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YOU HAVE LOST ACCESS TO SQL SERVER: HOW TO FIX-IT You are working as a trusted DBA responsible for some extremely important SQL Servers for your company. For the sake of security, you have performed the following steps to secure SQL Servers: You have removed any and all built-in administrators account from SQL Server logins You have removed all the users (except SA) that were part of SYSADMIN server role (Including any Windows Accounts and/or SQL Server logins) You have set the password of SA to something extremely complex which is hard to remember For day-to-day operations on SQL Server, you use your domain user account which has DBO permissions on couple of databases but doesn’t have SYSADMIN privileges. Since you set the SA password to be complex and you have not been using it, you forgot the SA password. You are the only person in the company who would know the SA password and now you have lost the SA password. What would you do now? Some quick options I can t...

Programmer Competency Matrix Programmer Competency Matrix Note that the knowledge for each level is cumulative; being at level n implies that you also know everything from the levels lower than n . Computer Science   2 n (Level 0) n 2 (Level 1) n (Level 2) log(n) (Level 3) Comments data structures Doesn't know the difference between Array and LinkedList Able to explain and use Arrays, LinkedLists, Dictionaries etc in practical programming tasks Knows space and time tradeoffs of the basic data structures, Arrays vs LinkedLists, Able to explain how hashtables can be implemented and can handle collisions, Priority queues and ways to implement them etc. Knowledge of advanced data structures like B-trees, binomial and fibonacci heaps, AVL/Red Black trees, Splay Trees, Skip Lists, tries etc. algorithms Unable to find the average of numbers in an array (It's hard to believe but I've inter...

Recipe: Luscious Tandoori Lamb Chops INGREDIENTS 8 lamb rib chops (2 1/2 pounds) 3/4 cup Greek yogurt 1/4 cup heavy cream 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice One 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced 4 large garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon malt vinegar 1 tablespoon garam masala 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 tablespoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground mace (optional) 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg Kosher salt 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted Using a paring knife, cut a few 1/4-inch-deep slashes in each lamb chop. In a large bowl, whisk the yogurt with the heavy cream, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, malt vinegar, garam masala, cumin, paprika, cayenne, mace, nutmeg and 1 teaspoon of salt. Transfer the lamb chops to the marinade and turn to coat, then cover and refrigerate overnight. Add the oil to the marinade and toss with the lamb chops. Remove the chops from the marinade and let stand at room temp...

ingredients bowl this 5 pounds ground round 1 pound ground pork 6 cups breadcrumbs 4 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano 2 Tablespoons fennel, ground bowl this 2 carrots, chopped 3 medium onion, chopped 15 garlic cloves, minced mix this 9 large eggs, beaten to blend 1.5 cup dry red wine 1/8 cup Dijon mustard 1/4 cup stone ground dijon mustard 1/4 cup honey mustard 3/4 cup barbecue sauce a few sprigs of thyme 8 bay leaves 2.5 pounds bacon, cooked no salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper after 20m in oven preparation Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the bacon in a medium sauté pan over medium-low heat. Sauté the bacon for about 5 minutes, or until it has begun to crisp and most of the fat has rendered out. Combine first 8 ingredients in two bowls. Gently mix in the sauce, eggs, and wine.  Using your hands, gently work all of the ingredients into the meat until well combined.  Place one-half of the croutons int...

A duck walks into a bar and he says to the bartender, “Hey Bartender, you got any grapes?” And the Bartender says, “No I don’t have any grapes, this is a bar!”   And the duck says “Okay.”   So he leaves the bar, he walks around the block, he comes back and he says, “Bartender, you got any grapes?” The Bartender says, “ No. I don’t have any grapes.” And the duck says “Okay.”   He leaves the bar, walks around the block again, “Hey Bartender, you got any grapes?” The Bartender says, “Look, if you ask me that again, I’m going to nail you to the wall!” The duck says “Okay,” leaves the bar, comes back, “Hey Bartender, you got any nails?” The Bartender says, “No!” The duck says “Ah… You got any grapes?” -- jennifer egan ,  dinner party ice breaker 115

This is an awesome recipe from my friend Anamika , who runs the delicious Kasa restaurant. Back in 2004, I took her Indian cooking classes to shore up that need, but now that she's a famous chef and restaurateur, her schedule is tight. Every now and again, she offers a class, which I highly recommend. Ingredients  Paneer – 1 packet – sliced Red Bell Pepper – 1 – sliced Green Chillis, finely chopped – 4 Soy Sauce – 2 tbsp Vinegar – 1 tbsp Plain flour – 2 tbsps Cornstarch – 3 tbsps Black Pepper, freshly ground – 1 teaspoon Green Onions, finely chopped – 2 bunches Garlic, finely chopped – 2 tbsp Ginger, finely chopped – 2 tbsp Sugar – pinch Oil to fry Salt to taste Instructions 1. Mix the paneer with the plain flour, 2 tbsp cornstarch, black pepper, ginger and soy sauce. 2. Fry the paneer pieces in hot oil and drain. 3. For the sauce, heat a little oil in a pan, add most of the spring onions, bell pepper and garlic pieces and fry until light brown. Make a ...

R ecently I came across a blog post that had a list of (physical) books that would be important to have on hand just-in-case.  It reminded me of the beautiful work by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven , Lucifer's Hammer , in which a comet slams into the earth and the ensuing struggle of survival is documented in gorgeous detail.   The tone of life after "Hammerfall" is one where those who do not have valuable professions for a world without power or civilization are relegated to being manual laborers, regardless of their socioeconomic status or profession before the Fall. One of the interesting things woven throughout the book is a subtle dropping of a list of books. I'll include that list in a follow-up post here, so watch this space.  For now, here is the aforementioned blog post, from codenameinsight : The Survivalist's Bookshelf When it comes to preparing for disaster, almost everything you need to do/know/learn can be found online.  There may be a ...