Petoholics Anonymous

Scum of the internet

// June 18th, 2009 // 8 Comments » // Gripe, Random Stuff

So, I’m sure you’re all wondering what has happened to the Petoholics theme and where all the posts and pages disappeared to. The answer is pretty simple and yet surprisingly infuriating…spammers hacked my blog.

Thankfully they didn’t upload any viruses or anything. Instead they seemed content with filling every page with spam links for “that little blue pill” and god knows what else. They even hid it so the only way you could see it is looking at the source code. At first I thought they had only gotten to this blog. Then I realized that they had put their crap on every single PHP file in the wolfdragon.net domain. Anyone who has visited my old site knows that it had over 200 PHP pages.

How did they do it? Your guess is as good as mine. It could have been anything from backdoors in WordPress or its plugins, some old unsecure script located on one of those 200+ pages that I haven’t touched for years, or even my webhost being comprimised. After a bit of searching, I discovered that other people have had similar problems particularly with hacked WordPress themes. So far I have yet to see one that knows how it was done in the first place. Instead they talk about how to deal with the impact.

Why did they do it? Google “wow name generator”. My PANDA generator is second from the top. I was getting 700-800 hits a day from that position. The spammers decided they wanted to piggyback off my hard work and they somehow found a way to do it. They just wanted to get their stupid spam out there, regardless of who they hurt in the process.

What happens now? I tried at first to just delete their code from my blog, not realizing at the time that they had gotten to all those other pages. I got rid of some out of date plugins, changed my password, basically tried every security trick I could find. I hoped I had succeeded. The next day it was back again and that’s when I discovered it wasn’t just Petoholics Anonymous that had been affected. I figured the best thing to do would be to start anew, wiping the slate clean of their s**t. So I downloaded every file to my computer, backed up every database, and then deleted everything from my server. As for Petoholics, I will work on getting every blog post and page up here again, hopefully all the comments too. I don’t know how long it will take because I want to go over every inch with a fine toothed comb. The last thing I want is a repeat of this nightmare.

The side of me you’re all seeing right now is the practical side, the part that’s dealing with the problem at hand. What you aren’t seeing is the very angry, “I’m going to hunt down and hurt these spammer” side. My guildmates talk about how they know I’m mad when I start swearing. Imagine me using the vilest curses I know in every second breath. The part that hurts the most surprisingly? They defiled the part of my old site that showcases Blacky, my dear black lab that passed away two year ago. And I know they don’t give a rat’s a** about it. That…that demands retribution that I can’t give because the spammers are spineless cowards. All I can do clean up the mess and make things right again.

So if you’re a blogger (which I know a lot of you are), take my situation and learn from it. Be diligent about your blog, check your security on a regular basis and keep things up to date. Please don’t let this happen to you.

~Faeldray

Character and pet name generators are still live

// June 18th, 2009 // No Comments » // Random Stuff

For those of you who are looking, here are the links for the PANDA WoW name generator and the Pet-o-licious Namerator for hunter pet names.

How to waste time at work

// May 20th, 2009 // 4 Comments » // Random Stuff

Step 1: Have absolutely nothing to do at work and be bored out of your mind.

Step 2: Remember that Sellia tagged you for a meme. Also recall that you have access to Photoshop on your work computer.

Step 3: Visit all the required sites and try very hard not to refresh the page to see if you can get a cooler name/quote/picture.

Step 4: Put together this “random album cover” in Photoshop. Spend an inordinate amount of time making it look pretty, all the while checking over your shoulder to make sure that no one realizes that you’re goofing off.

Step 5: Realize that no one does know that you’re goofing off because they don’t even know what it is you do. (Ah, the benefits of being a web designer/programmer.)

Step 6: Chuckle silently to yourself as you write a series of steps that are totally not necessary, but you do it anyways because you’re bored and everyone else thinks you’re working hard.

Step 7: Feel slightly guilty about doing nothing related to work. Decide to wrap up your post before your supervisor (who does know what you do) comes back from her meeting.

Step 8: Finish with tagging a couple saps–er, fellow bloggers to continue this very random meme.

And hencefore I shall tag: Ticalos, Mysthowl, Tzia, Vlcan, Zhire, Matticus, Green Hunter…ah, what the heck. If you’re reading this or are on my blogroll, consider yourself tagged.

Instructions:

1 – Go to “wikipedia.” Hit “random… Read More” or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.
2 – Go to “Random quotations” or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.
3 – Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days” or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.
4 – Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.

Credits: ChupaLoL360 for the picture.

We all go a little crazy sometimes

// May 4th, 2009 // No Comments » // Gripe, Hunters and Pets, Random Stuff

Over here in Bloodriver, we’re a little nuts. Well Faeldray, just how nuts are you guys? So glad you asked, imaginary-reader-that-I-just-made-up. Well, how about this:

• We have taken a 70 tankadin, Casavel to Nexus (x2), Utgarde Keep, Azjol-Nerub, and Ahn’kahet: The Old Kingdom all in the span of one weekend. Yep, a 70 pally versus 73-75 elites. In AK, the healer was a 76 tree and poor Cas had to try and hold aggro against 2 80s in heroics and raid gear (Niqora and a healadin playing retadin (Velinix) for the instance). The best thing about it? We did it with only a couple wipes on trash. Go Casavel!
• In one of the above Nexus and the Utgarde Keep, we took a level 66 priest along. He only died twice in the gauntlet in Nexus. And he got almost an entire level just out of those instances. How’s that for a welcome back, Solarion?
• Gotta love it when people start singing the Mana Mana song in vent while we’re killing trash. (Dang it Solarion, it’s been stuck in my head all day!) And let’s not forget the crazy youtube videos that we kept quoting. (So many babies! 400 BABIES!)
• Niqo also came along with a dungeon run through Underbog, with Cas tanking again. It was her first ever attempt so I was the backup in case anything went wrong. Of course nothing did because both Cas and Solarion who was healing were great. I was a little bored so…I unequip Niqo’s sword and shouted “I is melee hunter!” as I ran in to pummel the mobs with bare fists. Got my unarmed skill up about 200 or so points.
• Oh yeah, and I started Underbog as an arrow-shotting rabbit. Unfortunately I got hit by a mob and transformed back into a regular old tauren.
• And last but not least, Velinix (who was the healer at the time in Nexus) uses Divine Intervention and suicides right before a pull. Cue me laughing and yelling in vent “Vel, what the hell???”

Now Mysthowl and Solarion are back in the game so I expect much more crazy antics from us. I wonder if I can convince them to let me try pet-tanking…?

In other news, Niqora got her springy little bunny minipet from Noblegarden. I’ll tell you though, by the end of Friday I was ready to rip a new one into the next person who threw bunny ears on me. Are there that few tauren females??? Anyways, the bunny was all I wanted so I didn’t complete all the achievements for the title. But congrats on Tzia for doing so!

Niqo also did her quests to get her Children’s Week minipets. Now she has all the Azeroth ones and Peanut. Next year, Willy is mine!

And once again I will leave you with another wonderful video:

And believe me I am still alive

// April 22nd, 2009 // 5 Comments » // Hunters and Pets, Random Stuff

So it’s been 22 days since my last post…I think it should be expected by now that I will disappear for long periods of time. What can I say, I write when I feel like writing. And unlike some certain energetic people, I am lazy. And part of the reason is I want to change the design of Petoholics. Every time I come here, I keep thinking “I want to change that, and move this, and ooooh that would be shiny” and then I get thinking and I end up not posting at all.

First of all, a quick linkback to Zhire at The Spiked Collar who despite being a fairly new blogger has posted some nice hunter tips.

So for an update of what’s going on:

• The guild leader of Bloodriver and his wife (Mysthowl and Linserai) are taking a hiatus for some personal reasons and he has named Niqora as his temporary replacement. Sure, I joked about it while chatting with guildies and some of our allies (there was much evil laughter and phrases like “Bow down before me, peons!”). But honestly, I can’t wait until they get back. Mostly because me and the other members will miss them terribly but also because I’m not certain that I fit the leadership role. If Ticalos and Tzia weren’t going to be around, I think I would freak out. Really the three of us are going to share the role but Myst could only name one as chieftain and since RPwise, Niqora is Myst’s wife…even in character Niqo would not be suited to be a leader. She has the patience of a goddess but she’s also shy to a fault and avoids conflict whenever she can. Unless someone is going to get hurt, as Tic has found out in a RP session. So, this will be an interesting (and sad) time coming up very soon.
• Anuniaq is level 40! However my goal is 65 so I can train up her inscription…I have a ways to go yet.
• Niqora tamed Loque! And she got the albino drake! Pictures to come in a later post.
• My little shammy Zulrea is level 25, which is the highest I’ve ever gotten a non-hunter. I really enjoy healing. So once she reaches 40, I’m going to buy dual-spec for her and spec both resto and enhancement.

For some quick RL news, I got a job back at the beginning of February as a junior web designer. It was only suppose to be a 3 month term but I just found out that it’s being extended another 3 months at least. After those 3 months, they might hire me on as a regular employee. Which is wonderful! Also, I was chatting with my brother and once I have the money (because he’s a starving student), I’m going to get him his own WoW account so he can play with me. Finally! I will have someone I know IRL who actually plays the game.

Now I will leave you all with the song that inspired this post’s title. Try singing that on Rockband, my friends.