Connect: 2012

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Black screen after logging in via remote desktop

I had an annoying issue a few minutes ago - I've initiated a remote desktop session from my home PC to a windows 7 PC at work.
I was presented with the usual login screen. however, after passing the login phase successfully, the only thing displayed on the remote desktop is a black screen.
I've tried to reopen the remote desktop client, change the RDP screen resolution, reboot the client PC, but the result was always the same - black screen.

Eventually what worked for me was to press the CTRL-ALT-END key combination and click on the "Start Task Manager" option. In this case, that was sufficient to eliminate the black screen issue. In other cases it might be required to terminate some running processes using the remote task manager.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Devil in human form

We have enslaved the rest of the animal creation, and have treated our distant cousins in fur and feathers so badly that beyond doubt, if they were able to formulate a religion, they would depict the Devil in human form.


William Ralph Inge (6 June 1860 – 26 February 1954) was an English author, Anglican priest, professor of divinity at Cambridge, and Dean of St Paul's Cathedral

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Tao Te Ching and the art of counter-globalisation

Tao Te Ching, a classic Chinese text attributed to Laozi (老子) was written some 2,500 years ago. 

If a country is governed wisely,
its inhabitants will be content.
They enjoy the labor of their hands
and don't waste time inventing
labor-saving machines.
Since they dearly love their homes,
they aren't interested in travel.
There may be a few wagons and boats,
but these don't go anywhere.
There may be an arsenal of weapons,
but nobody ever uses them.
People enjoy their food,
take pleasure in being with their families,
spend weekends working in their gardens,
delight in the doings of the neighborhood.
And even though the next country is so close
that people can hear its roosters crowing and its dogs barking,
they are content to die of old age
without ever having gone to see it. 
 Quote from chapter 80, no need to add a single word.