While I step away for a little while, enjoy this nice performance by Petteri Sariola. This guy blows me away. Hit YouTube for more clips of him in various places doing various things. Amazing. Enjoy!
Saturday, 30 July 2011
Thursday, 28 July 2011
Recommended reading:
http://feeds.4sysops.com/~r/4sysops/~3/1zE6FrBmHj0/
This is a great "part 2" article on Group Policy Loopback processing by Kyle Beckman at 4SysOps. The entire article set is a great resource for anyone who works with Active Directory Group Policy, even if you don't bother with loopback processing.
The best way to summarize loopback processing to someone that has no idea what Group Policy is, would be to say it's like an election ballot where the question reads: "Vote NO to not allow the disallowance of none of the nothings nobody never not wanted" It can be pretty twisted if you don't pace yourself on the way in. The best advice I can give anyone (if I'm permitted to give any advice of any kind) is that you shouldn't touch any Group Policy feature without first [A] reading up on it from as many sources as you can find, and [B] testing the behavior in a lab that mimicks your actual production environment.
I cannot stress [B] enough. Having a lab that is "sort of" like the production environment is fine for testing applications, Windows deployments, SCCM, SCOM, SQL, LDAP and so on, but for Group Policy testing it is not going to work. There is way too much involved with layering, merging, blocking, inheritance, WMI filtering, user vs computer, loopback processing, and so on. One small difference can change the course of the entire test. And with "tattooing" you can end up with a mistake that is very difficult to undo or reconfigure. A minimalist approach is the absolute best approach to implementing Group Policy.
With all this in mind, this article is a fantastic resource for wrapping your mind around one of the more terse aspects of Group Policy: loopback processing. Enjoy!
So maybe you find a need to call a URL from a WinPE or DaRT session (yes, I know, DaRT is a modified WinPE), but without IE or a browser you find it a challenge. Fear not. There are options at your disposal.
Option 1 is to install a light-weight browser into your WinPE bundle, like Bart’sPE did/does. Firefox is a fairly common choice for that, but if you can get another browser to do that you have that option.
Option 2 is to invoke the XMLHttp object via script. You can do that with VBscript since wscript/cscript components are part of WinPE and DaRT. The nice thing about this is with XMLhttp, you essentially have a browser but without the GUI. You call URL's and even fetch (i.e. "scrape") the return HTML results if needed (I do that a lot and may post some examples soon). A command-line browser, sort of.
Here’s an example of option 2 – calling an ASP page with parameters…
url = "http://myserver.domain.com/loginfo.asp?c=Workstation123&os=Windows7&ts=Enterprise32b"
On Error Resume Next
Set ohttp = CreateObject("Microsoft.XmlHttp")
oHttp.open "GET", url, False
If err.Number <> 0 Then
wscript.Echo "fail: unable to open remote URL for asset number!"
wscript.Echo "fail: error is " & err.Number & " / " & err.Description
Else
oHttp.send ""
textData = oHttp.responseText
wscript.echo "info: completed"
End If
If error-checking isn't your cup of tea (or Four Loco), you can leave off the code from line no.4 to the end. The meat of this is lines 2 and 3 actually. Just create the object instance and call the .open method. That boils down to just the following...
url = "http://myserver.domain.com/loginfo.asp?c=Workstation123&os=Windows7&ts=Enterprise32b"
Set ohttp = CreateObject("Microsoft.XmlHttp")
oHttp.open "GET", url, False
What is the most important thing that Business Management folks do not “get” about IT?
Agility
What is the most important thing that IT folks don’t “get” about Business Management?
Quantification
You could replace “Agility” with “Efficiency” but most IT folks have a very tough time having a full-on conversation about “Efficiency” with a room full of MBA suits.
You could replace “Quantification” with “Business Case”, but MBA suits have a different view of that term that IT folks.
In either case: one side knows what they want, but have a tough time communicating it in quantitative terms. the other side can show quantitative ideas all day, but can’t metaphorize it into tangible examples. How do you like that word, “metaphorize”? Ha! I claim it.
You can take a noun and make it a verb, like “man up!” and “Google it!”, so why not draw a metaphor by saying you will “metaphorize”? Why not? Anyhow…
IT folks innately “know” what it means to glue to heterogeneous data sources into a third new form that provides added value. They know what means to upgrade a software product or operating system to gain new features that save them effort and time, and allow them to pursue new automation practices previously difficult or impossible to consider. But if you ask them to quantify the savings or the gains they look like a deer in the headlights. I’m not talking about university-trained CIO types. I’m talking home-grown CTO and underlings.
MBA/CPA types know how to balance numbers. How to clearly point out income versus outgo. Revenue and expense. Profit. And they can break down revenue streams and expense allocations to see where the money “flows”. But if you ask them what value a new Active Directory scheme or a newer and more efficient database means to business efficiency and they will most likely think you just spoke Swahili in a Chinese restaurant.
Are there exceptions to this “rule”?
Absolutely! There are exceptions to almost every rule. There are fish that fly and cats that swim, so rules are always with their exceptions.
MBA types that started out in the trenches, before going to school, are the most valuable of all managerial types. They understand the world upon which they oversee. And IT folks that have gone to school to study business, marketing and finance are incredibly powerful assets for any IT operation. There are exceptions. But I’m talking about the majority. The status quo. The standard issue.
Bridge the gap.
Tuesday, 26 July 2011
Let me begin by saying this: I don’t care what operating system you use, or which one you think is superior (whatever that means), or “best”. I really don’t. It doesn’t matter. If my employer told me I was going to have to support a different OS product and still pay me the same (or more) I’d support it. It’s a tool. Like many people I know: it’s a tool. It’s not a religion. It’s not an organic treasure found in some island paradise. They don’t cure Cancer or solve world hunger. People do that. Computers are just another tool people use to solve these problems. Left alone and without any human interaction, they simply consume electricity and keep the room warm.
So, with that said, some folks are still on the fence (as it were) about justifying or rationalizing the upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7.
Personally, I believe firmly that from a technological, economic and operational aspect, Windows 7 is the better choice (over XP), but there are four common reasons given for why others avoid jumping on the bandwagon:
“My peripherals don’t have Windows 7 drivers”
Ok, if you have the budget to buy newer peripherals, do it. Not just because it’ll provide newer drivers, it will, but also because it’ll give you a tool with an additional lifespan, greater features (usually), and they look better as well. Let’s face it: older products often look ugly and stupid.
Part of me says: “that’s not Microsoft’s fault, that’s the half-assed vendor’s fault” and that you should either dump it and buy a newer product, or buy from a different vendor. Another part of me says: “I understand that you can’t afford the impact on your budget to replace all your non-compliant peripherals”. I see both sides. But when I hear people blast Microsoft about it, as if it was their fault, not the peripheral vendors’ fault, well, I get pissed and start grinding my teeth. Why?…
First off, vendors were given WAY more time to test Windows 7 with their products than even TechNet and MSDN members were. They were given the earliest “alpha” and “beta” builds, and access to WHQL support and direct access to developers and premier support personnel. This was true for Windows Vista as well. Microsoft also told all of the vendors that driver-signing was coming down the pike and to get ready for it. They started that with Windows XP Service Pack 2, but did most vendors pay attention? No. So when Vista turned on the signing-check and some drivers squalked, customers got pissy and started whining. This is no different than if I told you that next year I was going to change my web site on a specific date and when you didn’t respond on the date you blame me, instead of admitting to being a complete worthless dumbass dipshit.
So, some vendors responded by saying “we can’t afford to go back and retrofit drivers for legacy products”, which is a valid claim. House builders don’t go back and change out rafters on all the past houses they built unless it’s tied to a fault in the construction. Just because a newer model or material becomes standard doesn’t mandate they retrofit the masses already in use. So for that I have to agree with the vendors.
BUT – for the drivers they delivered since the they were informed – they have no excuse whatsoever. None. Zero. Zip. Nada. The only excuse that works is “we are lazy, dumb and stupid and are ripping you, the consumer, off.”
“My Applications don’t work on Windows 7”
Much of the same rationale I provided above applies here as well. However, unlike driver compatibility issues, MOST applications can be made to work on Windows 7. Whether by using “compatibility mode”, or making shims with ACT 5, or just running them in Embedded XP, they usually work. Not always, and yes I know of some specific examples that won’t work, but of the 2,000 applications I’ve been in close contact with as part of my job, most of them work fine without any modifications, and of those that won’t run “as-is”, more than half work when using the available (and free) tools to shoehorn them into Windows 7 happiness.
“My Computer doesn’t have enough RAM”
Budget. Pure and simple. If the hardware won’t accept more RAM, you bought the wrong hardware. Period. You failed to plan ahead and heed the obvious writing on the wall that most IT managers have followed for the past ten years. So if you had your head in the sand and now are stuck with hardware that can’t use more than 1 GB of RAM, you fucked up.
If your hardware CAN accept more RAM but you can’t afford to buy it, you have other issues to consider.
- Is it because the overall financial health of your company is in the toilet?
- Is it because IT is a low priority in the grand financial scheme of your managers?
- Is it because you just don’t care about making users more efficient and flexible?
- Is it because there is not business incentive to completing work in less time?
I’ve seen all of these (and more). If you fall into the first two, you should seriously consider finding a new employer…. NOW. If you fall into the latter two, start drinking or consuming drugs heavily and you won’t even think about what a mess you are creating for the idea of “work ethic” and “American dream” stuff. Go ahead. Crystal Meth, Crack, Heroin, Gasoline, Bug Spray, whatever rocks your world. Maybe your replacement will want to pursue a more progressive strategy.
“One of our in-house apps (or web apps) doesn’t work with IE8”
Meet with the developers and see what they can do to make their shitty-ass crappy code work like it should. Seriously folks, this is 2011, THERE IS NO F__KING REASON WHY A WEB APP SHOULD CARE WHAT BROWSER IS BEING USED. If they refuse to meet you half-way, beat the living shit out of them. If any “web developer” looks at you, and with a straight face, says that you must use Chrome, or Firefox, or IE, or whatever, or the app won’t work, do this…
Sit them down, lean in real close, lower your brow and squint. Then in a calm, low voice, say the following: “Either you make it work with any browser, or I’m going to break my entire leg off in your ass and beat you like a wild dog in a Korean refuge camp.” Don’t blink. It adds that extra effect.
If that doesn’t achieve the desired result, you can hire ANY 16 year old web developer and they will have no trouble at all making you a spiffy, Web 2.0, AJAX/JQUERY kick-ass site with groovy graphics and they usually dress with more flair, so don’t discount the entertainment factor in that.
Summary
It never stops amazing me that IT professionals, of all people in this world, are often the most resistent to “change”, when “change” is an inherent part of the “T” in “IT”. “Technology” is not buggies and donkeys, it’s trucks, high-speed rail, ships and jet aircraft. “Technology” is not rubbing sticks together, it’s using a portable lighter, blow torch or electric arc. Get with the program or find another career. Change is always coming. Always. ALWAYS. Shoving your head in the sand is failure. Facing down the changes and grabbing them by the horns is not only good for business, it’s good for YOU. Yes. YOU. Your skills. Your resume. Your career options. They all benefit with each new thing you grab, control and conquer.
If you can’t afford to upgrade, but you want to, then find a way. Beg, borrow or barter. Cut something useless and reallocate the funds to make it happen. Shit, my son’s baseball team raised almost $1,000 doing a 3-hour car wash. What’s stopping you?
You want to upgrade, but your employer poo-poo’s it as unnecessary? Quit. There are a shitload of IT jobs floating around right now (it’s really weird too). Don’t’ waste your time trying to educate thick-headed MBA suits who’d rather beat-off to balance sheets than hear your propeller-head ideas for streamlining information sharing.
Maybe you just personally don’t want to upgrade. You’re putting your head in the sand. You’re fighting change. Maybe you chose the wrong career. You should be an insurance agent, a parking lot attendant, or pet groomer. There’s nothing wrong with any of those options; I’m just making suggestions. You’d rather keep your foot on the brakes than on the gas pedal, when IT is all about time trials and fast and efficient pit stops. Think it over.
Conclusion
Yes, I know this is redundant with “summary” but who cares. When I get paid for writing I’ll start caring. Right now I don’t, so what. The final point here is that you really need to sit down and face the true reasons why you are refusing, avoiding or deferring an upgrade for your company. Who wants it? Who doesn’t? And jot down the “why” answers for each side. Then ask yourself what would be best for your company, your business, your competitiveness, and your future. Just don’t forget that Windows 8 is just around the corner.
(PS: None of the people in that picture above have a clue about IT)
Sunday, 24 July 2011
Some features I am still a bit surprised were not in the initial release of Google Plus. I’m guessing they will be added in the near future (not soon enough, in my opinion. speed is of the essence):
- Post to Twitter so that shortened URL ties back to Google+ post (traffic vortex, duh)
- Post messages and photos to G+ without the need for a dedicated app (like Blogger can do already)
- More integration with Google Calendar, Reader and Gmail (as a bare minimum - I’d like to see all of the Google assets merged or linked more cohesively)
Don’t get me wrong, I love G+ (so far). I was on Facebook when it first went public (a week before that you had to have a .edu email address to join). At that time, only people 25 and older had any interest in it. The younger crowd all loudly proclaimed MySpace was cooler at that time and Facebook was dull and boring. In 2008, Facebook added schlock garbage (redundant terms, I know) like Games, Ads, Events and Surveys, and the crowds went wild (and stupid).
I could go on and list my current gripes and annoyances, but why bother? Others have already begun that effort and I don’t feel like reinventing any wheels. I have to assume that Google will address those in due time. The microscope is already on them to see how they fare against Facebook and anyone else that decides to crash the party (Microsoft?). We shall see.
Saturday, 23 July 2011
Some meaningless trivia about myself…
- I love a good lightning storm. The louder and brighter the better
- I love the smell of JP-5 and Diesel engines
- I’ve been stabbed and shot (at separate times, thankfully) both times by accident by people I knew very well
- I’ve been bitten by Brown Recluse spiders on 4 occasions (I thought 5, but my doctor corrected me)
- I’ve had acute Salmonella
- I stood atop the World Trade Center towers in 1986, and again in 1990
- I saw Fred Gwynn in a bar in lower East side of Manhattan
- I remember certain numbers forever:
- Every phone number my parents had from 1970 to 1997
- The serial number of my first bicycle in 1972 (N457110113)
- I still remember my dad’s SSN (he passed away in 1987)
- I can recite certain things from memory that have zero value:
- The chemical formula for Agent Orange
- The Greek alphabet
- The first programming language I experienced was QBASIC
- The first programming language I was paid to use was LISP
- I don’t have a favorite food, color, musician, music style, movie or author
- I can roll my tongue, move my ears and my nostrils (without my hands)
- I saw two extra-large women with shaved heads walking through a Wal-Mart at midnight, attached to each other by a small chain connected to their nose piercings
- I was in the delivery room for the births of all four of our children
- My favorite beers are Ales, Bocks, Stouts, IPAs
- I don’t like Pilsners, Lagers or any “Lite” beers
- I once watched a man perform “I love Mickey Mouse” in the Times Square subway station at 1:00 AM wearing pajamas and playing a Casio organ with jingle bells on his feet
- I saw a car explode with a man inside and the firemen could only wait until it finished burning
- I saw a tail engine fall off a passenger jet as it rolled down the runway (nobody was hurt)
- I was knocked down in an airport by a runaway St. Bernard when I was 10
- I’ve been “run over” by a moped
- I’ve been hit by a speeding limo on 7th Avenue in NYC (only scratched up a bit)
- I saw a judge laugh at a cop in the court room after seeing the evidence she carried in
- A dog I once had fell over while trying to urinate
- I had a cat that used to crawl up on top of a bush and sleep there all day
- I’ve watched a snake eat a frog
- I’m a carrier for Group “A” Streptococcus. I rarely show symptoms when I have it, even while those around me don’t appreciate that very much. If anyone in my family gets Strep Throat, I also get treated.
- I’ve watched a Hawk carry away a rabbit
- My childhood friend Mark and I were the first in line to see the first Star Wars movie on opening day at the old Newmarket North mall in Newport News. We cashed-in aluminum cans to pay for the tickets.
- I pronounce “S” sounds incorrectly due to a combination of years of boxing and a nasty car accident in 1981. I’ve been trying to correct it ever since.
- I held the high score on Defenders at the “Time Out” arcade in Newmarket North Mall for an entire week back in 1978
- I once puked all over a Navy officer in full uniform and he didn’t get mad
- I’ve had 16 cavities filled in my dental history. The first 8 were without Novocain (because at the time I was afraid of needles. now I love them)
- I’ve had my genitals handled and examined by four female medical professionals in the same day. None of them laughed. None of them offered up phone numbers either.
- I’ve done courses of the following antibiotics in my lifetime (many were more than once): Penicillin, Amoxicillin, Tetracycline, Erythromycin, Azithromycin, Keflex, Ampicillin, Augmentin, Doxycycline, Ciprofloxacin, and Clarithromycin
- I was part of the original drug trial for Accutane®
- Up until the 2nd grade, I wrote with both hands. Then my teacher harassed me to pick one side and forget the other, saying that continuing on ambidextrous would cause learning problems later on. I had learning problems anyway.
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Aside from boxing and martial arts, I’ve been punched in the face at least three times in the past 30 years.
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I was once interrogated by three police officers who repeatedly asked me: “Tell us about the candy canes!” to which I kept laughing (I had no clue what it was about). Luckily, they didn’t beat me up, they let me go.
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