A honey trap - if anyone's running PHPMyAdmin then people will come looking!

I left a website running for a month on Azure... this is what came attacking:

404	/phpmyadmin/scripts/setup.php	23
404	/pma/scripts/setup.php	14
404	/myadmin/scripts/setup.php	11
404	/content/images/skins/simple/awesome-overlay-sprite.png	8
404	/mysql/scripts/setup.php	6
404	/scripts/setup.php	6
404	/robots.txt	5
400	/w00tw00t.at.blackhats.romanian.anti-sec:)	5
404	/pma2005/scripts/setup.php	4
404	/phpmyadmin2/scripts/setup.php	4
404	/web/phpmyadmin/scripts/setup.php	4
404	/user/soapcaller.bs	3
404	/cube/readme	3
404	/round/readme	3
404	/roundcube-0.2/readme	3
404	/roundcube-0.1/readme	3
404	/roundcubemail-0.1/readme	3
404	/roundcubemail-0.2/readme	3
404	/wm/readme	3
404	/webmail2/readme	3
404	/rms/readme	3
404	/mail2/readme	3
404	/mss2/readme	3
404	/mss/readme	3
404	/roundcubemail/readme	3
404	/rc/readme	3
404	/webmail/readme	3
404	/roundcube/readme	3
404	/mail/readme	3
404	/readme	3
404	/manager/html	3
404	/sql/scripts/setup.php	3
404	/mysqladmin/scripts/setup.php	3
404	/phpmya/scripts/setup.php	3
404	/phpmyadmin1/scripts/setup.php	3
404	/phpmyadmin/config/config.inc.php	3
404	/mini-profiler-results	2
404	/sslmysqladmin/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/admin/phpmyadmin/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/admin/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/bbs/data/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/cpadmin/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/cpadmindb/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/cpanelmysql/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/cpanelphpmyadmin/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/cpanelsql/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/cpdbadmin/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/cpphpmyadmin/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/db/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/dbadmin/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/mysql-admin/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/mysqladminconfig/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/p/m/a/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/mysqlmanager/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/php-my-admin/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/php-myadmin/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.2.3/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.2.6/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.5.1/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.5.4/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.5.5-pl1/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.5.5-rc1/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.5.5-rc1config/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.5.5/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.5.6-rc1/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.5.6-rc2/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.5.6/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.5.7-pl1/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.5.7/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.0-alpha2/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.0-beta1/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.0-beta2/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.0-pl1/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.0-pl2/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.0-pl3/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.0-rc1/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.0-rc2/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.0-rc3/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.0/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.1-pl1/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.1-pl2/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.1-pl3/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.1-rc2/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.1/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.2-beta1/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.2-pl1/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.2-rc1/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.2/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.3-pl1/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.3-rc1/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.3/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.4-pl2/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.4-pl3/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.4-pl4/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.4-rc1/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.4/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.7.0-beta1/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.7.0-pl2/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.7.0-rc1/scripts/setup.php	2

404	/phpmyadmin-2.7.0-rc1/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.7.0/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.8.0-beta1/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.8.0-rc1/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.8.0-rc2/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.8.0.1/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.8.0.2/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.8.0.4/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.8.1-rc1/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.8.1/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2.8.2/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin-2/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpadmin/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmanager/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmy-admin/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/roundcube/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/sl2/data/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/sqladmin/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/sqlmanager/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/sqlweb/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/typo3/phpmyadmin/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/web/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/webadmin/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/webdb/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/websql/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/xampp/phpmyadmin/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/~/pma/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin2/config.inc.php	2
404	/backup/phpmyadmin/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/bkup/phpmyadmin/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/_phpmyadmin/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmy/scripts/setup.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin/index.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin2/index.php	2
404	/phpmyadmin3/index.php	2
404	/cgi-bin/if.cgi	2
404	/admin/pma/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/mail/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/phpmyadmin-2.5.5-rc2/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/phpmyadmin-2.7.0-pl1/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/phpmyadmin-2.8.0.3/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/phppgadmin/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/webmail/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/~/admin/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/~/myadmin/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/~/phpadmin/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/~/phpmyadmin/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/pma/config/config.inc.php	1
404	/admin/config/config.inc.php	1
404	/dbadmin/config/config.inc.php	1
404	/mysql/config/config.inc.php	1
404	/php-my-admin/config/config.inc.php	1
404	/myadmin/config/config.inc.php	1
404	/config/config.inc.php	1
404	/phppgadmin/config.inc.php	1
404	/mail/config.inc.php	1
404	/webmail/config.inc.php	1
404	/wall/data/carbonapple_mono1024.jpg	1
404	/3rdparty/phpmyadmin/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/_admin/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/admm/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/admn/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/databaseadmin/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/phpm/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/phpmyadmin-2.11.10/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/phpmyadmin-2.11.1-all-languages/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/phpmyadmin-2.11.8.1-all-languages-utf-8-only/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.0-alpha/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/phpmyadmin-2.6.1-rc1/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/phpmyadmin-2.8.0/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/phpmyadmin-3.0.0-rc1-english/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/phpmyadmi/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/phpmyad/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/phpmyad-sys/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/php/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/vhcs2/tools/pma/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/wp-content/plugins/wp-phpmyadmin/wp-phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/wp-phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/wp-phpmyadmin/scripts/setup.php	1
404	/nosuichfile.php	1
404	/noxdir/nosuichfile.php	1
404	/pma/index.php	1
404	/mysql/index.php	1
404	/myadmin/index.php	1

When your WP7 app won't start

I've recently had a few problems where some of my WP7 apps simply won't start.

This isn't a problem with code... App.xaml.cs never gets loaded - so there's no way I can debug it.

If this happens to you, then here are my suggestions:

1. Check that the App.xaml file is marked as ApplicationDefinition and not as Page

2. Check that the App.xaml.cs class is set as the startup object in the project properties

3. Check that the App.xaml does not contain any corrupt entries in Application.Resources (this feels wrong... but I've seen issues with it)

4. Check that the project properties - for namespace, assembly, etc - are all their "normal" values

Hope this saves someone out there some swearing :)

A quick analysis of file size versus JPEG quality

For a sample genuine photo - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/ReceiptSwiss.jpg - with all its analog goodness, I just used Paint.Net to resize the photo to 972x1296 and to produce:

Quality(%)   FileSize PNG          2MB 100%         749KB 95%          239KB 90%          153KB 75%          84KB 50%          57KB 25%          41KB

Pictures and more at http://slodge.com/photocompression/

If ever you need to use DataBinding with Run inside Wp7 pre-mango then

This is perfect!

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5253622/databinding-textblock-runs-in-silverlight-wp7

"Sometimes Emulator will not change from portrait to landscape if keyboard is enabled to be used."

If you find the Wp7 windows phone 7 emulator stops switching landscape/portrait then:

"Sometimes Emulator will not change from portrait to landscape if keyboard is enabled to be used."

It's a known issue - hopefully gone in Mango!

Noir Consulting - really?

Over the last four years, I've heard several people mention Noir Consulting - the name seems always to come up in the context "I sent them my CV and heard nothing back".

Those mentions have put me off them, but I'm wondering if anyone's had any good experience with them?

It is an error to use a section registered as allowDefinition='MachineToApplication' beyond application level.

If you see this problem using ASP.Net Publish then try:

  del "$(ProjectDir)\obj\Debug\Package\PackageTmp\web.config"

from: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2147180/why-do-i-randomly-get-a-error-to-use-section-registered-as-allowdefinition-mach

Wasted ages on this... gggggggggrrrrrrrrr!

If you install Azure SDK 1.4 and then your web roles say System.TypeLoadException for System.ServiceModel.Activation.HttpModule in ASP.NET 4

If you install Azure SDK 1.4 and then your web roles say System.TypeLoadException for System.ServiceModel.Activation.HttpModule in ASP.NET 4, then follow this advice

http://blogs.iis.net/webtopics/archive/2010/04/28/system-typeloadexception-for-system-servicemodel-activation-httpmodule-in-asp-net-4.aspx

and run:

aspnet_regiis -iru

in a "run as admin" command prompt

An excellent walkthrough on how to get connectionstrings integrated into Azure roles

Excellent walkthrough - here

http://romikoderbynew.wordpress.com/2011/02/02/using-autofac-mvc3-sqlmembershipprovider-and-entity-framework-in-windows-azure-and-sql-azure/ 

The ViewData item that has the key 'XXX' is of type 'System.Int32' but must be of type 'IEnumerable'.

If you're using ASP.Net MVC and you get this message using a DropDownList...

... then check whether the IEnumerable you think you are passing in actually exists in your ViewBag/ViewData

If you're using EntityFramework and you see this error - 

A value shared across entities or associations is generated in more than one location.

Then what it means is: you've set up inheritance using multiple tables and you've left the key autogenerated in one of the derived types.