GeekLimit

If you have been working in iT for a few years and have not come across a virus outbreak, then you have probably spent most of the time surfing the Internet or not been good enough to notice what was going on! In the organization I have worked with over the last 5 years, we have only had two major virus outbreaks, Zotob and Sasser.

Sasser kind of caught us with out pants down and all hell was let loose as we realized we had to rapidly patch over 100,000 PCs with Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 before we could then apply the correct Microsoft security patches to halt the virus outbreak. Zotob was the same – but we were prepared and the infection was not so bad.

As a Remote Support Specialist, I was called into action to provide as much remote resolution as possible before we had to pull field engineers to sites to manually patch and clean PCs. I have listed five things that we employed to manage the workload, slow the spread of the virus and eventually keep it all under control.

1. Shutdown

When we were hit with the Zotob virus and everyone’s PCs started shutting themselves down after a few minutes, we initially thought we were hard pressed to find a remote solution. We examined the timing of the event and determined that the login script ran before this event took place. All of our users had the SMS.BAT login script as part of their login process and therefore we decided to use the SHUTDOWN.EXE file from within that login script to stop the PCs from being switched off.

SHUTDOWN -a

This command will abort any shutdown process that is running. If you action this at the right time, then the shutdown process cannot continue. In our case, the SHUTDOWN.EXE was copied to the NETLOGON share on the server and run from there.

2. Lockdown Ports

To stop Zotob from traversing networks and sites, we took the decision to block the relevant TCP and UDP ports on the routers. In the case of Zotob, this was port 445. However, this did have a knock on effect that some sites were affected by being unable to access network printers and server shares – but this is not as important compared to total network meltdown! The ports were kept locked off for over two weeks in the end before we were happy that the infection had come under our control.

3. Payment

Servers were also affected by infection. Upgrading servers to new service packs before being able to patch them with the relevant security fix from Microsoft was a real no-no idea considering there were over 5000 servers in existence on the network, all running different processes, all slightly different – but all running an out of date service pack. In the end, we went “cap in hand” to Microsoft who supplied us with a copy of the relevant patch that would protect the servers. Of course – this was not free. I did hear the sum paid for this special fix – and it was a 5 figure number! Sometimes it is worth paying for these things rather than putting your servers at the mercy of rapid Service Pack upgrades.

4. Remote Resolution

As part of the Remote Resolution team, it came to us to develop and deploy a rapid fix for the situation we now saw ourselves in. We had a mixture of clients. Desktops and laptops on the network and remote desktop and laptop users too. We needed to apply patches and fixes to them all – and fast. We developed a fix methodology for the networked clients as follows:

1. Kill the running virus processes on the remote PC using PSKILL.EXE – mainly to stop the CPU maxing at 100% so step 2 was easier.
2. Gain remote access to the PC using Dameware.
3. Use RunAs to launch an Internet Explorer window as a local admin account (shift right click Internet Explorer, choose Run As).
4. Download the latest service pack from the local server or intranet site.
5. Download the relevant patches and virus clean utilities.
6. Run the service pack upgrade, reboot and log on as local admin.
7. Repeat step 1 again.
8. Install the relevant patches and reboot.
9. Repeat step 1 again.
10. Clean the PCs using supplied cleaning tools from Symantec.

In the end we also found we were able to remotely update the Symantec Anti Virus definition files by copying the installation file to the PC and running it silently in the background using the /S switch. The Symantec clean utilities could also be run silently too if need be. This aided our ability to capture and quarantine the virus whilst we worked on the patching process.
5. CD distribution.

For customers whose PCs were not attached to the network, we developed a CD that would autorun, log on as a local admin or promote the current user and then upgrade, patch and clean the PC. This was not perfect as it had to be developed for various different PC types and builds – but it worked. We had to mail the CD out with instructions and quite a few calls were raised from issues the CDs created – but it was expected not to run perfectly.

Conclusion:

I cannot stress enough the role of the Remote Resolution teams had in controlling the outbreak. Managing the tasks using automation scripts and batch files meant that we had the fixes and were able to apply them quickly without much impact on our other workload. The correct documentation of the processes also provided to the 1st line helpdesk staff with the ability to fix them too.

What is the future of free culture? This fascinating documentary about the invisible war on free culture features perspectives from such luminaries as DJ Danger Mouse, Lawrence Lessig, Richard Stallman, and many others

While the U.S. Congress changes the copyright laws under the behests of a few powerful corporations, individuals across the United States are losing their digital rights. Activists are working together to change this oppressive regime and create an alternative of freedom.

Two filmmakers uncover the most important legal battles of our time: Copyright Law and Digital Rights Management. Featuring interviews with DJ Danger Mouse, Lawrence Lessig and more.

This movie is as said based on the U.S. political climate but losing digital rights can be happen anywhere. Let’s hope this movie will be shown outside the U.S. also.

This is very strange. One of the places I usually look for feedbacks on movies, including documentaries, is the IMDB site. So I opened their site did a serach on Alternative Freedom title and came up with no results … strange. I think a movie such as this should be scoring above 7 on IMDB ratings.

As far as I understood the movie is licensed under CC Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5, so downloading this movie via torrent should be legal. But as of now I wasn’t able to find it anywhere on famous torrent search portals. The DVD version should also be soon available.

More info, news, links can be found on Alternative Freedom website

Don’t get stuck with one solution – use what suits you the most.

Linux is an operating system that was initially created as a hobby by a young student, Linus Torvalds, at the University of Helsinki in Finland. Linus had an interest in Minix, a small UNIX system, and decided to develop a system that exceeded the Minix standards. He began his work in 1991 when he released version 0.02 and worked steadily until 1994 when version 1.0 of the Linux Kernel was released. The kernel, at the heart of all Linux systems, is developed and released under the GNU General Public License and its source code is freely available to everyone. It is this kernel that forms the base around which a Linux operating system is developed. There are now literally hundreds of companies and organisations and an equal number of individuals that have released their own versions of operating systems based on the Linux kernel.

Apart from the fact that it’s freely distributed, Linux’s functionality, adaptability and robustness, has made it the main alternative for proprietary Unix and Microsoft operating systems. IBM, Hewlett-Packard and other giants of the computing world have embraced Linux and support its ongoing development. More than a decade after its initial release, Linux is being adopted worldwide as a server platform primarily. Its use as a home and office desktop operating system is also on the rise. The operating system can also be incorporated directly into microchips in a process called “embedding” and is increasingly being used this way in appliances and devices.

Throughout most of the 1990’s, tech pundits, largely unaware of Linux’s potential, dismissed it as a computer hobbyist project, unsuitable for the general public’s computing needs. Through the efforts of developers of desktop management systems such as KDE and GNOME, office suite project OpenOffice and the Mozilla web browser project, to name only a few, there are now a wide range of applications that run on Linux and it can be used by anyone regardless of his/her knowledge of computers. Those curious to see the capabilities of Linux can download a live CD version of Knoppix, SUSE or Ubuntu and venture out. It comes with everything you might need to carry out day-to-day tasks on the computer and it needs no installation. It will run from a CD in a computer capable of booting from the CD drive. Those choosing to continue using Linux can find a variety of versions or “distributions” of Linux that are easy to install, configure and use.

Distribution
Although Linux is originally the kernel created by Linus, it does not function as an OS generally available with only the kernel. To function as an OS, various software applications must be combined with the kernel. Thus, the combination of the kernel and some application software supporting it for use as an OS is called a “distribution”.

Types of distribution
A number of application software programs as well as the kernel is needed to run as an OS, but software applications necessary depend on the specific purpose of use or policy. This is the difference of distributions, so there are many distributions. Popular mainstream distributions are mentioned below, both Unix based and Linux based, but do note that not all of them are free to download and use.

Some of the most famous and accepted distributions are:

Debian

Debian GNU/Linux is a free distribution of the Linux based operating system. It is maintained and updated through the work of many users who volunteer their time and effort. Along with its large selection of pre-packaged software is contains advanced package management tools that allow for easy installation and maintenance on individual systems and workstation clusters. Extensive pre-release testing is done to ensure the highest degree of reliability possible, and a publicly accessible bug tracking system provides an easy way to monitor customer feedback. Debian supports Intel compatible, PPC, Alpha, Sparc, Other, Mainframe, m68k, 64bit processors. However you can download just over a hundred megabytes from the internet burn it on a CD and install all the software you need from the Debian ftp servers.

Knoppix

Full-featured Linux distribution that boots from a CD/DVD. Includes the latest version of KDE and OpenOffice.org. Can be used to work from Linux on PCs without actually installing it, so it is ideal for demonstrations of Linux. Knoppix is based on Debian and supports Intel compatible processor based computers. Perhaps this is the best LiveCD/DVD out there.

Gentoo

Gentoo Linux is designed for the developer, power user and enthusiast. It incorporates the latest sources and technologies. Developed by Gentoo Technologies, Inc the OS supports platforms built on Intel compatible, PPC, Alpha, Sparc, 64 bit processors.

Mandriva

Mandriva Linux is a powerful operating system that is available for many platforms: 32 bit processors such as Intel Pentium, AMD Athlon, PowerPC; and 64 bit processors such as Intel Pentium D, Itanium and AMD Opteron. Mandriva Linux includes many graphical administration assistants & wizards that make it intuitive and fun to use while providing all the power and robustness of other Linux systems. Hundreds of included applications make it an ideal solution for both professional and home users.

RedHat | Fedora Core

Red Hat Enterprise Linux is a high-end Linux distribution geared toward businesses with mission-critical needs. it supports most of the processors available in the market today but the OS is not free. The Fedora Project is a Red-Hat-sponsored and community-supported open source project. It is also a proving ground for new technology that may eventually make its way into Red Hat products. It is not a supported product of Red Hat, Inc.

Slackware

Slackware Linux by Patrick Volkerding is an advanced Linux operating system, designed with the twin goals of ease of use and stability as top priorities. Including the latest popular software while retaining a sense of tradition, providing simplicity and ease of use alongside flexibility and power. Slackware Linux provides new and experienced users alike with a fully-featured system, equipped to serve in any capacity from desktop workstation to machine-room server.

SuSE

Both SuSE and Novell supports platforms based on the Intel compatible, PPC, Alpha, Sparc, Itanium, and other mainframe processors including 64 bit processors. SuSE, now a subsidiary of Novell, produces one of the most popular mainstream Linux distributions. And this one is my favourite distribution.

Linspire

Linspire is a full-featured computer operating system designed for desktop and laptop computers. Based on Debian Linux, Linspire provides a powerful, stable, almost virus-free computing experience, yet is incredibly easy-to-use. Bundled software includes a Microsoft Office file-compatible office suite, a powerful Internet and email suite, complete music and photo programs, media players for viewing animation and videos, and much more.

Ubuntu

Ubuntu is a complete Linux-based operating system, freely available with both community and professional support. It is developed by a large community. The Ubuntu community is built on the ideas enshrined in the Ubuntu Philosophy: that software should be available free of charge, that software tools should be usable by people in their local language and despite any disabilities, and that people should have the freedom to customise and alter their software in whatever way they see fit. There are also other versiions known as Kubuntu, Xubuntu and Edubuntu, which sport KDE and XFCE desktop environments, instead of GNOME, and the last one being targetted towards educational sector.

Conclusion

As shown above, there is a great variety of distributions. Since their software can be installed and deleted individually after installation, it is possible to make similar environments whichever you select.

Source: linux.com

‘Good news, everyone!’  Futurama is back.  And no, this is not a look into the WhatIf machine.

The original cast members of Futurama are returning to make 13 new episodes of Futurama, scheduled to air on Comedy Central for 2008. Katey Sagal, the voice of ‘Turanga Leela’, told Craig Ferguson of The Late Late Show that all of the original actors had returned for another 13 episodes (1 season), and that they would be airing on Comedy Central.
Don Kaplan, a columnist for the New York Post Online Edition, was able to verify that the show is indeed coming back after a four-year deep freeze. Kaplan’s sources cited the show’s popularity on Adult Swim and strong DVD sales to its return.  It should be noted this was the same reason for the return of Family Guy, which continues to have a strong following and new episodes after halting production in 2002, only to return to prime-time television in 2005.

John DiMaggio, the voice of ‘Bender’, commented on a story at TV Squad:

Hey, everyone. I’m John DiMaggio, I’m the voice of Bender on the show, and yes it’s true: WE’RE COMING BACK! Billy, Katey, Maurice, and myself (as well as the other cast members) are looking forward to (mid-to-late) July to start getting into the studio and record new episodes. Thanks for all the support and digging the show all these years! Bite my shiny metal ass!! And I’m out!!!!!!!!

I’ve seen every episode of this show, and catch the reruns on Adult Swim on Comedy Central.  If you’ve never seen Futurama, you owe it to yourself to check it out, not only for the entertaining storylines, but the layers on layers of hidden meaning, which just add to the hilarity.

Here we are, my last XHTML/CSS tutorial. To recap, we’ve moved from cave-painting HTML to flying-car XHTML. Then we learned how to dynamically style our XHTML with CSS. Then we found out how to style any little element we wanted using div, span, id and class. Now we’re going to grab those elements by their div handles and throw them around like a whacked-out rock star in a four-star hotel.

When you’re done with this tutorial, you’ll be able to lay out and style any site your imagination can dream up. (a litle graphic design skill helps here)

Let’s look at a demo page. This one is going to be slightly different than the demo page we used in the previous tutorials, because I want to really show what CSS positioning can do. Here is the XHTML:

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC “-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN” “http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd”>
<HTML xmlns=”http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml” lang=”en” xml:lang=”en”>
<head>
<meta HTTP-equiv=”Content-Type” content=”text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1″ />
<title>Hello World!</title>
</head>
<body>

<div id=”title”>
<h1>Hello World!</h1>
</div>

<div id=”logo”>
<img xsrc=”http://www.blog.geeklimit.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/06/css-interstate.png” mce_src=”http://www.blog.geeklimit.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/06/css-interstate.png” alt=”logo” />
</div>

<div id=”main”>
<h2>Welcome to my site!</h2>
<p>
This is my page. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
</p>
</div>

<div id=”sidebar”>
<h2 class=”sidebar_title”>About</h2>
<p>
This is the site I made to demo CSS positioning.
</p>
<h2 class=”sidebar_title”>Links</h2>
<p>
<a xhref=”http://www.geeklimit.com” mce_href=”http://www.geeklimit.com” class=”sidebar_links”>GeekLimit</a><br />
<a xhref=”http://www.wc3.org” mce_href=”http://www.wc3.org” class=”sidebar_links”>W3C</a>
</p>

</body>
</html>

…and here is the CSS, as it is now. Not that I have changed the backgrounds of my different div’s to gray so I can see how the XHTML’s box model is laid out. This will come in handy in a moment:

/* Text Styling */

body {
color: white;
background-color: black;
margin: 0px;
}

#title {
background-color: gray;
}

#logo {
background-color: gray;
}

#main {
background-color: gray;
}

#sidebar {
background-color: gray;
}

h1 {
color: yellow;
border-bottom-color: yellow;
border-bottom-width: thick;
border-bottom-style: dashed;
padding-bottom: 10px;
}

h2 {
text-decoration: underline;
}

h2.sidebar_title {
color: yellow;
border-bottom-color: yellow;
border-bottom-width: thin;
}

a.sidebar_links {
color: yellow;
text-decoration: none;
}

This makes a page that looks like:

Okay, not bad, but you can see that we need some help with the alignment. (also not that I took the screenshot before I made the title background gray. Just imagine it looks like the others.)

CSS Spacing

First of all, before we start resizing things, we need to decide what we want. I’ll hop into photoshop and make a crappy box diagram of what I want my text/images to do:

A few things to note:

• all boxes have 6px between them
• all boxes have 6 px on the inside, to keep text off of the borders
• the header and main boxes will expand to fit the screen
• the header is 100px tall
• the sidebar is on the right, and is 200px wide
• the logo is covering the intersection of all 3 boxes

OK, now that I know what I want to do, I need to figure out all of the coordinates I need to draw the boxes.

Margins and Padding

If you’ve ever made an HTML table, you know about margins and padding. Think of them this way: you’ve got your kitchen table. That’s the web page. You’ve got a few boxes. Those are your XHTML elements. And you’ve got a few items. This is your text, images, etc.

Think of margins as the distance between the boxes. Think of padding as the distance between an item and the inside wall of its box. Simple, right?

OK, so back to our page, I’ve decided that I’m going to use the top-right corner of the page as my reference point. All of the elements on the page (the boxes) will be defined as starting xx pixels to the left of that point, and yy pixels down from that point. It’s important to note that we are defining the top-left corner position of the boxes.

Let’s define the title box first, and you’ll see what I mean:

The title box

I don’t need to specify much here. The title box is touching the top, left and right of the browser window, so I can fix that by changing #title to:

#title {
background-color: gray;
margin: 6px;
padding: 6px;
height: 100px;
}

There. The title box has the appropriate space between it and the browser window, and the text in the title box has the appropriate space between it and the walls of the title box. Such is margins and padding. (Also, the title box is now the correct height.)

The main text box

For my main text box, I know I’m going to have a problem. I need to to be expandable so that my page stretches across the whole screen, just like my title bar. But I also need to make sure that the right side of the box has enough room for the sidebar. How much room? Well, the sidebar is 6px from the right side, is 200px wide, and has 6px of space between it and the ‘main’ box. So that’s 212px of padding I need open to the right of the main text at all times. Easy enough, I’ll just tell the main text to have 6px padding like everyone else, and then tell it to have a 212px right padding:

#main {
margin: 6px;
padding: 6px 212px 6px 6px;
}

note: this is called shorthand. Basically, you specify ‘padding: 6px 212px 6px 6px’ instead of multiple lines saying ‘left-padding, etc.’. Just make sure you go to the W3C site and double-check that your numbers are in the correct order! (clockwise, starting at the top)

The logo

Here is where positioning gets really cool. Not only can you move elements around, you can place them on top of each other. My logo is 100px by 100px, so I’m going to make the box it’s in the same size. While I’m at it, I’m going to get rid of this box’s background color. And here is the setting that will knock your socks off: absolute positioning!

Sounds boring, I know, but it’s not! This setting allows me to grab any box and throw it anywhere on the page, as if it were on a transparency sheet. With this, we can put the box wherever we want, and not disturb the rest of the page.

The exact middle of the intersection is 109px down, and 209px from the right of the screen. To finish the CSS for the logo, we need to center the image on it. The top of the image needs to be 59px down (109px down to the intersection – (100px image height / 2). The right of the image needs to be 159px in (209px to the right – (100px image width / 2).

The image is now centered on the intersection. I’ll add a property called a ‘z-index’ to make sure that the logo never gets a box on top of it. (The ‘z-index’ specifies which box gets to go on top of each other when you have multiple boxes by using a score up to 99, with 99 being the highest)

#logo {
width: 100px;
height: 100px;
position: absolute;
top: 59px;
right: 159px;
z-index: 99;
}

The sidebar

Since we’ve already resized boxes and have done absolute positioning, the sidebar is a snap. Just combine the properties of the main and logo boxes, and change accordingly.

#sidebar {
background-color: green;
padding: 6px;
width: 200px;
text-align: right;
position: absolute;
top: 124px;
right: 6px;
z-index: 98;
}

note that i turned the sidebar green to see what i was doing. Let’s have a look at the final product (click to enlarge):

…and what happens when we resize the browser?

…and the final product, when we take away the background coloring?

The final code:

XHTML:

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC “-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN” “http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd”>
<HTML xmlns=”http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml” lang=”en” xml:lang=”en”>
<head>
<meta HTTP-equiv=”Content-Type” content=”text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1″ />
<title>Hello World!</title>
</head>
<body>

<div id=”title”>
<h1>Hello World!</h1>
</div>

<div id=”logo”>
<img xsrc=”http://www.blog.geeklimit.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/06/css-interstate.png” mce_src=”http://www.blog.geeklimit.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/06/css-interstate.png” alt=”logo” />
</div>

<div id=”main”>
<h2>Welcome to my site!</h2>
<p>
This is my page. There are many like it, but this one is mine.This is my page. There are many like it, but this one is mine.This is my page. There are many like it, but this one is mine.This is my page. There are many like it, but this one is mine.This is my page. There are many like it, but this one is mine.This is my page. There are many like it, but this one is mine.This is my page. There are many like it, but this one is mine.This is my page. There are many like it, but this one is mine.This is my page. There are many like it, but this one is mine.This is my page. There are many like it, but this one is mine.This is my page. There are many like it, but this one is mine.This is my page. There are many like it, but this one is mine.This is my page. There are many like it, but this one is mine.This is my page. There are many like it, but this one is mine.This is my page. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
</p>
</div>

<div id=”sidebar”>
<h2 class=”sidebar_title”>About</h2>
<p>
This is the site I made to demo CSS positioning.
</p>
<h2 class=”sidebar_title”>Links</h2>
<p>
<a xhref=”http://www.geeklimit.com” mce_href=”http://www.geeklimit.com” class=”sidebar_links”>GeekLimit</a><br />
<a xhref=”http://www.wc3.org” mce_href=”http://www.wc3.org” class=”sidebar_links”>W3C</a>
</p>
</div>

</body>
</html>

CSS: (note that I’ve made corrections where the spacing wasn’t quite right)
body {
color: white;
background-color: black;
margin: 0px;
}

#title {
margin: 6px;
padding: 6px;
height: 100px;
}

#logo {
width: 100px;
height: 100px;
position: absolute;
top: 59px;
right: 159px;
z-index: 99;
}

#main {
margin: 6px;
padding: 0px 224px 6px 6px;
}

#sidebar {
padding: 0px 6px 6px 6px;
width: 200px;
text-align: right;
position: absolute;
top: 124px;
right: 6px;
z-index: 98;
}

h1 {
color: yellow;
border-bottom-color: ;
border-bottom-width: thick;
border-bottom-style: dashed;
padding-bottom: 10px;
}

h2 {
text-decoration: underline;
}

h2.sidebar_title {
color: yellow;
border-bottom-color: yellow;
border-bottom-width: thin;
}

a.sidebar_links {
color: yellow;
text-decoration: none;
}

via BoingBoing:

The RIAA and MPAA have been jostling to get the broadcast flag *and* the audio flag into the monster telecoms reform bill.They got it into the official Republican version, which is being considered in committee tomorrow (Thursday). But Senator Sununu (R-NH), who peppered the MPAA and RIAA with tough questions when they spoke to the committee, has filed an amendment to get the flags thrown out.

We think Sununu is in with a chance – Democrats are angry at the anti-consumer tone of the final bill (which also lacks strong network neutrality provisions), and Republicans are chafing at entertainment industry’s yearn to over-regulate.

These are the bills that the Corruptibles cartoon describe – not futuristic theories about what Hollywood could do, but actual laws being considered right now.

If you’re in the States below, call your Senator NOW, and ask him or her to support the Sununu amendment to remove both TV and audio flags (he also has an amendment to modify the audio flag, so be clear you want to kick out both flags). If your Senator is a Republican, warn them about giving the FCC extra powers. If your Senator is a Democrat, explain how bad this is for consumer rights. Either way, tell them that entertainment industry requests have no place in a telecoms reform bill, and they need to be kept out.

Chairman Ted Stevens (AK), (202) 224-3004
John McCain (AZ), (202) 224-2235
Conrad Burns (MT), Main: 202-224-2644
Trent Lott (MS), (202) 224-6253
Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX), (202) 224-5922
Gordon H. Smith (OR), (202) 224 3753
John Ensign (NV), (202) 224-6244
George Allen (VA), (202) 224-4024
John E. Sununu (NH), (202) 224-2841
Jim DeMint (SC), (202) 224-6121
David Vitter (LA),(202) 224-4623
Co-Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (HI), (202) 224-3934
John D. Rockefeller (WV), (202) 224-6472
John F. Kerry (MA), (202) 224-2742
Barbara Boxer (CA), (202) 224-3553
Bill Nelson (FL), (202) 224-5274
Maria Cantwell (WA), (202) 224-3441
Frank R. Lautenberg (NJ), (202) 224-3224
E. Benjamin Nelson (NE), (202) 224-6551
Mark Pryor (AR), (202) 224-2353

I don’t usually do the ‘latest news’ thing, I prefer the ‘original content’ style. But this is important, so try not to sound like a lunatic when you call, more like a concerned, knowledgeable citizen.

The Inquirer is reporting on a Dell laptop that supposedly spontaneously combusted at a conference in Japan. It appears they put it out witha jug of icewater.

No details on why the laptop suddenly exploded into flame. While I don’t doubt that the laptop was on fire, I’m a little skeptical of the reasons why it set on fire so voraciously. The brightness of the initial flame seems to indicate a very white light that seems to hint at magnesium. Also, the reader mentions the laptop is a Dell, and then in the same sentance starts talking about all of the situations where this could be catastrophic. They also mention the laptop had several other explosions while it sat burning for five minutes, but the last picture given has very little smoke in the room…kinda fishy.
I’m looking forward to seeing what, exactly, the reason for the flame-up was. In the meantime, add this to the lists of pranks NOT to pull at work: loading a laptop up with magnesium shavings. (If that is what happened)

by the way, does anyone know if images of a flame will be useful to a spectrum analyzer? For example, if I put an image of a propane flame on the screen, would an analyzer work?