Looks like civilization finally caught up with us.

Mal ,'Bushwhacked'


Buffistechnology 2: You Made Her So She Growls?  

Got a question about technology? Ask it here. Discussion of hardware, software, TiVos, multi-region DVDs, Windows, Macs, LINUX, hand-helds, iPods, anything tech related. Better than any helpdesk!


Typo Boy - Sep 16, 2005 6:20:45 pm PDT #4526 of 10003
Calli: My people have a saying. A man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.Avon: Life expectancy among your people must be extremely short.

I want to cut a machine off from most internet access, while still allowing it to upload windows and McAfee updates, so that windows and anti-virus and firewall stay patched. (Even though it won't be used for other internet access, it is networked with computers that are used for internet access, so needs to stay protected.) It seems like this could be done by banning all ips via the firewall except the appropriate micrsoft and mcafee ips, plus the appropriate local and isp ips. Where I get a complete list of ips for microsoft and mcafee is another question. I can get listings for the obvious URLs, but the problem is that windows update, office update and Mcafee update download bits and pieces from all sorts of URLs and FTP sites that have their own ips aside from the standard one. I'm going to e-mail Microsoft and Mcafee tech support, but surely this has been done before. Any thoughts - aside from getting rid of windows ad McAfee.

Thanks


meara - Sep 16, 2005 6:25:20 pm PDT #4527 of 10003

Many games do one or both of those things. The first is to make it slightly tougher to use the game without purchasing a copy. Civ III does both.

And I guess I understand #1, though I still don't quite approve--especially since given that I've got an iPod, I'm not used to carrying CDs around anymore! But #2? There's no excuse for that. Sure, give me an OPTION for that, but...I wanna be on the internet! Or IMing! Or playing music! Or something!


Gris - Sep 16, 2005 6:40:41 pm PDT #4528 of 10003
Hey. New board.

Grr. So annoying! I just bought Scrabble for my computer (Mac, so it was more of a PITA to find a version) and was all "Whee, yay!". Except two problems: one, it requires putting the CD in EVERY TIME (ew?) and two, it takes up the WHOLE screen while playing it--can't have anything else open. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

I'm sorry you already paid for it. I normally recommend paying for and downloading X-Words Deluxe to Mac Scrabble afficionadoes. It doesn't come configured exactly like a scrabble board due to copyright issues, but you can define your own boards and letter frequencies very easily, emulating the real board perfectly. I even found a text file on the internet of the Full Scrabble Dictionary and imported it as the program's dictionary, so I get the full Scrabble experience with 9 levels of computer opponents and all that jazz.


Rob - Sep 16, 2005 6:47:40 pm PDT #4529 of 10003

it requires putting the CD in EVERY TIME (ew?)

You can try making an image of the CD with Disk Utility and mounting it to play. Most CD-based copy protections are too smart to fall for that, but some do.


brenda m - Sep 16, 2005 9:34:52 pm PDT #4530 of 10003
If you're going through hell/keep on going/don't slow down/keep your fear from showing/you might be gone/'fore the devil even knows you're there

Hmm. Any non-Mac suggestions for something like Gris was talking about above? I'd love to have a good Scrabble program.


Jon B. - Sep 17, 2005 4:16:34 am PDT #4531 of 10003
A turkey in every toilet -- only in America!

brenda -- if you go to Gris' link, you'll see that they sell a Windows version.


Dana - Sep 17, 2005 7:20:04 am PDT #4532 of 10003
I'm terrifically busy with my ennui.

So my only experience with robots.txt is in a fannish context, where we're usually looking to prevent sites from being indexed at all.

Now that I'm more active with the website for my mother's chorus, should I bother specifying any details for robots? We obviously want to be indexed by search engines. We don't have any problems with traffic or bandwidth excesses. Is there anything else obnoxious a robot would be doing that I'd want to stop?


Jessica - Sep 17, 2005 8:08:38 am PDT #4533 of 10003
And then Ortus came and said "It's Ortin' time" and they all Orted off into the sunset

More Tivo "bugs" showing up.

Since I got the lifetime subscription when I bought the box, my Tivo's essentially free at this point, and I have no reason to get rid of it. But this bug that makes the broadcast flag show up where supposedly no broadcast flag exists is not making me happy.


Jessica - Sep 17, 2005 11:55:33 am PDT #4534 of 10003
And then Ortus came and said "It's Ortin' time" and they all Orted off into the sunset

My printer is giving me trouble. Every time I try to print, I get an error message saying "pen failure," while the printer itself keeps telling me to "remove and check color cartriage." It doesn't say what to check it for, and if I take it out, all it tells me to do is put it back in and close the door. Upon which it then says "remove and check color cartriage" again, rinse, repeat.

There's nothing physically wrong with it that I can see. I've unplugged it and restarted it twice. Any ideas?


Eddie - Sep 17, 2005 12:05:36 pm PDT #4535 of 10003
Your tag here.

You might check in the printer properties for a "head cleaning wizard" and try that.