Gamestop.com - Xbox 360 Bundles
I wonder if I could talk my wife into this XBox 360 bundle?
It has pretty much everything we'd ever need...
And it's only $4,499.68...
:|
(Well I tried... She just gave me the "are you really that stupid" look. ;)
Virtual Earth: Shared Map Browsing in MSN Messenger!
"What a great application inside of MSN Messenger! Imagine having an IM session with someone, and you need to look at a map together or figure out a good place that is convenient for both of you to meet for a drink. This and a bunch more is now possible with a very slick 'Activity application' within Messenger. The application was built using the new Messenger API.
To try it out, just start a conversation with someone on your contact list. Then use the Actions -> Start Activity menu (or just click the 'Activities' icon in the toolbar of the conversation window) and select 'Virtual Earth Shared Map'. You will each be prompted to enter your location (city, postcode, landmark, street address...). You'll then each see a VE map appear. As one of you navigates, the changes are seen on both of your sessions. When you search for 'nightclubs' your friend sees the results on the map with you. You can add items to a shared scratch pad, turn on Aerial imagery, and explore the map together interactively. "
I kind of poo-poo'ed the recent release of the Messenger API. I didn't think the Activity focus was really all that uber-cool...
Damn, I hate it when I'm wrong.
The MSN Virtual Earth Messenger Activity (say that fast three times) is pretty damn cool. I have no problem seeing myself using this with my wife or friends. This is the one Activity that is really useful (the rest are... well.. um... yeah).
And this is just the starting point for new Activities via the new SDK/API...
This could get interesting.
How to distribute and how to install SQL-DMO for SQL Server 2000
The SQL DMO COM object might be considered "old news" with SQL2k5 coming so soon, but since I'm still using it in my apps I still need to install/deploy it... (funny that)
This KB article lists the required DLL's, where they can be found and where they should go when redistributed...
That Indigo Book - Microsoft CTP Madness
This cartoon made me laugh out loud...
[vent]
I've recently seen the "fun" people have when dealing with CTP's. A co-worker has been trying to play with the new Vista/VS2k5/WinFx/etc. And he's been pulling his hair out trying to get JUST the right mix of CTP's/Beta's/RC's to work. Sure there are a number of "install lists" posted, but still it's a major pain...
I REALLY like that MS is pushing stuff out to us fast. But the current speed might be just a little too much.
Coordinated CTP's with related infrastructure/components would save us some frustration. Maybe monthly CTP drops (like patch Tuesday) would help. It would also help build some excitement. As each monthly CTP release date approached everyone would be waiting with baited breath... and then post release everyone would be talking about it.
Now is just seems like a herd of cats...
[/vent]
Greg's Cool [Insert Clever Name] of the Day: More photo's from later in the day...
Some more pic's from later in the day (Thursday, 29th). Mostly more "smoke in the distance" ones but also a couple good snaps of the airdrop aircraft flying overhead.
2003 it was the ridges north of Simi that burned. This year it's the south.
Last night the primary freeway into Simi (118) was closed due to this fire. Having to take the back way into Simi, it only took me 3 1/2 hours to drive some from work... :|
Needless to say, I took a personal day today.
During the 2003 Simi fire I screwed up and didn't grab any pictures. Well not this time...
Here are some pictures from the 2005 Chatsworth fire. The fire runs along the entire south ridge of Simi. All of these are from my roof or front yard and are a mix of south east, south and south west directions.
Blogger's picture upload appears to be broken, so I've posted the pic's to my MSN Spaces blog.
Luckily we're in absolutely no danger, as the fire is heading south/south west (i.e. away), but it still looks a little intense.
Visual Studio Hacks - Research - CR Plugin
"Software metrics help you understand portions of your system which may need some additional attention to cut complexity and ease maintainability. Having access to such data from within Visual Studio gives you real-time feedback as you’re working on your code. The Metrics tool portion of the CR Plugin add-in for DX Core gives you just that.
Developer Express’s DXCore is an integration framework enabling rapid plug-in development for Visual Studio. Developer Express has made DXCore available as a free download in order for other developers to create useful plugins.
CR Plugin, an open source add-in built for DXCore, includes a handy metrics tool as part of its package. The other tools in CR Plugin work only under CodeRush, itself a productivity add-in for Visual Studio’s IDE. The metrics package, however, works well under the freely-available DXCore. ...
The Metrics add-in works on C# and Visual Basic .NET source. DXCore supports Visual Studio .NET 2000, 2003 and has experimental support for 2005. "
Sounds kind'a cool. It's nice to be able to explore a project and focus on the complex code when refactoring, etc.
Also make sure you check out this post on Jay Kimble's blog for more DXCore plug-ins (Downloading the Spell Checker now... ;)
Windows Client Blog : WinFLP, first install experience
"I recently had the opportunity to have a somewhat old laptop PC that I could use as a test-bed for Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs (WinFLP). ..."
I heard of WinFLP when it was announced a while ago, pretty much ignoring it since then.
Well this post Joel Schoenberg perked my ears up a bit.
I happened to be going through some stuff in the garage and came across a couple old notebooks. Six plus years old so they're hardly worth even booting. I've kept them... well, because you just never know... um... yeah...
Reading this post reminded me of those notebooks. I wonder if I can use WinFLP + cheap wireless cards to turn them into mobile home terminals? Sure reads that way... I wonder how I can get my hands on WinFLP (Nothing on MSDN, and this says March 2006).
Here's a little more info on WinFLP:
Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs for Software Assurance Available March 2006!
Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs code-named “Eiger”
Microsoft Windows Fundamentals will convert a legacy PC to a thin client in March 2006
While it makes sense to market this to businesses, I wonder if there isn't another opportunity for home users? Think SBS for the home. Single server to host all a family's data, pictures, movies, etc. This is the home data hub (HDH). Then hook everything to it... MCE, XBox, cheap mobile tablets, etc. Hell maybe even a VPN like service so I can get my stuff securely while on the road?
Tie in with a Windows OneCare like service (I'd rather back up 1 server then the three PC's at home + the other stuff that I'm sure to get in the future.) so my daughter and my parents could use it SAFELY, and you might have something...
Crap, now I'm getting all excited... I want one. All the system OS/parts are available (in one for or another), so I guess it's time to build it myself. HDH here I come... :)
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