USB_BUG_CODE crash of Windows XP SP 1

A short message in a blogbottle for future googlers. Some time ago, I added a user account to my Windows XP Service Pack 1 Dell 5100 laptop. When the machine boots, it asks me to log in. Fine. All works well.

Except when I happen to be using a dialup connection via USB. Then, randomly, the system crashes hard. Hard enough to require taking the battery out of the back style 'hard'.

Remove the user account - and the problem with dialup over USB goes away.

One of life's little mysteries.

Someday, someone out there may find this factoid interesting.

Personally, I'm happy to have my machine back stable enough to post this to my blog without the machine collapsing under me.

Ruby on metadata

Ruby's postulate

"The accuracy of metadata is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the data and the metadata."

http://intertwingly.net/slides/2004/devcon/68.html

Great! I'll take this opportunity to say something about the problem of actually creating good metadata:

McGrath's postulate:

"The probability of finding useful metadata is directly proportional to the volume of content creation policies and procedures. It is not a technology problem."

McGrath's corollary:

"IT people don't do metadata - unless its for source code. Beyond source code, you need to put metadata creation in the hands of content specialists. Otherwises, it simply won't get created. What you will get instead will be more and more abstract models for how to manipulate the metadata if only you had it.

The latter is a technology problem and technology is fun. RDF anyone? Topic Maps? Yummy, meta models. How about a 'descriptive theory of proper names' conversation over coffee? Have you mainlined any Kripke lately? Or implemented any HesperusIsPhosphorus identity operators in your favourite language?

Oh, you want to actually create metadata. Sorry, not my field guv."

Five steps forward, four steps back

No, not a misquoted Bruce Springsteen lyric. Instead a meditation on monotonic functions of a single variable called 'innovation'. Sort of. Maybe. I dunno. You tell me. Here it is : Five steps forward, four steps back.

Python 2.4 Beta Released

Python 2.4 Beta 1 has been released.

@it @will @be @interesting @to @watch @community @reaction @to
def decorators():
    # I haven't made my mind up yet so I'll...
    pass