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• Finalists for the Microsoft Accelerator for Windows Azure

  - by ScottGu

  Today, I am pleased to announce the ten finalists for the Microsoft Accelerator for Windows Azure powered by TechStars. These startups are about to launch into a three-month program where they will develop new products and businesses using Windows Azure. The response to the program has been fantastic - we received nearly 600 applications from entrepreneurs in 69 countries around the world, spanning a host of industries including retail, travel, entertainment, banking, real estate and more.  There were so many innovative ideas and amazing teams that it really made the selection process hard.  We finally landed on 10 finalists, based on their experience, qualifications, and innovative business ideas built on the cloud. This fall’s Windows Azure class includes: Advertory – Berlin, Germany. Advertory helps local businesses increase revenue and build customer loyalty. Appetas – Seattle, WA. Appetas' mission is to make restaurants look as beautiful online as they do on the plate! BagsUp – Sydney, Australia. Find great places from people you trust. Embarke – San Diego, CA. Embarke allows developers and companies the ability to integrate with any human communication channel (Facebook, Email, Text Message, Twitter) without having to learn the specifics, write code, or spend time on any of them. Fanzo – Seattle, WA. Fanzo puts sports fans in the spotlight. Find other fans, show off your fanswagger and get rewarded for your passion. MetricsHub – Bellevue, WA. A service providing cloud monitoring with incident detection and prebuilt workflows for remedying common problems. Mobilligy – Bellevue, WA. Mobilligy revolutionizes how people pay their bills by bringing convenient, secure, and instant bill payment support to mobile devices. Realty Mogul – Los Angeles, CA. Realty Mogul is a crowdfunding platform for real estate where accredited investors pool capital and invest in properties that are acquired, managed and eventually resold by professional private real estate companies and their management teams. Staq – San Francisco, CA. Back-end as a service for APIs. Socedo – Bellevue, WA. A simple and effective web application for lead generation and relationship management on Twitter. Each startup will be hosted in Seattle and mentored by entrepreneurs and venture capitalists as well as leaders from Windows Azure and other Microsoft organizations. The teams will spend the first month ideating and refining their business concepts with input and advice from their mentors as well as Microsoft customers, followed by two months of design and development. They will present their results to investors and Microsoft partners at an event in mid-January. We are really looking forward to seeing how their businesses evolve.  These teams have demonstrated incredible energy, passion, and innovative capabilities – and they are ready to show the world what’s possible with Windows Azure. Thanks, Scott P.S. And if you are new to Twitter you can also optionally follow me: @scottgu

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• How to Make Ubuntu Play MP3 Files

  - by Trevor Bekolay

  Because of licensing issues, Ubuntu is unable to play MP3s out of the box. We’ll show you how to play MP3s and other restricted file formats in about four mouse clicks. The philosophy behind Ubuntu is that software should be free and accessible to all. Whether MP3 and other file formats are free is unclear in many countries, so Ubuntu does not include software to read these file formats by default. Fortunately, it does include a package that installs the most commonly used file formats all at once, including a Flash plugin for Firefox. Note: These instructions are for Ubuntu 10.04. There are small differences for earlier versions of Ubuntu. Play MP3 Files Open the Ubuntu Software Center, found in the Applications menu.   Click on View and ensure that All Software is selected. Type “restricted extras” into the search box at the top-right. Find the Ubuntu restricted extras package and click Install. Enter your password when prompted. Once the install is complete, close out of Ubuntu Software Center, and you’ll be able to play MP3 files! To confirm this, we’ll open up Rhythmbox, found in the Sound & Video section of the Applications menu. Our test MP3 plays with no problems! Note: If Rhythmbox tells you that MP3 plugins are not installed, close Rhythmbox and reopen it. You should not have to install anything extra through Rhythmbox.   Despite this extra step, playing the most common audio and video file formats – including Flash videos on the internet – is simple. All the software comes installed, you just have to teach them how to read your files. Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips How to Play .OGM Video Files in Windows VistaView Hidden Files and Folders in Ubuntu File BrowserMake Ubuntu Automatically Save Changes to Your SessionInstalling PHP4 and Apache on UbuntuInstalling PHP5 and Apache on Ubuntu 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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• Getting Started With Sinatra

  - by Liam McLennan

  Sinatra is a Ruby DSL for building web applications. It is distinguished from its peers by its minimalism. Here is hello world in Sinatra: require 'rubygems' require 'sinatra' get '/hi' do "Hello World!" end A haml view is rendered by: def '/' haml :name_of_your_view end Haml is also new to me. It is a ruby-based view engine that uses significant white space to avoid having to close tags. A hello world web page in haml might look like: %html %head %title Hello World %body %div Hello World You see how the structure is communicated using indentation instead of opening and closing tags. It makes views more concise and easier to read. Based on my syntax highlighter for Gherkin I have started to build a sinatra web application that publishes syntax highlighted gherkin feature files. I have found that there is a need to have features online so that customers can access them, and so that they can be linked to project management tools like Jira, Mingle, trac etc. The first thing I want my application to be able to do is display a list of the features that it knows about. This will happen when a user requests the root of the application. Here is my sinatra handler: get '/' do feature_service = Finding::FeatureService.new(Finding::FeatureFileFinder.new, Finding::FeatureReader.new) @features = feature_service.features(settings.feature_path, settings.feature_extensions) haml :index end The handler and the view are in the same scope so the @features variable will be available in the view. This is the same way that rails passes data between actions and views. The view to render the result is: %h2 Features %ul - @features.each do |feature| %li %a{:href => "/feature/#{feature.name}"}= feature.name Clearly this is not a complete web page. I am using a layout to provide the basic html page structure. This view renders an <li> for each feature, with a link to /feature/#{feature.name}. Here is what the page looks like: When the user clicks on one of the links I want to display the contents of that feature file. The required handler is: get '/feature/:feature' do @feature_name = params[:feature] feature_service = Finding::FeatureService.new(Finding::FeatureFileFinder.new, Finding::FeatureReader.new) # TODO replace with feature_service.feature(name) @feature = feature_service.features(settings.feature_path, settings.feature_extensions).find do |feature| feature.name == @feature_name end haml :feature end and the view: %h2= @feature.name %pre{:class => "brush: gherkin"}= @feature.description %div= partial :_back_to_index %script{:type => "text/javascript", :src => "/scripts/shCore.js"} %script{:type => "text/javascript", :src => "/scripts/shBrushGherkin.js"} %script{:type => "text/javascript" } SyntaxHighlighter.all(); Now when I click on the Search link I get a nicely formatted feature file: If you would like see the full source it is available on bitbucket.

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• Configuring JPA Primary key sequence generators

  - by pachunoori.vinay.kumar(at)oracle.com

  This article describes the JPA feature of generating and assigning the unique sequence numbers to JPA entity .This article provides information on jpa sequence generator annotations and its usage. UseCase Description Adding a new Employee to the organization using Employee form should assign unique employee Id. Following description provides the detailed steps to implement the generation of unique employee numbers using JPA generators feature Steps to configure JPA Generators 1.Generate Employee Entity using "Entities from Table Wizard". View image2.Create a Database Connection and select the table "Employee" for which entity will be generated and Finish the wizards with default selections. View image 3.Select the offline database sources-Schema-create a Sequence object or you can copy to offline db from online database connection. View image 4.Open the persistence.xml in application navigator and select the Entity "Employee" in structure view and select the tab "Generators" in flat editor. 5.In the Sequence Generator section,enter name of sequence "InvSeq" and select the sequence from drop down list created in step3. View image 6.Expand the Employees in structure view and select EmployeeId and select the "Primary Key Generation" tab.7.In the Generated value section,select the "Use Generated value" check box ,select the strategy as "Sequence" and select the Generator as "InvSeq" defined step 4. View image   Following annotations gets added for the JPA generator configured in JDeveloper for an entity To use a specific named sequence object (whether it is generated by schema generation or already exists in the database) you must define a sequence generator using a @SequenceGenerator annotation. Provide a unique label as the name for the sequence generator and refer the name in the @GeneratedValue annotation along with generation strategy  For  example,see the below Employee Entity sample code configured for sequence generation. EMPLOYEE_ID is the primary key and is configured for auto generation of sequence numbers. EMPLOYEE_SEQ is the sequence object exist in database.This sequence is configured for generating the sequence numbers and assign the value as primary key to Employee_id column in Employee table. @SequenceGenerator(name="InvSeq", sequenceName = "EMPLOYEE_SEQ")   @Entity public class Employee implements Serializable {    @Id    @Column(name="EMPLOYEE_ID", nullable = false)    @GeneratedValue(strategy = GenerationType.SEQUENCE, generator="InvSeq")   private Long employeeId; }   @SequenceGenerator @GeneratedValue @SequenceGenerator - will define the sequence generator based on a  database sequence object Usage: @SequenceGenerator(name="SequenceGenerator", sequenceName = "EMPLOYEE_SEQ") @GeneratedValue - Will define the generation strategy and refers the sequence generator  Usage:     @GeneratedValue(strategy = GenerationType.SEQUENCE, generator="name of the Sequence generator defined in @SequenceGenerator")

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• Java Space on Parleys

  - by Yolande Poirier

  Now available! A great selection of JavaOne 2010 and JVM Language Summit 2010 sessions as well as Oracle Technology Network TechCasts on the new Java Space on Parleys website. Oracle partnered with Stephan Janssen, founder of Parleys to make this happen. Parleys website offers a user friendly experience to view online content. You can download some of the talks to your desktop or watch them on the go on mobile devices. The current selection is a well of expertise from top Java luminaries and Oracle experts. JavaOne 2010 sessions: ·        Best practices for signing code by Sean Mullan   ·        Building software using rich client platforms by Rickard Thulin ·        Developing beyond the component libraries by Ryan Cuprak ·        Java API for keyhole markup language by Florian Bachmann ·        Avoiding common user experience anti-patterns by Burk Hufnagel ·        Accelerating Java workloads via GPUs by Gary Frost JVM Languages Summit 2010 sessions: ·      Mixed language project compilation in Eclipse by Andy Clement  ·      Gathering the threads by John Rose  ·      LINQ: language features for concurrency by Neal Gafter  ·      Improvements in OpenJDK useful for JVM languages by Eric Caspole  ·      Symmetric Multilanguage - VM Architecture by Oleg Pliss  Special interviews with Oracle experts on product innovations: ·      Ludovic Champenois, Java EE architect on Glassfish 3.1 and Java EE. ·      John Jullion-Ceccarelli and Martin Ryzl on NetBeans IDE 6.9 You can chose to listen to a section of talks using the agenda view and search for related content while watching a presentation.  Enjoy the Java content and vote on it! 

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• Set App Windows to Always be on Top

  - by Asian Angel

  Sometimes you have a small app or other software that you want to keep topmost but how do you keep it on top without a lot of hassle? If this sounds like your situation then you might want to have a look at OnTop. Before For our example we had four individual apps open…any of the four could easily be on top at the moment. OnTop in Action The exe file for the app comes in a zip file. Simply unzip the file, place it in the Program Files Folder, create a shortcut and you are ready to go. Once you start OnTop you will see a new System Tray Icon…right click to access the Context Menu with a list of currently open apps. We decided to set Winamp to be always topmost first. Note: OnTop detected all three individual sections of our Winamp Player along with the individual monitors running in our Taskbar. Clicking on Paint.NET brought it forward over Firefox and Microsoft Word but Winamp was still sitting on top. Clicking on Microsoft Word next still did not affect Winamp’s topmost status. Nice. As soon as we switched the topmost status to Microsoft Word you can see that it immediately came to the front. One thing that we did note in our tests…the best method for switching topmost status is either to choose a different app or close the app that was topmost. Conclusion OnTop might be considered niche software but if you have an app window that you need to keep on top of other windows then you might want to give this small app a try. Links Download OnTop at Softpedia Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Use the Windows Key for the "Start" Menu in Ubuntu LinuxIncrease the Cached Logon Count for Windows Computers on a DomainUsing Windows 7 or Vista Compatibility ModeQuick Tip: Change the Registered Owner in WindowsMake Safari Stop Crashing Every 20 Seconds on Windows Vista 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 2010 World Cup Schedule Boot Snooze – Reboot and then Standby or Hibernate Customize Everything Related to Dates, Times, Currency and Measurement in Windows 7 Google Earth replacement Icon (Icons we like) Build Great Charts in Excel with Chart Advisor tinysong gives a shortened URL for you to post on Twitter (or anywhere)

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• Add Transitions to Slideshows in PowerPoint 2010

  - by DigitalGeekery

  Sitting through PowerPoint presentation can sometimes get a little boring. You can make your slideshows more interesting by adding transitions between the slides in your presentations. Transitions certainly aren’t new to PowerPoint, but Office 2010 adds a number of exciting new transitions and options. Add Transitions Select the slide to which you want to apply a transition. On the Transitions tab, select the More button to reveal the all transition options in the gallery.   Select the transition you’d like to apply to your slide. The transitions are divided into three types…Subtle, Exciting, and Dynamic Content. You can hover your mouse over each item in the gallery to preview the transition with Live Preview. You can adjust many of the transitions using Effect Options. The options will vary depending on which transition you’ve selected.   You can add additional customizations in the Timing Group. You can add sound by selecting one of the options in the Sound dropdown list…   You can change the duration of the transition… Or choose to advance the slide On Mouse Click (default) or automatically after a certain period of time.   If you’d like to apply one transition to every slide in your presentation, select the Apply To All button. You can preview your transition by clicking the Preview button on the Transitions tab. A few clicks is all it takes to add a little energy and excitement to an otherwise dry presentation.   Are you looking for more ways to spice up your PowerPoint 2010 slideshows? You could try adding animation to text and images, or adding video from the web. Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Insert Tables Into PowerPoint 2007Bring Office 2003 Menus Back to 2010 with UBitMenuEmbed True Type Fonts in Word and PowerPoint 2007 DocumentsHow to Add Video from the Web in PowerPoint 2010Add Artistic Effects to Your Pictures in Office 2010 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 Windows Media Player Plus! – Cool WMP Enhancer Get Your Team’s World Cup Schedule In Google Calendar Backup Drivers With Driver Magician TubeSort: YouTube Playlist Organizer XPS file format & XPS Viewer Explained Microsoft Office Web Apps Guide

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• Exceptional DBA Awards 2011

  - by Rebecca Amos

  From today, we’re accepting nominations for the 2011 Exceptional DBA Awards. DBAs make a vital contribution to the running of the companies they work for, and the Exceptional DBA Awards aim to acknowledge this and make this contribution more widely known. Check out our new website for all the info: www.exceptionaldba.com  Being an exceptional DBA doesn’t mean you have to sleep at the office, or know everything there is to know about SQL Server; who ever could? It means that you make an effort to make your servers secure and reliable, and to make your users’ lives easier. Maybe you’ve helped a junior colleague learn something new about server backups? Or cancelled your coffee break to get a database back online? Or contributed to a forum post on performance monitoring? All of these actions show that you might be an exceptional DBA. So have a think about the tasks you do every day that already make you exceptional – and then get started on your entry! You just need to answer a few questions on our website about your experience as a DBA, some of your biggest achievements, and any other activities you participate in within the SQL Server community. Anyone who is currently working as a SQL Server database administrator can enter, or be nominated by someone else. We’ve got four fantastic judges for the Awards, who you’ll be familiar with already: Brent Ozar, Brad McGehee, Rodney Landrum and Steve Jones. They’ll pick five finalists, and then we’ll ask the SQL Server community to vote for their winner. Not only could you win the respect and recognition of peers and colleagues, but the prizes also include full conference registration for the 2011 PASS Summit in Seattle (where the awards ceremony will take place), four nights' hotel accommodation, and $300 towards travel expenses. The winner will get a copy of Red Gate’s SQL DBA Bundle – and they’ll also be featured here, on Simple-Talk. So what are you waiting for? Chances are you’ve already made a small effort for someone today that means you might be an exceptional DBA. Visit the website now, and start writing your entry – or nominate your favourite DBA to enter: www.exceptionaldba.com

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• Ad-hoc taxonomy: owning the chess set doesn't mean you decide how the little horsey moves

  - by Roger Hart

  There was one of those little laugh-or-cry moments recently when I heard an anecdote about content strategy failings at a major online retailer. The story goes a bit like this: successful company in a highly commoditized marketplace succeeds on price and largely ignores its content team. Being relatively entrepreneurial, the founders are still knocking around, and occasionally like to "take an interest". One day, they decree that clothing sold on the site can no longer be described as "unisex", because this sounds old fashioned. Sad now. Let me just reiterate for the folks at the back: large retailer, commoditized market place, differentiating on price. That's inherently unstable. Sooner or later, they're going to need one or both of competitive differentiation and significant optimization. I can't speak for the latter, since I'm hypothesizing off a raft of rumour, but one of the simpler paths to the former is to become - or rather acknowledge that they are - a content business. Regardless, they need highly-searchable terminology. Even in the face of tooth and claw resistance to noticing the fundamental position content occupies in driving sales (and SEO) on the web, there's a clear information problem here. Dilettante taxonomy is a disaster. Ok, so this is a small example, but that kind of makes it a good one. Unisex probably is the best way of describing clothing designed to suit either men or women interchangeably. It certainly takes less time to type (and read). It's established terminology, and as a single word, it's significantly better for web readability than a phrasal workaround. Something like "fits men or women" is short, by could fall foul of clause-level discard in web scanning. It's not an adjective, so for intuitive reading it's never going to be near the start of a title or description. It would also clutter up search results, and impose cognitive load in list scanning. Sorry kids, it's just worse. Even if "unisex" were an archaism (which it isn't), the only thing that would weigh against its being more usable and concise terminology would be evidence that this archaism were hurting conversions. Good luck with that. We once - briefly - called one of our products a "Can of worms". It was a bundle in a bug-tracking suite, and we thought it sounded terribly cool. Guess how well that sold. We have information and content professionals for a reason: to make sure that whatever we put in front of users is optimised to meet user and business goals. If that thinking doesn't inform style guides, taxonomy, messaging, title structure, and so forth, you might as well be finger painting.

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• How to Assign a Static IP to an Ubuntu 10.04 Desktop Computer

  - by Mysticgeek

  If you have a home network with several computers, assigning them static IP addresses can make troubleshooting easier. Today we take a look at switching from DHCP to a static IP in Ubuntu. Assign a Static IP Using Static IPs prevents address conflicts between machines and can allow easier access to them. If you have a small home network and are satisfied with the machines getting their IP address automatically via DHCP, there won’t be anything gained by using static addresses. Using Static IPs isn’t necessarily for the average user, but if you’re a geek who wants to know the address assigned to each machine, it can allow for faster troubleshooting.  To change your Ubuntu machine to a Static IP go to System \ Preferences \ Network Connections. In our example, we’re on a wired system so click on the Wired tab, then select Auto eth0 and click on Edit. Select the IPv4 settings tab, change Method to Manual, click the Add button. Then type in the Static IP Address, Subnet Mask, DNS Servers, and Default Gateway. Then click Apply when you’re finished. Make sure to hit Enter after typing in the Default Gateway otherwise it will revert back to 0.0.0.0 You’ll need to enter in your admin password before the changes go into affect. To verify the changes have been made successfully launch a Terminal session and type in ifconfig at the command prompt, or follow these directions. You also might want to ping the address from another machine to make sure everything is communicating. If you want to assign a Static IP to your Windows machines, check out our article on how to assign a Static IP on Windows systems (make sure to browse the comments as our readers have some good suggestions).  Whether you have a small office or home network set up with a server and several machines, using a Static IP on each device can help you manage them easily. Again, it isn’t for everyone as it really depends on how your network is setup and the way you use it. Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Change Ubuntu Desktop from DHCP to a Static IP AddressAllow Remote Control To Your Desktop On UbuntuAssign Custom Shortcut Keys on Ubuntu LinuxKeyboard Ninja: 21 Keyboard Shortcut ArticlesChange Ubuntu Server from DHCP to a Static IP Address 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 TubeSort: YouTube Playlist Organizer XPS file format & XPS Viewer Explained Microsoft Office Web Apps Guide Know if Someone Accessed Your Facebook Account Shop for Music with Windows Media Player 12 Access Free Documentaries at BBC Documentaries

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• Gain Quick Access to the Cache in Firefox

  - by Asian Angel

  Are you looking for a quick and simple way to view the contents of the cache in Firefox? Then you will definitely want to see how easy it can be using the CacheViewer extension. Note: CacheViewer is a front-end app for easily accessing and searching the memory cache. Before Viewing the cache in Firefox using “about:cache” provides some information about the contents but may not be the most efficient method available for some people. CacheViewer in Action Once you have installed the extension there are three easy ways to access your new cache viewer. The first is using the “CacheViewer Command” available in the “Tools Menu” and the second is using the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl + Shift + C”. The third way is by adding a “Toolbar Button” to your browser’s UI. All three work equally well…choose the method that best suits your personal needs. When you access the “CacheViewer Window” this is what it will look like. You may decide to resize it and move (or hide) some of the columns for the best viewing. You can easily scroll through the cache contents and preview images if desired as shown here. If you keep the “CacheViewer Window” open you can refresh it as you browse using the “Refresh Button” in the lower right corner. This is a nice, quick, and very simple way to access the cache on demand and save items to your hard-drive if desired. Note: The “CacheViewer” can also be set to open in a new tab instead (see “Options”). Options Choose whether “CacheViewer” opens in a separate window (default) or in a new tab. Conclusion If you want a quick and simple way to view the cache in Firefox then the CacheViewer extension is just what you have been looking for. Link Download the CacheViewer extension (Mozilla Add-ons) Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Add a Cache Clearing Button to FirefoxSearch for Install Packages from the Ubuntu Command LineQuick Tip: Empty Internet Explorer 7 Cache when Browser is ClosedView Internet Explorer Cache Files the Easy WayQuick Hits: 11 Firefox Tab How-Tos 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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• Geocaching - World wide treasure hunt

  I'm not quite sure how I came across this topic but actually I find it absolutely interesting, challenging and most of all a great fun for the family and friends. The interesting part is for sure that you can follow other peoples treasures and their preferred locations where a cache might be hidden. Of course, it wont be easy to find a cache after all. Sometimes there are even 'mystery caches' which have either riddles, further instructions or little brain games for you in order to find the actual cache - that's the challenge. And last but not least, those caches are hidden outdoor. A great experience to explore nature either on your own, or your family especially with children, or as a treasure hunting pack with a couple of friends. What is geocaching? It's a high-tech outdoor treasure hunting game that's a great way to explore the world with friends, family or on your own. Participants use GPS-enabled devices to locate hidden containers called geocaches. There are over one million geocaches hidden around the world today, waiting for you to find them. Visit Geocaching.com to search for geocaches near you.(Source: Referral Email of geocaching.com) Checkout the Geocaching 101 for further details and information. They also provide a video channel on YouTube. Which equipment do I need? Any GPS-enabled device is sufficient to go onto the hunt. I'm going to start our geocaching experience equipped with my Samsung Galaxy Tab. Additionally, I installed a geocaching.com client called c:geo that hopefully assists me soon. Combined with a map app like Google Maps and a nice Compass app you should be fully equipped and ready to go. I guess, that even a car navigation system is perfect for that task. Later on, with more experience and demand for technology (or precision) it might be interesting to opt-in for a pure GPS device, like a Garmin or any other brand on the market. {loadposition content_adsense} What is a geocache and what does it contain? In its simplest form, a cache always contains a logbook or logsheet for you to log your find. Larger caches may contain a logbook and any number of items. These items turn the adventure into a true treasure hunt. You never know what the cache owner or visitors to the cache may have left for you to enjoy. Remember, if you take something, leave something of equal or greater value in return. It is recommended that items in a cache be individually packaged in a clear, zipped plastic bag to protect them from the elements. Finding your first geocache Well, first you have to have interest to pick up the challenge. Then you have to check out the Geocache directory on geocaching.com. They have recommendations for beginner's caches but you are free to choose any. Actually, we have a Mystery Cache very close to our base, and I guess that we are going for that one on our first trip. Anyway, there is a very informative guide on the website which should answer all your questions about starting your new outdoor adventure. For sure, it's going to be rewarding. Team up with friends and family Especially as a beginner there might be misunderstandings in handling the GPS coordinates, the compass, or the map, and even finding the container at the documented position isn't easy in the first place. Luckily, there are logbook reports online from other hunters, and most of the time there are even 'spoiler' images available. But also bear in mind, that a geocache might have been removed or is lost due to unconscious people or whatever other reasons. Don't be disappointed in case that you can't find anything... There be nothing anymore. A general recommendation in this case would be to replace the missing container with a new one, and give feedback to the original owner about the state of that particular location. After all, it's about fun and active participation in a world-wide community. Geocaches in Mauritius? Yes, there are currently about 45 geocaches spread all over the island, and even a single in Rodriguez - that's gonna be a tough one. Hopefully, we will get increasing numbers as Geocaching.com allows, no better, even encourages you to hide new containers at your locations of choice. I think this is going to be real fun for us during the upcoming weeks and months. Especially, when we are travelling to other countries and transfer so-called trackable items between geocaches. On my first impression, Geocaching.com seems to be very mature, open and community-oriented. There are literally hundreds of thousands geocache 'hunters' all over the world. And usually finding a container remote from your home is very rewarding. I'll keep you updated in these matters during the next months to come...

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• Book Review: Inside Windows Communicat?ion Foundation by Justin Smith

  - by Sam Abraham

  In gearing up for a new major project, I have taken it upon myself to research and review various aspects of our Microsoft stack of choice seeking new creative ways for us to leverage in our upcoming state-of-the-art solution projected to position us ahead of the competition. While I am a big supporter of search engines and online articles as a quick and usually reliable source of information, I have opted in my investigative quest to actually “hit the books”.  I have also made it a habit to provide quick reviews for material I go over hoping this can be of help to someone who may be looking for items others may have had success using for reference. I have started a few months ago by investigating better ways to implementing, profiling and troubleshooting SQL Server 2008. My reference of choice was Itzik Ben-Gan et al’s “Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2008” series. While it has been a month since my last book review, this by no means meant that I have been sitting idle. It has been pretty challenging to balance research with the continuous flow of projects and deadlines all while balancing that with my family duties which, of course, always comes first. In this post, I will be providing a quick review of my latest reading: Inside Windows Communication Foundation by Justin Smith. This book has been on my reading list for a very long time and I am proud to have finally tackled it. Justin’s book presents a great coverage of WCF internals. His simple, concise and well-worded style has simplified the relatively complex internals of WCF and made it comprehensible. Justin opted to organize the book into three parts: an introduction to WCF, coverage of the Channel Layer and a look at WCF internals at the ServiceModel layer. Part I introduced the concepts and made the case behind WCF while covering a simplified version of WCF’s message patterns, endpoints and contracts. In Part II, Justin provided a thorough coverage of the internals of Messages, Channels and Channel Managers. Part III concluded this nice reading with coverage of Bindings, Contracts, Dispatchers and Clients. While one would not likely need to extend WCF at that low level of the API, an understanding of the inner-workings of WCF is a must to avoid pitfalls mainly caused by misinformation or erroneous assumptions. Problems can quickly arise in high-traffic hosted solutions, but most can be easily avoided with some minimal time investment and education. My next goal is to pay a closer look at WCF from the programmer’s API perspective now that I have acquired a better understanding of its inner working.   Many thanks to the O’Reilly User Group Program and its support of our West Palm Beach Developers’ Group.   Stay tuned for more… All the best, --Sam

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• SQL SERVER – Manage Help Settings – CTRL + ALT + F1

  - by pinaldave

  It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. ~ Albert Einstein I have 3 years old daughter and she never misses any chance to play with the system. I have multiple computers and I always make sure that if I am working with production server, I never leave it open but when I am doing some experiment I often leave my computer open. My daughter loves the part when I have left the computer open and I am not observing her. Recently I had the same scenario, I got urgent call and I moved away from my computer and when I returned she was playing with SSMS left open my computer. Here is the screen which was visible on the screen. For a moment, I could not figure out what was this screen and what was about to get updated. I tried to ask her what keys she pressed the reaction was “I wanted – eya eya o”. Well, what more I expect from 3 years old. She is no computer genius – she just learned to use notepad and paint on my machine. Finally, when I saw the above screen in detail, I realize that this screen was from the help screen and something got updated. I have been using SQL Server for a long time but I never updated help on the screen. When I need to search something if I remember that I have written it earlier I will go to http://search.sqlauthority.com and will search there or will search on Google. As this computer was already updated I fired up Virtual Machine and tried to look recreate how my daughter was reached to above screen. Here are the steps which I have to do to reach to above screen. Go to SSMS >> Toolbar >> Help >> Manage Help Settings (or type CTRL+ALT+F1) and click it. Above click brought up following screen. I clicked on Check for update online brought following screen up. When I clicked on Update it brought me back to original screen which my daughter was able to bring up earlier. I found it so interesting that what took me 2-3 minutes to figure out and the screen which I have never come across in my career I learned from my curiosity like my daughter. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.sqlauthority.com) Filed under: Database, PostADay, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, T SQL, Technology

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• Add Global Hotkeys to Windows Media Player

  - by DigitalGeekery

  Do you use Windows Media Player in the background while working in other applications? The WMP Keys plug-in for Media Player adds global keyboard shortcuts that allow you to control Media Player even when it isn’t in focus. Windows Media Player has a slew of keyboard shortcuts that work only when the media player is active, but these shortcuts stop working once WMP is no longer in focus or minimized. WMP Keys add the following default global hotkeys for Windows Media Player 10, 11, and 12. Ctrl+Alt+Home – Play / Pause Ctrl+Alt+Right – Next track Ctrl+Alt+Left – Previous track Ctrl+Alt+Up Arrow Key – Volume Up Ctrl+Alt+Down Arrow Key – Volume Down Ctrl+Alt+F – Fast Forward Ctrl+Alt+B – Fast Backward Ctrl+Alt+[1-5] – Rate 1-5 stars Note: Tapping Ctrl+Alt+F and Ctrl+Alt+B will skip ahead or back in 5 second intervals. Close out of Windows Media Player and then download and install WMP Keys (link below). After you’ve installed WMP Keys, you’ll need to enable it. Select Organize and then Options… In the Options window, select the Plug-ins tab, click Background in the Category window, then check the box for Wmpkeys Plugin. Click OK to save and exit. You can also enable the plug-in by selecting Tools > Plug-ins and clicking Wmpkeys Plugin. You to view and edit the global hotkeys in the WMPKeys settings window. Select Tools > Plug-in properties and click Wmpkeys Plugin. Below you can see all the default WMP Keys shortcuts.   To change any of the shortcuts, select the text box then press the new keyboard shortcut. Click OK when finished. WMP Keys is very simple little plug-in that makes using WMP while you’re multitasking just a little bit easier and more efficient.  Looking for more plugins for Windows Media Player? Check out our previous articles on adding new features with Media Player Plus, and displaying song lyrics with Lyrics Plugin. Download WMP Keys Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Built-in Quick Launch Hotkeys in Windows VistaFixing When Windows Media Player Library Won’t Let You Add FilesKantaris is a Unique Media Player Based on VLCInstall and Use the VLC Media Player on Ubuntu LinuxAssign Keyboard Media Keys to Work in Winamp 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 XPS file format & XPS Viewer Explained Microsoft Office Web Apps Guide Know if Someone Accessed Your Facebook Account Shop for Music with Windows Media Player 12 Access Free Documentaries at BBC Documentaries Rent Cameras In Bulk At CameraRenter

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• Share Your Top 30 Visited Domains with Visitation Cloud for Firefox

  - by Asian Angel

  Curious about the domains that you visit most or perhaps you want a way to share that information on a social website? Now you can see and share the 30 most visited domains in your browser’s history with the Visitation Cloud extension. Accessing Visitation Cloud As soon as you install the extension you can get started using it. Depending on how your browser’s UI is set up there are three methods for accessing Visitation Cloud: a “Visitation Cloud Button” inserted at the end of your “Bookmarks Toolbar”, a menu listing in the “Tools Menu”, and a “Toolbar Button” (not shown here). Visitation Cloud in Action As soon as you activate Visitation Cloud a new window will appear with your top domains displayed in a cloud format. Keep in mind that this is more than just a static image…each listing is actually a clickable link. Clicking on any of the listings will open that domain in a new tab or window depending on your particular browser settings. If you feel that you have a great set of links and want to share it with your friends then that is easy to do. Right click anywhere within the Visitation Cloud Window and select “Save as…”. The “cloud image” can be saved in “.png, .jpg, or Scalable Vector Graphics (.svg)” format. For our example we chose the “.svg format”. Perhaps you love the set of links but not the layout…right click and select “Randomize” to change how the cloud looks. Here is our cloud after being “Randomized”. Things definitely got moved around… Accessing the Visitation Cloud Image in other Browsers Once you have your “cloud image” saved you can share it with friends or save it for your own future use in other browsers. Here is our “cloud image” open in Opera Browser with link opening in progress. The same “cloud image” open in Google Chrome. Very nice… Conclusion While this may not be something that everyone will use Visitation Cloud does make for a rather unique, interesting, & fun way to access and share your most visited domains. Links Download the Visitation Cloud extension (Mozilla Add-ons) Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Fix "Security Error: Domain Name Mismatch" Warning in FirefoxAdd Variety to Your Searches with Search CloudletRestore Your Missing/Deleted Smart Bookmarks Folder in Firefox 3Blocking Spam from International Senders in Windows Vista MailSee Where a Package is Installed on Ubuntu 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 Share High Res Photos using Divvyshot Draw Online using Harmony How to Browse Privately in Firefox Kill Processes Quickly with Process Assassin Need to Come Up with a Good Name? Try Wordoid StockFox puts a Lightweight Stock Ticker in your Statusbar

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• User Group Meeting Summary - April 2010

  - by Michael Stephenson

  Thanks to everyone who could make it to what turned out to be an excellent SBUG event.  First some thanks to:  Speakers: Anthony Ross and Elton Stoneman Host: The various people at Hitachi who helped to organise and arrange the venue.   Session 1 - Getting up and running with Windows Mobile and the Windows Azure Service Bus In this session Anthony discussed some considerations for using Windows Mobile and the Windows Azure Service Bus from a real-world project which Hitachi have been working on with EasyJet.  Anthony also walked through a simplified demo of the concepts which applied on the project.   In addition to the slides and demo it was also very interesting to discuss with the guys involved on this project to hear about their real experiences developing with the Azure Service Bus and some of the limitations they have had to work around in Windows Mobiles ability to interact with the service bus.   On the back of this session we will look to do some further activities around this topic and the guys offered to share their wish list of features for both Windows Mobile and Windows Azure which we will look to share for user group discussion.   Another interesting point was the cost aspects of using the ISB which were very low.   Session 2 - The Enterprise Cache In the second session Elton used a few slides which are based around one of his customer scenario's where they are looking into the concept of an Enterprise Cache within the organisation.  Elton discusses this concept and also a codeplex project he is putting together which allows you to take advantage of a cache with various providers such as Memcached, AppFabric Caching and Ncache.   Following the presentation it was interesting to hear peoples thoughts on various aspects such as the enterprise cache versus an out of process application cache.  Also there was interesting discussion around how people would like to search the cache in the future.   We will again look to put together some follow-up activity on this   Meeting Summary Following the meeting all slide decks are saved in the skydrive location where we keep content from all meetings: http://cid-40015ea59a1307c8.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/.Public/SBUG/SBUG%20Meetings/2010%20April   Remember that the details of all previous events are on the following page. http://uksoabpm.org/Events.aspx   Competition We had three copies of the Windows Identity Foundation Patterns and Practices book that were raffles on the night, it would be great to hear any feedback on the book from those who won it.   Recording The user group meeting was recorded and we will look to make this available online sometime soon.   UG Business The following things were discussed as general UG topics:   We will change the name of the user group to the UK Connected Systems User Group to we are more inline with other user groups who cover similar topics and we believe this will help us to attract more members.  The content or focus of the user group is not expected to change.   The next meeting is 26th May and can be registered at the following link: http://sbugmay2010.eventbrite.com/

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• Playing NSF music in FMOD.net

  - by Tesserex

  So, as the title says, I want to be able to play NSF files using FMOD, because my project already uses FMOD and I'd rather not replace it. This will involve figuring out how existing players and emulators work and porting it. I haven't yet found an existing player that uses FMOD. My starting point is the MyNes source from http://sourceforge.net/projects/mynes/. There are two big steps between here and what I'm looking for. MyNes plays from a ROM, not NSF. So, I have to rip out the APU and get it to play NSF files. The MyNes APU uses SlimDX, so I have to convert that to FMOD.NET. I am really stuck about how to go about either of these, because I'm not that familiar with audio formats and it's hard finding resources online. So here are a few questions: From what I can tell from the NSF spec at http://kevtris.org/nes/nsfspec.txt, it's just contains the relevant memory section of the ROM, plus the header. If anyone can verify or correct this that would be great. The emulator APU uses data from the rest of the emulator to play, including things like cycle counts. I'm not sure what replaces this in a standalone player. Can't I just load all the music data at once into a stream and play it? Joining #1 and #2, does the header data from the NSF substitute for some of the ROM data in the emulator code? Using FMOD, will I be following the usercreatedsound example for loading a stream? And does this format count as PCM? Specifically MyNes says PCM8. Any tips on loading / playing the stream in FMOD are appreciated. As an aside, I don't really understand the loading / playing sections of the spec I linked at all. It seems to apply to 6502 systems / emulators only and not to my situation. I know it's a long shot for anyone here to have enough experience in this area to help, but anything you can provide is definitely appreciated. A link to an existing .NET library that does this would be even better, but I don't believe one exists.

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• Save Links for Later Reading in Firefox

  - by Asian Angel

  Do you want a simple way to save and manage links for reading later? The Save-To-Read extension for Firefox makes it easy to do without an account. Using Save-To-Read As soon as you install the extension you will notice two new additions to your UI. You will see a small plus sign in the address bar and a new toolbar button (opens and closes the sidebar shown here). Your bookmarks menu will also have a new folder entry. For our example we chose to save three pages for later reading. Each time you want to save a website click on the small plus sign, and it is automatically added to your read later list. Our second article… And finally the third article. Notice that the small plus sign has become a minus sign after adding the article to our list. Opening the sidebar shows our three entries waiting to be read. Checking the bookmarks menu shows the same articles available there. When you are ready to read your articles simply click on the link in the sidebar, bookmarks menu, etc. Notice that the entry is still available at the moment…there are no automatic deletions until you are finished with an article. This is great if you accidentally click the wrong link before you are ready for it. Removing an article from the list is as simple as clicking on the address bar minus sign. It will revert to a plus sign and the entry is no longer visible in your list. For those who want to avoid using a sidebar there is a different toolbar button available too. The alternate toolbar button provides access to a drop-down article list. Choose the access style that best suits your needs. Preferences The preferences are simple to work with and focus on appearance/ease-of-use. Conclusion If you have been looking for a simpler alternative to other “read later” extensions, then Save-To-Read could be just what you have been waiting for. Another cool option for reading posts later, even on eReaders, then check out our article on saving articles to read later with Instapaper. Links Download the Save-To-Read extension (Mozilla Add-ons) Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Save Pages for Later With Reading List Extension for FirefoxInstall Adobe PDF Reader on Ubuntu EdgyQuick Hits: 11 Firefox Tab How-TosSave Webpage Links & URLs as Files in FirefoxQuick Tip: Save Windows and Tabs When Restarting Firefox 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 TubeSort: YouTube Playlist Organizer XPS file format & XPS Viewer Explained Microsoft Office Web Apps Guide Know if Someone Accessed Your Facebook Account Shop for Music with Windows Media Player 12 Access Free Documentaries at BBC Documentaries

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• Dual booting 12.10 and Win 7 - boots directly to Win 7

  - by user110174

  and thank you kindly for you help! I'll preface this with saying that I realize this is a common problem, with lots of trouble-shooting guides available online; however, after multiple attempts with different guides, I've made zero progress and am hoping to someone could help me with my specific scenario. First, my story: -Initially, I installed Ubuntu 12.10 with the "Something Else" option with no problems. Used 4 GB Swap Logical Partition, 26 GB Primary Root Partition. Wanting to trying out Mint 13, I booted into Windows from GRUB2, used the latest version of EasyBCD (v2.2) to restore the Windows 7 bootloader to the MBR, deleted the Ubuntu partitions, reformatted them in NTFS. I then created a 30 GB partition of free space for Mint. I installed Mint using the same partitioning described above for Ubuntu 12.10, using /dev/sda for the boot installation files, and everything seemed to go well, until I re-booted my computer and it went straight to Windows - I could find no way to get into Mint. So I went into windows, restored windows bootloader to the MBR w/ EasyBCD, deleted partitions, etc., as I figured I'd done enough messing around and would go with Ubuntu 12.10. Now the problem: I restarted my computer booting from the same Ubuntu USB key I originally used. Briefly, "error: "prefix" is not set" flashed on screen, and instead of being greeted with the GUI menu of "try vs. install Ubuntu", there was a menu with minimal graphics (like a BIOS menu) where I could select install, run from USB, etc. After selecting "Install Ubuntu", the familiar install wizard with a GUI came up, I partitioned my drive as described, /dev/sda for the boot installation files, install went well, rebooted and...straight to Windows. This is where I'm at. Fixes I've tried: -This guide: How can I repair grub? (How to get Ubuntu back after installing Windows?) to ensure Grub is on the MBR. I followed all steps, but still when I reboot, I go directly into Windows. -Installing 12.04 instead of 12.10 - same issue -Re-installed Ubuntu, writing the boot files to their own partition, then using EasyBCD to to add a boot option for Ubuntu using the Windows bootloader, ensuring I instruct EasyBCD to look at the partition I created with the Ubuntu installer (instructions here http://neosmart.net/wiki/display/EBCD/Ubuntu). When I reboot, I select the Ubuntu option, and it puts me in GRUB4DOS, with a cursor waiting for input. I have no idea what to put here, so I would just type "reboot" to exit out. And this is where I am now. Any clue as to why I can't boot into Ubuntu? My computer specs are: ASUS UX31A Core i7, Win 7 64 Pro, 256 GB SSD, Intel HM76 Chipset and Integrated Intel HD 4000 Graphics, 4 GB memory I've tried to be as clear as possible, but I'd be happy to provide any info that would help anyone along. Thanks for your patience in reading this! Sincerely, -MN

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• Data Modeling Resources

  - by Dejan Sarka

  You can find many different data modeling resources. It is impossible to list all of them. I selected only the most valuable ones for me, and, of course, the ones I contributed to. Books Chris J. Date: An Introduction to Database Systems – IMO a “must” to understand the relational model correctly. Terry Halpin, Tony Morgan: Information Modeling and Relational Databases – meet the object-role modeling leaders. Chris J. Date, Nikos Lorentzos and Hugh Darwen: Time and Relational Theory, Second Edition: Temporal Databases in the Relational Model and SQL – all theory needed to manage temporal data. Louis Davidson, Jessica M. Moss: Pro SQL Server 2012 Relational Database Design and Implementation – the best SQL Server focused data modeling book I know by two of my friends. Dejan Sarka, et al.: MCITP Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-441): Designing Database Solutions by Using Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2005 – SQL Server 2005 data modeling training kit. Most of the text is still valid for SQL Server 2008, 2008 R2, 2012 and 2014. Itzik Ben-Gan, Lubor Kollar, Dejan Sarka, Steve Kass: Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2008 T-SQL Querying – Steve wrote a chapter with mathematical background, and I added a chapter with theoretical introduction to the relational model. Itzik Ben-Gan, Dejan Sarka, Roger Wolter, Greg Low, Ed Katibah, Isaac Kunen: Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2008 T-SQL Programming – I added three chapters with theoretical introduction and practical solutions for the user-defined data types, dynamic schema and temporal data. Dejan Sarka, Matija Lah, Grega Jerkic: Training Kit (Exam 70-463): Implementing a Data Warehouse with Microsoft SQL Server 2012 – my first two chapters are about data warehouse design and implementation. Courses Data Modeling Essentials – I wrote a 3-day course for SolidQ. If you are interested in this course, which I could also deliver in a shorter seminar way, you can contact your closes SolidQ subsidiary, or, of course, me directly on addresses [email protected] or [email protected]. This course could also complement the existing courseware portfolio of training providers, which are welcome to contact me as well. Logical and Physical Modeling for Analytical Applications – online course I wrote for Pluralsight. Working with Temporal data in SQL Server – my latest Pluralsight course, where besides theory and implementation I introduce many original ways how to optimize temporal queries. Forthcoming presentations SQL Bits 12, July 17th – 19th, Telford, UK – I have a full-day pre-conference seminar Advanced Data Modeling Topics there.

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• July, the 31 Days of SQL Server DMO’s – Day 21 (sys.dm_db_partition_stats)

  - by Tamarick Hill

  The sys.dm_db_partition_stats DMV returns page count and row count information for each table or index within your database. Lets have a quick look at this DMV so we can review some of the results. **NOTE: I am going to create an ‘ObjectName’ column in our result set so that we can more easily identify tables. SELECT object_name(object_id) ObjectName, * FROM sys.dm_db_partition_stats As stated above, the first column in our result set is an Object name based on the object_id column of this result set. The partition_id column refers to the partition_id of the index in question. Each index will have at least 1 unique partition_id and will have more depending on if the object has been partitioned. The index_id column relates back to the sys.indexes table and uniquely identifies an index on a given object. A value of 0 (zero) in this column would indicate the object is a HEAP and a value of 1 (one) would signify the Clustered Index. Next is the partition_number which would signify the number of the partition for a particular object_id. Since none of my tables in my result set have been partitioned, they all display 1 for the partition_number. Next we have the in_row_data_page_count which tells us the number of data pages used to store in-row data for a given index. The in_row_used_page_count is the number of pages used to store and manage the in-row data. If we look at the first row in the result set, we will see we have 700 for this column and 680 for the previous. This means that just to manage the data (not store it) is requiring 20 pages. The next column in_row_reserved_page_count is how many pages have been reserved, regardless if they are being used or not. The next 2 columns are used for storing LOB (Large Object) data which could be text, image, varchar(max), or varbinary(max) columns. The next two columns, row_overflow, represent pages used for data that exceed the 8,060 byte row size limit for the in-row data pages. The next columns used_page_count and reserved_page_count represent the sum of the in_row, lob, and row_overflow columns discussed earlier. Lastly is a row_count column which displays the number of rows that are in a particular index. This DMV is a very powerful resource for identifying page and row count information. By knowing the page counts for indexes within your database, you are able to easily calculate the size of indexes. For more information on this DMV, please see the below Books Online link: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms187737.aspx Follow me on Twitter @PrimeTimeDBA

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• 5 Useful Wordpress Plugins For Google Adsense

  - by Jyoti

  Google Adsense has become the most popular online contextual advertising program and proper custom integration with Wordpress can help to increase Adsense earnings. Now on this post we have describe 5 useful wordpress plugin for google adsense. Few weeks ago we did a "10 Wordpress Plugins For Google Adsense ". Wordpress allows bloggers to easily integrate Google Adsense inside wordpress using plugins. Adsense Integrator : The Adsense Integrator plugin supports lot of programs other then adsense like AdBrite, AffiliateBOT, SHAREASALE, LinkShare, ClickBank, Oxado, Adpinion, AdGridWork, Adroll, Commission Junction, CrispAds, ShoppingAds, Yahoo!PN so this can be used when you are looking to have adsense as well as other alternatives. The rest of the features of the plugin are same where you give your adsense code into options field and it get inserted into blog posts. All In One Adsense And YPN : This is one of the most powerful adsense plugin for wordpress. Jut like other plugins, you can use this to insert your ads in the post but the plugin has some really good features like randomness which shows ad at random location in your blog which reduces ad blindness for viewers. You can also stop ads being shown on some pages using tags. Adsense Now : Other then the previous plugins , you can also give it a try to Adsense now. I haven’t used it (I have only used the first two) so its difficult to comment on it. It looks to be a lightweight plugin which insert adsense ads between posts and in posts body. Adsense Manager : Adsense Manager is one of the most popular and used plugin to manage adsense in wordpress blogs. Infact its newer version not only supports adsense, it also supports various other programs like adbrite, Commission Junction, YPN etc which makes it very powerful ad management plugin. You can inject adsense code anywhere in your blog posts as well as can put in different regions of your blog. Easy Adsense : Easy adsense is one of the new wordpress adsense plugin and that is why more feature rich. You can have different code for different themes using this plugin. It also support link units. To know all features, check out the plugin page.

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• Enable Thumbnail Previews for Firefox in Windows 7 Taskbar

  - by Asian Angel

  Are you tired of waiting for the official activation of Taskbar Thumbnail Previews in Firefox? See how easy it is to enable them now with a simple about:config hack. Note: We have briefly covered this before but present it here in a more detailed format. Before For our example we opened all of the websites in the HTG Network in tabs… When hovering over the Firefox Icon in the Taskbar, you only see the one thumbnail. There are two things in particular to notice here: 1.) The Tab Bar for Firefox is displayed with all four tabs visible in the Thumbnail Preview  2.) The “Taskbar Icon” itself is displaying as singular with no “fanned edge” on the right side. Hack the About:Config Settings To get the Thumbnail Previews working you will need to make a modification in the about:config settings. Type about:config in the Address Bar and press Enter. Unless you have previously disabled the warning you will see this message after pressing Enter. Click on the I promise! Button to finish entering the settings. In the Filter Address Bar either type or copy and paste the following about:config entry: browser.taskbar.previews.enable After you enter that in, you should see the entry listing as shown here. At this point there are two methods that you can choose to alter the entry. The first method is to right click on the entry and select Toggle and the second method is to double click on the entry. Both work equally well…choose the method that you like best. Once the about:config entry has been changed, you will need to restart Firefox for it to take effect. After restarting Firefox on our system the Thumbnail Previews were definitely looking very nice. Notice that the Tab Bar is no longer displayed in the Thumbnail Previews. The Taskbar Icon also had a “fanned edge” indicating that multiple tabs were open. Conclusion If you are tired of waiting for Mozilla to officially activate Taskbar Thumbnail Previews in Firefox, then you can go ahead and start enjoying them now. For more great Firefox 3.6.x about:config hacks read our article here. Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Vista Style Popup Previews for Firefox TabsDisable IE 8 Thumbnail Previews on Windows 7 TaskbarIncrease the size of Taskbar Preview Thumbnails in Windows 7Workaround for Vista Taskbar Thumbnail Previews Not Showing CorrectlyDisable Thumbnail Previews in Windows 7 or Vista Explorer 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 VMware Workstation 7 Acronis Online Backup DVDFab 6 Revo Uninstaller Pro Cool Looking Skins for Windows Media Player 12 Move the Mouse Pointer With Your Face Movement Using eViacam Boot Windows Faster With Boot Performance Diagnostics Create Ringtones For Your Android Phone With RingDroid Enhance Your Laptop’s Battery Life With These Tips Easily Search Food Recipes With Recipe Chimp

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• Development processes, the use of version control, and unit-testing

  - by ct01

  Preface I've worked at quite a few "flat" organizations in my time. Most of the version control policy/process has been "only commit after it's been tested". We were constantly committing at each place to "trunk" (cvs/svn). The same was true with unit-testing - it's always been a "we need to do this" mentality but it never really materializes in a substantive form b/c there is no institutional knowledge base to do it - no mentorship. Version Control The emphasis for version control management at one place was a very strict protocol for commit messages (format & content). The other places let employees just do "whatever". The branching, tagging, committing, rolling back, and merging aspect of things was always ill defined and almost never used. This sort of seems to leave the version control system in the position of being a fancy file-storage mechanism with a meta-data component that never really gets accessed/utilized. (The same was true for unit testing and committing code to the source tree) Unit tests It seems there's a prevailing "we must/should do this" mentality in most places I've worked. As a policy or standard operating procedure it never gets implemented because there seems to be a very ill-defined understanding about what that means, what is going to be tested, and how to do it. Summary It seems most places I've been to think version control and unit testing is "important" b/c the trendy trade journals say it is but, if there's very little mentorship to use these tools or any real business policies, then the full power of version control/unit testing is never really expressed. So grunts, like myself, never really have a complete understanding of the point beyond that "it's a good thing" and "we should do it". Question I was wondering if there are blogs, books, white-papers, or online journals about what one could call the business process or "standard operating procedures" or uses cases for version control and unit testing? I want to know more than the trade journals tell me and get serious about doing these things. PS: @Henrik Hansen had a great comment about the lack of definition for the question. I'm not interested in a specific unit-testing/versioning product or methodology (like, XP) - my interest is more about work-flow at the individual team/developer level than evangelism. This is more-or-less a by product of the management situation I've operated under more than a lack of reading software engineering books or magazines about development processes. A lot of what I've seen/read is more marketing oriented material than any specifically enumerated description of "well, this is how our shop operates".

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