Pure magic: rebooting  Tags: Windows, computers.
So you got a really weird problem, every diagnostic you run is positive but the function just won't work. You tried about everything there is to try, but the mad girlfriend bug persists.

I had this today with the sound on my mother's laptop. The sound device was enabled, working fine it said, the Windows Audio service was started, the volume was at 80% and not muted, and it even showed the volume on the volume bar when it was supposed to play.

Movies  Tags: real life, randomthought.
I went to Mission Impossible 4 with some others lately, more for their sake than because I wanted to see the movie. I knew it was going to be some standard action movie without plot or thought behind it. And indeed, there weren't ever 2 minutes in a row where I hadn't thought "Oh come on, things don't work like that". Of course that's why it's a movie, but there is a difference between a plain stupid action and thought-trough impossibilities. I'm still trying to find a good way to explain this, but

EICAR  Tags: security, my server.
The EICAR test file [is a file] to test the response of computer antivirus (AV) programs. The rationale behind it is to allow [you] to test [AV software] without having to use a real computer virus that could cause actual damage should the AV not respond correctly. (From wikipedia.org). Also it's often much easier to create an EICAR file than find real malware.

Do not ever put this file on your domain. You'll be banned from the web by companies like Bitdefender. They'll detect

Authorative technology  Tags: computers.
This is a translation from a Dutch opinion article by Christian Jongeneel, published in 'De Ingenieur' (The Engineer) on October 28th 2011.

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Once, I owned an Apple IIcx, a payment in kind of a befriended editorial, who had purchased a new one. Back then you were tied to an Apple if you wanted to design a magazine. I used it for my volunteersmagazine. It was a nice machine, it came with a big screen, which I could júst lift on my own.

Just like my PC the Apple crashed regularly.

Why Facebook works  Tags: social networks, privacy, websites, randomthought.
I finally got it! The reason why Facebook still exists and rules over all other social networks.
Many people say Facebook has privacy issues. But it are not issues, not at all. It is their business model and, more importantly, their marketing model. People come to Facebook at first to find out about other people. Or let's call "people" Joe. Through their name Joe finds where the person lives, his/her relationship status, and even recent photos.

Then, Joe want to reply to that photo or event the person went to, perhaps Joe was there too or wanted to go there.