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  • Taking a Chomp out of a (Social Network) Product Hype

    - by kellsey.ruppel
    Andrew Kershaw, Senior Director Oracle Social Network Product Development, speaks about Oracle Social Network One of our competitors is being very aggressive with its own developed Social Network add-on, but there should be no doubt in the minds that the Oracle social capabilities available with Fusion CRM stack up well against it. Within the Oracle Cloud, we have announced a product called Oracle Social Network. That technology is pre-integrated into Fusion Applications, enabling your customer to build a collaborative and social enterprise (without all the noise!). Oracle Social Network is designed together with our Fusion Applications. It is very conveniently pre-integrated with CRM, HCM, Financials, Projects, Supply Chain, and the Fusion family. But what's even better is that the individual teams can take a considered approach to what they are trying to achieve within the collaboration process and the outcome they are trying to enable. Then they can utilize the network and collaboration tools to support that result. And there's more! The Fusion teams can design social interactions that bridge across and outside their individual product lines because we have more than just a product line and they know they have the social network to connect them. I know we have a superior product, but it is our ability to understand and execute across the enterprise that will enable us to deliver a much more robust and capable platform in the short term than our competitor can. We have built a product specifically designed for enterprise social collaboration which is not the same for the competition. We have delivered a much more effective solution - one in which individuals can easily collaborate to get results, while being confident that they know who has access to their information. Our platform has been pre-built to cross the company boundaries and enable our customers to collaborate, not just with their customers, but with their partners and suppliers as well. So Fusion addresses the combination of the enterprise application suite with enterprise collaboration and social networking. Oracle Social Network already has a feature function advantage over our competitor's tool providing a real added value to the employees. Plus Oracle has the ability to execute in a broad enterprise and cross-enterprise way that our competitors cannot. We have the power of a tool that provides the core social fabric across all of the applications, as well as supporting enterprise collaboration. That allows us to provide intelligent business insight, connections, and recommendations that our competitor simply can't. From our competitors, customers get integration for Sales; they get integration for Service, but then they have to integrate every other enterprise asset that they have by themselves. With Oracle, we are doing the integration. Fusion Applications will be pre-integrated, and over time, all of the applications in the business suite, including our Applications Unlimited and specialist industry applications, will connect to the Oracle Social Network. I'm confident these capabilities make Oracle Social Network the only collaboration platform on which to deliver the social enterprise.

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  • Designing Snake AI

    - by Ronald
    I'm new to this gamedev stackechange but have used the math and cs sites before. So, I'm in a competition to create AI for a snake that will compete with 3 other snakes in 5 minute rounds where the rules are much like the traditional Nokia snake game except that there are 4 snakes, the board is 50x50 and there are a number of small obstacles on the field. Like the Nokia game, your snake grows when you get to the fruit and if you crash into yourself, another snake or the wall you die. The game runs with a 50ms delay between moves and the server sends the new game state every 50ms which the code must analyze and what not and output the next move. The winner is the snake who had the longest length at any point in the game. Tie breakers are decided by kills. So far what I have done is implemented an A* graph search from each snake to determine if my snake is the closest to the apple and if it is, it goes for the apple. Otherwise, I made a neat little algorithm to determine the emptiest area of the board, which my snake goes for, to anticipate the next apple. Other than this I have some small survivability checks to ensure my snake isn't walking into a trap that it can't get out and if it does get stuck, I have something to give it a better chance of getting out. ... Anyway, I've tested my snake on a test server and it does quite well. Generally, my strategy of only going for the apple when its a sure thing and finding space when its not makes it grow faster than any other snakes (some snakes do a similar thing but often just go to the middle or a corner) sometimes it wins these trial games but is more often than not beaten by the same snake who seems to have the edge on survivability(my snake grows quicker but then dies somehow and this other snake just plods slowly along and wins on consistency. So I was wondering about any ideas anyone has to try and improve my snake. Or maybe ideas at a new approach to take. My functions and classes are good so changes that might seem drastic shouldn't be too bad. I encourage all ideas. Any thoughts ??

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  • Is there any special way to force GoBack to work with Windows Vista and 7?

    - by dfree
    Norton/Roxio's GoBack doesn't work with Vista/7 for reasons unknown. I have tried several alternatives (Norton Ghost, RollbackRX, Norton Save and Restore), none of which offer the same functionality as GoBack. Not only does GoBack not eat up all your hard drive space while creating a legitimate fail safe for any pc problems, it also allows you to see ACTIVELY EXACTLY WHAT PROCESS ARE BEING EXECUTED ON YOUR COMPUTER. This feature (called Advanced Disk Drive Restore) also allows you to troubleshoot problems and determine causes for things in about half a second by seeing what is happening on your machine. It's how I learned everything I know about computers. GoBack also features something called Safe Try Mode where you can put it in SafeTry and then mess up the whole computer and when you come out of it, your computer will be exactly how it was before. Amazing for people who like to tinker without risking their machine stability. It also helps for that accidentally erased paper or whatever you may have erased. I believe GoBack installs a type44 partition around the drive, which loads prior to windows to allow this functionality. If you're going to recommend another program, please don't (unless it does all of the above). I've tried all the competition and nothing is as good. I just want my GoBack to work with 7 :) Any ideas of crazy ways to make this work?

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  • SQL Server performance on VSphere 4.0

    - by Charles
    We are having a performance issue that we cannot explain with our VMWare environment and I am hoping someone here may be able to help. We have a web application that uses a databases backend. We have an SQL 2005 Cluster setup on Windows 2003 R2 between a physical node and a virtual node. Both physical servers are identical 2950's with 2x Xeaon x5460 Quad Core CPUs and 64GB of memory, 16GB allocated to the OS. We are utilizing an iSCSI San for all cluster disks. The problem is this, when utilizing the application under a repeated stress testing that adds CPUs to the cluster nodes, the Physical node scales from 1 pCPU to 8 pCPUs, meaning we see continued performance increases. When testing the node running Vsphere, we have the expected 12% performance hit for being virtual but we still scale from 1 vCPU to 4 vCPUs like the physical but beyond this performance drops off, by the time we get to 8 vCPUs we are seeing performance numbers worse than at 4 vCPUs. Again, both nodes are configured identically in terms of hardware, Guest OS, SQL Configurations etc and there is no traffic other than the testing on the system. There are no other VMs on the virtual server so there should be no competition for resources. We have contacted VMWare for help but they have not really been any suggesting things like setting SQL Processor Affinity which, while being helpful would have the same net effect on each box and should not change our results in the least. We have looked at all of VMWare's SQL Tuning guides with regards to VSphere with no benefit, please help!

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  • How to minimize the risk of employees spreading critical information?

    - by Industrial
    Hi everyone, What's common sense when it comes to minimising the risk of employees spreading critical information to rivalling companies? As of today, it's clear that not even the US government and military can be sure that their data stays safely within their doors. Thereby I understand that my question probably instead should be written as "What is common sense to make it harder for employees to spread business critical information?" If anyone would want to spread information, they will find a way. That's the way life work and always has. If we make the scenario a bit more realistic by narrowing our workforce by assuming we only have regular John Does onboard and not Linux-loving sysadmins , what should be good precautions to at least make it harder for the employees to send business-critical information to the competition? As far as I can tell, there's a few obvious solutions that clearly has both pros and cons: Block services such as Dropbox and similar, preventing anyone to send gigabytes of data through the wire. Ensure that only files below a set size can be sent as email (?) Setup VLANs between departments to make it harder for kleptomaniacs and curious people to snoop around. Plug all removable media units - CD/DVD, Floppy drives and USB Make sure that no configurations to hardware can be made (?) Monitor network traffic for non-linear events (how?) What is realistic to do in a real world? How does big companies handle this? Sure, we can take the former employer to court and sue, but by then the damage has already been caused... Thanks a lot

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  • How to minimize the risk of employees spreading critical information? [closed]

    - by Industrial
    What's common sense when it comes to minimising the risk of employees spreading critical information to rivalling companies? As of today, it's clear that not even the US government and military can be sure that their data stays safely within their doors. Thereby I understand that my question probably instead should be written as "What is common sense to make it harder for employees to spread business critical information?" If anyone would want to spread information, they will find a way. That's the way life work and always has. If we make the scenario a bit more realistic by narrowing our workforce by assuming we only have regular John Does onboard and not Linux-loving sysadmins , what should be good precautions to at least make it harder for the employees to send business-critical information to the competition? As far as I can tell, there's a few obvious solutions that clearly has both pros and cons: Block services such as Dropbox and similar, preventing anyone to send gigabytes of data through the wire. Ensure that only files below a set size can be sent as email (?) Setup VLANs between departments to make it harder for kleptomaniacs and curious people to snoop around. Plug all removable media units - CD/DVD, Floppy drives and USB Make sure that no configurations to hardware can be made (?) Monitor network traffic for non-linear events (how?) What is realistic to do in a real world? How does big companies handle this? Sure, we can take the former employer to court and sue, but by then the damage has already been caused... Thanks a lot

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  • Delphi Editbox causing unexplainable errors...

    - by NeoNMD
    On a form I have 8 edit boxes that I do the exact same thing with. They are arranged in 2 sets of 4, one is Upper and the other is Lower. I kept getting errors clearing all the edit boxes so I went through clearing them 1 by 1 and found that 1 of the edit boxes just didnt work and when I tried to run the program and change that exit box it caused the debugger to jump to a point in the code with the database (even though the edit boxes had nothing to do with the database and they arent in a procedure or stack with a database in it) and say the program has access violation there. So I then removed all mention of that edit box and the code worked perfectly again, so I deleted that edit box, copied and pasted another edit box and left all values the same, then went through my code and copied the code from the other sections and simply renamed it for the new Edit box and it STILL causes an error even though it is entirely new. I cannot figure it out so I ask you all, what the hell? The editbox in question is "Edit1" unit DefinitionCoreV2; interface uses Windows, Messages, SysUtils, Variants, Classes, Graphics, Controls, Forms, Dialogs, SQLiteTable3, StdCtrls; type TDefinitionFrm = class(TForm) GrpCompetition: TGroupBox; CmbCompSele: TComboBox; BtnCompetitionAdd: TButton; BtnCompetitionUpdate: TButton; BtnCompetitionRevert: TButton; GrpCompetitionDetails: TGroupBox; LblCompetitionIDTitle: TLabel; EdtCompID: TEdit; LblCompetitionDescriptionTitle: TLabel; EdtCompDesc: TEdit; LblCompetitionNotesTitle: TLabel; EdtCompNote: TEdit; LblCompetitionLocationTitle: TLabel; EdtCompLoca: TEdit; BtnCompetitionDelete: TButton; GrpSection: TGroupBox; LblSectionID: TLabel; LblGender: TLabel; LblAge: TLabel; LblLevel: TLabel; LblWeight: TLabel; LblType: TLabel; LblHeight: TLabel; LblCompetitionID: TLabel; BtnSectionAdd: TButton; EdtSectionID: TEdit; CmbGender: TComboBox; BtnSectionUpdate: TButton; BtnSectionRevert: TButton; CmbAgeRange: TComboBox; CmbLevelRange: TComboBox; CmbType: TComboBox; CmbWeightRange: TComboBox; CmbHeightRange: TComboBox; EdtSectCompetitionID: TEdit; BtnSectionDelete: TButton; GrpSectionDetails: TGroupBox; EdtLowerAge: TEdit; EdtLowerWeight: TEdit; EdtLowerHeight: TEdit; EdtUpperAge: TEdit; EdtUpperLevel: TEdit; EdtUpperWeight: TEdit; EdtUpperHeight: TEdit; LblAgeRule: TLabel; LblLevelRule: TLabel; LblWeightRule: TLabel; LblHeightRule: TLabel; LblCompetitionSelect: TLabel; LblSectionSelect: TLabel; CmbSectSele: TComboBox; Edit1: TEdit; procedure FormCreate(Sender: TObject); procedure BtnCompetitionAddClick(Sender: TObject); procedure CmbCompSeleChange(Sender: TObject); procedure BtnCompetitionUpdateClick(Sender: TObject); procedure BtnCompetitionRevertClick(Sender: TObject); procedure BtnCompetitionDeleteClick(Sender: TObject); procedure CmbSectSeleChange(Sender: TObject); procedure BtnSectionAddClick(Sender: TObject); procedure BtnSectionUpdateClick(Sender: TObject); procedure BtnSectionRevertClick(Sender: TObject); procedure BtnSectionDeleteClick(Sender: TObject); procedure CmbAgeRangeChange(Sender: TObject); procedure CmbLevelRangeChange(Sender: TObject); procedure CmbWeightRangeChange(Sender: TObject); procedure CmbHeightRangeChange(Sender: TObject); private procedure UpdateCmbCompSele; procedure AddComp; procedure RevertComp; procedure AddSect; procedure RevertSect; procedure UpdateCmbSectSele; procedure ClearSect; { Private declarations } public { Public declarations } end; var DefinitionFrm: TDefinitionFrm; implementation {$R *.dfm} procedure TDefinitionFrm.UpdateCmbCompSele; var slDBpath: string; sldb : TSQLiteDatabase; sltb : TSQLiteTable; sCompTitle : string; bNext : boolean; begin slDBPath := ExtractFilepath(application.exename)+ 'Competitions.db'; if not FileExists(slDBPath) then begin MessageDlg('Competitions.db does not exist.',mtInformation,[mbOK],0); exit; end; sldb := TSQLiteDatabase.Create(slDBPath); try sltb := slDb.GetTable('SELECT * FROM CompetitionTable'); try CmbCompSele.Items.Clear; Repeat begin sCompTitle:=sltb.FieldAsString(sltb.FieldIndex['CompetitionID'])+':'+sltb.FieldAsString(sltb.FieldIndex['Description']); CmbCompSele.Items.Add(sCompTitle); bNext := sltb.Next; end; Until sltb.EOF; finally sltb.Free; end; finally sldb.Free; end; end; procedure TDefinitionFrm.UpdateCmbSectSele; var slDBpath: string; sldb : TSQLiteDatabase; sltb : TSQLiteTable; sSQL : string; sSectTitle : string; bNext : boolean; bLast : boolean; begin slDBPath := ExtractFilepath(application.exename)+ 'Competitions.db'; if not FileExists(slDBPath) then begin MessageDlg('Competitions.db does not exist.',mtInformation,[mbOK],0); exit; end; sldb := TSQLiteDatabase.Create(slDBPath); try sltb := slDb.GetTable('SELECT * FROM SectionTable WHERE CompetitionID = '+EdtCompID.text); If sltb.RowCount =0 then begin sltb := slDb.GetTable('SELECT * FROM SectionTable'); bLast:= sltb.MoveLast; sSQL := 'INSERT INTO SectionTable(SectionID,CompetitionID,Gender,Type) VALUES ('+IntToStr(sltb.FieldAsInteger(sltb.FieldIndex['SectionID'])+1)+','+EdtCompID.text+',1,1)'; sldb.ExecSQL(sSQL); sltb := slDb.GetTable('SELECT * FROM SectionTable WHERE CompetitionID = '+EdtCompID.text); end; try CmbSectSele.Items.Clear; Repeat begin sSectTitle:=sltb.FieldAsString(sltb.FieldIndex['SectionID'])+':'+sltb.FieldAsString(sltb.FieldIndex['Type'])+':'+sltb.FieldAsString(sltb.FieldIndex['Gender'])+':'+sltb.FieldAsString(sltb.FieldIndex['Age'])+':'+sltb.FieldAsString(sltb.FieldIndex['Level'])+':'+sltb.FieldAsString(sltb.FieldIndex['Weight'])+':'+sltb.FieldAsString(sltb.FieldIndex['Height']); CmbSectSele.Items.Add(sSectTitle); //CmbType.Items.Strings[sltb.FieldAsInteger(sltb.FieldIndex['Type'])] Works but has logic errors bNext := sltb.Next; end; Until sltb.EOF; finally sltb.Free; end; finally sldb.Free; end; end; procedure TDefinitionFrm.AddComp; var slDBpath: string; sSQL : string; sldb : TSQLiteDatabase; sltb : TSQLiteTable; bLast : boolean; begin slDBPath := ExtractFilepath(application.exename)+ 'Competitions.db'; if not FileExists(slDBPath) then begin MessageDlg('Competitions.db does not exist.',mtInformation,[mbOK],0); exit; end; sldb := TSQLiteDatabase.Create(slDBPath); try sltb := slDb.GetTable('SELECT * FROM CompetitionTable'); try bLast:= sltb.MoveLast; sSQL := 'INSERT INTO CompetitionTable(CompetitionID,Description) VALUES ('+IntToStr(sltb.FieldAsInteger(sltb.FieldIndex['CompetitionID'])+1)+',"New Competition")'; sldb.ExecSQL(sSQL); finally sltb.Free; end; finally sldb.Free; end; UpdateCmbCompSele; end; procedure TDefinitionFrm.AddSect; var slDBpath: string; sSQL : string; sldb : TSQLiteDatabase; sltb : TSQLiteTable; bLast : boolean; begin slDBPath := ExtractFilepath(application.exename)+ 'Competitions.db'; if not FileExists(slDBPath) then begin MessageDlg('Competitions.db does not exist.',mtInformation,[mbOK],0); exit; end; sldb := TSQLiteDatabase.Create(slDBPath); try sltb := slDb.GetTable('SELECT * FROM SectionTable'); try bLast:= sltb.MoveLast; sSQL := 'INSERT INTO SectionTable(SectionID,CompetitionID,Gender,Type) VALUES ('+IntToStr(sltb.FieldAsInteger(sltb.FieldIndex['SectionID'])+1)+','+EdtCompID.text+',1,1)'; sldb.ExecSQL(sSQL); finally sltb.Free; end; finally sldb.Free; end; UpdateCmbSectSele; end; procedure TDefinitionFrm.RevertComp; var slDBpath: string; sldb : TSQLiteDatabase; sltb : TSQLiteTable; iID : integer; begin slDBPath := ExtractFilepath(application.exename)+ 'Competitions.db'; if not FileExists(slDBPath) then begin MessageDlg('Competitions.db does not exist.',mtInformation,[mbOK],0); exit; end; sldb := TSQLiteDatabase.Create(slDBPath); try If CmbCompSele.Text <> '' then begin iID := StrToInt(Copy(CmbCompSele.Text,0,Pos(':',CmbCompSele.Text)-1)); sltb := slDb.GetTable('SELECT * FROM CompetitionTable WHERE CompetitionID='+IntToStr(iID))//ItemIndex starts at 0, CompID at 1 end else sltb := slDb.GetTable('SELECT * FROM CompetitionTable WHERE CompetitionID=1'); try EdtCompID.Text:=sltb.FieldAsString(sltb.FieldIndex['CompetitionID']); EdtCompLoca.Text:=sltb.FieldAsString(sltb.FieldIndex['Location']); EdtCompDesc.Text:=sltb.FieldAsString(sltb.FieldIndex['Description']); EdtCompNote.Text:=sltb.FieldAsString(sltb.FieldIndex['Notes']); finally sltb.Free; end; finally sldb.Free; end; end; procedure TDefinitionFrm.RevertSect; var slDBpath: string; sldb : TSQLiteDatabase; sltb : TSQLiteTable; iID : integer; sTemp : string; begin slDBPath := ExtractFilepath(application.exename)+ 'Competitions.db'; if not FileExists(slDBPath) then begin MessageDlg('Competitions.db does not exist.',mtInformation,[mbOK],0); exit; end; sldb := TSQLiteDatabase.Create(slDBPath); try If CmbCompSele.Text <> '' then begin iID := StrToInt(Copy(CmbSectSele.Text,0,Pos(':',CmbSectSele.Text)-1)); sltb := slDb.GetTable('SELECT * FROM SectionTable WHERE SectionID='+IntToStr(iID));//ItemIndex starts at 0, CompID at 1 end else sltb := slDb.GetTable('SELECT * FROM SectionTable WHERE CompetitionID='+EdtCompID.Text); try EdtSectionID.Text:=sltb.FieldAsString(sltb.FieldIndex['SectionID']); EdtSectCompetitionID.Text:=sltb.FieldAsString(sltb.FieldIndex['CompetitionID']); Case sltb.FieldAsInteger(sltb.FieldIndex['Type']) of 1 : CmbType.ItemIndex:=0; 2 : CmbType.ItemIndex:=0; 3 : CmbType.ItemIndex:=1; 4 : CmbType.ItemIndex:=1; end; Case sltb.FieldAsInteger(sltb.FieldIndex['Gender']) of 1 : CmbGender.ItemIndex:=0; 2 : CmbGender.ItemIndex:=1; 3 : CmbGender.ItemIndex:=2; end; sTemp := sltb.FieldAsString(sltb.FieldIndex['Age']); if sTemp <> '' then begin //Decode end else begin LblAgeRule.Hide; EdtLowerAge.Text :=''; EdtLowerAge.Hide; EdtUpperAge.Text :=''; EdtUpperAge.Hide; end; sTemp := sltb.FieldAsString(sltb.FieldIndex['Level']); if sTemp <> '' then begin //Decode end else begin LblLevelRule.Hide; Edit1.Text :=''; Edit1.Hide; EdtUpperLevel.Text :=''; EdtUpperLevel.Hide; end; sTemp := sltb.FieldAsString(sltb.FieldIndex['Weight']); if sTemp <> '' then begin //Decode end else begin LblWeightRule.Hide; EdtLowerWeight.Text :=''; EdtLowerWeight.Hide; EdtUpperWeight.Text :=''; EdtUpperWeight.Hide; end; sTemp := sltb.FieldAsString(sltb.FieldIndex['Height']); if sTemp <> '' then begin //Decode end else begin LblHeightRule.Hide; EdtLowerHeight.Text :=''; EdtLowerHeight.Hide; EdtUpperHeight.Text :=''; EdtUpperHeight.Hide; end; finally sltb.Free; end; finally sldb.Free; end; end; procedure TDefinitionFrm.BtnCompetitionAddClick(Sender: TObject); begin AddComp end; procedure TDefinitionFrm.ClearSect; begin CmbSectSele.Clear; EdtSectionID.Text:=''; EdtSectCompetitionID.Text:=''; CmbType.Clear; CmbGender.Clear; CmbAgeRange.Clear; EdtLowerAge.Text:=''; EdtUpperAge.Text:=''; CmbLevelRange.Clear; Edit1.Text:=''; EdtUpperLevel.Text:=''; CmbWeightRange.Clear; EdtLowerWeight.Text:=''; EdtUpperWeight.Text:=''; CmbHeightRange.Clear; EdtLowerHeight.Text:=''; EdtUpperHeight.Text:=''; end; procedure TDefinitionFrm.CmbCompSeleChange(Sender: TObject); begin If CmbCompSele.ItemIndex <> -1 then begin RevertComp; GrpSection.Enabled:=True; CmbSectSele.Clear; ClearSect; UpdateCmbSectSele; end; end; procedure TDefinitionFrm.BtnCompetitionUpdateClick(Sender: TObject); var slDBpath: string; sSQL : string; sldb : TSQLiteDatabase; begin slDBPath := ExtractFilepath(application.exename)+ 'Competitions.db'; if not FileExists(slDBPath) then begin MessageDlg('Competitions.db does not exist.',mtInformation,[mbOK],0); exit; end; sldb := TSQLiteDatabase.Create(slDBPath); try sSQL:= 'UPDATE CompetitionTable SET Description="'+EdtCompDesc.Text+'",Location="'+EdtCompLoca.Text+'",Notes="'+EdtCompNote.Text+'" WHERE CompetitionID ="'+EdtCompID.Text+'";'; sldb.ExecSQL(sSQL); finally sldb.Free; end; end; procedure TDefinitionFrm.BtnCompetitionRevertClick(Sender: TObject); begin RevertComp; end; procedure TDefinitionFrm.BtnCompetitionDeleteClick(Sender: TObject); var slDBpath: string; sSQL : string; sldb : TSQLiteDatabase; iID : integer; begin If CmbCompSele.Text <> '' then begin If (CmbCompSele.Text[1] ='1') and (CmbCompSele.Text[2] =':') then begin MessageDlg('Deleting the last record is a very bad idea :/',mtInformation,[mbOK],0); end else begin slDBPath := ExtractFilepath(application.exename)+ 'Competitions.db'; if not FileExists(slDBPath) then begin MessageDlg('Competitions.db does not exist.',mtInformation,[mbOK],0); exit; end; sldb := TSQLiteDatabase.Create(slDBPath); try iID := StrToInt(Copy(CmbCompSele.Text,0,Pos(':',CmbCompSele.Text)-1)); sSQL:= 'DELETE FROM SectionTable WHERE CompetitionID='+IntToStr(iID)+';'; sldb.ExecSQL(sSQL); sSQL:= 'DELETE FROM CompetitionTable WHERE CompetitionID='+IntToStr(iID)+';'; sldb.ExecSQL(sSQL); finally sldb.Free; end; CmbCompSele.ItemIndex:=0; UpdateCmbCompSele; RevertComp; CmbCompSele.Text:='Select Competition'; end; end; end; procedure TDefinitionFrm.FormCreate(Sender: TObject); begin UpdateCmbCompSele; end; procedure TDefinitionFrm.CmbSectSeleChange(Sender: TObject); begin RevertSect; end; procedure TDefinitionFrm.BtnSectionAddClick(Sender: TObject); begin AddSect; end; procedure TDefinitionFrm.BtnSectionUpdateClick(Sender: TObject); //change fields values var slDBpath: string; sSQL : string; sldb : TSQLiteDatabase; iTypeCode : integer; iGenderCode : integer; sAgeStr, sLevelStr, sWeightStr, sHeightStr : string; begin slDBPath := ExtractFilepath(application.exename)+ 'Competitions.db'; if not FileExists(slDBPath) then begin MessageDlg('Competitions.db does not exist.',mtInformation,[mbOK],0); exit; end; sldb := TSQLiteDatabase.Create(slDBPath); try If CmbType.Text='Fighting' then iTypeCode := 1 else iTypeCode := 3; If CmbGender.Text='Male' then iGenderCode := 1 else if CmbGender.Text='Female' then iGenderCode := 2 else iGenderCode := 3; Case CmbAgeRange.ItemIndex of 0:sAgeStr := 'o-'+EdtLowerAge.Text; 1:sAgeStr := 'u-'+EdtLowerAge.Text; 2:sAgeStr := EdtLowerAge.Text+'-'+EdtUpperAge.Text; end; Case CmbLevelRange.ItemIndex of 0:sLevelStr := 'o-'+Edit1.Text; 1:sLevelStr := 'u-'+Edit1.Text; 2:sLevelStr := Edit1.Text+'-'+EdtUpperLevel.Text; end; Case CmbWeightRange.ItemIndex of 0:sWeightStr := 'o-'+EdtLowerWeight.Text; 1:sWeightStr := 'u-'+EdtLowerWeight.Text; 2:sWeightStr := EdtLowerWeight.Text+'-'+EdtUpperWeight.Text; end; Case CmbHeightRange.ItemIndex of 0:sHeightStr := 'o-'+EdtLowerHeight.Text; 1:sHeightStr := 'u-'+EdtLowerHeight.Text; 2:sHeightStr := EdtLowerHeight.Text+'-'+EdtUpperHeight.Text; end; sSQL:= 'UPDATE SectionTable SET Type="'+IntToStr(iTypeCode)+'",Gender="'+IntToStr(iGenderCode)+'" WHERE SectionID ="'+EdtSectionID.Text+'";'; sldb.ExecSQL(sSQL); finally sldb.Free; end; end; procedure TDefinitionFrm.BtnSectionRevertClick(Sender: TObject); begin RevertSect; end; procedure TDefinitionFrm.BtnSectionDeleteClick(Sender: TObject); var slDBpath: string; sSQL : string; sldb : TSQLiteDatabase; begin If CmbSectSele.Text[1] ='1' then begin MessageDlg('Deleting the last record is a very bad idea :/',mtInformation,[mbOK],0); end else begin slDBPath := ExtractFilepath(application.exename)+ 'Competitions.db'; if not FileExists(slDBPath) then begin MessageDlg('Competitions.db does not exist.',mtInformation,[mbOK],0); exit; end; sldb := TSQLiteDatabase.Create(slDBPath); try sSQL:= 'DELETE FROM SectionTable WHERE SectionID='+CmbSectSele.Text[1]+';'; sldb.ExecSQL(sSQL); finally sldb.Free; end; CmbSectSele.ItemIndex:=0; UpdateCmbSectSele; RevertSect; CmbSectSele.Text:='Select Competition'; end; end; procedure TDefinitionFrm.CmbAgeRangeChange(Sender: TObject); begin Case CmbAgeRange.ItemIndex of 0: begin EdtLowerAge.Show; LblAgeRule.Caption:='Over and including'; LblAgeRule.Show; EdtUpperAge.Hide; end; 1: begin EdtLowerAge.Show; LblAgeRule.Caption:='Under and including'; LblAgeRule.Show; EdtUpperAge.Hide; end; 2: begin EdtLowerAge.Show; LblAgeRule.Caption:='LblAgeRule'; LblAgeRule.Hide; EdtUpperAge.Show; end; end; end; procedure TDefinitionFrm.CmbLevelRangeChange(Sender: TObject); begin Case CmbLevelRange.ItemIndex of 0: begin Edit1.Show; LblLevelRule.Caption:='Over and including'; LblLevelRule.Show; EdtUpperLevel.Hide; end; 1: begin Edit1.Show; LblLevelRule.Caption:='Under and including'; LblLevelRule.Show; EdtUpperLevel.Hide; end; 2: begin Edit1.Show; LblLevelRule.Caption:='LblLevelRule'; LblLevelRule.Hide; EdtUpperLevel.Show; end; end; end; procedure TDefinitionFrm.CmbWeightRangeChange(Sender: TObject); begin Case CmbWeightRange.ItemIndex of 0: begin EdtLowerWeight.Show; LblWeightRule.Caption:='Over and including'; LblWeightRule.Show; EdtUpperWeight.Hide; end; 1: begin EdtLowerWeight.Show; LblWeightRule.Caption:='Under and including'; LblWeightRule.Show; EdtUpperWeight.Hide; end; 2: begin EdtLowerWeight.Show; LblWeightRule.Caption:='LblWeightRule'; LblWeightRule.Hide; EdtUpperWeight.Show; end; end; end; procedure TDefinitionFrm.CmbHeightRangeChange(Sender: TObject); begin Case CmbHeightRange.ItemIndex of 0: begin EdtLowerHeight.Show; LblHeightRule.Caption:='Over and including'; LblHeightRule.Show; EdtUpperHeight.Hide; end; 1: begin EdtLowerHeight.Show; LblHeightRule.Caption:='Under and including'; LblHeightRule.Show; EdtUpperHeight.Hide; end; 2: begin EdtLowerHeight.Show; LblHeightRule.Caption:='LblHeightRule'; LblHeightRule.Hide; EdtUpperHeight.Show; end; end; end; end.

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  • Listen to Over 100,000 Radio Stations in Windows Media Center

    - by Mysticgeek
    A cool feature in Windows 7 Media Center is the ability to listen to local FM radio. But what if you don’t have a tuner card that supports a connected radio antenna? The RadioTime plugin solves the problem by allowing access to thousands of online radio stations. With the RadioTime plugin for Windows Media Center, you’ll have access to over 100,000 online radio stations from around the world. Their guide is broken down into different categories such as Talk Radio, Music Radio, Sports Radio and more. It’s completely free, but does require registration to save preset stations. RadioTime It works with Media Center in XP, Vista, and Windows 7 (which we’re demonstrating here). When installing it for Windows 7, make sure to click the Installer link below the “Get It Now – Free” button as the installer works best for the new OS. Installation is extremely quick and easy… Now when you open Windows 7 Media Center you’ll find it located in the Extras category from the main menu. After you launch it, you’re presented with the RadioTime guide where you can browse through the different categories of stations. Your shown various station suggestions each time you start it up. The main categories are broken down further so you can find the right genre of the music your looking for.   World Radio offers you stations from all over the world categorized into different regions. RadioTime does support local stations via an FM tuner, but if you don’t have one, you can still access local stations provided they broadcast online. One thing about listening to your local stations online is the audio quality may not be as good as if you had a tuner connected. It provides information on most of the online stations. For example here we look at Minnesota Public Radio info and you get a schedule of when certain programs are on. Then get even more information about the topics on the shows. To use the Presets option you’ll need to log into your RadioTime account, or if you don’t have one just click on the link to create a free one.   Creating a free account is simple and basic on their site. You aren’t required to have an account to use the RadioTime plugin, it’s only if you want the additional benefits. Conclusion For this article we only tried it with Windows 7 Media Center, and sometimes the interface felt clunky when moving quickly through menus. Also, there isn’t a search feature from within Media Center, however, you can search stations from their site and add them to your presets. Despite a few shortcomings, this is a very cool way to get access to thousands of online radio stations through Windows Media Center. If you’re looking for a way to access thousands of radio stations through WMC, you might want to give RadioTime a try. Download RadioTime for Windows Media Center Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Listen To XM Radio with Windows Media Center in Windows 7Listen and Record Over 12,000 Online Radio Stations with RadioSureUsing Netflix Watchnow in Windows Vista Media Center (Gmedia)Learning Windows 7: Manage Your Music with Windows Media PlayerSchedule Updates for Windows Media Center TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips Revo Uninstaller Pro Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010 PCmover Professional Windows Media Player 12: Tweak Video & Sound with Playback Enhancements Own a cell phone, or does a cell phone own you? Make your Joomla & Drupal Sites Mobile with OSMOBI Integrate Twitter and Delicious and Make Life Easier Design Your Web Pages Using the Golden Ratio Worldwide Growth of the Internet

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  • Crop, Edit, and Print Photos in Windows 7 Media Center

    - by DigitalGeekery
    Windows Media Center is a nice application for managing and displaying your personal photos, but you may occasionally need to make some basic edits to your pictures. Today we’ll take a look at how to crop, edit, and print photos right from Windows 7 Media Center. From within the Picture Library in Windows Media Center, choose a photo to work with, right-click and select Picture Details. You can also access this option with a Media Center remote by clicking the “i” button. Note: You’ll notice you have the option to rotate the picture from this menu. It is also available on the next screen.  Rotate a picture Now you’ll see more options on the Picture Details screen. From here you can rotate, Print, or Touch Up, Delete, or Burn a CD/DVD. To rotate the picture, simple select Rotate. Note: If you want your photo saved with the new orientation, you’ll need to select Save from the Touch Up screen that we will look at later in the article.   Each click will rotate the picture 90 degrees clockwise. You’ll see the new orientation of the picture displayed on the Picture Details screen after you have clicked Rotate. Print a picture From the Picture Details screen, select Print. Click Print again. Media Center automatically prints to your default printer, so make sure your desired target printer is set as default. Crop and Edit Photos To edit or crop your photo, select Touch Up. Touch Up options includes, Crop, Contrast, and Red Eye removal. First, we’ll select the Crop button to crop our photo.   You will see a cropping area overlay appear on your photo. Select one of the buttons below to adjust the location, size, and orientation of the area to be cropped. When you’re happy with your selection, click Save. You’ll be prompted to confirm your save. Click Yes to permanently save your edits. You can also apply Contrast or Red Eye adjustments to your photos. There aren’t any advanced settings for these options. You merely toggle the Contrast or Red Eye on or off by selecting the option. Be sure to click Save before exiting to if you’ve made any changes you wish to permanently apply to the photos. This includes rotating the images. While this method is not likely to be replace your favorite image editing software, it does give you the ability to make basic edits and print photos directly from Windows Media Center. With a Media Center remote, you can even do all your edits from the comfort of your recliner. Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Using Netflix Watchnow in Windows Vista Media Center (Gmedia)Schedule Updates for Windows Media CenterIntegrate Hulu Desktop and Windows Media Center in Windows 7Add Color Coding to Windows 7 Media Center Program GuideIntegrate Boxee with Media Center in Windows 7 TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips DVDFab 6 Revo Uninstaller Pro Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010 Outlook Connector Upgrade Error Gadfly is a cool Twitter/Silverlight app Enable DreamScene in Windows 7 Microsoft’s “How Do I ?” Videos Home Networks – How do they look like & the problems they cause Check Your IMAP Mail Offline In Thunderbird

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  • Silverlight Cream for March 25, 2010 -- #820

    - by Dave Campbell
    In this Issue: René Schulte, Jeremy Likness, Hassan, Victor Gaudioso, SilverLaw, Mike Taulty, Phani Raj, Tim Heuer, Christian Schormann, Brad Abrams, David Anson, Diptimaya Patra, and Daniel Vaughan. Shoutouts: Last week, Koen Zwikstra announced Silverlight Spy at MIX10 Anand Iyer announced this for students on the Windows Team Blog: Be a Windows Phone 7 “Rockstar” Justin Angel blogged that Silverlight Isn't Fully Cross-Platform ... let him know if you think it's a yawn or important. On behalf of SilverlightShow, Cigdem Patlak posted MIX10: Laurent Bugnion on Silverlight adoption, WP7 and the EcoContest From SilverlightCream.com: Coding4Fun - Silverlight Real Time Face Detection René Schulte has a Coding 4 Fun article posted on facial recognition. Who better to be manipulating graphics like this than René? Sequential Asynchronous Workflows Part 2: Simplified Jeremy Likness follows up his previous post with another one that is 'simplified'. Remember his previous post began with a post on the Silverlight.net forum and Rob Eisenburg's MVVM presentation from MIX10 Windows Phone 7 Video Tutorial Hassan has a new video up on his AfricanGeek site, and that's a continuation of his previous WP7 video tutorial, adding a listbox and databinding it to the selected index of another listbox. The Los Angeles Silverlight Usergorup will be Streaming its March Meeting LIVE in Silverlight – Tonight! Victor Gaudioso used his Live Streaming knowledge to stream his User Group meeting last night from LA where Michael Washington presented on MVVM followed by Victor himself. That was last night. Today he has a couple of the videos up to view. Shining 3D Font Design - Silverlight 3 SilverLaw has a "Shining 3D Font" tutorial up, and a video on it here: New Video: How to create a 3D effect on a Silverlight 3 Textblock ... this is also available in the Expression Gallery. Silverlight 4 RC – Signing trusted apps with home made certificates Mike Taulty has a post up about building a hand-rolled cert to test out the XAP signing features, and then gives a nod to John Papa with a link to the Silverlight White Paper I've posted about before, because this info is in there as well. Developing a Windows Phone 7 Application that consumes OData Phani Raj has a tutorial up on consuming the NetFlix OData catalog on the WP7 emulator ... now *that* is cool! Make your Silverlight applications Speak to you with Microsoft Translator Tim Heuer used Silverlight to demonstrate Microsoft Translator as a speech synthesis tool using the Speak API included ... pretty cool, Tim ... lots of external links and code. Blend 4: About Path Layout, Sidebar – More About ListBox Than You Ever Wanted To Know Christian Schormann has another outstanding tutorial up on the ListBox and PathLayout in Expression Blend ... just check out the screen shots and you'll wanna read it! Silverlight 4 + RIA Services: Ready for Business: Updating Data in the Client This is the continuation of Brad Abrams' series on WCF RIA Services and is a tutorial on setting up to deal with updating the data. Tip: The CLR wrapper for a DependencyProperty should do its job and nothing more David Anson is posting some "Development Tips", and this is the first ... discussing making sure your DependencyProperty CLR wrapper stays on point... Create and Apply Theme Silverlight Application Diptimaya Patra has a tutorial up on creating and using themes. He states that "Themes are nothing but some predefined styles" ... check it out and see if it's really that easy :) Building a Windows Phone 7 Puzzle Game Daniel Vaughan has a great post up starting with installing all the tools and ending with a maze game for WP7 using XNA for sound... this is the first I've seen that integrates XNA (I think). Stay in the 'Light! Twitter SilverlightNews | Twitter WynApse | WynApse.com | Tagged Posts | SilverlightCream Join me @ SilverlightCream | Phoenix Silverlight User Group Technorati Tags: Silverlight    Silverlight 3    Silverlight 4    Windows Phone    MIX10

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  • Create Music Playlists in Windows 7 Media Center

    - by DigitalGeekery
    One of the new features in Windows 7 Media Center is the ability to easily create music playlists without using Media Player. Today we’ll take a closer look at how to create them directly in Media Center. Create Manual Playlists Open Windows Media Center and select the Music Library. From within the Music Library, choose playlists from the top menu.   Then select Create Playlist. Give your new playlist a name, and select Next. Choose Music Library and select Next.    Select “songs” from the top menu, choose the songs for your playlist from your library, and select Next when finished. You can also click Select All to add all songs to your playlist, or clear all to remove them. Note: you can also sort by artist, album, genre, etc. from the top menu.   Now you can review and edit your playlist. Click the up and down pointers to move songs up and down in the playlist, or “X” to remove them. You can also go back and add additional songs by selecting Add More. Click Create when you are finished.   Auto Playlists Windows Media Center also allows you to create six different auto playlists. These are dynamic playlists based on pre-defined criteria. Auto Playlists include All Music, Music added in the last month, Music auto rated at 5 stars, Music played in the last month, Music played the most, and Music rated 4 or 5 stars. These Auto Playlists will change dynamically as your library and listening habits change. Your new music playlists can be found under playlists in the music library. Select play playlist to start the music. Now kick back and enjoy the music from your playlist. Conclusion While earlier versions of WMC allowed you to create playlists, you had to do it through Windows Media Player. This is a nice new feature for music lovers who use WMC and prefer to do everything with a remote. Do you already have playlists that you’ve created in Windows Media Player? Windows Media Center can play those too. If your playlists are in the default Music folder, Media Center will detect them automatically and add them to your Music Library. Plus, any playlists you create in Media Center are also available for Media Player. For more on creating Playlists in Media Player, check out our previous articles on how to create a custom playlist in Windows Media Player 12, and how to create auto playlists in WMP 12. Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips How To Rip a Music CD in Windows 7 Media CenterCreate Custom Playlists in Windows Media Player 12Using Netflix Watchnow in Windows Vista Media Center (Gmedia)How to Create Auto Playlists in Windows Media Player 12Fixing When Windows Media Player Library Won’t Let You Add Files TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips Xobni Plus for Outlook All My Movies 5.9 CloudBerry Online Backup 1.5 for Windows Home Server Snagit 10 How to Forecast Weather, without Gadgets Outlook Tools, one stop tweaking for any Outlook version Zoofs, find the most popular tweeted YouTube videos Video preview of new Windows Live Essentials 21 Cursor Packs for XP, Vista & 7 Map the Stars with Stellarium

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  • Great Customer Service Example

    - by MightyZot
    A few days ago I wrote about what I consider a poor customer service interaction with TiVo, a company that I have been faithful to for the past 12 years or so. In that post I talked about how they helped me, but I felt like I was doing something wrong at the end of the call – when in reality I was just following through with an offer that TiVo made possible through my cable company. Today I had a wonderful customer service interaction with American Express, another company that I have been loyal to for many years.(I am a Gold Card member.) I like my Amex card because I can use it for big purchases and it forces me to pay them off at the end of the month. Well, the reality is that I’m not always so good at doing that, so sometimes my payments are over a couple of months.  :) A few days ago I received an email from “American Express” fraud detection. The email stated that I should call a toll free number and have the last four digits of my card handy. I grew up during the BBS era with some creative and somewhat mischievous friends. I’ve learned to be extremely cautious with regard to my online life! So, I did what you would expect…I sent them a nice reply that said “Go screw yourself.” For the past couple of days someone has been trying to call me and I assumed it was the same prankster trying to get the last four digits of my card. The last caller left a message indicating that they were from American Express and they wanted to talk to me about my card. After looking up their customer service numbers on the www.americanexpress.com web site, I called and was put through to the fraud detection group. The rep explained that there were some charges on my wife’s card that did not fit our purchase profile. She went through each charge and, for the most part, they looked like charges my wife may have made. My wife had asked to use the card for some Christmas shopping during the same timeframe as the charges. The American Express rep very politely explained that these looked out of character to her. She continued through the charges. She listed a charge for $160 – at this point my adrenaline started kicking in. My wife said she was going to charge about $25 or $30 dollars, not $160. Next, the rep listed a charge for over $1200. Uh oh!! Now I know that my account has been compromised. I informed the rep that we definitely did not make those charges. She replied with, “that’s ok Mr Pope, we declined those charges as well as some others.” We went through the pending charges and there were a couple more that were questionable. The rep very patiently waited while I called my wife on my office phone to verify the charges. Sure enough, my wife had not ordered anything from Netflix or purchased anything with Yahoo Wallet! “No problem Mr Pope, we will remove those charges as well.” “We are going to cancel your wife’s card and send her a new one. She will receive it by 7pm tomorrow via Federal Express. Please watch your statements over the next couple of months. If you notice anything fishy, give us a call and we will take care of it for you.” (Wow, I’m thinking to myself!) “Is there anything else I can help you with Mr Pope?” “Nope, thank you very much for catching this so early and declining those charges!”, I said smiling. Apparently she could hear me smiling on the other end of the phone line because she replied with “keep smiling Mr Pope and have a good rest of your week.” Now THAT’s customer service!  Thank you American Express!!! I shall remain an ever faithful customer. Interesting…

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  • Enable Full Screen Mode in Media Center Without Trapping the Mouse

    - by DigitalGeekery
    If you have a dual monitor setup and use Windows Media Center, you’re probably aware that when WMC is in full screen mode, it traps the mouse so you can’t work on a second monitor. Here we look at how to solve the annoyance. The Maxifier is an application that allows you to open Media Center in full screen mode without restricting the mouse. It relieves the annoyance of WMC capturing your mouse on a dual monitor setup. Note: If you don’t have two monitors attached, most of The Maxifier’s functions won’t work. Installation and Use Download, extract, and install The Maxifier. (See the download link below) The Maxifier runs minimized in the system tray and you access the options by right-clicking on the icon. If Media Center is not already open, you can choose Start Media Center to start WMC on the main start screen. Or, choose one of the other selections to open another area of Media Center. By default, Maxifier opens Media Center in full screen mode on the secondary monitor. When Media Center is open in full screen mode, you’ll notice you can now freely move your mouse around your multi-monitor setup. When Media Center is open, you’ll see five additional options. The Fit Screen options simply fits Media Center to the full screen, but still show the Windows borders. Full screen options put WMC in full screen mode.   The Maxifier Options allow you to choose from the various start up options. Selecting Watch for Media Center starting will prompt Maxifier to open WMC to the main start page in full screen mode on the secondary monitor automatically, even if you open Media Center without using The Maxifier.  (You may need to restart for this to take effect) If you have more than 2 monitors, you can define on which monitor to open Media Center, and which monitor you consider to be the main screen.   You can also define a number of Hotkeys in The Maxifier settings. First, select the Enable Hotkeys checkbox. To create a Hotkey, click in the text field and then press the keys to use as the Hotkey. To remove a Hotkey, click in the field and press the Delete key.   Conclusion The Maxifier is a simple program that enables Media Center users to take full advantage of a multi-monitor workspace. It works with both Vista and Windows 7. Version 1.4 is a stable application for Vista, and Version 1.5b is a beta application for Windows 7. Looking for more Media Center tips and tweaks? Check out some startup customizations for Windows 7 Media Center, how to automatically mount and view ISO’s in WMC, and how to add background images and themes to Windows 7 Media Center. Link Download the Maxifier Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Startup Customizations for Media Center in Windows 7Using Netflix Watchnow in Windows Vista Media Center (Gmedia)Lock The Screen While in Full-Screen Mode in Windows Media PlayerSwitch Windows by Hovering the Mouse Over a Window in Windows 7 or VistaIntegrate Boxee with Media Center in Windows 7 TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips HippoRemote Pro 2.2 Xobni Plus for Outlook All My Movies 5.9 CloudBerry Online Backup 1.5 for Windows Home Server Steve Jobs’ iPhone 4 Keynote Video Watch World Cup Online On These Sites Speed Up Windows With ReadyBoost Awesome World Cup Soccer Calendar Nice Websites To Watch TV Shows Online 24 Million Sites

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  • Uninstall, Disable, or Remove Windows 7 Media Center

    - by Mysticgeek
    Although Windows 7 Media Center has improved a lot over previous versions of Windows, but you might want to disable it for different reasons. Here we take a look at a couple of methods to get rid of it. There are a variety of reasons you might want to disable Windows 7 Media Center. Maybe you own a business and don’t want it to run on the machines. Or perhaps you don’t use it at all and just don’t want it around. Turn Off WMC Using Programs and Features Probably the easiest way to get rid of it on all versions of Windows 7 is to open Control Panel and select Programs and Features. This method is similar to disabling Internet Explorer 8 in Windows 7. On the left hand panel click on Turn Windows Features on or off. Scroll down to Media Features and expand the folder. Then Uncheck Windows Media Center… You’ll get a verification message making sure you want to disable it, click Yes. Then the box next to Windows Media Center will be empty…click OK. Wait while WMC is disabled… To complete the process a reboot is required. After getting back from the restart, the WMC icon will be gone and there won’t be any way to launch it. Re-enable WMC If you want to re-enable it, just go back in and recheck it. Again you’ll need to wait while it’s configured, but when it’s done, a restart is not required.   Disable Media Center Using Group Policy Note: This process uses Group Policy Editor which is not available in Home versions of Windows 7. Click on the Start menu and type gpedit.msc into the Search box and hit Enter. Now navigate to User Configuration \ Administrative Templates \ Windows Components \ Windows Media Center. Double-click on Do not allow Windows Media Center to run. Then select the radio button next to Enabled, click OK and close out of Group Policy Editor. Now if a user tries to launch WMC they will get the following message. Conclusion If you’re not a fan of Windows Media Center or want to disable it for whatever reason, the process is simple and there are a couple of ways you can do it. WMC is not included in Starter or Home Basic versions of Windows 7. If you’re new to Windows 7 Media Center, you might want to check out our guide on getting started and setting up live TV. Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Using Netflix Watchnow in Windows Vista Media Center (Gmedia)Disable Windows Mobility Center in Windows 7 or VistaMake Outlook Faster by Disabling Unnecessary Add-InsSchedule Updates for Windows Media CenterRemove "Map Network Drive" Menu Item from Windows Vista or XP TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips DVDFab 6 Revo Uninstaller Pro Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010 Find Downloads and Add-ins for Outlook Recycle ! Find That Elusive Icon with FindIcons Looking for Good Windows Media Player 12 Plug-ins? Find Out the Celebrity You Resemble With FaceDouble Whoa !

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  • The Evolution of Television and Home Entertainment

    - by Bill Evjen
    This is a group that is focused on entertainment in the aviation industry. I am attending their conference for the first time as it relates to my job at Swank Motion Pictures and what we do for our various markets. I will post my notes here. The Evolution of Television and Home Entertainment by Patrick Cosson, Veebeam TV has been the center of living rooms for sometime. Conversations and culture evolve around the TV. The way we consume this content has dramatically been changing. After TV, we had the MTV revolution of TV. It has created shorter attention spans, it made us more materialistic, narcissistic, and not easily impressed. Then we came to the Internet. The amount of content has expanded. It contains a ton of user-generated content, provides filtering, organization, distribution. We now have a problem. We are in the age of digital excess. We can access whatever we want. In conjunction with this – we are moving. The challenge we have now is curation. The trends  we see: rapid shift from scheduled to on demand consumption. A move to Internet protocols from cable Rapid fragmentation of media a transition from the TV set to a variety of screens Social connections bring mediators and amplifiers. TiVo – the shift to on demand It is because of a time-crunch Provides personal experiences Once old consumption habits are changed, there is no way back! Experiences are that people are loading up content and then bringing it with them on planes, to hotels, etc. Rapid fragmentation of media sources Many new professional content sources and channels, the rise of digital distribution, and the rise of user-generated content contribute to the wealth of content sources and abundant choice. Netflix, BBC iPlayer, hulu, Pandora, iTunes, Amazon Video, Vudu, Voddler, Spotify (these companies didn’t exist 5 years ago). People now expect this kind of consumption. People are now thinking how to deliver all these tools. Transition from the TV set to multi-screens The TV screen has traditionally been the dominant consumption screen for TV and video. Now the PC, game consoles, and various mobile devices are rapidly becoming common video devices. Multi-screens are now the norm. Social connections becoming key mediators What increasingly funnels traffic on the web, social networking enablers, will become an integral part of the discovery, consumption and sharing model for Television. The revolution will be broadcasted on Facebook and Twitter. There is business disruption There are a lot of new entrants Rapid internationalization Increasing competition from existing media players A fragmenting audience base Web browser Freedom to access any site The fight over the walled garden Most devices are not powerful enough to support a full browser PC will always be present in the living room Wireless link between PC and TV Output 1080p, plays anything, secure Key players and their challenges Services Internet media is increasingly interconnected to social media and publicly shared UGC Content delivery moving to IPTV Rights management issues are creating silos and hindering a great user experience and growth Devices Devices are becoming people’s windows into all kinds of media from all kinds of sources There won’t be a consolidation of the device landscape, rather the opposite Finding the right niche makes the most sense. We are moving to an on demand world of streaming world. People want full access to anything.

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  • Use Twitter in Windows Media Center with TwitterMCE

    - by DigitalGeekery
    Are you a Media Center user who just can’t get enough Twitter? If so, you may want to check out the TwitterMCE plugin for Windows Media Center. Download and install TwitterMCE application. (See download link below) When you start Windows Media Center, you’ll find the TwitterMCE icon listed in the Extras. When you open the plug-in you’ll be prompted for a Paypal donation and have to wait out the 15 second timer. Next, you’ll need to log in to your Twitter account. Enter your Twitter account username and password. You can do this with the keyboard or by entering letters and numbers with a Media Center remote. When you are finished, select the Login button.   You’ll be prompted to select Standard or Video Mode. Standard displays items in a more vertical fashion. Video displays them horizontally and one at a time, and also allows you to watch Live TV, a movie, or video at the same time. Reading Your Tweets Clicking on Home allows you to read the latest Twitter messages from your friends. You can access the previous 20 tweets. Scroll up and down to see additional messages in Standard mode, ro right and left in Video mode. Click on the individual Twitter messages to get more information, such as which friend sent the tweet. Create a Tweet To Create a Tweet directly from Media Center, select the Update button. Type out your message using your keyboard or your remote and the on-screen keyboard. When you are finished, select Update to send your Twitter message. A few moments later your new tweet will appear.   To send a tweet while you are watching TV or a video, log in to the TwitterMCE app, choose the Video mode, and select Update.   Enter your tweet with the remote or keyboard. Select Update to send the tweet.   You can also view Mentions, Friends, and Followers selecting the appropriate button.   Scroll through your list of friends to read their latest tweets.   The TwitterMCE plugin works will Windows Vista Premium, Ultimate, and Windows 7. It might not completely replace your favorite Twitter App, but it will allow you to send all the tweets you want without having to take your eyes off your favorite TV programs. Download TwitterMCE Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Using Netflix Watchnow in Windows Vista Media Center (Gmedia)Schedule Updates for Windows Media CenterIntegrate Hulu Desktop and Windows Media Center in Windows 7Add Color Coding to Windows 7 Media Center Program GuideIntegrate Boxee with Media Center in Windows 7 TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips DVDFab 6 Revo Uninstaller Pro Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010 Get Your Delicious Bookmarks In Firefox’s Awesome Bar Manage Photos Across Different Social Sites With Dropico Test Drive Windows 7 Online Download Wallpapers From National Geographic Site Spyware Blaster v4.3 Yes, it’s Patch Tuesday

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  • App Stores&ndash;In All Things, Its Quality Over Quantity

    - by D'Arcy Lussier
    Everybody has an opinion about Windows 8. People love it, people hate it, people are meh about it, people are apparently buying it from Microsoft stores in NYC as if it was water before a natural disaster…if there’s one thing that Microsoft product launches do well, its the ability to bring out strong emotional responses. Over at eweek.com, Don Reisinger wrote about 5 good and bad things about Windows 8. Yes, another opinion piece on WIndows 8. I figured since this one had good and bad it might be worthwhile to read. I then came across #10 on his list, and figured “What the hell…might as well post a bit of a rant on Windows 8 myself!” Here’s #10: 10. Bad: Too few apps Unfortunately, Microsoft wasn’t able to get too many developers to start producing applications for its Windows 8 Store. Microsoft hasn’t yet released official numbers, but some have said that the marketplace has less than 8,000 programs. Considering Apple’s App Store has 100 times that, it’s about time Microsoft starts leaning on developers to get more programs into its store. Believe me, Microsoft *has* been leaning on developers to get apps into the store. I’ve been asked at least 5 or 6 times from 5 or 6 different friends at Microsoft about whether I was going to write a Windows 8 app. I think Microsoft felt they had to try and address the number of apps available in their marketplace, since some people (like Don) would draw comparisons to the number of apps in the Apple marketplace. I feel for Microsoft in this, since the number of apps in a marketplace are an empty stat. Quality of Quantity I have an iPad that my family (wife, 10yo daughter, 3yo daughter) use. We all have our own apps installed on it. In addition, my wife has an iPhone 4S that she also installs apps on. As someone who gets asked by his kids often whether they can buy/download an app, the vast majority of the vast catalogue of iOS marketplace apps are crap! Do you realize how many “free” games are out there, only to really be not-free because you have to purchase in-game content to make the game actually playable? And how about searching – with such a vast array of apps and such high numbers of craptastic ones, trying to find something is incredibly difficult and can be frustrating. I would rather see that Microsoft has 8000 high quality apps in their store at launch, instead of 800000 that were mostly junk. Too Few Apps?! And seriously, 8000 is not a small number. How many iOS apps have I actually bought between the iPad and iPhone? I’ll be generous and say 30…heck, let’s round it up to 40. It’s not like I have 10,000 apps installed on my iPad, nor will that ever happen! So if people have, at the *launch* of a new platform ecosystem, EIGHT THOUSAND apps to choose from, I don’t see that as a fail at all! It should be noted that most of the most common apps (Netflix, Skype, etc.) are available for Windows 8 at launch – I guess I’ll have to wait a few weeks for My Pony Ranch and all its clones to start showing up; pity. Let’s Check Back in a Year So look, let’s check back in a year’s time and see what the app store looks like. My hope is that Microsoft doesn’t continue to push quantity over quality. Even knowing the optics that # of apps in the store carries and the pressure to catch Apple and Android marketplaces, I hope Microsoft avoids the scenario where there’s a good percentage of apps in the Windows Store that are utter rubbish and finding the gems will be cumbersome. But if that happens, we can thank guys like Dan who raised the false issue of app count at the launch for it.

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  • MIX 2010 Covert Operations Day 3

    - by GeekAgilistMercenary
    I rolled over to the Mandalay for breakfast.  There I met a couple guys that were really excited about the new Windows 7 Phone.  They, as I, are also hopeful that the phone really gets a big push and some penetration into the market.  Not because we don’t like any other of the phones, but because this phone is so much better in many ways.  From a developer's perspective creating applications in Windows 7 Mobile will be vastly superior in ease, capabilities, and other aspects.  The architectural, existing code base, examples, and provisions to create things on the 7 Mobile Device are already existing as of RIGHT NOW.  There is no reason, except for fickle market conditions, for this phone to not just explode onto the market.  But alas, I won't hold my breath. Day three keynote had a whole new slew of things provided.  It also seemed that things got a lot more technical on this second keynote.  The oData was one of the very technical bits, yet it included almost no code.  Starting with a Netflix example and all the way to the Codename "Dallas" effort the oData Services provide some expansive possibilities. A mash up going 4 ways was then shown for finding a movie, finding local places to have a viewing, and information about the movie and were to prospectively find and buy additional movie bits.  The display was of course, in a Windows 7 Mobile device with literally a click to view each set of data.  The backend and the front end of this was beautifully smooth. The Dallas Project has a lot of potential for analytics in dashboard and scorecard creation also.  If there is a need or reason to provide data to a vast and wide range of clients, Dallas is a prime example of how to do that. Azure Clouds After the main keynote I checked out (while developing a working WPF & Silverlight Application for work) the session on deploying ASP.NET Applications, services, etc, into the cloud.  The session was pretty good, but I'll admit I got a little unfocused from it a few times.  It is after all hard to do two things at one time. I did take note that the cloud still is a multiple step process for deploying to.  This is a good thing and a bad thing.  There needs to be more checks and verifications when deploying something into the cloud just for technical reasons.  However, I feel that there should be some streamlining to the process.  Going back and forth between web and Visual Studio as the interface also seems kind of clunky.  Deployment should be able to be completed from within Visual Studio in my perspective.  Overall, the cloud is getting more and more impressive in function as well as theory. That's it from me so far on the third day of MIX.  I'll be note taking and studying hard to have more good tidbits to provide. Thanks for reading, if you're curious about more of my writing, check out this original entry at my other blog Agilist Mercenary.

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  • Use your iPhone or iPod Touch as a Boxee Remote

    - by DigitalGeekery
    Are you a Boxee user looking for a remote control solution? Well, you might not need to look any further than your pocket. The free Boxee Remote App turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into a a simple and easy-to-use Boxee remote. The Boxee Remote App works over WiFi, so there is no need for to buy or install additional hardware on your PC. Plus, you don’t even need to be within the line of sight for it to work. Using the Boxee Remote App Download the free Boxee Remote App from the App Store and install it on your iPhone or iPod Touch. See download link below. Next, make sure you have Boxee running on your PC. Select the Boxee icon to open the App.   The first time you log in you’ll be greeted by an introduction screen that will explain the two modes. Click Continue. When opened in “Button” mode, you’ll be presented with 4 directional buttons, an “OK” button, and a back arrow button that works like the Esc key does in Boxee. Button mode performs just as a normal remote. Touching the directional buttons moves your on screen selection right, left, up, and down. Tap the OK button to open or select an item. To enter “Gesture” mode, tap the Gesture button along the top of the Screen. Gesture mode works similar to a touch pad or trackball on a laptop. You drag the Boxee icon with your thumb or finger across the screen to move around within Boxee. The icon will turn red while being dragged or touched. Simply tap the icon to select.   The Settings button allows you to manually add or delete a host computer, or adjust the sensitivity of the controls.     If you need to enter text, such as enter logon credentials for an App, the on screen keyboard will pop up. While watching a video you’ll have on-screen Stop and Pause buttons along with a volume slider.   The Boxee Remote App is simple and easy to use. As long as you can connect via WiFi, you can use it to control any instance of Boxee running on any computer on your network. Download the Boxee Remote App Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Why Wait? Amazing New Add-on Turns Your iPhone into an iPad! [Comic]Getting Started with BoxeeIntegrate Boxee with Media Center in Windows 7Watch Netflix Instant Movies in BoxeeWin a Free iPod Touch in the How-To Geek Facebook Giveaway! TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips DVDFab 6 Revo Uninstaller Pro Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010 Out of band Security Update for Internet Explorer 7 Cool Looking Screensavers for Windows SyncToy syncs Files and Folders across Computers on a Network (or partitions on the same drive) If it were only this easy Classic Cinema Online offers 100’s of OnDemand Movies OutSync will Sync Photos of your Friends on Facebook and Outlook

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  • Is Cloud Security Holding Back Social SaaS?

    - by Mike Stiles
    The true promise of social data co-mingling with enterprise data to influence and inform social marketing (all marketing really) lives in cloud computing. The cloud brings processing power, services, speed and cost savings the likes of which few organizations could ever put into action on their own. So why wouldn’t anyone jump into SaaS (Software as a Service) with both feet? Cloud security. Being concerned about security is proper and healthy. That just means you’re a responsible operator. Whether it’s protecting your customers’ data or trying to stay off the radar of regulatory agencies, you have plenty of reasons to make sure you’re as protected from hacking, theft and loss as you can possibly be. But you also have plenty of reasons to not let security concerns freeze you in your tracks, preventing you from innovating, moving the socially-enabled enterprise forward, and keeping up with competitors who may not be as skittish regarding SaaS technology adoption. Over half of organizations are transferring sensitive or confidential data to the cloud, an increase of 10% over last year. With the roles and responsibilities of CMO’s, CIO’s and other C’s changing, the first thing you should probably determine is who should take point on analyzing cloud software options, providers, and policies. An oft-quoted Ponemon Institute study found 36% of businesses don’t have a cloud security policy at all. So that’s as good a place to start as any. What applications and data are you comfortable housing in the cloud? Do you have a classification system for data that clearly spells out where data types can go and how they can be used? Who, both internally and at the cloud provider, will function as admins? What are the different levels of admin clearance? Will your security policies and procedures sync up with those of your cloud provider? The key is verifiable trust. Trust in cloud security is actually going up. 1/3 of organizations polled say it’s the cloud provider who should be responsible for data protection. And when you look specifically at SaaS providers, that expectation goes up to 60%. 57% “strongly agree” or “agree” there’s more confidence in cloud providers’ ability to protect data. In fact, some businesses bypass the “verifiable” part of verifiable trust. Just over half have no idea what their cloud provider does to protect data. And yet, according to the “Private Cloud Vision vs. Reality” InformationWeek Report, 82% of organizations say security/data privacy are one of the main reasons they’re still holding the public cloud at arm’s length. That’s going to be a tough position to maintain, because just as social is rapidly changing the face of marketing, big data is rapidly changing the face of enterprise IT. Netflix, who’s particularly big on the benefits of the cloud, says, "We're systematically disassembling the corporate IT components." An enterprise can never realize the full power of big data, nor get the full potential value out of it, if it’s unwilling to enable the integrations and dataset connections necessary in the cloud. Because integration is called for to reduce fragmentation, a standardized platform makes a lot of sense. With multiple components crafted to work together, you’re maximizing scalability, optimization, cost effectiveness, and yes security and identity management benefits. You can see how the incentive is there for cloud companies to develop and add ever-improving security features, making cloud computing an eventual far safer bet than traditional IT. @mikestilesPhoto: stock.xchng

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  • Http Requests POST vs GET

    - by behrk2
    Hi everyone, I am using a lot of HTTP Requests in an application that I am writing which uses OAuth. Currently, I am sending my GET and POST requests the same way: HttpConnection connection = (HttpConnection) Connector.open(url + connectionParameters); connection.setRequestMethod(method); connection.setRequestProperty("WWW-Authenticate", "OAuth realm=api.netflix.com"); int responseCode = connection.getResponseCode(); And this is working fine. I am successfully POSTing and GETing. However, I am worried that I am not doing POST the right way. Do I need to include in the above code the following if-statement? if (method.equals("POST") && postData != null) { connection.setRequestProperty("Content-type", "application/x-www-form-urlencoded"); connection.setRequestProperty("Content-Length", Integer .toString(postData.length)); OutputStream requestOutput = connection.openOutputStream(); requestOutput.write(postData); requestOutput.close(); } If so, why? What's the difference? I would appreciate any feedback. Thanks!

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  • best way to switch between secure and unsecure connection without bugging the user

    - by Brian Lang
    The problem I am trying to tackle is simple. I have two pages - the first is a registration page, I take in a few fields from the user, once they submit it takes them to another page that processes the data, stores it to a database, and if successful, gives a confirmation message. Here is my issue - the data from the user is sensitive - as in, I'm using an https connection to ensure no eavesdropping. After that is sent to the database, I'd like on the confirmation page to do some nifty things like Google Maps navigation (this is for a time reservation application). The problem is by using the Google Maps api, I'd be linking to items through a unsecure source, which in turn prompts the user with a nasty warning message. I've browsed around, Google has an alternative to enterprise clients, but it costs $10,000 a year. What I am hoping is to find a workaround - use a secure connection to take in the data, and after it is processed, bring them to a page that isn't secure and allows me to utilize the Google Maps API. If any of you have a Netflix account you can see exactly what I would like to do when you sign-in, it is a secure page, which then takes you to your account / queue, on an unsecure page. Any suggestions? Thanks!

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  • What is your favorite API developer community site? And why? [closed]

    - by whatupwilly
    There are a lot of great sites out there that offer good documentation, tools, tips, best-practices, sample code, etc. for the API's they are publishing. A sample: http://apiwiki.twitter.com http://developer.netflix.com/ http://developers.facebook.com/ https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/gp/advertising/api/detail/main.html http://code.google.com/ http://remix.bestbuy.com/ http://www.flickr.com/services/api/misc.overview.html http://products.wolframalpha.com/api/webserviceapi.html There are some no-brainers that I think a good developer site should have: Hi level introduction Quick start guide API specific details - showing example request and responses Links to sample code and/or 3rd party libraries Developer registration (e.g. get an API key) Blog But what about some other things: Online-Forum or Msg Board vs. Google Group (or similar) Galleries/ShowCases - spotlighting great apps built on the API - who has done nice galleries? Community Wiki - How do people feel about letting the community have edit rights on API documentation pages Online testing tools (like Facebook has a lot of nice interactive tools to simulate request/responses) What are some packages that you would recommend to put this all together: pbwiki Google Group pages MediaWiki API vendor package such as Sonoa Systems that offers a customizable developer portal So, to summarize: What are some other great API developer portals out there What are some nice features you like on them Any recommendations on what to use to build these features out Thanks, Will Zappos.com Public API (soon to launch) Product Manager

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  • Loose component cables causing HDMI video problems

    - by jwir3
    I'm not sure this is the correct forum, but I'll ask anyway. I have an A/V setup at home that has something like the following: Five Components (actually a few more, like a CD player, but they don't really relate to this question): Older Pioneer Receiver Digital Set Top Box Sony BluRay Player Samsung Plasma TV Speakers The reason for the receiver is so that all the sound can go through the speakers, rather than some going to the TV speakers and some to the external speakers. They are connected as follows: Digital Set Top Box connects via component video to Samsung TV directly via Component 2 (audio goes to Older Pioneer Receiver). Sony BluRay player is connected via HDMI 1 to TV, but audio goes to the receiver. Now, the problem I'm having is that when I have the digital set top box connected, there are times when the Netflix or Hulu streams I watch through the Sony BluRay player (it's connected to a router for internet access) will lose video. What I mean by this is that the sound of the episode will keep playing, but the screen will go black. If I jiggle the component cables, it will often come back. If I disconnect the component cables, it will always come back. I've noticed that one of the connections (the red component cable) doesn't like to sit very well in the component socket in the back of the digital set top box. It seems like there is a bad connection here, but it doesn't seem like this should be affecting the HDMI input at all. What I've noticed, though, is that when I disconnect the digital set top box completely (i.e. remove the component cable from the back of the TV), the problem seems to resolve itself. I'm not talking about actually removing the cable physically, because I thought perhaps the cables were mashing against one another, and possibly jiggling each other loose. To correct this possible problem, I took the component cable completely out of the cable ties it was in in the back of my entertainment center, as well as pulled the digital set top box out from the entertainment center altogether. It's now connected directly to the TV, without any other cables touching it to cause some kind of weird interference or just physical pulling on the cable. Same problem. If, however, I disconnect the component cable and just leave it sitting behind the TV, then the problem goes away. So, my question is this - what could be causing this? Is it a case where it's an improperly shielded component cable that's causing interference with the HDMI input, or something that's wrong with the TV? It's an intermittent problem, so it's difficult to track down. The TV isn't that old, so it's probably still under warranty. I'm just wondering if there is something else I can do that might reduce this problem without having to haul a massive television set out of my house to get repaired/replaced.

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  • What are the pros and cons of AWS Elastic Beanstalk compared with other deployment strategies?

    - by James van Dyke
    I'm pretty new to the whole Netflix OSS stack and deployments in general. As a background for my current level of knowledge ops-wise, my main role is as a front-end application engineer. However, I enjoy the operations side of things, so I'm attempting to setup a new deployment strategy and the tooling for a new project. Our Goals Super easy deploys (we want to push a button to update production) Automated deploys to test environments (using Jenkins) Ease of maintenance (we have an app to write, don't want to spend our time fiddling with production issues) Ability to handle a service oriented architecture (many small apps, various languages and data stores) Enough flexibility to ensure we won't have to change strategies any time soon (we're already trying to get away from RightScale) We're OK with a little more initial setup time if doing so will save us some headaches in the future. So, along these lines, I've been listening to podcasts, watching Ops talks, and reading tons of blog posts and based on our goals and what I've taken to be some forming best practices, we've started forming a plan using Asgard, rolling our package into a jar and rolling that into an AMI. We had this all planned out and like the advantages the process versus using a Chef server and converging instances on the fly (we felt this was error prone given our limited timeline and lack of understanding around a Chef server workflow). However, a coworker did a little looking around on his own and felt like Elastic Beanstalk met our needs. I've looked into it and spun up a test environment with a WAR file and an attached RDS database. Things seem to work and I believe that we can automate deploys to a testing environment using Jenkins via the AWS API. Seems simple enough... perhaps too simple. What I'm wondering is, what's the catch? If Elastic Beanstalk is so simple and effective, why isn't it talked about more? I'm having a hard time finding enough objective opinions and facts about the two different deployment strategies, so I thought I'd ask around. Do you use Elastic Beanstalk? If so, why and what factors lead to that decision? What do you like and dislike? If you don't use Elastic Beanstalk but considered it, what do you use and why didn't you use Elastic Beanstalk? What are the advantages and disadvantages to a Elastic Beanstalk based deployment strategy for an SOA? That is, will Elastic Beanstalk work well with many small applications that rely on each other to work?

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