Windows master "autoplay disable" switch

I've always used TweakUI to disable (the root of many evils) autoplay, but it isn't always 100% successful; for instance, double-clicking on a DVD movie disc still brings up the DVD player.

In the wake of some worm that spreads in part via autoplay on thumb drives, The Register linked to this article:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/953252

I hadn't seen this method before. Apparently it finally and totally shuts the damn "convenience" off.

Of course, the Register also mentions that the US Computer Emergency Response Team says those instructions aren't fully effective, but they neglect to link to their "better" instructions.

Shocked, SHOCKED I am!!!

Whistleblower: NSA spied on everyone, targeted journalists

"It didn't matter whether you were in Kansas, in the middle of the country, and you never made foreign communications at all. They monitored all communications."

He further said that journalists were monitored 24/7/365. And when he tried to figure out why, he was fired.

Observations on winter cycling

Just as much to remind myself in the future as anything else:

1-the Marathon Winter tires are NOT working out. Sure, tons of studs, but crap for tread. They are great on ice and hard pack snow, roll easily on pavement, but slide and wallow in mashed-up snow. NOT an acceptable trade-off. A thread on BikeForums today confirms that I'm not alone in this opinion. Next time, I'm going back to Nokian W106s, and may even go to 45s instead of 35s, though that probably won't fit under my fenders.

2-straight platform pedals are definitely the way to go. When the wheels slip, it helps a lot to be able to put a foot down in a fraction of a second. Any unclipping time is too much.

As an aside, a guy on BikeForums today posted pics of his winter rig. Surly Pugsley frame, Surly Large Marge rims with Endomorph tires and Avid BB7 disc brakes. Oh yeah, and a Rohloff 14 speed internally geared hub ($1200 for just the hub, but smooth and bulletproof). Yeah, it's a $3000 bike, but *damn*. That is NICE.