Photo of the Day: Enterprise E

USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E)

Heisenbug, Bohrbug, Mandelbug, Schroedinbug

You may have heard of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, the Bohr model for an atom or even ways to catch Schrödinger's cat. However, its unlikely that you have heard of the Heisenbug, Bohrbug, Schroedinbugs or Mandelbugs. For the geek, these funny names are actually unusual software bugs!

Heisenbug
The name may seem to rhyme well with Heisenberg, but the Heisenbug is actually "a bug that disappears or alters its behavior when one attempts to probe or isolate it." The Freenet Project describes a Heisenbug in certain Java virtual machines.

Bohrbug
The Bohrbug is a sort of antonym of the Heisenbug, as this bug does not disappear or alter its characteristics when it is researched.

Mandelbug
The Mandelbug, named after Benoit Mandelbrot (think Mandelbrot set), is a bug whose underlying causes are so complex and obscure as to make its behavior appear chaotic.

Schroedinbug
The Schroedinbug is a design or implementation bug in a program that doesn't manifest until someone reading source or using the program in an unusual way notices that it never should have worked, at which point the program promptly stops working for everybody until fixed. Here, an Office developer describes "stupid SQL tricks" to get rid of a "classic Schroedinbug."

Install IE 7 without Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA)

Steps on how to install Internet Explorer 7 (IE 7) without Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA).

1. Download the setup file from the IE 7 website (Direct link for Win XP SP 2 - IE7-WindowsXP-x86-enu.exe).
2. Extract the files (to a folder of your choice) inside the setup file using a program such as WinRAR.
3. Download iecustom.dll & normaliz.dll from here.
4. Replace the file iecustom.dll in the folder called "update" (inside the folder which you have extracted the contents of the setup file to.)
5. Run update.exe from within the "update" folder and choose to restart at a later time.
6. Copy normaliz.dll into your system32 directory (usually C:\Windows\System32\)
7. Run xmllitesetup.exe which is located in the "update" folder.
8. Restart your computer. After this is done, IE 7 is ready to use.

Note: the above steps worked for me.

If you run into into an error saying that normaliz.dll cannot be found by explorer.exe after the first reboot, do the following:
1. Goto Run (Windows_key + R on keyboard)
2. Type: ‘cmd’ and push enter. The command prompt window will then appear.
3. Type: ‘copy c:\normaliz.dll c:\windows\system32\normaliz.dll’ and hit enter.

Note: If you use Outlook or Outlook Rxpress and you can't use Windows update because you did not install WGA, you may be faced with a HTTP authentication error (0x800ccc32) with Outlook or Outlook Express. Read Microsoft Article and download WindowsXP-KB904942-v2-x86-ENU.exe for Windows XP.


Related: Install Windows Media Player 11 (WMP 11) without WGA. The process is much simpler. Also, if you are in the United States, and you install WMP 11 with URGE, you can get a 14-day trial with unlimited music downloads.

Norton 360 (beta)

Norton 360 (beta) (aka Project Genesis) key features:

• Virus detection and remediation
• Spyware detection and remediation
• Two-way silent firewall
• Intrusion prevention
• Vulnerability assessment

Currently, you can download the beta for free, but what happens after the beta terminates (probably Feb 07) will be your own problem. (The setup also recommends you to uninstall ZoneAlarm first).

Omnidrive

Omnidrive (currently in beta) is a storage platform of sorts. Sign up is currently free, with 1 Gb of space. I can say that the service is definitely better than what I have seen at box.net. One thing is also certain - the web interface is germane and exceedingly easy to use. Although the web interface only allows upload of 5 files at a time, users can also avail the Windows client, which makes uploading a breeze.

For some beta testing, I have uploaded some Vista wallpapers which I have downloaded from some sites. Check them out!

Flickr Photo of the Day: Can You Find Me in This Picture

Can You Find Me in This Picture, originally uploaded by Thomas Hawk.

Note: Thomas Hawk is a well known San Franciscan photographer and blogger. He is also the "Chief Evangelist" of Zooomr.com

Web Politics

(Click to enlarge the image above.) This is modern-day web politics (1.0, 2.0, 3.0, etc)... and its for real. (I checked it myself, but I don't know if it has been removed.) For the record, Magneto befriended Charles Xavier. Maybe these are the "bad things" on the web.

However, to quote one of my previous posts...

Moreover, the ease with which the internet spreads wrong-headedness–to say nothing of lies and slander–is offset by the ease with which it spreads insights and ideas. To regret the glorious fecundity of new media is to choose the hushed reverence of the cathedral over the din of the bazaar. (The Economist)

Web 2.0 Update: Microsoft's Photosyth has been hailed as a killer app. (The Technology Preview is out!)

Virtual Earth

Virtual Earth is simply awesome. If you computer has problems rendering, try this video which shows you a helicopter-like tour using Virtual Earth.


Anyway, I am still trying to find a way to install IE 7...