| Saturday,
August 28, 2004 Subject: Elevator: 2010
Dr Pournelle,
Elevator: 2010
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5792719/
The X Prize idea spreads,
Jim Mangles
===================
Subject: NAV not seeing your drive
I googled for keywords "Norton Antivirus boot cd NTFS"
and found a couple of Symantec web pages. It looks like NAV cannot deal with
NTFS. Lame, but not shockingly unexpected. It should definitely give you a
sensible error message; scanning itself is really quite silly.
If you can download a CD image and burn it, you could
give this a try:
http://www.inside-security.de/INSERT_en.html
This is a bootable Linux disk, with lots of tools
including ClamAV, the free antivirus system. It says it can deal with NTFS.
It uses "Captive", an NTFS driver that uses WINE to run the actual NTFS.SYS
driver from Windows! The latest version is less than a month old, so
hopefully the virus definitions are new enough without an update. There is
probably a way to grab the latest virus definitions from the Internet once
you are booted, however, since it auto-detects network hardware and can get
you on the Internet. It may well do it automatically.
When I set up my computer to dual-boot Windows 2000
and Linux, I chose FAT32 for the Win2K specifically because I wanted to be
able to do things like scan from the NAV CD. FAT, even FAT32, is
well-understood, by everyone; NTFS is kept a secret by Microsoft, and it's
complicated enough that it isn't completely understood yet. Linux does have
native NTFS drivers that are adequate for *reading* NTFS; *writing* is not
really working yet. (The latest driver can write a file in place, as long as
the length doesn't change, and that's actually pretty useful for some
purposes. You can, for example, put a huge disk image file on an NTFS file
system, and run Linux from inside the disk image, rather than putting Linux
in its own partition.)
-- Steve R. Hastings "Vita est" steve@hastings.org
http://www.blarg.net/~steveha
Interesting. Of course when all you have is
dialup and the only uninfected working machine is a TabletPC this is a bit
hard to do; next time I think I will look into what I carry in my travels
since you never know what you have to do...
=======================
Subject: Hidden folders and protected files in Windows
Me
Greetings,
I read of your difficulties with an annoying piece of
software that can't be found. I picked up a piece of drive-by adware last
year that kept resurrecting itself even after I had deleted it from the
Windows system folders and edited the registry.
I cleaned up my notes from my system logs and included
them below. It was on a Windows Me machine. Hope that this helps.
Daniel Suddarth
---------------------------------------------------
Hidden folders and protected files in Windows Me
In Windows there are some hidden folders that don't
show even if view hidden files is selected in Tools-Folder Options. These
appear to be system restore files that are still hidden.
In c:\_restore there are no sub-folders shown when
viewed with the normal file Explorer in GUI. However, if you go to a c:\
prompt and type "cd _restore\temp" the prompt will change and you can see a
few hundred files taking up megabytes of disk space.
Once you have the file names, you cannot just go to a
prompt and delete them. They're also protected so you can't simply change
attributes and delete them.
To delete the *.cpy files from the hidden directory of
c:\_restore\temp you will need to reboot the machine using a 98 boot disk.
Then you can delete them from the prompt. The DOS prompt running under
windows will not allow this.
We have a Windows 2000 system here and like
most, we don't seem to be able to locate a lot of the system disks and such
like. It is an older system.
=========================================
Subject: Bought the book.
Ordered your latest (and a few other books - I need an
Amazon detox).
Also, after reading your Windows troubles, I am
oh-so-glad I run Linux (Slackware 9.1 upgraded, behind a firewall, behind a
proxy, behind a router, behind crossed fingers and a rabbit's foot).
Clint
And Roland's solution is to buy Phil a Mac, or
failing that, convert the box to Linux. Alas, that's not a feasible option
in this case. But the temptation is strong, I agree.
I am sure someone opened a mail attachment, and the
rest of it followed. The moral of the story remains, don't open unexpected
mail attachments no matter who they seem to be from and no matter what they
promise.
==========================
Subject: Curiouser and curiouser
The surest way to stir up anti-Semitism is to engage
in a bona fide Zionist plot; I hope this isn't true, but I fear it is:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/08/27/eveningnews/main639143.shtml
If the Israelis have done actually this, they've
really shot themselves in the foot. One would've thought they'd learned
their lesson with Jonathan Pollard.
--- Roland Dobbins
Sharon's confidence knows no bounds; I am sure he
thinks it is his right to spy on America, and will be unable to understand
any resentment.
===========================
And apparently there is more to the story:
Subject: Pentagon Official Suspected of Giving U.S.
Secrets to Israel: Times
Hello, Jerry,
Interesting possibility, reported at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/28/politics/28spy.html?hp=&pagewanted=print&position=
"The espionage investigation has focused on an
official who works in the office of Douglas Feith, the under secretary of
defense for policy, officials who have been briefed about the investigation
said. The F.B.I. has gathered evidence that the official passed classified
policy documents to officials at the American Israel Public Affairs
Committee, a major pro-Israeli lobbying group, which in turn provided the
information to Israeli intelligence, the officials said."
and
"Before the war in Iraq, Mr. Feith created a special
intelligence unit that sought to build a case for Iraq's ties to Al Qaeda,
an effort that has since been heavily criticized by American intelligence
professionals as an effort to justify the war. "
As I recall, the neocon organization structure in the
Pentagon goes: Rumsfeld -> Wolfowitz -> Feith.
*
Furthermore, doesn't Steven Cambone work for Feith?
Cambone is the DoD official who sat at MG Taguba's elbow during
congressional hearings; Cambone, I think, is the civilian responsible for
military intelligence procedures.
Regards,
John Welch
I see I am going to have to do another essay on all
this.
And the Iraq war goes on, but the oil isn't being
pumped.
==================
Subject: tribal wisdom
The tribal wisdom of the Dakota Indians passed on from
generation to generation says that, "When you discover that you are riding a
dead horse the best strategy is to dismount."
However, in government, education, and in corporate
America, more advanced strategies are often employed including:
1. Buying a stronger whip.
2. Changing riders.
3. Appointing a committee to study the horse.
4. Arranging to visit other countries to see how other cultures ride horses.
5. Lowering the standards so that dead horses can be included.
6. Reclassifying the dead horse as living-impaired.
7. Hiring outside contractors to ride the dead horse.
8. Harnessing several dead horses together to increase speed.
9. Providing additional funding and/or training to increase dead horse's
performance.
10. Doing a productivity study to see if lighter riders would improve the
dead horse's performance.
11. Declaring that as the dead horse does not have to be fed it is less
costly, carries lower overhead and, therefore, contributes substantially
more to the bottom line of the economy than do some other horses.
12. Rewriting the expected performance requirements for all horses.
And of course, everyone's favorite:
13. Promoting the dead horse to a supervisory position
Ed (pshrink)
Or invade another country, quick...
But all the news isn't grim
The author, is a West Pointer. He is an armored
cav officer with a stryker unit. Notably, he was principle
author for stryker force utilization and strategy...now he finds himself
applying his own work product.
Week #9
Several weeks after I found out I would be joining 1-14CAV in Iraq I
happened, quite by chance, to run into a very old friend. Sergeant
First Class S. S. had served in my first tank platoon almost thirteen years
ago in the first Gulf War. We had not seen each other in ages, and
immediately slipped back into a comfortable camaraderie...like putting on a
favorite pair of shoes. He shared with me the beginnings of a story he
was writing for his adult children, which described his experience in Desert
Storm. I will admit I was inspired, and angry that I had not committed
my stories to paper back then. I became determined to do a better job
this time.
At the same time, I was finishing a science fiction
novel called The Two Space War, written by a retired Lieutenant Colonel
named Grossman, an expert in combat psychology. If I recall correctly,
he was a professor at West Point during the years I was there. The
book is a marginal piece of fiction, but contains some big ideas.
Among them is the notion that "pain shared is pain divided, and joy shared
is joy multiplied." Essentially, he contends that soldiers over the
ages have survived the emotional impact of their experiences in combat
through the art of story telling. As a result of both of these events,
I have kept a journal, and find the time to write this weekly update.
Given the positive feedback I have gotten from
unexpected quarters, and my ever expanding address book, it appears that
what started as random thoughts, has taken on a life of its own.
Somewhere in my years of education I learned that great writing serves both
to inform, and to delight - to educate and to entertain. I know that
before I left for Iraq, I was hugely frustrated with the news reports I got
from the national media. They never seemed to report the story, only
the statistics. While the news entertained, it failed to educate.
Out in the hinterlands of Iraq, we rarely saw headlines that related to our
activities. Now that we have moved into the city, and closer to the
media, our stories begin to match up with those that appear as blips on the
CNN ticker. While not pretending to produce great literature, I can at
least help inform.
Early in the week, an internet article reported "5
killed and dozens injured as a rocket detonated in a Mosul market place."
Yet another random killing in a culture that absorbs this kind of loss much
too easily. The rocket originated from a cemetery on the outskirts of
town. One of the disturbing places I described in my last letter. We
had a patrol working the area, about fifty yards from the rocket when it
launched. The 107mm rocket careened across the cityscape trailing a
smoky trail, much like a giant bottle rocket. The platoon quickly
secured the area, but found no one. The rocket had been propped up on
a sand bag inside a walled family crypt about ten yards on a side and about
two feet tall. All that remained was the black scorch marks on the
surrounding rocks, leading us to believe it was either remotely detonated or
set on a timer. Both are common practices. We received the report of
the launch at our command post about a minute before the casualty reports
from the market came flooding in. A million what if's run through the
minds of the platoon and the squadron staff...what if we had driven by
minutes earlier? Would we have spotted the insurgent? Could we have
destroyed the rocket? I prefer to ask the question, what if we were
not conducting patrols here at all? How many more victims in the city
markets? I find it disturbing that a group that claims to be fighting
a Holy War, violates the sanctity of what should be a protected place.
Caching arms and launching random terror attacks against the culture they
claim to be trying to save from western ideals.
Sadly, the attacks are not all against the Iraqi citizenry, although many
more are than I would have thought several months ago. My unit is well
equipped to survive most of what we face here. The Stryker has far
surpassed my expectations. But not all units are as lucky. The
logistics units that bravely face the Iraqi roads day in and day out are
mostly in vehicles designed to haul loads, and not face the rigors of
combat.
Yesterday, as we patrolled south of town, one of my
crewman, SPC R., broke the silence on the trucks intercom and asked if I
knew anything about a headline he had seen that morning. A report on
the CNN ticker read "one soldier killed and one wounded in Mosul."
Unfortunately, I knew more than I would have liked.
Late in the afternoon the day before, a radio call
came across the brigades command net. A logistics convoy had been
attacked entering the city and a truck was on fire, apparently the victim of
a roadside bomb (an improvised explosive devise or IED in army jargon).
The attack was in our part of the city and we immediately moved patrols to
the scene to secure the sight. One of our mortar platoons was on site
in several minutes, and began rendering aid to the convoy. A second
platoon arrived shortly after, and provided additional security. Both
of the crewman on the burning vehicle had been injured, one with lacerations
to the hand and the other with shrapnel to the shoulder. It became
clear that it would take longer to get a helicopter into the crowded city
street than it would be to evacuate the two by ground. They were loaded into
the mortar platoon's Strikers for the journey back to the field hospital
about nine kilometers away. As they raced off, our other platoon
fought off an RPG attack and continued to secure the ambush site. We learn
later that two children were injured in the attack as well.
Within twenty minutes of the first report, both
wounded soldiers were in the hospital. We were all pleased with the
operation, secure in the knowledge that we had met our obligation to never
leave a comrade behind. Our hopes were shattered an hour later when
the news came back that the soldier with the shoulder injury had died of
wounds. The command post was silent. Each lost in his thoughts,
wondering what if anything we could have done better, or faster. The
radio crackled, another attack, this time a mortar...back to business, the
time for remembering would have to wait.
SPC R. and the rest of the crew were quiet for several seconds after I
relayed the story to them. "Pain shared is pain divided." Raf broke
the silence once again. "Sir, I hope we can get one of those bastards
today." Me too R., me too.
That night in a dark neighborhood in the oldest part
of the city, young Americans snuck quietly into an Iraqi home. A
suspected bomb maker was snatched unceremoniously from his bed and dragged
into the night to face justice. One bastard down. "Joy shared is
Joy multiplied."
Joy can be dangerous. The Iraqis joy at their
victory in the soccer game against Cameroon being an notable example.
Our staff spends a fair amount of time watching the Olympic Games.
Within seconds of the games ending, the steady clatter of AK-47 fire filled
the night. We emptied out of the command post to view the night sky,
climbing on the protective bunkers for a better view of the cityscape.
Red and green tracers arched through the night, three four, seven rounds at
a time. Like a string of Disney fairies they rise in a graceful arch,
slowing to their zenith, accelerating on the downward trip. Winking out
before completing their decent. Flares occasionally accent the
display, bright man-made stars hanging in the air. Some claim to see the
sparkling trail of an RPG round. All are mesmerized in the childlike
fascination a fireworks display inevitably creates in adults. Until we
are jarred back into the reality that unlike fireworks, real munitions
continue in their deadly arc until they reach the ground. The metallic pings
of bullets striking our containers sends us scattering to the bunkers like
cockroaches when the refrigerator light comes on. Luckily, no soldiers
are injured; we have no way of knowing if the general populace is as
fortunate. All agree that beer is a much better way to celebrate a
sporting event. Sadly we have none, and the Iraqis have yet to find
the joys of a more civilized world.
All of this against the backdrop of America's
political fascination with Kerry's war record. I don't know what the
extent of his wounds were, or what his actions were that merited the bronze
and silver star. Nor do I really care, they have no relationship to
his ability to lead a nation. I do know that he parleyed them into an
opportunity to escape further service and avoid his responsibilities as a
military leader. I also know that every day I work with kids
made of much more heroic stuff. There are several soldiers in my unit
with multiple purple hearts. None have asked to go home. In fact most
are embarrassed to receive the award for what they consider minor scrapes.
Many more hide superficial injuries, embarrassed to go home and face fathers
or uncles or brothers who received "real wounds" in other wars. Some,
the unlucky ones that are evacuated back to Germany or the States often
fight to recover and return. One of our First Sergeants, unable to
consider leaving his boys until our time is served is back after three
months of convalescence. Some understand duty...others do not.
The week has provided much to contemplate. I am
certain of one thing. I am glad the fighting is being done here, in
this city, in this part of the world. The thought of a stray rocket
crashing into Alexandria's school yard, or a car bomb exploding as Mary
returns from work is more than I can stomach. Many of the details of
what we are up to remain classified for obvious reasons. Rest assured
that every day Iraqis, tired of the violence, come forward with information
that leads us to another vipers den.
Hope this finds you all well. The boys of
1-14CAV are doing great.
For a good source of news about the Stryker Brigade,
check out :
http://www.strykernews.com/ <
http://www.strykernews.com/ >
VR
M.
=======
Jerry :
Thanks for the response this AM. Sorry Stinger didn't
work - it tends to be about 80% effective in my experience when one has to
cobble together a response to an infected machine. Scant solace to the other
20%, I know.
I managed to get free from work and look at your
comments from today, and all I can say, is welcome to hotels and WiFi. It's
the latest flavour, touted widely as "free internet" on the hotel's banners,
and works roughly as well as you'd expect for a relatively delicate
technology run by people getting minimum wage plus a dollar or two.
Most hotels don't have dedicated IT personnel, but
either outsource it and/or saddle some youngish employee with the
responsibility of managing the system. The evenings, when the hotel system
will get the highest use, are when that putative employee or outsource
contractor is as available as a cup of good-tasting hotel coffee, and, quite
appropriately, are when the hotel system usually clogs up or crashes.
And on top of that, unlike hotels with Ethernet
connections (which require a switch set capable of one input per room for
the number of rooms in the hotel), a hotel with lowest-cost-bid-installation
WiFi loads up far too quickly, leading to crashes in the hotel system (for
which they have no one available to maintain adequately).
When you couple this with crashes in the cable modem
(most hotels are using cable systems because it fits in with their
television cable service for customers), or where the cable system hits a
throughput limit, then throttles back or sets off a "cool down period" for
exceeding bandwidth, well, boy howdy, you the hotel customer are SOL
(Simply-Out-of-Luck). The users in the hotel just fall out from the Internet
like bricks from a hod dropped aloft, and look out below.
I hit this about every other week in my travel. The
poor clerk at the front desk gets absolutely _walloped_ by all the business
travellers when the "fast internet" goes down, with the stereotypical
deer-in-the-headlights sort of look, and hotel management just blows it all
off. Until...
... someone like me gets to the hotel chain customer
service system and yells blue murder. When you stay in hotel a typical
fifteen to twenty days every single damn' month, predominately with
specifically one of the chains, you can get their attention pretty
effectively. Several e-mails and a call will concentrate the attention of
the chain's CSS boys 'n girls, and it directly impacts the customer
satisfaction index which determines management bonuses in a given hotel.
Suddenly, all of this becomes a big local management
issue. For about two days... They won't switch to a dedicated T1 sort of
system because the cable system (_not_ designed for _this_ load) is cheaper,
they _love_ the idea that there are no wires attached for the network, and
best of all, the customer who complained has probably moved on to another
"station" in the hotel chain.
Ain't travel grand ?
John
and
The often-seen poor performance in a WiFi subnet,
especially the connect-but-no-connectivity, is I believe mostly due to the
bottleneck in the subnet NAT. Not just the limited channel capability to the
access points. The subnet router also has a limited number of IP translation
slots for connections between LAN and WAN.
Especially cheaper units seem to have tables for on
the order of only hundreds of slots, which are quickly eaten up if a few
tens of users consume a few tens of connections each. It's hard to get hard
figures on the table size for consumer-grade routers.
Once the IP-translation table maxes out in the NAT
router, you get exactly the symptoms you report: no access to anything
upstream when the browser connection can't get a slot assigned for the
public IP.
Eventually, of course, unused slots time out and are
returned to the pool. This gives limited access for a time until the table
again becomes full. Frustrating short-period yo-yo....
A "busy" web page (frames plus images) can easily
consume ten or so concurrent connections in the same browser. A single user
who decides to run a p2p program can lock out everyone else in minutes.
WiFi deployers always underestimate usage
requirements....
You commented: > Disconnecting and reconnecting gets
similar experiences. A couple of tries before I can get an IP address, but
then no way to log on and thus nothing I can do with that address. I can't
actually go out and view web pages or get email.
Bo
Thanks. Instructive.
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