Sunday, January 31, 2010
Parallel Universes
Max Tegmark's paper on parallel universes: http://space.mit.edu/home/tegmark/multiverse.pdf
Saturday, January 30, 2010
The Automation of Science
Ross D. King and his collaborators report the development of Robot Scientist "Adam," which has autonomously generated functional genomics hypotheses about the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and experimentally tested these hypotheses by using laboratory automation. See: Science 3 April 2009: Vol. 324. no. 5923, pp. 85 - 89
and http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/324/5923/85
A copy is available @ http://www.realscience.org.uk/Adamtherobotscientist.pdf
There is also this for Climate Science: http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=5337881532064470471&postID=2292395598974243071
and http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/324/5923/85
A copy is available @ http://www.realscience.org.uk/Adamtherobotscientist.pdf
There is also this for Climate Science: http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=5337881532064470471&postID=2292395598974243071
Friday, January 29, 2010
The Shock of the Old
In his book, "The Shock of the Old: Technology and Global History since 1900", David Edgerton wants to find out not only how useful these technologies really are but also how much they are actually used.
He also challenges the common view of technology as a matter of novelty, of invention and innovation accelerating into the future.
Check it out.
He also challenges the common view of technology as a matter of novelty, of invention and innovation accelerating into the future.
Check it out.
Friday, January 22, 2010
IISADMPWD Directory
The STG CATI finding for the IISADMPWD directory can be resolved. You do not need to delete the directory.
Simply break inheritance of permissions, and ensure that only the administrators and system account/group have full rights to the folder.
Then, go into IIS and ensure that the IISADMOWD virtual directory does not exist in a sub folder of a website.
I've done this on the interim SharePoint server and everything works properly.
Below additional details / instructions:
Vulnerability Details
A IISADMPWD directory was found in the root:
C:\WINDOWS\system32\inetsrv\
Vulnerability Discussion:
The IISADMPWD directory is included by default with IIS. It allows users to reset Windows passwords. The use of use rid and passwords is a far less secure solution for controlling user access to web applications than a PKI solution with subscriber certificates. The capability to be able to change passwords externally gives potential intruders an easier mechanism to access the system in an effort to compromise use rids and passwords.
Manual Fix Procedures:
If possible, ensure the IISADMPWD directory has been removed from the web server.
NOTE 1:
There have been numerous reports of sites not being able to delete this directory without Windows File Protection automatically restoring it. The work around for this will be to ensure the virtual directory is removed from all web sites associated with the server and to restrict access for this directory and files to the system and administrators.
NOTE 2:
You may be able to delete the .dll in the IISADMOWD folder by going into safe mode and deleting it. This will not work for the folder.
If the IISADMPWD directory cannot be deleted set the permissions as
follows:
Administrators - Full Control
System - Full Control
Also, review all web sites associated with this server and ensure any virtual directories pointing to IISADMPWD are removed.
A virtual directory will be a child directory to a web site.
References and additional information:
WEB SERVER SECURITY TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE - Section 2.1
IA Controls
ECSC-1 - Security Configuration Compliance
Simply break inheritance of permissions, and ensure that only the administrators and system account/group have full rights to the folder.
Then, go into IIS and ensure that the IISADMOWD virtual directory does not exist in a sub folder of a website.
I've done this on the interim SharePoint server and everything works properly.
Below additional details / instructions:
Vulnerability Details
A IISADMPWD directory was found in the root:
C:\WINDOWS\system32\inetsrv\
Vulnerability Discussion:
The IISADMPWD directory is included by default with IIS. It allows users to reset Windows passwords. The use of use rid and passwords is a far less secure solution for controlling user access to web applications than a PKI solution with subscriber certificates. The capability to be able to change passwords externally gives potential intruders an easier mechanism to access the system in an effort to compromise use rids and passwords.
Manual Fix Procedures:
If possible, ensure the IISADMPWD directory has been removed from the web server.
NOTE 1:
There have been numerous reports of sites not being able to delete this directory without Windows File Protection automatically restoring it. The work around for this will be to ensure the virtual directory is removed from all web sites associated with the server and to restrict access for this directory and files to the system and administrators.
NOTE 2:
You may be able to delete the .dll in the IISADMOWD folder by going into safe mode and deleting it. This will not work for the folder.
If the IISADMPWD directory cannot be deleted set the permissions as
follows:
Administrators - Full Control
System - Full Control
Also, review all web sites associated with this server and ensure any virtual directories pointing to IISADMPWD are removed.
A virtual directory will be a child directory to a web site.
References and additional information:
WEB SERVER SECURITY TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE - Section 2.1
IA Controls
ECSC-1 - Security Configuration Compliance
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Kseniya Simonova
Kseniya Simonova says:
"I find it difficult enough to create art using paper and pencils or paintbrushes, but using sand and fingers is beyond me. The art, especially when the war is used as the subject matter, even brings some audience members to tears. And there’s surely no bigger compliment."
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=vOhf3OvRXKg#t=00
"I find it difficult enough to create art using paper and pencils or paintbrushes, but using sand and fingers is beyond me. The art, especially when the war is used as the subject matter, even brings some audience members to tears. And there’s surely no bigger compliment."
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=vOhf3OvRXKg#t=00
Mitrion-C
Mitrionics AB (http://www.mitrionics.com/ ) has released Mitrion-C for writing parallel code. This is a new language that uses "C" syntax and is optimized for parallel compilation on FPGA as well as multi-core processors. See the Company announcement @ http://www.mitrionics.com/?page=view_release&itemid=9947&back=mitrionics-sc09-press-kit
The language details may be found @ http://www.science.uwaterloo.ca/~hmerz/FPGA/The%20Mitrion-C%20Programming%20Language.pdf
The language details may be found @ http://www.science.uwaterloo.ca/~hmerz/FPGA/The%20Mitrion-C%20Programming%20Language.pdf
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Ascape
Ascape is an innovative tool for developing and exploring general-purpose agent-based models available @ http://ascape.sourceforge.net/.
Why should you care? See below:
http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/4/1/5.html
The book, "Generative Social Science: Studies in Agent-Based Computational Modeling", by Joshua M. Epstein has example studies that are based on the usage of this tool.
Why should you care? See below:
http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/4/1/5.html
The book, "Generative Social Science: Studies in Agent-Based Computational Modeling", by Joshua M. Epstein has example studies that are based on the usage of this tool.
WI-FI Dropping on XP
In case you experience a similar problem: http://community.contractwebdevelopment.com/your-wireless-connection-dropping
Monday, January 11, 2010
The Institute for Personal Robots in Education
The Institute for Personal Robots in Education (IPRE) applies and evaluates robots as a context for computer science education. Check it out @ http://www.roboteducation.org/
MakerBot Cupcake
Checks out MakerBot's Cupcake CNC 3-D Printer. Using PLA, ABS, or HDPE plastic, this open source, $950 kit enables users to fabricate small objects of virtually any shape. See http://www.makerbot.com/
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Sex Robot
In the Science-Fiction movies "Stepford Wives" (1975 & 2004) and Serenity as well as in numerous science-fiction stories, one encounters men with female humanoid robot companions.
In yet another case of Life imitating Art, we read:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100110/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_sex_robot;_ylt=Aozxr_K56qPqHWlBkNuFp1es0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNrdWlnZHRrBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwMTEwL3VzX3RlY19zZXhfcm9ib3QEY2NvZGUDbW9zdHBvcHVsYXIEY3BvcwM4BHBvcwM1BHB0A2hvbWVfY29rZQRzZWMDeW5faGVhZGxpbmVfbGlzdARzbGsDc2V4cm9ib3Rmb2N1
I suppose one could say that only "Sky is the limit!"
In yet another case of Life imitating Art, we read:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100110/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_sex_robot;_ylt=Aozxr_K56qPqHWlBkNuFp1es0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNrdWlnZHRrBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwMTEwL3VzX3RlY19zZXhfcm9ib3QEY2NvZGUDbW9zdHBvcHVsYXIEY3BvcwM4BHBvcwM1BHB0A2hvbWVfY29rZQRzZWMDeW5faGVhZGxpbmVfbGlzdARzbGsDc2V4cm9ib3Rmb2N1
I suppose one could say that only "Sky is the limit!"
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Friday, January 1, 2010
Lattice QCD Software
Analysis of Open Source Software for Lattice Quantum Chromo Dynamics @ http://edoc.hu-berlin.de/master/grieger-jens-2007-07-18/PDF/grieger.pdf
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About Me
- Babak Makkinejad
- I had been a senior software developer working for HP and GM. I am interested in intelligent and scientific computing. I am passionate about computers as enablers for human imagination. The contents of this site are not in any way, shape, or form endorsed, approved, or otherwise authorized by HP, its subsidiaries, or its officers and shareholders.