Posts

Running XP without SP2? Well your time is running out...

I don’t agree with Microsoft’s approach here . Essentially if you are running XP and don’t have SP2 installed, then that will be forced down your throat. Now, I had SP2 running the day it went Beta and have not had any problems, but I am not sure if this really is to get the security patches out or forcing people running pirated copy of Windows to buy legal versions (remember SP2 cannot be installed on a pirated version)? I prefer to give the people the option to do it themselves rather than forcing them - I know of many legacy apps at various clients I have worked at that would not work with SP2…. ...

Perspectives on the Shared Source Initiative

OSNews has an article Microsoft’s Shared Source Initiative seems like an odd mix for the company when it works openly and a clever shot across the bow of open source when it works selfishly. How can the rest of us reconcile both positions? Microsoft ex-employee Stephen Walli shares his perspectives on the Shared Source Initiative from within and without the company - quite an interesting read. ...

Still like NY?

I personally don’t like New York at all - especially New York city, it is a great place for a weekend, but that is it, I won’t live there for a million bucks! And this just makes it another reason on my “don’t like it” list. A telecommuter who lives out of state while working by computer for a New York employer must pay New York tax on his full income, the state’s highest court ruled Tuesday in a case that could have wide implications in the growing practice. The Court of Appeals said that computer programmer Thomas Huckaby who lives in Nashville, Tenn., owed New York income tax for his full salary, not just the time he spent working at his employer’s New York offices. Huckaby paid tax on about 25 percent of his income over two years for the time he spent working in New York state. But the court upheld a state tax department ruling that all his income should be taxed. That amounts to $4,387 plus interest. However, the ruling could lead to much greater income for the state as it is applied to the growing field of telecommuting. ...

Want a RealPlayer alternative?

If you are like me and shy away from RealPlayer because of all the “junk” it installs with and the persistent nagging, well you don’t need to anymore. Check out RealAlternative (as of now at v1.33) which lets you play RealMedia files without having to install RealPlayer (or RealOne player). You do need a player that is capable of playing RealMedia. The included Media Player Classic supports it and works very well. Supported: RealAudio (.ra .rpm), RealMedia (.rm .ram .rmvb .rpx .smi .smil), RealText (.rt), ReadPix (.rp), RealMedia embedded in web pages. .smi and .smil files sometimes only play the first part of a clip. This is a limitation of the current Media Player Classic. The RealMedia Browser plug in supports Internet Explorer, Opera, Netscape and Mozilla. ...

What is new in IIS 7?

Though there have been lots of talk in Longhorn (especially recently), and I have dabbed in it previously, now some interesting bits are being released on what are the new features in IIS 7. The coolest one of these is the componentization of IIS where all of IIS’s functions will be specific components which can be turned on or off. This means that when you install the Web server, you’ll be able to add only the functionality you need, one piece at a time. ...

Problems waking up?

Got this one from Karan, if you have problems waking up in the morning, especially with an Alarm clock, you might want to check out Clocky . If you wondered what is so exceptional about this well read on… When the alarm clock goes off and the snooze button is pressed, Clocky will roll off the bedside table and wheel away, bumping mindlessly into objects on the floor until it eventually finds a spot to rest. Minutes later, when the alarm sounds again, the sleeper must get up out of bed and search for Clocky. This ensures that the person is fully awake before turning it off. Small wheels that are concealed by Clocky’s shag enable it to move and reposition itself, and an internal processor helps it find a new hiding spot every day. ...

Building your own Segway

If you’re a Silicon Valley geek, and you want to keep your “geek ID” what’s the best way to do it? That’s right, build your own Segway . Hmm … with the Summer approaching… just need to convince my lovely wife of this… can anyone help with a business case here?

Firefox Tweak Guide

Want to get more out of Firefox, then check out the Firefox tweak guide .

Inside regsvc.exe

Ever wondered what is happening inside regsvc.exe? Well so did Tomas Restrepo, and here is what he found out.

Sharing a GPS connection over a network

At work, recently I needed to simulate a GPS connection while sitting inside the building and while finding a solution for that I came across GPSGate , which is a cool piece of code. You can use this to share one GPS connected to a Pocket PC or laptop to other computers connected to the same LAN. On each computer running GpsGate you can in turn connect any number of GPS applications to GpsGate, everything running at the same time. Not only that you can also Simulate a GPS feed (what I was originally looking for) and also log a real feed from a device for later playback. ...

System Programming?

If you ever wanted a quick sample of some system programming - something you know is fairly simple to do but did not have the time to do it from scratch - just something quick and dirty, then you should check out this link - which has all the basic stuff Thread Pools, Waitable Handles, Monitors, Secure Remoting channel, etc. ...

The coolest Media Center PC?

I think this has to be the coolest Media Center PC (not to mention pricey too). Since I just build mine, maybe in a few years I can save up to get this one… :)

Using your laptop as a second screen

Jonathan Hardwick explores a few ideas on how to share your windows desktop on more than one machine… Now the question is that which ones are supported in Windows Media Center 2005, so I can control that using one of the laptops at home (there is always either mine or Meenakshi’s around). Has anyone tried this with MCE? ...

Web Services are not distributed objects

Werner Vogel, CTO of Amazon.com has an article which was published a few months ago where we talks about the misconception of how most people think that web services are distributed objects. Here is an excerpt from the article. The hype surrounding Web services has generated many common misconceptions about the fundamentals of this emerging technology. Web services are frequently described as the latest incarnation of distributed object technology. This misconception, perpetuated by people from both industry and academia, seriously limits broader acceptance of the true Web services architecture. Although the architects of many distributed and Internet systems have been vocal about the differences between Web services and distributed objects, dispelling the myth that they are closely related appears difficult. ...

Silicon Art Gallery - The Smallest Dying Art of All

Fortune is running a story about the golden age of microchip graffiti is fading. But these images were never meant to be seen in the first place. “I saw something that looked different from most other things on the chip,” Davidson recalls. He cranked up the magnification and looked again. “I saw this Waldo thing,” recalls Davidson, referring to the character in the Where’s Waldo? cartoon books. At first Davidson thought the microscopic Waldo served as a kind of anti-copying feature, but a few months later, on the same chip, he found a teeny tiny Daffy Duck. Now the hunt was on. ...

Recommendation for a Ergonomic Chair for Home-Office?

I am looking (Karan has been on the lookout also) for a good ergonomic chair for my study at home and want to get your feedback on which ones you like and what do you think the price is right for that? I also need to take into account shipping to UK if something is only available in the US (or buying in the US and shipping to UK given the £ to $ ratio). ...

Sandbox is Up!

As promised earlier, the Sanbox is up - go give it a whirl and let me know your thoughts. Also the code and release build of the World Clock are up there. Check it out and let me know what you think of it and also any bugs and feature enhancements you would like to see. ...