Category: Blog

It has been 4 days since Game of Throne’s final episode came out on HBO and perhaps one of the million dollar questions in the finale was why didn’t Drogon kill Jon Snow for assassinating Daenerys, he’s beloved mother? Well, there are numerous theories surrounding the incident, but of course, all of these can be nothing more than speculations. For sure, no one knows the real reason since Drogon, being a dragon, can’t talk nor write, and he can only be read through his terrifying angry facial expression and deafening growls. And, judging from those actions, we can safely say, he’s definitely mad at Jon Snow for killing Daenerys and it looks as if he’s ready to burn him to a crisp. But surprisingly, although he did breath fire, narrowly missing Jon and almost frying him, he redirected his flame to a different direction, first by blasting through the walls before targeting the Iron Throne with such fury.

Perhaps one of the reasons why Drogon didn’t toast Jon (aka Aegon Targaryen) was because he had somehow developed a bond with him. Throughout GOT’s history, the Targaryen bloodline seems to be the only ones capable of taming dragons. Earlier in the previous episodes, we could recall that Drogon allowed Jon to pat him back at Dragon Stone, and it’s as if he had known him for quite a while, though that was only one of their earlier rare encounters. No one among Daenerys army could even come close nor would even dare approach Drogon as the majestic black dragon is hostile towards almost anyone aside from his dragon siblings and his assumed mother, Daenerys. But why did he approach Jon and allowed Jon to touch him? That was sort of an enigma. Well, this is just my personal belief but Jon was named Aegon by birth, and he was named after Aegon the Conqueror, the very same Aegon who bonded with a black dragon named Balerion (known as the Black Dread). Now, Balerion is identical to Drogon (the winged shadow). Could it be that the writers of GOT was trying to tell us that Jon and Drogon were the reincarnations, or at least, a portrayal of Aegon the Conqueror and Balerion? Could it be fate?

What’s more weird is that the Iron Throne, the seat made of the thousand swords of Aegon’s fallen enemies, and forged by Balerion’s flame, was melted by Drogon’s fire breath. Which seems to undo what Balerion did. And as Aegon I created the wheel that governs the seven kingdoms, Jon put an end to it. It’s as if history repeated itself, only this time, it was the exact opposite.

The last stare of Drogon at Jon gave out a facial expression of as if he was satisfied. It was like as if he was leaving a message saying “Hmp! Now, we are even!”. Since Daenerys died, no one could now sit on the Iron Throne. Perhaps, that action was something made out of defiance. The dragon was smart to know that the Iron Throne was the reason why they kill each other, and ultimately is the very thing that led Daenerys to her madness and her doom.

Now that we have given a possible explanation to Drogon’s strange action, it’s time to go to the next question… when Drogon shoots out a powerful napalm stream into the Iron Throne, why didn’t it flew away? I mean, in the last episode where Daenerys and Drogon were on a killing spree, burning down King’s Landing and fulfilling his late father’s wishes, Drogon’s jet fire seem to blast walls and make bricks explode. There was even a scene where his dragon fire slices through and cuts a tower of the Red Keep in a single sweep. The force of his flame was so strong that it was able to demolish the Red Keep in a short span of time. Surely, a blast of its flame could send the Iron Throne flying instead of melting it in place.

I also found it weird that Daeny’s army, after being reported to have been depleted had somehow respawn. In a scene when she announces world domination, her army had grown in size even after having most of it got massacred by wights earlier in Winterfell.

And in Winterfell, during their celebration of their victory over the white walkers, Daeny somehow manages to sneak in and get herself a Starbucks coffee. See the picture to the right. Could it be an Easter Egg? Well, it’s kinda late for that though, and April fool’s is also over.

Oh well, since we already have dragons, magic, undead, green seers, white walkers, and gods in GOT, who needs Science to explain these paranormal events, right?

Astralmeta.com is an old website I created way back in 2013. See the screenshot above (courtesy of Archive.org’s Wayback Machine). It started as blogspot site (called blog sites back in the days), which was eventually transferred to a hosting service running on a WordPress-powered website. Back then, I don’t know any programming. I was merely editing Blogger’s XML Template to design the blog site and I know the design was not too shabby, but I couldn’t say it’s that pretty good either although I could boast that the site is 100% W3C compliant. Back then, being a 100% W3C compliant web designer is already something. You are a bloody perfectionist! But nowadays, it’s meh. There are now a lot of very skilled and talented individuals out there who can do the same and more, and with that comes innovation, aside from massive competition of course.

I envisioned the site Astralmeta to be a community website aiming to connect people and encourage them to share their stuff with others and at the same time encourage them to help one another, building a network of sorts. Of course, nothing can be more disappointing than having that vision dashed. Thanks to social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter. There’s also StackOverflow which is overflowing with web developers, there is Reddit acting like a huge forum, and other sites that are well established and have gone ahead of me. Sadly, this idea of mine could have worked back in the 90s, when nobody had thought about it before. Nowadays, such an idea is obsolete. People no longer need sites like mine.

So what’s the point of bringing it back? Well, I have other visions. If it can’t work as a community, I’m simply going to turn it into a web resource site to host mine and my friends work. Who knows? Maybe someday, it would attract other people and encourage them to do the same. My site could help them promote their work too… well, that is assuming my traffic goes up as it can give them more audience. Currently, I’m redesigning and reprogramming my site from scratch. I’m not relying on any existing theme and I am refraining from using so many plugins. This way, I have better control and understanding of what is going on in my website, particularly on the SEO side. I plan the website to be more user friendly, with a quick login and some social media integration. Having learned JavaScript, I could also implement some cool special effects. Oh, there is one thing I would like to add in the list… SCSS. It’s something I am trying to understand right now. Once understood, I could apply it in the website too.

The theme will remain as spiritual and mysterious as it was before. Having religious symbols and names, and some mysticism embedded in it. You’ll never know, they are in my code.

Sometimes, I don’t understand myself nor do I know what I really wanted. Though it may sound crazy, I seem to be not contented with learning just one or two program languages. I want to learn them all. So far, I got some huge PHP experience with my recent job-related projects as a Junior PHP Developer. In that project, I created a CMS, I created numerous tools that helped us analyze our inventory better. I created checkers that help us determine which items we are selling are discontinued, and most of these, I did it all by myself. I helped our development team fix some problems in our local system. I worked on a WordPress site, I modified the Theme and its Plugin to fit the client’s demand for a custom Real Estate site. From this, I got some experience with actual Web Development, and learned some new HTML and CSS techniques. Thanks to my fellow colleagues who were so generous to teach me, and to our Manager, who’s very understanding.

Aside from the PHP projects, I also created my own simple JavaScript projects. About 2 months ago, I started studying JavaScript language, focusing more on animations, and with the latest having to do with Slideshows. But my ambition doesn’t seem to end there. I am still not happy with my little achievements. To be honest, despite all of my efforts, I still feel unappreciated. People still look at me with less value. I feel like I’m not even your average Joe. Maybe, it’s just me, but I seldom get any praise for my efforts. Well, it’s kind of sad, but what can I do? I’m in New York. To shine here, you really must be extraordinary. Anyway, I am not stopping here, I want to continue and keep on pushing myself to learn more and become even better.

So lately, I am thinking about learning a new language, this time — Java. Actually, this may not be new to me at all. I started studying this language about two years ago. It’s just that I wasn’t persistent to pursue it back then though I created a simple calculator with it.

So what is Java?

Java, not to be confuse with JavaScript, is a programming language and computing platform first released by Sun Microsystems in 1995. Yep, it’s one of the old and classic programming languages out there. A lot of companies rely on this programming language ranging from banks to firms. It is also the language use to create game consoles and game apps, most notably for mobile phones. You can find Java everywhere, in laptops, datacenters, cell fones, and even in scientific supercomputers.

Installing Eclipse and JDK

The first thing we need to have is an editor. There are some several editors available out there but in my case, I’d prefer Eclipse. Eclipse is an integrated development environment (IDE) used in computer programming, and is the most widely used Java IDE. What the hell is an IDE btw? An IDE is a software application that provides comprehensive facilities to computer programmers for software development. It is normally consists of a source code editor, build automation tools, and a debugger. Eclipse, not only contains a source code editor, it also has the necessary compiler and interpreter. Meaning, you can test your source code inside Eclipse itself, without having to compile it into a program and run it as an executable. This IDE also contains a base workspace and extensible plug-in system for customizing the environment.

Now, also note that Java won’t work without the JDK, short for Java Development Kit. This kit contains all the libraries needed to compile and run your source code. Without it, your computer won’t be able to understand code. Think of it as your interpreter. If you are missing some essential JDK components, you can download it here.

My First Java Program

At the moment, I’m still watching a Java tutorial video. Surprisingly, Java is different from PHP and JavaScript that I learned so far. The structure is mostly Object-Oriented and it seems that it needs some additional declarations before you can actually run the code. Not like in PHP, that all you need is a web server environment and you can simple type echo to type a text or in JavaScript where all you need is a web browser and a simple document.write function. Java seems to be using a Java Virtual Machine and a Just-in-Time compiler for my computer to run the code. While most of the execution is handled by Java’s library, the proper declaration like public static void main and identifying if it’s a string argument has to be made before you can call the function System.out.println to type a text just like what I did below.

Hi guys, it’s been a while since I posted another blog update. I’d been busy with a lot of things, mainly with work that I don’t have enough time and the energy to write something new nor do I have time to study, but right now, I’m trying to make some time so please bear with me.

Currently, I’ve been busying myself with Javascript. This is something I learned recently from self-study… while it’s not something new and perhaps a lot of you guys have already heard it, I’m here to share what I have learned more about it. Before, I just dismissed it as nothing too important, well, since most of my work involves back end stuff and I have really no much use of it. But, after realizing there are things Javascript can do, which other programming languages such as PHP can’t, and after being made to create a page with functions that requires cross-browser compatibility, I was motivated to study it.

The demands of the IT industry nowadays have step up. Most companies are now looking for Full Stack Developers. These are developers who know more than just one programming language, and who can learn more at a moment’s notice. Perhaps, it’s the way for companies to save money, since instead of hiring more developers who knows another language, they can just hire one who knows a lot and get the same amount of productivity. Well, I also think that it’s practical that way… even while working as an individual. Learning more than one language allows you to be flexible and allows you to work with less supervision and without having to rely on others, which in contrast, promotes more independence and greater potential.

Now, enough with the chit-chat. So, in the past, I’ve been already implementing Javascripts in my websites, most of them, stolen from other websites… and yes, you can actually steal the codes. If you find a page with a Javascript and you save that page as html, it will be saved as an html file in your PC along with the css, images, folders, and javascripts. Then I copy the .js file into my own folder and attached it into my html page using the script source code:

<script type="text/javascript" src="thisjavascript.js"></script>

With this simple trick, I manage to get some cool effects running on my page even though I don’t know how to make one in javascript. However, this method is that of a lazy-ass and bad in a way since you’re stealing other people’s hard work, and if left alone on your own, you will be rendered incapable. So, to be a capable developer, you have to stop relying on other people and learn Javascript from scratch.

Now, back in the old days, programming knowledge was scarce, and in the country where I came from, we’re like in the stone age when it comes to technology. You can’t even learn so many good stuff in school as we were using old “obsolete” languages and methods when the rest of the world were already achieving milestones. Fortunately, we’re in the 2019 now. You can find so much resource anywhere… thanks to the World Wide Web.

Among the best tutorials I found is from mmtuts. This guy is definitely god-sent. This youtuber made learning Javascript so easy, even more easier when you already know other program languages such as PHP. However, you at least need to understand HTML and CSS before you should take these tutorials since this language runs on top of them. In this case, HTML and CSS acts like your foundation and without them, the tutorial will make less sense. Here’s the Javascript introduction videos.

For Javascript definition, we have Wikipedia for that, but Javascript in my own understanding is a front end program language that runs in a web browser, and unlike PHP, which is server-side and requires a server to run the code, Javascript is executed directly by the web browser. Javascript does not need to be reloaded each time to send a request, unlike PHP. And as one of the main components of the World Wide Web, along with HTML and CSS, most if not all, web browsers support it. In the past, it only used to provide effects that are not possible with just HTML and CSS, but overtime, Javascript has grown to be a powerful programming language, being able to manipulate the content of the web page and process functions and server requests that only used to be something only PHP could. It is also capable of creating files and even issue commands that can be executed by your PC’s operating system. Although it has no I/O capability, it makes use of other programs, such as a Web Browser, to execute its commands.

So far, I’m in the “Hello World” part of the learning process. If I learn more, or if I write some nifty JS codes, I’ll be sure to share them all up here in my site under the Tutorials/Programming/Javascript menu link of this site. For now, here’s a little something I learned…

<html>
<head>
<title>Test Page</title>
</head>
<body>
<script type="application/javascript">
	document.body.innerHTML = "Hello World!";
</script>
</body>
</html>

document.body.innerHTML targets the document’s body, particularly the inner part of the HTML. This command will modify the body of the page and display the declared value. In this case, “Hello World”. That’s why you get this…

Note that it needs to find a body in order for it to work. If there is no <body> tag, then there is nothing to modify. Which is why the javascript has to be within the body of the document or page.

Xoom sends money to your recipient first before they charge you, and makes sure they have completed the transaction as stated here. This is a really pretty neat offer, but before that transaction is even processed, of course, they have to first electronically verify your bank account and your information as a precaution to protect their end. However, as I figured out recently, Xoom can still be duped. Good thing I’m not a hustler, but seriously, Xoom has to address this issue if they don’t want to loss money.

Truth is, I’ve been using their service years back. They are a legit company, being Paypal’s sister company and all, however, at one point I was dissatisfied with their service when their buggy app accidentally sent money on the wrong recipient. And, despite me having pleaded them to cancel it, they keep on telling me that it cannot be cancelled while it is being processed. I dunno why, but how hard is it to cancel a process that hasn’t been completed yet? When it completed, they charged me automatically. I told them to retrieve it, but they told me that it cannot be done anymore. So WTF? Once you sent, that’s it? One way ticket? I thought of it as a flaw so I had them blocked from my Bank and never used them until recently.

When I signed up using a different email, but with the same credentials, their website surprisingly processed it and allowed me to register. Since my bank account credentials can be used repeatedly, this is yet another flaw. What if someone pretends to be me, uses my bank credentials, and sends money without me knowing it? Then that is so f**ked up, right? Anyway, good thing, it was me. So, I sent money to a recipient in another country, and again, all they ever did was verify that the bank info was correct and sends the money brainlessly.

Being true to their promise, they send the money first before charging my bank, and having them blocked a few years back, when the transaction completed, my bank denied them from withdrawing money from my bank account. That’s when their robot sends me a message telling me that they have suspended my account until the issue is address. Like who cares? There are other payment processors out there, they are not the only one. The thing is, they just loss money from that transfer. And what if I decide not to pay them? I sent only a midget amount of $50. Are they going to sue me over that? And if they do, from a business standpoint, wouldn’t it cost them more money? Well, good thing I’m not a crook. I authorized my bank to let them complete the transaction and withdraw money from my bank account, but these guys really need to address their flaws with the transaction procedure.

Perhaps, this has been asked time and again. The hacktivist group whose members hide behind Guy Fawkes masks have always been shrouded in mystery. Nobody knows who they are, they have no names, they are usually hidden behind proxy IPs, their location — everywhere! They can be in Jersey City and the next thing you know, they can suddenly pop out in Brooklyn, or in Europe or in Asia, thanks to their IP being bounced around by proxy servers. Note that I used the word “they”, that is because anonymous is comprised of a legion of people. They can be anybody, they can even be your own friend.

The group was founded in 2003-2004, but do they have a leader? Who is the one running anonymous? While there is certainly that one person who started the idea, no one really knows who? However, as told by an Anon spokesperson, who identified himself as “Coldblood”, Anonymous has no central command structure. According to Coldblood, the group consists of teenagers, as well as some parents and technology workers, who are “trying to make an impact on what happens with the limited knowledge they have”. Simply put, Anonymous doesn’t have a leader. This is further confirmed by former Anonymous key member, Gregg Housh, when he said in one of his interviews that “there is no leadership. There can’t be. That is the point of it all”.

The thing about Anonymous, is that it is not an organization. In fact, it is an amorphous group. A collective. You can’t join it, there is no sign up. It is not a club, a party or even a movement. There is no charter, no manifest, and no membership fees. However, anybody can be anonymous or can be a part of it. All it really requires is that you share a common goal.

While Anonymous doesn’t have a leader, there are certainly front runners. One of the most prominent of them is Hector Xavier Monsegur aka Sabu, the co-founder of LulzSec (a black hat computer hacking group that claimed responsibility for several high profile attacks, including hacking Sony Pictures’ user accounts, and taking down CIA’s website). Sabu is an American computer hacker of Puerto Rican origin. He happens to be LulzSec’s most expert hacker. For quiet some time, he was Anonymous. However, with the help of Backtrace Security, another hacker group made of individuals who formerly counted themselves as part of Anonymous, Sabu was identified and caught. Hector would later become an FBI informant as part of a plea deal, and helped in identifying some of the core members of his group. Sabu was unemployed at the time of his arrest. He later became a cybersecurity researcher, this time, using his hacking skills to test the network security of companies so he could help patch them up. Unsurprisingly, he manages to penetrate them most of the time. A testament to his incredible hacking skills.