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This BLOG is for LLNL present and past employees, friends of LLNL and anyone impacted by the privatization of the Lab to express their opinions and expose the waste, wrongdoing and any kind of injustice against employees and taxpayers by LLNS/DOE/NNSA. The opinions stated are personal opinions. Therefore, The BLOG author may or may not agree with them before making the decision to post them. Comments not conforming to BLOG rules are deleted. Blog author serves as a moderator. For new topics or suggestions, email jlscoob5@gmail.com

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Sunday, September 9, 2012

automated posting prevention by Google

Anonymous said... Hey Scooby, ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Why are the "not a robot" things getting so ridiculous lately? My old eyes are not up to them anymore. What problem are they solving? Besides making your readers more pissed off at you than usual, I mean? If Blogger offers you no choice than to use them, who do we complain to? (I mean a real person). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- September 6, 2012 9:19 PM ======================================================================================= scooby said... can you be more specific. I dont know what you are talking about. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- September 7, 2012 4:04 PM ====================================================================================== Anonymous Anonymous said... When people want to submit a comment, they have to look at a bunch of very fuzzy and distorted figures and type in the numbers and letters there, before the comment can be submitted. It prevents a bot from autoposting advertising, since bot algorithms aren't smart enough to figure out the letters and numbers from these pictures whereas the human brain can do a decent job. But sometimes can take 3 or 4 attempts since these codes are very distorted visually. Turning them off exposes you to the risk that bots will post advertising or bad links to try to get people to go to a rogue website and inadvertently download malware or backdoors onto their computers. It can be annoying having to try 3 or 4 times just to submit a comment. I haven't tried it yet but you can try the "audio" version of this feature (sound icon) next to the code box. Maybe that works better for some. Let the ears do the work, and not the eyes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ September 7, 2012 4:25 PM ==================================================================================== Anonymous Anonymous said... Scooby...I had a similar problem when making a recent post. My comment was added 3X because each time the process indicated that I did not enter the proper letters. It was user mistake on my part because I did not read the code correctly – however, on each failed attempt I did not notice that my comment was added each time. I like the audio version suggestion:) September 7, 2012 7:24 PM Delete Anonymous Anonymous said... Scooby, your comment indicates you don't even know how your own blog works. Some homework on your part is needed, I'd say. Try posting a comment to your own blog (as an anonymous poster) and see what we mean. =---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- September 7, 2012 9:00 PM =================================================================================== Anonymous Anonymous said... I think it's the strongest protection option, and unfortunately the machine learning algorithms that hackers and spammers use to "read" these security code images is getting better and better that the images are having yo be blurred and distorted more just to stay ahead of hackers. It's really on the plate of google. The other options don't provide enough privacy if that is something you are trying to maintain. But really the call of the owner. The Audio option is available to everyone since they need ways for people with visual impairments to be able to participate. I just hope spammers don't develop audio algorithms to eventually bypass those features either. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- September 8, 2012 5:07 PM ==================================================================================== Anonymous Anonymous said... The "audio option" sounds like extended gibberish to me. Not an option. I think the real question is what is the risk to this kind of blog, and why has the bar been set so much higher over the past few months? As recently as May, the challenge figures were relatively simple, but obviously not easily machine-read. What has changed, except general paranoia? This really seems like overkill for a simple comment blog. Nothing affecting national security, or even anyone's credit card number, here. I for one am getting very tired of mindless ratcheting-up of "security" by uneducated drones in all facets of daily life. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- September 8, 2012 9:45 PM ====================================================================================== Anonymous Anonymous said... Blame google. They make all of that so its transparent to users. ---------------------------------------------------------------- September 9, 2012 2:29 AM ================================================================================

16 comments:

scooby said...

Thank you all for reporting on this topic and for the original poster for clarifying!

Contrary to popular legend, I am not a web expert and don't consciously try to be. I have no control over what Google does.
I know what you are talking about and consider it a minor annoyance.

Anonymous said...

Having to try 3 or 4 times to get your comment to be accepted is a "minor annoyance"? It is readily apparent that not all comment blogs do this, and it is hard to believe that Google presents no options to a blog owner. I submit that ease of use for your posters should be one of your top priorities. Your cavalier attitude unfortunately is not a surprise.

Anonymous said...

The vast majority of the web has been forced to go to these captcha's (as they're called).

Quit criticizing Scooby, be has nothing to do with this. If you would like to volunteer your immense computer science / security research skills to this global problem, then do so, make billions and reap your reward. But lay off the guy who runs your blog for free.

And, no, I'm not Scooby, just a computer scientist/security person who understands this stuff.

Anonymous said...

And, no, I'm not Scooby, just a computer scientist/security person who understands this stuff.

September 9, 2012 7:52 PM

It ain't rocket science, Einstein. It's just annoying, like everything else "computer scientist/security person" people dream up for the rest of us to have to deal with. None of it is necessary. Just stupid. You are not as smart as you think you are.

Anonymous said...

Great, as I stated above, use your vastly superior intelligence to invent a better way to do this, and you will be amply rewarded by the marketplace.

I look forward to your IPO...and an easier to use internet.

Anonymous said...


The real problem with typing these words in is that never works when I am totally drunk. It really pisses me off that I cannot post when I am wasted and want to talk about how great I am and how everyone should stop whining.

Anonymous said...

...use your vastly superior intelligence to invent a better way to do this, and you will be amply rewarded by the marketplace.

September 10, 2012 5:44 AM

It doesn't require "vastly superior knowledge" just common sense. Turn the damn thing off. No need to find a "better way" to do something that doesn't need to be done.

Anonymous said...

I agree, they are often undescernable even if magnified. This is truly meant to frustrate the inputers in my opinion. I am on my 4th attempt with this posting.

Anonymous said...

I raise the question again, since it has not been answered: What problem or threat is this solving, and what evidence exists that that problem or threat exists on this blog? Computer security geeks debate how best to accomplish the security goal, but no one answers why this goal is necessary or desirable. Scooby, how about turning everything off for a few days and seeing what happens? Will the world end? I think not. After all, this blog is not exactly world-renowned. If Google, or whoever, prevents you from doing this, why are you dealing with such an inflexible provider? Isn't this YOUR blog? Isn't there an alternative blog provider?

Anonymous said...

New info: "word verification" on Google blogs is an OPTION, not a requirement. So turn it off already. How many years did you live without it???

Anonymous said...

The highest risk is that advertising and bad-links start showing up. In that case, word verification could be turned back on.

scooby said...

Verification is good. It will not be turned off. I am the one who will deal with any consequences of turning it off.

Anonymous said...


Guys it is to keep the drunks out!

Anonymous said...

scooby said...

Verification is good. It will not be turned off. I am the one who will deal with any consequences of turning it off.

September 13, 2012 4:18 PM

No you won't - you've chosen to AVOID dealing with the consequences because you don't understand the issue, or the risk, or lack thereof, to your blog. Just laziness and your typical knee-jerk heavy-handedness when questioned. If you are going to be a blog owner, you have to be willing to do your homework about what that means and what the issues are. You never have been willing or able to do that. Go ahead, post your typical reply that if I'm not willing to help, I should shut up and "don't let the door hit me." Sigh.

scooby said...

Thanks for remembering sep 13 9:44Pm!

Anonymous said...

"Guys it is to keep the drunks out!

September 13, 2012 7:52 PM"

Then itsh no workin

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