World: r3wp

So its random generated.

3D hit testing is another upcoming captcha method

How does that work? I hear that cpatcha is being beaten by OCR methods.

there are various implementations from thread-the-needle / drag-and-drop 
/ to overlay matching and rotation

My idea involves having the backend generate a random code that gets 
presented as a draggable item in a javascript driven page.  The user 
must drag the code to a randoming placed box.  The code i s also 
randoming placed.  The script will generate a value based on the 
direction and length of the drag.  This gets compared on the server 
end along with the code.

cant the spammer then just read the code to get the positions?

Yeah, which is why I don't think you can do it in javascript.  I'm 
using that as an example to get an idea for the concept.

automating mouse movement and clicks from then on is relatively trivial

Yeah might not work via that route.

the trick is to possibly send location on drop - then verify serverside

Yeah - that should do it!

Dunno, you still have to show the locations on the client end so 
they know where to drag.

send an image

eg: drag the object onto the purple rabbit - have an image with 20 
or so differentr rabbits

Possible.

How about this.  You  display a rather large image and the user must 
click the very center of image (hold down button) and drag to a border 
speciied within the image.  The image changes.

For example say the image is just a picture of a large ball or circle. 
 The person clicks the center of the circle and holds down to expand 
to the perimeter of the circle in the image and releases and this 
gets interpretes as radius back to the server.

still open to image analysis attack

Captachas are agains people, not bots. Bots are mostly very simple, 
especially the one which just puts links into fields. Why they would 
spend time on image analysis when they just can travel on another 
site with simple forms. fields.

they broke the gmail captcha and yahoo and hotmail by use of image 
analysis.

people.. not bots:)

oh - i thought they were reported to have automated it?

I don't think there is any bot just browsing around searching for 
another captcha to break in:) I can call it "a script" which someone 
could use to break gmail captcha, but not "a bot". Anyway... I bet 
they used many people to just click and  traslate the images.

http://securitylabs.websense.com/content/Blogs/2919.aspx

very interesting info on teh gmail break

Yes... also there is a prove that someone pay for recognizing pictures. 
Anyway... if you have a normal site and don't want links in your 
form fields as Paul has.. using simple JS document.write is enough 
to hide the submit button ans stop the bots. At least that's my experience.

Our general media portal reports, that SUN is being bought by Oracle. 
I thought that it was IBM who tried to acquire them? Anyone confirms 
the news?

Hmm, I wonder what happens to Open Office and MySQL then ....

Hm.. I imagine they have hard time selling Oracle if MySQL is free.. 
I wouldn't like to be mysql right now :)

I didn't know Oracle even exists in last years, and surelly not that 
they have so much $$ to buy Sun (+ MySQL )... I am not sure if they 
are very present in web-scene

They might close mySQL, but I think that the licence forbids them 
doing so. They might close further mySQL developments, but in such 
a case, I think that some ppl would fork it anyway ...

Oracle already owns the company thaat makes the InnoDB engine for 
MySQL, and that didn't kill MySQL.

I don't think that SAP will ike this.

Oracle moves away from a one-product company. Strategically a good 
step. And owning a lot of datastorage infrastructure within the companies 
makes them a logical choice for the other layers.

But overall, I don't like this happening... when will Oracle DBs 
internally use ZFS?

What is wrong with ZFS?

Nothing. I'm using it on OSX. My message referrs to two topics:
1. Oracle buys Sun -> I don't like it
2. Maybe ZFS will now become more a DB thing than a FS thing.

Google releases plugin for 3D API - http://arstechnica.com/software/news/2009/04/google-releases-3d-graphics-plugin-for-browsers.ars

hm.. very interesting.. now unity3d (and ston3d) got some competition

O3D is an open-source web API for creating rich, interactive 3D applications 
in the browser.


Wow, 3D games in the browser! It just gets better and better! What 
a wonderful world! ;-)

Maybe we'll even be able to use the back button, when someone shoot 
us in the game.

LOL

:)

plugins that offer hardware accelerated rendering are not that rare 
but there is none except shockwave (and now unity slowly) that have 
any worthwile base of users that have it already installed. This 
one would be great if it gets forward becuase it's the "google's" 
plugin, but for games it also needs sound, good input / fullscreen 
switching and to compete to ston3d and unity physics

I like O3D alot. It makes me nostalgic, a 3D simulator right out 
of 1995 with the single digit framerates and all. Every day, new 
and amazing ways to slow down your computer.

:)

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/see_wolfram_alpha_in_action_-_video_and_screenshots.php

3D layers for the web have been around for years... but it seems 
people don't really care en masse.  I wonder if its the technology 
or if its a culture thing.

Not sure if this has been discussed, but has anyone compared Adobe 
Air to REBOL/View or /SDK?

In terms of end result, that is - not necessarily of the languages 
involved.