Server 2008 R2 – Killing the Black Screen of Waiting
One of my Engineers called me in to look at this problem a user was having with the dreaded Black Screen of Waiting on Server 2008 R2. This server is used as a RemoteApp and Terminal Server. I watched the processes running under the dudes user ID during his login sequence. While he was hung at a black screen I started killing processes. I killed cmd.exe first, on a hunch, and the user said his session started immediately. Huh.
In an effort to stop our “creative” programmers from accessing the command line and breaking stuff, we blocked cmd.exe in Group Policy. Our login scripts are .cmd files which require cmd.exe to run. Aha! Problem solved? We looked at blocking logon scripts from running on certain servers. It appears this is difficult, if not impossible. So, we took the block off of cmd.exe and everything started working just fine. I’m sure there are many causes of the BSW…this just happened to be ours.
How do we block cmd.exe and still allow login scripts to run? We’re re-writing the scripts in vbs. I’m betting we can block cmd.exe if our login scripts are vbs. I’ll update this post when we find out on Tuesday.
A String Theory test…finally!
String Theory has always been described as untestable. More accurately, it would take more power and resources than contained on the earth to do it. You’d need a particle accelerator the size of earth itself. However, some smart guys found a loophole and claim String Theory can now be tested. It can’t be proved yet but at least we’ll find out if we’re going in the right direction. Very exciting times!
“Over the last 25 years, string theory has become physicists’ favourite contender for the ‘theory of everything’, reconciling what we know about the incredibly small from particle physics with our understanding of the very large from our studies of cosmology. Using the theory to predict how entangled quantum particles behave provides the first opportunity to test string theory by experiment.”
Twitter fails at OAuth
Ryan here shows it’s very trivial to crack Twitter’s OAuth implementation. I mean, scary easy. I definitely won’t be using Twitter’s OAuth feature until they fix it.
FTFA: I repeatedly attempted to make Twitter aware of the problems with its OAuth implementation, but the company largely ignored my concerns. When I opened a support ticket, it was promptly closed and I was directed back to the developer mailing list, where I received no response from Twitter after writing several posts outlining my concerns. My attempts at responsible disclosure were unsuccessful.
From the always wonderful Ars Technica, by Ryan Paul
Digg continues to fail
If you haven’t heard, Digg is in the middle of a user revolt. I think this screen cap I got when accessing the site today just about says it all.
Gunman in Discovery’s HQ
Update #1: Reports are coming out that the gunman is James Jay Lee. He apparently organized the global warming protests at Discovery this last February. Rocky says he was in the crowd throwing money around. This is allegedly his website (google cached).
Update #2: Supposedly his myspace page is here.
Update #3: Fox5 is reporting the hostage is a security guard.
Update #4: Numerous news outlets reporting multiple hostages. There was the nicest lady that worked the front desk. I’m very worried for her.
Update #5: Another buddy just called. They were allowed to leave on foot but can’t get cars out of the garage and can’t come back.
Update #6: Gunman shot. Hostages freed.
Update #7: Suspect is dead
I just spoke with my buddy, Rocky, who does A/V there. He said the building has been safely evacuated. The gunman is still loose as of this writing. The scariest part: His son was at the daycare on the first floor of the building. When security told him to evacuate he had to run to the day care, grab his kid and get to an emergency exit. His voice was shaking when he told me this and said he’d been out of the building for about 15 minutes.
This is a pic of the gunman that an employee snapped. I used to sit in that courtyard and eat lunch with Rocky all the time.
The Wilderness Downtown
This is a crazy experiment by Google. I thought it was pretty frigin’ cool. Aside from the amalgamation of several Google and HTML5 technologies…it’s just a neato idea.
Google Chrome is highly recommended. Enter an address and watch the amazing stuff unfold:
Geek Dad
Fire Tornado!
“This really is a fantastic demonstration of how microscale weather works. Imagine: a fire starts. As the air is heated above the fire, it rises, and the upward motion can be very strong. This leaves a lower pressure spot at the fire, and the air from outside the fire rushes in to fill the gap. The air is very turbulent, and as the inward-moving air from one side hits air coming in from the other, swirls can form. These get amplified by the constant gale of air, and rotation on a larger scale can get started and sustained. The whirlwind gets pumped by the hot air rising, and the next thing you know you’ve got a full-blown tornado of fire.” – From Discover Magazine
A Song for Sadie
A song for my daughter…
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Download here (right click, save as…)
“Series of Tubes” Senator dead in plane crash
Former NASA admin O’Keefe was on the plane too. He and his son survived.
If nothing else, we can thank him for the ‘intertubes’ meme. It’s still hilarious.
Former Senator Stevens Is Killed in a Plane Crash – NYTimes.com.
Discovery News- Stephen Hawking is Such a Troublemaker
- Refitted Radio Telescope Observes Distant Supernova
- The Haiti and New Zealand Quakes: A Fair Comparison?
- Zap, They're Dead! New Water Filter Electrocutes Bacteria
- Magnitude 7.1 Quake Rattles New Zealand
- The Great September Gale and the First Days of Hurricane Science
- Tiger Shark Feeding Frenzy Captured on Video
- Hurricane Earl Brushes North Carolina
- School of Underwater Turbines Swim to Fast Currents
- Ancient Nubians Drank Antibiotic-Laced Beer