If you are trying to free up space on your system drive you may run across a very large  log file in the system32\wbem\logs folder:

SYMPTOMS

When you use Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) and you configure it to log all events on your Microsoft Windows Server 2003-based computer or Microsoft Windows XP-based computer for quick analysis and troubleshooting of problems, the file size of both the Framework.log and the Framework.lo_ files may be greater than what you configured for them.

The Framework.log file grows larger than 64 KB when you use WMI on a Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP computer

I was looking for information on how Group Policies get applied and I thought this particular paragraph explained some of the strange things we sometimes see with Group Policy behavior:

Folder Redirection and Software Installation Policies

Note that when logon optimization is on, a user may need to log on to a computer twice before folder redirection policies and software installation policies are applied. This is because application of these types of policies require the synchronous policy application. During a policy refresh (which is asynchronous), the system sets a flag that indicates that the application of folder redirection or a software installation policy is required. The flag forces synchronous application of the policy at the user's next logon.

Group Policy Processing

 I was looking for something else and came across this in the Scripting guy archives...

Set objFile = objFSO.OpenTextFile("c:\scripts\test.txt", ForReading,False,TriStateTrue)

The first two parameters probably don’t faze you much: they’re simply the full path to the file we want to open and the constant ForReading. And you’re right: this is standard operating procedure when it comes to reading text files. But what about those other two parameters, one False, the other the constant TriStateTrue?

This is where the Scripting Guys perform their magic. The optional third parameter is a Boolean parameter that, if True, creates the specified text file if the file cannot be found. Because we’re only interested in opening an existing file, we set this parameter to False (which is also the default value).

That brings us to parameter 4, our old pal TriStateTrue. If the fourth parameter passed to the OpenTextFile method is equal to -1 then the file will be opened as a Unicode file. It’s that easy. Leave the fourth parameter off and the file will be opened as ASCII; set the fourth parameter to -1 and - presto-changeo! - your file will be opened as Unicode,

Hey, Scripting Guy! How Can I Open a Text File as Unicode?

I was trying to write a script to read a text file and evaluate the data to do some formatting on it.  This is for a project I am working on and the person that gave me the text file wants some changes made based on the contents of the file.  I have done similar things before, but I kept having trouble with this one.

I started with trying to do a readline and then echo that back.  Every time I tried it, I got  ÿ_[  (y with the umlaut, underscore and the bracket)as the output for the first line and then nothing for everything after that.  I tried it against other text files and got the expected result.  I was investigating, trying to figure out if there was a character in the file that didn't work well, and finally decided to try and do a writeline to another text file to see if it would at least write the value out that way. 

Imagine my surprise when the results came back with a space between each letter in the source file.  Turns out that it was in UNICODE format.  I saved it as ANSI and then everything was golden.  I also noticed that the file was half the original size...  must have to do with all those extra spaces...

 Found this web page that has sample queries for TSM.

This page has a collection of useful SQL statements for IBM Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM). Here you can find out a lot of selects that will help you to get information from TSM and to construct your own SQL statements.

SQL for Tivoli Storage Manager

 Now this is funny...  you can buy your own chain mail shirt....

Tips on Wearing Your New Chain Mail:
In case you weren't aware, chain mail does not stretch. You cannot put it on one arm at a time like a fabric shirt. Instead lay the chain mail flat on the ground, bend over and thrust both arms into the bottom of the shirt. Work your hands through to the end of the sleeves and then begin to stand-up. Get your head through the neck hole and let the chain mail slide down your body. If you have long hair, make sure to tie up your hair before you wear the chain mail. Otherwise it could get tangled in your hair. You might feel a bit claustrophobic when first wearing the chain mail... but don't worry you won't get stuck. PLEASE wear a shirt or some other garment underneath the chain mail. The edges of the rings where they are joined together are a bit rough and can scratch you.

ThinkGeek :: The ThinkGeek Chain Mail T-Shirt

 I thought this was an interesting perspective on Vista.  He doesn't try to gloss over shortcoming, but he does point out that not all the pains are Microsoft's fault.  I mean really...  Do venders really think if they ignore Microsoft it will just go away?

Does Vista suck?

Though not without its warts, Microsoft's much maligned OS gets the job done for enterprise users

By Oliver Rist

August 22, 2007

Does Vista suck? | InfoWorld | Test Center | August 22, 2007 | By Oliver Rist

 A guy in my office forwarded a link to this company's website.  Very cool system.  I was one of the first people in my office to use dual monitors for my desktop PC.  I find that it greatly enhances my productivity. 

This looks like it would be great for people who do a lot of trade shows, or traveling presentations:

The CinePort Multi-Monitor Laptop External Expansion System

The CinePort is a mobile graphics card that plugs directly into your laptop's PC card port (CardBus) and allows you to add up to four additional displays to your laptop. When combined with your laptop's built-in display and built-in external monitor port, you can run up to six displays from one laptop.

CinePort Multi Monitor Laptop PCMCIA Expansion Adapter