# Birthday thread issue



## lsp

When visiting the birthday thread, I get a dialog box requesting a username and password after the following message: To view this page, you need to log in to area www.vatsaas.org on www.vatsaas.org. This only started today. Anyone else see this?


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## Etcetera

I, no. 
Were you already logged in when you opened the birthday thread?


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## lsp

Etcetera said:
			
		

> I, no.
> Were you already logged in when you opened the birthday thread?


Yes, and I checked it in 2 different browsers (Safari and Firefox) and got the same pop-up. It reappears on page reload also, but only that one thread.


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## Etcetera

I use Firefox, and I get nothing, not even Firefox's notice about any blocked pop-up windows! 
I also tried IE, but got nothing again. Now that's really odd!


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## lsp

I viewed the page source for the thread and found that post #16 calls an image from a page on the vatsaas website. When I cancel the pop-up, that image doesn't load.

EDIT: Etc., thanks for trying, though!


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## brian

Happens to me, too!  I thought maybe it was because someone had posted a picture whose original URL location were from that password-protected site, but I went through the picture locations and couldn't find such a one.  I think it's also unique to the first page alone, unless all 6 are somehow connected.  I don't really know how that works...


Brian


EDIT: Good idea, lsp...page source.  You're a modern-day Sherlock Holmes.


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## Rayines

lsp said:
			
		

> When visiting the birthday thread, I get a dialog box requesting a username and password after the following message: To view this page, you need to log in to area www.vatsaas.org on www.vatsaas.org. This only started today. Anyone else see this?


Yes, it has just happened to me too. I thought it was one of the things that sometimes appear in the PC and I closed it. Any idea about what is it?
Oh!, sorry, I hadn't read #5.


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## Etcetera

I still get nothing on this page! So now I'm more than just interested in knowing what it could possibly be.


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## Rayines

This is the image that appears:


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## Etcetera

Could it possibly depend on your browser? I use he latest version of Mozilla Firefox. 
Or on your location? I've just noticed that I'm the only person in this thread who doesn't live in the New World.


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## brian

Etcetera said:
			
		

> Could it possibly depend on your browser? I use he latest version of Mozilla Firefox.
> Or on your location? I've just noticed that I'm the only person in this thread who doesn't live in the New World.


Maybe for some reason you just have a complimentary account with vatsaas.org. 

Here's an idea...try going to www.vatsaas.org.  When I try, it gives me the same pop-up, but when I cancel, I get a page saying access denied or authentification invalid.  Maybe it'll let you in.  (I'm assuming that since it's a .org site, it's nothing offensive or obscene, but you never know. )


Brian


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## Etcetera

You won't believe, but I needed no password to get to this site!
If I remember correctly, post #16 contained a photograph of a man holding a rocket in his hand. Well, I found more photos of rockets here. Try to click on the link, and maybe you'll see it!


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## brian

Etcetera said:
			
		

> You won't believe, but I needed no password to get to this site!
> If I remember correctly, post #16 contained a photograph of a man holding a rocket in his hand. Well, I found more photos of rockets here. Try to click on the link, and maybe you'll see it!


Haha, nope...I am "not authorized."  I guess you're just special!


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## Etcetera

Well then... Let's wait for Laura! Maybe she'll tell us about this riddle!

I must admit that it's exceedingly pleasant to feel yourself that special.


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## elroy

I can also access the site with no problems, and I don't get any pop-ups when I visit the thread.  How intriguing...

By the way, what's a "page source" and why is it so cool?


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## Etcetera

Elroy, and you're in America! How nice.


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## brian

elroy said:
			
		

> I can also access the site with no problems, and I don't get any pop-ups when I visit the thread.  How intriguing...
> 
> By the way, what's a "page source" and why is it so cool?


A website's "page source" is basically all the information contained in the webpage, but in text/code.  Right-click anywhere in the background of a webpage and select "View Page Source"; another window will open up containing all the information on that page.  It's useful to look at sometimes, for whatever reason.   In this case, you can do a search in the source code for "www.vatsaas.org" and find out that an image is trying to load from that url location.  You can read some of the text in that part of the code to see where you are in the webpage, and hence whose post contains the said image! (or lack thereof, in mine and lsp's case).  Tada.


Brian


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## elroy

brian8733 said:
			
		

> In this case, you can do a search in the source code for "www.vatsaas.org" and find out that an image is trying to load from that url location. *You can read some of the text in that part of the code to see where you are in the webpage, and hence whose post contains the said image! (or lack thereof, in mine and lsp's case).* Tada.


 You are assuming the text would actually mean something to me.  Dangerous assumption.

I just went to this page's source and I'm not a whole lot more knowledgeable about its contents.  

Serious question: How would Lsp have known to search for that particular website?


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## brian

elroy said:
			
		

> You are assuming the text would actually mean something to me.  Dangerous assumption.
> 
> I just went to this page's source and I'm not a whole lot more knowledgeable about its contents.
> 
> Serious question: How would Lsp have known to search for that particular website?


 Haha...well, here's what I did.  I searched for "www.vatsaas.org" and saw:



> </tr>
> </table>
> </div>
> Yep... our numbers have definitely skyrocketed during the past year.<br />
> Here is Mike's secret... <img src="images/smilies/wink.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Wink" class="inlineimg" /><br />
> <br />
> <img src="http://www.vatsaas.org/rtv/arsenal/bradrocs/napkin/bvnr.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></div>
> <!-- / message -->
> 
> 
> <!-- sig -->


It looks like a bunch of gibberish. But then you see some English: "Yep...our numbers have definitely..." So then you go back to the regular webpage and look for these words, and voila! you find the post.  [By the way, "img src" stands for "image source," so the quoted webpage is where the image is trying to upload from.]

As for how to know what to search for, well lsp and I see something like this when we go to the site:

View attachment 3129


Brian


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## elroy

brian8733 said:
			
		

> As for how to know what to search for, well lsp and I see something like this when we go to the *site*


You mean the thread, right? 

(By the way, I just realized Lsp stated this in her first post.  Duh!)


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## brian

elroy said:
			
		

> You mean the thread, right?
> 
> (By the way, I just realized Lsp stated this in her first post.  Duh!)


Right, the thread.

Never thought you'd learn a little about basic web-based programming on a language forum, eh?

Although I suppose we could start a thread in the Comments & Suggestions forum about starting up a C++/Java/etc. forum.  Those are languages, too, right?


Brian


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## elroy

brian8733 said:
			
		

> Although I suppose we could start a thread in the Comments & Suggestions forum about starting up a C++/Java/etc. forum. Those are languages, too, right?


  Unfortunately, I don't think the little lesson you just gave me constitutes enough interest to justify creating such a forum.


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## brian

elroy said:
			
		

> Unfortunately, I don't think the little lesson you just gave me constitutes enough interest to justify creating such a forum.


 I see, I see.  Then I suppose I'll have to restrict my java questions to the Other Languages forum for now. (J/K )

Anyhow, to get back on topic, now that we know the cause of that pop-up, and since the lsp/Rayines/me team outnumers the Etcetera/you team (even if you two _are_ special), I suppose the next step is getting a moderator (ahem, ahem) to edit that part of the post.  You don't have to delete the entire post, just the insertion of the image; but then again, the post doesn't make much sense without the picture anyway.


Brian


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## elroy

Or I could try to get more special people to weigh in so we don't have to do that...

Just kidding, of course.

Taking your subtle hint, I just went and tried something.  I downloaded the image onto my Desktop, deleted it, and then resubmitted it after uploading it on Photobucket.  I would assume that since I posted the image onto Photobucket from my own Desktop there should be no reason for it to be inaccessible now.  But you never know, so if a senior member from the other team (ahem, ahem) would be so kind as to go to that thread and see whether the problem has been solved, I'd be much obliged.


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## brian

Hint received; two thumbs up.  

By the way, the strange thing is that, after having just looked at the picture, I actually remember it perfectly from the other day when the thread was begun.  The website whence it was taken must've changed something about it today.  Very odd.

In any case, we're good to go, thanks to your mudírator super powers and uncanny computer skills. 


Brian


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## elroy

brian8733 said:
			
		

> The website whence it was taken must've changed something about it today. Very odd.


 Well, whatever it was, we sure did outsmart them, didn't we? 

Thanks for your cooperative assistance.


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## lsp

Thanks, everyone! Great solution, Elroy!


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