December 29, 2014

Spinitron server transition

Between 4 and 5pm Eastern time on Monday, Dec 29th 2014 we moved the Spinitron database, web and application services to a new cluster of servers.

Service was down during the time it took to transfer all the data to the new system and bring up the database.

After that, service was available on the new servers:

- hv3.spinitron.com with IP address 104.156.60.2
- hv4.spinitron.com with IP address 104.156.60.5

We switched the DNS A-record for spinitron.com and www.spinitron.com to 104.156.60.5 and the change should propagate out to everyone by about 7pm Eastern time. For now there is a temporary redirect (307) from the old web server to the hv4.spinitron.com. This works fine for all the public pages but if you try to log on to hv4.spinitron.com you get an SSL certificate error. You can dismiss the certificate error as it is expected (it just means that the certificate doesn't apply to hv4.spinitron.com as it does to spinitron.com and www.spinitron.com) and proceed to log in. All this should clear up soon as the new DNS A-record propagates.

Anyone using Spinitron's old IP address 198.178.126.244 in their automation system and/or firewall configuration needs to update it to 104.156.60.5.

We'll be back soon with some more information about this transition.

December 22, 2014

Spinitron Chart Dec 21 2014

TV on the Radio's Seeds tops the chart again with 90 spins, followed by Ariel Pink, The New Basement Tapes, Deerhoof and Ex Hex.


Do you read the Spinitron Chart. Like it? Find it useful? Then share the love and Tweet about it. Mention #spinitron. 

December 16, 2014

Spinitron Chart Dec 14 2014

TV on the Radio's Seeds tops the chart with 101 spins, followed by Ariel Pink, The New Basement Tapes, Deerhoof and Caribou.


Do you read the Spinitron Chart. Like it? Find it useful? Then share the love and Tweet about it. Mention #spinitron. 

December 1, 2014

Spinitron Chart Nov 30 2014

TV on the Radio's Seeds tops the chart with 115 spins, followed by Ariel Pink, Flying Lotus, Caribou and The New Basement Tapes.


Do you read the Spinitron Chart. Like it? Find it useful? Then share the love and Tweet about it. Mention #spinitron. 

November 24, 2014

Spinitron Chart Nov 23 2014

TV on the Radio's Seeds tops the chart with 119 spins, followed by Ariel Pink, Deerhoof, Caribou and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard.


Do you read the Spinitron Chart. Like it? Find it useful? Then share the love and Tweet about it. Mention #spinitron. 

November 17, 2014

Spinitron Chart Nov 16 2014

Caribou's Our Love tops the chart again with 106 spins, followed by Flying Lotus, Foxygen, King Tuff and Ex Hex.


Do you read the Spinitron Chart. Like it? Find it useful? Then share the love and Tweet about it. Mention #spinitron. 

November 16, 2014

SOLVED! Spinitron.com SSL certificate expires today Nov 16 2014

UPDATE At 2014-11-17 17:45 EST the renewed certificate was installed. Panic over. Sorry for the trouble. Thank you for your patience and understanding.


As a result of an administrative screw up (sorry) our SSL certificate won’t be renewed before it expires at the end of today. We should be able to get the new certificate tomorrow Nov 17.

So between the end of today and installation of the new certificate on the server, hopefully tomorrow morning, web browsers will complain with dire warnings saying that we cannot be trusted. In order to use Spinitron you will need to tell the browser that it’s ok to use the expired certificate. Instructions for each browser are below.

If you have any concerns, feel free to contact us either by calling Eva on 617 233 3115 or by email eva@spinitron.com.

Internet Explorer - click “Continue to this website (not recommended).”

Google Chrome - click “Proceed anyway”

Firefox - click “I Understand the Risks”. Then click “Add Exception...”. And then click “Confirm Security Exception”.

Safari - click “Continue”

November 10, 2014

Spinitron Chart Nov 9 2014

Caribou' Our Love tops the chart with 127 spins, followed by Foxygen, Ex Hex, Run The Jewels and King Tuff.


Do you read the Spinitron Chart. Like it? Find it useful? Then share the love and Tweet about it. Mention #spinitron. 

November 3, 2014

Spinitron Chart Nov 2 2014

Flying Lotus' You're Dead! still leads the chart with 116 spins, followed by Caribou, King Tuff, Foxygen and Alt-J.


Do you read the Spinitron Chart. Like it? Find it useful? Then share the love and Tweet about it. Mention #spinitron. 

October 27, 2014

Spinitron Chart Oct 26 2014

Flying Lotus' You're Dead! is back again on the top of the chart with 155 spins, followed by Foxygen, Caribou, King Tuff and Alt-J.


Do you read the Spinitron Chart. Like it? Find it useful? Then share the love and Tweet about it. Mention #spinitron. 

October 20, 2014

Spinitron Chart Oct 19 2014

King TuffBlack Moon Spell tops the chart with 168 spins, followed by Flying LotusCaribouFoxygen and Alt-J.


Do you read the Spinitron Chart. Like it? Find it useful? Then share the love and Tweet about it. Mention #spinitron. 

October 13, 2014

Spinitron Chart Oct 12 2014

Flying LotusYou're Dead! tops the chart with 194 spins, followed by Caribou, King Tuff, Alt-J and Foxygen.


Do you read the Spinitron Chart. Like it? Find it useful? Then share the love and Tweet about it. Mention #spinitron. 

October 6, 2014

Spinitron Chart Oct 5 2014

Alt-J's This Is All Yours tops the chart with 134 spins, followed by King Tuff, Ty Segall, Aphex Twin and Foxygen.


Do you read the Spinitron Chart. Like it? Find it useful? Then share the love and Tweet about it. Mention #spinitron. 

September 29, 2014

Spinitron Chart Sep 28 2014

Ty Segall's Manipulator still leads the chart with 132 spins, followed by Spoon, Aphex Twin, King Tuff and Alt-J.


Do you read the Spinitron Chart. Like it? Find it useful? Then share the love and Tweet about it. Mention #spinitron. 

September 22, 2014

Spinitron Chart Sep 21 2014

Ty Segall's Manipulator is again the #1 with 129 spins, followed by Spoon, Banks, Tennis and Allah-Las.


Do you read the Spinitron Chart. Like it? Find it useful? Then share the love and Tweet about it. Mention #spinitron. 

September 15, 2014

Spinitron Chart Sep 14 2014

Ty Segall's Manipulator remains #1 with 139 spins, followed by Spoon, The New Pornographers, Ryan Adams and J Mascis.


Do you read the Spinitron Chart. Like it? Find it useful? Then share the love and Tweet about it. Mention #spinitron. 

September 8, 2014

Spinitron Chart Sep 7 2014

Ty Segall's Manipulator tops the chart with 130 spins, followed by Spoon, The New Pornographers, Twin Peaks and J Mascis.


Do you read the Spinitron Chart. Like it? Find it useful? Then share the love and Tweet about it. Mention #spinitron. 

August 25, 2014

Spinitron Chart Aug 24 2014

Spoon's They Want My Soul tops the chart again with 135 spins, followed by Jenny Lewis, Alvvays, Dr. John and Sylvan Esso.


Do you read the Spinitron Chart. Like it? Find it useful? Then share the love and Tweet about it. Mention #spinitron. 

August 18, 2014

Spinitron Chart Aug 17 2014

Spoon's They Want My Soul tops the chart with 145 spins, followed by Jenny Lewis, Alvvays, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and White Fence.


Do you read the Spinitron Chart. Like it? Find it useful? Then share the love and Tweet about it. Mention #spinitron. 

August 11, 2014

Spinitron Chart Aug 10 2014

Spoon's They Want My Soul tops the chart with 137 spins, followed by Twin Peaks, Jenny Lewis, Alvvays and Jungle.


Do you read the Spinitron Chart. Like it? Find it useful? Then share the love and Tweet about it. Mention #spinitron. 

August 4, 2014

Spinitron Chart Aug 3 2014

White Fence's For the Recently Found Innocent tops the chart with 75 spins, followed by Jack White, Jenny Lewis, Old Crow Medicine Show and Alvvays.

July 28, 2014

Spinitron Chart July 27 2014

Jack White's Lazaretto is back on the top of the chart with 75 spins, followed by Parquet Courts, Alvvays, Freeman and How to Dress Well.


July 21, 2014

Spinitron Chart July 20 2014

A Sunny Day In Glasgow's Sea When Absent tops the chart with 74 spins, followed by Jack White, Old Crow Medicine Show, Sylvan Esso and Parquet Courts.


July 14, 2014

Spinitron Chart July 13 2014

Jack White's Lazaretto tops the chart again with 82 spins, followed by Parquet Courts, Old Crow Medicine Show, First Aid Kit and The Black Keys.


July 7, 2014

Spinitron Chart July 6 2014

Jack White's Lazaretto tops the chart again with 80 spins, followed by Parquet Courts, Sylvan Esso, Old Crow Medicine Show and Hundred Waters.


June 30, 2014

Spinitron Chart Jun 29 2014

Jack White's Lazaretto tops the chart with 77 spins, followed by Parquet Courts, Sylvan Esso, Sharon Van Etten and First Aid Kit.


June 23, 2014

Spinitron Chart Jun 22 2014

Parquet Courts's Sunbathing Animals tops the chart again with 85 spins, followed by Jack WhiteSharon Van Etten, Hundred Waters and Tune-Yards.


June 16, 2014

Spinitron Chart Jun 15 2014

Parquet Courts's Sunbathing Animals tops the chart with 100 spins, followed by Sharon Van Etten, Jack WhiteThe Black Keys and Tune-Yards.


June 9, 2014

Spinitron Chart Jun 8 2014

Sharon Van Etten's Are We There tops the chart with 84 spins, followed by Tune-Yards, The Black KeysThee Oh Sees and Parquet Courts.


June 2, 2014

Spinitron Chart Jun 1 2014

Sharon Van Etten's Are We There and The Black Keys's Turn Blue are tied at the top of the chart with 81 spins each, followed by Thee Oh Sees, Tune-Yards and Conor Oberst.

 


May 26, 2014

Spinitron Chart May 25 2014

Thee Oh Sees's Drop tops the chart with 82 spins, followed by The Black Keys, Mac Demarco, Sylvan Esso and Tune-Yards.



May 19, 2014

Spinitron Chart May 18 2014

Mac Demarco's Salad Days seven weeks in a row still tops the chart with 98 spins, followed by Thee Oh Sees, Tune-Yards, Beck and Woods.


May 12, 2014

Spinitron Chart May 11 2014

Mac Demarco's Salad Days is still holding the number 1 position on the chart with 114 spins, followed by Thee Oh Sees, Wye Oak, Woods and The War On Drugs.


May 5, 2014

Spinitron Chart May 4 2014

Mac Demarco's Salad Days tops the chart again with 145 spins, followed by Cloud Nothings, Thee Oh Sees, The War On Drugs and Woods.


April 28, 2014

Spinitron Chart Apr 27 2014

Mac Demarco's Salad Days tops the chart again with 177 spins, followed by Cloud Nothings, Real Estate, The War On Drugs and St. Vincent.


April 21, 2014

Spinitron Chart Apr 20 2014

Mac Demarco's Salad Days tops the chart again with 192 spins, followed by Real Estate, Cloud Nothings, The War On Drugs and Beck.


April 14, 2014

Spinitron Chart Apr 13 2014

Mac Demarco's Salad Days tops the chart again with 216 spins, followed by Cloud Nothings, Real Estate, The War On Drugs and St. Vincent.


April 11, 2014

Changes at Spinitron incompatible with Google Chrome and Internet Explorer on Windows XP SP2

Written by Tom Worster.

The Heartbleed Security Bug

On Monday April 7 2014 the Heartbleed Security Bug was reported. We patched the servers to be sure they were safe from the bug. But, since it is plausible (though unlikely, I think) that someone stole our server SSL key prior to patching, we changed the server keys. This is equivalent to changing your password as a precaution when you think someone might have got hold of it.

Now, when we change keys we have to get the new keys notarized by an authority your browser recognizes. This is a standard process and it uses cryptography. When we got our keys notarized we opted to use a newer, stronger cryptographic algorithm, SHA2, for the notary’s signature. (The old one, SHA1, is being phased out by the computer industry.)

It turns out that Windows XP SP2 (2004) does not have SHA2 while SP3 (2008) does. Firefox has SHA2 built in to the browser but Chrome and IE both rely on Windows to check the notary’s signature. That’s why they can’t connect to Spinitron on XP SP2. And unfortunately neither Chrome nor IE check to see what’s causing the problem and instead assume the notary’s signature is fraudulent or corrupt.

RIP Windows XP

Another big event that hit the computer industry the day after Heartbleed broke:

  • “As of April 8, 2014, support and updates for Windows XP are no longer available.”
  • http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/end-support-help

This is an end of life announcement. XP is dead at the age of 12.

The end of life of XP is a security matter because Microsoft has stopped issuing security updates. This poses an obvious risk for the user but it also creates a public hazard because, among other things, insecure machines risk being recruited into botnets.

What can we do?

To get affected users back into Spinitron there are two basic options:

  1. Affected users upgrade their systems
  2. Spinitron downgrades the security of its system

As I understand it, Microsoft is not removing old Windows Updates and SP3 is still available for download. So, in Option 1, affected users can do one of the following to connect to Spinitron:

  • Use Firefox
  • Update to XP SP3
  • Upgrade Windows to a newer version
  • Buy a new computer

The first two of these don’t cost any money.

In Option 2, Spinitron and all its users revert to the older, less robust SHA1 algorithm.

At present, we at Spinitron are not disposed towards Option 2. It does not seem like a balanced approach to security. Spinitron logs suggest that the number of members who logged a playlist in March 2014 using XP with SP2 or older is around 2. These users, who presumably stopped using Windows Update 6 or more years ago, have options that ought to be within reach.

Onwards and upwards

We have invested a lot over the years to keep Spinitron’s core features functional all the way back to IE 6 (2001). It’s a struggle but the biggest cost has been the lost opportunity to build on the features of the modern browsers and mobile devices used by the vast majority of Spinitron users. The numbers show that only a very few are holding us back.

It’s time to move on.

We started earlier this year by dropping IE 6 and 7 support on public pages with a new public layout that adapts to smartphones, tablets and big-screen computer browsers.

But we have to plan for IE 8’s demise as well. We expect to see IE 8 decline rapidly, now that XP has been officially put to rest, since there’s no reason to run IE 8 on any newer version of Windows. We’ll firm up and communicate plans on that sunsetting IE 8 in Spinitron later in the year.

April 7, 2014

Spinitron Chart Apr 6 2014

Mac Demarco's Salad Days tops the chart with 255 spins, followed by Cloud Nothings, Beck, Real Estate and The War On Drugs.


March 31, 2014

Spinitron Chart Mar 30 2014

St. Vincent's self titled St. Vincent tops the chart with 133 spins, followed by The War On Drugs, Real EstateBeck and Angel Olsen.


March 24, 2014

Spinitron Chart Mar 23 2014

Beck's Morning Phase tops the chart with 134 spins, followed by St. Vincent, Real Estate, Angel Olsen and The War On Drugs.


March 17, 2014

Spinitron Chart Mar 16 2014

Beck's Morning Phase tops the chart with 160 spins, followed by Real Estate, St. Vincent, Angel Olsen and Black Lips tied with Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings.


March 10, 2014

Spinitron Chart Mar 9 2014

St. Vincent's St. Vincent tops the chart with 171 spins, followed by Real EstateBeckAngel Olsen and Warpaint.


March 3, 2014

Spinitron Chart Mar 2 2014

Angel Olsen's Burn Your Fire For No Witness tops the chart with 125 spins, followed by BeckSharon Jones & The Dap-KingsSt. Vincent and Dum Dum Girls.


February 24, 2014

Spinitron Chart Feb 23 2014

Angel Olsen's Burn Your Fire For No Witness tops the chart with 116 spins, closely followed by Dum Dum Girls and Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings tied on 110, then Warpaint and Mogwai.


February 17, 2014

Spinitron Chart Feb 16 2014

Dum Dum Girls's Too True tops the chart with 116 spins, followed by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Warpaint, Mogwai and Angel Olsen.


February 10, 2014

Spinitron Chart Feb 9 2014

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings's Give the People What They Want tops the chart again with 109 spins. Among the first five are Dum Dum Girls, Mogwai, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks and Warpaint.


February 3, 2014

Spinitron Chart Feb 2 2014

Pete Seeger's American Favorite Ballads tops the chart as DJs pay their respects on his passing, followed by Sharon Jones & The Dap-KingsStephen Malkmus & the Jicks, and Dum Dum Girls.