Mastodawn

Canadian electric utility #Nova #Scotia #Power and parent company #Emera suffered a cyberattack
https://securityaffairs.com/177281/hacking/canadian-electric-utility-nova-scotia-power-and-parent-company-emera-suffered-a-cyberattack.html
#securityaffairs #hacking

Canadian electric utility Nova Scotia Power and parent company Emera suffered a cyberattack

Canadian electric utility Nova Scotia Power and parent company Emera are facing a cyberattack that disrupted their IT systems and networks.

Security Affairs

Jerry on Mastodon Apr 1

Woke this morning with an email from #Scotia bank about my account. I don't have a Scotia account.

Usually, I ignore these as phishing, but I have a #Thunderbird add-on that tells me when SPF and DKIM pass. And the "from" domain was truly scotia bank. So, yes, it did come from them.

Spent 30 minutes on the phone bouncing around, queuing and waiting while they checked. Their conclusion is that their customer carelessly entered my email address instead of their own, and they will contact the customer.

Two things.

Email addresses should always be validated with an OTP. When will banks learn this?

Second: Some people are a pain in the ass.

#banking #phishing #cybersecurity

Splines Feb 1

#IonicColumn #VignolaBase and #AtticBase #CAD Plans

Both #Vignola base and #Attic base have the same square footprint of 400 units x 400 units. The #plinth for both is 48 units (6 parts, or µ/3) tall, and the total height for both is 144 units (18 parts, or exactly µ). As such, they are easily interchangeable.

In the Vignola variant, we start at the plinth with a #fillet 2 units tall and a classic #scotia 18 units tall gouging out part of the fillet.

Then there is another fillet 2 units tall, followed by two #reeds, each 8 units tall, followed by another classic scotia as described above.

This is followed by yet another fillet 2 units tall and topped off with a #torus 40 units tall. A Torus is the same as a reed, except larger. When we reach the neck of the shaft, we will see another molding called #Astragal which has the same profile as reed and torus, but sits in the middle in size. Think of reed, astragal, and torus as small, medium, and large of the same profile.

The modern Attic variant is more elegant with fewer moldings. It also gives the impression of more heft for more stately columns. It starts at the plinth with a torus 36 units tall, followed by a fillet 4 units tall, followed by a modern scotia 24 units tall, followed by another fillet 4 units tall, and topped off with another torus 28 units tall.

As in the construction of #IonicEntablature [https://pixelfed.social/p/Splines/791013152244518907], split the construction of the #columnBase into two steps.

Just as we extruded #dentils separately, we extrude the plinth separately. First draw a square 400x400 in the top view. Then extrude the square 48 units in the front view.

For the rest of the base, we need a new 3D operation — #revolve around an axis. Instead of extruding the #primaryProfileCurve, we revolve it around the #columnAxis, and cap the #planarHoles on both ends before performing a #booleanUnion with the plinth. Finally check edges of the solid for #nakedEdges and #nonManifoldEdges.

Splines (@Splines@pixelfed.social)

This sketch shows the arrangement of #dentils in the classic variation of the #IonicEntablature. It shows the full layout, but most of the top is obscured by the top portion of the #cornice. Only the outside square shapes are actually visible. Each #dentil has a square "footprint" that is 4 parts by 4 parts (32*32 units) and is 6 parts (48 units) tall. The spacing between each dentil is 2 parts (16 units). Dentils project 4 parts (or 32 units) from the face of the #fascia on which they rest. Each face of the fascia has 7 dentils with the middle dentil laterally centered and directly in front of the column axis. The 2 side dentils are on side faces, and that is apparent in the darker shading in the sketch at https://pixelfed.social/i/web/post/790782316675150160. Take the time to reconcile this with the numbers listed in #Scarlata's #PracticalArchitecture. The 3D reconstruction from the #primaryProfileCurves is very similar to that of the #IonicPedestal, with #extrusion, #mitering, #joining, and #capping planar holes as described in https://pixelfed.social/i/web/post/790645054230337543 — just set the dentils aside, for now. Once you have capped the #planarHoles to get a solid, analyze the edges of the solid in the #CAD program for #nakedEdges and #nonManifoldEdges. Then, extrude the dentils outline (in the top view) to a height of 48 units (in the front view). Now perform a #booleanUnion of the two solid shapes to get the complete #entablature. Finally, check the edges of the solid in the #CAD program AGAIN for #nakedEdges and #nonManifoldEdges. With this, we have finished two of the three main components of the #IonicOrder. There's a modern version of the Ionic entablature with #modillions, which I will describe later. Next, we move on to the biggest, most conspicuous part of the order — the #IonicColumn.

Pixelfed

Splines Feb 1

#EvolutionOfScotia

#Scotia is a new concave #molding that we are seeing for the first time in the #IonicOrder. Its #primaryProfileCurve is a compound curve that is always segmented 1/3 and 2/3 from top to bottom. The two segments have different radii, but they also have a common tangent where they meet.

The scotia molding went through some evolutionary stages as shown in the sketch.

In the classic #Vignola version, the scotia used in the column base is smaller and gouges out a portion of the bottom fillet. Vignola did that to accentuate the effect of incident light and bring out the shadows. He must have really liked the #lightAndShade effect because he had TWO of them in the classic column base for the #IonicColumn.

An intermediary variant then emerged in which the larger arc was tangential to the bottom fillet instead of gouging it out. It still allowed for the interplay of light and shade as it had a lip that extended above the nominal fillet. Also, it was 4/3 the size of the Vignola variant and the fillets were twice as tall, ostensibly to make the lip more conspicuous, and provide some utility or justification for the lip.

If you are into #font design or you are an avid calligrapher, you will never look at font #serifs the same way after looking at the intermediate evolutionary stage of the scotia. In particular, the #Optima font is classified as #sansSerif, but the stem in its repertoire of characters has an uncanny resemblance at the tip of the lip.

Unfortunately, the lip didn't seem durable as it was prone to chipping. While Optima still thrives, designers rejected the lip of the scotia as vestigial over time, and used an ellipse for the larger arc so that it was tangential to the fillet right where the fillet ended. This design has endured, and the variant of the column base that uses this molding is called either the "modern" base or the #AtticBase. The etymology is from Latin #Atticus which means ‘relating to #Athens or #Attica region of #Greece.'

Splines Jan 31

The #column is the most complex component — not least because of the beautiful #capital at the top. It also offers the most opportunities for creative expression, as long as designers differentiate in the #decorativeElements, not #tectonicElements.

There are 3 subcomponents of a column — the #columnBase, #columnShaft, and #columnCapital. In the #IonicOrder, there are variants for each of these components, not just in the tectonic portions, but also in the decorative portions, and it is equally acceptable to mix and match them.

Classic variant of the column #base bears #Vignola's signature in a new #molding called #scotia. There's a "modern" version that has a newer Scotia. I am trying hard to resist the urge to call it #NovaScotia.

The column #shaft is not perfectly cylindrical. It gradually tapers off in the upper 2/3, has a plain unadorned variant, and a #fluted variant.

Classic variant of the column #capital has parallel flat #volute slabs only visible from the front and back, but not from the sides. There's also a modern variant that has curved volute faces on all four sides with pointed ends at all corners and optimized for use in a corner column, but not limited to that.

These variants can be freely intermixed in any combination of base, shaft, and capital. The sketch shows an Ionic column with a modern base, fluted shaft, and classic capital, but any other combination would be equally acceptable as long as all are internally consistent in a single #colonnade or #arcade.

Beyond these tectonic elements, there are decorative elements like the #eggsAndDarts motif in the #ovolo of the capital. The eggs can be convex or concave, the eggs and arrows can look different, or the Ovolo could have a completely different motif, or none at all.

The bell-shaped #scrolls between volute slabs are separated by a ribbon or belt with a 3-strand braid not seen in this sketch. If you design fashion accessories, experiment with other designs while maintaining proportions.