Phosphorus and Lime
A Developer's Broadsheet
This blog has been deprecated. Please visit my new blog at klenwell.com/press.
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Name: klenwell
Home: San Diego, California, United States
About Me: designer, programmer, wordsmith
Monday, July 31, 2006
Nifty Cube: css file autoloader
Nifty Cube is a nifty corner-rounding script for web pages written by Alessandro Fulciniti. One small drawback I discovered in it is that it requires the CSS file it uses to be in the same directory as the calling script. I wrote the following function to overcome this and make it a little easier to use:
I tested it in my current version of Firefox and IE (6?) and it worked.
The modified package with demo is available here:
NiftyCubeAuto
function niftyAutoDetectCssPath()
{
var _debug = 0;
var _regex = 'niftycube.js';
var _SCRIPTS = new Array();
var nifty_path = ""; // return
// Get Script Tag Array
_SCRIPTS = document.getElementsByTagName('script');
// Loop Search for Nifty Tag
for ( i=0; i<_SCRIPTS.length; i++ )
{
var _src = _SCRIPTS[i].src
if ( _debug ) alert(_src);
if ( _src.search(_regex) != -1 )
{
if ( _debug ) alert('nifty path [' + _src + '] found!');
nifty_path = _src.substr(0, _src.lastIndexOf('/') + 1);
break;
}
}
if ( _debug ) alert('returning niftyPath [' + nifty_path + ']');
return nifty_path;
}
{
var _debug = 0;
var _regex = 'niftycube.js';
var _SCRIPTS = new Array();
var nifty_path = ""; // return
// Get Script Tag Array
_SCRIPTS = document.getElementsByTagName('script');
// Loop Search for Nifty Tag
for ( i=0; i<_SCRIPTS.length; i++ )
{
var _src = _SCRIPTS[i].src
if ( _debug ) alert(_src);
if ( _src.search(_regex) != -1 )
{
if ( _debug ) alert('nifty path [' + _src + '] found!');
nifty_path = _src.substr(0, _src.lastIndexOf('/') + 1);
break;
}
}
if ( _debug ) alert('returning niftyPath [' + nifty_path + ']');
return nifty_path;
}
I tested it in my current version of Firefox and IE (6?) and it worked.
The modified package with demo is available here:
NiftyCubeAuto
the password problem
mushpup is my solution to the multiple password problem I broached here. I think it's about as secure a decentralized model as you're going to find. Details here:
mushpup home page
mushpup home page
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Site Redesign
Finally got around to redesigning this site in conjunction with my blogger stack project. It accommodates my code samples much more nicely and hopefully better reflects my qualifications as a web designer. It uses the blogger stack template and style sheet.
Site Redesign: Icon
The new site icon:
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Thoughts on Passwords
The problem is not so much coming up with a good password as it is coming up with two dozen good unique passwords. How to manage an ever growing number of passwords in a somewhat yet mostly secure way?
My idea involves, first, categorizing contexts (i.e. logins) that require passwords according to different security levels. The US Government's classification system can be used here, but I prefer something a little more down-to-earth:
1. Highly Sensitive (e.g. financial info, email)
2. Somewhat Personal (e.g. myspace login)
3. Indifferent (e.g. ubuntuforums.org login)
It also involves coming up with a few different components for building passwords. These include:
1. keywords
2. keynumbers
3. acronyms
4. formulations
I write these down in a small notebook that I keep somewhere secure for reference.
I apply different formulations to the different levels.
Level 1
logins use part of a hash of a keyword
Level 2
use static forumlations consisting of something like Acronym #2 + Keynumber #3 + Keyword #5
Level 3
a simpler forumlation using something like a keynumber + a word easily associated with this context. For instance, for a site like anotherforum.com, the login might be keynumber + anotherforum. Gets me in and I should be able to remember it next time (provided I use a consistent formula), but if someone were to crack my password or my formula, the site should be such that it won't make that much difference.
My idea involves, first, categorizing contexts (i.e. logins) that require passwords according to different security levels. The US Government's classification system can be used here, but I prefer something a little more down-to-earth:
1. Highly Sensitive (e.g. financial info, email)
2. Somewhat Personal (e.g. myspace login)
3. Indifferent (e.g. ubuntuforums.org login)
It also involves coming up with a few different components for building passwords. These include:
1. keywords
2. keynumbers
3. acronyms
4. formulations
I write these down in a small notebook that I keep somewhere secure for reference.
I apply different formulations to the different levels.
Level 1
logins use part of a hash of a keyword
Level 2
use static forumlations consisting of something like Acronym #2 + Keynumber #3 + Keyword #5
Level 3
a simpler forumlation using something like a keynumber + a word easily associated with this context. For instance, for a site like anotherforum.com, the login might be keynumber + anotherforum. Gets me in and I should be able to remember it next time (provided I use a consistent formula), but if someone were to crack my password or my formula, the site should be such that it won't make that much difference.
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