Quick snippets, quotes, links, un-strucured posts, quick ideas or comments, things I like quickly but probably won’t use again, news about security or clourd that I see important and more random stuff

July - Everything I Learned

A new series I hope to keep monthly. Just a simple note of everything I learned whether trivial or significant.

Gleam vs Elixir

Wiki says:

Gleam is a general-purpose, concurrent, functional high-level programming language that compiles to Erlang or JavaScript source code.

Gleam is a statically-typed language, which is different from the most popular languages that run on Erlang’s virtual machine BEAM, Erlang and Elixir. Gleam has its own type-safe implementation of OTP, Erlang’s actor framework. Packages are provided using the Hex package manager, and an index for finding packages written for Gleam is available.

So what I understand is Elixir users can easily use Gleam but why. That’s why I have learned:

Gleam and Elixir are both languages that run on the Erlang VM (BEAM), but they primarily different in their type systems and designs. Gleam is statically typed, meaning types are checked at compile time, which helps catch errors early and ensures predictability. It favors simplicity and performance, with a syntax inspired by ML-style languages. For example, a Gleam function looks like:

fn add(x: Int, y: Int) -> Int {
  x + y
}

Elixir, on the other hand, is **dynamically typed ** and focuses on developer productivity, expressiveness, and fault tolerance. It allows for powerful metaprogramming and a flexible development style. While it supports optional type specs, type checking happens at runtime unless explicitly enforced. An equivalent function in Elixir would be:

def add(x, y), do: x + y

Natural Greenfly Remedy: Milk Spray

A surprisingly effective natural solution: mix 1 part milk with 8 parts water and spray it generously on greenfly-infested plants.

Make sure to cover both sides of the leaves, especially the underside.

My father recommended this, advising to apply it only when there’s no direct sunlight. I was skeptical, but it worked amazingly well.

I had to repeat the treatment a few times to eliminate newly hatched greenflies from previously laid eggs.

Lavender Oil vs. Mosquitos

Lavender oil seems to repel mosquitos—at least the European kind—and smells pleasant during hot summer days. It also gives a refreshing feeling. I’m unsure about its safety on facial skin, so apply cautiously.

116116 – Emergency Blocking Hotline in Germany

In Germany, 116116 is the central number to block all your bank cards, SIM cards, and digital ID in case of theft or loss. Works fast.

Free SIM Card Replacement

Lost or stolen SIM in Germany? If you don’t have the PIN/PUK and the card doesn’t function, most providers will replace it for free. If it’s functional, they may charge a small fee.

Key Cylinder Replacement Takes Time

If a master key for an apartment building (e.g., 8 flats) gets stolen, replacing all key cylinders takes at least 6 week; even if it’s urgent.
I have also learned that changing a basic cylinder lock yourself isn’t that difficult. It only takes 5 minutes if you have screwdriver and the replacement cylinder.

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[music] Berlin -> Ankara roadtrip: Shazamed from the radio on the way

Songs I loved from the radio and Shazamed along the way: Berlin <-> Győr - Hungary <-> Niš - Serbia <-> Edirne, Çanakkale, İzmir, Denizli, Bolu, Ereğli, Ankara - Türkiye

  • 6 Days - Mahmut Orhan & Colonel Bagshot
  • Sweet Nothin’s - Brenda Lee
  • Sunshine, Lollipos And Rainbows - Lesley Gore
  • Siesta - Ivana Pandurovic
  • Sarà Perché Ti Amo - Ricchi & Poveri
  • Tsarka Me to Trechantiri - Nasia Konitopoulou
  • To Pollaplo Sou Eidolo - Heimerino Kolymvites
  • Vraho Vraho Ton Kaimo Mou - Stelios Kazantzides & Marinella
  • Girizo Tis Plates Mou Sto Melon - Dionisis Tsaknis
  • Kevser Irmağı - Özlem Özdil
  • Al Birini Vur Birine - Eda Alakuş
  • Hafız - Deniz Toprak
  • Sen Bana Lazımsın - İbrahim Erkal
  • Fariğ olmam eylesen yüz bin cefa, sevdim seni - Ayangil Turkish Music Orchestra and Chorus
  • Society - Eddie Vedder
  • Monarch - Soen
  • Vay Türkmenim - Çubuklu Cem
  • Szél úgy beszél … (feat. Szirota Jennifer) - Gypo Circus
  • Mamma Maria - György Korda & Klári Balázs
  • Kafal sviri - Folk Choir Of The Philip Koutev School Of Folk Arts KESERÉDES - Pély Barna
  • Madaram - Szimplán
  • Utazás az ismeretlenbe - Tátrai Band
  • Zakatol A Vonat - Takats Tamas Dirty Blues Band
  • Moziklip - V’Moto-Rock
  • Álomtégla - Subscribe
  • Mi Vagyunk a Rock - Edda Müvek
  • Sous Le Ciel De Paris - Juliette Gréco
  • Falname - Mercan Dede
  • Ta Ladadika - Dimitris Mitropanos
  • Sen ve Ben - Mazhar Fuat Özkan

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[book] Hegel readings

I am surrounded by Hegel readers. I made a list for myself in this order:

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Books to review and read again

Books that I decided to read again and review

  • Seeking SRE by Blank-Edelman
  • The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim and others
  • Against Method by Paul Feyerabend
  • Modern Science & Anarchy by Peter Kropotkin
  • A Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout

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A strong start to Elixir

I’ve decided to start learning and using Elixir.

My current palylist to getting started is:

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[music] Origins of Gnawa Music

I’ve been listening Tuareg and Gnawa music too much lately. This article got my attention Constructing a Diasporic Identity: Tracing the Origins of the Gnawa Spiritual Group in Morocco

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[book] Books by James Lovelock

Planning to read the 2 books. One from early days of James Lovelock. A bit optimistic or not dark the new one is totally opposite. Between two there were 2 other books related to this topic.

  • Gaia, a new look at life on earth
  • The Vanishing Face of Gaia: A Final Warning: Enjoy It While You Can

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[infosec] Public Pen Testing Reports

Last update is a week ago and the repo has 4.7K stars https://github.com/juliocesarfort/public-pentesting-reports

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[open-science] Sci-Hub Mirrors

Sci-Hub mirrors : https://sci-hub.41610.org/sci-hub-mirrors

Most recent list

  • https://sci-hub.cc
  • https://sci-hub.se
  • https://sci-hub.st
  • https://sci-hub.se
  • https://sci-hub.do
  • https://sci-hub.it.nf
  • https://sci-hub.es.ht
  • https://sci-hub.im
  • https://sci-hub.se
  • http://sci-hub.tw
  • http://sci-hub.si
  • http://sci-hub.vk

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[security] Cybersecurity experts on Twitter

Top 21 cybersecurity experts you must follow on Twitter in 2021 via Security Boulevard

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[music] Eight of the archetypal forms of dance music

Bruce Aisher explores eight of the archetypal forms of dance music bassline, from old-school classics to contemporary techniques.

link

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[books] SRE related books I recently read and liked

1. Cloud Native Transformation, by P. Reznik, J. Dobson, M. Gienow 2019 - via O’Reilly

I do recommend to everybody who are working with Cloud, especially to consultants. Free via container-solutions.com

2. Security Warrior, by Cyrus Peikari, Anton Chuvakin 2004 - via O’Reilly

This book reveals how your systems can be attacked.

3. The Phoenix Project, Gene Kim et al. 2013 - via O’Reilly

A triller for SREs and CTOs

4. The Unicorn Project, by Gene Kim - via O’Reilly

It is again a nice novel about digital transformation developers and all kind of issues related with these two. A part II for the Phoenix Project

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[software] Raycast (Free and light Alfred alternative)

Better than Alfred for Mac. Ligt, fast and productivity booster

Raycast lets you control your tools with a few keystrokes. It’s designed to keep you focused.

raycast.com

Best part is the custom script part: github.com/raycast/script-commands/tree/master/commands

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[software] Semantic diffs

diffsitter - A tree-sitter based AST difftool to get meaningful semantic diffs

See it in action

diffsitter performs diffs on text files using the AST to compute the diff instead of using a naive text-based diff. This can give you more semantically meaningful diff information, which will prevent diffs from getting polluted by formatting differences, for example.

diffstter uses the parsers from the tree-sitter project to parse source code. As such, the languages supported by this tool are limited by the languages supported by the tree-sitter project.

A prefect diff tool shows the difference of two files semantically. It is unfortunately only for Rust language but it is very inspiring.

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[music] Dario Fo, Italian popular songs and 1966

One of Dario’s early work “Canzonissima” is featured satirical songs and sketches depicting the lives of the working classes under the pressure of politics, industrialisation and economics. It’s often censored.

This is a nice example of his works, a play for the TV: Ci Ragiono E Canto

I liked the acting so much the play but also the music. So I continued listeing other records for other plays by Dario: The New Italian Canzoniere - Ci Ragiono E Canto 2 (Dario Fo 1966)

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[paper] The Racist Critics of Ataturk and Kemalism, from the 1930s to the 1960s

Full paper - PDF

This article examines racist attitudes toward Atatu¨rk and Kemalism from the 1930s to the 1960s. Liberal, leftist and conservative-Islamist critics of republican Turkey’s founder and his policies have contributed to a widely shared image that, even if Kemalism was not essentially racist, the Kemalist approach to religious and ethnic minorities could hardly be described as egalitarian. Thus one is taken by surprise to uncover a parallel layer of virulent racist criticism, hidden under the deposit of decades of anti-Kemalist discourse

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[Movie] Recently loved shorts

I follow “Dust” Youtube channel to watch curated short movies (mostly sci-fi but not only).

My recent favourite and discovery was “Macabre” in horror category. It was a realistic but disturbing taste. Multiple different historical and philosophical signs are included.

Strongly recommended : youtube.com/watch?v=Ywn-hWPCJ3Y

K just crashed his Mercedes-Benz into a tree, moments after trying to avoid running down a small wild animal that ran across his path. He is on a backwater road in the countryside and it’s a very dark night. His evening has only just begun... “Macabre” by Jerónimo Rocha and João Miguel Real

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[Music] The Routes of Slavery

I recently discovered this album “The Routes of Slavery” by Jordi Saval. It is more like a project.

Many different artists contributed. It’s a multilinugual album. The booklet and the details fo the project is published during a live event PDF

The album is on Spotify and Youtube

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[paper] Dialectical Logic and Boolean Algebra - Yaozhi Jiang

Full paper - PDF

Dialectical logic was founded by German famous philosopher F. Hegel, but it has not been laid on mathematics for a long time. In this paper author explains the dialectical logic pure mathematically, and shows that the classic formal logic, its mathematical expression is Boolean algebra(includes multiple value system), is a special case from dialectical logic, and the true-valued function for dialectical logic is a continuous function valued on closed interval and defined on time-space axes system. The Aristotle three laws of formal logic are expanded into expression of dialectical logic, and Russell paradox is expanded into the case of multiple order. Some new theorems for Boolean operators and the matrix expression for De Morgan’s theorem of multiple variables dialectical logic are given. At the end of the paper, linear or nonlinear dialectical logic are defined and analysis properties of dialectical logic true-valued function are pointed.

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[paper] Heavy Metal in a Muslim Context - Pierre Hecker

Heavy Metal in a Muslim Context - Pierre Hecker Full paper - PDF

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[paper] A paper by Google: Why container Security matters?

Understanding the container security concepts that impact your organization

Full paper - PDF

TLDR;

Scream these to your developer team:

  • Don’t let the shipping container imagery fool you; containers are not a special security boundary
  • Containers use primitives of the Linux kernel (cgroups, namespaces) toisolate processes in an environment
  • A “container image” is your application and its dependencies, and uses a “base image”as the basis for thecontainer image
  • Container registries host your container images. It’s important that you be able to trust your base and container images, and that you use a private, trusted registry

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