Ironwood Tree

Macbook beep

noreply@blogger.com (Ironwoodtree) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 03:00:00 +0000

I bought a Macbook about a year ago and I really like it. I run Vmware Fusion on it so though I prefer OS X, I can use things that require XP as well or run various linux versions. It's my plastic friend who's fun to be with.

So, I was was getting irritated by a faint beep that sounded like it was from the motherboard. I hit Google and it looked like bad news - dead hard drive. I backed it up, and started going through my warrenty info, but I just didn't see the performance drop you usually get with a bad drive.

I found a few posts that mentioned that some updates can mess up the speaker. They recommended updating the machine. I had Leopard and just hadn't gotten around to loading it. I loaded it - it was a very easy upgrade. The beep was still there. I then chose software update from the Apple menu and after those updates were applied, the beep was gone.

So, if you have a strange beep, first back everything up and then update. If it still beeps, take it in for service.

So Who is Senator McCain?

noreply@blogger.com (Ironwoodtree) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 03:21:00 +0000

Senator Kerry knows him very well. Check Crooks and Liars for the information that the reporters on his bus and who attend his barbecues won't give you.

Oh, also - he's seriously breaking campaign finance laws.

Saturday Morning

noreply@blogger.com (Ironwoodtree) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 14:19:00 +0000

Hey - I think we should replace rickrolling with a cowboy

Thanks to atrios. Even if you don't like his politics, he's got great taste in music. He also introduced me to Gogol Bordello.

One Left Standing

noreply@blogger.com (Ironwoodtree) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 02:46:00 +0000

Not a candidate but it just occurred to me that the only amendment in the Bill of Rights that this government hasn't broken is the third amendment. That's the one that forbids quartering soldiers in peoples' homes. I'm just waiting for that notice to come in.

They've ripped through the 10 Commandments pretty well too.

Oink Oink Oink

noreply@blogger.com (Ironwoodtree) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:17:00 +0000

Once in a while I say something nice about my congresscritter, Mark Kirk. He has 17 entries on the pork list. They all seem pretty reasonable. The money for Lutheran outreach looks a little questionable but as an ex Lutheran I've got to say they're pretty lax about converting people and have a good social service infrastructure so I'll let it go. I'll bet that Dan Seals would do an even better job.

I'd be really pissed off if I lived in Arizona. What has Senator McCain done for them? He brags about not bringing any pork home but we do all depend on our representatives to express our needs and bring needed projects. McCain also is proud of kicking Boeing off a project and handing it to Airbus. And I thought the wingnuts hated France.

Uh Oh

noreply@blogger.com (Ironwoodtree) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 03:39:00 +0000

Now this is scary.

I was at a speech by President Clinton at Comdex in 2000 (I think, it could have been 1999). The Secret Service searched my purse before I went in, I would have been shocked if they hadn't. Hell, I couldn't get in to see the Idiot in Chief now because I'm not one of the 19% of drooling idiots in the country that still like him.

Now the presidential frontrunner, who's very likely a target of assassination because of the color of his skin can't get protection.

A Message from Chelsea?

noreply@blogger.com (Ironwoodtree) — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 03:11:00 +0000

Apparently Chelsea Clinton has been forwarding this post to her friends after her recent encounter with the He Man Women Hater's Club member in good standing David Shuster.

I remember reading it soon after it came out. Probably in MS Magazine, since there was no internet in those days and it was hard to get information when you were a suburban high school student who didn't drive yet. Robin Morgan scared a lot of men in those days, sort of the way Hillary Clinton scares Chris Matthews now.

Good.

I know this is a pile of crap

noreply@blogger.com (Ironwoodtree) — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 03:22:00 +0000

This is a big pile of bullcrap that will do nothing for our security. If you aren't in computer security it might sound like a good idea.

The reason this will do nothing is that finding attacks is only the first step. Next is winnowing out false positives. 90% of alerts are really nothing. You have to know your environment to filter them out. When examining the traffic of a whole country, it is impossible to know your environment. I can do it with 300 or so computers only because 200+ of them have a standard image and I can look at them and find what's wrong in a few minutes.

The third step is response. Are they going to go to your house and clean up your computer? It would be good news for me if they did - that would suck up the talents of every computer security person in the country several times over. Salaries would skyrocket. Or there would be a draft. Trust me - this is a population that you don't want to draft. Imagine a really angry army of people with lockpicking and hacking skills. Not a recipe for success.

The Best You Tube Video Ever

noreply@blogger.com (Ironwoodtree) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 02:28:00 +0000

I am a mom. If you are a mom, dad, or teacher this is your song

FYI

noreply@blogger.com (Ironwoodtree) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 03:59:00 +0000

for your shopping pleasure

Primary Coverage

noreply@blogger.com (Ironwoodtree) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 03:37:00 +0000

Pretty bad when the best primary commentary comes from Drew Curtis.

Then again, I bought his book so his opinions are worth a few bucks.

Does this bus go to Michigan and Harrison?

noreply@blogger.com (Ironwoodtree) — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 03:46:00 +0000

Check out the City of Chicago's list of possible terrorist acts.

I see people poring over maps and taking pictures of landmarks every day. Am I abetting terrorists when I help a confused person get on the right bus?

More Animal Cruelty

noreply@blogger.com (Ironwoodtree) — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 04:13:00 +0000

This is just disgusting. So far McCain is the only major Republican candidate who hasn't been linked to torturing dogs. Now it's Huckabee's son.

To review, Giuliani's current wife had a job demonstrating surgical staplers on dogs, Romney took a 10 hour car trip with the family dog strapped in a carrier to the top of his car, and now Huckabee's son actually killed a stray dog by hanging it. I don't know if Bush ever hurt a dog, he seems to treat them better than people right now, but he used to put firecrackers up frogs rears and blow them up. That is really sick.

There's also ex Senator Bill Frist who would adopt cats from animal shelters and then dissect them when he was in medical school.

I'm just disgusted beyond belief.

Finally, a good vote from Kirk

noreply@blogger.com (Ironwoodtree) — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 00:34:00 +0000

Mark Kirk voted to override Bush's veto, showing that he has some contact with reality. So, good job, how about trying to convince some of your right wing buddies to vote for it when it comes up again?

Hmm the CISSP exam didn't have this one

noreply@blogger.com (Ironwoodtree) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 03:01:00 +0000

My job is in computer security and I sometimes do vulnerability assessements. I'm also on the Wittenburg Door email list. When these worlds collide it gets really weird.
Here's a pdf download of a vulnerability assessment that is very depressing if you have anything to do with Oral Roberts University.

If I was a young Christian at ORU, I'd consider a transfer to Trinity . Roberts' wife reminds me of Dean Wormer's wife in Animal House. Very creepy document.

Any truth to the rumor

noreply@blogger.com (Ironwoodtree) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 03:41:00 +0000

That Britney will be a reporter on Fox Business Network? She does have the wardrobe for it.

This is just the limit

noreply@blogger.com (Ironwoodtree) — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 02:47:00 +0000

Ann Coulter's nasty spew surfaces again.

Why does this cretin get air time?

Just typical

noreply@blogger.com (Ironwoodtree) — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 01:53:00 +0000

If anything illustrates that right wingers are cowardly bullies this does.

What happened to Ciara Durkin

noreply@blogger.com (Ironwoodtree) — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 02:27:00 +0000

One of the most disturbing stories of the last week is the death of Ciara Durkin. She was an accountant at Bagram air base in Afghanistan. She was 3 miles within the air field and she was killed with 3 shots to the head.

She had warned her family that she had found accounting irregularities and that they should push for answers if anything happened to her. Here's the story.

A little congressional oversight would be welcome, especially from a congressman with a second job in military intelligence. But he's too busy making sure that spinach farmers aren't overpaid.

Now more than ever we have to support the troops by bringing them home.

Some more Blackwater info

noreply@blogger.com (Ironwoodtree) — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 01:19:00 +0000

There was an interesting post on a computer security blog on the Computerworld website today. It illustrates why mercenaries make bad employees.

Any way you spell it it's still crap

noreply@blogger.com (Ironwoodtree) — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 01:15:00 +0000

Through Americablog

As I thought...

noreply@blogger.com (Ironwoodtree) — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 01:29:00 +0000

In 2002, you know, the dark ages, I looked at the evidence in newspapers and on blogs and came to the correct conclusion. Iraq might have some crap left over or a few half assed weapons programs, but there was no way they could deliver anything that could hurt the USA. People forget that they never attacked us, they only attacked Iran, Quwait, and their own people. They only attacked Israel after the first gulf war started and luckily the missiles were not effective. So now, we find out that Bush knew the same thing I did only he didn't care.

Now we're in the same place with Iran, and he cares about anyone even less.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

noreply@blogger.com (Ironwoodtree) — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 02:06:00 +0000

Leona Helmsley left 12 million to a nasty little dog. Caesar Milan cannot be far behind. That guy does have good advice for training dogs, I learned many of the same things from my Dad.

But that guy also has a nose for a buck. Primetime Dog Whisperer anyone?

Remember this when you think how to vote

noreply@blogger.com (Ironwoodtree) — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 01:59:00 +0000

Or paraphrasing Reagan, are you better off today than you were 8 years ago? This may enlighten you.

I didn't think it was funny in 2001 either, I knew it was the truth.

Scott Adams is right again

noreply@blogger.com (Ironwoodtree) — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 21:44:00 +0000

He knows how capitalism truly work. It exploits the one infinite resource in the world.

Now if I could only translate it into an investment strategy. I think investing in booze, fast cars, gambling, and extreme sports may do for a start.