Trolls searching for phpMyAdmin installs

If you use phpMyAdmin to administer a MySQL database on your server, be warned that you need to keep it up to date. Security vulnerabilities are discovered all the time so you can't rely on an obscure pathname to it to keep you safe. Below is an examtple of the paths that I've noticed are searched for. These came from my Apache log.

"GET /admin/phpmyadmin/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/phpMyAdmin/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/sysadmin/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/sqladmin/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/db/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/web/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/pMA/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/mysql/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/myadmin/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/webadmin/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/sqlweb/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/websql/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/webdb/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/mysqladmin/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/mysql-admin/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/phpmyadmin2/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/php-my-admin/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/phpMyAdmin-2.2.3/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/phpMyAdmin-2.2.6/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/phpMyAdmin-2.5.1/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/phpMyAdmin-2.5.4/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/phpMyAdmin-2.5.6/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/phpMyAdmin-2.6.0/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/phpMyAdmin-2.6.0-pl1/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/phpMyAdmin-2.6.2-rc1/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/phpMyAdmin-2.6.3/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/phpMyAdmin-2.6.3-pl1/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/phpMyAdmin-2.6.3-rc1/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /phpmyadmin/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /phpMyAdmin/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /db/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /web/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /PMA/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /admin/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /mysql/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /myadmin/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /webadmin/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /sqlweb/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /websql/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /webdb/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /mysqladmin/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /mysql-admin/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /phpmyadmin2/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /php-my-admin/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /phpMyAdmin-2.2.3/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /phpMyAdmin-2.2.6/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /phpMyAdmin-2.5.1/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /phpMyAdmin-2.5.4/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /phpMyAdmin-2.5.6/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /phpMyAdmin-2.6.0/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /phpMyAdmin-2.6.0-pl1/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /phpMyAdmin-2.6.2-rc1/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /phpMyAdmin-2.6.3/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /phpMyAdmin-2.6.3-pl1/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404
"GET /phpMyAdmin-2.6.3-rc1/main.php HTTP/1.0" 404

A crop of volunteer tomatoes

This spring we noticed that we had some tomato plants growing the front yard flower beds. We didn't plant them– they're volunteers and are growing vigorously, despite our lack of care over the summer. Our non-efforts were rewarded with 4 tomatoes totaling 5 pounds. They are most likely Brandywine heirlooms judging from their shape and color (I grew these last year, birds probably “deposited” the seeds).

A fairy ring of mushrooms

In our backyard below the peach trees, we found over a dozen large white mushrooms growing in the lawn. They were gorgeous and perfectly formed and must have formed overnight as I didn't see them yesterday. I was a little concerned that the dogs might want to chow down on them but they avoided them like the plague. We plucked them up to be sure.

Mushroomexpert.com helped to identify this as the Amanita thiersii of which edibility is unknown but likely poisonous.

Remember that bug I found on a tomato last year?


Remember that bug I found on one of my tomatoes growing in the garden? I found it by browsing the What's That Bug on the first page of caterpillars. Yay, poisonous spines!

Saddleback Caterpillar
(08/08/2004) Hello Bugman,
My wife found this really awesome caterpillar a few days ago on her Gerber Daisies. I have been looking all over the Internet trying to identify it, when I stumbled across you site. It looks like someone has asked you about a particular “Saddleback Caterpillar”, and that seems to fit the description of the picture I'm sending you now. Is that what this is? Thanks for your help!
Gray Benton
Iron Station, North Carolina

Hi Gray,
Yes, indeed, you have a Saddleback Caterpillar, Sibine stimulea. Beware those poisonous spines. They can cause quite a bit or irritation. Holland writes: “Nettles are not to be compared in stinging power to the armament of this beautifully colored larva.” Thanks for the photo and I'm so glad our site was helpful.

Simple idea for portable device charging station

I've been looking for an elegant solution to the tangle of wires and bulbous wall warts that cling around the cell phones, iPods, digital cameras and bluetooth headsets whilst they are charging. One simple idea is to take a small plastic box and put the cables and wall warts inside the box and thread the cables through small holes in the top. It's very simple and uses an easy to find part.

Link.

Dub Pimp Star LED Wheel Set: Dazzle the Lizadies With Shiny Things

DUB fills in a badly needed void in the aftermarket automotive industry. How can I impress the ladies with my wheels while trying to drive? Pimpstar to the rescue. It touts the ability to create your own graphical message with LED segments using the POV trick, designing messages even while you drive. Yeah, that I'd like to see that.. Isn't it illegal to have such messaging systems on a car?

Link via PhillyMINI forum.

Use Handbrake to Make iPhone Movies

Handbrake can create videos that play on your iPhone. I've had pretty good success with everything I've tried. Here are the settings I use.

Output Settings:
File format: MP4
Codecs: AVC/H.2644 Video/ AAC Audio
Create chapter markers: Checked, if movie contains chapters

Video:
Framerate: 29.97fps
Encoder: x264 (h.264 iPod)
Bitrate: 768kb/s
Width: 480px
Height: (matching proportional to 480px)
2-pass encoding: Checked

Audio
Track 1 Mix: Stereo
Sample rate: 48khz
Bitrate: 128kb/s
Subtitles: none