2002 February

My sideburns won't go away. No matter how hard you try, you cannot resist them. They 0wn you. You shall succumb to their will. Do not taunt my sideburns – you will lose. They are tired of people sending the JavaScript clock to them via e-mail. They have faced the threat of a thousand electric razors and have walked away unscathed every time. My sideburns are the ultimate power in the universe. They are hotter than a Vulcan in the height of pon farr. You will love them. You must love them. All your attention are belong to them.

Read more on Things I Have To Laugh At…

I work in several primary schools, and needed a way to stop kids from installing Messenger on all the Lab PC's. We don't have 2K/XP everywhere (yet), so group policy wouldn't help me, and I don't like locking the pc's down 100%, since I like giving the kids a little bit of freedom in exploring the computers. MSN Messenger has a small flaw when installing: it doesn't ask you *where* to install it. Simply create two files, called 'Messenger' and 'MSNMessenger' (no extension) in the Program Files folder.

Read more on Shoot The Messenger…

“ItÂ’s been discovered that embedded URLs in spoofed multimedia files (such as .MP3 and .WAV) can be used to “hijackÂâ€? users to malicious web sites. Web sites can be automatically opened when users click on MP3 or WAV files. A hacker can use file extension spoofing in order to trick users to open these files; for example, an .MP3 file may really be another file type, such as a .AFX file, which may contain a URL. Internet applications (browser, e-mail client, etc.) may even open such files without asking the user what to do (if the user made a decision in the past to automatically open the specific file extension).”

Read more on URLs in Spoofed Files…

“The CompactFlash Association (CFA) announced today that
semiconductors used in electronic systems, including CompactFlash and CF I/O cards, would be
irreparably damaged if subjected to the irradiation process that was being used by the U.S. Postal
Service (USPS) to sanitize the mail. Such damage will not only cause loss of data stored on the cards,
but the cards will no longer be operable. Testing has confirmed that these systems, which operate in the range of 55 kGy, damage
not only semiconductors, but other goods as well, including pharmaceuticals, contact lenses, biological
samples, and photographic film.”

Read more on Damage Through US Mail…

I have been thinking along these lines. And I will do a blog or two. Despite the fact that I seem critical of this phenomenon, I am, in fact, supportive. It's just the nutty aspects that annoy me. Also there is a belief that these people are pioneers. I have one more column coming up where I take some of these pioneering notions to task as well as some other over-used commonplaces. And, yes, this is something of an attention-getting exercise. Somebody has to do it.

Read more on Blog Pioneering…

Hey, I'd like to remind everybody that Ev will be on Call for Help this afternoon. Get those TiVos ready. Plus, Cat tells me that she's going to be featuring The Red Kitchen in her segment. She baked a banana creme pie from one of the posted recipes. I'll have screen shots later on this evening.

Read more on Banana Creme Blog…

Okay, so I lied. I actually did have the opportunity to sit down with both Ben and Mena not long after their appearance on TechTV this evening. Here's exactly what happened – verbatim.

Read more on Blogger Trott…

(Lisa, Hot Springs, Arkansas) “PLEASE DO NOT GET A MULLET! No matter what the poll says! Keep your hair the way it is! Your hair is what makes you you! Ok, thanks bye!” [You have restored my faith in humanity.]

Read more on My Evil Twin (Inbox)…

Okay, I'm the unluckiest person on the planet right now. I had the opportunity to meet the Movable Typers face-to-face, and I got pulled into a pitch meeting at the last minute. Well, to be truthful, the meeting was pre-scheduled – I just can't manage time very well. To make up for this scheduling oversight, I'll be screencapping the segment with my Intel cam and its video in jack – just like I do for the entire CFH show every day. Regardless, I have to give mad props to Robyn for Photoshopping my head in today's “Hair” segment. I had no idea that was you – I would have plugged your blog. And while that sounds absolutely disgusting, it's actually a very good thing. More to come. Thanks again, Robyn. I'm gonna try to get you “in there” tomorrow when we do the interview with Evan. At least, I'll tease my favorite blogs on the TechTV site. Just found my new favorite: Mike's Blog. Dude's nuts. I like that in a blogger.

Read more on Shoot Me Now…

I get to meet Ben and Mena tomorrow – they're going to be on TSS! I just wrote about MT in an upcoming CPU article on blogging (along with Radio, Blogger, LiveJournal, and Greymatter). I looked at it again a few minutes ago and it seemed a little too negative. Oops. Movable Type will get another blessing” in a future column. Oh, and Ev is coming on CFH this week, too! Yeah, so why hasn't he blogged that? Will he? Why not? Does Ev really exist? I mean, really? Have any of you ever seen Ev in person? Is he really as real as he makes us believe he is? Hrmph. Crap. Simpsons are on.

Read more on Nightswimming…

“I was reading your column today and saw your comments in the GnomeTIP section regarding Lotus Notes… I have to admit, I used to think just like you. A few years back, I was employed as a Network Administrator for a local reinsurance company. Coming from a Microsoft consulting company, I took one look at Lotus Notes as said the same words: 'What a piece of garbage!.' It was my first time administering Lotus Notes, and as I was very used to Exchange and Outlook. However my view points were quickly changed, (right about the time the 'I Love You' virus came out). At that time, our company was not blocking file attachments, and because the AV companies took so long to get the virus patterns out, we had a few come in through our SMTP server, and nothing happened. Why?”

Read more on Lotus Of Borg (Inbox)…

“From Sharilyn (02/24/02): The majority of my Fruhead card stamps were earned in '97, the same year I moved from my comfy home in Winnipeg, Manitoba to cramped college dorm room in Welland, Ontario. My favourite line is the reference to the West End Cultural Centre, the venue Fruvous always plays in Winnipeg. It's *my* place… I've spent a lot of time volunteering and hanging out there, and it's what I missed most while I was away. As for the last 1/4 of the song… I'd LOVE to know what it means. Never had the stuff in my life!”

Read more on New Moxy Fruvous Song…

Normally, Windows XP Home Edition cannot join network domains, simply peer-to-peer workgroups. However, there is a fix which can solve the problem and allow WinXP Home Edition to join a domain. Microsoft wanted to cripple Windows XP Home Edition so that it could not be used on domains, which would force many to upgrade to the more expensive Windows XP Professional Edition simply to join a network domain. However, it -is- possible to get on a domain using Windows XP Home Edition.

Read more on XP Home Domain Fix (Inbox)…

“Tonight, my 15-year old went to Goodwill (Urbandale High School's favorite shopping place)… and he came home with a bag full of shirts and T's. He starts pulling out items of clothing and says, “You gotta see this t-shirt… it's so cool…” and he holds up one of your lockergnome.com t-shirts. I nearly died! I told him I know you and showed him your site. He says to tell you it's the coolest shirt in the world.” [Judi Eyles]

Read more on Where T-Shirts Go To Die (Inbox)…

DONZ Panels. A DONZ 3-screen display system can display 3840×1024 (3.9 million) legible pixels, and a 5-screen display system can display 6400×1024 (6.5 million) legible pixels. Such high legible resolutions are impossible to achieve on any single CRT monitor. [For those who don't have everything, but want to see everything at the same time.]

Read more on Random Identity Theft…