Sunday, April 11, 2004
excerpt from the Betty Champagne's column Bits and PCs as published in the American Press
Sunday April 11, 2004
Easter Eggs: Not just for baskets anymore
What better day to discuss Easter eggs than Easter Sunday? No, I don't mean the kind of Easter eggs that the Easter Bunny left in your Easter basket. This is another thing entirely.
The "Easter eggs" that I'm talking about are hidden and undocumented items that programmers put into their software. However, the term "Easter egg" in this context can also refer to things deliberately hidden in movies, music, works of art, television shows, TV commercials, books, etc., by their creators. An Easter egg is sort of the ultimate signature for your work.
Before you embark on your Easter egg hunt, be aware that not every Easter egg is going to be available on every computer, so don't get upset if you can't find one. Upgrades, patches, downloads, installing-uninstalling programs and the like can change, add, and yes, delete Easter eggs. On the plus side, though, you might come across an as-yet-undiscovered Easter Egg!
To get you started, try these:
In Windows XP and XP Pro, double-click My Computer and navigate to the C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc folder. Double click to open the file named "Equotes." You'll get a message telling you that the system cannot open the file because it does not know what program to use.
Under the question "What do you want to do?," click "Select the Program from a list" to display a list of available programs. Scroll down to find and select your favorite text editor(for example, Notepad or Wordpad) to open the "quotes" file. You'll see a list of amusing--okay, downright funny--quotes. (And you thought Microsoft programmers had no sense of humor!)
..............
In all versions of Windows, in the FreeCell game, you can find two extra games of FreeCell--as if 1,000,000 aren't enough. Press F3 to select a new game. Then in the text box, enter either 1 or 2 as the game number for the new game. Click OK.
In most versions of Microsoft Word, open a new document. Type the following without the quotes: "=rand(200,99)" and then press Enter. Surprise.
If you're interested in more Easter Eggs, take a look at
eggheaven2000.com . You'll find thousands listed there. Enjoy the hunt.
ps do a google search for "easter eggs" without the quotes for other sites
And now for your viewing pleasure, the contents of said Equotes file, in case your computer doesnt still house them (mine doesn't)
"My spelling is Wobbly. It's good spelling but it Wobbles, and the letters
get in the wrong places." A. A. Milne (1882-1958)
%
"Man can climb to the highest summits, but he cannot dwell there long."
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
%
"In Heaven an angel is nobody in particular." George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
%
"Assassination is the extreme form of censorship."
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
%
"When a stupid man is doing something he is ashamed of, he always declares
that it is his duty." George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
%
"We have no more right to consume happiness without producing it than to
consume wealth without producing it." George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
%
"We want a few mad people now. See where the sane ones have landed us!"
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
%
"The secret of being miserable is to have leisure to bother about whether
you are happy or not. The cure for it is occupation."
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
%
"Here's the rule for bargains: "Do other men, for they would do you."
That's the true business precept." Charles Dickens (1812-70)
%
"Oh the nerves, the nerves; the mysteries of this machine called man!
Oh the little that unhinges it, poor creatures that we are!"
Charles Dickens (1812-70)
%
"A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted
to be that profound secret and mystery to every other."
Charles Dickens (1812-70)
%
"It was as true as taxes is. And nothing's truer than them."
Charles Dickens (1812-70)
%
Sunday April 11, 2004
Easter Eggs: Not just for baskets anymore
What better day to discuss Easter eggs than Easter Sunday? No, I don't mean the kind of Easter eggs that the Easter Bunny left in your Easter basket. This is another thing entirely.
The "Easter eggs" that I'm talking about are hidden and undocumented items that programmers put into their software. However, the term "Easter egg" in this context can also refer to things deliberately hidden in movies, music, works of art, television shows, TV commercials, books, etc., by their creators. An Easter egg is sort of the ultimate signature for your work.
Before you embark on your Easter egg hunt, be aware that not every Easter egg is going to be available on every computer, so don't get upset if you can't find one. Upgrades, patches, downloads, installing-uninstalling programs and the like can change, add, and yes, delete Easter eggs. On the plus side, though, you might come across an as-yet-undiscovered Easter Egg!
To get you started, try these:
In Windows XP and XP Pro, double-click My Computer and navigate to the C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc folder. Double click to open the file named "Equotes." You'll get a message telling you that the system cannot open the file because it does not know what program to use.
Under the question "What do you want to do?," click "Select the Program from a list" to display a list of available programs. Scroll down to find and select your favorite text editor(for example, Notepad or Wordpad) to open the "quotes" file. You'll see a list of amusing--okay, downright funny--quotes. (And you thought Microsoft programmers had no sense of humor!)
..............
In all versions of Windows, in the FreeCell game, you can find two extra games of FreeCell--as if 1,000,000 aren't enough. Press F3 to select a new game. Then in the text box, enter either 1 or 2 as the game number for the new game. Click OK.
In most versions of Microsoft Word, open a new document. Type the following without the quotes: "=rand(200,99)" and then press Enter. Surprise.
If you're interested in more Easter Eggs, take a look at
eggheaven2000.com . You'll find thousands listed there. Enjoy the hunt.
ps do a google search for "easter eggs" without the quotes for other sites
And now for your viewing pleasure, the contents of said Equotes file, in case your computer doesnt still house them (mine doesn't)
"My spelling is Wobbly. It's good spelling but it Wobbles, and the letters
get in the wrong places." A. A. Milne (1882-1958)
%
"Man can climb to the highest summits, but he cannot dwell there long."
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
%
"In Heaven an angel is nobody in particular." George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
%
"Assassination is the extreme form of censorship."
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
%
"When a stupid man is doing something he is ashamed of, he always declares
that it is his duty." George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
%
"We have no more right to consume happiness without producing it than to
consume wealth without producing it." George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
%
"We want a few mad people now. See where the sane ones have landed us!"
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
%
"The secret of being miserable is to have leisure to bother about whether
you are happy or not. The cure for it is occupation."
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
%
"Here's the rule for bargains: "Do other men, for they would do you."
That's the true business precept." Charles Dickens (1812-70)
%
"Oh the nerves, the nerves; the mysteries of this machine called man!
Oh the little that unhinges it, poor creatures that we are!"
Charles Dickens (1812-70)
%
"A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted
to be that profound secret and mystery to every other."
Charles Dickens (1812-70)
%
"It was as true as taxes is. And nothing's truer than them."
Charles Dickens (1812-70)
%
