as some of you may know i made sth called bombai (name comes from bomba and ai) thats kinda like anubis or iocaine in purpose. those solutions are kind of “fine” already, but the thing about them is that anubis sucks for regular users too, and isnt always effective, and that iocaine usually relies on lists or similar things.

scrapers unfortunately come in all shapes and sizes and with new user agents or hidden ones all the time. after using anubis for a while, i got my forgejo downed again and so i went looking. iocaine seems like a good idea, but i want something that is sure to stop my git from going down even if i dont maintain it or the lists are incomplete.

what i made now does the following:

• very configurable detection entirely based on behaviour, without modifying site content
  • request counting
  • one fail = timeout, continuously resetting if attempts continue (this can be excellently combined with trap paths)
  • weighted by path and such
  • blobbing entire subnets together if desired (needed for alibaba’s bot for example)
  • allows setting up “trap paths” that instantly flag someone for timeout upon visit
• customizable response
  • redirection to iocaine or other trap
  • zip bombs (small ones usually since most scrapers are smart enough to not decompress them fully otherwise - but it makes it cheaper on bandwidth either way)
  • maze similar to but less sophisticated than iocaine
  • plain http or html response from file

it is worth mentioning especially explicitly that paths that are expensive for the server to provide (in storage or otherwise), can be thus limited extremely well, and of course most scrapers are blocked even far before the first time they request such a path.

if interest exists and help is needed setting it up or you just want to chat about it, DO IT I WOULD LOVE THAT.

if a bot makes it through that is capable of doing any harm, i consider that a bug immediately. make an issue and ill debug either your config or the program itself.

i use this myself for a bit now, and it works excellently for me with my forgejo.

#opensource #forgejo

For years, Christmas Island’s iconic red crabs were pushed to the brink as invasive yellow crazy ants spread across the rainforest. What was once a living, moving forest floor became a silent battlefield, with billions of ants overwhelming native species and collapsing entire ecosystems. Conservation teams tried everything: poison baits, traps, physical barriers. Nothing worked.

Then came an unexpected solution. Scientists introduced microscopic parasitic wasps that targeted the ants’ hidden food source, cutting off their power at its root. Slowly, the ants declined. The forest breathed again. The red crabs returned.

What followed became one of the most dramatic ecological recoveries ever recorded. A reminder that smart science, patience, and working with nature, not against it, can reverse even island-wide environmental collapse.

#christmasisland #biodiversity #invasivespecies #conservation #ecology #environment #science #rewilding

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxlMv3Nu01s

#foxesInLove #comic

Source: https://foxes-in-love.tumblr.com/post/803630091028611073/see-you-all-next-year
Copyright: https://foxesinlove.net

For all the crap happening in the world, may you find a little peace in these holiday times. Season greetings from me and Max for #caturday #christmas

Edit: why did nobody spell check. Ducking autocorrect.

As it's a hot topic right now: We do not use any Gen AI or LLMs in any of our games & are not planning to.

So far its implementations have felt far from "necessary" & come with a myriad of ethical/environmental concerns.

But most importantly, we enjoy every step of the creative process without it.

Raphael van Lierop :

Techbros seem to love Tolkien, so here's an analogy to help you understand what GenAI is.

GenAI is The One Ring. You think your use is justified, because you don't have evil in your heart.

But it came from evil, it is intended for evil purpose, and anything you do with it will be twisted to that end.

Bianca's answer :

Not just that but Tolkien also said: "Evil cannot create anything new, it can only corrupt and ruin what good forces have invented or made.".
Sound familiar ?

Are your strings of lights not working? Check out our step-by-step guide to get them up and running so they don’t end up in a landfill.

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Fixing+Broken+Christmas+Lights/34208
—
#iFixit #RightoRepair #FixTheWorld