ArmA 2: Combined Operations - Free For All Dogfight Map

I've recently been playing ArmA 2: CO, and I thought, "hey, why not try to make my own map." Well it turns out, making a simple F-35B dogfight map is actually ridiculously complicated. Arma 2 uses SQF script, something that seems similar to PHP, but with an interesting event handler. If you play on a server that's slightly glitchy, don't blame them; I can tell you first hand it's complicated. In the end, however, my map was quite successful.

Forum Post

Download Dogfight_F-35B_4P_FFA.Desert_E.pbo from my Dropbox

If you don't have a copy of ArmA 2, I invite you to try out ArmA 2: Free.

Choosing a Username - A Quick Guide

So you're about to create a new account, and you see the box to input your username. What will you type? The most important thing to ask yourself is: What will this account be used for?

1. The Business/Formal Username

If this account will be used for business or school purposes, you'll want to use a formal username. A formal username typically consists of your full name, or your first initial and your last name. If the your name is common, the username will probably be taken. In this case, it is fine to add a period or underscore to split your first and last name. Or, you can add some numbers to the end of your name. Don't do anything with this account that you wouldn't want a prospective future employer to know about.

2. The In Game Name / Gamertag

This will generally be your alias for games and forums. To make a good and lasting gamertag, you'll want to create a unique username, one that nobody else has. You do not want to simply add numbers to the end of a username that has been taken. To make sure your username is unique, search it up on Google. If you get any hits that aren't yourself, pick another name. If you have trouble thinking up a username, search for lists of prefixes and suffixes, and just combine some of them.

When using this username, you generally do not want to give out any of your real personal information, except maybe your first name.

3. The Hacker-handle / Burn Account

This username is used for things your probably shouldn't be doing, things you don't want people to know about, or you're just creating a one-use email to sign up for another account. It really does not matter what you choose for your name in this case, even random numbers and letters is fine. Just make sure it doesn't contain your real name and is different from your gamertag. Make sure it isn't affiliated to your real identity in any way. You'll also probably never want to use this username ever again.

TLDR: Think ahead into the future and make sure you won't regret your choice of username.

Minecraft Dota/Moba/LoL Map!

Zealock has created a pvp Minecraft map that emulates a Dota/LoL/Moba game in first person. Based on the League of Legends map, players on two teams take down the other team's towers and eventually their nexus to win. Complete with a redstone powered shop system.

It can be found here: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1161133-minecraft-dota/

Although a server can run the game barebones without any mods, as the map implements a large amount of redstone circuitry to run, I've created a bukkit plugin that will improve the gameplay, which can be found here. Details about it can be found on the BukkitDev page.

Action Replay for Legend of Zelda Minish Cap on gpsPhone

Godmode/Invincibility for "1865 - Legend of Zelda, The - The Minish Cap (U).zip" on gpsPhone on iPod/iPhone with PC. (This really is the only cheat you need.)

Follow the tutorial for creating a *.cht file here, but instead of pokemon, name the *.cht file "1865 - Legend of Zelda, The - The Minish Cap (U).zip.cht" with the following text inside:

Infinite Health 

5CB4A820 19D7B24D

And you're done!

Valentines Day Bitcoin Hacking

Reports are sketchy, but it seems that Tradehill, a Bitcoin exchange, has recently been compromised. If you did not know, Bitcoin is a virtual currency. It's completely electronic and not backed by anything. That is to say, all records are kept electronically, and each Bitcoin is only worth what other people are willing to pay for it. As a non physical currency, it is vulnerable to hacking.

Read more at:
TheVerge
SiliconAngle

Action Replay for Pokemon Emerald on gpsPhone 7.1.3

This guide will outline the steps to use action replay cheats for Pokemon Emerald on gpsPhone on your iPod Touch or iPhone using a Windows computer.

This guide assumes you have already jailbroken your iPod, installed gpsPhone 7.1.3, its BIOS, and the GBA ROM Pack with 1986 - Pokemon - Emerald Version (UE).zip, and already have it working without cheats.

Skip to Step 4 if you know how to use OpenSSH and WinSCP.

Step 1: Install SSH on your iPod. Under Cydia, it's called OpenSSH. It's also a good idea to install SBSettings so you can disable SSH when you want. (note: SSH poses a security threat to your iPod. It is recommended to change the root password, disable it when not in use, or uninstall it when you don't need it anymore.)

Step 2: Install WinSCP on your PC. If you are using a Mac, you'll need to find a Mac equivalent. You will need to find your iPod's IP address. Its under Settings>Wi-Fi->[Press the little arrow by your network name].

Step 3: Run WinSCP, type in your iPod's IP. For username, type root. The default password is alpine. Navigate to the folder /private/var/mobile/Media/ROMs/GBA.

Step 4: Open Notepad, and copy&paste the following:

Masterball
128898B6 EDA43037
Rare Candy
BFF956FA 2F9EC50D
Faraway Island (Mew)
8DEB234A 4C8DC5EC
Navel Rock (Lugia)
842CB8A9 7F8B0149
Birth Island (Deoxys)
4A99A22B 58284D2D
Southern Island (Latias) 1
7703F025 00394020
Southern Island (Latias) 2
181690CB 4E53CB05

Save it as RomFileName.cht, or for Pokemon Emerald 1986 - Pokemon - Emerald Version (UE).zip.cht. The file MUST end in *.cht, not *.txt. All the letters in the code MUST be in UPPER CASE.

(note: Save before using cheats, in case your game glitches up. The Rare Candy and Master Ball cheats put them in your PC, use the Toss menu and toss 0 of them to remove any extra stacks. The map cheats will teleport you to your desired location when you walk through a door. Remember to disable them after you are done. You can replace the codes with up to 8 different ones, these are just the ones that I liked. I found that only Action Replay codes work, and of those only a few of them. I haven't found a working infinite money code, instead use the Rare Candy cheat and sell stacks of 99 of them to the store.)

Step 5: Drag and drop the file into the /private/var/mobile/Media/ROMs/GBA folder on your iPod.

Step 6: Run gpsPhone. In game, press menu, and you can now use the Toggle Loaded Cheats menu.

The Toggle Loaded Cheats menu.

Internet Warfare?

Recently, the US Government has taken steps to curb internet piracy, introducing bills such as SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act). This has sparked outrage among the internet community, some calling it a copy of the Great Firewall of China or even the start of an American totalitarian government. In response, people have decided to boycott companies in support of SOPA. Some websites, including Wikipedia, temporarily held a blackout on their sites protesting these proposed laws.

Just today, the American government shut down MegaUpload.com, accusing the company of supporting internet piracy. Soon after, websites such as justice.gov (the website of the Department of Justice) and UniversalMusic.com have been running extremely slowly or have outright crashed, probably due to a DDoS attack. A loose association of hackers, called Anonymous, has claimed responsibility. Government propaganda and media has often mislabeled Anonymous as a terrorist group. 

Please support freedom of the internet, and fight against Lamar Smith (introduced SOPA) and Patrick Leahy (introduced PIPA).

A Guy Fawkes mask, often associated with Anonymous.

The proper Anonymous logo.