That is not a solution for everyone, as they offer no wildcart certificates yet. Also no EV auth.
At the current moment, it is questionable why some CAs – TURKTRUST comes to mind – are considered trustworthy, when they are barely more trustworthy than your random street dealer.
Probably not for most use cases, but definitely if you have a dynamic host-based addressing scheme. In fact, my company uses a wildcard for an S3 compatible object storage service we've built in house.
A wildcard cert for example.com covers any <bucketname>.example.com our users create. Going round trip on requesting and issuing certs for each bucket would add significant delays.
Makes sense. I can't quite figure out Let's Encrypt's (what an odd construction) policy on ultimately supporting wildcard certificates, but it sounds like they're generally opposed but not completely decided. Maybe they'll end up supporting it eventually.
I am still looking for an easily configurable self-hosted dynamic DNS solution. Signed updates to BIND9 are tricky. I really just want to delegate *.d.voltagex.org for when I have to move to an ISP that doesn't offer static v4/v6 IPs.
Some registrars offer an API to their own (free) DNS service which makes it possible to update records automagically. An example of such is Gandi (https://gandi.net), which also happens to be the one you use (according to whois). This way you're free to do any sort of DNS trickery, including simple dynamic updates through a cron job on the router. Given that you already have a domain with them and use the Gandi name servers it should be easy to set up something to do just what you want. You'll need to get an API key first, for more info check http://www.gandi.net/domain/api
I use Gandi, too, for the same purpose. A bonus is that the corporate proxy at work (which blocks DynDNS domains for reasons that are beyond me) does not mind me accessing my personal server.
There's always freedns.afraid.org ... also, if you use google domains, they include dyndns with their registration. I've actually been moving most of my domains over, and been very happy with the lack of high pressure sales.
i'm usually quite thick skinned about these things... and maybe I am reading too much into it, but using a stereotypically racist American/English misspelling of an arab name to convey some amount of untrustworthyness?
(the same could be said about used car salesmen... but i am not one of those)
this rubs me up a bit wrong... as humorous as the intent is.
Why does Achmed have to represent his entire race while Eddie can just represent himself? It seems like the default is 'white' == 'safe', which really doesn't help minorities.
because only an english speaker partaking in casual racism would, imo, label a stereotypical arab as 'achmed'. from what i've seen its an exceptionally rare spelling of the name born of parody of the difficulties english speakers have with the 'h' (which is not the 'phlegm' sound btw)
if we call him tommy he is english, hans and he is german, pierre and he is french... achmed is the arab, with a badly spelled name out of ignorance to boot.
It's fine if it makes you uncomfortable. That's an opportunity to introspect and find out why exactly it makes you feel that way. It's a learning opportunity.
It's also fine if it "seems racist" to you - another opportunity, to see if it actually is. In this case, it isn't; if anything, it's making a joke in the opposite direction, as other comments point out.
What? It's not a learning opportunity. It makes me uncomfortable because it looks like it's racist. There's nothing to introspect there.
And it looks like it's racist because, honestly, it is actually a little racist. Don't get me wrong, after reading about Comodo I get why they went with Arabic names, but that doesn't mean it's not still racist. The actual satire could have worked without the racism, and yes, racism can be funny in the right contexts. But none of that means that it's not actually racist at some level. And it's better to acknowledge that, yes, it's a little racist, than it is to try and claim that it's not.
tbh, i was judging too quickly given that i don't have masses of experience with this... but i still think the intent of a stereotypical name is there. my reasoning was:
1.) never seen an arab transliterate the name this way. ahmed, ahmad and akhmed... but the k tends to symbolise a different letter (and sound) present in the arabic too. (so this turns out to be a flawed piece of thinking)
2.) the first time i saw this spelling was as 'achmed the dead terrorist', which has biased me. (p.s. i find that very funny, and i think the difference is that the comedian is specifically mocking a group of people who definitely exist vs. using an arab name to imply terrorism [or dishonesty or incompetence... or anything])
i'm sure its not meant with any particular ill will towards arabs, but i can't shake that feeling that this is some casual racism...
First, if it was "Honest Steve", I assume you wouldn't see it as racist? Or "Honest Mary", the same? If so, how about "Honest Vinnie"? Is it only when the name suggests a specific ethnic or racial group that it feels racist to you? Only certain such groups?
That actually reveals a bigger problem. If "Steve" and "Mary" are 'normal' names, but "Achmed" (and maybe "Vinnie") is 'weird'/'noticeable' to you, then that's a hidden assumption that "normal" = "white middle class American". That's not good.
The second major issue is that there's a subtext to this joke. The joke is that no one in the US would call a new CA "Honest Achmed", precisely because it looks... odd. In other words, the joke is on the people that find it odd - including the same people that think it might be a racist joke. That it feels 'odd' is wrong; it shouldn't. But in our society, it does feel odd. That's not the joke being racist - that's society being biased. When you call the joke racist, you're completely missing the point, and shooting the messenger.
Am I saying stuff like this can never be racist? Of course not. It could easily be. If a TV show always picks a black person for the "random criminal of the week", that's racist. Likewise, if every time we needed a random name of "new CA" it was an Arab-sounding one, that would be racist. In other words, the pattern matters. When a TV show or a recurring joke constantly focuses on one group, for no reason, that's very possibly wrong.
But of course, we don't constantly use Arab names for "new CA" jokes. There isn't such a pattern. This is just a one-off joke. One that actually makes fun of the racism you're worried about.
Worrying about racism is a good thing. But seeing racism where it isn't is not, it's the opposite.
i'm not entirely comfortable that this bothers me given the seemingly innocent intent either... but it does. the joke is as much on it being 'honest' as it is 'achmed' from my perspective... and thats a bit off.
Context matters - and this context, of technologists discussing the security posture of a web browser, is heavily dominated by your "white middle class American".
"Honest Steve" might well have racist overtones in a different context, one where Steve can be used as a shorthand for a stereotypical outsider. And "Honest Achmed" wouldn't on, say, the streets of Cairo.
I'm not shooting the messenger, because I'm not shooting anybody. Calling out casual racism as I see it should not be construed as a personal attack on the speaker, because it is both unintentional and so pervasive.
That's not the joke being racist - that's society being biased. When you call the joke racist, you're completely missing the point, and shooting the messenger.
So are Irish Jokes are just a clever way of pointing out ingrained societal racism, too? I don't think so.
This was my read on this too. foreigny name ergo not trustworthy. The same point could have been made just as well with "Honest Joe's Used Car and Certs."
Not sure I agree. In a north eastern accent "ahnest ackmed" has a bit of a rhyme to it that has a hint of sleezy used car sales. Also interesting is that people took issue with the name _potentially_ eluding to a cultural (names dont imply race in this instance) stereotype instead of the _direct_ stereotype about the uncles.
EDIT: To be clear I'm not condoning casual racism. It's just that while I wasn't aware of a middle eastern stereotype about sleezy used car sales, I was aware of the one no one mentioned about the uncles which was pretty much direct.
Yeah, that sounds pretty accurate to me and likely what the submitter was conveying. I was only commenting on the intentional misspelling part of your comment :)
I find him the least funny professional comic I've personally seen. Even as a pretty young child, watching him on TV for even a few minutes made me cringe. It felt like humor aimed at 12-year-old boys or rednecks. Dane Cook is a comedy genius compared to him.
hes not "exceptionally" funny to me, but i'd not want to say he is especially poor as a comedian... there are many out there who are much more deserving of that level of criticism, and plenty of others who i find much funnier.
its all subjective though.
the point i was aiming at, and obviously missed, is that what he does with the dead terrorist puppet, whist obviously a very strong stereotype, playing on other stereotypes, doesn't offend me like this does.
the more i try and rationalise this irrational emotional response, the more i am convinced it is the implications. there is something prejudiced about claiming that arab terrorists are arabs and terrorists, but its by definition the case. so lampooning the concept on that idea, whilst it looks like it should be offensive on the surface, really is not... but there is definitely something wrong about using stereotypical 'arab' names to enhance a perception of dishonesty as part of a joke trying to make a point about who you should trust, and who you should not.
i guess the dane cook point is another criticism i missed, i just watched a stand up by him. nothing was funny at all... it was like watching a friend having a rant.
at least compared to guys like chris rock, bill hicks, george carlin, richard pryor etc. to list some really great american comics...
although i apologise if i missed the mark. humour is very subjective. everyone has their own ideas about what is and isn't. :)
There's a benign interpretation too -- the author might protest that it's America, and there are plenty of flim-flammers of all races. But it's insensitive, and the post could've been equally funny without invoking the stereotype.
In another context besides a global community of open source programmers and users, it might be OK.
With all the talk of uncles and cousins, I wonder if the submitter may be of Middle Eastern or South Asian persuasian - I don't think it would occur to most accidental racists.
Why are you guys so sensitive? It makes you weaker, not superior. People say all kinds of things to manipulate others, make them vulnerable, etc., and if one's going to waste their few moments granted on this planet dealing with non-issues like this - it's just a poor strategy. And, by the way, you're insensitive toward people who are even less sensitive.
Edit: I have kids, they get home crying, because people call them this or that. So, it's time to grow up.
I only mentioned it because I normally don't give a crap about these kinds of things. I am genuinely surprised that I am even slightly offended by this... its not a rational choice.
p.s. I am doing this as I wind down after a long day of productive work. I wouldn't assume that anyone browsing HN places particular value on the discussion here beyond its own intrinsic value... its certainly not wasting my precious few moments.
(pps. i did not downvote, but upvoted, because conflicting and honest opinions are vital to healthy discussion, and yours is perfectly valid imo).
Thank you! I didn't mean anything personal, just wanted to make a point on how valuable time is and that we should focus on real issues such as colonizing the space, curing cancer, MRSA, diabetes, CVD - you name them, reverse time, eradicate poverty, and countless others. Often we do exactly what the offenders want - to get outraged and enter the vicious circle that's often hard to escape. I think ignoring such attempts is the harshest penalty.
> I am genuinely surprised that I am even slightly offended by this... its not a rational choice.
Racism is not rational. You feeling offended could have more to do with your own prejudice being exposed (the joke worked) than feeling sorry for the arabs that may have been offended by this (there is, as of yet, no sign pointing to that).
Humor uses stereotypes. That's why the owner of the Kwik-E-Mart is an Indian illegal immigrant named Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. If such humor makes one uncomfortable, do you really think that is out of empathy for the Indians? I think it is more likely that one has a thin skin or does not want to see their own stereotypes confirmed.
Also the context is important here (see the Comodo Hacker). The choice for a foreign name and an untrustworthy-sounding business name was not willy-nilly. Finally: Have a hacker tip of the day https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAQqrnX7BsM
i think apu's name is a joke on the exceptionally long names of sri lankans... and yes, it is casually racist - or at least pokes fun at a nationality if not a race (whatever the case, its not a good joke imo).
First of all, it's not casual. It's not an offhand, unintended remark that nonetheless reveals a hidden negative bias. Apu's name was very deliberately - the opposite of casually - chosen by the show creators.
Second of all, it's not racist. The name, by itself, imports nothing negative about Apu. It does not say Apu is inferior, nor does it show an intention of harm against Apu.
What does the name do? It shows an interesting human difference, that in some cultures, it is common to have much longer names than in others. The name points that out, and to most viewers that is amusing because they aren't used to such names. Their culture's average name length is far shorter.
But there is nothing positive nor negative about having a shorter or a longer name. Apu's name isn't making a negative statement about Apu - unless you have a bias against long names / south Asian names. If you do, then Apu is just directing your attention to your own bias.
If someone's a mild jerk, saying "Hey, you were kind of being a jerk back there, seemed unnecessarily mean, knock it off" isn't being sensitive, it's asserting yourself. Sure, pick your battles, obviously. Nobody is suggesting violent jihad against the author.
"Hey, this reads as a bit racist to me" isn't really "crying to mommy/daddy", it's expressing an opinion on the text. Legislating what is and isn't an appropriate (ie, "not oversensitive") opinion on a text is counterproductive.
You don't get to dictate to people what is a non-issue to them and what is not. Everyone has different experiences which affects their outlook and what they deem important.
> I have kids, they get home crying, because people call them this or that. So, it's time to grow up.
The "sticks and stones" argument, really? How about you call the next black person you see the N-word and then tell them to grow up when s/he becomes 'sensitive'.
I don't attempt to dictate anything; I share personal opinions and strategies with others who may find them of value.
In my home country (Bulgaria), black people are called the N-word officially and I haven't seen any black person having issues with that. If I knew any black people, I wouldn't mind telling them what I think about words and stuff, trust me! Now, a different story - Turks during the Turkish Slavery of the Balkans were calling us giaours [0], which is undoubtedly derogatory, but, no Christians were calling themselves "giaours" like it is the case with the N-word. Do you see my point?
> a stereotypically racist American/English misspelling
I think the author of the bug was British. If you look at the user agent line at the top of the bug, the culture is "en-GB", and the phrase "who knows a bit about computers" sounds like British (or possibly Indian) English.
That's part of the joke!! :D You see, (imho) this means to attack our poor security, not your sensibilities. It plays on (y)our social programming to add an element of ^^terror boogy-men^^wooooo... that peddlers of this security industry and their friends sell us on, though those in connected industries use much more physical "protections". (again imho) We need to get past this `cultureA v. cultureB` etc as anything but a con, worth only ridicule, scorn, and occasionally humor.
This joke bug was in response to the Comodo hack, which is believed to have been carried out by an Iranian hacker. I imagine the name was intended to be a reference to that person, not just a generic "Arab-sounding name = terrorist" sort of thing. (I know they speak Persian, not Arabic, in Iran, but it looks like the name exists in that language too.)
I think 'honest Achmed' is just used as a stock character here, like 'the town drunk', 'the jewish-american princess', 'the frat boy', 'the absent minded professor', 'the indian store clerk', etc.
That doesn't mean stock characters can't be offensive or racist of course, but in this case I don't think joke is at the expense of the Arab people in general.
69 comments
[ 131 ms ] story [ 2358 ms ] threadSigned, The guy who marked that bug report invalid.
At the current moment, it is questionable why some CAs – TURKTRUST comes to mind – are considered trustworthy, when they are barely more trustworthy than your random street dealer.
A wildcard cert for example.com covers any <bucketname>.example.com our users create. Going round trip on requesting and issuing certs for each bucket would add significant delays.
GitHub has a script for DynDNS using the Gandi API: https://github.com/jasontbradshaw/gandi-dyndns
You can update your IP with curl!
(the same could be said about used car salesmen... but i am not one of those)
this rubs me up a bit wrong... as humorous as the intent is.
if we call him tommy he is english, hans and he is german, pierre and he is french... achmed is the arab, with a badly spelled name out of ignorance to boot.
It's also fine if it "seems racist" to you - another opportunity, to see if it actually is. In this case, it isn't; if anything, it's making a joke in the opposite direction, as other comments point out.
And it looks like it's racist because, honestly, it is actually a little racist. Don't get me wrong, after reading about Comodo I get why they went with Arabic names, but that doesn't mean it's not still racist. The actual satire could have worked without the racism, and yes, racism can be funny in the right contexts. But none of that means that it's not actually racist at some level. And it's better to acknowledge that, yes, it's a little racist, than it is to try and claim that it's not.
People do have this name[1][2] so it's not exactly a misspelling. Not a very common one though.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad#Other_spellings
[2] http://hamariweb.com/names/muslim/arabic/boy/achmed-meaning_...
1.) never seen an arab transliterate the name this way. ahmed, ahmad and akhmed... but the k tends to symbolise a different letter (and sound) present in the arabic too. (so this turns out to be a flawed piece of thinking)
2.) the first time i saw this spelling was as 'achmed the dead terrorist', which has biased me. (p.s. i find that very funny, and i think the difference is that the comedian is specifically mocking a group of people who definitely exist vs. using an arab name to imply terrorism [or dishonesty or incompetence... or anything])
i'm sure its not meant with any particular ill will towards arabs, but i can't shake that feeling that this is some casual racism...
First, if it was "Honest Steve", I assume you wouldn't see it as racist? Or "Honest Mary", the same? If so, how about "Honest Vinnie"? Is it only when the name suggests a specific ethnic or racial group that it feels racist to you? Only certain such groups?
That actually reveals a bigger problem. If "Steve" and "Mary" are 'normal' names, but "Achmed" (and maybe "Vinnie") is 'weird'/'noticeable' to you, then that's a hidden assumption that "normal" = "white middle class American". That's not good.
The second major issue is that there's a subtext to this joke. The joke is that no one in the US would call a new CA "Honest Achmed", precisely because it looks... odd. In other words, the joke is on the people that find it odd - including the same people that think it might be a racist joke. That it feels 'odd' is wrong; it shouldn't. But in our society, it does feel odd. That's not the joke being racist - that's society being biased. When you call the joke racist, you're completely missing the point, and shooting the messenger.
Am I saying stuff like this can never be racist? Of course not. It could easily be. If a TV show always picks a black person for the "random criminal of the week", that's racist. Likewise, if every time we needed a random name of "new CA" it was an Arab-sounding one, that would be racist. In other words, the pattern matters. When a TV show or a recurring joke constantly focuses on one group, for no reason, that's very possibly wrong.
But of course, we don't constantly use Arab names for "new CA" jokes. There isn't such a pattern. This is just a one-off joke. One that actually makes fun of the racism you're worried about.
Worrying about racism is a good thing. But seeing racism where it isn't is not, it's the opposite.
i'm not entirely comfortable that this bothers me given the seemingly innocent intent either... but it does. the joke is as much on it being 'honest' as it is 'achmed' from my perspective... and thats a bit off.
Context matters - and this context, of technologists discussing the security posture of a web browser, is heavily dominated by your "white middle class American".
"Honest Steve" might well have racist overtones in a different context, one where Steve can be used as a shorthand for a stereotypical outsider. And "Honest Achmed" wouldn't on, say, the streets of Cairo.
I'm not shooting the messenger, because I'm not shooting anybody. Calling out casual racism as I see it should not be construed as a personal attack on the speaker, because it is both unintentional and so pervasive.
That's not the joke being racist - that's society being biased. When you call the joke racist, you're completely missing the point, and shooting the messenger.
So are Irish Jokes are just a clever way of pointing out ingrained societal racism, too? I don't think so.
EDIT: To be clear I'm not condoning casual racism. It's just that while I wasn't aware of a middle eastern stereotype about sleezy used car sales, I was aware of the one no one mentioned about the uncles which was pretty much direct.
"you thieving arab" etc.
it think its there due to piracy and the barbary wars... as a guess
i also think i am the only one who really took any issue, and its half-hearted at best. i know i shouldn't be offended - but i am.
its all subjective though.
the point i was aiming at, and obviously missed, is that what he does with the dead terrorist puppet, whist obviously a very strong stereotype, playing on other stereotypes, doesn't offend me like this does.
the more i try and rationalise this irrational emotional response, the more i am convinced it is the implications. there is something prejudiced about claiming that arab terrorists are arabs and terrorists, but its by definition the case. so lampooning the concept on that idea, whilst it looks like it should be offensive on the surface, really is not... but there is definitely something wrong about using stereotypical 'arab' names to enhance a perception of dishonesty as part of a joke trying to make a point about who you should trust, and who you should not.
at least compared to guys like chris rock, bill hicks, george carlin, richard pryor etc. to list some really great american comics...
although i apologise if i missed the mark. humour is very subjective. everyone has their own ideas about what is and isn't. :)
There's a benign interpretation too -- the author might protest that it's America, and there are plenty of flim-flammers of all races. But it's insensitive, and the post could've been equally funny without invoking the stereotype.
In another context besides a global community of open source programmers and users, it might be OK.
Edit: I have kids, they get home crying, because people call them this or that. So, it's time to grow up.
p.s. I am doing this as I wind down after a long day of productive work. I wouldn't assume that anyone browsing HN places particular value on the discussion here beyond its own intrinsic value... its certainly not wasting my precious few moments.
(pps. i did not downvote, but upvoted, because conflicting and honest opinions are vital to healthy discussion, and yours is perfectly valid imo).
Racism is not rational. You feeling offended could have more to do with your own prejudice being exposed (the joke worked) than feeling sorry for the arabs that may have been offended by this (there is, as of yet, no sign pointing to that).
Humor uses stereotypes. That's why the owner of the Kwik-E-Mart is an Indian illegal immigrant named Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. If such humor makes one uncomfortable, do you really think that is out of empathy for the Indians? I think it is more likely that one has a thin skin or does not want to see their own stereotypes confirmed.
Also the context is important here (see the Comodo Hacker). The choice for a foreign name and an untrustworthy-sounding business name was not willy-nilly. Finally: Have a hacker tip of the day https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAQqrnX7BsM
i think apu's name is a joke on the exceptionally long names of sri lankans... and yes, it is casually racist - or at least pokes fun at a nationality if not a race (whatever the case, its not a good joke imo).
+1 for video.
First of all, it's not casual. It's not an offhand, unintended remark that nonetheless reveals a hidden negative bias. Apu's name was very deliberately - the opposite of casually - chosen by the show creators.
Second of all, it's not racist. The name, by itself, imports nothing negative about Apu. It does not say Apu is inferior, nor does it show an intention of harm against Apu.
What does the name do? It shows an interesting human difference, that in some cultures, it is common to have much longer names than in others. The name points that out, and to most viewers that is amusing because they aren't used to such names. Their culture's average name length is far shorter.
But there is nothing positive nor negative about having a shorter or a longer name. Apu's name isn't making a negative statement about Apu - unless you have a bias against long names / south Asian names. If you do, then Apu is just directing your attention to your own bias.
"Hey, this reads as a bit racist to me" isn't really "crying to mommy/daddy", it's expressing an opinion on the text. Legislating what is and isn't an appropriate (ie, "not oversensitive") opinion on a text is counterproductive.
> I have kids, they get home crying, because people call them this or that. So, it's time to grow up.
The "sticks and stones" argument, really? How about you call the next black person you see the N-word and then tell them to grow up when s/he becomes 'sensitive'.
In my home country (Bulgaria), black people are called the N-word officially and I haven't seen any black person having issues with that. If I knew any black people, I wouldn't mind telling them what I think about words and stuff, trust me! Now, a different story - Turks during the Turkish Slavery of the Balkans were calling us giaours [0], which is undoubtedly derogatory, but, no Christians were calling themselves "giaours" like it is the case with the N-word. Do you see my point?
[0]: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/giaour
I think the author of the bug was British. If you look at the user agent line at the top of the bug, the culture is "en-GB", and the phrase "who knows a bit about computers" sounds like British (or possibly Indian) English.
There's also the time stamp. When the bug was submitted, it was 4:31 AM in Alabama, but 10:31 AM in Greenwich.
But then the joke is on you I guess
That's part of the joke!! :D You see, (imho) this means to attack our poor security, not your sensibilities. It plays on (y)our social programming to add an element of ^^terror boogy-men^^ wooooo... that peddlers of this security industry and their friends sell us on, though those in connected industries use much more physical "protections". (again imho) We need to get past this `cultureA v. cultureB` etc as anything but a con, worth only ridicule, scorn, and occasionally humor.
That doesn't mean stock characters can't be offensive or racist of course, but in this case I don't think joke is at the expense of the Arab people in general.
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=647959#c4
Edit: Appears to be a parody of Comodo issuing rogue certs. More - http://www.scmagazine.com/experts-weigh-in-on-comodo-ssl-cer...