I'm Dan Q. I've spent the last 25+ years writing things on the Internet.
I work at Automattic and volunteer with Three Rings. I live with my partner, her husband, and our two children. When I'm not at my desk, I can often be found doing GNSS sports, cycling, or travelling.
I believe in open source, an open Web, and open minds. Open relationships are cool, too.
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FreeDeedPoll.org.uk, Punk Rock Edition
A Birmingham-based punky trio, Luxury Nan Smell, have released a song named "freedeedpoll.org.uk", in reference to my website of the same name. This was just the kind of uplifting thing I needed to hear about. Read more →
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Length Extension Attack Demonstration
Hash length extension attacks aren't necessarily intuitive without a little understanding of how vulnerable hashing algorithms work. Using SHA1 as an example, I've put together a step-by-step demonstration with a focus on teaching the underlying principles behind the vulnerability. Read more →
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It Takes Two
At the weekend, Ruth and I travelled to Edinburgh to attend a tango class for which we were in no-way qualified. We learned a lot, but mostly because we knew very little to begin with! Read more →
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Household Finances Revisited
A year or two ago, my polyfamily and I switched from an "income-assessed" to a "same-residual" model for managing our household expenditures. If the former could be described as "socialism at home", the latter is more like "household Universal Basic Income". Read more →
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Pen Pals Wanted
Please will you be my pen pal for one month in 2024? Read more →
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My Default Apps at the End of 2023
All the cool kids are sharing their "lifestack" as we approach the end of 2023. Here's mine. Read more →
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Mental Elf Day
Christmas Jumper Day at the kids' school. Because I'm the "embarrassing parent", I joined in for the school run too. (Also for my meetings today, obviously.) Read more →
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I don't want your data
Manu doesn't want your data, and I don't either. Read more →
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Freezing Fog
Gorgeous freezing fog over the fields on the school run this morning. Read more →
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Length Extension Attack Demonstration (Video)
This is a video version of my blog post, Length Extension Attack. In it, I talk through the theory of length extension attacks and demonstrate an SHA-1 length extension attack against an (imaginary) website.The video can also be found on: YouTube Read more →
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Tension in the Wires
Received my physical copy of Planets In The Wires today, and I must say it was really cool of Pagan Wanderer Lu to include one of Fred "Thickie" Holden's famous Tension Sheets as a freebie. Read more →
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Emoji Reactions
I added a stupid feature to my blog. On some posts, including this one, you can now send an "emoji reaction". Y'know, for if you're too lazy to write a comment. The available reactions vary by post. That is all. Read more →
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The Frosted Pane
Pagan Wanderer Lu's new album Planets In The Wires dropped today, and I just cried my eyes out at track 5 (The Frosted Pane). It opens almost apologetically, like an explanation for the gap in new releases for most of the twenty-teens. But it quickly becomes a poetic exploration of a detached depression of a man trapped under the weight of the world. It's sad, and beautiful, and relatable. Read more →
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ET App
Travelling around Edinburgh by tram this weekend, I kept being advertised the "ET app". I didn't install the app, in case it was bundled with spyware. After all, everybody my age knows: ET phones home. Read more →
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Bramble
Fresh D&D campaign! I'm playing a Harengon Barbarian. I'm a fierce bunny rabbit! Read more →
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Gemini Squared
How did I never think of accessing Gemini (the protocol) on my Gemini (portable computer) before today? Of course, I recently rehomed my Gemini so instead I had to access Gemini on my Cosmo. Read more →
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Monster Munch Sandwich
Experimenting with some unusual combinations in anticipation of International Crisp Sandwich Day. Today's is Roast Beef Monster Munch on Farmhouse White. Read more →
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Weird A.I. Yankovic, a cursed deep dive into the world of voice cloning
What if Weird Al wrote the original versions of the songs the covered, and the other artists did the parody covers? With "thanks" to AI voice deepfake technology, and some work by Andy Baio, we can answer that question. Read more →
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