Tag: programmer

Security, Tech

DD Came Stopped to Party

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people dancing a nightclub.
Which one of you spiked my drink!? I can taste my heartrate!
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This might send you back to those feel-good party nights so prepare to reminisce and say…” No, I don’t recall that happening.” Have you ever been to a nightclub, found someone to party with, and decided that you would like to spend most of your time with them?

You both are having a really good time, the music is pumping, the people around you are jamming, and something to you smells funny but that’s okay because the pills you took five minutes ago bestowed upon you the ability to see and taste sound.

You have to take a quick break and hit the restroom, only to come back and find your chosen dance partner is oddly being blocked by a crowd of people and no matter how much you try, you just can’t seem to get within reach of them. Have you never had this happen?

Okay, so apparently Z-Daddy is the only one who has had weird times in nightclubs huh? While you are lucky enough to say you haven’t experienced this event, this often happens with computers and companies you favor. What is this go-go nonsense I’m yammering on about? This will all make sense in a moment.

large group of people walking on road.
She’s leaving with you, but she was programming with me bro. Oh wait, that’s not right.
Photo by Vlad Alexandru Popa, please support by following @pexel.com

Clubbing in Denial

What is this weird phenomenon taking place in this nightclub which often happens to a computer or network? To put it in simple terms, you’re symbolically being hit with a “denial-of-service” or DoS.

This is a form of cyber-attack where the attacker seeks to make either your machine or a network resource unavailable for intended users. Distributed Denial of Service or DDoS occurs when a mass of machines operates together to focus an attack on one target to disrupt the normal traffic of the targeted IP address.

Picture if you can, five lanes of traffic trying to fit down a one-way street. This leads to the target’s device being overwhelmed and denying legitimate users access to the desired website. In fact, one of the largest attacks on record was at GitHub, a popular online code management platform that is used by a lot of developers. They were hit with a large volume of traffic that led to the disruption of their site. Click here to find out more details. What are some other things that can suffer from an attack like this I can hear you ask.

Aside from personal computers, cell phones, public cloud services, and IoT (Internet of Things) devices that aren’t tightly secured are not off the menu, they can all suffer a DDoS attack. Depending on how bad the attack is can play into how long it takes for your site to become available.

In some cases, could be as little as 24hrs and in others can be from days to a week given how quick the response time is. Variety is the spice of life and by choosing which device to overload, you can find plenty of it.  

young woman sat at computer screen in shock.
I can’t get to access my Grub Hub account…that means I have to cook tonight.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio, please support by following @pexel.com

Dirty, Dirty, Dirty Tactics

Who and why would someone turn to use such a tactic? Trying to hinder or take out the rival competition is one reason. If customers can’t get to your competitors’ sites but find access to yours. Then it makes the choice that much easier for them to buy from you.

This is pretty much a “Two birds with one stone” situation because not only are you carrying out a hit on your competition, but you are also passively strong-arming your potential customers into buying from you.

That’s operating like a boss. Another reason someone might perform a DDoS is Hacktivism, meaning they don’t agree with something political and promote an agenda of their own by hacking. In the days before the pop-ups of “How-to”, you had to be skilled to perform such an attack but now, like with malware, you can simply go to the dark side and pick something up extra saucy if you have enough coin.

Again, your presence on the dark web is not illegal but the activity you choose to engage in begs the question. Remember to always stay legal kids.

young gentleman rushing to woman in red over coat.
Bob: Karen, I thought you were leaving him for me.
Tim: she’s with me buddy. Your access just got denied.
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Last Minute Halts

So why is knowing about a DDoS important? DDoS can and have affected many if not all industries. This ranges from being able to place bets on gambling sites to trying to clear out your cart on an e-commerce site.

Everyone with a storefront on the internet has at one point or another suffered the simulated feeling of being an employee having to work retail on Black Friday. DDoS attacks have been around for quite some time, the earliest attack was back in the late 90s and they have been evolving ever since.

man in red polo looking shocked.
We’ve all made this face at one point or another while on the toliet.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio, please support by following @pexel.com

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Would like to give sincere thanks to current followers and subscribers, your support and actions mean a lot and has a play in the creation of each script.

Do you feel like I may have missed something about DDoS? Script a comment below.

AI, Cloud Talk, Programming, Tech

High Scope of Learning Deep

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woman sat on a sofa with a smartphone.
Oh lord, Z-Daddy is going to talk about the great machine uprising. This is so much better than Netflix and chilling.
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Have you ever sat on the couch vegging out to your favorite episode of My 600 lb. life and while sitting on your fart box, mindlessly snacking on your way to the ER, have the thought;” I wonder if it would be possible to make a computer think more like a human”? If your answer is no, then you’re not alone in that sentiment as a large amount of us don’t typically have thoughts present themselves in such a matter.

However, if you are a part of the unlucky few that have pondered this question then I’m glad to inform you that even though you are in a niche group you too are not alone. Although, some of the people who have a thought like that pop-up may either be passionate about computers or stoners.

Stoners are a more probable cause because, well, after ascending to a certain level of cloud technology you’re prone to think about anything and certain topics become easier to understand for some reason. Anyway, being half-baked aside, let’s take a deeper look at just how we find ways for computers to learn and how you, whether you are aware or not, are helping in the learning process. And yes, this might be done against your will.

man with hand on head looking at laptop.
How do I get a computer to understand thought? I should use this new Brazzers app I just downloaded.
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AI and Wrecking Bots

Whether you are into tech or just developing an interest, as of late, there is a chance that you’ve heard about the AI (Artificial Intelligence) chatbot craze which has led to every big tech company coming out with its own “better version” than the others. But in case you haven’t, here’s a brief overview. Weeks back ChatGPT (a chatbot belonging to OpenAI) was released making like Miley Cyrus and “Came in like a wrecking ball” to the industry, taking the internet by storm.

Not only could ChatGPT provide interactions and responses close to that of a human, but it could also aid in coding and in some cases, do college students’ essays for them. This is something I could have used back when I was in college, could’ve had someone to chat with, and probably wouldn’t have dropped out but whatever. Google following this release, released its own clap back in the form of Bard.

Again, they offer the same purpose, it’s just a “my stick is bigger than yours” situation. But the thing these bots have in common is how they process and develop information. This is done by using a subset of machine learning called “Deep Learning”. Deep learning is, in a nutshell, the creation of a neural network with three or more layers.

This is done in an attempt to simulate the neural networks of the behavior in the human brain. Notice, this is an “attempt” as the human brain can be quite complex, and some humans just don’t brain well.

view from bottom of a well
After covid, this is pretty much everyone’s’ current view.
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A High View Over Deep

So, what is meant by the term “Deep”? This term refers to functions with higher complexity in the number of layers and units in a single layer. In English, this breaks down to, for example using the chewing gum Trident Layers. Within the gum is three layers, each layer holds a color, and within each color is a flavor, and within that are ingredients to create said flavor. All these items come together to form a well-known chewing gum whose flavor only lasts for about one minute and thirty seconds.

Disappointment in chewing gum aside, this idea of the data layers and data within them has a play into the concept of Deep Neural Networks (DNN) which were inspired by how the human brain functions. How this differs from machine learning or ML? ML uses algorithms to parse data, withdraw insight from said data, and conclude informed decisions.

Deep learning, on the other hand, structures a neural network similar to the brain that can learn and make decisions on its own. In another nutshell, you’re pretty much putting a ghost in the machine…just hope and pray it doesn’t find out it’s not a real boy.

smiling female traveler holding a hand of lover.
If I can deep learn a computer…then I might be able to deep learn her.
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Computer Brain Assisted

Now, what is your part in the creation and improvement of the developing AI? The use of virtual assistants, voice activation, automatic facial recognition, and completing the mundane task of filling out surveys are direct ways in contributing to the brain of the computer.

Accessing websites such as E-commerce and interacting with the chatbot, which most if not all are utilized nowadays, can swiftly aid you based on the information provided. Although, this isn’t foolproof as sometimes chatbots will churn out prerecorded responses.

A thing to note, and this isn’t new or shocking because, like after a few months of forceful fun hugging with a new cellmate it’s something we all are numb to by now; all your interactions either online or off, are being collected and fed through a deep learning model.

Does this violate your privacy…maybe but that’s another topic. The data gathered could then be utilized for metrics that could either be used to recommend, advise, or sell on the dark web. Side note: despite your information may be classified as private for company use, an insider/bad actor could obtain your data and put it up for sale. And before you ask, yes all sales are final.

joyful couple holding hands and running towards a city.
Let’s go embrace the end of the world. Twitter and OpenAI, here we come!
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Made it this far and found this to be entertaining? Then a big thanks to you and please show your support by cracking a like, scripting a comment, or plug-in to follow.

Would like to give sincere thanks to current followers and subscribers, your support and actions mean a lot and has a play in the creation of each script.

Do you feel like there is something that I may have missed? Script a comment below.

AI, Cloud Talk, Programming, Security, Tech

Big-Techs Bittersweet Symphony

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man waking up and stretching in bed
First thing in morning…I wonder what’s on Scriptingthewhy.com
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Have you ever woken up, walked into the kitchen, put your hand into your toaster, flip it on, and while it was heating up thought to yourself,” This is a good idea, I mean my hand is starting to burn but I’m okay with this”? No, me neither but yet somehow, we complete this same action every day at work.

While “we the happy few” go to work and enjoy it there is a mass amount of people who do not but in either case, the result is the same, we take part in a cycle. Get up, get dressed, grab your bags, head to work, work your standard eighty hours, get your paycheck, pay your bills, complain throughout the process, and repeat.

We complete this cycle for various reasons but whatever those reasons may be, this cycle hides away a question from the forethought of our minds that we should be asking ourselves and searching for an answer. “What would I do if my employer had to let me go?”

In case you were wondering, the reaction to pulling your hand out from the toaster is the thought that you should be aspiring to do something more than your current position. This symbolism hits all too hard.

woman in bed holding smartphone in shock.
We know it’s your day off, but could you still come in and hand over your badge?
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Heartbreaks and Layoffs

I don’t know how many of you reading this have ever experienced a layoff before, personally, I have not. I mean, I experienced being laid off in a relationship (it was her choice, not mine) but I could imagine the feeling of your heart dropping into your gut, and experience trembling throughout your very existence would be the result.

For those who don’t entirely have a good idea of what a layoff is; in short, the employer may come into a situation where they have to terminate your employment, the reasons can vary from trying to cut costs, lack of work, or funds because of reorganization, or even mergers and acquisitions.

Breaking this down in relationship terms, this is the classic “It’s not you, it’s me” situation. This differs from being fired because, well… being fired is something that happened on your end. So, again, in relationship terms, this is the classic “I’m breaking up with you because we’re just not meant to be” situation.

Breaking hearts aside, if you have been living under a rock, the company Google, is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc that focuses on various business areas such as advertising, search, platform, and operating systems, and the list goes on, had to perform a massive layoff and people were informed via email, that they were being let go despite their longstanding with Google.

Again, haven’t been laid off before but I could imagine your world becoming microscopic after reading the email. This is heartbreaking because there are many people who spent their better years trying to acquire a spot in Google only to be treated like a mishandled Door Dash order and be left out curbside.

a team of people at a table going over data.
We should start making plans in case this company starts downsizing.
Door Dash here I come.
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Letting Go by Numbers

You may be curious to know how many people and why is Google laying off. As of right now Google either has or seeking to let go of about 12,000 employees. And interns looking to land a job with Google have been put on freeze with a chance of having to pivot their plans because landing a job at Google isn’t looking promising anymore.

Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai informed employees this decision resulted from the realization of unrealized growth expectations. This translates to, if you have ever thrown a house party, I invited too many people and a good chunk of you have to go. So sorry folks but don’t forget to tip your bartender and close your tab on the way out.

This makes Google the latest tech giant to “trim the fat” after the rapid expansion during the COVID-19 pandemic had worn off. Pichai did take full responsibility for the decision however, this doesn’t soften the blow but at least he did address his muck up.

Yours truly even applied at Google and like most of the companies I’ve applied to, they scoffed at my achievements because I didn’t come from a university or have the certifications, they were screening for but after applying for their apprenticeship program and never hearing anything more about it, this all makes sense now.

young man sat worried.
I have spent years in school, I never gave much thought into pursing other skills.
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Being The Jack of Spades

This brings things back into perspective from the introduction I made earlier. Not the toaster part but that has a play in it too. What would you do if you had to part ways with your employer and either have a small chance of coming back or none?

After spending years on the conveyer belt traveling from school to college and from college to fall into a position in a company that you hope to carry you into your golden years, you find the world is changing and companies of yesterday have less of a care for their current longstanding and hope-filled potential employees due to having to rapidly change.

A thing about jobs is that they are meant to be a short-term service while having a career, on the other hand, is better but not the best since you must specialize in something. The problem with this is you have to be careful with whatever specialization you choose because it could either contribute to oversaturating the market or end up being such a small niche in the wrong area that people have no use for it.

A solution to preparing for this situation if you are ever so unlucky to come face-to-face with it is to treat your skills like a stock portfolio and be diverse as possible. Be the Jack of All Trades and master of none because in this case, it’s better than being a master of one.

I’m sure there are a few people in Google who were able to shrug off being laid off because either they have a decent amount saved in their savings plan or they have other skills they can rely on. But for a large amount of them, this is removing the blinders and a rude awakening. If you noticed, in school you’re never taught how to adapt to change.

highway near trees under cloudy sky.
Either experience the storm of change or be the storm of change.
Photo by Lucas Martins, please support by following @pexel.com

Made it this far and found this to be entertaining? Then a big thanks to you and please show your support by cracking a like, scripting a comment, or plug-in to follow.

Would like to give sincere thanks to current followers and subscribers, your support and actions mean a lot and has a play in the creation of each script.

Have you ever been laid off before?

Script a comment below about it.