Worse still, Hitslink (the app/service that generated these statistics) does not measure sales or even overall usage -- it only measures hits to websites that use Hitslink.
There is nothing to install. You simply paste a small piece of HTML code on each page you wish to track statistics on.
Ok. What kind of code is it? JavaScript? What if I regularly browse with Java and JavaScript disabled?
Or even simpler, what if I don't browse websites that use Hitslink? 40,000 websites is really not that much. Pandia notes that one estimate of the number of active websites in 2006 was 47 million (using the low end). Assuming that's true, 40000 websites is only 0.08% (less than one-tenth of one percent). That's hardly enough data to accurately portray what's going on worldwide, in my opinion, especially if the sites used to generate the stats are Windows- or Microsoft-centric.
all I had to do to solve it was go to Realtek's site and download the latest version of their driver
It occurs to me that updating the Realtek driver might not solve the root problem. The Microsoft KB article states that
The Hhctrl.ocx file that is included in security update 928843 and the User32.dll file that is included in security update 925902 have conflicting base addresses. This problem occurs if the program loads the Hhctrl.ocx file before it loads the User32.dll file.
Updating the Realtek driver probably fixes the Realtek HD Audio Control Panel so that it doesn't load Hhctrl.ocx before User32.dll, but other programs/drivers that you install later might.
So, you might run into a similar problem until/unless you install the hotfix (a link is included in the Microsoft KB article) which, presumably, fixes Hhctrl.ocx so that its base address does not conflict with User32.dll. The KB article doesn't explicitly say what the hotfix does, though, so I could be totally wrong about that.
US CERT also recommend configuring Windows Explorer to use Windows Classic Folders:
When Windows Explorer is configured to use the "Show common tasks in folders" option, HTML within a file may be processed when that file is selected. If the "Show common tasks in folders" is enabled, selecting a specially crafted HTML document in Windows Explorer may trigger this vulnerability. Note that the "Show common tasks in folders" is enabled by default. To mitigate this attack vector, enable the "Use Windows classic folders" option.
Of course, the "Show common tasks in folders" option could only be exploited if someone downloaded the bad HTML files to a directory where users could select it through Windows Explorer. Still, I imagine that a disgruntled employee could wreak havoc this way.
SANS says they've received reports of the "vulnerability being exploited in the wild using files renamed to jpeg". So, yeah, I think you're right (proxy won't help, unless you're going to block jpegs too).
What if the protective equipment is compromise, and the battlemechs dig the computer up using the mines and the lasers, and then install a Sony rootkit on it?
True, because, as we all know, battlemechs love Celine Dion.
An attacker could try to exploit the vulnerability by creating a specially crafted web page. An attacker could also create a specially-crafted email message and send it to an affected system. Upon viewing a web page, previewing or reading a specially crafted message, or opening a specially crafted email attachment the attacker could cause the affected system to execute code. While animated cursors typically are associated with the.ani file extension, a successful attack is not constrained by this file type.
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
So, it doesn't give the attacker root privileges unless the user has them.
What I'd like to know is if there's a way to disable animated cursors in WinXP professional.
For what it's worth, I bought a Dyson and don't regret it. As many people pointed out, I don't know if it's THAT much better than other models but it does the trick. By comparison, my parents' old bag vac (don't remember the model offhand) sounds like a jet engine and has little suction.
When I broke my Dirt Devil bag vac and went shopping for a new one, I researched the Dyson and the various online reviews and customer comments seemed to be more good than bad. Some of those could have been shills, of course, but overall it seemed okay.
In any event, the only models the Target store had were the cyclone types or little/low-powered bag vacs. The other brand models didn't look as solid or basic as the Dyson and I hadn't researched them so I went with the Dyson. Expensive yes, but it works.
I've only had it for about a year, so my opinion might change. But, for now, I'm happy with it.
Not to say that the connection between D&D and IT is invalid, but the firefighting/systemic improvement argument is total crap.
Agreed!
I work in a hospital where firefighting is done, not just because management demands it, but because someone might DIE if we don't.
Case in point: awhile back, some construction work was going to knock out network connectivity for one of our devices. That device happened to involve getting medication to people in the Operating Room. Now, this construction was poorly planned or communicated because we were only informed that this was going to happen on the day the walls were coming down. So, either people in the OR don't get the medications they need, or we drop everything we're doing and relocate and reconfigure the device so that it stays on the network. Guess which solution we chose? This had nothing to do with boundaries or creativity.
I'd say the link between D&D and IT is more due to the balance of consistency and creativity that the two require. I disagree completely that limitations help creativity. Rather, consistency helps maintain continuity in the story and keeps the game enjoyable. Yet, most people I know who play D&D (or other RPGs) bend/tweak/change the rules to suit their campaign.
Sure -- I'm not defending Microsoft. My point is that managing computers (including upgrading hardware) is not as easy as the author suggests.
If the author is going to say that installing hardware is "really easy" and that it's a "dirty little secret" of those of us "expensive PC helpers" (i.e., that we're all scam artists and not worthy of our wages/salaries), then he'd better be able to back up that statement. He was not able to, thus my comment.
Yes yes, of course that's what grandma and grandpa would do as well.
Sure. I'm not denegrating people for not knowing how to configure TCP/IP without a wizard.
My point is that if the author is going to say that installing hardware is "really easy" and that it's a "dirty little secret" of those of us "expensive PC helpers" (i.e., that we're all scam artists and not worthy of our wages/salaries), then he'd better be able to back up that statement. He was not able to, thus my comment.
You fucking douche.
Wow. That was totally unnecessary and inappropriate.
I've never seen or used Vista, or the author's system, and I may just be a little grumpy this morning. But, based on his descriptions, the author sounds like someone who thinks he knows more about computers than he really does.
From the article:
Now here is the dirty little secret of all the expensive PC helpers out there. Upgrading hardware is really easy... it's usually just a case of carefully lifting out the old and slotting in the new piece of kit.
Uhm, no it isn't, not really. As the author later discovers (but still doesn't realize), getting hardware to work often involves hardware, drivers and OS (and sometimes other software). While we all wish it were that easy, us "expensive PC helpers" have the skills to deal with those cases when it isn't.
For example:
...even after a full day of tinkering with various network wizards
Wizards? This suggests that the author does not know how to get to the properties of whatever network protocol (I'm assuming TCP/IP) he's using and configure them directly.
But which mysterious "PCI input device" was lacking a driver? And what was the "unknown device" flagged up by Vista?
I'm not defending Vista, but I also bristle when people devalue and disrespect people in IT/IS. We make things look easy because we're good at what we do.:P
I have the Curse of the Wererabbit DVD. There might be some CGI stuff thrown in as well, but it's mainly claymation (specifically, plasticine-mation). The extras include a bunch of behind-the-scenes stuff showing people putting together plasticine bunnies and all of the characters.
Ha! Well, I don't begrudge your healthy skepticism. Unfortunately, I can't remember the actual game title/company so I can't prove my claims.
Now I am not an expert cribbage player by any means. I do remember, though, that I was beating the computer consistently on the Intermediate level, which was also not very fun and why I chose to bump it up to the Expert level.
It's also possible that the hands would have evened out had I played 100 games on the expert level. But after the first dozen games or so, it seemed so lopsided that I didn't want to play anymore.
I don't remember which game/company it was -- it was a long time ago (Win95 days).
IIRC, it wasn't a name brand like Hoyle, though. I think it came in one of those cheap game packs (25 popular card games for $10!). You get what you pay for, I guess.:-)
I'll hop on the agreement bandwagon. Mathematics alone does not make for a better game.
Case in point: I once had a cribbage game where you could play against the computer and set different levels of difficulty. I quickly discovered that "Expert" level just meant that the computer got better hands more often -- it had nothing to do with the quality of the computer's strategy. After getting lousy hands several games in a row while the computer consistently drew hands like 4-5-5-6, I simply stopped playing. While "Expert" level was certainly harder, it was also not fun to play.
So, while TFA has a point about statistics being important for game design, that's not much more profound than saying that vision is important for driving cars well.
I don't know jack about IDFs, but it seems to me that staying in the existing location (by the furnace) is the proverbial Damocles' Sword: one mishap and BOOM. I imagine that that would result in intolerable downtime as well. Personally, I wouldn't want that hanging over my head.:-)
It sounds to me that your only good option is to build a second IDF in parallel and then switch over to it BEFORE the furnace goes in.
Oh. Whoops. Still, you can disable "Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins", which is what the Microsoft article noted as the solution for IE4. I guess that means this is really the only solution for IE5 and 6 as well.
Oh, now that's funny: disabling the "Allow paste operations via script" option in IE6 breaks the "copy & paste" feature in Yahoo Mail Beta. GMail and regular Yahoo Mail still works fine though.
Slashdot Mirror
From Net Applications' site:Ok. What kind of code is it? JavaScript? What if I regularly browse with Java and JavaScript disabled?
Or even simpler, what if I don't browse websites that use Hitslink? 40,000 websites is really not that much. Pandia notes that one estimate of the number of active websites in 2006 was 47 million (using the low end). Assuming that's true, 40000 websites is only 0.08% (less than one-tenth of one percent). That's hardly enough data to accurately portray what's going on worldwide, in my opinion, especially if the sites used to generate the stats are Windows- or Microsoft-centric.
Yup, I can confirm -- they do require a credit card (I had to enter mine to use the Guest pass I got from a friend).
So, you might run into a similar problem until/unless you install the hotfix (a link is included in the Microsoft KB article) which, presumably, fixes Hhctrl.ocx so that its base address does not conflict with User32.dll. The KB article doesn't explicitly say what the hotfix does, though, so I could be totally wrong about that.
SANS says they've received reports of the "vulnerability being exploited in the wild using files renamed to jpeg". So, yeah, I think you're right (proxy won't help, unless you're going to block jpegs too).
What I'd like to know is if there's a way to disable animated cursors in WinXP professional.
For what it's worth, I bought a Dyson and don't regret it. As many people pointed out, I don't know if it's THAT much better than other models but it does the trick. By comparison, my parents' old bag vac (don't remember the model offhand) sounds like a jet engine and has little suction.
When I broke my Dirt Devil bag vac and went shopping for a new one, I researched the Dyson and the various online reviews and customer comments seemed to be more good than bad. Some of those could have been shills, of course, but overall it seemed okay.
In any event, the only models the Target store had were the cyclone types or little/low-powered bag vacs. The other brand models didn't look as solid or basic as the Dyson and I hadn't researched them so I went with the Dyson. Expensive yes, but it works.
I've only had it for about a year, so my opinion might change. But, for now, I'm happy with it.
I work in a hospital where firefighting is done, not just because management demands it, but because someone might DIE if we don't.
Case in point: awhile back, some construction work was going to knock out network connectivity for one of our devices. That device happened to involve getting medication to people in the Operating Room. Now, this construction was poorly planned or communicated because we were only informed that this was going to happen on the day the walls were coming down. So, either people in the OR don't get the medications they need, or we drop everything we're doing and relocate and reconfigure the device so that it stays on the network. Guess which solution we chose? This had nothing to do with boundaries or creativity.
I'd say the link between D&D and IT is more due to the balance of consistency and creativity that the two require. I disagree completely that limitations help creativity. Rather, consistency helps maintain continuity in the story and keeps the game enjoyable. Yet, most people I know who play D&D (or other RPGs) bend/tweak/change the rules to suit their campaign.
You've attempted to blast 2,000 million tons of ash and sulfuric acid into the atmosphere. Cancel or Allow?
Sure -- I'm not defending Microsoft. My point is that managing computers (including upgrading hardware) is not as easy as the author suggests.
If the author is going to say that installing hardware is "really easy" and that it's a "dirty little secret" of those of us "expensive PC helpers" (i.e., that we're all scam artists and not worthy of our wages/salaries), then he'd better be able to back up that statement. He was not able to, thus my comment.
My point is that if the author is going to say that installing hardware is "really easy" and that it's a "dirty little secret" of those of us "expensive PC helpers" (i.e., that we're all scam artists and not worthy of our wages/salaries), then he'd better be able to back up that statement. He was not able to, thus my comment.Wow. That was totally unnecessary and inappropriate.
From the article:Uhm, no it isn't, not really. As the author later discovers (but still doesn't realize), getting hardware to work often involves hardware, drivers and OS (and sometimes other software). While we all wish it were that easy, us "expensive PC helpers" have the skills to deal with those cases when it isn't.
For example:Wizards? This suggests that the author does not know how to get to the properties of whatever network protocol (I'm assuming TCP/IP) he's using and configure them directly.You can find out by following the instructions at
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/298837.
I'm not defending Vista, but I also bristle when people devalue and disrespect people in IT/IS. We make things look easy because we're good at what we do.
Cancel or Allow?
I have the Curse of the Wererabbit DVD. There might be some CGI stuff thrown in as well, but it's mainly claymation (specifically, plasticine-mation). The extras include a bunch of behind-the-scenes stuff showing people putting together plasticine bunnies and all of the characters.
Ha! Well, I don't begrudge your healthy skepticism. Unfortunately, I can't remember the actual game title/company so I can't prove my claims.
Now I am not an expert cribbage player by any means. I do remember, though, that I was beating the computer consistently on the Intermediate level, which was also not very fun and why I chose to bump it up to the Expert level.
It's also possible that the hands would have evened out had I played 100 games on the expert level. But after the first dozen games or so, it seemed so lopsided that I didn't want to play anymore.
I don't remember which game/company it was -- it was a long time ago (Win95 days).
:-)
IIRC, it wasn't a name brand like Hoyle, though. I think it came in one of those cheap game packs (25 popular card games for $10!). You get what you pay for, I guess.
I'll hop on the agreement bandwagon. Mathematics alone does not make for a better game.
Case in point: I once had a cribbage game where you could play against the computer and set different levels of difficulty. I quickly discovered that "Expert" level just meant that the computer got better hands more often -- it had nothing to do with the quality of the computer's strategy. After getting lousy hands several games in a row while the computer consistently drew hands like 4-5-5-6, I simply stopped playing. While "Expert" level was certainly harder, it was also not fun to play.
So, while TFA has a point about statistics being important for game design, that's not much more profound than saying that vision is important for driving cars well.
Yeah, I only have a Half Life.
Yeah, but it's a dry heat.
I don't know jack about IDFs, but it seems to me that staying in the existing location (by the furnace) is the proverbial Damocles' Sword: one mishap and BOOM. I imagine that that would result in intolerable downtime as well. Personally, I wouldn't want that hanging over my head. :-)
It sounds to me that your only good option is to build a second IDF in parallel and then switch over to it BEFORE the furnace goes in.
Good luck!
Oh. Whoops. Still, you can disable "Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins", which is what the Microsoft article noted as the solution for IE4. I guess that means this is really the only solution for IE5 and 6 as well.
Oh, now that's funny: disabling the "Allow paste operations via script" option in IE6 breaks the "copy & paste" feature in Yahoo Mail Beta. GMail and regular Yahoo Mail still works fine though.
Not "fixed" (as in removed), but apparently you can turn it off in IE4 through IE6.