First Timers Search Results

Chalk It Up to Experience: How to Make Realistic Chalk Symbols in Photoshop

Need help getting started on this week's WTFoto Challenge? Look no further! In this tutorial, I will teach you how to create simple chalk symbols and writing in Photoshop. So read through this post and try it out yourself—or I'll tell your cousin what you said when you were drunk that one time. Keep in mind that the steps are similar for other programs, such as GIMP.

How To: The Essential Newbie's Guide to SQL Injections and Manipulating Data in a MySQL Database

No doubt you've seen some of the hack logs being released. One part that stands out over and over again is the heavy database usage. It used to be early on that virus and hackers would destroy data, usually just for lulz. However, with the explosive commercial growth of the Internet, the real target is turning into data theft. You should learn how this happens so you can protect yourself accordingly. Let's take a look at what makes this possible and dare I say, easy.

WTFoto Symbology Challenge: Help Develop the Bro Code!

We're back again with another WTFoto Challenge! Last week's Hobo Advice Challenge somewhat inspired this week's humdinger, where we want you to help us develop the BRO CODE. You could be a part of internet history. Follow the simple directions below and post your submissions on the community corkboard. If you feel like you need some help getting started, check out our first of many WTFotoShop tutorials!

News: Curbing our Hubris

"The suspect is based out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state. He has been identified as a staff sergeant in the Stryker brigade who was taking part in a village stability operation in Afghanistan. He is a 38-year-old married father of two on his first deployment to Afghanistan after three previous deployments in Iraq.", reads an article from MSNBC.

Minecraft Aesthetics: Improving Your Build with the Right Flooring

Sometimes, at the end of a build, you may find yourself saying, "I'm pretty much finished, but what should I do next?" One element of a build that is always good to revisit once you're finished is the floor. It's not really a significant part of a building, but it can help make your construction look even better. Having a plain wood or cobblestone floor is fine, but depending on the style of the build, you may want to make it a little more interesting.

Hack Logs and Linux Commands: What's Going On Here?

This morning, I received a message from a friend who was reading a hack log, and she had some questions about the commands used. This got me thinking, as Linux has a ton of commands and some can be archaic, yet useful. We are going to go over everything you need to know to read a hack log and hopefully implant the steps in your head for future use.

News: TGF's Entry for the Subterranean Challenge

I like exploring and building underground in Minecraft. Finding a ravine, or even better one with an abandoned mineshaft. Exploring caves, and discovering dungeons. So this challenge is right up my alley. Right from the warp point to the challenge I notice the way some of the sand was sunken in zig zag patterns. I knew There had to be something down there so I started excavating. I quickly found a series of caves and the story of my build unfolded as I explored. I won't go into the history of...

News: Promises

It's soon going to be time for the elections and everyone is prepping up for it. The Republicans are waiting to elect Romney, who in my and many others view will not keep his promises. The Democrats are trying their best (its working) to make Obama as strong as possible against Mitt, who, in their minds, will be easy to defeat. Obama's acceptance polls have been steadily rising in the past few months.

How To: 9 Beer-Spiked Recipes for Your Next Cooking Adventure

If you're a beer lover, you can enjoy your passion even more by incorporating your favorite beer flavors into your next cooking experiment. Beer can be included in recipes for meat marinades, frying batter, chili, soups, bread and even dessert. And if you're concerned about getting drunk from these recipes, fear not—most of the alcohol will evaporate in the cooking process. But your dish will be left with a rich, earthy flavor that can only come from beer.

How To: Make Your Very Own Blinding Sunbeam with a Lithium AA Battery

Taking apart batteries is one of those things that every adult you've ever known has warned you against. Today, we break the taboo and dive into a lithium battery. Lithium has some pretty cool properties—it burns instantly in water and glows blindly bright under flame. And with just one AA battery, you can make a blinding light beam inspiring supernatural awe in all dictatorial adults who doubted you.

WTForeign Fridays: 9 Crazy Festivals from Around the Globe

In many ways, we center a large portion of our lives around festivals. They provide us days off from work, allow us time to be content with our families and loved ones, and a give us a chance to eat as much as we want without Aunt Carol saying something about our necks (it's thyroidal, Carol). However, some festivals are determined to push the needle to crazy. Here, for your consideration, are those offenders.

Don't Get Doxed: 5 Steps to Protecting Your Private Information on the Web

If you follow the Anonymous, Occupy, and IT security scenes, you have no doubt heard about a dox release. What is it? How can it hurt you? And most importantly, how can you protect yourself from it? Some of these steps might seem common sense, while others will be an ah-ha! moment. Your private info is both your biggest weakness and your biggest weapon in your battle to remain anonymous. You must learn how to use it as both.

TSA: Useful or Useless?

Oh yeah, this is a big topic, at-least for me. All the frequent flyers will/should be interested in this topic. I'm sure all of you have heard at-least something about the TSA, and most of it should have been bad. Complaints, lawsuits and general disgust surround this organization. Is there a reason, or are the 'extremist liberals' at it again? Let's find out!

IPsec Tools of the Trade: Don't Bring a Knife to a Gunfight

Pull up outside any construction site and you'll see tools scattered about—hammers, jigsaws, nail guns, hydraulic pipe benders—these are the tools of the trade. You would be hard-pressed to build a home or office building with just your hands! On that same page, security professionals also have their own go-to tools that they use on the job site, only their job site is your server.

News: Astronomical Observing News (3/7 to 3/13)

AON is moving to Wednesdays! There are lots of things going on this week in the skies above, so be sure to observe. As usual, there's a lot to see around Jupiter, with its moons eclipsing and transiting. Also, a star from the Virgo constellation will be in conjunction with our Moon.

How To: Who Is Anonymous? How the Wall Street Journal and the NSA Got It Wrong

Over the past couple of weeks, there have been a series of high-profile hacks and leaks. From the rooting of CombinedSystems, to a secret FBI conference call leak, all the way to the distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on U.S. government sites—with a lot in-between. As governments move to close their long fingers around the free speech that exposes their secrets, this shadowy collective of loose-knit, but like-minded individuals are hell bent on preventing them. Or are they?