September 16, 2012

  • Calvary Love

    I am loving this new poem by John Piper, entitled "Calvary Love."

    Words here for convenience, or click through for an artistic rendition of the poem.
    He held the world between his thumb and finger
    like a tender grape.
    And when the spike was driven through his hand,
    his muscles flinched with world-creating force,
    and crimson wine dripped from his fingertips?
    But with omnipotent resolve
    he neither dropped nor crushed his grape.

June 3, 2011

  • i hax goog 2-step auth

    I just "hacked" Google's 2-step authentication using ADB shell and an instance of the repackaged/modified Google Authenticator App (and Android SDK).

    Having 2-step authentication makes it harder for your account to be hijacked and for malicious users to pose as you--instead of just guessing, stealing, or cracking your password (something only you're supposed to know) to gain completely free access to your account, they would additionally need to have your phone with the Google Authenticator App installed, that generates a cryptographically pseudo-random number every 30 seconds (something only you're supposed to have).

    It's a well-known fact that smartphones today, whether iOS or Android-based, are essentially computers. And yes, that means they are vulnerable to "viruses" and "malware" much the same as PC's are. In particular, one way for malicious software to get onto your smartphone is through repackaging and redistribution through a third-party grey-market or non-official market (e.g. Apple Store, Android Market)--or even sneak their apps in. Once the malicious code is on your phone, it has free reign to do whatever it wants, having root access to your phone (via jailbroken iOS, rooted Android, OS exploit, etc). With root access, it can listen to your network traffic and examine your file system.

    In this simulated attack, even though apps are "sandboxed" from one another through file ownership (user, group = app_321), a root user has no such restrictions. Simply copy over the SQLite DB file, examine and/or manipulate it in SQLite, and the attacker now has your auth key to impersonate you as often as he wants and pleases.

    Screenshot here, with sensitive commands/output replaced:

    Edit: 2011.06.14 - Here is a published Android exploit that the attacker could use in conjunction to compromise Google Authenticator--it's just an example, but there are many out there.

March 19, 2011

  • Shepherding the Sheep

    Shepherds' Conference 2011 sermons are online!

    I really enjoyed General Session #4 by Rick Holland, and transcribed the last 13 minutes of the sermon.

    Enjoy, and be blessed!

    (41:35, -13:45)
    Men, we are not celebrities; we're servants. Listen (chuckle), it's easier to stand strong in the pulpit than stoop low to wash feet. It's easier to go to conferences than to visit widows and orphans; easier to lead seminars in public, than pray along for our people in private. The accent of Peter is simply this--you pastor, because you love God and you care--you care for His flock, His people.

    Do we care? I mean, think about what you do, preachers, after you preach, and you kinda walk down from the pulpit, and people come to talk to you, and you have a special ear tuned to them. And a lot of times, they'll say, "Boy, I loved your sermon..." and you want to say, "Great, tell me all the reasons why; I want to take notes; I want to do it again; please stop..." (Laughter from audience)

    I don't want to burst your bubble; most of the people who stand in line to give you a compliment after you preach are not saying, "You're great." They're saying, "Please notice me; please care for me; you have said something of spiritual attraction and divine authority and I want to be shepherded; I want a relationship with you."

    So what's the answer? Shepherd 'em!

    Here's how you tell.

    "Oh, pastor, I loved your sermon."

    "Really? Well, how's it going?"

    Boom! They're off to the races on their life; they weren't there to talk about the exegesis of the semantic domain of presbuteros. (Laughter from audience).  They want to come because you made an impact, and they want you to shepherd them! So... shepherd... them!

    I love preaching. I LOVE preaching! It is as Phil [Johnson] preached on yesterday, it is one of the most clear and guiding part of the shepherd's crook, in a pastor's arsenal. However, can I remind you, there's just a few verses about preaching! There's a whole lot about pastoral ministry. There is exponentially more about caring for souls, than preaching sermons.

    How much time do we spend in the pulpit? Versus, spending time with people? I don't want to undermine preaching, I want to elevate pastoral ministry in my affections.

    Where does this all come back to, well, Jeremiah 10:21, "For the shepherds have become stupid..." The SHEPHERDS, not the sheep. "The shepherds have become stupid, and have not sought the LORD." There it is. Therefore they have not prospered, their flock is scattered... The problem with pastors who are self-seeking, and not flock-promoting and flock-shepherding, and the problem is--they haven't sought the Lord! It's very clear in Jeremiah 10:21.

    Let's care for people. Let's have people have a better walk with Jesus because you're their spiritual leader. Very simple.

    Well, finally, the third sobering reality of pastoral ministry--it's an honorable responsibility. It's an honorable responsibility--and when the Chief Shepherd appears you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Here Peter provides the incentive from spiritual oversight, for service, namely the eternal reward we get; this is not little league soccer where everyone gets a trophy for when you get to heaven. (Laugter in audience).

    It's not going to all the people and the pastors, "Okay, you guys get biscuits and gravy at the marriage supper of the Lamb, and pastors, this is a Ruth's Chris moment." (Laughter). It's not like categorical pastors; it's only those who have been responsible with their delegated responsibilities. An elder-pastor's reward is not measured by financial remuneration, or by worldly glory, it's measured by the smile of Jesus, who will say, "Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into joy with me."

    Now, one of the most beloved and familiar passages in the Bible is Psalm 23, which I think is the echo of what Peter is saying here when he says the term "Chief Shepherd, [arxe poimenos]"--the Champion Shepherd, the Most Shepherd, the Most Important Shepherd. Psalm 23 has been for many the hope of the Jews, hope of Christians, since David wrote it thirty centuries ago. It's also so familiar that it's known even to unbelievers. Listen to it, but listen to it with these ears--the Chief Shepherd is our example--here's how our Shepherd leads, and is the example for our pastoral ministries:

    [Reads and explains Psalm 23]
    ...

    Before you ask God to double your church, make sure you're reading for double the "accounting." Before you ask God to fill the pews, make sure you're ready to pray for those who are in the pews. Before you ask for a larger ministry, make sure you're asking for more time to be able to do visitation and go see people. Accountability and responsibility for the souls of God's flock is serious. Let me ask you one question: Do you really understand that the people in our ministries--do you really understand that they are souls that just have bodies? Or are you looking at them as bodies, and oh, they have souls too? When you think of the people as eternal souls with bodies that will corrupt and change, it changes the spectrum and the dimensions and the depth of what you want to do. Our goal, as shepherds, is to firmly grasp the hand of our Savior, firmly love and care for the hands of our people, and bring them together, and let go and watch the joy.

March 13, 2011

February 1, 2011

  • French Bibles

    I'm so excited! I just got my La Sainte Bible (French Louis Segond Bible, Revised Edition). I have been reading La Bible: Ancien et Nouveau Testament (French Edition) (français courant) for about a year.

    I find that the former is a word-for-word (formal equivalence) translation that reads more like the NASB, while the latter is a thought-for-thought (dynamic equivalence) translation that reads more like the NIV.

    For now, my trusty français courant Bible will go back on the shelf after serving me well for the past year, and I'm going to try to read through the Bible in French this year!

January 26, 2011

  • film review - The Social Network

    Okay, this is not really a full movie review--I just decided that I want to use my blog to talk ramble about something a little bit longer than a status message update.

    Yahoo! had a movie night last night, so we got to watch The Social Network at URL's Cafe in Sunnyvale.

    My impression? It was REALLY good.

    Some thoughts:

    • The computer science parts were actually real and believable. VERY NICE
    • WOW! It won 4 Golden Globe awards, including Best Picture.
    • Also WOW! The screenplay is downloadable online, for free (for now...)
    • Theatrically (or story-wise?), it was similar to "Pursuit of Happyness" and "Boiler Room," and since those were really good movies, I'm not surprised that this movie did so well.
    • If that movie even partially portrayed Mark Zuckerberg accurately--well then, making an internet fortune isn't for everyone (it's not just luck and haphazard effort). Mark is genius and seriously wicked computer programmer.
    • Haha, I want to try to implement something similar to Face Mash using an ELO ranking algorithm--something fun and entertaining, but less offensive.
    • Also, I want to build a startup website now... something, anything that I'm passionate about...

January 19, 2011

  • Rehab Review - Lecrae's album

    This CD is pretty crazy (as in crazy good!)

    Thoughts:

    • The music and beats are more intense (and better) than any secular hip-hop I've EVER listened to
    • The lyrics and rhymes are so SOLID

    I constantly get chills down my spine while listening to this.

    But the words are really hard to understand, so I look forward to listening while reading along with the lyrics. Definitely a lot of slang and poetic expressions.

    An excerpt from "High":

    They can't stop His shine, He so amazing
    The Son rose for some daylight savin's
    He saved us from the beef on Easter
    Then build a damnation like a beaver
    All men fall short like Keibler
    Elf, Gary Coleman, Webster, and Lil' Casesar

  • ways to deal with obnoxious recruiters

    Some are nice, friendly, and helpful. Some are nice and selfish. Some are obnoxious, annoying, and rude.

    For recruiters that don't make an effort, I am contemplating:

    1. Reply with canned email
    2. Reply with only a YouTube link: Stephanie Tanner "How Rude"

    I may include some canned email responses on here if there is enough interest.

    What do you do?

December 3, 2010

  • the best fresh air

    I signed up to take some kind of air quality at the workplace survey conducted by UC Berkeley Center for the Built Environment--Thermal Comfort Survey. Every two hours, I'm sent a survey link I fill out how I'm feeling at the time, what I perceive the air flow to be, do I feel hot or cold, etc.

    This is what I wrote in the free response:

    The best air, IMO, is fresh air. If you guys can replicate that, that would be great.

    The best fresh air is the cool, crisp air you feel in your nostrils on a sterile morning after a rain.

    What do you guys think? What is your favorite air?