Charles' Experiences

Recently, I’ve been a guest presenter for “Doc’s Place Live”, hosted by my longtime friend Dave Dockery. “Doc’s Place Live” meets at the Tampa Bay Computer Society’s resource center in Largo, Florida every Friday morning from 10am to 12noon (Eastern time). Using their audio/video equipment, the presentation is streamed live for those who can’t be there in person. We’ve had some troubles with the live streaming on occasion, but this past presentation went very well and there is a recording available for on-demand viewing.

I have to admit, that the actual talk wasn’t as much about security as it was about how software – good and bad – gets on to our machines without us knowing, or inadvertently consenting to software we don’t want. I used an example of a simple Flash Video Player that also installs the Yahoo! Toolbar by default. While this particular installation program offers users the choice not to install the Yahoo! Toolbar, many don’t offer choices, or make it difficult to figure out what exactly is being put on your computer.

What’s insidious about this is that months later, when the computer starts to slow down from the weight of such programs, people have no idea what happened. “I never installed anything from Yahoo!,” a user might protest, and they would be correct. Some other installation program did, with no affiliation with Yahoo!. The toolbar is not a virus, nor is not spyware, and no Anti-virus tools will flag this, or protect the machine from software the user most likely does not want. After all, the user did consent to having it installed, probably without reading the End-User License Agreement or carefully reviewing options the setup program offers.

This is why I promote a concept of “active management” of your computer. Get familiar with the Windows tools that show you what is installed, and what is running. Learn how to uninstall programs you do not use or need. Most of the time you don’t need additional software; what’s built into Windows will work just fine. Too often, I hear of people saying “I downloaded this program to help me speed up my machine,” and my pat reply is “the cure for too much software is not more software.”

If your computer is running slowly, or you are having unexplained problems, go clean it up yourself – go to the Control Panel, choose “Programs” (Add/Remove Programs in Windows XP) and start uninstalling the applications you don’t use. Don’t worry – if you find you really need it, you can reinstall them later.

Another tip is to keep your desktop clean. Many applications (including some from Microsoft) put shortcuts to their programs or websites on the desktop in an effort to ensure you’ll see it. We get accustomed to these icons and over time, our desktop is filled with stuff. You can safely delete all the shortcuts on your desktop. That’s part of actively managing our computers and knowing what’s on it.

Finally, I showed two tools that help users understand what’s currently loaded and what’s automatically loaded. The first is Task Manager, and it’s a built in tool that you can access by right-clicking on the task bar and choosing “Start Task Manager.” You could also press CTRL+Shift+ESC to activate it.

The other tool is Autoruns, part of the Sysinternals tool kit, now distributed by Microsoft. This tool displays all the programs and components that are launched automatically, often without any indication to the user. I recommend turning on two options in this program: “Verify Code Signatures” to check which programs have a digital signature. Secondly, turn on the “Hide Signed Microsoft Entries” to prevent the display of the many internal pieces of Windows that need to be launched. By turning this on, you’ll only be presented with software that you’ve added that is not considered part of the base Windows operating system.

Map to TBCS Resource Center

Watch the presentation for more details and please send me your feedback and suggestions for future presentations.

Next week, Friday August 28, we’ll be presenting on Internet Search Tips and Tricks, showing how to make the most of your searches online. Join us at the TBCS Resource Center in person at 10am.

Follow us on Twitter:  @UserGroupDoc and @ChuckOp.

Was asked this question from a Tampa Bay Computer Society member:

“How do you embed a video in an email? Not a simple link to the video, but the actual video with an arrow to start it right there and then in the body of the email.”

Summary: Don’t do it.  Email messages should not impose the will of the author on the reader.  Here are some random thoughts:

• Would have to use hand-crafted HTML and MIME
• Would have to construct the HTML to include an <object> tag
• The object tag would reference a specific media player. If that media player is not available on the machine, errors occur
• There is no way to package the player with the message (would be a massive security hole)
• Would only work on Windows machines
• Would likely not work with web email readers such as Hotmail, Gmail, etcetera
• Is possible, if not probable, that most Windows email clients will block such a message as being potentially unsafe
• Would be rude to the user as their preferred media application might not be invoked

I'm a fan of “inline disposition” which is something I worked on in the late 90's for Microsoft Exchange 2000 Unified Messaging features, but cut from the product before release. In this case however, with a user wanting to create the message, there are too many ways to screw it up.

The salient question is; why is the normal route – attaching a video file - not sufficient?

The Windows registry keeps track of all hardware devices that have been installed on the machine.  By default, the Device Manager only displays the hardware devices that are currently connected to the machine.  Hardware that is not currently connected, such as a USB device, or a Firewire hard disk is not shown.  Over time, a lot of devices can be registered, particularly if you connect the same device to different USB ports.

By using an environment variable, you can have the Device Manager display all the hardware that have  been installed on the machine.  Set the “devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices" environment variable to “1” using the System Properties dialog.  Alternatively, just type set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1 at a command prompt.

Then using Device Manager, make sure the "Show hidden devices" option is set on the view menu.  Normally when "Show hidden devices" is set, only non-PnP devices are shown.  With the environment variable set, Device Manager also shows disconnected hardware using a semi-transparent icon.  You can then uninstall the device and all the associated drivers.

An easy way to load Device Manager is to type devmgmt.msc at the Run dialog or command prompt.  A quick way to get to System Properties is to press Win+Break.

[This posting is originally from my blog at http://weblogs.asp.net/chuckop/.  I’m trying to move the more useful postings over to my current blog host.]

Anthea is getting close to giving birth to our first child.    We know it's a boy, and the official due date is Monday, February 23, but right now (Saturday afternoon), she's showing lots of pre-labor signs and we're wondering if when the water will break and everything. 

She's holding up really well, although very tired.    It's possible she and I are suffering from a low-grade infection, we're both run down and she's had some other symptoms as well.  Anthea's mom, Sue, arrived last night and that take's a big load of worry off from me. 

Our neighbor Rory came over and on short noticed helped move our master bed over a few inches to make more room.  Rory and his wife Jeri, along with Timme, another close family friend really came through last week with final preparations for the baby room, the guest room, and our bedroom, where our son will spend his first few weeks.  We're so fortunete to have such great friends! 

Here's Anthea a couple of weeks ago at 38 weeks, back when she was still smiling! 

Yes, she's wearing a Tampa Bay Bucaneers shirt that says "I Love Chucky!"

Counselors were meeting with students and parents Wednesday.

Maybe the counselors should be meeting with school board officials...

Several parents who attended a school meeting Wednesday who would not give their names said school officials provided little information about the death; others said school officials instructed them to avoid talking to the media.

Yes, the parents should avoid talking to the media, that's the job of school board officials with media relations experience.

Via Richard Sprague's blog, I got a link to Bruce Feiler's Pocketful of Dough article on how to bribe your way into exclusive restaurants without a reservation.  Here are the tips from the article, but you should read the whole thing, it's fascinating.

TIPS ON TIPPING

1. GO
   You'd be surprised what you can get just by showing up.
2. DRESS APPROPRIATELY
   Your chances improve considerably if you look like you belong.
3. DON'T FEEL ASHAMED
   They don't. You shouldn't.
4. HAVE THE MONEY READY
   Prefolded, in thirds or fourths, with the amount showing.
5. IDENTIFY THE PERSON WHO'S IN CHARGE
   Even if you have to ask.
6. ISOLATE THE PERSON IN CHARGE
   Ask to speak with that person, if necessary.
7. LOOK THE PERSON IN THE EYE WHEN YOU SLIP HIM THE MONEY
   Don't look at the money.
8. BE SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT
   "Do you have a better table?" "Can you speed my wait?" A good fallback: "This is a really important night for me."
9. TIP THE MAÎTRE D' ON THE WAY OUT
   If he turned down the money but still gave you a table.
10. ASK FOR THE MAÎTRE D'S CARD AS YOU'RE LEAVING
    You are now one of his best customers.

Pocketful of Dough at FoodNouveau.com

Bucky Katt is the foul-mouthed cat from the cartoon Get Fuzzy.  Satchel Pooch is his canine friend.

Satchel: Why aren't you eating, Buck?

Bucky: Little gurgly in the Meow Mix repository... Been painting the ol' litter box all day.

Just thought this was funny, particularly as I maintain a home for four cats.

Want to find the handful of 7-11 stores that have been temporarily re-branded as Kwik-E-Marts for the upcoming Simpsons movie?  Here's a Virtual Earth collection, with a picture of each store.

Collection of Kwik-E-Mart locations

BobHarris.com - Tony Soprano didn’t just get whacked; he practically got a funeral

I actually disagree with the authors assertion, but love the analysis.  My wife noticed something strange about how Tony, Carmela, and AJ each ate the onion rings, but I didn't make the connection to Holy Communion until it was pointed out in a Slate article that references this shot-by-shot analysis.

In my view, Tony and family live on, in fear of the law, of strangers, etc.  Many people focus on the actions of the guy in the Members Only jacket and allusions to the Godfather, all of which are valid.  I believe that David Chase chose purposely to ratchet up the suspense, to give a sense of what Tony's life is like now, with his crew decimated and the law closing in.

If you think that Tony was whacked, then answer this: who did it, and why?   These are valid questions because the war with NY is now defused.  Are you really saying that Tony was killed for no reason or because some hitman didn't get the word in time?  I don't think that would make sense, dramatically.

If everything in the scene has meaning, every glance, every prop, then surely Tony's death would be meaningful - that there would be some hint why he was getting whacked.  It's easy to assume that it's in revenge for whacking Phil, but without a theatrical clue, seems hollow and meaningless.

But ultimately, this is a show about family first, the mafia second.  To me, everything about this episode speaks to continuation:

• AJ getting his act together finally
• Paulie choosing to continue working for Tony.  Some see the orange tabby as ominous, but as Tony leaves the front of the pork store, Paulie pulls out the sun reflector and the cats walks in and plops down.  I went "awww".  To me, it said, "everything is alright".  I guess if the cat seemed menacing in some way, it would be different, but that scene ended on a hopeful note.
• As Tony tells Carmela that one of his crew was testifying to the Grand Jury, the Journey song says "...it goes on and on and on...".  That tells me that the legal troubles keep going.

One comment I read says that as the camera focuses on Carmela, the lyric "...a small-town girl, living in a lonely world..." is a forebearer of Carmela's future, I think it represents her past, present and future.  It's been a lonely world for her, married to a mob boss.

For that matter, the episode is filled with notions of the law closing in on Tony.  Scenes in vans, with agents scribbling notes while listening in on phone calls.  The whole business of the Grand Jury, etc.  Why bother including them when there is no future that involves them?  If everything has meaning, then those must have meaning as well.

I guess in the end, it comes down to which head-fake do you choose?  Do you think that Tony is killed, and that everything else is a red herring?  Or do you think that Tony lives and that the Members Only guy, and the amp-ed up suspense at the end is the head-fake?  I choose the latter, and admire David Chase in his ability to provide a Rorschach test in such a wonderful manner.

Now the next question - will we ever find out for sure?  Will the DVD commentary say "Yep, he's whacked."  In fact, there are notions of unused version of the ending that is "shocking" according to the Members Only actor.  Prediction:  The shocking version is Meadow coming through the door and sitting down as the scene fades out.  If there is a version that has the Members Only guy coming out of the bathroom with a gun, or a shot of a rifleman on the grassy knoll, we would have already heard about it.

Let me see if I understand this correctly; the same group of politicians that don't want to share who participated in policy making, who use Republican Party e-mail servers to avoid having their e-mails archived, and have stifled the Freedom of Information Act; it's these same guys you want to expand their reach into your own life.  Did I understand that right?

Remember that 2,176 warrants for eavesdropping were granted in 2006 alone.  Guess how many were denied?  Only one.  But that's not enough, the administration also wants to make warrant-less eavesdropping more widespread (which they claim is already legal).

Link to Uphill battle for Bush wiretap plan - Politics - MSNBC.com

Lately there have been a number of references to a quote from famed physicist Albert Einstein linking the extinction of bee's with the extinction of mankind.

I personally read this in a few wire service stories regarding significant losses of bees in Europe and the United States due to something called "Colony Collapse Disorder".  Cell phones, global warming and parasites are cited as possible causes.  I even listened as Bill Maher mentioned it on his HBO show Real Time with Bill Maher last week.

In each story, the connection between mankind and bees was reinforced by quoting Albert Einstein and a dire prediction that says mankind only has four years to live if bees disappear from the Earth.

In some of the stories, the Einstein quote is presented by a beekeeper, in other stories, the quote is presented independently.  Regardless, you assume that it must be true.

Alas it doesn't appear to be the case.  The good folks at Snopes.com did some checking of Einstein's quotations and could find no such reference.  They did find something from 1994 that attributed the Einstein quote to pamphlets published by the National Union of French Apiculture during a Brussels protest over economic matters concerning the beekeeping industry.

Seems like something that was possibly invented out thin air in 1994 has become gospel for beekeepers to this day and gets repeated to reporters who print it without fact checking.

Link to Urban Legends Reference Pages: Einstein on Bees