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Comcast is the first ISP to join Mozilla's push for more secure browsing
Comcast is the first internet provider to join a Mozilla program that uses encrypted DNS for more secure web browsing.
Firefox now encrypts domain name requests by default in the US
After a brief delay, Mozilla has started to make DNS over HTTPS the default for Firefox users in the US. Notwithstanding any additional hiccups, the company says it hopes to finish the rollout sometime over the next couple of weeks. The protocol is supposed to protect one of the most fundamental aspects of browsing the internet: translating URLs into IP addresses. Without DNS over HTTPS, bad actors can see what websites you've visited -- even if they don't know what you did on those sites thanks to HTTPS. The protocol protects your privacy by effectively disguising DNS queries as regular HTTPS traffic.
SOE gives free game time for yesterday's login issues
If you were one of the players affected by Sony Online Entertainment's network-wide downtime yesterday, we have some good news. The company has announced on various social media outlets that it will be giving away two days of free access time to all accounts. This includes those on Landmark's beta access accounts as well. "We deeply regret the recent service interruption that is currently impacting all SOE games," DCUO Community Manager Mepps said in a forum post. "As a thank you for your patience, we will add two days of membership time to all members' accounts." According to EQ2wire.com, this downtime was caused by the SonyOnline.net domain name expiring, which SOE president John Smedley addressed in a tweet: "Sorry for the DNS problems folks. Won't happen again. Notices sent to wrong email. Doh."
Elder Scrolls Online accidentally bans legitimate accounts
Mark this down in the "oops!" category: ZeniMax admitted that it got a little too zealous in its war against EULA breakers in Elder Scrolls Online by accidentally banning some players who had done no wrong. "As part of our continuing effort to combat gold spammers, botters and exploiters, we recently banned a number of accounts," the studio posted. "After several players appealed, we were able to investigate the matter further and discovered some legitimate accounts got caught up in the sweep. We unbanned accounts last night, and have email responses going out for those affected from our support group. It is never our intention for legitimate players to be harmed as we work to keep your game free of cheaters, and we sincerely apologize for the mistake." ZeniMax also said that this past week's maintenance accidentally deleted some characters' bank expansions and the items held inside of them. The studio put up a process how to regain those slots and items if it happened to you.
Doh uses RFID and Arduino to help you remember your wallet, continues search for the 'Any Key'
If you can dream it, Arduino can help you build it -- perhaps with a dash of MakerBot thrown in for good measure. The latest homebrew project to hit the ol' inbox sounds an alarm whenever you leave a room without a registered item. Doh (named in Homer Simpson's honor, we presume), uses a trio of devices to track items that you usually travel with, like your keys or a cellphone. After you've assembled the rather complex contraption, you affix color-coded RFID tags to your gadgets, before registering them with the Arduino-based host. If you leave the room without all of the items that you've registered as a "grouping," a door handle-mounted display will indicate what's missing by flashing its color and sounding an alarm. If you've forgotten multiple items, the display will cycle through the associated colors. There's also a two-way "buzzing tag" that beeps until it's found, if you wish to add that to your collection. It's not a turnkey solution by any means, but unlike Homer, at least you're not being tasked with preventing nuclear meltdown. And if you're looking for a time-proven alternative, a pen and a pad of stickies should do. Jump past the break for a demo video, banjo-equipped soundtrack and all.
Domain of Heroes donates half of proceeds to help ugliest orc
What do you do when one of the most vocal and active members of your community falls on hard times? You help him out by raising money. It seems as though Ugs, the "Ugliest Orc" (we're not sure what he had to go through to get that title), has become ill. We all know how a single trip to the E.R. can set you back a house or two, so his bills are piling up. The issues have put a stress on his life that many of us have never known, even forcing him to tell the baby orcs that there will be no Christmas! Other players heard about his plight and suggested an "Ugs Appreciation Day" to raise funds, similar to an event we covered in the past. They discussed it on the forums, and the date was set to the 21st of November. The creator of the game then upped the amount to 50% of all in-game profits going to the ugly one! The game features a robust text-based system that can run in any browser and features 30 races, 27 classes and tons of skills. Sign up if it sounds interesting, donate on that special day by purchasing in-game wishes and other items, or go to the shop and stock up on other goods. Good luck, Ugs!
The Daily Grind: What's the worst in-game mistake you've ever made?
We've all been there, right at that moment. You know the one -- when you miss-click, when you aren't paying full attention, when you say something you shouldn't, when you turn right instead of left. Suddenly, your eyes widen, stomach drops and mouth goes dry. You've made a terrible, terrible mistake. And we want to know all about it! So let's engage in a bit of virtual therapy today and get our worst in-game mistakes off our chests (sorry, no "It was a mistake to sign up for such-and-such MMO" comments needed). Trudge up memories that you thought were long forgotten, and share with the group what horrific misjudgment you've made in the past. Did you accidentally sell an incredibly rare piece of loot to a vendor? Did you delete the wrong character on the selection screen? Did you go /afk just a little too long and come back to find that you just wiped your entire raid? What in-game mistake made you stand up, slap your forehead and shout "D'OH!" loud enough for the neighborhood to hear?
3.0.8 maintenance extended to 1 PM PST
Sorry, folks. You'll have to wait just a little bit longer for 3.0.8. The new and stylish Launcher just informed us disappointed players that maintenance has been extended to 1 PM Pacific time.But don't let your anticipation get the best of you! In the meantime, why don't you read some of our other extensive 3.0.8 coverage and get yourself pumped for it, or do Alex's crossword? Idle hands, and all that.
Don't get stuck in the Sunwell Plateau
I've found recently in my raiding of the Sunwell Plateau (here after and forever more referred to as SPLAT) that there are a few places folks shouldn't go.Kalecgos is one of them, that boss should just be wiped off the map. He's just that annoying. But baring that, there are these lovely little hedges placed around the instance. Don't go on those. If you do, you might just make your raid leader and Warlocks scream at you.If you get on one of these hedges and step the right way, you'll find yourself stuck behind them (click the image above for a high resolution version), unable to get out. The only way to get out is for you to hearth, for a Mage portal to be placed behind the hedge, or for a Warlock to summon you out. All the while you've taken up a good couple minutes of raid time.
That's what you get for installing Windows!
In the tradition of "The Crash" feature on Japan's Impress Watch site, we present this very sad case: a PowerBook that has seen much better days. However, as shown here, it still runs when hooked up to an external keyboard and monitor. So, don't feel sorry for this Mac's owner. Just think of him as the ultimate case modder, who managed to turn an old laptop into a desktop using nothing but a Hummer H2.[Via TUAW]
