Avoiding Rocket Science – slide 1
Funny things happen when you go back to work after being on leave for a week. I returned this morning to a colleague presenting me with a mystery.
Turns out one of the public computers was acting up….nothing new, they always get a bashing. However this time things typed by staff on a computer, about 8 metres away, across the other side of the office was showing up in the text boxes of the public computer.
Over the week I was away my colleague had tried many things, even a complete reinstall of XP, only to have the bizarre behaviour return.
So I immediately thought virus, trojun or spyware, and set to scanning both systems. Couple hours later, no threats but still no change.
Being nearly lunch, and way past the fifteen minute rule, I retreat to my office and call the cavalry…in the form of a mate who works in the trade.
He offers a suggestion, which he has witnessed before, yet seems ludicrous given the positioning of the computers involved, and I hasten to give it a go.
And viola! It works and the mystery was solved.
Now, given the clues, do you have any idea what it was? Leave me a comment if you do.
Dave
Hi Dave,
Not knowing the answer to this rocket science, (and needing a little more info: did the text typed appear as typed is was being typed or did it show up in full when visiting websites?) my guess is that its related to the PCs somehow sharing the same browser cookie/registry info (roaming desktops??).. I have no idea.
On a related topic I just discovered win2VNC which allows sharing of one mouse/keyboard across multiple PCs (and OSs) way cool.. and allows someone far away to type on another computer.
On a compleley unrelated topic, I just discovered uncyclopedia.org – read the article about the hammer (featured on the home page) then follow the ‘scream’ link!)
—
http://creativeobjectworld.com/ – (cow)
a free-form, text-based, browser-based, real-time, multi-user virtual world.
Comment by wolis — October 9, 2006 @ 9:31 pm
Wol
Good try. The text appeared and the coputer responded instantaneously to typing on the first computer.
I have heard of win2vnc…..never understood or required concept. How’s it different from straightVNC?
Dave
Comment by Dave the Lifekludger — October 10, 2006 @ 8:48 pm
I’m going to say that the keyboard was plugged into the wrong machine
but, that’s just me being silly.
Comment by gabe — November 23, 2006 @ 3:04 am
Nope. No cigar. Was a wireless keyboard. And please, continue being silly…the world needs more silly…takes itself way too seriously sometimes. Thanks for the comment.
Comment by Dave the Lifekludger — November 23, 2006 @ 6:31 am
Dave-
Would the keyboard in question happen to be wireless? If so, my guess would be the receivers were picking up the same signal. If not, then that must have been one long ps/2 cable.
Nelson
Comment by NelsonP — November 23, 2006 @ 6:33 am
Maybe both computers using the same kind of wireless keyboard?
Comment by JW — November 23, 2006 @ 9:17 am
Nelson, you’re right. The receiver 8 metres away was picking up the signal from the other keyboard. Resynced the keyboard and was ok. Actually it reoccured later, so changed it toa wired keyboard! Sometimes simplest is best.
Comment by Dave the Lifekludger — November 23, 2006 @ 11:14 am
Bingo! See previous comment to NelsonP. Well done.
Comment by Dave the Lifekludger — November 23, 2006 @ 11:16 am