Domb Nexen

Ranking All of the Jokers in the DC Universe +videos

dombnexen — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 23:59:14 GMT

Warner Bros.

Want to hear our best impression of the Joker? Bhaaa hA HA HAaa.

What do you think? Anyway, our take on the Clown Prince of Crime is beside the point. But Jared Leto is bringing his version of the infamous Batman villain to the big screen in Suicide Squad and he recently told ET, "When I got the part, I felt a tremendous amount of pressure -- or terror, you might call it."

"There have been such phenomenal, unforgettable performances, like Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, Cesar Romero," he added. "It really encouraged me to work that much harder."

So, how does Leto's Joker stack up against those that came before him? We ranked them all to find out.

6. Various Voice Actors in Various Animated Batman Projects

Warner Bros.

Including Michael Emerson (The Dark Knight Returns), John DiMaggio (Batman: Under the Red Hood), Kevin Michael Richardson (The Batman), and Brent Spiner (Young Justice), among others. All have merits -- and this isn't meant as a knock against the craft -- but the look and physicality required of the role are just too important to ignore here. Albeit with one exception.

5. Cesar Romero in Batman (1966)

ABC

Romero was first to embody the comic book baddie in the flesh, in the short-lived '60s TV series, and he plays him as pure camp -- with white face paint slathered over his mustache and a deadly slot machine for creating chaos, often while singing! While his take inspired so many of the Jokers that followed, it's now so far removed from the darker and grittier foe we know today that they might as well be completely different characters.

4. Jack Nicholson in Batman (1989)

Warner Bros.

If Romero originated the most iconic iteration of the Joker, then Nicholson perfected it when director Tim Burton took over the franchise. His Jester of Genocide chews up scenery with a twisted sense of pleasure and just a touch of The Shining, that -- despite the cartoonish smile, truly a nightmare come to life -- feels practically understated compared to what would come.

3. Jared Leto in Suicide Squad (2016)

Warner Bros. Pictures

In a film about bad guys -- a hitman, a psychopathic psychiatrist, a crocodile humanoid -- Leto's Joker remains the most dangerous maniac in the mix, a deadly wild card in a deck of wild cards. This lateest incarnation is unhinged and animalistic, with Leto and director David Ayer taking elements from the comics and amping them up to a billion. That Leto's role is more or less a glorified cameo likely means he has only scratched the surface, too. (Good luck to whoever co-stars with him in that movie.)

2. Mark Hamill in Batman: The Animated Series (1992)

Warner Bros.

Hamill rises above the medium, having provided the Ace of Knaves his distinctive cackle for so many years -- starting with The Animated Series in the early '90s before Arkham Asylum and, most recently, Batman: The Killing Joke in 2016 -- that he has become synonymous with the role, without having ever appeared onscreen.

Here's how beloved Hamill's Joker is: During an appearance at this year's Star Wars Celebration, it wasn't anything to do with Luke Skywalker that had fans losing their minds -- it was witnessing Hamill laughing as the Joker, live in person.

1. Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight (2008)

Warner Bros. Pictures

This may seem like an easy choice to top the list -- Ledger posthumously won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor -- but that's only because it is an easy choice. It's more than the Oscar, though: Ledger revolutionized how actors could and should approach playing the Joker, granting Leto and whichever actor inherits the role after him (and then after him) carte blanche to take a risk.

Ledger and Christopher Nolan gave us a Joker we had never seen before, one as anarchistic as he was brilliant, as utterly captivating as he was absolutely terrifying. And, as much as it chills us to say, he put a smile on our faces.

Best Audio Streaming Software for Your Radio Station

dombnexen — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 21:53:00 GMT

Broadcast live to your online radio station using the best audio streaming software built by and for radio professionals.

As a radio broadcaster you need the best audio streaming software to effectively manage your station. However it can be tough to find the right all-in-one solution to manage your music, build curated playlists, and broadcast live radio shows without any technical headaches!

That’s why we have put together the top best audio streaming software solutions worth checking out. Plus at the end have your say! Which one you do you think shines brighter then the rest? Vote for the essential tool radio broadcasters should use.

Winamp - The Old Familiar

Kicking off this list is the well-known Winamp. It's an old familiar having been around for 20 years, but don’t let its age fool you! To this day you can still get it for free and it comes with everything you need to manage your music and radio shows - For example, curate your tracks into custom playlists and add plug-ins for additional features,
plus it runs quite smoothly in comparison to other media players like iTunes.
Coupled with the SHOUTcast DSP plugin, you can take your shows online. Broadcast your curated playlists to your radio station, even hook up a microphone to talk live to your listeners. Winamp is a good audio streaming software solution if you want something tried and tested.

SAM Broadcaster Pro - Rock Solid Media Management

SAM Broadcaster Pro is a well known and advanced piece of broadcasting software. It has a media management system, virtual mixing decks, relays,
statistics, and much more useful features.
Controlling your shows are the cornerstone of SAM Broadcaster. Get access to multiple mixing decks and control and synchronise your audio with ease. Mix shows together with faders, EQ sliders, and improve your vocals with an FX voice feature to alter how you sound.
SAM Broadcaster comes with a commercial license, meaning you have to pay to unlock the full version, however you can get a free trial to see if it’s right for you.

Traktor - A DJ's Delight

Traktor is from leading innovator Native Instruments in the music industry for hardware and software. Designed for both DJs and broadcasters like Pete Tong and Richie Hawtin, it’s ideal for managing your station’s media and mixing shows together due to its easy hardware integration.
Hook up an industry-leading Traktor DJ controller to seamlessly manage your shows for professional DJ mixes. Have up to 4 decks at any one time to pre-load tracks, sync to the master track, and manipulate your station’s sound the way you want.
Get Traktor DJ for both Windows and Mac with a 30-minute trial to see if it’s right for your radio shows.

AltaCast - Simple Windows Encoder

AltaCast, formerly known as Edcast, is a free Windows encoder for live broadcasts to your online station. Radio broadcasters and professional DJs looking for a simple solution will feel right at home with AltaCast. It’s a very simple in terms of design and the features that come with it - For example it’s main function is to grab your sound card's audio, like a microphone’s input, and broadcast to your station.
Like every free piece of software AltaCast requires a little bit of work to get setup. You need the C++ 2010 runtime and the latest Lame_enc.dll file for MP3 support. Download them both along with AltaCast to setup your audio streaming software.

Virtual DJ Pro - Professional Mixes Without Expensive Hardware

Virtual DJ Pro is an audio mixing software solution for DJs and radio broadcasters alike. Available for Windows and Mac, it comes with old school style vinyl and CD based mixing desks for beat mixing and media management cueing.

The idea behind Virtual DJ is that absolutely anyone can start mixing tracks together without the need for loads of expensive equipment, instead giving you everything you need to make awesome sounding mixes just like professional DJs.

Mixxx - Technical Mixer for Radio Experts

Mixxx is advanced open-source DJ software. It’s completely free and works with Windows, Mac, and Linux systems like Ubuntu.

It’s ideal if you handle quite a lot of tracks and recorded shows as it comes with an advanced library management system. Use it to update your track’s info like titles, artists, and albums using a built-in ID3 tag editor. When broadcasting from Mixxx your track’s details get shown to listeners via the player, so it comes in handy as everyone can see what you’re playing.

Mixxx is great for beat syncing tracks with up to 4 decks. Invite guests on board by adding several microphones at once and easily map external mixing decks with MIDI controllers. If you broadcast live shows often then you can repeat them by recording in Mixxx and adding them to your library.

BUTT - Free & Easy to Use Encoder Available on All Platforms

BUTT is by far the easiest tool to broadcast live to your online radio station. Free and easy to use, it offers a simple way to get online no matter if you’re on Windows, Mac, or Linux systems.

BUTT comes with a built in encoder, which means you don’t need additional software or a plugin to connect to your station. Broadcast using external equipment like microphones, mixers, and even pre-built mics. However it only handles live feeds like talking into a mic or through your computer’s sound card, so you can’t play audio from a media player unless you using Soundflower (Mac) or Stereo Mix (Windows)to broadcast all your computer’s audio and with Voicemeeter Banana / VB Audio Cable for you can manage your pc sounds as you like.

A hacking lexicon

dombnexen — Thu, 03 May 2018 18:12:31 GMT

Crackers, hackers, phrackers, phreakers, sneakers: Is there a difference? Here's a primer on hacking nomenclatures to help you keep the bad guys and the good guys straight.

Recently, a debate broke out on TechRepublic over the use of the word “hacker” in an article describing DDoS attacks (see "TechRepublic members say the law needs to punish cyber criminals, not the victims"). Member Lee McGrevin, a systems administrator, took exception to that article’s usage of the term “hacker,” stating that the correct term for someone who launches a DDoS attack would be “cracker.”

“I am surprised that such a technical-based Web forum would stoop low enough to jump on the bandwagon of the hacker witch hunt,” McGrevin wrote. “Let’s get the record straight for those of us who wear the white hat. A hacker is someone with deep knowledge of how systems work, how to optimize them through noncommercial ways, and [how to] improve the overall quality of programs and [deal with] security-related issues.”

McGrevin basically felt that calling those who engage in DDoS attacks “hackers” was demeaning to the hacking community and a hallmark of bad reporting.

We certainly regret mislabeling anyone, although in our defense, we’d like it noted that hacking is used generically both in the media and in the IT security field to refer to illegal tampering with systems.

So to make sure no other members out there fall into the same trap we did, let’s all take a closer look at this issue.

Depends on whom you ask
In some ways, the definition of these terms depends upon whom you ask. Take, for example, the following various interpretations of hacking.

The National Security Agency (NSA) defines hacking simply as the “unauthorized use, or attempts to circumvent or bypass the security mechanisms of an information system or network.”

By comparison, Hackers.com, an underground domain whose stated purpose is to “provide a place for hackers, phone phreaks, and other underground-related people to interact and expand their minds,” offers a somewhat more poetic and gracious definition of hacking:

“Hacking is the act of penetrating a closed computer system for the knowledge and information that is contained within. Through the study of technology and computers, a hacker can open his mind and expand his knowledge. Hacking is intended to free information and expand minds, not to be destructive nor for material gain. There is always some debate because of how the term ‘hacker’ has been both glorified and undermined by common media, but most will say that those who destroy data, hack for money, or hack with illegal intent should be referred to as ‘crackers,’ not hackers.”

On the other hand, TechRepublic member Edward Clint, a systems administrator for HealthCenter Internet Services, made this important distinction:

“No one with a real IT job calls themselves either a hacker or a cracker. …In the real world, we are Security Experts, System Engineers, Network Admins and Architects, and so forth.”

A list of terms
To help set the record straight, we’ve provided a breakdown of terms and their definitions from the "NSA Glossary of Terms Used in Security and Intrusion Detection." You might also want to visit Information Security Magazine’s online descriptions of "Perpetrator Subtypes."


Hacking	Unauthorized use, or attempts to circumvent or bypass the security mechanisms of an information system or network.
Hacker	A person who enjoys exploring the details of computers and how to stretch their capabilities. A malicious or inquisitive meddler who tries to discover information by poking around. A person who enjoys learning the details of programming systems and how to stretch their capabilities, as opposed to most users who prefer to learn only the minimum necessary.
Crack	A popular hacking tool used to decode encrypted passwords. System administrators also use crack to assess weak passwords by novice users in order to enhance the security of the Automated Information System (AIS).
Cracker	One who breaks security on an AIS. Automated Information System - any equipment of an interconnected system or subsystems of equipment that is used in the automatic acquisition, storage, manipulation, control, display, transmission, or reception of data and includes software, firmware, and hardware.
Samurai	A hacker who hires out for legal cracking jobs, snooping for factions in corporate political fights, lawyers pursuing privacy-rights and First Amendment cases, and other parties with legitimate reasons to need an electronic locksmith.
Sneaker	An individual hired to break in to places in order to test their security; analogous to tiger team.
Tiger Team	Government and industry-sponsored teams of computer experts who attempt to break down the defenses of computer systems in an effort to uncover, and eventually patch, security holes.
Ankle-Biter or Script Kiddies	A person who aspires to be a hacker/cracker but has very limited knowledge or skills related to AIS's. Usually associated with young teens who collect and use simple malicious programs obtained from the Internet.
Phreaking	The art and science of cracking the phone network.
Phreak(er)	An individual fascinated by the telephone system. Commonly, an individual who uses his knowledge of the telephone system to make calls at the expense of another.
Phracker	An individual who combines phone phreaking with computer hacking.

Hacking	Unauthorized use, or attempts to circumvent or bypass the security mechanisms of an information system or network.
Hacker	A person who enjoys exploring the details of computers and how to stretch their capabilities. A malicious or inquisitive meddler who tries to discover information by poking around. A person who enjoys learning the details of programming systems and how to stretch their capabilities, as opposed to most users who prefer to learn only the minimum necessary.
Crack	A popular hacking tool used to decode encrypted passwords. System administrators also use crack to assess weak passwords by novice users in order to enhance the security of the Automated Information System (AIS).
Cracker	One who breaks security on an AIS. Automated Information System - any equipment of an interconnected system or subsystems of equipment that is used in the automatic acquisition, storage, manipulation, control, display, transmission, or reception of data and includes software, firmware, and hardware.
Samurai	A hacker who hires out for legal cracking jobs, snooping for factions in corporate political fights, lawyers pursuing privacy-rights and First Amendment cases, and other parties with legitimate reasons to need an electronic locksmith.
Sneaker	An individual hired to break in to places in order to test their security; analogous to tiger team.
Tiger Team	Government and industry-sponsored teams of computer experts who attempt to break down the defenses of computer systems in an effort to uncover, and eventually patch, security holes.
Ankle-Biter or Script Kiddies	A person who aspires to be a hacker/cracker but has very limited knowledge or skills related to AIS's. Usually associated with young teens who collect and use simple malicious programs obtained from the Internet.
Phreaking	The art and science of cracking the phone network.
Phreak(er)	An individual fascinated by the telephone system. Commonly, an individual who uses his knowledge of the telephone system to make calls at the expense of another.
Phracker	An individual who combines phone phreaking with computer hacking.

We’d like to know: What’s your take on this whole hacker/cracker debate? Is there an important distinction between all of these terms, or is it mere semantics? Post your comments below.

7 Types Of Hackers You Should Know About

dombnexen — Thu, 03 May 2018 18:01:37 GMT

In our last blog post, we talked about some of our security services and how thoroughly we can test your business for Cyber weaknesses. One of the terms we used in that was ‘White Hat Hacker’, to describe ourselves. Now it might seem odd to refer to a high level Cyber security company as ‘hackers’ but in reality, that’s exactly what we do in order to provide you with the best service possible. You see, ‘White Hat hackers’ are just one type of hacker out there and they are the only ones who aren’t dangerous to your business. To illustrate, here’s what each type of hacker ‘Hat’ does:

Script Kiddie

Script Kiddies don’t really care about hacking into systems and stealing things. They simply copy code and use it for a virus, SQLi or something else. Script Kiddies will never hack for themselves, they will just download some overused software (such as LOIC or Metasploit) and watch a YouTube video on how to use it. A very common Script Kiddie attack would be a DOS (Denial of Service) or DDOS (Distributed Denial of Service), where they flood an IP with so much useless information that it collapses, preventing other people from using it.

White Hat

White Hat hackers are also known as ethical hackers, and they’re the good guys of the hacker world. They help you remove viruses, perform pen tests and generally help people understand where their vulnerabilities are and fix them. Most White Hat hackers will hold some form of computer or security related qualification, and often pursue careers in hacking and Cyber security. They love the challenge of finding the holes but have no interest in doing anything with them. There are even a number of qualifications specifically for them – Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP), CREST Certified Infrastructure Tester and CREST Certified Application Security Tester.

Black Hat

Black Hat hackers, or ‘crackers’ are the types of people you often hear about on the news and from businesses trying to sell cyber services. They find banks and big companies with weak security systems and steal credit card information, confidential data or money. Their methods are varied but actually fairly basic most of the time.

Grey Hat

As with everything in this world, nothing is just black and white. Grey Hat hackers don’t steal information or money like Black Hat hackers (though they may sometimes deface a website for fun), nor do they help people out like white hack hackers. Instead, they spend most of their time just playing around with systems, without doing anything harmful. This type of hacker actually makes up most of the hacking community, even though Black hat hackers garner most of the media’s attention.

Green Hat

Green Hat hackers are the babies of the hacker world. They are new to the game and mainly use script, like Script Kiddies, but they have aspirations of becoming full blown hackers. They are often found asking questions of fellow hackers and listening with childlike curiosity.

Red Hat

Red Hat hackers are the vigilantes of the hacker world. They’re like white hats in the sense that they put a stop to Black hat attacks, but they are downright scary in how they do it. Instead of reporting the malicious hacker they find lurking inside a business, they shut them down by uploading viruses, DoSing and accessing their computer to destroy it form the inside out. Red hats use many different aggressive methods to force the cracker out and potentially even kill their computer. The good news is, businesses don’t need to worry about these.

Blue Hat

And finally, we have the Blue Hat hackers. If a Script Kiddie ever took revenge, he would become a Blue Hat Hacker. Blue Hat hackers will seek vengeance on anyone who has made them angry. Most Blue Hat hackers are fairly new to the hacking world, but unlike green hats they have no desire to learn.

So hopefully that clears a few things up, and gives you a bit of an insight into the world of hacking in all of its color.