The Energon Pub

News Credits: 3642 · Wed Oct 28, 2015 11:33 am

Spent some time implementing my server host's firewall, which is oddly accessed from their regular customer portal instead of through my server (which also has its own firewall setup). It initially ended up banning my own IP address because of how much I access the server, which I finally figured out how to unblock fortunately. We'll see if this helps out with the suspected DDOS attacks I think Seibertron.com has been suffering from. All seems well at the moment.

News Credits: 462 · Wed Oct 28, 2015 12:45 pm

Looking at the comments section of this news post, the YouTube embed SW's SilverHammer posted doesn't show as an embedded video, and the emoticon I posted in my first comment isn't visible. However, the image I posted in my second comment does show up properly, so it's only his video and my emoticon that don't.

And this only occurs in the front page news post. Viewing the same posts in the forum itself show everything to be correct.

News Credits: 3642 · Wed Oct 28, 2015 2:28 pm

Sabrblade wrote:Looking at the comments section of this news post, the YouTube embed SW's SilverHammer posted doesn't show as an embedded video, and the emoticon I posted in my first comment isn't visible. However, the image I posted in my second comment does show up properly, so it's only his video and my emoticon that don't.

And this only occurs in the front page news post. Viewing the same posts in the forum itself show everything to be correct.

It wasn't working because I wrote my own custom function last week that parses through our news posts, rather than trying to integrate phpBB into the "front end" of the website (i.e. non-forum sections). For whatever reason, the forum integration caused random severe lags so I decided it was best to remove phpbb integration from the front end of the website last week. My new function doesn't account for everything (yet) with bbcode to html conversions.

With that said, I added youtube, attachments and smilies functionality to my own custom function that displays the comments on the front end of the site.

Let me know if you encounter any other issues with the posts. Thanks for pointing this out, Sabrblade!

News Credits: 3642 · Wed Oct 28, 2015 6:31 pm

I spent about 4 hours today working on writing scripts that will automatically set the info/details for the Podcast MP3 files. This information can be viewed when you right mouse click on the file in iTunes and click "get info" or when you right click and select "Properties" of the file in Windows and select "details". There was a lot of inconsistency with the 130 files for our existing podcasts so I thought I'd make it uniform to avoid problems going forward. In addition to this information, each podcast now has an image associated with the file itself which is also the primary image for that particular podcast's news story.

You might need to delete all of the podcasts and redownload them to get these benefits. Attached is a screenshot of what your folder will look like in Windows once the new files are downloaded.

podcasts-revised.jpg

News Credits: 10 · Wed Oct 28, 2015 9:12 pm

Seibertron wrote:I spent about 4 hours today working on writing scripts that will automatically set the info/details for the Podcast MP3 files. This information can be viewed when you right mouse click on the file in iTunes and click "get info" or when you right click and select "Properties" of the file in Windows and select "details". There was a lot of inconsistency with the 130 files for our existing podcasts so I thought I'd make it uniform to avoid problems going forward. In addition to this information, each podcast now has an image associated with the file itself which is also the primary image for that particular podcast's news story.

You might need to delete all of the podcasts and redownload them to get these benefits. Attached is a screenshot of what your folder will look like in Windows once the new files are downloaded.

podcasts-revised.jpg

Wow. Just wow. :shock:

Do you happen to have an archive or zip or something so we can get all the podcasts at once? I had most of the past (prior to the 60s or so, I think), but have been crazy busy with Masters Degree work and have missed the last 13 or so months... or more... :-s

[Edit] Oh, and I am loath to make any more of the request, but I prefer MP3. But, seriously, if this is a hassle, don't worry about it. As long as I can go back and get them individually, I'll do that when I graduate. (Which isn't too far off...)

News Credits: 1646 · Wed Oct 28, 2015 11:03 pm

I keep getting double notifications for the threads a few minutes to a few hours apart and one of them always dead ends and says i can't access the thread

News Credits: 3642 · Wed Oct 28, 2015 11:29 pm

Agamemnon wrote:Do you happen to have an archive or zip or something so we can get all the podcasts at once? I had most of the past (prior to the 60s or so, I think), but have been crazy busy with Masters Degree work and have missed the last 13 or so months... or more...

[Edit] Oh, and I am loath to make any more of the request, but I prefer MP3. But, seriously, if this is a hassle, don't worry about it. As long as I can go back and get them individually, I'll do that when I graduate. (Which isn't too far off...)

All of the podcasts, in MP3 format, have always been online. You just have to subscribe to it, however you do that, in iTunes.

http://www.seibertron.com/podcast/rss/

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/seibertron-com-twincast-podcast/id430391340

Hope this helps!

News Credits: 3642 · Wed Oct 28, 2015 11:30 pm

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:I keep getting double notifications for the threads a few minutes to a few hours apart and one of them always dead ends and says i can't access the thread

Can you forward a few of the emails along that aren't working so that I can look into it further?

News Credits: 10 · Wed Oct 28, 2015 11:34 pm

Seibertron wrote:
Agamemnon wrote:Do you happen to have an archive or zip or something so we can get all the podcasts at once? I had most of the past (prior to the 60s or so, I think), but have been crazy busy with Masters Degree work and have missed the last 13 or so months... or more...

[Edit] Oh, and I am loath to make any more of the request, but I prefer MP3. But, seriously, if this is a hassle, don't worry about it. As long as I can go back and get them individually, I'll do that when I graduate. (Which isn't too far off...)

All of the podcasts, in MP3 format, have always been online. You just have to subscribe to it, however you do that, in iTunes.

http://www.seibertron.com/podcast/rss/

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/seibertron-com-twincast-podcast/id430391340

Hope this helps!

Yeah, I avoid iTunes, sorry. (Either I drink too much Microsoft Kool-aid, or I'm too much of a control freak for Apple...) In general I've been getting them through the mp3 link in the news stories. And I think there was an archive page, at one point anyway. Tis been a while, I admit.

Thanks for the info, though!

News Credits: 3642 · Wed Oct 28, 2015 11:39 pm

Agamemnon wrote:
Seibertron wrote:
Agamemnon wrote:Do you happen to have an archive or zip or something so we can get all the podcasts at once? I had most of the past (prior to the 60s or so, I think), but have been crazy busy with Masters Degree work and have missed the last 13 or so months... or more...

[Edit] Oh, and I am loath to make any more of the request, but I prefer MP3. But, seriously, if this is a hassle, don't worry about it. As long as I can go back and get them individually, I'll do that when I graduate. (Which isn't too far off...)

All of the podcasts, in MP3 format, have always been online. You just have to subscribe to it, however you do that, in iTunes.

http://www.seibertron.com/podcast/rss/

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/seibertron-com-twincast-podcast/id430391340

Hope this helps!

Yeah, I avoid iTunes, sorry. (Either I drink too much Microsoft Kool-aid, or I'm too much of a control freak for Apple...) In general I've been getting them through the mp3 link in the news stories. And I think there was an archive page, at one point anyway. Tis been a while, I admit.

Thanks for the info, though!

You can access all of the MP3 files through the RSS feed. Just click on the "play now" link or right mouse click and select "save as" to save it to your computer. Let me know if you have any other questions!

http://www.seibertron.com/podcast/rss/

News Credits: 10 · Wed Oct 28, 2015 11:42 pm

Seibertron wrote:
Agamemnon wrote:
Seibertron wrote:
Agamemnon wrote:Do you happen to have an archive or zip or something so we can get all the podcasts at once? I had most of the past (prior to the 60s or so, I think), but have been crazy busy with Masters Degree work and have missed the last 13 or so months... or more...

[Edit] Oh, and I am loath to make any more of the request, but I prefer MP3. But, seriously, if this is a hassle, don't worry about it. As long as I can go back and get them individually, I'll do that when I graduate. (Which isn't too far off...)

All of the podcasts, in MP3 format, have always been online. You just have to subscribe to it, however you do that, in iTunes.

http://www.seibertron.com/podcast/rss/

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/seibertron-com-twincast-podcast/id430391340

Hope this helps!

Yeah, I avoid iTunes, sorry. (Either I drink too much Microsoft Kool-aid, or I'm too much of a control freak for Apple...) In general I've been getting them through the mp3 link in the news stories. And I think there was an archive page, at one point anyway. Tis been a while, I admit.

Thanks for the info, though!

You can access all of the MP3 files through the RSS feed. Just click on the "play now" link or right mouse click and select "save as" to save it to your computer. Let me know if you have any other questions!

http://www.seibertron.com/podcast/rss/

Sorry, yeah that was what I was doing previously. I should have been clearer. :oops:

I was just hoping I could get them all at once. What episode are we up to now, in the 120s or something? I actually am embarrassed it has been so long since I listened.

News Credits: 3642 · Wed Oct 28, 2015 11:43 pm

Seibertron wrote:
D-Maximus_Prime wrote:I keep getting double notifications for the threads a few minutes to a few hours apart and one of them always dead ends and says i can't access the thread

Can you forward a few of the emails along that aren't working so that I can look into it further?

Just an FYI to everyone else. D-Maximus_Prime forwarded us an email notification that wasn't working properly. Usually when that happens, it's because the post you were just notified about was deleted or moved. Notifications get sent out, but the post itself was deleted. When that happens, just click on the "view the topic" link directly below it to go to the topic instead.

Thanks for forwarding this along, D-Maximus_Prime!

News Credits: 8 · Thu Oct 29, 2015 1:04 pm

Hello everyone, since a couple of days I get an error (site is unavailable) whenever I visit the site on my smartphone (Moto X Style with Android 5.1 using the standard Chrome browser). The site doesn't load because the connection is refused.
I noticed that the error only happens when I'm connected to wifi (tried four different networks, at home, work, parents and friends). LTE works. Does anyone else have this problem?

News Credits: 3642 · Thu Oct 29, 2015 1:38 pm

Hans wrote:Hello everyone, since a couple of days I get an error (site is unavailable) whenever I visit the site on my smartphone (Moto X Style with Android 5.1 using the standard Chrome browser). The site doesn't load because the connection is refused.
I noticed that the error only happens when I'm connected to wifi (tried four different networks, at home, work, parents and friends). LTE works. Does anyone else have this problem?

It's possible that your IP address was banned by accident now that we have the firewalls in place and a program running that automatically bans bad IP addresses, though that's odd that four different networks have been banned.

By any chance is home, work, parents and friends using the same company for their internet access? Can you find out what your home IP address is and send me your home IP address via private message when you are connected?

Where are you posting from or how are you posting currently? I'm assuming you are on a PC, but it is it one of the four places you mentioned that your phone doesn't work?

News Credits: 8 · Thu Oct 29, 2015 2:30 pm

Hi Ryan, I usually visit the site on my phone these days, I have the news section together with other sites such as Newsarama on my rss reader. And I usually click through from the rss feed (which doesn't show pictures anymore since the connection problem), which opens the chrome browser. But I just tried to access the site from my pc and that doesn't work either (although that tells me "err-connection-timed - out" even though the site is available on my phone through LTE, through which I'm posting now). So I guess I'd better send you a pm

).

News Credits: 3642 · Thu Oct 29, 2015 2:39 pm

Just double checked to make sure the feed is working. It validates with both of the following validators:

http://feedvalidator.org/check.cgi?url= ... %2Frss.php

https://validator.w3.org/feed/check.cgi ... %2Frss.php

News Credits: 8 · Thu Oct 29, 2015 2:44 pm

I do still get the rss feed (which is great), but since the connection problems started it doesn't show pictures anymore for me. I use an app called gReader Pro, and I guess it loads pictures directly from the site, and since the site/server refuses connection with my ip (probably), I guess that's the reason the pictures don't show up anymore. Should work fine for anyone else

News Credits: 3642 · Thu Oct 29, 2015 2:47 pm

Hans wrote:I do still get the rss feed (which is great), but since the connection problems started it doesn't show pictures anymore for me. I use an app called gReader Pro, and I guess it loads pictures directly from the site, and since the site/server refuses connection with my ip (probably), I guess that's the reason the pictures don't show up anymore. Should work fine for anyone else

Something is weird, but it sounds like something on your end possibly. Have you tried a different browser or a different computer? Have you tried clearing your cache? I've made so many changes to the server in the past week that it is difficult to pinpoint if there was a particular change made on my end or not that might have caused this.

News Credits: 8 · Thu Oct 29, 2015 3:02 pm

Yep, cleared my cache and browser settings. Just tried to access the site on my work phone (iPhone 6) as well and Safari told me the server was unavailable. Then through LTE it did connect.
What's weird is that I have tried different wifi networks, and the results are the same...

News Credits: 3642 · Thu Oct 29, 2015 11:40 pm

Hans wrote:Yep, cleared my cache and browser settings. Just tried to access the site on my work phone (iPhone 6) as well and Safari told me the server was unavailable. Then through LTE it did connect.
What's weird is that I have tried different wifi networks, and the results are the same...

They might be different wifi networks, but are they all using the same ISP?

News Credits: 3642 · Thu Oct 29, 2015 11:42 pm

Made some additional server configuration changes to help prevent problems in the future and hopefully to speed things up currently. Most pages are loading really fast but occasionally I get one that takes 5 to 12 seconds to load. Let me know how things are for you guys. I have a few other settings I can tweak.

News Credits: 226 · Fri Oct 30, 2015 1:49 am

I've had a couple of "Connection has been reset". Wait a minute or two and it comes good.

That's at work, will see if they pop up at home.

News Credits: 3642 · Fri Oct 30, 2015 1:54 am

Burn wrote:I've had a couple of "Connection has been reset". Wait a minute or two and it comes good.

That's at work, will see if they pop up at home.

That's because I still haven't gone to bed yet. Tinkering around with some more server settings. Should be all set for the night. Sorry for the inconvenience while I rebooted the server for it to take the new settings.

News Credits: 174 · Sun Nov 01, 2015 2:09 pm

This probably isn't a problem, but does the site's clock adjust for dst? It doesn't really bother me, but it does mess with times things are posted and what not, so I figured I'd ask here >:oP

News Credits: 3 · Sun Nov 01, 2015 2:16 pm

Hellscream9999 wrote:This probably isn't a problem, but does the site's clock adjust for dst? It doesn't really bother me, but it does mess with times things are posted and what not, so I figured I'd ask here

Lol yeah I had to reset all the clocks this morning. It's a pain in the ass.