged_df = geo_data.merge(happy_data,left_on='ADMIN', right_on='Country or region') + +# Rename columns for ease of use +merged_df = merged_df.rename(columns = {'ADMIN':'GeoJSON_Country'}) +merged_df = merged_df.rename(columns = {'Country or region':'Country'}) +#+end_src + +#+caption: Merged Dataframe +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200925-world-choropleth-map/merged_df.png]] + +* Create the Map +The data is finally ready to be added to a map. The code below shows the +simplest way to find the center of the map and create a Folium map +object. The important part is to remember to reference the merged +dataframe for our GeoJSON data and value data. The columns specify which +geo data and value data to use. + +#+begin_src python +# Assign centroids to map +x_map = merged_df.centroid.x.mean() +y_map = merged_df.centroid.y.mean() +print(x_map,y_map) + +# Creating a map object +world_map = folium.Map(location=[y_map, x_map], zoom_start=2,tiles=None) +folium.TileLayer('CartoDB positron',name='Dark Map',control=False).add_to(world_map) + +# Creating choropleth map +folium.Choropleth( + geo_data=merged_df, + name='Choropleth', + data=merged_df, + columns=['Country','Overall rank'], + key_on='feature.properties.Country', + fill_color='YlOrRd', + fill_opacity=0.6, + line_opacity=0.8, + legend_name='Overall happiness rank', + smooth_factor=0, + highlight=True +).add_to(world_map) +#+end_src + +Let's look at the resulting map. + +#+caption: Choropleth Map +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200925-world-choropleth-map/map.png]] + +* Create a Tooltip on Hover +Now that we have a map set up, we could stop. However, I want to add a +tooltip so that I can see more information about each country. The +=tooltip_data= code below will show a popup on hover with all the data +fields shown. + +#+begin_src python + # Adding labels to map + style_function = lambda x: {'fillColor': '#ffffff', + 'color':'#000000', + 'fillOpacity': 0.1, + 'weight': 0.1} + +tooltip_data = folium.features.GeoJson( + merged_df, + style_function=style_function, + control=False, + tooltip=folium.features.GeoJsonTooltip( + fields=['Country' + ,'Overall rank' + ,'Score' + ,'GDP per capita' + ,'Social support' + ,'Healthy life expectancy' + ,'Freedom to make life choices' + ,'Generosity' + ,'Perceptions of corruption' + ], + aliases=['Country: ' + ,'Happiness rank: ' + ,'Happiness score: ' + ,'GDP per capita: ' + ,'Social support: ' + ,'Healthy life expectancy: ' + ,'Freedom to make life choices: ' + ,'Generosity: ' + ,'Perceptions of corruption: ' + ], + style=('background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; padding: 10px;') + ) +) +world_map.add_child(tooltip_data) +world_map.keep_in_front(tooltip_data) +folium.LayerControl().add_to(world_map) + +# Display the map +world_map +#+end_src + +The final image below will show you what the tooltip looks like whenever +you hover over a country. + +#+caption: Choropleth Map Tooltip +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20200925-world-choropleth-map/tooltip_map.png]] diff --git a/content/blog/2020-10-12-mediocrity.org b/content/blog/2020-10-12-mediocrity.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a653f80 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2020-10-12-mediocrity.org @@ -0,0 +1,122 @@ +#+title: On the Pursuit of Mediocrity +#+date: 2020-10-12 +#+description: Musings on mediocrity. +#+filetags: :personal: + +* Perfect is the Enemy of Good +As the saying goes, "the best is the enemy of the good." As we strive +for perfection, we often fail to realize the implications of such an +undertaking. Attempting to reach perfection is often unrealistic. Even +worse, it can get in the way of achieving a good outcome. In certain +situations, we try so hard to achieve the ideal solution that we have +burned the bridges that would have allowed us to reach a lesser yet +still superb solution. + +Philosophers throughout history have inspected this plight from many +viewpoints. Greek mythology speaks of the +[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_mean_(philosophy)][golden mean]], +which uses the story of Icarus to illustrate that sometimes "the middle +course" is the best solution. In this story, Daedalus, a famous artist +of his time, built feathered wings for himself and his son so that they +might escape the clutches of King Minos. Daedalus warns his beloved son +whom he loved so much to "fly the middle course", between the sea spray +and the sun's heat. Icarus did not heed his father; he flew up and up +until the sun melted the wax off his wings. For not heeding the middle +course, he fell into the sea and drowned. + +More recently, management scholars have explored the +[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle][Pareto principle]] and +found that as we increase the frequency of something, or strive to +perform actions to achieve some form of perfection, we run into +[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminishing_returns][diminishing +returns]]. + +Even further, Harold Demsetz is noted as coining the term +[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_fallacy][the Nirvana fallacy]] +in 1969, which shows the fallacy of comparing actual things with +unrealistic, idealized alternatives. This is another trap that we may +fall into, where we are constantly thinking of the ultimate solutions to +problems, when something more realistic needs to be considered. + +Over and over throughout history, we've found that perfection is often +unrealistic and unachievable. However, we push ourselves and our peers +to "give 100%" or "go the extra mile," while it may be that the better +course is to give a valuable level of effort while considering the +effects of further effort on the outcome. Working harder does not always +help us achieve loftier goals. + +This has presented itself to me most recently during my time studying at +my university. I was anxious and feeling the stresses of my courses, +career, and personal life for quite a while, which was greatly affecting +how well I was doing at school and my level of effort at work. One day, +I happened to be talking to my father when he said something simple that +hit home: + +#+begin_quote +All you can do is show up and do your best. Worrying about the outcomes +won't affect the outcome itself. +#+end_quote + +The thought was extremely straightforward and uncomplicated, yet it was +something that I had lost sight of during my stress-filled years at +school. Ever since then, I've found myself pausing and remembering that +quote every time I get anxious or stressed. It helps to stop and think +"Can I do anything to affect the outcome, or am I simply worrying over +something I can't change?" + +* When Mediocrity Isn't Enough +One problem with the philosophies presented in this post is that they +are implemented far too often in situations where mediocrity simply +isn't adequate. For example, let's take a look at digital user data, +specifically personally-identifiable information (PII). As a +cybersecurity auditor in the United States, I have found that most +companies are concerned more with compliance than any actual safeguards +over the privacy or protection of user data. Other than companies who +have built their reputation on privacy and security, most companies will +use [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satisficing][satisficing]] as their +primary decision-making strategy around user data. + +#+begin_quote +Satisficing is a decision-making strategy or cognitive heuristic that +entails searching through the available alternatives until an +acceptability threshold is met. +#+end_quote + +This means that each decision will be met with certain possible +solutions until one of the solutions meets their minimum acceptable +standards. For companies that deal with user data, the +minimum-acceptable standards come from three areas: + +1. Laws and regulations +2. Competitive pressure +3. Risk of monetary or reputation loss + +Working with project management or auditing, the primary concern here is +the risk of legal ramifications. Since the primary risk comes from laws +and regulations, companies will require that any project that involves +user data must follow all the rules of those laws so that the company +can protect itself from fines or other penalties. + +Following this, companies will consider best practices in order to place +itself in a competitive position (e.g. Google vs. Apple) and review any +recent or ongoing litigation against companies regarding user data. In a +perfect company, management would then consider the ethical +responsibilities of their organization and discuss their +responsibilities over things like personally-identifiable information. + +However, as we mentioned above, most companies follow the idea of +satisficing, which states that they have met the minimum acceptable +standards and can now move on to other decisions. Modern business +culture in the United States dictates that profits are the golden +measure of how well a company or manager is performing, so we often +don't think about our responsibilities beyond these basic standards. + +Not all situations demand excellence, but I believe that applying any +philosophy as a broad stroke across one's life can be a mistake. We must +be able to think critically about what we are doing as we do it and ask +ourselves a few questions. Have I done everything I can in this +situation? Is mediocrity an acceptable outcome, or should we strive for +perfection, even if we can't attain it? + +Taking a few moments to think critically throughout our day, as we make +decisions, can have a tremendous effect on the outcomes we create. diff --git a/content/blog/2020-12-27-website-redesign.org b/content/blog/2020-12-27-website-redesign.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..cfa8795 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2020-12-27-website-redesign.org @@ -0,0 +1,96 @@ +#+title: Redesigning My Website: The 5 KB Result +#+date: 2020-12-27 +#+description: A retrospective on my recent website redesign. +#+filetags: :sysadmin: + +* A Brief History +As a form of continuous learning and entertainment, I've been running a +handful of websites since 2016 when I took my first programming courses +in college. I maintain one main website, the place I consider the +official website to represent me. Under this site, I have a handful of +subdirectories and subdomains. + +One of the parts I've enjoyed the most about web development is the +aspect of designing an identity for a web page and working to find +exciting ways to display the site's content. Inevitably, this means I've +changed the designs for my websites more times than I could possibly +count. Since I don't really host anything on my main webpage that's +vital, it allows me the freedom to change things as inspiration strikes. + +Historically, I've relied on core utilities for spacing, components, and +layouts from [[https://getbootstrap.com][Bootstrap]] and added custom +CSS for fonts, accents, colors, and other items. I also tend to create +sites with no border radius on items, visible borders, and content that +takes up the entire screen (using whitespace inside components instead +of whitespace around my components). + +* The Redesign Process +About a week ago, I found myself wishing for a new design yet again. The +prior design was largely inspired by IBM's +[[https://www.carbondesignsystem.com][Carbon Design System]] and relied +on jQuery, Bootstrap, along with some compressed +[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebP][.webp]] images. + +To anyone who knows my preferences toward web design - and even in my +personal life - it should be no surprise that I immediately started +looking for inspiration on minimalism. While there are some decent +minimalistic designs on sites like +[[https://dribbble.com/search/shots/popular/web-design?q=minimalism][Dribbble]], +people seem to mostly discuss [[https://brutalist-web.design][brutalist +web design]] when you ask about minimalism. While brutalist web design +doesn't have to be minimal, it often is. + +I suppose, in a way, I did create a brutalist website since my HTML is +semantic and accessible, hyperlinks are colored and underlined, and all +native browser functions like scrolling and the back button work as +expected. However, I didn't think about brutalism while designing these +sites. + +The new design followed a simple design process. I walked through the +screens on my blog and asked myself: "Is this element necessary for a +user?" This allowed me to first start by removing all javascript, which +had the sole purpose of allowing users to open a collapsed navbar on +mobile. Replacing the collapsible navbar allowed me to remove both +jQuery and Bootstrap's javascript. + +Next, I removed things like author names (since I'm literally the only +person who will ever write on this site), multiple ways to click on a +blog post card, blog post descriptions, and the scroll-to-top button. It +also helped to move all categories to a single page, rather than have +each category on its own page. + +The final big piece to finish the +"[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Kondo#KonMari_method][KonMari]]"-like +part of my process was to remove Bootstrap CSS in its entirety. However, +this meant pulling out a few very useful classes, such as =.img-fluid= +and the default font stacks to keep in my custom CSS. + +After removing all the unnecessary pieces, I was finally able to +reorganize my content and add a very small amount of custom CSS to make +everything pretty. This took a brief amount of time, effectively just +consisting of me converting =
= tags into things like =
    = lists +and choosing accent colors. + +* The Results +** Reflection +So, what did all of this reorganizing do to my webpages? Well, first, my +websites are now *ridiculously fast*. Since the prior designs were also +minimal and didn't have many images, they measured up in Firefox's +Network Monitor around 300 KB - 600KB. After making the changes, my main +site is at 5 KB transferred (22 KB total), and my blog is at 6.5 KB +transferred (13 KB total). *That means the redesigned pages are less +than 2% the size of the old designs.* + +Google Lighthouse ranks the new webpage as 100 in performance, +accessibility, and best practices, with SEO at 92 since they think tap +targets are not sized appropriately for mobile users. First contextual +paints of the pages are under 0.8 seconds with 0 ms of blocking time. +However, the blog subdomain ranks at 100 for all four categories! First +contextual paints of the blog homepage are under 1.0 seconds with 0 ms +of blocking time, due to the fact that the CSS for my blog is within a +separate CSS file, and the CSS for my main website is simply embedded in +the HTML file. + +Now that everything is complete, I can confidently say I'm happy with +the result and proud to look at the fastest set of websites I've created +so far. diff --git a/content/blog/2020-12-28-neon-drive.org b/content/blog/2020-12-28-neon-drive.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..957bd33 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2020-12-28-neon-drive.org @@ -0,0 +1,93 @@ +#+title: Neon Drive: A Nostalgic 80s Arcade Racing Game +#+date: 2020-12-28 +#+description: A video game review for Neon Drive. +#+filetags: :gaming: + +* Game Description +[[https://store.steampowered.com/app/433910/Neon_Drive/][Neon Drive]] +presents itself as a simple arcade-style game inspired by the arcade +race games of the 1980s, yet it has managed to take up hours of my life +without much effort. The game description, directly from the Steam page, +is intriguing enough to entice anyone who's been looking for a good +arcade racing game: + +#+begin_quote +Neon Drive is a slick retro-futuristic arcade game that will make your +brain melt. You've been warned. From beautiful cityscapes and ocean +roads to exploding enemy spaceships, Neon Drive has it all. + +#+end_quote + +* Gameplay +The game holds true to the +[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retrofuturism][retro-futurism]] style, +including chrome female robots, pixelated arcade machines, and +[[https://teddit.net/r/outrun/][outrun]] aesthetics. + +Each level of the game is shown as a separate arcade machine. Each +arcade machine lets you play on Normal, Hard, Insane, Practice, and Free +Run. To beat each arcade, you must reach the end of the level without +crashing your car into the various obstacles on the course. Basic levels +let you move left or right to avoid blocks in the road. Later levels put +you through other tests, such as dodging traffic or blasting asteroids. + +The game uses synthwave music to keep you on track to make the correct +moves by timing the beats of the songs to the correct moves on the +screen. It reminds me of the early Guitar Hero games, as well as mobile +apps like VOEZ - repetition and staying on-beat is the only way to win. + +* In-Game Screenshots +Taking a look at the main menu, you can see that Neon Drive plays into +every stereotype you can think of around retro-futuristic, synthwave +arcades (in a good way). + +#+caption: Neon Drive Menu +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20201228-neon-drive/neon_drive_menu.png]] + +Once you get into the first level, we see that the choice of car fits +right in with the stereotypical cars of the 80s, like the +[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DMC_DeLorean][DeLorean]] or the +[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrari_F40][Ferrari F40]]. Each new +level comes with new color schemes and cars, so you should never get +tired of the aesthetic. + +#+caption: Neon Drive Race +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20201228-neon-drive/neon_drive_race.png]] + +Personally, I love the orange and blue colors used in level 2: + +#+caption: Level 2 +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20201228-neon-drive/neon_drive_level_2.png]] + +If you're the competitive type and getting 100% on all arcade machines +isn't enough, there are leaderboards for the regular part of the game, +and the endurance game mode. + +#+caption: Leaderboard +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20201228-neon-drive/neon_drive_leaderboard.png]] + +* Other Suggestions +Neon Drive sits nicely within the well-founded cult genre of Outrun. +Other games that I've enjoyed in this same spectrum are: + +- [[https://store.steampowered.com/app/233270/Far_Cry_3__Blood_Dragon/][Far + Cry 3: Blood Dragon]] +- [[https://store.steampowered.com/app/1239690/Retrowave/][Retrowave]] +- [[https://store.steampowered.com/app/732810/Slipstream/][Slipstream]] + +Although these games aren't necessarily in the same genre, they do have +aspects that place them close enough to interest gamers that enjoyed +Neon Drive: + +- [[https://store.steampowered.com/app/311800/Black_Ice/][Black Ice]] +- [[https://store.steampowered.com/app/746850/Cloudpunk/][Cloudpunk]] +- [[https://store.steampowered.com/app/1222680/Need_for_Speed_Heat/][Need + for Speed: Heat]] +- [[https://store.steampowered.com/app/1019310/VirtuaVerse/][VirtuaVerse]] + +Of course, if all you really care about is the arcade aspect of these +games, you can check out the +[[https://store.steampowered.com/app/400020/Atari_Vault/][Atari Vault]] +or any of the other classic games sold on Steam by companies like Namco, +Atari. For something like Nintendo, you'd have to settle for buying used +classic consoles or delve into the world of emulation. diff --git a/content/blog/2020-12-29-zork.org b/content/blog/2020-12-29-zork.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..92f5169 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2020-12-29-zork.org @@ -0,0 +1,90 @@ +#+title: Zork: Let's Explore a Classic +#+date: 2020-12-29 +#+description: A video game review for Zork. +#+filetags: :gaming: + +* Download (Free) +Before we get into the game itself, you should know that you can +download Zork for free from Infocom's +[[http://infocom-if.org/downloads/downloads.html][download page]]. So +feel free to boot it up and take a ride back to the 1980s with this +masterpiece. + +* Game Description +Zork is an interactive, text-based computer game originally released +in 1980. This series, split into three separate games, introduced a +robust and sophisticated text parser to gamers. People were largely used +to the simple commands used in the popular game +[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossal_Cave_Adventure][Colossal Cave +Adventure]], but Zork allowed users to send more complex commands that +included prepositions and conjunctions. + +Zork tracks your score as you explore the map, find tools, and collect +trophy items (e.g., a jewel-encrusted egg). When you place your trophy +items in the trophy case found in the Living Room area, you gain score +points. Collecting the Twenty Treasures of Zork and placing them within +the trophy case wins the game. However, you must explore the map, solve +puzzles, and avoid being eaten by a grue to collect these treasures. + +* The Map +Since Zork is a vast and complex game, it helps to have a map as you +explore and collect your trophies. However, if you want to play the game +as it was truly intended, you should try to play it without using the +map. + +#+caption: Zork Map +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20201229-zork/zork_map.png]] + +/[[https://www.filfre.net/2012/01/exploring-zork-part-1/][Map Source]]/ + +* In-Game Screenshots +After playing the game (for the first time ever) for several weeks +around 2014, I was finally able to beat the game with some online help +to find the last couple items. As I was writing this post, I installed +the game again to grab some screenshots to show off the true glory of +this game. As noted in +[[https://www.filfre.net/2012/01/exploring-zork-part-1/][Jimmy Maher's +playthrough]], the original Zork games looked quite a bit different due +to the older hardware of computers like the Apple II and multiple bug +fixes that Infocom pushed out after the game's initial release. My +play-through uses the +[[https://store.steampowered.com/app/570580/Zork_Anthology/][Zork +Anthology]] version, which utilizes DOSBox on Windows. + +The first screenshot here shows the introductory information, which +doesn't include instructions of any kind for the player. If you haven't +played text adventures before, try to use simple commands like "go +west," "look around," or "hit troll with elvish sword." + +#+caption: Zork Screen, pt. 1 +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20201229-zork/zork_01.png]] + +In this second screenshot, we see the player has entered the house and +found the trophy case in the living room. The lantern and sword in this +room allow the player to explore dark areas and attack enemies. If you +don't use the lantern, you won't be able to see anything in dark areas, +and you may be eaten by a grue. + +#+caption: Zork Screen, pt. 2 +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20201229-zork/zork_02.png]] + +Finally, we see that the player has found the first treasure: a +jewel-encrusted egg. These treasures can be taken back to the house and +placed in the trophy case or carried until you feel like you want to put +things away. + +#+caption: Zork Screen, pt 3. +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20201229-zork/zork_03.png]] + +* Conclusion +It's been quite a few years since I first played Zork, but I clearly +remember the late nights and bloodshot eyes that helped me find all the +treasures. This game is well worth the time and effort, even though the +text-based aspect may be off-putting to gamers who didn't have to grow +up playing games without graphics. However, I believe that the strategy +and skills learned in early video games like Zork can actually help you, +even when playing newer games. + +If you do decide to play Zork, you can download Zork I, II, and III from +Infocom's [[http://infocom-if.org/downloads/downloads.html][download +page]] for free or search the internet for an online version. diff --git a/content/blog/2021-01-01-seum.org b/content/blog/2021-01-01-seum.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4e483a8 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2021-01-01-seum.org @@ -0,0 +1,92 @@ +#+title: SEUM: Speedrunners from Hell +#+date: 2021-01-01 +#+description: A video game review for SEUM: Speedrunners from Hell. +#+filetags: :gaming: + +* Game Description +[[https://store.steampowered.com/app/457210/SEUM_Speedrunners_from_Hell/][SEUM: +Speedrunners from Hell]] is an incredibly fast-paced mashup of a puzzle +game and a free-running game. Created by [[https://pinestudio.co][Pine +Studio]] in early 2016 and first released as a +[[https://gamejolt.com/games/seum-speedrunners-from-hell-demo/154868][demo +on GameJolt]], this game was successfully green-lit on Steam and has +amassed a cult following on multiple consoles. + +Here's the game description straight from the developers: + +#+begin_quote +Like a bastard child of Quake 3 and Super Meat Boy, SEUM: Speedrunners +from Hell is truly hardcore and focuses on speed and fast reaction. +#+end_quote + +* Story +SEUM does a great job setting the stage when you open the game for the +first time, playing an animated video in the form of comic book images. +You see Marty, the protagonist, sitting around drinking his beer as +Satan busts down the door, cuts his hand off, and steals all his beer +and bacon. As Satan is leaving, Marty whips a vinyl record across the +room and cuts off one of Satan's hands. This hand is what allows you to +use all the powers in the game. + +Check out the screenshot below for one of the first panels of the +storyline: + +#+caption: SEUM Story +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20210101-seum/seum_story.png]] + +* Gameplay +To accomplish each level, you will need to get to the final blue portal +under a certain time limit. You can beat a level by getting to the +portal before the time meter runs out or "Dominate" a level by beating +it within a shorter time limit (noted by a bright red/orange color in +the time meter). + +The portal is usually set behind locked gates, protected by dangerous +defenses, or in hard-to-reach places. To reach the portal, you'll need +to go through any existing orange portals, light all yellow beacons, +avoid things like fireballs and blades, or use any satanic power orbs +lying around. These special abilities include: + +- Gravity +- Teleport +- Rewind +- Spawn platform +- Roar (DLC) +- Rocket (DLC) +- Shadow world (DLC) + +For the main storyline, there are nine floors to beat. Each floor +contains nine regular levels, one boss level, and one bonus level; +although you don't technically need to beat all levels to advance to the +next floor. + +#+caption: SEUM Floor Menu +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20210101-seum/seum_floor.png]] + +* In-Game Screenshots +The main menu gives you plenty of options for tuning your system, +playing main levels, playing the DLC, or exploring the other game modes. + +#+caption: SEUM Main Menu +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20210101-seum/seum_menu.png]] + +Once you enter a level, you can look around and strategize before +starting. Clicking any button will start the menu, and you'll have to +restart if you die. One of the great things about SEUM is that it has +great keyboard shortcuts. You can quickly smash =R= to restart the level +or =M= to return to the level menu. + +#+caption: SEUM Level +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20210101-seum/seum_level.png]] + +Once you're able to win a level, you'll see the high scores and can +watch replays of the best scores. + +#+caption: SEUM Win +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20210101-seum/seum_win.png]] + +Each regular level contains a beer in a disguised location that may take +some out-of-the-box thinking. + +#+caption: SEUM Beer +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20210101-seum/seum_beer.png]] diff --git a/content/blog/2021-01-04-fediverse.org b/content/blog/2021-01-04-fediverse.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5224b17 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2021-01-04-fediverse.org @@ -0,0 +1,92 @@ +#+title: A Simple Guide to the Fediverse +#+date: 2021-01-04 +#+description: Learn about the basics of the Fediverse. +#+filetags: :social: + +* What is the Fediverse? +The fediverse is a federated universe of servers commonly used for +sharing content, like social media. So, instead of having to rely on a +single organization to run the server (e.g. Facebook), the fediverse is +a giant collection of servers across the world, owned by many people and +organizations. + +Take a look at this depiction of a federated network. Each server in +this photo is owned and run by different administrators/owners. +Federated networks are best explained as email servers: you have an +email account that exists on a server (e.g. Outlook), your friend has an +account on a different server (e.g. GMail), and another friend has an +account on a third server (e.g. ProtonMail). All three of you can talk +and communicate back and forth without having to be on the same server. +However, responsible email admins are there to set rules and control the +traffic going in/out of the server. + +#+caption: Federated services diagram +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20210104-a-simple-guide-to-the-fediverse/federated-example.svg]] + +The main objective of this architecture is to decentralize the control +within the internet connections. For example, if you run your own +Mastodon instance, you and your users can't be censored or impacted in +any way by authorities of another Mastodon instance. Some users have +praised these features due to recent criticism of popular social media +websites that may be over-censoring their users. + +This strategy is great for making sure control of the social web isn't +controlled by a single organization, but it also has some downsides. If +I create a Mastodon instance and get a ton of users to sign up, I can +shut the server down at any time. That means you're at risk of losing +the content you've created unless you back it up, or the server backs it +up for you. Also, depending on the software used (e.g. Mastodon, +Pixelfed, etc.), censorship may still be an issue if the server admins +decide they want to censor their users. Now, censorship isn't always a +bad thing and can even benefit the community as a whole, but you'll want +to determine which servers align with your idea of proper censorship. + +However, these are risks that we take when we sign up for any online +platform. Whatever your reason is for trying out federated social +networks, they are part of the future of the internet. However, the +popularity of these services is still yet to be determined, especially +with the increased difficulty understanding and signing up for these +platforms. Perhaps increased regulation and litigation against current +social media sites will push more users into the fediverse. + +* Federated Alternatives to Popular Sites +The list below is a small guide that will show you federated +alternatives to current popular websites. There are many more out there, +so go and explore: you might just find the perfect home. + +** Reddit +- [[https://lemmy.ml/instances][Lemmy]] + +** Twitter/Facebook/Tumblr +- [[https://joinmastodon.org][Mastodon]] +- [[https://diasporafoundation.org][Diaspora]] +- [[https://friendi.ca][Friendica]] +- [[https://gnusocial.network][GNU Social]] +- [[https://pleroma.social][Pleroma]] + +** Instagram +- [[https://pixelfed.org][Pixelfed]] + +** Slack/Discord +- [[https://element.io][Matrix]] + +** Youtube/Vimeo +- [[https://joinpeertube.org][Peertube]] + +** Spotify/Soundcloud +- [[https://funkwhale.audio][Funkwhale]] + +** Podcasting +- [[https://pubcast.pub][Pubcast]] + +** Medium/Blogger +- [[https://writefreely.org][WriteFreely]] + +* Get Started +The best way to get started is to simply sign up and learn as you go. If +you're comfortable signing up through a Mastodon, Pleroma, or Friendica +server, here is [[https://fediverse.party/en/portal/servers][a list of +themed servers]] to choose from. If you're looking for something else, +try a web search for a federated alternative to your favorite sites. + +Find a server that focuses on your passions and start there! diff --git a/content/blog/2021-01-07-ufw.org b/content/blog/2021-01-07-ufw.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b1e9adf --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2021-01-07-ufw.org @@ -0,0 +1,213 @@ +#+title: Secure Your Network with the Uncomplicated Firewall (ufw) +#+date: 2021-01-07 +#+description: A simple guide to the UFW. +#+filetags: :sysadmin: + +* Uncomplicated Firewall +Uncomplicated Firewall, also known as ufw, is a convenient and +beginner-friendly way to enforce OS-level firewall rules. For those who +are hosting servers or any device that is accessible to the world (i.e., +by public IP or domain name), it's critical that a firewall is properly +implemented and active. + +Ufw is available by default in all Ubuntu installations after 8.04 LTS. +For other distributions, you can look to install ufw or check if there +are alternative firewalls installed already. There are usually +alternatives available, such as Fedora's =firewall= and the package +available on most distributions: =iptables=. Ufw is considered a +beginner-friendly front-end to iptables. + +[[https://gufw.org][Gufw]] is available as a graphical user interface +(GUI) application for users who are uncomfortable setting up a firewall +through a terminal. + +#+caption: Gufw Screenshot +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20210107-secure-your-network-with-the-uncomplicated-firewall/gufw.png]] + +* Getting Help +If you need help figuring out commands, remember that you can run the +=--help= flag to get a list of options. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo ufw --help +#+end_src + +* Set Default State +The proper way to run a firewall is to set a strict default state and +slowly open up ports that you want to allow. This helps prevent anything +malicious from slipping through the cracks. The following command +prevents all incoming traffic (other than the rules we specify later), +but you can also set this for outgoing connections, if necessary. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo ufw default deny incoming +#+end_src + +You should also allow outgoing traffic if you want to allow the device +to communicate back to you or other parties. For example, media servers +like Plex need to be able to send out data related to streaming the +media. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo ufw default allow outgoing +#+end_src + +* Adding Port Rules +Now that we've disabled all incoming traffic by default, we need to open +up some ports (or else no traffic would be able to come in). If you need +to be able to =ssh= into the machine, you'll need to open up port 22. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo ufw allow 22 +#+end_src + +You can also issue more restrictive rules. The following rule will allow +=ssh= connections only from machines on the local subnet. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo ufw allow proto tcp from 192.168.0.0/24 to any port 22 +#+end_src + +If you need to set a rule that isn't tcp, just append your connection +type to the end of the rule. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo ufw allow 1900/udp +#+end_src + +* Enable ufw +Now that the firewall is configured and ready to go, you can enable the +firewall. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo ufw enable +#+end_src + +A restart may be required for the firewall to begin operating. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo reboot now +#+end_src + +* Checking Status +Now that the firewall is enabled, let's check and see what the rules +look like. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo ufw status numbered +#+end_src + +#+begin_src txt +Status: active + + To Action From + -- ------ ---- +[ 1] 22 ALLOW IN Anywhere +[ 2] 22 (v6) ALLOW IN Anywhere (v6) +#+end_src + +* Deleting Rules +If you need to delete a rule, you need to know the number associated +with that rule. Let's delete the first rule in the table above. You'll +be asked to confirm the deletion as part of this process. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo ufw delete 1 +#+end_src + +* Managing App Rules +Luckily, there's a convenient way for installed applications to create +files that ufw can easily implement so that you don't have to search and +find which ports your application requires. To see if your device has +any applications with pre-installed ufw rules, execute the following +command: + +#+begin_src sh +sudo ufw app list +#+end_src + +The results should look something like this: + +#+begin_src txt +Available applications: + OpenSSH + Samba + plexmediaserver + plexmediaserver-all + plexmediaserver-dlna +#+end_src + +If you want to get more information on a specific app rule, use the +=info= command. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo ufw app info plexmediaserver-dlna +#+end_src + +You'll get a blurb of info back like this: + +#+begin_src txt +Profile: plexmediaserver-dlna +Title: Plex Media Server (DLNA) +Description: The Plex Media Server (additional DLNA capability only) + +Ports: + 1900/udp + 32469/tcp +#+end_src + +You can add or delete app rules the same way that you'd add or delete +specific port rules. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo ufw allow plexmediaserver-dlna +#+end_src + +#+begin_src sh +sudo ufw delete RULE|NUM +#+end_src + +* Creating App Rules +If you'd like to create you own app rule, you'll need to create a file +in the =/etc/ufw/applications.d= directory. Within the file you create, +you need to make sure the content is properly formatted. + +For example, here are the contents my =plexmediaserver= file, which +creates three distinct app rules for ufw: + +#+begin_src config +[plexmediaserver] +title=Plex Media Server (Standard) +description=The Plex Media Server +ports=32400/tcp|3005/tcp|5353/udp|8324/tcp|32410:32414/udp + +[plexmediaserver-dlna] +title=Plex Media Server (DLNA) +description=The Plex Media Server (additional DLNA capability only) +ports=1900/udp|32469/tcp + +[plexmediaserver-all] +title=Plex Media Server (Standard + DLNA) +description=The Plex Media Server (with additional DLNA capability) +ports=32400/tcp|3005/tcp|5353/udp|8324/tcp|32410:32414/udp|1900/udp|32469/tcp +#+end_src + +So, if I wanted to create a custom app rule called "mycustomrule," I'd +create a file and add my content like this: + +#+begin_src sh +sudo nano /etc/ufw/applications.d/mycustomrule +#+end_src + +#+begin_src config +[mycustomrule] +title=My Custom Rule +description=This is a temporary ufw app rule. +ports=88/tcp|9100/udp +#+end_src + +Then, I would just enable this rule in ufw. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo ufw allow mycustomrule +#+end_src diff --git a/content/blog/2021-02-19-macos.org b/content/blog/2021-02-19-macos.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..37aca9d --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2021-02-19-macos.org @@ -0,0 +1,200 @@ +#+title: macOS: Testing Out A New OS +#+date: 2021-02-19 +#+description: A retrospective on my migration from Linux to macOS. +#+filetags: :apple: + +* Diving into macOS +After spending nearly 15 years working with Windows and 8 years on +Linux, I have experienced macOS for the first time. By chance, my spouse +happened to buy a new MacBook and gifted me their 2013 model. Of course, +I still consider my Linux desktop to be my daily driver and keep Windows +around for gaming needs, but over the past week I've found myself using +the MacBook more and more for things that don't require gaming specs or +advanced dev tools. + +* Initial Thoughts +Before I move on to the technical aspects of my set-up, I want to take +some time and express my thoughts on the overall OS. + +#+caption: macOS Desktop +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20210219-macos-testing-out-a-new-os/macos-desktop.png]] + +As expected, the initial computer setup is a breeze with Mac's guided +GUI installer. + +The desktop itself reminds me of GNOME more than anything else I've +seen: even Pantheon from [[https://elementary.io/][ElementaryOS]], which +people commonly refer to as the closest Linux distro to macOS. The +desktop toolbar is great and far surpasses the utility of the GNOME +toolbar due to the fact that the extensions and icons /actually work/. I +launch macOS and immediately see my shortcuts for Tresorit, Bitwarden, +and Mullvad pop up as the computer loads. + +Even further, the app dock is very useful and will be yet another +familiarity for GNOME users. I know many people like panels instead of +docks, but I've always found docks to have a more pleasing UI. However, +I had to disable the "Show recent applications in Dock" preference; I +can't stand items taking up precious screen space if I'm not currently +using them. On that same note, it's taking me some time to get use to +the fact that I have to manually quit an app or else it will still stay +open/active in the dock, even if I've closed out all windows for that +app (e.g. Firefox). + +Overall, I'm having a lot of fun and for users who spend a large +majority of their time performing basic tasks like web browsing, +writing, watching media, etc., macOS is a fantastic option. + +The rest of this post explains the technicalities of how I set up my CLI +environment to make me feel more at-home, similar to the environments I +set up on Fedora, Ubuntu, etc. + +* Making it Feel Like Home +If you're someone who uses Linux primarily, no doubt your first thought +when booting macOS will be the same as mine was: "Where is the terminal +and how do I set up my favorite utilities?" + +Luckily, macOS hasn't completely hidden away the development tools from +the average user. You can easily find the Terminal app in the Launchpad +area, but it's probably not what you're used to. I was surprised (and +happy) to see that the default shell is =zsh=, the shell I use on all of +my Linux distros. However, the commands are not the same - even the ones +you may think are native to the shell. Commands like =dir= do not exist, +so other native commands like =ls -la= or =pwd= are more useful here. + +With only a few minutes of installing and tweaking a few packages, I was +able to recreate a terminal environment that I feel very comfortable +using. See the image below for a preview of the iTerm2 app with a split +view between my macOS desktop shell and an SSH session into my server. + +#+caption: iTerm2 +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20210219-macos-testing-out-a-new-os/iterm2.png]] + +* Xcode +My first step was to search the web for any hints on how to get =zsh= +back up to the state I like, with extensions, themes, etc. My first step +was to install the CLI tools for +[[https://developer.apple.com/xcode/][Xcode]], Apple's suite of +development tools. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo xcode-select -r +#+end_src + +#+begin_src sh +sudo xcode-select --install +#+end_src + +* Homebrew +Next up is to install [[https://brew.sh][Homebrew]], a nifty package +manager for macOS. + +#+begin_src sh +/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)" +#+end_src + +I ran into a permission error when installing Homebrew: + +#+begin_src sh +Error: Failed to link all completions, docs and manpages: + Permission denied @ rb_file_s_symlink - (../../../Homebrew/completions/zsh/_brew, /usr/local/share/zsh/site-functions/_brew) +Failed during: /usr/local/bin/brew update --force --quiet +#+end_src + +I found that the following permission modification worked like a charm. +However, I noted that some users online discussed the fact that this +solution may not work if your system has multiple users who use +Homebrew. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo chown -R $(whoami) $(brew --prefix)/* +#+end_src + +Next up is to ensure Homebrew is updated and cleaned. + +#+begin_src sh +brew update +#+end_src + +#+begin_src sh +brew cleanup +#+end_src + +* iTerm2 +Now that I've installed the basic utilities for development, I moved +onto installing iTerm2, a much better terminal than the default. + +#+begin_src sh +brew install --cask iterm2 +#+end_src + +I also used the =Make iTerm2 Default Term= and +=Install Shell Integration= options in the iTerm2 application menu to +make sure I don't run into any issues later on with different terminals. + +We will also install =zsh= so we can use it in iTerm2. + +#+begin_src sh +brew install zsh +#+end_src + +* Oh-My-Zsh +I've shown the great aspects of [[https://ohmyz.sh][Oh My Zsh]] in other +blog posts, so I'll skip over that speech for now. Simply install it and +run an update. + +#+begin_src sh +sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/robbyrussell/oh-my-zsh/master/tools/install.sh)" +#+end_src + +#+begin_src sh +omz update +#+end_src + +Finally, restart the iTerm2 application to ensure all changes go into +effect. + +* Oh-My-Zsh Themes +Let's change the theme of the terminal to make it a little more +friendly. + +#+begin_src sh +open ~/.zshrc +#+end_src + +The third section of this file should contain a line like the code +below. Change that theme to +[[https://github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/wiki/Themes][any theme you want]], +save the file, and exit. + +#+begin_src sh +ZSH_THEME="af-magic" +#+end_src + +After changing the =.zshrc= file, you'll need to close your terminal and +re-open it to see the changes. Optionally, just open a new tab if you're +using iTerm2, and you'll see the new shell config. + +* Oh-My-Zsh Plugins +Of course, my customization of =zsh= would not be complete without +[[https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions][zsh-autosuggestions]]. +This will bring up commands you've run in the past as you type them. For +example, if you've run =ssh user@192.168.1.99= before, the terminal will +show this command as soon as you start typing it (e.g. =zsh u=), and you +can hit the right arrow to autocomplete the command. + +#+begin_src sh +git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-autosuggestions +#+end_src + +#+begin_src sh +open ~/.zshrc +#+end_src + +#+begin_src sh +# Scroll down the script and edit this line to add zsh-autosuggestions +plugins=(git zsh-autosuggestions) +#+end_src + +Remember: After changing the =.zshrc= file, you'll need to close your +terminal and re-open it to see the changes. Optionally, just open a new +tab if you're using iTerm2, and you'll see the new shell config. diff --git a/content/blog/2021-03-19-clone-github-repos.org b/content/blog/2021-03-19-clone-github-repos.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3814e9f --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2021-03-19-clone-github-repos.org @@ -0,0 +1,148 @@ +#+title: How to Clone All Repositories from a GitHub or Sourcehut Account +#+date: 2021-03-19 +#+description: Learn how to clone all GitHub or Sourcehut repositories. +#+filetags: :dev: + +* Cloning from GitHub +If you're like me and use a lot of different devices (and sometimes +decide to just wipe your device and start with a new OS), you probably +know the pain of cloning all your old code repositories down to your +local file system. + +If you're using GitHub, you can easily clone all of your code back down +in just seconds. First, create a bash script. I do so by opening a new +file in =nano=, but you can use =gedit=, =vim=, or something else: + +#+begin_src sh +nano clone_github_repos.sh +#+end_src + +Next, paste in the following information. Note that you can replace the +word =users= in the first line with =orgs= and type an organization's +name instead of a user's name. + +#+begin_src sh +CNTX=users; NAME=YOUR-USERNAME; PAGE=1 +curl "https://api.github.com/$CNTX/$NAME/repos?page=$PAGE&per_page=100" | + grep -e 'git_url*' | + cut -d \" -f 4 | + xargs -L1 git clone +#+end_src + +Finally, save the bash script and make it executable. + +#+begin_src sh +chmod a+x clone_github_repos.sh +#+end_src + +Now you can run the script and should see the cloning process begin. + +#+begin_src sh +./clone_github_repos.sh +#+end_src + +* Cloning from Sourcehut +I haven't fully figured out how to directly incorporate Sourcehut's +GraphQL API into a bash script yet, so this one will take two steps. + +First, log-in to Sourcehut and go to their +[[https://git.sr.ht/graphql][GraphQL playground for Git]]. Next, paste +the following query into the left box: + +#+begin_src sh +query { + me { + canonicalName + repositories() { + cursor + results { + name + } + } + } +} +#+end_src + +The output on the right side will give you an object of all your +repositories. Just grab that text and remove all the characters such as +quotation marks and curly brackets. You will need a single-line list of +space-separated values for the next step. + +Now let's create the bash script: + +#+begin_src sh +nano clone_sourcehut_repos.sh +#+end_src + +Next, paste the following bash script in with the list of repositories +you obtained above and replace =your-username= with your username. + +Note that this uses the SSH-based Git cloning method +(e.g. =git@git...=), so you'll need to ensure you have set up Sourcehut +with your SSH key. + +#+begin_src sh +repos=(repo1 repo2 repo3) + +# List all sub-directories in the current directory +for repo in "${repos[@]}" +do + # Clone + git clone git@git.sr.ht:~your-username/$repo +done +#+end_src + +Finally, save the bash script and make it executable. + +#+begin_src sh +chmod a+x clone_sourcehut_repos.sh +#+end_src + +Now you can run the script and should see the cloning process begin. + +#+begin_src sh +./clone_sourcehut_repos.sh +#+end_src + +* Moving Repositories to a New Host +Now that you have all of your code repositories cloned to your local +computer, you may want to change the remote host (e.g., moving from +GitHub to GitLab). To do this, let's create another bash script: + +#+begin_src sh +nano change_remote_urls.sh +#+end_src + +Past the following information and be sure to change the URL information +to whichever host you are moving to. For this example, I am looping +through all of my cloned GitHub directories and changing them to +Sourcehut (e.g. == -> =git@git.sr.ht:~myusername=). + +#+begin_src sh +# List all sub-directories in the current directory +for dir in */ +do + # Remove the trailing "/" + dir=${dir%*/} + # Enter sub-directory + cd $dir + # Change remote Git URL + git remote set-url origin /"${dir##*/}" + # Push code to new remote + git push + # Go back to main directory + cd .. +done +#+end_src + +Finally, save the bash script and make it executable. + +#+begin_src sh +chmod a+x change_remote_urls.sh +#+end_src + +Now you can run the script and should see the cloning process begin. + +#+begin_src sh +./change_remote_urls.sh +#+end_src diff --git a/content/blog/2021-03-28-gemini-capsule.org b/content/blog/2021-03-28-gemini-capsule.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..69fd8f2 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2021-03-28-gemini-capsule.org @@ -0,0 +1,177 @@ +#+title: Launching a Gemini Capsule +#+date: 2021-03-28 +#+description: A guide to self-hosting a Gemini capsule on your own server. +#+filetags: :dev: + +* What is Gemini? +[[https://gemini.circumlunar.space/][Gemini]] is an internet protocol +introduced in June 2019 as an alternative to HTTP(S) or Gopher. In +layman's terms, it's an alternative way to browse sites (called +capsules) that requires a special browser. Since Gemini is not +standardized as an internet standard, normal web browsers won't be able +to load a Gemini capsule. Instead, you'll need to use +[[https://gemini.%20circumlunar.space/clients.html][a Gemini-specific +browser]]. + +The content found within a Gemini page is called +[[https://gemini.circumlunar.space/docs/cheatsheet.gmi][Gemtext]] and is +/extremely/ basic (on purpose). Gemini only processes the text, no media +content like images. However, you're able to style 3 levels of headings, +regular text, links (which will display on their own line), quotes, and +an unordered list. + +Here's a complete listing of valid Gemtext: + +#+begin_src txt +# Heading 1 +## Heading 2 +### Heading 3 + +Regular text! Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. + +=> https://example.com My Website +=> gemini://example.com My Gemini Capsule + +> "If life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavor." - Eleanor Roosevelt + +My List: +,** Item +,** Item + +```Anything between three backticks will be rendered as code.``` +#+end_src + +*** Free Option +There are probably numerous websites that allow you to create your +personal Gemini capsule, but I'm going to focus on the two sites that I +have personally tested. The first option below, Midnight Pub, allows you +to create/edit any Gemini files you want in your account. This is +essentially a GUI option with a built-in text box for editing. The +second option below, Sourcehut, allows you to use a Git repository and +automatic build process to deploy your personal Gemini capsule every +time you push a commit. + +** Midnight Pub - Beginner Friendly +[[https://midnight.pub/][Midnight Pub]] is a small, virtual community +meant to reflect the atmosphere of wandering into a small alley pub. The +site is built in Gemtext and has a server-side process to convert +Gemtext to HTML if someone loads the site in an HTTP(S) browser. + +To create an account, you'll need to email the owner of the website to +obtain a key. You can find their email on the Midnight Pub homepage. +Once registered, head to [[https://midnight.pub/account][your account]] +and select [[https://midnight.pub/site][manage site]]. This is the +screen where you can upload or create any files to be displayed on the +internet. + +For example, I've created both an HTML file and a Gemini file. Remember +that Gemini is automatically converted to HTML on the Pub, so you don't +need an HTML version. For example, I created an HTML version to add in +some extra styling. + +All you need to do is create a page like =index.gmi= and use your Gemini +browser to head over to your-username.midnight.pub to see the result. + +That's all there is to it! Easy enough, right? Let's check out a more +advanced version in the next section. + +* Paid Option +As of 2021, Sourcehut has decided to require users to have a paid +account in order to utilize their automated build system. For now, paid +accounts can be as low as $2/month. + +** Sourcehut +[[https://sourcehut.org/][Sourcehut]] is a collection of software +development tools, but mostly surrounds their hosted Git repository +service. Simply put, it's a minimal and more private alternative to +services like GitHub. + +This walkthrough is more advanced and involves things like Git, SSH, the +command line. If you don't think you know enough to do this, check out +my walkthrough on creating a Gemini capsule for the Midnight Pub +instead. + +The first thing you'll need to do is create an SSH key pair, if you +don't already have one on your system. Once created, grab the contents +of =id_rsa.pub= and add it to your Sourcehut account settings - this +will allow you to push and pull code changes without using a +username/password. + +#+begin_src sh +ssh keygen +#+end_src + +Next up, let's create a repository with the proper name so that the +Sourcehut build system will know we want them to host a website for us. +Use the following format exactly: + +#+begin_src sh +mkdir your-username.srht.site && cd your-username.srht.site +#+end_src + +Now that we've created the repo, let's initialize Git and add the proper +remote URL. + +#+begin_src sh +git init +#+end_src + +#+begin_src sh +git remote add origin git@git.sr.ht:~your-username/your-username.srht.site +#+end_src + +Now that our repository is set up and configured, we will need to create +at least two files: + +- =index.gmi= +- =.build.yml= + +For your =.build.yml= file, use the following content and be sure to +update the =site= line with your username! + +#+begin_src yaml +image: alpine/latest +oauth: pages.sr.ht/PAGES:RW +environment: + site: your-username.srht.site +tasks: + - package: | + cd $site + tar -cvz . > ../site.tar.gz + - upload: | + acurl -f https://pages.sr.ht/publish/$site -Fcontent=@site.tar.gz -Fprotocol=GEMINI +#+end_src + +For the =index.gmi= file, put whatever you want in there and save it. +You could even just copy and paste the Gemtext cheatsheet. + +If you want to serve both HTML and Gemini files from this repository, +just add a second command to the =upload= section: + +#+begin_src yaml +- upload: | + acurl -f https://pages.sr.ht/publish/$site -Fcontent=@site.tar.gz -Fprotocol=GEMINI + acurl -f https://pages.sr.ht/publish/$site -Fcontent=@site.tar.gz +#+end_src + +Lastly, commit your changes and push them to the remote repo. + +#+begin_src sh +git add .; git commit -m "initial commit"; git push --set-upstream origin HEAD +#+end_src + +If you've successfully created the files with the proper format, you'll +see the terminal print a message that lets you know where the automatic +build is taking place. For example, here's what the terminal tells me: + +#+begin_src sh +remote: Build started: +remote: https://builds.sr.ht/~user/job/689803 [.build.yml] +#+end_src + +Now that you've properly built your Sourcehut page, you can browse to +your-username.srht.site in a Gemini browser and view the final results. +Take a look at the image below for my Sourcehut Gemini capsule. + +#+caption: Gemini page on the amfora browser +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20210328-launching-a-gemini-capsule/amfora.png]] diff --git a/content/blog/2021-03-28-vaporwave-vs-outrun.org b/content/blog/2021-03-28-vaporwave-vs-outrun.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e268a3d --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2021-03-28-vaporwave-vs-outrun.org @@ -0,0 +1,124 @@ +#+title: Vaporwave vs Outrun +#+date: 2021-03-28 +#+description: Learn the differences between the vaporwave and Outrun aesthetics. +#+filetags: :personal: + +* Overview +When it comes to an aesthetic that originated primarily online, there +tends to be a lot of confusion around what falls into each specific +genre. This post discusses Vaporwave and Outrun, which have become +almost synonymous in the minds of those online who aren't hardcore into +these genres of media. More specifically, Outrun is largely an unknown +term while all aesthetics in these two genres are usually attributed to +Vaporwave. For example, take a look at the image search results for +Vaporwave: the results include *a lot** of Outrun-themed images. You'll +find a similar trend almost everywhere. + +#+caption: Vaporwave Search Results +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20210328-vaporwave-vs-outrun/vaporwave-search-results.png]] + +* Vaporwave +#+caption: Macintosh Plus Album Cover +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20210328-vaporwave-vs-outrun/macintosh-plus.png]] + +Okay, so what is Vaporwave? I'm going to just copy-and-paste some +general info from the Wikipedia article on +[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaporwave][Vaporwave]], so that I'm not +repeating everything you can already search for online: + +#+begin_quote +Vaporwave is a microgenre of electronic music, a visual art style, and +an Internet meme that emerged in the early 2010s. It is defined partly +by its slowed-down, chopped and screwed samples of smooth jazz, +elevator, R&B, and lounge music from the 1980s and 1990s. The +surrounding subculture is sometimes associated with an ambiguous or +satirical take on consumer capitalism and pop culture, and tends to be +characterized by a nostalgic or surrealist engagement with the popular +entertainment, technology and advertising of previous decades. Visually, +it incorporates early Internet imagery, late 1990s web design, glitch +art, anime, 3D-rendered objects, and cyberpunk tropes in its cover +artwork and music videos. +#+end_quote + +This is an excellent summary, and it helps address my point here: there +are specific aspects that make Vaporwave unique: + +** Time Frame +The time frame for references, logos, etc. focuses mostly on the 1990s +in Vaporwave. You'll see old school Pepsi logos, Microsoft 95 screens, +tropical plants, classic marble sculptures, and many references from +Japan's influence in the 90s. + +** Art +The color scheme is generally a soft, light palette that uses pastel +colors. The backdrop will often be in a light-pink or teal blue. + +** Music +The musical genre of Vaporwave incorporates soft tunes, lounge music, +and sound effects that will make the listener reminisce of the 90s. The +sounds of the genre are generally slower-paced and calming. The major +breakthrough artist for Vaporwave was +[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vektroid][Macintosh Plus]], who released +the album +[[https://archive.org/details/MACINTOSHPLUS-FLORALSHOPPE_complete][Floral +Shoppe]] in 2011. Another more recent example is the artist +[[https://sadbert.bandcamp.com/][sadbert]], whose latest album +incorporates the upbeat tones of the 1999 Dilbert TV series. + +Notice that Vaporwave doesn't include things like racing cars, +futuristic technology, chrome, or the deep orange/purple color scheme. +Vaporwave is a focus on the idyllic state of the world when technology +was becoming common in households, a reality that we have already +experienced. Focus on the most aesthetically-pleasing parts of that past +is a large part of Vaporwave. + +* Outrun +#+caption: Outrun +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20210328-vaporwave-vs-outrun/outrun.png]] + +Now, let's get to Outrun. This one is a little trickier since the genre +has largely been lumped under the Vaporwave title for so long. However, +it stems from the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthwave][Synthwave]] +music genre and is likely named after the 1986 racer game, +[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_Run][Out Run]]. + +** Time Frame +Outrun can be thought of as a retro-futuristic aesthetic born from the +1980s. + +** Art +The color scheme uses a very dark color palette with the main colors +being deep oranges, blues, and purples. Red edges are common around +objects in Outrun art. The background of the Outrun aesthetic is almost +always a neon grid like you'd expect to see in Tron or a 1980s arcade +machine. + +Classic sports cars, chrome robots, computer generated graphics and +fonts, and the occasional use of rain or palm trees can be found in +Outrun art. + +** Music +This aesthetic has a more aggressive and fast-paced style of music, +which tends to match the subject of the art in this aesthetic. + +Outrun enthusiasts love what people in the 1980s thought the future +would look like. Take a look at a common video game discussed in Outrun +circles, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon: + +#+caption: Fry Cry 3: Blood Dragon +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20210328-vaporwave-vs-outrun/far-cry.png]] + +Another example that doesn't force the color scheme as hard as some +online art does is Kung Fury: + +#+caption: Kung Fury +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20210328-vaporwave-vs-outrun/kung-fury.png]] + +#+caption: Kung Fury Hacker Scene +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20210328-vaporwave-vs-outrun/kung-fury-hacker.png]] + +* Conclusion +While Vaporwave and Outrun share similarities, they are two distinct +aesthetics with many important distinctions. Someone who enjoys one may +not necessarily enjoy the other, so it's important to make sure we +properly describe the aesthetic we're looking for. diff --git a/content/blog/2021-03-30-vps-web-server.org b/content/blog/2021-03-30-vps-web-server.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d0c1b4f --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2021-03-30-vps-web-server.org @@ -0,0 +1,399 @@ +#+title: How to Set Up a VPS Web Server +#+date: 2021-03-30 +#+description: A beginner's guide to setting up a virtual private server (VPS). +#+filetags: :sysadmin: + +* Shared Hosting vs. VPS +Choosing a place to host a website is one of the most confusing +decisions for beginner web developers. Even for experienced web devs, +choosing between different forms of web hosting can be a daunting +choice. + +First, let's take a look at +[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_web_hosting_service][shared web +hosting]]. Shared web hosting is a product where you are purchasing a +small piece of a web server that is being shared between many websites. +As a result, the cost of shared hosting is extremely low. You won't have +access to the server itself, which means you can't install your own +software on the server, such as Docker. Usually, you are simply allowed +to connect your domains to the server, set up domain security, and other +small utilities. + +In contrast, a +[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_private_server][virtual private +server]] (VPS) is a virtual machine that replicates the environment of +having a dedicated server to yourself. You are able to control the +virtual server's host names, base file system, package manager, etc. +Another great upside of a VPS is that since it's virtual, the company +providing the VPS can dynamically increase the disk size, RAM size, or +number of CPUs at any time. However, the virtual server is still +physically located on a server that is shared between multiple virtual +servers. + +The choice between shared hosting and VPS mostly depends on your skill +level with system administration. If you're comforting working on a +server that is mostly left up to you (or you're willing to learn), then +a VPS is usually a better option. However, shared hosting is a fantastic +option for people who don't want to have to learn how to manage their +server. + +* My Situation +I had used shared hosting for approximately 5 years before trying my +first VPS. I manage a homelab and have had success running a server and +performing typical sysadmin duties, but I was still hesitant to get a +VPS. One fear was that I always struggled to properly set up the +networking part of a server - DNS and hostname configurations were not +my friend. + +As a little bit of background, I originally used +[[https://www.siteground.com][Siteground]] for my initially shared +hosting and stayed on that platform for at least a year. However, the UI +was clunky, and I didn't like how they handled certain technical +aspects, so I switched to [[https://www.namecheap.com][Namecheap]]. +Namecheap was great because it is the service I primarily use for +purchasing domain names, which made it incredibly easy to link them to +my hosting service. However, it was still mediocre shared hosting, and +Namecheap is notorious for not letting you use +[[https://letsencrypt.org][Let's Encrypt]] to obtain free SSL/TLS +certificates; Namecheap wants to make you purchase certificates through +their store. + +Finally, I settled down with [[https://www.iwebfusion.net][iWebFusion]] +for about the last year of my shared hosting. This service was pretty +great, came with free SSL/TLS, and I never had any complaints. + +However, I finally grew tired of not being able to install software on +my own web server. I wanted to be able to try out things like +[[https://postmill.xyz][Postmill]] or [[https://matrix.org][Matrix]]. +This is possible with a VPS, so I decided to grab a new domain name to +try it out. + +* Getting Started: Buying a VPS +The first step to moving over to a VPS is (you guessed it): finding a +VPS provider. For my VPSs, I use [[https://1984hosting.com][1984]] and +prefer their services much more than any alternative, due to their +location (Iceland), their [[https://1984hosting.com/GDPR/][privacy +policy]], their respect for GDPR, and the ability to remain anonymous if +you pay in Bitcoin or Monero. + +[[https://njal.la][Njalla]] is another good, privacy-oriented option for +VPS services. + +You'll have to decide what specifications you want on your VPS. For me, +I only build and deploy low-resource HTML, PHP, and Python websites. +This means I can survive on the smallest VPS: 1 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and +25GB SSD for $5.00 per month. + +As noted above, the great thing about a VPS is you can request your +provider to increase the resources at any time. + +* Configuring DNS Settings +Okay, so now let's get into some actual work that has to be done to get +content moved from a shared host to a VPS. At this point, I'm assuming +you have a shared host with website content that you can still access, +and you've purchased a new VPS and can SSH into that server. + +The first change is minor, but it should be done immediately in order to +get things moving: DNS settings. Go to wherever your DNS settings are +handled. If your shared host also managed your DNS settings, you'll need +to first move that DNS over to your new VPS provider. For me, I route my +DNS through [[https://www.gandi.net][Gandi]]. + +Once you know where your DNS settings are, go ahead and update the =A= +records to match the public IP address of your VPS. For example: + +#+begin_src txt +A example.com xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx +A subdomain xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx +CNAME www example.com. +#+end_src + +If you have any other records that require updates, such as MX or TXT +records for a mail server, be sure to update those accordingly. +Personally, I don't host my own mail server. I route all mail on my +custom domains to [[https://www.migadu.com][Migadu]]. Hosting your own +email server can become complex quickly and is not for beginners. + +DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate, so be sure to give it +some time before assuming you've made an error. + +* Server Updates and Packages +Now that the DNS settings have been changed, let's set up our server +while we wait for the DNS to propagate. First up is to ssh into your +server. If you've signed up with a service like DigitalOcean, you can +add your SSH key to your account and to your VPS droplet so that you +don't need a password in order to SSH. + +#+begin_src sh +ssh root@xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx +#+end_src + +The VPS that is used in this blog post runs Ubuntu 20.04 with an Apache +web server. If you're working on a different operating system (OS) or +want a different web server, such as Nginx, you'll have to use different +commands to set it up. + +First, let's update and upgrade our server. + +*NOTE:* Since we have logged in to the server as =root= for now, we +don't need to use the =sudo= modifier before our commands. + +#+begin_src sh +apt update && apt upgrade -y +#+end_src + +* Create A User Account +While being able to use =root= can be beneficial at times, you shouldn't +use =root= unless you have to. + +So let's set up a new user in our system. The =-m= option below tells +the OS to create a home directory for the new user. + +#+begin_src sh +adduser USERNAME +#+end_src + +Now, create a password for that user. + +#+begin_src sh +passwd USERNAME +#+end_src + +Finally, add the user to the sudoers file, so they can perform +priveleged commands. + +#+begin_src sh +usermod -a -G sudo USERNAME +#+end_src + +If you are using SSH keys and not passwords, you'll need to copy your +SSH key from your local machine to the VPS. If you haven't disabled +password-based SSH yet, the easiest way to do this is =ssh-copy-id= from +your local computer (not from the VPS): + +#+begin_src sh +ssh-copy-id testuser@xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx +#+end_src + +If you've disabled password-based SSH, you'll need to manually copy your +SSH key into the =~/.ssh/authorized_keys= file. + +* Install Software +Our goal here is to host a web server, so the next step is to install +the Apache web server and any other packages we need. + +From this point on, I will be logged in as a user (not =root=) and will +need to use the =sudo= modifier for most commands. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo apt update; sudo apt upgrade -y; sudo apt autoremove -y +sudo apt install apache2 +#+end_src + +If you need other language support, such as PHP, you'll need to install +that too. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo apt install libapache2-mod-php php-dom +sudo a2enmod php +sudo systemctl restart apache2 +#+end_src + +* Website Files & Folders +Next up is to create the directories for the domain(s) we want to be +hosted on this web server. + +#+begin_src sh +cd /var/www +sudo mkdir example.com +#+end_src + +We have a folder for =example.com= now, so let's add an =index.html= +file and put it within a specific =public_html= folder. You don't need +this =public_html= if you don't want it, but it helps with organizing +items related to =example.com= that you don't want to publish to the +internet. + +#+begin_src sh +cd example.com +sudo mkdir public_html && cd public_html +sudo nano index.html +#+end_src + +You can put anything you want in this =index.html= file. If you can't +think of anything, paste this in there: + +#+begin_src html + + + + + + Hello, world! + + +

    Hello, world!

    + + +#+end_src + +If you want something to be served at =example.com/page01/file.txt=, +you'll have to create the =page01= directory under the =example.com= +directory. For example: + +#+begin_src sh +cd /var/www/example.com/public_html +sudo mkdir page01 +sudo nano file.txt +#+end_src + +* Apache Configuration +Now, let's set up the files that will tell the server where to find the +files for =example.com=. We will copy the default configuration file and +create our own. + +#+begin_src sh +cd /etc/apache2/sites-available +sudo cp 000-default.conf example.com.conf +sudo nano example.com.conf +#+end_src + +This configuration file will have a few default lines, but you'll need +to edit it to look similar to this (settings may change based on your +personal needs): + +#+begin_src config + + ServerAdmin your-email@email-provider.com + ServerName example.com + ServerAlias www.example.com + DocumentRoot /var/www/example.com/public_html + ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log + CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined + +#+end_src + +Now, enable the configuration for your new site, disable the default +configuration, and reload the web server. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo a2ensite example.com.conf +sudo a2dissite 000-default.conf +sudo systemctl reload apache2 +#+end_src + +You can always run a test to make sure no errors or warnings are found +in your configuration files. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo apache2ctl configtest +#+end_src + +Now, restart the web server entirely. After this, you should be able to +browse to =http://example.com= and see the HTML content you provided +earlier. Note that SSL/TLS has not been enabled yet, so you won't be +able to use the secure version yet (=https://example.com=). + +#+begin_src sh +sudo systemctl restart apache2 +#+end_src + +You can repeat this for as many websites as you need. Just create the +domain folders in =/var/www/=, add the configuration file, enable the +configuration, and restart =apache2=. + +* SSL/TLS Certificates: Serve Websites Over HTTPS +In order to serve secure content, you'll need to obtain SSL/TLS +certificates. Luckily, there's a free tool called +[[https://certbot.eff.org][Certbot]] that helps us with the process. + +The first step is to install =snapd= and =core= for Ubuntu. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo apt install snapd +sudo snap install core +sudo snap refresh core +#+end_src + +Next, install the =certbot= snap package. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo snap install --classic certbot +#+end_src + +Execute the following command to ensure that the =certbot= command can +be run. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo ln -s /snap/bin/certbot /usr/bin/certbot +#+end_src + +Finally, you can run =certbot= one of two ways: + +1. run it and let it alter your Apache configuration files automatically + to enable HTTPS redirects. +2. run it and only allow it to create certificates. You'll need to + manually alter the config files to enable HTTPS redirects. + +Run certbot and allow automatic config changes: + +#+begin_src sh +sudo certbot --apache +#+end_src + +Run certbot for certificates only and don't allow it to alter config +files: + +#+begin_src sh +sudo certbot certonly --apache +#+end_src + +The Certbot packages on your system come with a cron job or systemd +timer that will renew your certificates automatically before they +expire. You will not need to run Certbot again unless you change your +configuration. You can test automatic renewal for your certificates by +running this command: + +#+begin_src sh +sudo certbot renew --dry-run +#+end_src + +Now, test your domains by going to =https://example.com=. + +* Firewall Security +To enable better security on your server, you'll need to enable a basic +firewall. For Ubuntu, we'll use +[[../secure-your-network-with-the-uncomplicated-firewall/][the +uncomplicated firewall]]. + +Now, add the following rules to the firewall allow SSH, Apache, and +HTTP(S) connections. If you need to, you can enable different ports for +specifics applications, SFTP, etc. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo ufw default deny incoming +sudo ufw default allow outgoing +sudo ufw allow OpenSSH +sudo ufw allow Apache +sudo ufw allow proto tcp from any to any port 80,443 +#+end_src + +Once you've added all the rules you need, enable the firewall. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo ufw enable +#+end_src + +* Troubleshooting +If you run into any issues during your VPS set-up, be sure to walk back +through your actions and make sure you didn't miss any steps. + +Many websites have fantastic guides to setting up various web servers. +This is one of the areas +[[https://www.digitalocean.%20com/community/tutorials][where +DigitalOcean shines]]. For simpler or more Linux-oriented questions, I +suggest using [Linuxize] ([[https://linuxize.com]]). + +If you're getting certain errors (e.g. =500 Internal Server Error=) and +need to debug locally, you can view the =access.log= and =error.log= +files in the =/var/log/apache/= directory. diff --git a/content/blog/2021-04-17-gemini-server.org b/content/blog/2021-04-17-gemini-server.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..fd50c20 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2021-04-17-gemini-server.org @@ -0,0 +1,150 @@ +#+title: Hosting a Gemini Server +#+date: 2021-04-17 +#+description: A guide to self-hosting a Gemini web server on your own server. +#+filetags: :sysadmin: + +* Similar Article Available +To read more about Gemini and ways to test out this new protocol without +your own server, see my previous post +[[../launching-a-gemini-capsule/][Launching a Gemini Capsule]]. + +* Preparation +This guide assumes you have access to a server accessible to the world +through a public IP address and that you own a domain name used for this +Gemini capsule. + +* Getting Started with Agate +We are going to use [[https://github.com/mbrubeck/agate][Agate]] for +this tutorial. This is a basic Gemini server written in Rust. It takes +very little time and maintenance to get it running. + +* Install Dependencies +First, you will need to install the Rust package for your system. On +Ubuntu, use the following commands (remember to use =sudo= if you are +not the root user). The Rust installation will give you options to +customize the installation; I used the default installation options. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y +curl https://sh.rustup.rs -sSf | sh +#+end_src + +Remember to configure your shell with the new configuration: + +#+begin_src sh +source $HOME/.cargo/env +#+end_src + +Before we install agate, make sure you have the =gcc= package installed: + +#+begin_src sh +sudo apt install gcc +#+end_src + +Next, you'll need to install the agate executable with Rust's Cargo +package maintainer: + +#+begin_src sh +cargo install agate +#+end_src + +* Create Symlinks +Once Cargo has finished installing all the required packages, symlink +the executable to your $PATH. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo ln -s $HOME/.cargo/bin/agate /usr/local/bin/agate +#+end_src + +* Using Agate's Built-In Installation Tool +If you're running Ubuntu or Debian, use the Debian installation script +found in Agate's GitHub repository, under the =tools/debian= folder. + +#+begin_src sh +git clone https://github.com/mbrubeck/agate +cd agate/tools/debian +sudo ./install.sh +#+end_src + +* Configure the Gemini Service +We have a little more to do, but since this script tries to immediately +run the service, it will likely fail with an exit code. Let's add our +finishing touches. Edit the following file and replace the hostname with +your desired URL. You can also change the directory where content will +be served. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/gemini.service +#+end_src + +#+begin_src sh +# Edit these lines to whatever you want - see the next code block for my personal configuration. +WorkingDirectory=/srv/gemini +ExecStart=agate --hostname $(uname -n) --lang en +#+end_src + +This is my personal config: + +#+begin_src sh +WorkingDirectory=/var/gemini/ +ExecStart=agate --hostname gemini.example.com --lang en +#+end_src + +Since we've altered the systemd configuration files, we have to reload +the daemon. Let's do that, restart our service, and check its status. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo systemctl daemon-reload +sudo systemctl restart gemini.service +sudo systemctl status gemini.service +#+end_src + +* Fixing Systemd Errors +If you're still getting errors, the installation process may not have +properly enabled the gemini service. Fix it with the following commands. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo systemctl enable gemini.service +sudo systemctl restart gemini.service +sudo systemctl status gemini.service +#+end_src + +* Firewall Rules +Great! Our server is now functional and running. The first consideration +now is that you need to be able to access port 1965 on the server. If +you have a firewall enabled, you'll need to open that port up. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo ufw allow 1965 +sudo ufw reload +#+end_src + +* Creating Content +Let's create the Gemini capsule. Note that wherever you set the +WorkingDirectory variable to earlier, Agate will expect you to put your +Gemini capsule contents in a sub-folder called "content." So, I place my +files in "/var/gmi/content." I'm going to create that folder now and put +a file in there. + +#+begin_src sh +sudo mkdir /var/gemini/content +sudo nano /var/gemini/content/index.gmi +#+end_src + +You can put whatever you want in the "index.gmi" file, just make sure +it's valid Gemtext. + +* The Results +Here are some screenshots of the Gemini page I just created in the +[[https://gmi.skyjake.fi/lagrange/][Lagrange]] browser and the +[[https://github.com/makeworld-the-better-one/amfora][amfora]] browser. + +#+caption: GUI Gemini browser +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20210417-hosting-a-gemini-server/lagrange.png]] + +/Lagrange/ + +#+caption: CLI Gemini browser +[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20210417-hosting-a-gemini-server/amfora.png]] + +/Amfora/ diff --git a/content/blog/2021-04-23-php-comment-system.org b/content/blog/2021-04-23-php-comment-system.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..92dd984 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2021-04-23-php-comment-system.org @@ -0,0 +1,265 @@ +#+title: Roll Your Own Static Commenting System in PHP +#+date: 2021-04-23 +#+description: A simple guide to creating a commenting system in PHP. +#+filetags: :dev: + +* The Terrible-ness of Commenting Systems +The current state of affairs regarding interactive comment systems is, +well, terrible. It is especially awful if you're a privacy conscious +person who does not generally load third-party scripts or frames on the +websites you visit. + +Even further, many comment systems are charging exorbitant fees for +something that should be standard. + +Of course, there are some really terrible options: + +- Facebook Comments +- Discourse + +There are some options that are better but still use too many scripts, +frames, or social integrations on your web page that could impact some +users: + +- Disqus +- Isso +- Remark42 + +Lastly, I looked into a few unique ways of generating blog comments, +such as using Twitter threads or GitHub issues to automatically post +issues. However, these both rely on external third-party sites that I +don't currently use. + +* Stay Static with Server-Side Comments +The main issue for my personal use-case is that my blog is completely, +100% static. I use PHP on the back-end but website visitors only see +HTML and a single CSS file. No external javascript and no embedded +frames. + +So, how do we keep a site static and still allow users to interact with +blog posts? The key actually pretty simple - I'm already using PHP, so +why not rely on the classic HTML =
    = and a PHP script to save the +comments somewhere? As it turns out, this was a perfect solution for me. + +The second issue for my personal use-case is that I am trying to keep +the contents of my website accessible over time, as described by +[cite/t:@brandur], in his post entitled +[[https://brandur.org/fragments/graceful-degradation-time][Blog with +Markdown + Git, and degrade gracefully through time]] . + +This means I cannot rely on a database for comments, since I do not rely +on a database for any other part of my websites. + +I blog in plain Markdown files, commit all articles to Git, and ensure +that future readers will be able to see the source data long after I'm +gone, or the website has gone offline. However, I still haven't +committed any images served on my blog to Git, as I'm not entirely sold +on Git LFS yet - for now, images can be found at +[[https://img.cleberg.net][img.cleberg.net]]. + +Saving my comments back to the Git repository ensures that another +aspect of my site will degrade gracefully. + +* Create a Comment Form +Okay, let's get started. The first step is to create an HTML form that +users can see and utilize to submit comments. This is fairly easy and +can be changed depending on your personal preferences. + +Take a look at the code block below for the form I currently use. Note +that == is replaced automatically in PHP with the current +post's URL, so that my PHP script used later will know which blog post +the comment is related to. + +The form contains the following structure: + +1. == - This is the form and will determine which PHP script to + send the comment to. +2. =