kelly martin

Microsoft proves that it's evil -- or at least stupid

Fri, 28 Jul 2006 14:34:34 GMT

Microsoft apparently broke Windows Update overnight.

I'm building multiple PCs at work this week. Step three of the build process is to install XP. For this purpose, we use our Microsoft-issued Volume License Key. Step five of the process is to run Windows Update to install any post-SP2 updates. As of this morning, this process fails because our VLK cannot be validated. At first I thought this might be because Microsoft invalidated our key. It turns out that, no, this is not the case. Instead, Microsoft broke Windows Update: WU no longer automatically installs WGA on the computer as part of the preinstall. In order to run Windows Update on a fresh build, you must manually install the Windows Genuine Advantage ActiveX control on the computer. Once you've done this, then and only then can you run Windows Update.

I don't know what you're thinking, Microsoft, but I hope you get a fucking hell of a lot of calls from corporate users complaining about this. I know I'm pushing this up to my channel partner. Hopefully others will to. Stop dicking with us. Crap like this increases TCO, and you push TCO up too much and we will all defect to Linux.

Links for 05/22/2006

Mon, 22 May 2006 22:55:23 GMT

Chihuahua Stoned | Ask MetaFilter
What do you do if your dog eats a lot of pot?
Tags: dogs, marijuana,

Links for 04/20/2006

Sat, 22 Apr 2006 22:55:25 GMT

Virus points to Linux kernel bug | News.blog | CNET News.com
Linus Torvalds has updated the Linux kernel to fix a bug brought to light by a recent computer virus, according to reports published on Wednesday.
Tags: linux, software, virus,

Fri, 21 Apr 2006 22:57:13 GMT

This image made me think of naiad_kitty for some reason.

Links for 04/20/2006

Thu, 20 Apr 2006 22:55:26 GMT

Virus points to Linux kernel bug | News.blog | CNET News.com
Linus Torvalds has updated the Linux kernel to fix a bug brought to light by a recent computer virus, according to reports published on Wednesday.
Tags: linux, software, virus,

Links for 04/16/2006

Sun, 16 Apr 2006 22:55:24 GMT

EFF: Class-Action Lawsuit Against AT&T
EFF's Class-Action Lawsuit Against AT&T for Collaboration with Illegal Domestic Spying Program
Tags: government, law, politics, privacy, security,

Sun, 16 Apr 2006 20:28:10 GMT

I had an idea in the shower today, for something that might be useful. But I don't want to reinvent the wheel.

I want something for use in a Tomcat servlet that, given an arbitrary class, will use introspection to examine the servlet request and create a new instance of the class with its nontransient instance variables initialized against properly named form values from the request. Initially, I'm willing to do the introspection at runtime, but it would be best if factory methods can be developed at runtime to generate the instance from the servlet request (perhaps as a constructor?). I know, I could just write them by hand, but that's tedious and increases maintenance.

If someone's already done this, please point me in the right direction. If this is a bad idea, tell me why (and not just because Java is evil/stupid/bad, I don't want a language war).

Links for 04/13/2006

Thu, 13 Apr 2006 22:55:26 GMT

Chicago Tribune news : Sushi and Rev. Moon
Seafood lovers may not realize they're supporting a self-proclaimed messiah's religious movement.
Tags: cults, interesting, news, religion, sushi,

Fri, 07 Apr 2006 13:24:08 GMT

Just discovered today: http://stuffonmycat.com

Example:

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 19:12:03 GMT

There is a special adprep for Server 2003 R2; if you want to use an R2 server as a DC you have to run the secret adprep hiding away on Disk 2.

I'm sure I was warned about this in one of the many many documents I didn't read.

Links for 03/29/2006

Wed, 29 Mar 2006 23:55:25 GMT

Jeux Sans Frontieres: The Case For Pink
Pink represents traditional gender roles. Pink represents segregation.
Tags: feminism,

Links for 03/26/2006

Sun, 26 Mar 2006 23:55:25 GMT

Things You Don't Want To Hear From Your Sysadmin
Things you do NOT want your System Administrator to say
Tags: computers, humor, unix,

Links for 03/23/2006

Thu, 23 Mar 2006 23:55:25 GMT

Techdirt: Fined For Using Someone Else's WiFi
Guy gets fined $250 for stealing someone else's WiFi, and a bunch of whiners complain about how this is wrong.
Tags: news, theft, wireless,
Arkansas Times
Scientist discovers that evolution is missing from Arkansas classrooms.
Tags: evolution, god, government, teaching,

Links for 03/22/2006

Wed, 22 Mar 2006 23:55:24 GMT

JURIST - Paper Chase: UK top court upholds school ban on Muslim jilbab
The Law Lords, the judicial panel of the UK House of Lords that is Britain's highest court, ruled 5-0 Wednesday in favor of a high school's decision to ban a student from wearing a Muslim jilbab, a long garment that covers the entire body other than the f
Tags: free-expression, news,
nbc5i.com - News - Bar Sweep Sparks Controversy
Apparently it's now illegal to be drunk in Texas
Tags: news, sad,

Links for 03/20/2006

Mon, 20 Mar 2006 23:55:24 GMT

Meatball Wiki: GoodBye
On why people leave virtual communities. Interesting reading.
Tags: philosophy, virtualcommunities, wiki,

Links for 03/18/2006

Sat, 18 Mar 2006 23:55:24 GMT

Bill Napoli Is A Fucking Perv at I Blame The Patriarchy
Why you probably don't want to invite Bill Napoli to your next dinner party.
Tags: abortion, politics,
Boise Weekly - Not Your Everyday Newspaper: News: Curious Times: March 1, 2006
A study from Dutch and Swedish scientists suggests that women who have breast augmentation surgery done for cosmetic reasons are three times as likely to commit suicide than the general population.
Tags: interesting,

Links for 03/15/2006

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 23:55:24 GMT

ThinkGeek :: George Foreman USB iGrill
The low-fat, high-bandwidth solution to your networked cooking needs is finally here. The George Foreman USB iGrill conveniently connects to your home or office PC using USB 2.0 technology, and provides a sophisticated web-based cooking interface.
Tags: hardware, neat, toys,

Links for 03/14/2006

Tue, 14 Mar 2006 23:55:26 GMT

AP Wire | 03/13/2006 | County plan to gag paper ignites opposition in Alexandria
A Douglas County official tried last week to force a local newspaper to submit stories for approval before publishing them. Instead, his move ignited a firestorm of public opposition and the policy was scrapped.
Tags: censorship, news, stupid,

Links for 03/08/2006

Wed, 08 Mar 2006 23:55:25 GMT

CNN.com - Suspect: Church fires started as 'joke' - Mar 8, 2006
Three Birmingham college students face federal charges in connection with a string of Alabama church fires that is described in court papers as a joke that "got out of hand," authorities said Wednesday.
Tags: news,

Links for 03/07/2006

Tue, 07 Mar 2006 23:55:26 GMT

Influential Interactive Marketing: Using Wikipedia for Marketing
Using Wikipedia for Marketing
Tags: marketing, wikipedia,
Micro Persuasion: Marketing and Wikipedia Are Antonyms
Marketing and Wikipedia Are Antonyms
Tags: marketing, wikipedia,

Links for 02/28/2006

Tue, 28 Feb 2006 23:55:28 GMT

Network Monitoring Software - ManageEngine OpManager
Potential product for operational management. Look at this later.
Tags: software, sysadmin, windows,

Links for 02/27/2006

Mon, 27 Feb 2006 23:55:25 GMT

Distillery to Revive 184-Proof Whisky - Forbes.com
A Scottish distillery said Monday it was reviving a centuries-old recipe for whisky so strong that one 17th-century writer feared more than two spoonfuls could be lethal.
Tags: liquor, neat, news,

Links for 02/25/2006

Sat, 25 Feb 2006 23:55:34 GMT

LUGNET LEGO Color Reference
LEGO color reference chart
Tags: color, lego, neat,

Links for 02/10/2006

Fri, 10 Feb 2006 23:55:18 GMT

Wired News: Woman Carrying Human Head Arrested in Fla.
Airport baggage screeners found a human head with teeth, hair and skin in the luggage of a woman who said she intended to ward off evil spirits with it, authorities said Friday.
Tags: news, weird,

Links for 02/09/2006

Thu, 09 Feb 2006 23:55:19 GMT

ABC News: Teen Girls Tell Their Stories of Sex Exploitation in U.S.
Disgusting stories of how young women are being kidnapped and forced to work as sex slaves in the United States.
Tags: news, sick,
RIM releases BlackBerry workaround design | Tech News on ZDNet
RIM announces workaround in case they get shut down by NTP
Tags: blackberry, greed,