Ok.. I felt compelled this post a while ago, but I didn't get around to it… until now.

I must credit Claus over at GSD for inspiration for this post.

Really, I hadn't seen User Account Control as helpful before, more like annoying. Actually, I have XP, not Vista, but I have had a little experience with it, and my fellow blogger, Matthew, has deigned to turn it off. And said something to the effect of "Vista is okay IF you turn off User Account Control." Alright… that seems quite understandable from what I've heard. UAC seems like a nanny instead of a helpful tool. I actually have experienced something of the sort: the excellent (and free) Comodo Firewall Pro has a sort of anti-malware feature called Defense+. That got pretty annoying… extracting files with 7-Zip and having it scream, freaking about about installing programs, etcetera. So I disabled it (thank goodness for the option).

And now the "But."

But… such tight system control and checks can be helpful if implemented and presented in a efficient, clear, and pleasing manner. Enter Microsoft on Windows 7 and TweakUAC on Vista.

Microsoft has been making changes to UAC from feedback data they've gathered. Evidently, an alarming (to them) amount of people disable it on Vista.

So, it changed my mind about UAC. Bring it on… IF it's done right.

I discovered a new virtual desktop app a while ago… through Grand Stream Dreams, not surprisingly… all the previous ones were rather disappointing after having used Linux multi-desktops. Vista/XP Virtual Desktops is much closer. Still is a little clunky compared to Linux, but it seems significantly better than everything else I've tried. A few of sweet features: a min-toolbar that is somewhat like what you might see in Ubuntu (shows you what desktop you're on and lets you switch desktops), the ability to move windows between desktops (suhhh-weeeetness!!!!), and live desktop previews in Vista using DWM.  No 3D cube goodies, but quite functional. I'm reluctant to use it all the time because of it's memory usage, but those of you with and abundance of memory might consider trying it out.

First, a easy way to block ads in Chrome… it's from Lifehacker Australia… I haven't tried it, but it looks like it could be a pretty tight solution and work for other browsers, too, since it uses a local proxy. [link]

And second, Chrome themes seem to be broken now… with an update to Chrome… not sure when this exactly happened, but it did. Likely enough some themes have been updated, but not you won't put a hole through your monitor when Chrome keeps crashing when you use a custom theme.

…for now, that is. My previous posts were: DRM CD's are uncool, More on the DRM CD case, the great DRM aha!

On October 7th, I followed the instructions posted at the CDFreaks Club to remove Macrovision CDS-300 drivers. This consists of finding the file sdcplh.sys on your Windows partition/drive, deleting it, and restarting Windows. Boom. It worked. Marvelously. I also decided to disable Autorun on my optical drive, but it turns out that for all my knowledge, I didn't know how. Lol. Annoyances.org readily gave the solution. Like many things in Windows, it was in the Registry, but TweakUI handled it easily. So anyway, I could rip tracks fine now, no scrambled audio effect. Great! I tested it out by ripping the first and last tracks. No problems detected, MP3's played fine. I'm pretty sure this only affects Windows, so if you use Mac or Linux, rest easy. It seems kind of stupid for me to get suckered in like that. Oh well, now I know.

removing CDS-300

So, here's a step by step on how to get rid of the CDS-300 protection (How do you know it's CDS-300? There is a folder named CDS300 on the disc. Simple as that):

1. Start Menu > Search
2. If needed, click to search All files and folders
3. Type in sdcplh.sys and then press Search
4. Once it has been found, right click it and select Delete and select Yes if you are asked for confirmation
5. Restart your computer once the file has been deleted
6. Once you're back, enjoy unscrambled ripping of your CD!

Thanks to CDFreaks (hyqwn) and Alex Halderman and Edward Felten.

And if you ever insert that CD into a Windows computer again, I recommend holding down Shift whilst you do (i.e. press down before you put the disc in, let up a few seconds after the CD tray has closed or, in the case of a slot loader, you've inserted the disc) so that the program will not Autorun.

Also of note, there is an Uninstall.exe on the disc. I'm not sure if this would actually remove the driver (sdcplh.sys), but it does at least set the "agreement" status on the disc's autorunning up to "not agreed."

Here are some pics… before and after removing sdcplh.sys

successful ripping!

There are also two other protections schemes I found out about during my research, MediaMax and XCP. I actually thought I had XCP on my CD, but it turned out to be Macrovision's CDS-300. So, I actually learned a fair bit about XCP and MediaMax. Much information can be found in Alex Halderman and Edward Felten's whitepaper. XCP, which only works on Windows, installs a rootkit on your system, which malware can and has taken advantage of. MediaMax, which works on Window and Mac (though the Mac version actually requires the user to start the installer), if Autorun is enabled (and it is by default), actually does automatically install software on your computer without notifying or asking you. Furthermore, MediaMax also opens up a security hole, as described in the whitepaper.

removing XCP

I've never actually encountered XCP (though I thought I had), but I'll list some instructions that I think would work to get rid of it, based on information I've gleaned from the internet. I am told that if the disc uses XCP protection, you'll see a file on it called VERSION.DAT (you might just see VERSION, depending on your Windows settings)

1. open Run (Start Menu > Run or in Vista, just type in the search box)
2. type cmd /k sc delete $sys$aries and press Enter
3. restart your computer
4. open Command Prompt (Start Menu > All Programs/Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt)
5. type cd \ and press Enter
6. type del $sys$*.* /s
7. wait until it's done (it will have a list of deleted files and then finally display the prompt C:\>)
8. restart your computer (I don't know if it's really necessary, but it's not a bad idea)
9. You're done; I do recommend downloading CCleaner to clean up your Registry, though. Just open up CCleaner, click the Registry button on the left, and click Scan for Issues. Once the scan is done, click Fix selected issues… when it asks you if you want to backup changes to the registry, just click yes and save it in My Documents or somewhere else convenient. That way, you can just double click the file to reverse your changes if your computer starts acting wacky after this (assuming the Registry cleanup somehow created a problem that made things act wacky).

Thanks to Black and White Incorporated for the information.

removing MediaMax

The other big CD protection software is MediaMax. Halderman and Felten kindly explained how to remove the Windows version.

1. open Command Prompt (Start Menu > All Programs/Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt)
2. type sc stop sbcphid and press Enter
3. type del %windir%\system32\drivers\sbcphid.sys and press Enter

In the future, always hold down the Shift key like I described earlier, if you put the disc in a Windows computer, because the software on the disc WILL install stuff without your consent. Unless you have Autorun turned off.

Regarding the Mac OS X version of MediaMax: I don't know too much about it, but I did find out that OS X does have an autorun feature (called 'autostart', I am told) that can start the process, but it still needs your permission to install the software. Don't give it that permission. Deny and rip away! If you do install it… I'm afraid I don't know how to remove it. Good luck if you try, and please share any findings with the community.

Well, that's it for now. Hope you have fun avoiding DRM.

Just saw this:

Alright, I know. I opened a can of worms just by saying that. But I'm prepared to put them on the hook.

I wanted to blog about this a while back. In fact, what started it all was me asking (or was it telling) a friend (OK… an internet friend) was cussing on IM. And he said 'why?' So that got me Googling on it, which dug up… previous cans of worms. Specifically, some of the stuff I turned up, for reference:

Grudem and Piper on Profanity :: :: A Reformed, Christian Blog
constantly..in need of grace...: Glorious Biblical Profanity
Profanity and Christianity « JP’s Mind

And that post, by the way, was when I ran into JP's Mind, in case you ever noticed the link to it on the blog.

So, the argument rages on.
"Swearing is wrong."
"It's the only way I can adequately express myself."
"Hey, even Paul used profanity."

Each argument, each opinion, we could follow on a network of its own, but this is what I have to say. It's not about walking the line. Something I have learned is that righteousness isn't a line; it's a direction. That being said, we would want to be walking in righteousness. Which brings us back to the question, does profanity belong on the road of righteousness?

I see this is going to get a little more involved…

First, we have to know what profanity is. The Encarta® World English Dictionary (eh, it's on my laptop) defines the verb transitive as "to treat something sacred with disrespect." Using God's name as a swear word would fall under this description, I think. The other word that comes to my mind is obscenity. And what is an obscenity? Merely something that you are not supposed to see. So when we make things that should not be seen visible, it's an obscenity. What's not supposed to be seen? Check the Bible for answers on that one. One other angle we might hit on is the word cursing. Wishing or commanding something bad on someone. Really, we can't do that except what we ourselves would do or influence others to do. Still, I don't have as good a handle on this one. In the back of my mind, it seems I remember someone saying when we curse, it does have an effect. Maybe I should ask around.

Anyway, neither profaning things nor making visible that which should not be sounds like something Christians should be doing. When it comes down to that, it's easy. The answer is, it's wrong.

Really, the whole thing revolves around three things in my opinion: the dynamic nature of language, the intent of the heart, and stumbling blocks.

So, we should first realize the dynamic nature of language. Some of the things we say today that don't seem offensive at all might have been highly offensive 200 years ago. Language changes. Definitions change. Keep that in mind. But also keep in mind, God was holy 200 years ago, and he still is. Respect his name. Also, what was obscene 200 years ago is still obscene today, though our culture seeks to define it as acceptable.

Secondly, the intent of the heart; it can be good or evil. If you say "son of mutton chop" but mean "son of a ***" in your heart, that's wrong. That's not to say we can't express anger. I was reading something in my Googling that said it well (indirect quote, click for original): 'When I say "Damn!" after hitting my thumb with a hammer, it doesn't mean I'm calling down eternal damnation on the hammer. It means "ouch!"' In that situation, the intent of the heart isn't cursing somebody, it's saying "I hurt!" Or "I'm annoyed!" On a personal level, this seems agreeable, but I think it could be a stumbling block, and people could also get the wrong idea if you're saying "Oh ***!" every time something irks you.

Back to the stumbling block. I think a person can be a stumbling block in two ways: by doing something that is definitely Biblically wrong (which might encourage others to do the same, both those who know it to be against God's law and those who don't), and by doing something that would violate the conscience of a brother or sister in Christ (in their presence, or such), e.g., Delbert believes it's wrong to eat hamburgers, and Bob walks into the break room with a quarter pounder, plops down beside him, and starts chomping away (to take it a little further… Bob: "Oh, hey, Delbert, man, you gotta try this. Oh, yeah, I know you don't believe in hamburgers, but one little bite won't hurt. C'mon man, yur missin' out!").

Alright, I think I've gotten my thoughts expressed. I welcome yours.

Unlocker (Windows) - Ever have a flash drive or such that Windows just doesn't want to Safely Remove? Fire up this baby and see what's holding on to it. I think if it's explorer.exe, it should be safe to Unlock it or just yank out the drive, as long as you know you aren't transferring data to  or from it, or moving files around on it. Otherwise, assuming you aren't doing data work like I just mentioned see what else is tying up your device (backup managers, mp3 player managers, and so on…). Can also help you out the same way if you have a file you want to work with, but you get a message something else is using it. I'm not sure, but I think it might even help you get past an Access Denied (you'd probably have to be an administrator). Brilliant little tool.

ExifTool (Windows/Mac/Linux under Perl) - this one is a command line tool for dealing with metadata. I found this tool in a search for something to edit the date taken on digital photos, because sometimes one forgets to reset their camera clock. *Ahem* Certainly not me. Never. Anyway, to fix my mistake, I mean such a mistake, this will do the trick (though I haven't actually put it to use yet). Now, I know all you out there are shivering in fear of using a command line tool on your beautiful photos. Well, make backups of them before you start anyway, but there are some GUI's to make things so much safer and more comfortable. 
ExifToolGUI - Windows (tested on XP SP2). Lot's of nice GUI options for accessing the awesome power of ExifTool. You'll need to download ExifTool separately.
Mac users, you can check out the "Related Utilities" section on the ExifTool homepage.
Linux users, stop being a weenie and use the command line. Heh.

PDFCreator (Windows) - It installs as a printer on your system and allows you to make PDF files from any app that can print to it. Pretty nifty. Now I can make PDF's from WordPerfect 8 (yep, that's what I use, for real).

Hope this brightens your day at least a little bit.

Just a few things about Ubuntu in the last couple days that might be helpful.

1. If compiz crashes on you, simply type compiz in the terminal to restart it.
2. sudo apt-get upgrade is useful to update all your packages. (tx Thomas from NBR)
3. Ctrl+L opens an "Open Location" dialogue.
4. If your volume doesn't get as loud as you think it should, double-click on the volume icon in the panel and make sure that everything is all the way up. (tx Calvin from NBR)
5. Here and here are a couple of really awesome GDM (login) themes.

I congratulate president elect Obama on his success.

I also say to the conservatives: don't freak out. Especially not right now. We have over two months until Obama takes office, and when that time arrives, still don't freak out. Just obey your leaders and work with President Obama, and appreciate his service. And pray for him a TON. Dead serious. The Bible says to pray for your leaders, and we can especially pray for his protection. He has indeed achieved the status of being the first black person to take this office. And I might add with such overwhelming approval. I am proud that America can overcome racism in such a big way. It's radical application of overcoming evil with good.

Regarding the two months: Barack Obama has already started the transition process to the position, and we should be ready, too. One of the things that I am most troubled about is Obama's wish to make his first act as president the signing of the Freedom of Choice Act.

This will be a huge step in favor of abortion, and that's not good at all. Let us pray that such a thing will not come to pass. Let us pray hard in this time of transition, both for our new president and his policies and for our current president, who has endured great unpopularity for his consistency with what he believes and who must tie up loose ends and finish his job in a two months, that to him, may seem altogether too short.

Woot. Palin 2012? Maybe. Doesn't matter right now.

According to what I am hearing on Twitter election, McCain has called Obama to concede and congratulate. Well, here we go. About to get a huge dose of what we deserve.

Not the actual official results, but CNN has a pretty cool page for keeping track… this is the presidential page, with all it's sweet Flash glory. I recommend you go check it out and keep it up in your browser.

The day is almost upon us. And then we find out what direction we have chosen to take… what is in out hearts will be reflected upon our ballots.

Well, of course, a substantial amount of us have already voted. But anyway, yeah, tomorrow is the day… the showdown. I plan to listen to the radio (KMBI/NPR Spokane) and be online to monitor the results live and hot!