User: soundman32

It's part of the API - From MSDN

On: 'Stealth' Worm Hinders Sandbox Analysis

IsDebuggerPresent
The IsDebuggerPresent function indicates whether the calling process is running under the context of a debugger.
This function is exported from KERNEL32.DLL.
BOOL IsDebuggerPresent(VOID)
Parameters This function has no parameters. Return Value If the current process is running in the context of a debugger, the return value is nonzero. If the current process is not running in the context of a debugger, the return value is zero. Remarks This function allows an application to determine whether or not it is being debugged, so that it can modify its behavior. For example, an application could provide additional information using the OutputDebugString function if it is being debugged.

Night Vision Goggle - How about a camcorder

On: Night Vision Goggles vs Pirates

Here in Manchester, it's much less high tech.

At the opening night of 'The Day After Tomorrow', the house lights were never dimmed properly and
every 15 mins or so, someone came in with a camcorder scanned the audience and left.

I suppose they can then see who (if anyone) was using their own recording device.

More of the 'presumed guilty' state.

Re:Kill them all

On: The Subtle Tyranny Of Spreadsheets

Have you not seen excel used as a word processor then?
Line after line of centrally justified text.
Bah!

Going Postal in UK

On: Evoting in India, Maryland

In the my area of the UK (manchester), our local & European elections this June are being trialed by postal vote.

It doesn't matter much if you have electronic or pencil voting if the electorate can't be bothered to actually go to the voting booth.

Maybe postal will get more voters to vote?

I sent one off to be fixed, but....

On: Resurrecting Dead Harddrives?

The quote was too expensive UK699 for just family photos.

What was interesting was the noises it made after it came back were very different to those that it made before.

Does any one know what they really do in these labs? Is it worth me opening it to see if they have left disconnected cables?

Neil

How cheap do you want?

On: Giant List Of Linux-based Live CDs

I can buy DVD-R in the UK for UK0.32 (~UD$0.50).

That's only 12p more than a CD!

How cheap do you want it to be?

Neil

Re:it's not the package format

On: Building A Better Package Manager

Isn't this what the hated windows COM tries to eliminate?

All 'packages' are basically black boxes with self describing interfaces and can always allow backwards compatibility with the prevsious version.

Re:Ping to the moon

On: Russian Rovers on the Moon

Radio signals travel at 186000 miles/s
Moon is 238,857 miles
.
. . Ping time = 238857*2 - there and back
--------
186000

2.56 seconds round trip ping

Rounded 50p?

On: Photoshop CS Adds Banknote Image Detection, Blocking?

In the police museum in London, they have examples of British 50 penny (5 sided coins) that have had the 'corners' filed off to make 10 penny pieces. I understand the offenders were indeed Irish.

...except wind

On: Wind Turbines Kill a Few Birds

which of course doesn't always blow. Perhaps you would like to wait for your cup of coffee (or to put a light on) until the wind blows again?

Re:Windows SUS

On: Yet Another Critical Windows Flaw

Which is a great help if you use Win98 because SUS only supports W2K or XP.

We have about 15 workstations, 2 run XP.

What do we do?

Neil

SUS DOESN'T WORK ON Win98

On: Microsoft Identifies, Patches Another Critical RPC Hole

We run about 15 PCs here. There is 1x2K and 2xXP. The rest run on W98.
What am I supposed to do?

I've started writing a os independent installer, but it's a big job. Anyone interested in helping?

Re:I'd feel bad for them...

On: Ernie Ball - Model For Open-Source Transition?

Not really using illegal software, rather just 'possesion'.

If software is on your PC but you never use it, is it being used illegally?

Authenticate from address

On: Earthlink Deploying Challenge-Response Anti-Spam System

I've just implemented a POP3 email checker that makes sure the FROM address is valid. It removes about 25 spams per day (out of 100) and MailWasher takes care of the rest.

If anyone is interested in trying out my program, drop me a line.

I did this 20 years ago on a ZX Spectrum

On: All Shapes in One Equation?

I seem to remember the circle command would erroniously take an extra parameter which would make these sort of shapes. Sort of like a Spirograph.

Re:GWBASIC

On: Coding for Multiple Databases in C/C++?

Probably a relation of the guy here who programs in GWBASIC and doesn't know that you can compile it with QBASIC.

The real pre-history of Tetris

On: Seventeen Years of Tetris

Some of the 'official' story seems to be incorrect. I was involved in making the C64 version. The original C64 BASIC version was given to a friend of mine who added music and graphics and optomised it so it was playable on a 1Mhz machine.
I also question the PC version being the first as I was playing it on the '64 in 1985. For a more detailed history see my tetris page Neil

Sales up in UK

On: The Music Business and the Internet

According to the UK national news, although there is a general downturn in CD sales globally, in the UK sales are up over 5% !

It might be something to do with a country's cultural background as to whether you buy or download for free.

Need a better name

On: Wireless Networking Research at Berkeley

One of the reasons BlueTooth caught on is the catchy name.
Unfortunaltely I don't think 'picoradio' has the same buzz. I used to work on a wireless system called DECT (you yanks won't of heard of it, but it's big in Euroland), but even that's not catchy enough.
Let's give these chaps a better name for their radio...how about GreenFace or RedSpot:-)

Re: Porn Titling

On: 007 Dis(Gold)members Austin Powers

I always liked 'Sex Trek - The Next Penetration'

Messerschmit?

On: Electric Car Sighted on Highway - Who Makes It?

Does anyone else think this Sparrow looks like the old Messerschmit Bubble car?

Pictures here and here

BC 5.2

On: GCC-based IDE's for DOS?

Why not download the latest (free) Borland command line compiler, and use that (using makefiles if necessary). It's much more up to date than the 3.x one (obviously).

Balloons

On: Launching Spacecraft From Aircraft

I was watching a program about the first man in 'space'. In 1960 this American chap went to 115000 ft (~20miles?) in a balloon. He then did the longest freefall parachute jump. Amazingly for the first 4 minutes, he felt nothing (no 'air' to provide turbulence) !!

Anyway, why can't spacecraft be taken to great heights by disposable ballons then launched from there?

Re:Some things should be patented!

On: Melbourne Man Patents ... The Wheel

Dear sir,

I would like to patent the complex calculation 22/7. AFAIK this calculation has not been completely solved as of today, and therefore sounds like a really complex calculation.
Yours etc...

Think About It...

On: Sega Announces Dreamcast Successor

Don't think of this as a DC.

This is a cable set top box with a games console and PTV built in. It will do all of the things that the 3 boxes you have under your tv will do currently in one box (for less than £500!)

What about if it was a satellite box with all of the above? I think it's in the pipeline already (the guys who are developing this sit opposite my desk!).

This is really just a technology preview...it's what we will all have in a few years.