Categories
Blog Administration
Thursday, September 8. 2011
Bulding a bare-metal (Stage 1) GCC cross-compiler, the Debian way, in 6 easy steps
Tuesday, May 31. 2011
iPhone 3G NOR Restore
I recently solved a painful dilemma with an iPhone 3G. For the fun of it, after installing OpeniBoot and backing up the NOR, I thought it would be fun to randomly corrupt the NOR and see what happened. 
Well, what happened isn't unimaginable. The phone would only boot into DFU mode. Ironically, iTunes would put the phone in WTF mode, but the payload it sent immediately afterward was ineffective (16xx error from iTunes)!
Here's how I restored my NOR backup:
1. Use iReb to put the device into WTF mode (Yes, I linked to a .NET app. Lord, help us all...)
2. Use iRecovery to upload and execute a "pwned iBSS" (i.e. from a custom restore.) The screen will turn white if this is successful.
3. Use loadibec to upload and execute openiboot
4. Launch oibc, and restore the NOR
Now, the iPhone would boot precisely as it did before installing OpeniBoot. To return the phone to normal operation, I simply did a DFU restore via iTunes to a custom 4.1.2 ipsw. It's a painful reminder of what its like to try to use an iDevice in an unorthodox manner, or cause a catastrophic failure. It also reinforces my decision to migrate from the iPhone to an Android phone over a year ago. I'd hate to think of how much an exchange at the Apple Store would have set me back in such a case.
Well, what happened isn't unimaginable. The phone would only boot into DFU mode. Ironically, iTunes would put the phone in WTF mode, but the payload it sent immediately afterward was ineffective (16xx error from iTunes)!Here's how I restored my NOR backup:
1. Use iReb to put the device into WTF mode (Yes, I linked to a .NET app. Lord, help us all...)
2. Use iRecovery to upload and execute a "pwned iBSS" (i.e. from a custom restore.) The screen will turn white if this is successful.
# irecovery -x iBSS.n82ap.RELEASE.dfu
3. Use loadibec to upload and execute openiboot
# loadibec openiboot.img3
4. Launch oibc, and restore the NOR
# oibc
!norbackup.dump@0x09000000
nor_write 0x09000000 0 1048576
Now, the iPhone would boot precisely as it did before installing OpeniBoot. To return the phone to normal operation, I simply did a DFU restore via iTunes to a custom 4.1.2 ipsw. It's a painful reminder of what its like to try to use an iDevice in an unorthodox manner, or cause a catastrophic failure. It also reinforces my decision to migrate from the iPhone to an Android phone over a year ago. I'd hate to think of how much an exchange at the Apple Store would have set me back in such a case.
Sunday, December 26. 2010
Zoosk Messenger on Linux
Friday, November 26. 2010
Thanksgiving
As today was Thanksgiving, I figured I'd post a few general thoughts in reflection upon what I'm thankful for in my life.
First, I'm thankful to be alive in the first place. Being premature, weighing in at a little over 1.5 lbs, and enduring the various procedures and surgeries that I endured, the very fact that I'm able to write this is a miracle in itself.
Second, I'm thankful for the wonderful family that I've been blessed with. There's no telling what my life, and myself, would be like were it not for them.
Third, I'm thankful for the friends I have in my life. Each and every one has had a definite impact on my life, and without them, there's no telling where I'd be.
Fourth, I'm thankful for every person I've encountered over the years. At night, before I fall asleep, I'm greeted by memories of people who have touched my life in different ways, the experiences associated with them, and sometimes am plagued by the eternal question: "What if some things had been different?" Even so, I won't ever forget, even if some people wish they could forget me, though I don't blame them or harbor any ill-will towards them; I simply say they never should have doubted me.
And sometimes I wonder what they'd say if they just happened to run into me unexpectedly.
Fifth, I'm thankful for the joyous experiences I've had in my life. After all, our experiences shape who we are and how we develop as people. I'm very proud of the way I've lived my life thus far, even despite my few regrets.
Sixth, I'm thankful for the places I've been, which also, I won't ever forget.
Seventh, I'm thankful for my various ETFs and MFs. Without them, I wouldn't have dividends.
Eigth, I'm thankful that I'm neither lonesome nor on'ry.
Ninth, I'm thankful that I've got balls of steel!
Tenth, I'm thankful for the weekend, and not having to hear that damned alarm clock.
First, I'm thankful to be alive in the first place. Being premature, weighing in at a little over 1.5 lbs, and enduring the various procedures and surgeries that I endured, the very fact that I'm able to write this is a miracle in itself.
Second, I'm thankful for the wonderful family that I've been blessed with. There's no telling what my life, and myself, would be like were it not for them.
Third, I'm thankful for the friends I have in my life. Each and every one has had a definite impact on my life, and without them, there's no telling where I'd be.
Fourth, I'm thankful for every person I've encountered over the years. At night, before I fall asleep, I'm greeted by memories of people who have touched my life in different ways, the experiences associated with them, and sometimes am plagued by the eternal question: "What if some things had been different?" Even so, I won't ever forget, even if some people wish they could forget me, though I don't blame them or harbor any ill-will towards them; I simply say they never should have doubted me.
And sometimes I wonder what they'd say if they just happened to run into me unexpectedly. Fifth, I'm thankful for the joyous experiences I've had in my life. After all, our experiences shape who we are and how we develop as people. I'm very proud of the way I've lived my life thus far, even despite my few regrets.
Sixth, I'm thankful for the places I've been, which also, I won't ever forget.
Seventh, I'm thankful for my various ETFs and MFs. Without them, I wouldn't have dividends.
Eigth, I'm thankful that I'm neither lonesome nor on'ry.
Ninth, I'm thankful that I've got balls of steel!
Tenth, I'm thankful for the weekend, and not having to hear that damned alarm clock.
Tuesday, October 26. 2010
Personality Types
I learned something new today.
My Myers-Briggs type is: INTJ (Introversion, iNtuition, Thinking, Judging).
My Keirsey Temperament is: Mastermind.
My Socionic type is: INTj (LII).
Now, you should have some small insight into my personality.
I was reading some opinions regarding the INTJ personality type and came across this page and especially liked certain comments, which I shall quote below. The italicized portion really made me laugh. Perhaps the BOFH would have been an INTJ?
My Myers-Briggs type is: INTJ (Introversion, iNtuition, Thinking, Judging).
My Keirsey Temperament is: Mastermind.
My Socionic type is: INTj (LII).
Now, you should have some small insight into my personality.
I was reading some opinions regarding the INTJ personality type and came across this page and especially liked certain comments, which I shall quote below. The italicized portion really made me laugh.
Perhaps the BOFH would have been an INTJ?
4. Try not to be repetitive. It annoys them.
5. Do not feed them a line of bull.
...
8. Do not be surprised at sarcasm.
9. Remember that INTJs believe in workable solutions. They are extremely open-minded to possibilities, but they will quickly discard any idea that is unfeasible. INTJ open-mindedness means that they are willing to have a go at an idea by trying to pull it apart. This horrifies people who expect oohs and ahhs and reverence. The ultimate INTJ insult to an idea is to ignore it, because that means it's not even interesting enough to deconstruct.
This also means that they will not just accept any viewpoint that is presented to them. The bottom line is "Does it work?" - end discussion.
10. Do not expect INTJs to actually care about how you view them. They already know that they are arrogant bastards with a morbid sense of humor. Telling them the obvious accomplishes nothing.
Friday, October 15. 2010
Update
Instead of writing individual posts, I figured I'd write one huge update. After all, it's been 8 months since my last post.
I've done quite a bit since my last post:
* I traveled to Russia, after seven long years, and spent some memorable time with some people whom I shall never forget
[Although said people probably wish that they could forget me -- but you never know] Я ничего не забуду. * I saw several sights, including: the Lenin Museum, the Ulyanovsk Aircraft Museum, and the city of Kazan.
* I came home, got a new car, HTC EVO 4G, some new suits (the one in the picture is my Calvin Klein pinstripe suit), a pair of snakeskin shoes, and an expensive [$400] (and quite nice) pair of crocodile-skin shoes.
* I saw a baseball game at Great American Ballpark, for the first time.
* I went Behind Enemy Lines.
* I tested out Android on the iPhone 3G via iDroid
* I've done more than I can write in a day.
* I've had the red-ass more times than I could ever count.
* ... And, as always, I work hard, and keep moving forward.
Nothing, come hell or high water, will ever stop me. My personal motto: Ничего невозможно!
Saturday, February 6. 2010
Fun with Android
Monday, November 16. 2009
TI Basic Simulator
Recently I wrote a TI Basic (not Extended Basic) simulator as a proof of concept to determine whether or not such a simulator would be feasable in Javascript. Why TI Basic? Because it was the first programming language I ever learned. Yes, I still have a working TI-99/4A to this day.
PRINT is implemented enough to print simple values, and expressions. the ";" modifier isn't implemented. However, statements such as LET, IF-THEN-ELSE, FOR-NEXT, GOSUB-RETURN, DIM, most math functions, RANDOMIZE/RND, the CHAR subroutines, and most other commands have been implemented.
Timing in Javascript is often inexact. This is the primary problem when developing any sort of simulation in Javascript. I can't wait until HTML 5 becomes fully adopted and a worker thread can be utilized to separate the UI from the rest of the simulation. A concept like this (and even more complex concepts) would be much easier to implement.
Below, you can try it out for yourself. I've only tested this in Firefox 3.5, and lightly in Opera 10.01 (Note: It actually seems to execute faster in Opera, which is no surprise, but the cursor display is a little quirky at the end of a line.), so I'm uncertain whether it will work in other browsers at the moment. I just wanted to put this out there, and share it with the world. Perhaps I'll optimize this eventually, and implement the other pieces. It'd be interesting to see some of those old programs running right in the browser.
As far as I know, I'm the first to ever create such a thing...
PRINT is implemented enough to print simple values, and expressions. the ";" modifier isn't implemented. However, statements such as LET, IF-THEN-ELSE, FOR-NEXT, GOSUB-RETURN, DIM, most math functions, RANDOMIZE/RND, the CHAR subroutines, and most other commands have been implemented.
Timing in Javascript is often inexact. This is the primary problem when developing any sort of simulation in Javascript. I can't wait until HTML 5 becomes fully adopted and a worker thread can be utilized to separate the UI from the rest of the simulation. A concept like this (and even more complex concepts) would be much easier to implement.
Below, you can try it out for yourself. I've only tested this in Firefox 3.5, and lightly in Opera 10.01 (Note: It actually seems to execute faster in Opera, which is no surprise, but the cursor display is a little quirky at the end of a line.), so I'm uncertain whether it will work in other browsers at the moment. I just wanted to put this out there, and share it with the world. Perhaps I'll optimize this eventually, and implement the other pieces. It'd be interesting to see some of those old programs running right in the browser.
As far as I know, I'm the first to ever create such a thing...
Friday, November 13. 2009
Reverse Engineering the TI BASIC PRNG
Tuesday, August 11. 2009
The smallest Winblows program I ever wrote
Tonight, while being bored, I actually wrote a Winblows program. I might be losing my mind, but I can say one good thing about it. The size of the code + data is well under 100 bytes. I believe this would qualify as one of the smallest Win32 programs in existence. At least no one can ever say I never wrote a Winblows program.
Download it here.
Download it here.
Tuesday, March 24. 2009
Control Software for the Inland USB LED Badge
Update 12/14/09: I've moved the code for this program to GitHub and now provide binary packages. See the README for details.
I bought one of these at Micro Center a couple of weeks ago (I just now got around to posting the code -- I've been busy with a few other things) because I wanted to flex my reverse engineering muscles, and work with libhid. I knew there was no way in hell it would come with control software for Linux, and at $14.99 it was quite affordable.
0x04d9:0xe002
USB Vendor ID: 0x04d9 Holtek Semiconductor, Inc.
USB Product ID: 0xe002 FURI KEYSHINE USB LED Badge
You can download the source here. The program is written in C, and licensed under the GNU GPLv3. Instructions for how to compile the program are included in the README. You'll find the original documentation (converted to PDF) in the doc directory. Please make sure the badge is connected before running the program.
Requirements:
- GTK+ >= 2.14
- libusb >= 0.1 (Legacy version - libusb 1.x has a much different API)
- libhid >= 0.2.16
- pkg-config, GLib/GDK/GTK+ headers, libusb headers, libhid headers, etc.
Upon starting the program, you'll see the following window:
If you've used the manufacturer-supplied Delphi progam, then this should seem fairly familiar. If not, it should be fairly obvious what each field is for. The first four fields are text input fields corresponding to the first four messages that can be stored on the device. You simply enter the text you want, choose a speed (the higher the number, the faster the action happens), and an action (e.g. "Move.")
The final two fields are for the two bitmap messages available on the device. If you click on the image, a bitmap editor dialog will appear:
By clicking in the grid, you can set or unset the pixels that comprise the image displayed. If you right click on the grid, you'll get an option to clear the bitmap. When you're done with a bitmap, close the dialog.
The last input item is the "Luminance" spin button. This will set the luminance (intensity) for the LEDs. The default is usually sufficient.
When you click "Send," the data will be sent to the device, and you'll be ready to disconnect the device and use it.
Update (1/10/11): Derek O. provided the following picture of the badge internals. It's apparently driven by a Holtek HT82K94E 8-bit MCU. Click on the image below for a full-size pic! Thanks, Derek!
I had a look at the datasheet (linked above) for this particular MCU, and it would seem to take the USB clock and data lines directly to the chip, which would infer that the memory is on-chip. This raises the question of whether or not the commands sent to the device could be adapted to reprogram it. The instruction set is very straight-forward, although I didn't see any mention of what bits correspond to which instruction. However, the registers and instructions themselves are documented, so it gives some indication of what would be possible.
Holtek has a Winblows-based IDE and emulator available for their microcontrollers, but I'm unaware of any option for Linux at present. I'd love to dump the on-chip memory.
Perhaps I'll revisit it one weekend when I'm looking for something interesting to toy with.
Friday, March 13. 2009
My GED Scores
Saturday, October 11. 2008
On Paltalk and Gaim-PT
Friday, July 18. 2008
Finally, a new system!
I've finally managed to put together a new system. Compared to my previous system, it's like lightning.
Without further adieu, here are the specs:
CPU: AMD Phenom X4 9850 (Black Edition)
RAM: 4 GB DDR2-800 (2 x 2 GB Corsair XMS2)
HDD: 160 GB Western Digital Caviar Blue (7200 RPM, SATA-II, 16 MB cache)
Video Card: NVidia GeForce 8400 GS (PCI-e)
Sound Card: Onboard NVidia HDA
Motherboard: ECS NFORCE6M-A (3.0)
Chassis: Gigabyte GZ-X2 Mid-Tower
PSU: Coolmax V-500 (500W ATX PSU)
OS: Gentoo Linux 2008.0 (amd64)
This really is a system to Git-R-Done! Btw, I gave my previous system to Dave, and he's quite content with it.
Without further adieu, here are the specs:
CPU: AMD Phenom X4 9850 (Black Edition)
RAM: 4 GB DDR2-800 (2 x 2 GB Corsair XMS2)
HDD: 160 GB Western Digital Caviar Blue (7200 RPM, SATA-II, 16 MB cache)
Video Card: NVidia GeForce 8400 GS (PCI-e)
Sound Card: Onboard NVidia HDA
Motherboard: ECS NFORCE6M-A (3.0)
Chassis: Gigabyte GZ-X2 Mid-Tower
PSU: Coolmax V-500 (500W ATX PSU)
OS: Gentoo Linux 2008.0 (amd64)
This really is a system to Git-R-Done!
Btw, I gave my previous system to Dave, and he's quite content with it.
Friday, June 6. 2008
Skunk-a-what?
Those of you in the Fairfield / Hamilton / Middletown areas of Ohio are probably familiar with a computer shop by the name of Skunk-a-Rific Computers. A friend of mine recently had a laptop serviced there, and after being charged approximately $75, was told that his laptop was "a lost cause."
In utter disbelief I examined his laptop, and what I found was: not only were they dead wrong, they caused an ID10-T error. Now, granted, my friend uses Winblows, the only real problems I noticed during my initial examination were that not all of the drivers had been installed, and that the driver for the NIC was incompatible with it. I took an audit with the already-installed Bellarc Advisor, and discovered also that the Windows key used to install did not match the COA on the machine. It was no surprise that I found an anti-WPA crack in C:\skunk\tools.
Skunk-a-Rific also installs a default background image which I can't stop laughing at (click to see the full image, and take note of the text in the lower-left corner):
Your software warranty is void if you load any software without our approval. This includes: Windows Updates, drivers for anything, all software loaded from the internet, internet access discs, store-bought software, or anything that modifies Windows. Do not use Internet Explorer to browse the internet, use Mozilla Firefox instead. Do not use AOL for internet access. It is not approved by Microsoft or us. If you normally use Outlook Express for e-mail, use Mozilla Thunderbird instead. You will get hacked if you ignore these instructions, and this is not covered under our warranty.
What kind of fear tactics are these idiots trying to pull here? Sounds like a mandate from a fascist regime. One should need their approval to install something? That's absolutely rediculous!
Thus, I went down into my dark chambers, and began the process of reinstalling Winblows. After an hour or two, I still had not had any problems (the laptop is supposedly "a lost cause" right?) My friend had told me he only really wanted the machine to play World of Warcraft, so I installed the trial, and it ran smoothly.
Now, the fact that the technician at Skunk-a-Rific completely lied to my friend wasn't my chief concern, their unprofessional nature speaks for itself. It was more the fact that they would have installed several different pieces of software on his machine, without his approval, and then proceed to chastise him. I found several OEM versions of softwares such as AHead's Nero CD-recording suite, for which my friend did not pay, nor have a license; again, installed behind his back.
Now, let's run through a check list:
1. Did they properly assess his needs? -- No
2. Did they have a professional attitude toward their service? -- No
3. Did they do what he originally asked (Reinstall Windows)? -- Partially
4. Did the customer pay for an unsatisfactory job? -- Yes
5. Are they even CompTIA A+ Certified? -- More than likely not.
That says it all. Even on their website, are several examples of unprofessional conduct by their employees. For Christ's sake, their website is one big sales pitch from the late 90's. It's not even informative, except for bashing this and that, selling this and that. Their company MySpace page feels more personal than professional. They seem to love to push Linux and Open Source software, but they are exactly the kind that give the Linux & OSS communities a bad name. As much as they seem to hate Windows -- their website and their offices are run on Windows servers. Quite a bit of irony, eh?
If you're in the Cincinnati area and need computer repair, contact me for a quote. I'm a real CompTIA A+ Certified Technician and a professional to boot.
In utter disbelief I examined his laptop, and what I found was: not only were they dead wrong, they caused an ID10-T error.
Now, granted, my friend uses Winblows, the only real problems I noticed during my initial examination were that not all of the drivers had been installed, and that the driver for the NIC was incompatible with it. I took an audit with the already-installed Bellarc Advisor, and discovered also that the Windows key used to install did not match the COA on the machine. It was no surprise that I found an anti-WPA crack in C:\skunk\tools. Skunk-a-Rific also installs a default background image which I can't stop laughing at (click to see the full image, and take note of the text in the lower-left corner):
Wallpaper installed by Skunk-a-Rific.
Your software warranty is void if you load any software without our approval. This includes: Windows Updates, drivers for anything, all software loaded from the internet, internet access discs, store-bought software, or anything that modifies Windows. Do not use Internet Explorer to browse the internet, use Mozilla Firefox instead. Do not use AOL for internet access. It is not approved by Microsoft or us. If you normally use Outlook Express for e-mail, use Mozilla Thunderbird instead. You will get hacked if you ignore these instructions, and this is not covered under our warranty.
What kind of fear tactics are these idiots trying to pull here? Sounds like a mandate from a fascist regime. One should need their approval to install something? That's absolutely rediculous!
Thus, I went down into my dark chambers, and began the process of reinstalling Winblows. After an hour or two, I still had not had any problems (the laptop is supposedly "a lost cause" right?) My friend had told me he only really wanted the machine to play World of Warcraft, so I installed the trial, and it ran smoothly.
Now, the fact that the technician at Skunk-a-Rific completely lied to my friend wasn't my chief concern, their unprofessional nature speaks for itself. It was more the fact that they would have installed several different pieces of software on his machine, without his approval, and then proceed to chastise him. I found several OEM versions of softwares such as AHead's Nero CD-recording suite, for which my friend did not pay, nor have a license; again, installed behind his back.
Now, let's run through a check list:
1. Did they properly assess his needs? -- No
2. Did they have a professional attitude toward their service? -- No
3. Did they do what he originally asked (Reinstall Windows)? -- Partially
4. Did the customer pay for an unsatisfactory job? -- Yes
5. Are they even CompTIA A+ Certified? -- More than likely not.
That says it all. Even on their website, are several examples of unprofessional conduct by their employees. For Christ's sake, their website is one big sales pitch from the late 90's. It's not even informative, except for bashing this and that, selling this and that. Their company MySpace page feels more personal than professional. They seem to love to push Linux and Open Source software, but they are exactly the kind that give the Linux & OSS communities a bad name. As much as they seem to hate Windows -- their website and their offices are run on Windows servers. Quite a bit of irony, eh?
If you're in the Cincinnati area and need computer repair, contact me for a quote. I'm a real CompTIA A+ Certified Technician and a professional to boot.
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