Alan Kleymeyer

The technology is called CAPTCHA.
Microsoft Research on Human Interaction Proofs (HIPs)

The Captcha project

Captcha tutorials

ample PHP implementation

Captcha effectiveness

Test your bandwith speed

How to go from XBOX to XBOX Media Center in 30 minutes

This summer we took our second XBOX to South Padre.  I debated whether to take it at all but I’m glad we did because the first day it rained all day.  David and I finished the Halo 2 campaign in cooperative mode.  The next few days, the XBOX had trouble reading some of the games. By the end of the week, it couldn’t read any disks.  Don’t know if it was the humidity, the car ride, fine sand that got inside?  At home it continued to fail to read ANY disk including DVD movie or music CD.  I could, however, get online, and view game saves on the hardisk.  It seemed like a DVD drive or laser problem.

Tonight I finally got around to trying to fix it.  I followed the instructions here to open the case and then  did a thorough DVD drive cleaning as described here.  I was setting my expectations low, but low and behold, it worked!  After disassembling the XBOX, using a $3.50 can of compressed air to dust the inside and the laser components, then reassembling it back, it fired up!  David and I celebrated (past his bedtime) by playing a level of Halo2.  This was the XBOX where we finished the campaign so we jumped directly to one of our favorite levels: The Great Journey.

We’ve missed having the second XBOX and playing XLINKed games.  It will also come in handy for our XBOX Nights.