official

I now officially have a 85.2% average for the semester.

I smart am

It looks like I did it.

The marks for my last class have been posted by the professor and will be made official by the dean in a few days.

She provides a histogram and some basic statistics for all marks listed. The graph for the final exam shows that 4 people got a mark between 90 and 100. The statistics listed 94% as the highest mark on the final. I got a 94%.

That means that I am one of the 4 who got 90% or higher but I don't know if I am the only one who got a 94% or if some or all of the other 3 also got that mark. The average mark was a 67%.

The 94% in the final resulted in a 90% final mark in the class. The highest total class mark was a 94% and only 7 people (including me) got a 90% or higher. The class average was a 73%. A total of 74 people took the class.

This result, once made official, will result in a term average of 85.2% which should make me eligible for the Dean's List. It also raised my program average to 80.3% which qualifies me to graduate with honours as long as I can maintain this mark over the last 11 classes that I have to take.

Yeah me!

Pins and Needle time

I just wrote my last exam and now I have to wait and tremble for the mark.

I checked my scores in the other classes and I have:
87
84
83
82

Which gives me an 84 average.

That means that if I get an 89 or higher in this last class then I have an 85 average and make the deans list for the semester.

This last exam was one of the best I have ever written. I did the entire exam without having to skip questions. When I got to the end I re-checked the whole exam twice and only made 2 minor changes. I changed the name of an account I used when making a journal entry for a declared dividend and I added a note to clarify one answer to eliminate a possible misunderstanding of what my final answer was. There is only 1 mark out of 75 that I am not reasonably sure of.

I have the possibility of getting a 100% on the exam and any mark 91% or higher will give me an overall 89%+ in the class.

Now I have to wait and see if I made more than 9% of stupid mistakes in the test.

Waiting sucks.

I am the crazy one

Yesterday the pull knob for the lights on my truck broke into 2 pieces and fell off.

I did what any normal person would do. I blinked.

I checked the metal rod sticking out of the dash and yep...I can still grab it and pull and push it as needed. My lights still work.

Now that funny part. I sent Peter a text telling him that it was broke and that I was going to ignore it for all eternity. He called me 20 seconds later and asked if he could borrow my truck for awhile. This is how he would proceed: (direct quote taken from MSN Messenger this morning)

"i would froth at the mouth and go to a wrecher where i would pull a switch out, pay 20 dollars for it sit in a freezing truck to install it, fix 2 other tings i knew were broken and then give the truck back to you"

This is why I told Peter. The sheer enjoyment of getting him worked up.

But apparently, I am the crazy one for ignoring a broken knob on a switch that works without it.

exams

One day, 2 exams.

More...no...brain....my....it...work......Uhhhh.....need sleepy.

You are out of your depth here peter

Consider two non-zero numbers "a" and "b", such that a = b.
If a = b, Then we can also write, a*a = a*b
Subtract the same thing from both sides:
a² - b² = ab - b²
(a-b)*(a+b) = b(a-b)
Hence, a + b = b
But a = b, So, the last equation can be written as, b + b = b ........!
So, 2b = b
Hence, 2 = 1 .....!

Who's your daddy!

Try this:
http://pages.intnet.mu/rasputin/trivia/test.htm

Virus #2 (recommend reading Virus #1 posted earlier today first)

This one is all Peters fault. (I will explain later)

My computer got a nasty virus several days ago. It was found and deleted by Spybot 8 times in the last 5 days. Yesterday I discovered that every time I reboot the computer all of my protection software and firewalls are being disabled and have to be manually re-started every time, EVEN IF THEY ARE SET TO START AUTOMATICALLY ON START-UP!

Apparently with my firewall down the virus rewrites itself when ever it wants to. Today I decided to take the time to figure this one out. Here is the story of 6 hours of my life.

It all seemed so simple; if I can get my security to stop shutting off I will be fine. How naïve I was.

I started by researching the name of the recurring virus FakeMSN8beta. I found several references but all of them were from late 2006 and the only solutions were to remove it with Spy-bot and all would be fine. Obviously what I have is a new nasty incarnation of this virus. By searching several other terms related to my problem I found a mal-ware archive that included help for problems similar but not exactly the same.

The one constant thread was the suggestion that those requiring help use a program called HighJackThis. I decided to get a copy and try it. In doing so, I now learned how insidious this virus really was.

I typed “hijackthis” into yahoo search and explorer shut down. Weird.
I typed “hijackthis” into yahoo search and explorer shut down. Weirder.
I typed “hijackthis” into yahoo search and explorer shut down. Now I am mad.
I ponder this for a moment.
I typed “hijackthis” into the Google search and explorer shut down. Uhhhh?
I typed “hijackthis” into several other search engines and in each case explored shut down with in seconds. Now I am worried.

I returned to the site that suggested HighJackThis and kept reading. In one post I found the name of a site that offered it. I typed the URL into the top bar and within 3 seconds explorer shut down. At this point I figure that this virus is REALLY nasty and wants to live.

More research find a direct link to a download of the program. This means that I can directly link to and download the program without actually opening the parent site or typing the name. Finally I have the program. I run the program. I start reading the options I have and it shuts down. I try again with the same result. ARRRGGGHHHH.

I try to open it and start a scan as fast as I can. Sometimes it is able to reach 80% complete but it always shuts down. I am stuck. (and MAD)

I go back to the archive site I have been playing with and after several minutes I manage to figure out how to get back to the actual ongoing and up to date forum. This took awhile as there was no direct link. It turns out that the site I had been directed to was a PDA only archive site. I had to fist find the link to transfer to the normal archive site and then from there I could go to the present day forum.

It took 15 minutes, but I eventually found a person who was having nearly identical symptoms as me including the shut down security and the trouble getting HighJackThis to work. I read all 3 pages of the help file and then got to work.

I started by checking the version of HighJackThis and discovered that I did not have the newest one. Some further searching discovered a direct link to the newest copy and I tried running it. Same problem. To fix this problem for the other person the tech suggested a program called HostsXpert. I download and run this program, follow the instructions and nothing changes. Unfortunately it does change for the person in the forum.

In an attempt to bypass whatever program is seaching for references to HighJackThis I open my task manager and reopen HighJackThis several times until I dicover that the only process that shows activity everytime is one called lsass.exe. I try closing this process but get told that it is a required system process that cannot be shut off. I decided to switch to safe mode and try again.

In safe mode I am able to run HighJackThis and finally get a log-file of what processes are commands are present when I start my computer. I return to the normal mode to comare my log file with the one from the help session. I discover that even the log file won't stay open. I notice that the logfile's name starts with 'hijackthis' so I re-name the file so that it does not contain the phrase 'highjackthis' and now it stays open.

I compare this list to the one in the help session and discover that most of the problem areas are the same but I am missing all the ones that relate to the blocking process. The virus was not active in safe mode so it doesn’t get logged. I delete all the problem command lines that I do have and try to find a new solution.

I search for the file that was to be removed in the forum helpfile and can’t find it. I am not really surprised as I have also now learned that the virus has been changed to copy itself to a random file name which it then deletes form its memory. This is why Spybot can no longer delete it completely. It is able to delete the working file and all the components that it has written into the system but the virus core is in an unknown location with a random name.

HighJackThis still doesn’t work but having seen my safe mode log I know what cammand line to look for. I start running HighJackThis over and over and gradually read what it displays on the log screen before shutting down. I discover the missing lines about ½ way down the page and several more attempts, I get the folder name and location on my computer.

I am able to find the basic folder in the windows system but it is empty. I re-read the forum help file and discover that it is a hidden file. I follow the instructions to reveal hidden files and IT APPEARS!!!!!! Then it disappears.

Apparently it is also programmed to return to hidden status if it is ever revealed. (rat fink….mutter….beat you….dirty…@$#$%....get you!) On my fourth try it stays revealed long enough for me to right-click and choose cut. I then past it to a new folder in a different location where it appears…and then disappears. I verify that it has just changed to properties of its new location to be hidden again and after several tries I am able to open the folder inside I discover the suspected lsass.exe process.

Another re-start brings a chain of errors warning me that several processes could not be started as the requested folder no longer exist where they are supposed to. I try running HighJackThis and IT WORKS. I am able to remove all the virus created command prompts and then go an d delete the new folder I created along with the virus it contains.

A fresh re-start and HighJackThis check reveals that all the virus commands are gone. And what do you know…lsass.exe is also no longer listed as a running process. I guess it wasn’t really a required system process.

The final step is to run SDFix to correct the changed registry values that are causing my security to be disabled on startup. I load the program, switch to safe mode and then run it. It spends 10 minutes examining my registry and then tells me to reset my computer and that it will run again on boot up. This time the program seems to interrupt my normal log-in and compares what my log-in is trying to do with what my safe mode did.

After another 15 minutes it tells me that it has removed 2 lines from my registry and everything is back to proper windows registry mode. My favorite of the two was "C:\WINDOWS\system32\taskkill.com". The name seemed appropriate. I re-set again and discover that all my security now turn on properly. I re-run all my spy ware programs and nothing is found. 6 hours have passed.

The forum help file I used as a reference is HERE if any of you want to see it directly.

Now…This is why I blame Peter. Last week Peter tried to send me some pictures on MSN Messenger. I had to leave so I asked him to send them later. As I was getting ready to shut the computer down on Friday night messenger opened and I got a message that said “The pictures you wanted can be downloaded here.” Followed with a link. The message said it had been sent from Peters account. I opened the link which started downloading a program. When it finished it asked if I wanted to run it. I clicked yes and then nothing happened.

I then went to messenger to ask Peter a question and discovered that he was not listed as being connected. The next morning, when I turned the computer on, all my problems started. So even though he was not logged on the virus said it came from Peter.

Thanks Pete, I owe you one.

Hee, hee.

virus #1

I am sick. NOT FROM THE RAID THOUGH SO DON"T GO THERE.

For the last 2 weeks I have been stuffed up especially when I wake up in the morning. Some mornings i fill several tissues with gobs of mucus and then I am better for most of the day.

The last several days I have had a cough, sore throat and earaches.

what sucks is the fact that none of the symptoms are really bad. My throat barely hurts and only when I swallow. My earache fades in and out but never gets really bad. My nose is bad in the morning and i have to empty it a little a few times through the day.

Even taken all together it is not that bad.

The problem is that it has gone on for the last several days. I am now at the point that I almost wish I would just get horribly sick and get it over with rather than this hanging-on almost sickness.

I have to say I have never before wanted to be sick.

JIMMINEY!!!!!

The cricket is dead!!!!!

For the last week we have been blessed with a happy little cricket in our living room. It appears to live in the crack between the flooring and thewall paneling BEHIND the radiator.

I have been unable to see him only hear him...and hear him...and hear him...and hear him...and hear him...and hear him...and hear him...and hear him...and hear him...and hear him...and hear him...and HEAR HIM...AND HEAR HIM...AND HEAR HIM...AND HEAR HIM...AND HEAR HIM...AND HEAR HIM...AND HEAR HIM...AND well you get the idea.

Today we picked up some raid and I doused the wall under and behind the rad. Since then we have heard no cricket. May he rest in peace. (OK I really mean rot in Hell but I am to nice to actually say that.)

Fingers crossed everyone and maybe we will get some sleep tonight.

Major Pain SIR!!!!

Ok.

Peter has created a very small amount of guilt but how about the rest of you. Darrell, I am looking in your direction. (of course, being on the other side of the world I am looking at you no matter where I peer.)