Life Over At La Casa

My other URU project is the creation and maintenance of the Friends of the Fissure, its forum and website. This has mostly been me, ms. isis and Atheni33, but all are invited to join and to participate.

Right now I can tell you that I have hidden an animated book in one of the locked bedrooms. The game at present is to see if you can lay hands on this book and if the quest for it is too hard or too easy (although after getting through Kadish I can't see that anything I can ever do will rival that age). If this particular puzzle is pleasing enough, then I will work on more things to hide around La Casa for explorers to find.

If you visit the web site you have the choice to travel to La Casa via the roads from the Cleft and meeting folks along the way. Just click the link inside the image of the mountain. If you wish to skip ahead (recommended only for those who went some distance but forgot to make bookmark) there are quick links in the compass below the main image.

We need some explorers to explore the site, to let me know if the links are working, if the images present correctly, etc. It all looks fine to me, but that is because all if it is cached on my computer. If you have questions, problems or discussion please contact me or ms. isis via PM. Since this is all still experimental we want to avoid spoilers getting out before we are sure we are on the right path.

Yikes.... "This web site at www.webmousepublications.com has been reported as an attack site and has been blocked based on your security preferences." That's what my Firefox told me when I clicked the link...

Thanks for letting her know... now we know it's not mine. Explorer clears it and firefox doesn't. But unable to see where the problem is on the site either.


Myss Terrie, is it possible that you need to go to a different code for the music? That's really the only "non-simple" code I can find ... and it still won't work in my explorer. I live and work on the net without problem anywhere else. Maybe switch that to a plain html code??

Unless your host has other ideas.

I told hubby about this and will have him look to see if he could find anything when he's free this weekend. Not promising anything, because he's not a strong firefox person, but he did take webbuilding in college, so maybe something will stand out for him that doesn't for us.

While it might be the Quicktime music code it is not a feature of every page and appears nowhere on my site except inside La Casa pages, so should not be a problem reaching the main page. I get no messages when I log in using either browser, but then maybe my security settings are different.

I keep contacting my web hosts and getting the run around. I was hoping it was a temporary mistake, but since it is not, I will have to hold them by the ears until they yell very very loudly.

I have heard that someone may label a site as an "attack site" and get it banned, which might be the case if someone took exception to something I published elsewhere on the site, but if someone has done this they have not had the good manners or cojones to bring the matter to me directly. I will keep researching this and let you know what I find out.

I read the content on the second screenshot I sent you. It said google 'did it' ... and that it was two pages of the site. There are links there to follow.

Actual text:

What is the current listing status for www.webmousepublications.com/?

Site is listed as suspicious - visiting this web site may harm your computer.

Part of this site was listed for suspicious activity 2 time(s) over the past 90 days.

What happened when Google visited this site?

Of the 21 pages we tested on the site over the past 90 days, 2 page(s) resulted in malicious software being downloaded and installed without user consent. The last time Google visited this site was on 06/26/2008, and the last time suspicious content was found on this site was on 06/26/2008.

Malicious software includes 3 trojan(s). Successful infection resulted in an average of 1 new processes on the target machine.

Malicious software is hosted on 1 domain(s), including 58.65.232.0.

Has this site acted as an intermediary resulting in further distribution of malware?

Over the past 90 days, www.webmousepublications.com/ did not appear to function as an intermediary for the infection of any sites.

Has this site hosted malware?

No, this site has not hosted malicious software over the past 90 days.

How did this happen?

In some cases, third parties can add malicious code to legitimate sites, which would cause us to show the warning message.

Next steps:

* Return to the previous page.
* If you are the owner of this web site, you can request a review of your site using Google Webmaster Tools. More information about the review process is available in Google's Webmaster Help Center.

You have to go to google and use an id - that you'll probably have to start since you don't use gmail already - that I know of ...

I still have the original homepage on this browser. I'm going to see about changing that and see if I can get that google check 'thingy' turned off from here. And test it again.


Added results: I tried changing the homepage so it's not google controlled, and cleared all the private data. Still get the warning. Only way I'm able to get around it is to turn off the warning feature in options.

Going to have to assume many will keep it on and listen to it, so may have to find out which two pages it's on.

iPowerWeb went through my site and found nothing of interest to cause a block code. Nothing -- I repeat NOTHING -- on my website anywhere is a hacked code that allows transfer of damaging programs, trojans, or spyware. This has happened to my site before -- long before I even knew there was a way to offer background music, so that is why I doubt the Quicktime application is at fault. Several researchers had trouble reaching the genealogical info I supply. My site ranges from very tame to out-right boring research material.

According to my webhost, the problem seems to lie in each person's individual security settings within the chosen browser. Keep in mind that after an update your browser can reset your security to the most restrictive -- meaning that your computer has decided that you are only old enough to view the safest G-rated sites. If you are a real-live qualified adult you should tell your browser that you are old enough to handle most stuff that is out there on the internet.

Nothing on webmousepublications.com is coded to violate your computer, insert spyware/viruses or produce ads for any product. The only code that might have such an effect is the Quicktime code that supplies background music on some of FoF story pages. On pages with music you will see a little bar like a music player and a tab marked "block," but this is only to allow you to block that code, since that same Quicktime code is what some sites use to play those annoying animated ads that pop up everywhere. On my website the Quicktime code is used solely to play music. It does NOTHING else.

Please let me know if the problem continues and if you can not reach the site in the browser of your choice, after you have checked your own security settings. So far most complaints have occurred using Firefox, but it is possible to have problems with Internet Explorer. In the meantime I will check out the information that Elpis has supplied above.

Dunno what to say ... considering I could get to porn sites during searches and I make sure there are no parental controls or any extra security (even double checked) ... not sure what they're talking about.

NOTE: I DO NOT go to the porn sites on purpose!!! I warn anyone researching how to unthaw shrimp safely to be careful while doing research....

And never mispell youtube!

But I do have the warning tool off now, so I'd have to turn it back on if you ever want me to check it again.

My guess is that google being tied in is screwing it up somehow. But glad to hear that no one got ahold of your site and hacked it for you too.

Turns out the Google block on my website is from www.stopbadware.org -- a nanny group who seem to have gone over-board on blocking sites that fail to meet some technical standard that I do not comprehend. I have had trouble with them before. They blocked my site last year -- having found NOTHING AT ALL WRONG WITH THE SITE. They have reinstated the block this year and since not that much has changed I suspect the result will be the same and that I will have to do this every year for the rest of my life.

I will fight this out with the nanny police and get back to you. I have no idea what set them off this time, but it is nothing that I have put on the page -- coded every word, every page, every image, every link myself. I wish they had the decency and the cojones to contact me directly via the prominently and conveniently placed email address.

Be interesting to know what triggers such an attack from them.

If it's nothing more than faulty code, I'm going to have to be on the lookout. Mine doesn't exactly validate clean right now. Nothing dangerous though ... just not exact.

I can bypass the block.. I was just wondering if the site was safe. I'll check it out as soon as possible then.

EDIT: Erf... then again, it's being stupid. I can bypass the block but I have to do it with each page I go to. Bleh...

You can turn the feature off in your options.

Click Tools, then Options on the pull down menu, and the place to turn it off is in the security tab.

You can easily turn it back on if you want it for other sites.

I choose not to though, unless I'm testing mine. Cause what use is it if anyone can arbitrarily target any site?

After the block was lifted on my site last year they made no apology nor specified what had triggered the block. I have written to stopbadware.org as well as posting a complaint to a blog area of google.com, stating that this is nothing more than vigilante fear-mongering based on technical areas not well understood by the non-techie majority of website owners.

Apparently your site can be blocked if a block-worthy site links TO it or if you have a link to such a site -- so not your code but a link to another site can trigger the block. Stopbadware.org makes no attempt to contact the site owner to inform them of a problem, makes no effort at all to help fix a problem before instating a block and makes no apology nor retraction after a block has been lifted.

I think stopbadware.org is skating on some thin legal ice should they drive traffic away from a legitimate business site. Since mine is not sales based, I am not too much concerned, but I do have my academic credibility to think about. This sort of "bad advertising" could net them a lawsuit for defamation.

One of the Google criteria for being blocked is "duplicative content" -- pages with largely the same structure and information. Since I use templates rather than frames this is a flimsy excuse based on coding style. Nothing I do is intended to increase my hit score, only to retain page uniformity and link consistency. Then again, I never knew why the page was blocked the first time.

Anyway, bottom line, Kit Fox -- feel free to explore the website. You are as safe as you were in the Cavern. So far we do not have any flying bahro noir to get you.

LOL, understood. I'll see if adding the site to my trusted list will help too. I think it isn't right what they do... I think someone should add them to their own block list and see how they feel about being blocked and treated like an 'attack site'.

I do the 'duplicative coding' too - I want my pages to be uniform. That also tells me that if you're making multiple copies of the same webpage, so you can test a minor difference and see what works, then you're subject to being a target.

My stats also say that for some reason, my writing site is being linked to from a porn site ... nothing on my site is porn related or erotic. My guess is that someone is recommending my resources for writers of porn. I don't dictate what people write or how they live their lives, but I don't want to be targeted because of what they do.

I will ask my business mentors if there are actions a web builder can take to protect from these attacks. Once I find the most useful place to do that ... many of the people I speak with and mentor from tell us to farm that job out and hire actual webmasters. I choose not to do that.

The site is very nice, Myss Terrie. I have no clue why they'd even think it was an attack site. Maybe someone just doesn't like sites that use cookies? I'm guessing that's how you stored data on who you talked to and such. Or maybe they just don't like D'ni?

It had to do with a guest book page -- admittedly with code written by some company offering it for "free." I ran my computer's virus checker when the page was on my machine and nothing came up as a problem, so I had no reason -- then or now -- to think the code presented dangers.

The guestbook has been removed and I will install a different BUT VERY SAFE means of getting feedback on the site. I have the old guestbook, being an animated book crafted to present the visitor with names of La Casa's earliest guests (John Loftin, Elias Zandi, Richard Watson, Jeff Zandi, Rand and Robin Miller, etc.) and then can leave a page with a link to my email so folks can send me comments. Clunky but it is artistic, contributes to the story and shouldn't cause TPTB to explode in a rage of random blocking.

Have fun with the site, Kit Fox. We have managed even with the limitations of HTML to hide things for you to find. Of course, once you get into a locked room I suppose you could make a standard bookmark to get there again so you do not have to go through all the pages that lead to it, but where is the fun in that? The "key" to the locked rooms is in the vision dreams that cause sleep-linking.

Aha... I was wondering what the purpose behind the vision dreams were. My Myst-logic was telling me something was up with them. All I need to do now is go back and figure out the mystery.

The stopbadware.org block is still in place -- now over another piece of code that I can not find anywhere on my site. A full scan of my computer shows no invasions, injections, viruses or spyware, and I do not have a clue of what to do about this next. It is very annoying, in particular because the block is instituted without consult to the site's owner and is based on what might happen as opposed to what has happened.

All I can say is that the site is safe to visit and there have been no reports of real problems upon visiting any portion of the site. So have fun. Lots to read, to learn and to find.

I posted the instructions for overriding the security feature on firefox at Friends of Fissure and these are they ...

You have two choices of overriding this. From the browsers menu, choose TOOLS. From the pull down menu choose OPTIONS. In the options box go to SECURITY.

From this page you may either:
uncheck the line "Tell me if the site I'm visiting is a suspected attack site"
or
click the box EXCEPTIONS and put the address http://www.webmousepublications.com





I'm using the feature to check websites I own and maintain, to make sure they aren't being targeted ... but if it wasn't for that, I'd turn it off. What use is feature that isn't properly quality controlled?

I know, tell me about it. Folks are blocking perfectly safe sights... in a sense, crying wolf. How are we to tell the good sites from the bad if there's not a better control of blocking sites that are truly bad?

I suspect the latest code issue may be over my link to the flymode page and its code. However, at this point I refuse to spend any more time dealing with stopbadware.org and their paranoia. I have been very busy working on the Field Guides. We now have guides on La Casa's shelves for all four Prime Ages, and Ahnonay. I am finishing up the book on Aegura and will be tackling Ercana next. Minkata will require some research since I do not have much on it and I see no reason to add Jalak since it is not a true age in any case. I will make some sort of a guide for the pods but there is not much to say on them outside of MOUL.

I would appreciate someone going through the field guides and doing some proofreading. Any takers? Direct links -- thus avoiding that scary "attack site" stuff -- will be provided.

Exploration Basics
Ahnonay
The Tomanha Cleft
Eder Gira & Eder Kemo
Eder Tsogal & Eder Delin
Gahreesen
Kadish Tolesa
Relto
Teledahn

There may still be some problems with the book covers appearing, but I am hoping to fix those tonight. After that I will start work on Ercana.

I can help proofread the texts. My girlfriend's an English major and I'm good with proper grammer and punctuation.

I can't read right now cause I'm just doing the code runs. But are you still doing something with Tomanha Cleft? Doesn't act as if it's linked yet.

Also, Gahreesen ends at the suit room for me.

In case anyone is wondering ... it seems that the block was finally lifted from the site.

If you don't have the game loaded and want to revisit the storyline and the Ages again, this is a good spot to visit.

The lumber has been lifted from our shoulders....Whew, what a relief...I was still fighting off that first monkey........