The Firestorm Viewer, a third-party viewer for Second Life, revolutionized the user experience by integrating powerful features directly into its interface. While this enhanced usability for residents, it also led to the decline of an entire ecosystem of gadget creators who previously thrived by selling scripted HUDs and attachments.
Firestorm's radar system allows users to detect nearby avatars, view their distance, and even track movement — all without needing external HUDs. This feature rendered many third-party radar tools obsolete.
The integrated AO lets users override default avatar animations with custom ones. Previously, users had to purchase scripted AO gadgets. Firestorm's AO reduces script load and improves performance, making external AOs unnecessary for most users.
Firestorm includes customizable camera controls, draw distance sliders, and environment settings. These tools replaced many visual enhancement gadgets that were once sold in-world.
The integration of these features led to:
While many residents praised Firestorm for its convenience and performance improvements, creators expressed concern over the shrinking market for their tools. Some adapted by offering niche or premium versions, while others exited the industry altogether.
Firestorm Viewer streamlined the Second Life experience but inadvertently disrupted a vibrant creator economy. This case highlights the double-edged nature of platform innovation — where user benefits can come at the cost of creator livelihoods.
This video by Wolfgang demonstrates how to run a Windows operating system inside a Docker container — a creative and unconventional technical experiment.
Wolfgang explores whether it's possible to launch a full Windows environment within a Linux-based Docker container. Since Docker is primarily designed for Linux containers, this setup is more of a proof-of-concept than a practical solution.
~~DISCUSSION:closed~~
Source: Nerdworld
A second‑hand HP ProBook was purchased with a locked-down Windows 10 installation. The BIOS was protected by an unknown administrator password set by a cyber‑school IT department. Although the system could be wiped and reinstalled, the BIOS settings remained inaccessible.
Older systems allowed BIOS password resets by:
Modern HP ProBooks store the password in a separate rewritable ROM. Therefore, CMOS resets do not remove the password.
HP officially offers a master unlock key, but only to large enterprise customers. Regular users receive no assistance.
Several methods were explored:
Many videos claim to show reset methods, but none worked for this model.
HP provides a Windows tool that can modify BIOS settings, but it requires knowing the current password — making it useless in this case.
A GitHub project attempted to brute-force the password via the HP utility. The program could not be executed successfully, and others reported similar issues.
A custom Python script was created to:
Each attempt took about 9 seconds, making brute force extremely slow.
Initial lists:
Expanded lists:
Total runtime:
No password was ever found.
Despite months of effort, the BIOS password could not be cracked. The project is considered a “successful failure”:
The original project included:
(See original source for downloads.)
In recent months, discussions around digital freedom have intensified. One of the most striking concerns is the possibility that platforms like YouTube could face restrictions or even outright bans in certain regions. This blog post explores the context, risks, and implications of such developments.
Governments worldwide are increasingly seeking to regulate online platforms. While the stated goals often include *security*, *protection against misinformation*, or *national sovereignty*, the measures can have unintended consequences:
Several examples highlight how attempts to restrict digital tools can backfire:
YouTube is not just entertainment. It is:
Restricting or banning YouTube would therefore impact millions of people who rely on it for knowledge, connection, and creative expression.
Individuals and communities can take steps to protect digital freedom:
~~DISCUSSION~~
This video explores a recent research project that uncovered serious privacy vulnerabilities in satellite communications.
Up to *50% of satellite network traffic is unencrypted*, meaning it can be intercepted and read by anyone with the right tools. This includes sensitive data like phone calls, text messages, and internet activity.
Sno is looking into metaverses from 1995 to 2025. I did not even know of most of them. He even mentions SecondLife but he mentions “all” the players created worlds… and I cringed a bit. But as a noob one really seems to think so. Thanks he does not say its abandoned.