I had to chuckle!!! Read the entire article here or at least take a look at the picture.

This is a great little article talking about developers doing User Interface.

I have found that most developers know what looks good… but don’t know how to get there…

The important thing is… Knowing when you are good and when you are not. When you are not, rely on those who can.

First Impressions are Very Important!!!

You can visit ipcow.com and find a wealth of information about your computer.

• Current Public IP Address
• Can show Internal IP Address
• Hostname
• Browser Version
• Windows Version
• .NET (CLR) versions (NET CLR 2.0.50727; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; .NET CLR 3.0.04506.30)
• JavaScript version
• Screen Resolution
• CPU Type
• Cookies Enabled
• Couple of Others

This site is courtesy of Michal Ferber.

If you need a way to create a virtual drive in Windows XP…
(Associate a path with a drive letter)

Here is how. (Run from command prompt)

subst D: c:\Data
subst (drive) (path)

This will create a drive letter D that maps to you c:\data folder.

Read more here.

On my new machine… (replaced the one with duct tape)

Only what I thought I needed to do my job: Windows XP, Office 2003, IE7, Firefox, SQL 2005, Visual Studio 2003 and 2005, all those crazy CRITICAL updates, etc…

Well, our production databases are SQL 2000 (for now)… I am trying to diagram the database… I can’t… not supported in Management Studio.

Per MSDN SQL Books Online:

SQL Server 2005 database diagrams and SQL Server 2000 database diagrams are created and rendered differently. Because of these differences, SQL Server Management Studio cannot work with SQL Server 2000 diagrams. Use SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Manager instead.

Now… where is that SQL 2000 install CD???

My first day at my new job started with something rather interesting… I could really feel the love… 

I was escorted to my new home away from home and well… here are some pictures…

Some items worth special observation:

• Duct Tape & Sharpie name plate
• Metal chair with no cushion
• PC that is ducktaped together
• OLD… did I say Old CRT monitor proped up with some cardboard and old CD Drive
• Missing keys on keyboard
• Mouse that the wire was spliced and taped back together
• Paper cup to hold pens
• PINK paper clips
• Last but not least… Windows 3.1 Background

Thank you for making my first day special!!!

Well, it’s official. My last day with Taylor Data Systems was Friday, November 17. It was a very emotional day for me. After working there for 9 years, I felt like I was definitely closing a very important chapter of my life. My boss was very gracious to have a luncheon in my honor, and invite my wife and kids. While I believe that God has called me elsewhere, there will always be a big piece of my heart at TDS. 

Thanks to Dave Taylor and to all my fellow coworkers for sharing the experience with me.

It’s on to ACS Technologies from here!

I am very excited about this new leaf that has turned over in my life. God opened the door, and in faith, I am walking through it. I know it is going to be a great step for me and I can’t wait to get started.

Just a reminder. If you are in the Pee Dee Area of South Carolina or just interested in .NET.

Our Pee Dee Area .NET User Group is kicking off our .NET University sessions tonight. This event will span 4 months.

Register here for either event. Attendees who complete all for sessions will be given a .NET University alumni shirt and certification.

Read more here.

I have recently changed RSS Readers from RSS Popper to Google Reader.

RSS Popper integrates into Outlook and is free… Both are very important to me.

My problem was: not being able to easily read blogs from anywhere (Work, Home, In-Laws, etc..)

I thought I would give Google Reader a try. It is really an awesome product… and free.

Did I mention it was free…

Couple of cool features:

• Ability to view only unread posts
• Free
• Mark your posts read as you scroll through them
• Can Star (flag) a post for reading later
• Can share items through a link for others to see.

The only problem, I have found, is when a blog has 20+ entries that I am trying to read. I found myself having to click the blog link again to refresh. I try to stay up on my reading so this does not happen too often.

I highly encourage Google Reader.

http://www.brainyquote.com/

“My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.”
Hank Aaron

“Treat your password like your toothbrush. Don’t let anybody else use it, and get a new one every six months.”
Clifford Stoll

“The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do.”
Ted Nelson

You will need a passport and then go to http://connect.microsoft.com

Your participation in Microsoft Connect is valuable for both you and Microsoft. Your feedback enables Microsoft to make software and services the best that they can be, and you can learn about and contribute to exciting projects. You can participate in Microsoft Connect in several ways, such as downloading the latest software and written material, taking surveys, exchanging ideas in newsgroup forums, and, most importantly, providing and reviewing feedback about your experiences.

More information here.

There are a lot of available connections.

• Exchange 2007
• BizTalk
• Office 2007
• Microsoft Robotics Studio
• SQL Server
• Live OneCare
• Lots of Others…