[What happened to the pictures at login?]

Try this:

https://blogs.secondlife.com/thread/6700

 

Or maybe this (the one from "Outside Second Life"; it's more complete than the in-browser clear cache):

http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Clear_Cache

[What happened to the pictures at login?]

Do you see a link in the upper right corner that says "Turn BG Images ON"?  I'm using Emerald, but I think that was also an option in the normal SL viewer, as well.  And now that you mention it, I'm not getting any images today, either.  I know I saw them yesterday, and I didn't turn BG Images off.  Turning them on isn't helping right now, either.  Maybe SL is glitchy today.  (I know, I know...hard to believe.  But there's even lag now and again... )

As for Snowglobe, it's another viewer:  http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Snowglobe

[Script to automatically close door after set period?]

Look at the third link she posted, the 4th hit in the search:

// Swinging door LSL script #1 // Handles closing the door automatically via a timer event.