Firefox 132.0 Breaks Netflix, 132.0.1 Still Broken?

Firefox 132.0 breaks Netflix at the point content should start streaming, with Netflix error code F7361-1253-806E0005, as tested on Windows 10 22H2, Firefox 32-bit on 64-bit Windows.  

This is positioned as a DRM issue (no surprise, as DRM is code designed to break playback), said to be fixed in Firefox 132.0.1, but I'm still seeing the same failure pattern.

Well, bugs like this can happen; that's Strike One - but wait, this reveals two deeper issues...

1: No way to undo a toxic update

If your code needs to be "updated" (i.e. fixed) so often that automatic updates are preferred (at least by the vendor), then you need to be humble about such updates, in case they create new problems.  That means the ability to undo an update that may be messing things up - but I can't find that facility in Firefox; Strike Two. 

2: Update breaks data?

Fortunately, I kept a full offline installer for the previous version of Firefox, to undo whatever the latest update may have broken.  I could install that over the newer code base as an "upgrade"; no warnings about version revision or side effects.  But when Firefox started after this version fall-back, it warned: "Using an older version of Firefox can corrupt ... an existing Firefox profile.  To protect your information, create a new profile for this version of Firefox".  

Only choices from that modal dialog box were Exit or Create New Profile.  I certainly did not want to botch my profile by starting a new one that might lose all "my stuff", so chose to Exit. Strike Three.

Now, this worrying if this is not specific to 132.0, i.e. if Mozilla thinks it's OK to routinely botch user profiles and "just" spawn new ones, whenever one tries to undo a toxic update.  Changing data compatibility is non-trivial, should seldom happen, and be well-tested and documented if it does.  

A bland "well, we may botch your data, so let us 'protect' you as the only way to run the program, or go away" doesn't cut it, especially with no further details on what would happen if one "just" starts a new profile.  That approach amounts to "Trsut us, we're a software vendor" when the competence layer of the trust stack is already broken by the toxic update.

I re-installed broken 132.0, used Edge instead, watched for a bug-fix version, saw 132.0.1, downloaded and installed that, and lo!  Netflix still broken.  I presume the Netflix issue will eventually be fixed, or maybe it's something specific to my setup, making "Strike One" a "No Ball".  But now we've caught the "man behind the curtain" on Strikes Two and Three, not sure if I'll go back for more of the same.

Black but Working BCD Boot Menu; A Fix

In the age of UEFI PCs running Windows 10 and later, you may find a situation where the BCD Boot Menu is invisible as a black screen, but still works if navigated from the keyboard.  Enter will end the timeout, arrow keys will change the selection, etc.

This problem pattern is not the same as others that are more commonly described online; the menu that does not appear because it is bypassed (Fast Start, Timeout = 0, etc.) or other boot issues that may use a different BCD, bypass the BCD altogether, boot the wrong storage device, hang or crash before reaching UEFI boot due to hardware issues, etc.  

Recently I saw my 3rd case of this problem pattern, having described the first and second cases previously.  In all three cases, the boot menu works just fine, but can't be seen because the screen (or all screens, if multiple connected) stay black.  There's signal to the screen that the monitor accepts, rather than suspending due to incompatibility, but everything is black, with no visible mouse pointer or text-mode blinking cursor.

One fix is to disable the graphics adapter in Windows Device Manager, forcing Windows to use the Microsoft Basic Adapter driver instead of the driver specific to the system's GPU (as detected by Windows).  This proves this to be a "kick away the ladder" metabug, where something that should affect only Windows (the choice of graphics driver) affects the underlying UEFI system level beneath, with the potential to make it impossible to boot Windows to undo the damage.

Another fix for older systems, is to avoid UEFI in favor of CSM "BIOS", but this option is no longer available with Class 3 UEFI, and is increasingly untenable as Windows and hardware evolves.

Today's fix is to force the "legacy" type of BCD Boot Menu via a BCDEdit setting, specifically...

bcdedit /set "{current}" bootmenupolicy legacy

 ...where "{Current}" can be replaced with "{Default}" or more specific OSLoader GUIDs, as displayed explicitly via the /V option in BCDEdit. The visible impact is a text-mode white on black boot menu instead of the blue graphic boot menu; also, the menu text for OSLoaders that use RAMDisk will be taken from the RAMDisk defining GUID in BCD, rather than the OSLoader's GUID.

The implications of all this are twofold. 

First, the pre-Windows UEFI boot process is affected by choice of drivers in Windows, extending to how the BCD registry hive is interpreted by {bootmgr} (as seen from BCDEdit).

Second, the code that processes the BCD to display the Boot Menu has two pathways; that of the Windows 7 era Boot Menu that still works when forced via "bootmenupolicy legacy", and the newer Windows 10 era code that screws up the display when problematic drivers are in effect.

The safety implications go deeper; that an attack can be made through Windows to "brick" the system at the pre-Windows UEFI system level, such that no storage device can boot.  "Windows" device drivers should not integrate into the system as firmware "Extensions"!

Ten Four Jembe Patterns

Drummers may contemplate the "oil and water" nature of 3 vs. 2 or 4 - does one play one over the other at the same pulse as a round, pad out a 3/4 bar pattern to 4/4, or stretch the 3-beat pulse to match the bar length? In practice, one does all of these things, but the easiest to learn first, is to hold the same pulse and allow the bar lines to fall where they may, creating a "round" ("where's the One?") effect that is less confusing (and easier to notate) than changing the pulse.

I came up with part 1 of "Ten Four" as an exercise, and much later, woke up with part 2 in my head, without realizing it was also the same 3+3+4/4 signature. I added part 3 as a stick drum part to complete the song, along with a cross-beat call, and matching pure 3/4 and 4/4 patterns to drop on top.

Ten-Four cross-call, 4-beat to 3-beat ("krunk a dunk - GuDuGu, PaTaPa, go!") 

F Ss  BbB SsS (3-beat follows...)

|_-_-_|_-_|_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_...

Ten-Four pattern 1 (jembe, alternating hands)

B TtT F TtT B B TtS     B TtT F TtT B B TtS B TtT F TtT B B TtS  ...

|_-_-_:_-_-_:_-_-_-_|   |_-_-_:_-_-_:_-_-_-_|_-_-_:_-_-_:_-_-_-_ ...

Ten-Four pattern 2 (jembe, alternating hands)

B TtT TtTtT TtTtS S     B TtT TtTtT TtTtS S B TtT TtTtT TtTtS S  ...

|_-_-_:_-_-_:_-_-_-_|   |_-_-_:_-_-_:_-_-_-_|_-_-_:_-_-_:_-_-_-_ ...

Ten-Four pattern 3 (jembe, fixed hands)

B B s B B s BBs BBs     B B s B B s BBs BBs B B s B B s BBs BBs  ...

|_-_-_:_-_-_:_-_-_-_|   |_-_-_:_-_-_:_-_:_-_|_-_-_:_-_-_:_-_:_-_ ...

Ten-Four pattern 3 (2 stick drums, or 1 stick drum with mute as alternate sound)

X X O X X O XXO XXO     X X O X X O XXO XXO X X O X X O XXO XXO  ...

|_-_-_:_-_-_:_-_-_-_|   |_-_-_:_-_-_:_-_:_-_|_-_-_:_-_-_:_-_:_-_ ...

Once up and running, add these alternate hand for a "round" effect...

Ten-Four "Jan Pierewiet" 3-beat

B TtS                   B TtS B TtS B TtS B TtS B TtS B TtS ...
|_-_-_                  |_-_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_...

Ten-Four  4-beat

B B StS                 B B StS B B StS B B StS B B StS B B StS  ...
|_-_-_-_                |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_ ...

Ten-Four pattern -1 (offset variation of pattern 1)

TtT B TtT F TtT B B     TtT B TtT F TtT B B TtT B TtT F TtT B B  ...

|_-_-_:_-_-_:_-_-_-_|   |_-_-_:_-_-_:_-_-_-_|_-_-_:_-_-_:_-_-_-_ ...

As yet I haven't tried a bell pattern with this, but perhaps this would work, picking out the "1 and then 2 and then " 6/8 pulse over the 3/4 sub-bars of the thing:

Ten-Four bell 1

x  x  x  x  x   x       x  x  x  x  x   x   x  x  x  x  x   x    ...

|__-__:__-__:_-_-_-_|   |__-__:__-__:_-_-_-_|__-__:__-__:_-_-_-_ ...

...or...

Ten-Four bell 2

x  x  x  x  x x x x     x  x  x  x  x x x x x  x  x  x  x x x x  ...

|__-__:__-__:_-_-_-_|   |__-__:__-__:_-_-_-_|__-__:__-__:_-_-_-_ ...

...or something more spacious or kinky to taste.

PS: For those who prefer vocal notation, those patterns again...

Ten-Four cross-call, 4-beat to 3-beat ("krunk a dunk - GuDuGu, PaTaPa, go!") 

Pre.  Te Pe .  .  Gu Du Gu .  Pa Ta Pa 

|__.__-__.__-__.__|__.__-__.__|__.__-__.__

Ten-Four pattern 1 (jembe, alternating hands)

Gu .  Pe Te Pe .  Pre.  Pe Te Pe .  Gu .  Gu .  Pe Te Pa .

|__.__-__.__-__.__|__.__-__.__-__.__|__.__-__.__-__.__-__.__

Ten-Four pattern 2 (jembe, alternating hands)

Gu .  Pe Te Pe .  Pe Te Pe Te Pe .  Pe Te Pe Te Pa .  Pa .

|__.__-__.__-__.__|__.__-__.__-__.__|__.__-__.__-__.__-__.__

Ten-Four pattern 3 (jembe, fixed hands)

Gu .  Gu .  Ta .  Gu .  Gu .  Ta .  Gu Gu Ta .  Gu Gu Ta .

|__.__-__.__-__.__|__.__-__.__-__.__|__.__-__.__|__.__-__.__

Ten-Four "Jan Pierewiet" 3-beat

Gu .  Pe Te Pa .  

|__.__-__.__-__.__

Ten-Four 4-beat

Gu .  Gu .  Pe Te Pe .  

|__.__-__.__-__.__-__.__

Ten-Four pattern -1 (jembe, alternating hands)

Pe Te Pe .  Gu .  Pe Te Pe .  Pre.  Pe Te Pe .  Gu .  Gu .  

|__.__-__.__-__.__|__.__-__.__-__.__|__.__-__.__-__.__-__.__

Enjoy!

PB Session 15 Aug 2022

These are the patterns we played as the PB Drummers 15 August 2022, and what we can learn from them!  Notation is described here, with the reasons for yet another notation here.

We started with Djina Foli, the "space-clearing song" as taught by Tim in the city. It's a tough pattern to start with, unless you've played it before; I remember struggling to remember it, especially as Tim makes a point of not really teaching it, but it has a performative purpose.  

Djina foli space-clearing song; West Africa, 4-beat

B T B Tt Tt S   S   B Tt Tt S   
|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_

We play Tim's version, with a couple of tweaks; changing the slaps and tones of the call into a call and response, and using an in-pattern signal to indicate when the call is repeated in the middle of the song, then again at the end.

Then we did an anchor, call and response, which teaches several useful things.  I don't know where the main pattern comes from, but I remember Glynnis and Craig from Bevil's circle playing it as a pattern series several years ago.  

Anchor (call-and-response game) 4-beat, ends on the next "one"

B Tb bTtB  B Tb bTtB       B Tb bTtB       ...
|_-_-_-_|  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Response A (call-and-response game) 4-beat, follows the "one"

  TtTtS              TtTtS                 ...
|___--!_|  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Response B (call-and-response game) 4-beat, follows the "one"

  F   F                             F   F  ...
|_-_-_-_|  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

The pattern itself helps break out of the expectation that emphasis beats (in this case, bass) will always fall on the strong hand, as typical beginner patterns tend to leave the weak hand "lazy".  I've arranged it as a call-and-response exercise, from which one may learn how to "frame", i.e. to return to the correct point in the flow when existing a solo. 

From the start, we've played 4-beat and 3-beat patterns, and the next exercise is how to switch between these, via my "cross-call".  We started with a 4-beat "Baladi pattern 2" (a pattern that goes with Baladi, tho not actually part of Baladi itself)...

Added to Baladi; Middle-Eastern influence, 3+3+2 4-beat

B TtT B TtT TtT   B TtT B TtT TtT B TtT B TtT TtT ...
|_-_-_:_-_-_:_-_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

...then after the cross-call...

Cross-call, 4-beat to 3-beat ("krunk a dunk - GuDuGu, PaTaPa, go!") 

F Ss  BbB SsS (3-beat follows...)

|_-_-_|_-_|_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_...

...switched to "Jan Pierewiet", an easy 3-beat that feels unambiguously 3/4.  

Jan Pierewiet 3-beat

B TtS   B TtS B TtS B TtS B TtS B TtS B TtS ...
|_-_-_  |_-_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_...

The cross-call also starts "Ten Four", which we'll do later; that song preserves the same "simple time" pulse, while teaching how different bar lengths can create a "round" effect.  For now, flipping from 4-beat to 3-beat bar lengths without losing the pulse is a good start!  One can link any 4-beats to 3-beats via the cross-call; I chose these patterns as they are so similar, also to show how one can extend or truncate patterns to fit different bar lengths.

Once the 3-beat was rolling as a "1 and 2 and 3 and " 3/4, I threw in some "1 - then 2 - then " swing and "1 and then 2 and then " 6/8 cross-currents, before we blended in Mboshi:

Mboshi part 2 (Congo) 3-beat

B B TtS S Tt  B B TtS S TtB B TtS S TtB B TtS S Tt...
|_-_-_|_-_-_  |_-_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_...

Next, we did some rumbles and drop-in patterns, as Manan teaches in the city, based mainly on the main pattern from Jembe that we first learn as Bevil's "Pineapple Apricot".

Jembe pattern 1 (West African) 4-beat

B SsTtS   B SsTtS B SsTtS B SsTtS B SsTtS ...
|_-_-_-_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Alas, I'm not Manan, so couldn't do the voice signals accurately for the entry timing!

We did Kuku next, adding two of Bevil's patterns to enjoy how these fit together.  The main pattern of Kuku teaches how to hold space in a pattern, without pinching it short; deliberately pinching space (especially between slaps) is how one can signal to speed up the tempo.

Kuku; full moon song, Ivory Coast, 4-beat

B Tt  S           B Tt  S B Tt  S B Tt  S B Tt  S ...

|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Kuku, Bevil's response pattern

B   B   S s Ss    B   B   S s Ss  B   B   S s Ss  ...

|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Kuku, Bevil's response-to-response pattern

  TtB b B Tt  S     TtB b B Tt  S   TtB b B Tt  S ...

|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

We haven't taught the third of these patterns yet, but that's what I was adding in.  That pattern is unusual in that it has no beat on the "one", thus useful to teach that oddity.

We returned to call-and-response with Frooa, an easy 4-beat pattern that has two "pass the part" parts, of which we did the first.  It also has a nice additional pattern that I added at the end.  

Frooa; "pass the part", West Africa, 4-beat

B TtB S           B TtB S B TtB S B TtB S B TtB S ...
|_-_-_-_          |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Frooa; passed part 1

TtTtS S           B TtB S TtTtS S B TtB S B TtB S ...
1_-_-_-_          |_-_-_-_1_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Whereas "anchor, call and response" teaches how to drop in from not playing, and correctly frame for exit, Frooa's "pass the part" teaches how to switch patterns mid-flow, and how to still hear one pattern in your head while playing something else!

We ended the session with bells, then "Bevil's Song" (sequential parts, change on hand-wave), 4-beat...

B B Tt  B         B B Tt  B       B B Tt  B       ...

|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

B B Tt  B Ss      B B Tt  B Ss    B B Tt  B Ss    ...

|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

B B Tt  B TtTt    B B Tt  B TtTt  B B Tt  B TtTt  ...

|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

B B Tt  B TtTtTt  B B Tt  B TtTtTtB B Tt  B TtTtTt...

|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

...brought the session to a close.

Emaul Attackments: .HTM vs. .PDF Risk

My bank used to send statements via email as .PDF, but now sometimes switch to .HTM(L) file attachments instead. Here's why that's an elevation of risk...

Both HTML and .PDF files can contain auto-running JavaScript, elevating the risk from "reading a document" to "running a program".  But whereas one can (and should) disable JavaScript in Acrobat Reader, it's impractical to do that for the web browsers that typically "open" HTML files.  

Microsoft's Chromium-based Edge does not run JavaScript in .pdf files, at least as at August 2022, so these files are still safer than HTML even if "opened" in Edge.

Inspecting the bank's HTML "statement" in Notepad shows JavaScript followed by an encrypted mass of content, which could be (and do) anything.  Here's the start of a "real" bank statement "document"...

-script type="text/javascript"-
document.write(decodeURIComponent(atob('JTNDaHRtb... 

...munged to invalidate HTML syntax for safety; here's a suspected malware sample...

-script type="text/javascript"-
document.write(decodeURIComponent(atob('JUVGJUJCJUJGJT...

...can you tell the difference?  Why should I have to trust embedded code to "read a statement"?

Automated messages containing attachments and/or links are always hi-risk, as it's so easy to forge what the recipient sees as "message text" - and already I see fake "email statements" from "my bank", given the message dates don't correlate with statements as seen via the bank's web site.

So, let's hope the bank re-thinks this strategy, rather than reprise "Banking On Java"

The HTML problem

Using HTML everywhere as "rich text" for "documents" started with the "everything is a web page" mania of Windows 98, where HTML Application files (.hta) abounded, and HTML Templates (Folder.htt) were dropped into file system directories and namespace folders to create a "web" look.  This was when Internet Explorer was meshed deeply into Windows, to support Microsoft's claims it was not a separate bundled program competing unfairly with Netscape.  HTML also became the new .chm Help at this time.

Using HTML as rich text for "documents" creates a wide safety gap between the low skills needed to use a system, and the higher skills needed to use it safely.  The seeds of this lie in the Object Oriented Programming concept, where "documents" are "objects", and all objects can have Methods (code) and Properties (variables).  Normal programming practice is to interface with such objects by asking their methods to expose their internals - and so "reading a document" becomes "run code".

JavaScript

How risky is JavaScript - doesn't it just work safely within a single document or page?  Well, it's powerful enough to be the sole code for Progressive Web Apps, that are expected to become ubiquitous as the "desktop" programs we use today - and malware use is already rife.

Rewinding a Computer

Here's a thought experiment, based on a simple computer a la Turing. Start with three parts:

• Read-Only Memory (populated with code)
• Processor (interprets code, a la Turing)
• RAM Memory (empty)

Consider the ROM as the input, the RAM as the output, and the processor as the functional engine. Add to this, a clock to sequence the processor's interpretation of the ROM, and a known start point to run the code. There are no external inputs, so everything that happens in the RAM is purely the result of the code in the ROM - thus dependent on the nature of the processor, and contents of ROM.

Consider the system as a pair of 3D cubes, with the following axes:

• X axis, data in memory cells
• Y axis, address of memory cells
• Z axis, states at successive clock pulses

As such, the ROM (input) would be the same 2D X x Y array repeated for all clock pulses along the Z axis, whereas the RAM would start off as undefined (or zero, if we assume empty cells to hold that value) until completely or partially painted in by code activity.

The simple case is where code interpretation is limited to the ROM; the larger case is where code within writable RAM can also be interpreted.  The overall code will either:

1. Continue running indefinitely (open system, e.g. the irrational number Pi)
2. Fall into a repeating loop (closed, e.g. 1/3 expressed in decimal)
3. Stop (closed. e.g. 1/100 expressed in decimal)

We'll avoid the Halting Problem by assuming case (3) for starters, which may also require us to consider only the simple case, where only the code in the ROM is interpreted.  Now, the questions...

• If we gather only the full 3D X-Y-Z array of the RAM, can we deduce the ROM?
• If we know both 3D RAM and 2D ROM arrays, can we deduce the processor?
• Do these answers change, if pre-used ("empty") RAM values are known?
• Do these answers change, if pre-used RAM values remain flagged?

The elephant in the room

The processor can be considered a complicated operator that takes an input value, and produces an output value - but if each output value may arise from different inputs, then the processor is not a function - it is "blurry", in the same sense that quantum particles are blurred as waves.

We manufacture our processors, i.e. they arise from a template of arbitrary pattern, as opposed to "crafted" (one-off creation with no template retained for re-use).  In contrast, "naturally-arising" processors may grow from a recursive self-similarity basis, which we may expect to be easier to derive from the output.

Examples

One example would be the ZX Spectrum running a program that ignores external inputs. This 1982 home computer had a 16k ROM, either 16k or 48k or RAM, and a Zilog Z80 processor clocked at 3.5MHz, 16-bit addressing, 8-bit data bus.  So, the "size" of the system would be 0-65535 on the Y axis, 0-255 on the X axis, and 3.5 million x seconds to end of runtime on the Z axis.

That's a far larger computational mass than the initial program "seed", so needs a larger computer to fully model it; so far, so in keeping with our info-theory, and probably doable on today's hardware.

Another example is how the genotype is converted to the phenotype, where the nature of the processor is largely unknown.  Ironically, the way "ROM" DNA is read to run-time mRNA, for ribosomes to "knit" mRNA into protein threads, is closer to Turing's endless-tape model than our Z80 processor!

Reverse computing is hard

It always seems harder to reverse computing, as seen through a series of problems successively conquered as our computational power grows.  OCR is harder than printing fonts, speech recognition is harder than text-to-speech, etc.  In each of these models of the external "real world", the generated output is easier to read than the "real thing", as it's quantized into a narrower set of possibilities.

This applies to attempts to understand the universe, via models that need the "It's as if..." disclaimer, rather than the unwarranted arrogance of "It is...".  We can only model the universe in our heads (including peer-to-peer and computational extensions thereof); the universe itself can only be passed by value (the part we experience, as local copy), not by reference (complete, writable).

Disable ALL WiFi Auto-Connect!

Windows 10 and 11 both duhfault to auto-connecting every "secure" WiFi network they can detect, relying on the absence of "remembered" key to block unintended connections. This logic is often expressed in forum threads, when folks post that they want to stop all WiFi Auto-Connect, rather than stepping on ants one at a time, or disabling the WiFi adapter.  

Even when command-line methods are offered, they all involve naming the specific WiFi network you want to "fix"; useless for control over all networks that may be discovered, other than the few you may want to actually use.

As it is, you can't access Properties for a WiFi network until it's connected, so you can't even attempt to UNcheck "yes, let's stick our fingers in the electricity socket without asking first".  Not having they key to connect may prevent unwanted connections, but also places that network beyond Settings control.  Entering a key to connect to an unwanted network may let you in to its Properties and thus ability to UNcheck "Auto-connect when in range", but now you have the risk of a "remembered" key.  Either way, you're forced to take more risk than should be the case.

Cannot connect to this network

I suspect this behavior may be a cause of the "Cannot connect to this network" problem.  In my case, I have a distant main router and a closer slave router; the slave hosts two WiFi networks, one of which is limited to Internet access only, for safer guest use.  All three WiFi networks use WPA2, but the "full access" slave router WiFi network has never had a key entered.  None of these networks are to "Auto-connect", but without the key, this setting cannot be applied to the full-access slave router network.

Sometimes (no predictable pattern) when starting a laptop close to the slave router, manually connecting the guest network will fail with a "Cannot connect..." message.  All other "secure" networks within range are found defaulted to [x] Connect Automatically, and clearing these checkboxes does not "stick".

Sometimes temporarily checking Auto-connect for the intended connection will work; other times, nothing works short of "just" restarting Windows.  The same intermittent failure pattern affects two different Win10 laptops, set up in the same way.  When connected via (unwanted) Auto-connect, clearing the Auto-connect checkbox sometimes drops the connection and the whole mess starts again.

Meta-bug

Lacking a way to set behavior of newly-spawned entities, before they are spawned, is a common meta-bug that often creates exploit opportunities.  This WiFi issue is just another instance of this meta-level bug.

Windows has become hell-bent on connecting to the Internet, from OOBE's lure of "a little WiFi here...", the constant pressure to "just" auto-sign in to an online Microsoft Account, and the duhfault behavior of all "secure" WiFi networks to auto-connect on the basis that a missing key is safety enough.

I wish Microsoft would respect the "My" in "My Computer", and at least offer solid settings to stay off networks and the Internet until this is initiated by the user!

Songs from Tim's Session

We took our village jembe group to the city for the first time, dropping in on Tim's session, where we jumped into over a dozen songs.  Here's notation for the patterns we played...

Djina foli space-clearing song; West Africa, 4-beat

B T B Tt Tt S   S   B Tt Tt S   
|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_

End call for above

F Ss S sS   SsSsS   TtTtT   SsSsS   TtTtT   B T B.
|_-_-_-_|_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-.

Jembe; West Africa, 4-beat

B SsTtS   B SsTtS B SsTtS B SsTtS B SsTtS ...
|_-_-_-_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Sabari; Woman's Song, Mali, 4-beat

B B SsTtB Ss sSs  B B SsTtB Ss sSsB B SsTtB Ss sSs...
|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Funky Samba; South America, 4-beat

T T B  t t bBbB   T T B  t t bBbB T T B  t t bBbB ...
|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Baladi; Middle East, 4-beat

B B TtS B TtS Ts  B B TtS B TtS TsB B TtS B TtS Ts...
|_-_-_!_|_-_!_-!  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Added to Baladi; Middle-Eastern influence, 3+3+2 4-beat

B TtT B TtT TtT   B TtT B TtT TtT B TtT B TtT TtT ...
|_-_-_:_-_-_:_-_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Added to Baladi; solo pattern, 4-beat; original "fixed hands"...

B tB tB B TtTtT   B tB tB B TtTtT B tB tB B TtTtT ...
|_-_-_-_|___--!_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

...or Tim's alternating hands

B Tb tB B TtTtT   B Tb tB B TtTtT B Tb tB B TtTtT ...
|_-_-_-_|___--!_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Added to Baladi; exit solo pattern, fixed hands...

BBsBBsB B Ss Ss   BBsBBsB B Ss Ss BBsBBsB B Ss Ss ...
|_!_-!-_|_-_-_-_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

...or Tim's alternating hands

BbSbBsB B Ss sS   BbSbBsB B Ss sS BbSbBsB B Ss sS ...
|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Tiriba; dance song, Guinea, 3-beat

B  tS         B  tS B  tS B  tS B  tS B  tS B  tS ...
|_-_-_        |_-_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_...

BtT S Bs bS   BtT S Bs bS BtT S Bs bS BtT S Bs bS ...
|_-_-_|_-_-_  |_-_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_...

B SbTtBs bTt  B SbTtBs bTtB SbTtBs bTtB SbTtBs bTt...
|__-__|__-__  |__-__|__-__|__-__|__-__|__-__|__-__...

Tiriba pattern 3 again, lazy-hands for less "shoulder-burn"

B sBtTbS BtT  B sBtTbS BtTB sBtTbS BtTB sBtTbS BtT...
|_!_-_|!_-__  |__-__|__-__|__-__|__-__|__-__|__-__...

Maraka; warrior's song, Mali, 3-beat

B TtS BsTtS   B TtS BsTtS B TtS BsTtS B TtS BsTtS ...
|_-_-_|!-_-_  |_-_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_|_-_-_...

Maraka call "gu-za pe-ta" pattern...

S Ts b        S Ts bS Ts bS Ts bS Ts bS Ts bS Ts b...
|__-__        |__-__|__-__|__-__|__-__|__-__|__-__...

...same as above, driving the pulse from strong hand...

S tS b        S tS bS tS bS tS bS tS bS tS bS tS b...
|__!__        |__!__|__!__|__!__|__!__|__!__|__!__...

Maraka response "triplet trick" pattern

BtTbSs        BtTbSsBtTbSsBtTbSsBtTbSsBtTbSsBtTbSs...
|__-!!        |_-_!!|_-_!!|_-_!!|_-_!!|_-_!!|_-_!!...

Frooa; "pass the part", West Africa, 4-beat

B TtB S           B TtB S B TtB S B TtB S B TtB S ...
|_-_-_-_          |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Frooa; passed part 1

TtTtS S           B TtB S TtTtS S B TtB S B TtB S ...
1_-_-_-_          |_-_-_-_1_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Frooa; passed part 2...

TtTtS   S T S   TtTtS S S S S    
2_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_ 

...in context:

B TtB S TtTtS   S T S   TtTtS S S S S    B TtB S B TtB S B TtB S ...

|_-_-_-_2_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Sofa; warrior's song (narrative solos?), Mali, 4-beat

TtTt  S Ss Sb S   TtTt  S Ss Sb S TtTt  S Ss Sb S ...
|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Sofa accompaniment; "Is; it is what it is", 4-beat

S  sS Tt          S  sS TtS  sS TtS  sS TtS  sS Tt...
|_-_-_-_          |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Sofa Solo 1; a child's idea of battle?

BtS BtS BtStBtS   BtS BtS BtStBtS BtS BtS BtStBtS ...
|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Fanga; West African, "Ashe Ashe" vocal, 4-beat

B  t tT B B Tt    B  t tT B B Tt  B  t tT B B Tt  ...
|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Fanga after-break instrumental pattern, de-emphasising bass 

B  bB TtB B B Tt  B  bB TtB B B TtB  bB TtB B B Tt...
|_-_-_!!|_-_-_!!  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Shangaan; jembe adaptation of Southern African stick-drumming song, 4-beat

B T b   TtTtB     B T b   TtTtB   B T b   TtTtB   ...
|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Shangaan "second round" pattern...

    TtTtB   B t B   Bt tB   BtB 
|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_

...both "round" parts in context...

B T b   TtTtB   B T b   TtTtB   B T b   TtTtB   B T b   TtTtB   ...
    TtTtB   B t B   Bt tB   BtB     TtTtB   B t B   Bt tB   BtB ...
|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Shangaan "dotted-time" solo...

TtStTsTtStTsTtStTtStTsTtS   BtB   
|_!_-!-_|_-!-_!_|_!_-!-_|_-_-_-_...

...without the "ghost tones" for pulse-count timing...

  S  s  S  s  S   S  s  S   BtB ...
|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

...variant of above...

TtS  s  S  s  Ss  S  s  S  tB B ...
|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Qwenu; dance song, Ghana, 4-beat

b   TtT b T b T   b   TtT b T b T b   TtT b T b T ...
|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

B Tt  Tt          B Tt  TtB Tt  TtB Tt  TtB Tt  Tt...
|_-_-_-_          |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Wamila; celebration song, Ghana, "Balobi" and "Aiii-ya" vocal, 4-beat

B Tt tT   B Tt tT B Tt tT B Tt tT B Tt tT ...
|_-_-_-_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Barawieliele ("Let The Work Begin"); West Africa, 4-beat

B BtB T B TtTtT   B BtB T B TtTtT B BtB T B TtTtT ...

|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Kuku; full moon song, Ivory Coast, 4-beat

B Tt  S           B Tt  S B Tt  S B Tt  S B Tt  S ...

|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Kuku, Bevil's response pattern

B   B   S s Ss    B   B   S s Ss  B   B   S s Ss  ...

|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Kuku, Bevil's response-to-response pattern

  TtB b B Tt  S     TtB b B Tt  S   TtB b B Tt  S ...

|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_  |_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_|_-_-_-_...

Some of these songs have more patterns that we will come to in time!