Ajira.eu

Despite the recent security patch by Microsoft, Bugtraq reports 2 new vulnerabilities for the WMF file-format. While they are not as malicious as the last vulnerability, which made it possible for people to take over your computer completely, the new vulnerabilities may cause the software, that was attempting to display the WMF file, to crash; very annoying.

Microsoft finally released a patch for the WMF (Windows MetaFile) bug. Download it here: Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-001.

Isn’t she cute? Nope... I’m not talking about the 8-port gigabit Ethernet switch... I’m talking about my brand new, ultra smooth ’n sexy Mac Mini

I was in Amsterdam with my mom ’n cousin today, and we parked the car at the Amsterdam Arena transferium. On the way back to the car we decided to pay a visit to the local Media Markt (large electronics retail store), which is right next to the Arena. The Mac Mini’s were on sale for € 399,- , and I just had to have one! Unfortunately, they didn’t have the “normal” 1-button Apple on stock, so I had to buy a 2-button “Mighty Mouse” and an Apple keyboard to go with it. It’s a rather expensive mouse (€ 60,-), but it’s a nice one at that. It’s not the first Mac I’ve had...

I’ve also got an older Mac LC III standing in the attic, which I bought a couple of years ago, but never got around to playing with. On a previous job I had some first-hand experience with MacOS-10, and my first impression was very positive. I didn’t buy the most expensive type strait away, since this probably isn’t going to be my main workstation anyway. For experimenting and playing, the 1.25 GHz, 256MB memory and 40GB hard drive are more than sufficient. It does the job and runs smooth, that’s all that matters imo.

Aside from the 1.25GHz PowerPC G4 processor, the 256 MB memory and the 40GB hard drive this tiny box also features an ATI Radeon 9200 with 32 MB memory, 1 Fire wire 400 port, 2 USB 2.0 ports, a 56k modem, a 10/100 MBit Ethernet adapter, a DVD-ROM/CD-RW and a nice built-in speaker with pretty decent sound output. In other words: it’s a very complete package at first, I was thinking of putting an USB KVM-switch on my 20” widescreen, but then again... I’ve also got an old 17” LCD standing around doing nothing. I figured I’d use that one for the Mac instead, so I can use the Mac and my main PC at the same time.

”So, what the hell is a KVM-switch?” you might wonder. Well, it’s just a little box that allows you to use one keyboard, mouse and monitor on 2 (or more) computers. KVM simply stands for Keyboard, Video & Mouse.

Tonight’s the night; Goodbye 2005 and Hello 2006! This year I’ve decided to participate in the Oudejaarsloterij where the jackpot is € 20.000.000,-. Of course, 20 Million is more than welcome, but if I win back the € 27,- I spent on the ticket; I’m a happy man as well. Hmm... 20 Million...

I recently discovered the British band Infadels. They make so-called “electro pop”, which is basically a mixture of pop music with good use of synthesizers and analogue basses. I first heard about them on a Dutch pod cast called E-cast, and I’m just 100% addicted to them ever since. I’ve got a good vibe about this band and I’m expecting to see and hear a lot more from them in 2006. It’s fresh, it’s funky and I like it; hell yeah! I’ve included a small 30-second clip from their current hit “Can’t get enough”, check it out. Click the picture below to start the video.

I started working on my new site today. Previously I used a phpbb-based portal site, but I came to the conclusion that it’s major overkill for what I’m doing. So, I’m going to start from scratch, and make my own blogsite. No more 2mb patchfiles, no more weird spagetticode, no more known exploits, just pure functionality wrapped in a decent package. Stay tuned for more

I bought a new camera today. It’s a Canon Power Shot A620. It’s real nice. It features 7.1 mega pixels, which comes down to crystal-clear pictures in resolutions up to an amazing 3072x2304 pixels. It can do video in 640x480 pixels at 30 fps, and 320x240 pixels at 60 fps; great for recording sports events and other stuff that requires some extra speed. Another cool feature about this camera in particular, is that you can fold out the display and flip it over in pretty much any direction, which is very nice if you want to make a photo over a crowd, or under an object. With other camera’s it would be virtually impossible to view the display without having to break your back while trying to, and you would and up making a picture and pray to the gods that the item you wanted to shoot is actually on it. With this camera you just flip the display over and you’re set, real nice :-) It’s not cheap (€ 400,-), but it’s a good camera for home and semi-professional use, and I could recommend it to anyone who’s into photography.

Well, what can I say... my glorious plans for 2004 fell apart when I became unemployed, on April 1st no less! I wish it was a joke, but unfortunately it was not.

In October I got a temporary job at Haget Tehalit BV in 's-Hertogenbosch, but unfortunately that was just for 3 months. Right now I'm home again for 3 months again, and I've even had to apply for welfare. I'm applying for plenty of jobs, but as of yet it has not yielded any fruits; which doesn't really improve my mood, I'll tell you that.

I'm still working on the content for the new website, so stay tuned for an update !

I finally managed to get a (temporary) job. It’s a project for Hager Tehalit, which is located very close to my home. During this project, which lasts till the end of December, I will be migrating their infrastructure from Novell Netware to Microsoft Windows 2003. Even though I was very skeptical about doing a project at first, it appeared to me that 3 months of payment is always a lot better than 3 months of government welfare. My first impression of the company is good, all colleagues are friendly, and accept me as o­ne of their own. What’s really cool is that I get to go o­n a trip to Paris early December as well! Very nice...

People always ask me why I’m grumpy and look sleepy most of the time. Let me tell you the story of my “insomnia “.

Ever since our neighbors moved in about 2 years ago, I’ve been having trouble sleeping. When they moved in, first thing they did was build a massive shed in the backyard, where they have an illegal barbershop for dogs. We (me & my parents) have tried to stop it, but unfortunately the local authorities could not find enough evidence about the illegal barbershop to put a halt to it. The guy next door keeps telling the cops that it is a “playroom for the kids “. Hmm... A playroom for the kids... includes a large table with chains o­n it, and a washing cabinet? What kind of games do those kids play in there?!

Next to having an illegal barbershop, they also have 3 dogs and a cat of their own. At night o­ne of the dogs is kept indoors and another o­ne is kept in a large cage inside the shed. Nothing wrong with that, o­ne would say; and I totally agree with that. The problem is that the dog in the shed keeps barking and squeaking all night long. Every day it starts around 20:00 and the dog doesn’t shut up until the next morning 06:00 or so.

Annoying? Click o­n [this link] and find out for yourself! It keeps me up and awake all night, never the less.