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• Unity Is The Swiss Army Knife of Game Console Mods

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  This expansive console modification blends over a dozen game systems into one unified console with a shared power source and controller. There are console mods and then there are builds like this. This impressive work in progress combines the hardware boards of multiple game systems into a single unified system that shares a single power source, video output, and controller. The attention to detail and outright gaming obsession and geekiness is definitely creeping to the top of the charts with this one. Hit up the link below to check out a detailed post about the build and see additional videos and photos. Bacteria’s Project Unity [via Hack A Day] HTG Explains: Why You Only Have to Wipe a Disk Once to Erase It HTG Explains: Learn How Websites Are Tracking You Online Here’s How to Download Windows 8 Release Preview Right Now

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• XNA 4 Deferred Rendering deforms the model

  - by Tomáš Bezouška

  I have a problem when rendering a model of my World - when rendered using BasicEffect, it looks just peachy. Problem is when I render it using deferred rendering. See for yourselves: what it looks like: http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/690/survival.png/ what it should look like: http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/521/survival2.png/ (Please ignora the cars, they shouldn't be there. Nothing changes when they are removed) Im using Deferred renderer from www.catalinzima.com/tutorials/deferred-rendering-in-xna/introduction-2/ except very simplified, without the custom content processor. Here's the code for the GBuffer shader: float4x4 World; float4x4 View; float4x4 Projection; float specularIntensity = 0.001f; float specularPower = 3; texture Texture; sampler diffuseSampler = sampler_state { Texture = (Texture); MAGFILTER = LINEAR; MINFILTER = LINEAR; MIPFILTER = LINEAR; AddressU = Wrap; AddressV = Wrap; }; struct VertexShaderInput { float4 Position : POSITION0; float3 Normal : NORMAL0; float2 TexCoord : TEXCOORD0; }; struct VertexShaderOutput { float4 Position : POSITION0; float2 TexCoord : TEXCOORD0; float3 Normal : TEXCOORD1; float2 Depth : TEXCOORD2; }; VertexShaderOutput VertexShaderFunction(VertexShaderInput input) { VertexShaderOutput output; float4 worldPosition = mul(input.Position, World); float4 viewPosition = mul(worldPosition, View); output.Position = mul(viewPosition, Projection); output.TexCoord = input.TexCoord; //pass the texture coordinates further output.Normal = mul(input.Normal,World); //get normal into world space output.Depth.x = output.Position.z; output.Depth.y = output.Position.w; return output; } struct PixelShaderOutput { half4 Color : COLOR0; half4 Normal : COLOR1; half4 Depth : COLOR2; }; PixelShaderOutput PixelShaderFunction(VertexShaderOutput input) { PixelShaderOutput output; output.Color = tex2D(diffuseSampler, input.TexCoord); //output Color output.Color.a = specularIntensity; //output SpecularIntensity output.Normal.rgb = 0.5f * (normalize(input.Normal) + 1.0f); //transform normal domain output.Normal.a = specularPower; //output SpecularPower output.Depth = input.Depth.x / input.Depth.y; //output Depth return output; } technique Technique1 { pass Pass1 { VertexShader = compile vs_2_0 VertexShaderFunction(); PixelShader = compile ps_2_0 PixelShaderFunction(); } } And here are the rendering parts in XNA: public void RednerModel(Model model, Matrix world) { Matrix[] boneTransforms = new Matrix[model.Bones.Count]; model.CopyAbsoluteBoneTransformsTo(boneTransforms); Game.GraphicsDevice.DepthStencilState = DepthStencilState.Default; Game.GraphicsDevice.BlendState = BlendState.Opaque; Game.GraphicsDevice.RasterizerState = RasterizerState.CullCounterClockwise; foreach (ModelMesh mesh in model.Meshes) { foreach (ModelMeshPart meshPart in mesh.MeshParts) { GBufferEffect.Parameters["View"].SetValue(Camera.Instance.ViewMatrix); GBufferEffect.Parameters["Projection"].SetValue(Camera.Instance.ProjectionMatrix); GBufferEffect.Parameters["World"].SetValue(boneTransforms[mesh.ParentBone.Index] * world); GBufferEffect.Parameters["Texture"].SetValue(meshPart.Effect.Parameters["Texture"].GetValueTexture2D()); GBufferEffect.Techniques[0].Passes[0].Apply(); RenderMeshpart(mesh, meshPart); } } } private void RenderMeshpart(ModelMesh mesh, ModelMeshPart part) { Game.GraphicsDevice.SetVertexBuffer(part.VertexBuffer); Game.GraphicsDevice.Indices = part.IndexBuffer; Game.GraphicsDevice.DrawIndexedPrimitives(PrimitiveType.TriangleList, 0, 0, part.NumVertices, part.StartIndex, part.PrimitiveCount); } I import the model using the built in content processor for FBX. The FBX is created in 3DS Max. I don't know the exact details of that export, but if you think it might be relevant, I will get them from my collegue who does them. What confuses me though is why the BasicEffect approach works... seems the FBX shouldnt be a problem. Any thoughts? They will be greatly appreciated :)

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• C++ Pointers: Number of levels of Indirection

  - by A B

  In a C++ program that doesn't contain legacy C code, is there a guideline regarding the maximum number of levels of indirection that should be used in the source code? I know that in C (as opposed to C++), some programmers have used pointers to pointers for a multiple dimension array, but for the case of arrays, there are data structures in C++ that can be used to avoid the pointers to pointers. Are users who still create pointers to pointers (or more than this) trying to use pointers to pointers only for performance ETC. reasons? I have tried NOT to use any more than a pointer to a pointer, only in the case that a pointer needed modification; does anyone have any other official or unofficial guidelines or rules regarding the number of levels of indirection?

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• Square Reader Modified to Record Off Old Reel-to-Reel Tape [Video]

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  The Square Reader is a tiny magnetic credit card reader that has taken the mobile payment industry by storm. This clever hack dumps the credit card reading in favor of snagging the audio from old music reels. Evan Long was curious about whether the through-the-headphones interface of the Square Reader could be used to read audio data off old magnetic recordings. With a very small modification (he had to bend a metal tab inside the reader to allow the audio tape to slide through more easily) he was able to listen to and record audio off old reels. Watch the video above to see it in action or hit up the link below to read more about his project. iPod Meets Reel [via Make] HTG Explains: What Is Windows RT and What Does It Mean To Me? HTG Explains: How Windows 8′s Secure Boot Feature Works & What It Means for Linux Hack Your Kindle for Easy Font Customization

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• Motion Sensing Fog Machine Increases Savings and Spook Factor

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  This DIY add-on switches a standard fog machine from always-on to motion-activated–increase your savings and spook factor at the same time. Courtesy of tinker Greg, this modification involves a new relay and motion sensor mounted onto the existing switch of a store-bought fog machine. When the motion-sensor detects motion the fog machine releases a burst of fog for 5 seconds and then disarms itself for 10 seconds–long enough for the startled victim to move on and for the machine to recharge for the next passerby. Check out the video above to see it in action and then hit up the link below to see the project’s build guide. Motion Sensing Fog Machine Trigger [via Hack A Day] How Hackers Can Disguise Malicious Programs With Fake File Extensions Can Dust Actually Damage My Computer? What To Do If You Get a Virus on Your Computer

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• Toolbox Mod Makes the Wii Ultra Portable

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Given the social nature of most Wii games, modifying a toolbox to serve as a Wii briefcase to make toting it to a friend’s house easy is only fitting. Courtesy of tinker SpicaJames, we find this simple but effective toolbox modification. James originally started his search by investigating getting a Pelican case for his Wii and accessories. When he found the $125 price tag prohibitive (as many of us would for such a side project) he sought out alternatives. A cheap $12 toolbox, a little impact foam, and some handy work with a pair of tin snips to cut out shapes for the Wiimotes, and he had a super cheap and easy to pack and unpack Wii briefcase. Hit up the link below to check out the pictures of his build. Wii Briefcase (translated by Google Translate) [via Hack A Day] Can Dust Actually Damage My Computer? What To Do If You Get a Virus on Your Computer Why Enabling “Do Not Track” Doesn’t Stop You From Being Tracked

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• ASP.NET 4.0 and the Entity Framework 4 - Part 2: Perform CRUD Operations Using the Entity Framework

  In this article, Vince demonstrates the usage of the Entity Framework 4 to create, read, update, and delete records in the database which was created in Part 1 of this series. After a short introduction, he discusses the various step involved in the modification of the database, creation of a web form, the selection records to load a drop down list, and the adding, updating, deletion and retrieval of records from the database with the help of relevant source code and screen shots.Did you know that DotNetSlackers also publishes .net articles written by top known .net Authors? We already have over 80 articles in several categories including Silverlight. Take a look: here.

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• Studies of Pair Programming on Translation Projects

  - by gmletzkojr

  I am looking for information (ie, studies, metrics, etc) for pair programming when translating a project from an "older" language to a "newer" language. In this particular case, translating means line for line translation where ever possible, and only modifying the design when absolutely necessary, not when the modification would provide improved performance. I have performed pair programming in new development, and I am well aware of the pros and cons of pairing in that environment. However, I haven't been able to find any information in this particular case. Any help is appreciated.

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• LSP vs OCP / Liskov Substitution VS Open Close

  - by Kolyunya

  I am trying to understand the SOLID principles of OOP and I've come to the conclusion that LSP and OCP have some similarities (if not to say more). the open/closed principle states "software entities (classes, modules, functions, etc.) should be open for extension, but closed for modification". LSP in simple words states that any instance of Foo can be replaced with any instance of Bar which is derived from Foo and the program will work the same very way. I'm not a pro OOP programmer, but it seems to me that LSP is only possible if Bar, derived from Foo does not change anything in it but only extends it. That means that in particular program LSP is true only when OCP is true and OCP is true only if LSP is true. That means that they are equal. Correct me if I'm wrong. I really want to understand these ideas. Great thanks for an answer.

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• Oracle sort Oracle Application Express 4.2, son outil de développement rapide intégré à Oracle Database

  Oracle Application Express, l'outil de développement rapide d'Oracle est désormais disponible en version 4.2. Cet outil, intégré à Oracle Database sans coût supplémentaire, permet de développer des applications Web exploitant les données d'une base Oracle. Cette mise à jour est très centrée vers le mobile et apporte un certain nombre de nouveautés pour le développement d'applications mobiles avec APEX. Notons en particulier :Le rendu des applications qui s'adaptent pour proposer une interface adaptée au terminal mobile utilisé L'utilisation de jQuery Mobile qui permet la compatibilité sur la majorité des terminaux sans modification La possibilité de créer des graphiques en HTML5 pour les terminaux ne disposant pas de Flash L'utilisat...

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• OpenGL ES Basic Fragment Shader help with transparency

  - by Chris

  I have just spent my first half hour playing with the shader language. I have modified the basic program I have which renders the texture, to allow me to colour the texture. varying vec2 texCoord; uniform sampler2D texSampler; /* Given the texture coordinates, our pixel shader grabs the corresponding * color from the texture. */ void main() { //gl_FragColor = texture2D(texSampler, texCoord); gl_FragColor = vec4(0,1,0,1)*vec4(texture2D(texSampler,texCoord).xyz,1); } I have noticed how this affects my transparent textures, and I believe I am loosing the alpha channel which would explain why previously transparent area's appear totally black. If I use the following line instead, I am shown the transparent area's gl_FragColor = vec4(0,1,0,1)*vec4(texture2D(texSampler,texCoord).aaa,1); How can I retain the transparency after this modification to the colour? I have seen various things about a .w property, and also luminous, but my tweaks with those and the .aaa property are not working XD

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• Adventures in Lab Management Configuration: Part 2 of 3

  - by Enrique Lima

  The first post was the high level overview. Now it is time for the details on what was done to the existing CMMI Project based on CMMI v 4.2. The first step was to go into Visual Studio, then from the Team Project Collection Settings and then to the Process Template Manager.  Once there, it was a matter of selecting the appropriate template (MSF for CMMI Process Improvement v5.0) and download to a point I could reference later (for example C:\Templates). Then on to using the steps from the guidance post. Since I was using an x64 deployment, I will make reference to the path as <toolpath>, however the actual path to reference in a 64-bit environment is “C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\Common7\IDE”. As I mentioned on the previous post, make sure to first perform a backup of the Configuration, Collection and Warehouse DBs.  If you did not apply any changes to the names and such, then you will find those as tfs_Configuration, tfs_DefaultCollection and tfs_Warehouse. Now, the work needed with the witadmin tool: That includes the uploading of the structures that differ from v4.2 to v5.0 There is likely going to be an issue with the naming of some fields. For example, TFS 2010 likes something along the lines of “Area ID”, whereas TFS 2008 would have had it as “AreaID”.  So, this will need to be corrected.  Some posts will have you go through this after the errors pop up.  I would recommend doing this process prior to executing the importwitd process.  witadmin listfields /collection:<path to collection> > c:\ListFields.txt Review the following fields: AreaID, review the Name property and validate if it states “AreaID”, the you will need to rename the Name field to reflect “Area ID”. ExternalLinkCount, RelatedLinkCount, HyperLinkCount, AttachedFileCount and IterationID would be the other fields to check. To correct the issue, then execute the following: witadmin changefield /collection:<path to collection> /n:"System.ExternalLinkCount" /name:"External Link Count" Repeat for Area ID, Related Link Count, Hyperlink Count, Attached File Count and Iteration ID.  Once this is done, proceed with the commands below. witadmin importwitd /collection:<path to collection> /p:<project> /f:"<path to downloaded template>\MSF for CMMI Process Improvement v5.0\WorkItem Tracking\TypeDefinitions\TestCase.xml" witadmin importwitd /collection:<path to collection> /p:<project> /f:"<path to downloaded template>\MSF for CMMI Process Improvement v5.0\WorkItem Tracking\TypeDefinitions\SharedStep.xml" witadmin importcategories /collection:<path to collection> /p:<project> /f:"<path to downloaded template>\MSF for CMMI Process Improvement v5.0\WorkItem Tracking\categories.xml" Modifications to the Bug Definition: First step is to export the existing definition. witadmin exportwitd /collection<path to collection> /p:<project> /n:bug /f:"<path to downloaded template>\MSF for CMMI Process Improvement v5.0\MyBug.xml" Make modifications to recently exported MyBug.xml file.  Details for the modification are here:  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff452591.aspx#ModifyTask Once the changes are done, proceed with the import command witadmin importwitd /collection:<path to collection> /p: <project> /f:"<path to downloaded template>\MSF for CMMI Process Improvement v5.0\MyBug.xml" Repeat the process for the the Scenario or Requirement Type Definition witadmin exportwitd /collection<path to collection> /p:<project> /n:requirement /f:"<path to downloaded template>\MSF for CMMI Process Improvement v5.0\MyRequirement.xml" Make modifications to recently exported MyRequirement.xml file.  Details for the modification are here:  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff452591.aspx#ModifyTask Once the changes are done, proceed with the import command witadmin importwitd /collection:<path to collection> /p: <project> /f:"<path to downloaded template>\MSF for CMMI Process Improvement v5.0\MyRequirement.xml" Provide the Bug Field Mapping definition, after creating the file as specified here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff452591.aspx#TCMBugFieldMapping tcm bugfieldmapping /import /mappingfile:"<path to downloaded template>\MSF for CMMI Process Improvement v5.0\bugfieldmappings.xml" /collection:<path to collection> /teamproject:<project name>

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• Functional/nonfunctional requirements VS design ideas

  - by Nicholas Chow

  Problem domain Functional requirements defines what a system does. Non-Functional requirements defines quality attributes of what the system does as a whole.(performance, security, reliability, volume, useability, etc.) Constraints limits the design space, they restrict designers to certain types of solutions. Solution domain Design ideas , defines how the system does it. For example a stakeholder need might be we want to increase our sales, therefore we must improve the usability of our webshop so more customers will purchase, a requirement can be written for this. (problem domain) Design takes this further into the solution domain by saying "therefore we want to offer credit card payments in addition to the current prepayment option". My problem is that the transition phase from requirement to design seems really vague, therefore when writing requirements I am often confused whether or not I incorporated design ideas in my requirements, that would make my requirement wrong. Another problem is that I often write functional requirements as what a system does, and then I also specify in what timeframe it must be done. But is this correct? Is it then a still a functional requirement or a non functional one? Is it better to seperate it into two distinct requirements? Here are a few requirements I wrote: FR1 Registration of Organizer FR1 describes the registration of an Organizer on CrowdFundum FR1.1 The system shall display a registration form on the website. FR1.2 The system shall require a Name, Username, Document number passport/ID card, Address, Zip code, City, Email address, Telephone number, Bank account, Captcha code on the registration form when a user registers. FR1.4 The system shall display an error message containing: “Registration could not be completed” to the subscriber within 1 seconds after the system check of the registration form was unsuccessful. FR1.5 The system shall send a verification email containing a verification link to the subscriber within 30 seconds after the system check of the registration form was successful. FR1.6 The system shall add the newly registered Organizer to the user base within 5 seconds after the verification link was accessed. FR2 Organizer submits a Project FR2 describes the submission of a Project by an Organizer on CrowdFundum - FR2 The system shall display a submit Project form to the Organizer accounts on the website.< - FR2.3 The system shall check for completeness the Name of the Project, 1-3 Photo’s, Keywords of the Project, Punch line, Minimum and maximum amount of people, Funding threshold, One or more reward tiers, Schedule of when what will be organized, Budget plan, 300-800 Words of additional information about the Project, Contact details within 1 secondin after an Organizer submits the submit Project form. - FR2.8 The system shall add to the homepage in the new Projects category the Project link within 30 seconds after the system made a Project webpage - FR2.9 The system shall include in the Project link for the homepage : Name of the Project, 1 Photo, Punch line within 30 seconds after the system made a Project webpage. Questions: FR 1.1 : Have I incorporated a design idea here, would " the system shall have a registration form" be a better functional requirement? F1.2 ,2.3 : Is this not singular? Would the conditions be better written for each its own separate requirement FR 1.4: Is this a design idea? Is this a correct functional requirement or have I incorporated non functional(performance) in it? Would it be better if I written it like this: FR1 The system shall display an error message when check is unsuccessful. NFR: The system will respond to unsuccesful registration form checks within 1 seconds. Same question with FR 2.8 and 2.9. FR2.3: The system shall check for "completeness", is completeness here used ambigiously? Should I rephrase it? FR1.2: I added that the system shall require a "Captcha code" is this a functional requirement or does it belong to the "security aspect" of a non functional requirement. I am eagerly waiting for your response. Thanks!

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• Business Objects/Crystal Reports Interface Changes

  - by ACShorten

  The Business Objects and Crystal Reporting interface for Oracle Utilities Application Framework V2.1, V2.2 and V4.x is now supplied as a sample interface. This will allow customers and partners who use this interface to tailor the interface to suit their inidividual needs and also support the numerous versions of Business Objects and Crystal Reports available. The sample interface is available from My Oracle Support in Doc Id: 1487588.1. The download includes the interface code, an overview of the interface and instructions on how to install and maintain the interface as a Customer Modification.

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• svn usage advice

  - by AngeloBad

  I need an advice about SVN usage. I use Tortoise SVN on my client to deal with a project I am working on. The probjem is that I have two set of bugs top fix on the project. One to deploy till 5 days, and one to deploy till 10 days. I am going to solve all the bugs before the 5fth days but I do not want to deploy the last 5 before the release date (till 10 days). How can I work on two separate codes and the merge all the modification? Is it possible? I have to create a branch?

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• Bind9 fails to start

  - by Gordon McIntosh

  After 3 weeks of trying to diagnose a failure of bind9, to start I have to admit I need assistance. Initially it was running correctly and when I made a modification to a bind file and re-run it an error msg came back rndc: 127.0.0.1#953 bind9 start fail It also fails to start on any other bind9 upgrade or required pkg. grep on mysql returns nothing now even if it is running, and dig on 127 only works when I have my phone connected as a modem. I don't have any more diagnostics that I know of, so some help would be appreciated as development has stopped.

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• Google I/O 2010 - Testing techniques for Google App Engine

  Google I/O 2010 - Testing techniques for Google App Engine Google I/O 2010 - Testing techniques for Google App Engine App Engine 201 Max Ross We typically write tests assuming that our development stack closely resembles our production stack. What if our target environment only lives in the cloud? We will highlight the key differences between typical testing techniques and Google App Engine testing techniques. We will also present concrete strategies for testing against local and cloud-based implementations of App Engine services. Finally, we will explain how to use App Engine as a highly parallel test harness that runs existing test suites without modification. For all I/O 2010 sessions, please go to code.google.com/events/io/2010/sessions.html From: GoogleDevelopers Views: 6 1 ratings Time: 54:29 More in Science & Technology

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• The inevitable Hello World post!

  - by brendonpage

  Greetings to anyone reading this! This is my first of hopefully many posts. I would like to use this post to introduce myself and to let you know what to expect from this blog in future. Okay so a bit about myself. In case you missed the name of this blog, my name is Brendon Page! I am a Software Developer from South Africa and work for a small company who’s main focus is producing software for the kitchen cupboard industry, although from time to time we do produce custom solutions for other industries. I work in a small team of 3, including myself, and am fortunate enough to work from home! I have been involved in IT since 1996, which is when I got my first PC, and started working as a junior programmer in 2003. Outside of work I enjoy playing squash, PC Games and of course LANing with my friends. If I get any free time between all of that I will usually dedicate some of it to a personal project, these are mainly prototypes for an idea I have had or for something that could be useful at work. I was in 2 minds on whether to include a photo of myself. The reason for this was because while I was looking for a suitable photo to use, it dawned on me how much time I dedicate to pulling funny faces in photos! I also realized how little I shave, which I blame completely on working form home. So after much debate here I am, funny face, beard and all!   Now that you know a bit about me lets move onto what expect from this blog. I work predominantly with Microsoft technologies so most if not all of my posts will be related to something Microsoft. Since most of my job entails Software Development you can expect a lot of posts which will deal with the .NET Framework. I am currently working on a large Silverlight project, so my first few posts will be targeted at in that direction. I will be striving to make the content of my posts as useful as possible from both an explanation and code perspective, I aim to include a working solution for every post, which I will put up on my skydrive for download. Here is what I have planned for my next few posts: Where did my session variables go?  Here I will take you through the lessons I learnt the hard way about the ASP.NET session. I am not going to go into to much depth in this post, as there is already a lot of information available on it. I mainly want to cover it in an effort to keep the scope creep of my posts to a minimum, some the solutions I upload will use it and I would like to have a post that I can reference to explain why I am doing something a certain way. Uploading files through SIlverlight Again there is a lot of existing information on this topic, so I wont be going into to much depth, but I will be using the solution from this as a base for my next post. Generating and Displaying DeepZoom images dynamically in Silverlight Well the title pretty much speaks for it’s self on this one. As I mentioned I will be building off the solution that I create in my ‘Uploading files through Silverlight’ post. Securing DeepZoom images using a custom implementation of the MultiScaleTileSource In this post I will look at the privacy issue surrounding the default usage of DeepZoom images in Silverlight and how to overcome it. This makes the use of DeepZoom in privacy conscious applications more viable. Thanks to anyone who actually read this post! I look forward to producing more which will hopefully be helpful to you.

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• Ubuntu one changes 'Date modified' to time and date of sync

  - by Philippe

  I'm wondering why ubuntu one changes the date of the synced files. Instead of leaving the actual date and time of modification it updates the time and date to the sync time. So, e.g., if I change and save a file today at july 26 2 pm and I go home and sync my home-pc with u1 tomorrow at 10 the 'Date modified' of that file will reflect the syncdate which might be July 27, 10am. I don't like that behavior and I don't understand if this is a bug or if that is actually intended?

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• Server 11.04 Bind9 Failure

  - by Gordon McIntosh

  After 3 weeks of trying to diagnose a failure of bind9, to start I have to admit I need assistance. Initially it was running correctly and when I made a modification to a bind file and re-run it an error msg came back rndc: 127.0.0.1#953 bind9 start fail It also fails to start on any other bind9 upgrade or required pkg. grep on mysql returns nothing now even if it is running, and dig on 127 only works when I have my phone connected as a modem. I don't have any more diagnostics that I know of, so some help would be appreciated as development has stopped.

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• What counts as reinventing the wheel?

  - by dsimcha

  Do the following scenarios count as "reinventing the wheel" in your book? A solution exists, but not in the language you want to use, and existing solutions can't be interfaced with the language you want to use in a clean, idiomatic way. In principle you could get an existing library to do what you wanted with heavy modification, but you think it would probably be easier to just start from scratch. What you're writing has the same one-line description as stuff that's already been done, but you're targeting a different niche. For example, maybe your problem has been solved a zillion times before, but in a way that's inefficient for large datasets and your code works well for large datasets.

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• Why do I need to relaunch dkpg-reconfigure keyboard-configuration after every startup?

  - by yves Baumes

  I've switched recently to an UK keyboard, from a FR keyboard. It is an usb keyboard, and first I plugged it in, I had to launch dpkg-reconfigure keyboard-configuration in order to request the correct layout (ie: uk). But after every reboot of the machine, the laytout comes back to the FR layout. How can I make the modification persisting? I am using Ubuntu, running the Stump Window Manager. And here is the /etc/default/keyboard at any time (that is right after startup, and before and after I run the dpkg-reconfigure tool) XKBMODEL="hhk" XKBLAYOUT="gb" XKBVARIANT="" XKBOPTIONS="terminate:ctrl_alt_bksp"

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• Let Me Show You Something: Instagram, Vine and Snapchat for Brands

  - by Mike Stiles

  While brands are well aware of how much more impactful images are than text-only posts on social channels, today you’re additionally being presented with platform after additional platform for hosting, doctoring and sharing photos and videos.  Can you play in every sandbox? And if you do, can you be brilliant on all of them? As has usually been the case, so far brands are sticking their toes into new platforms while not actually committing to them, or strategizing for them, or resourcing them. TrackMaven found of the 123 F500 companies using Instagram, only 22% of them are active on it. Likewise, research from Simply Measured found brands are indeed jumping in, with the number establishing a presence on Instagram up 55% over the past year. Users want them there…brand engagement has exploded 350%, and over 1/3 of the top brands have at least 10,000 followers. BUT…the top 10 brands are generating 33% of all posts, reaping 83% of all engagement. Things are also growing on Twitter’s Vine, the 6-second looping video app that hit 40 million users in August. The 7th Chamber says 5 tweets a second contain a Vine link. Other studies say branded Vines are 4 times more likely to be shared and seen than rank-and-file branded videos. Why? Users know that even if a video is pure junk, they won’t get robbed of too much of their valuable time. Vine is always upgrading so you can make sure your videos are worth viewers’ time. You can now edit videos, and save & work on several projects concurrently. What you can’t do is upload a finely crafted video into Vine, but you can do that with Instagram. The key to success? Same as with all other content; make it of value. Deliver a laugh or a lesson or both. How-to, behind the scenes peeks, contests, demos, all make sense in the short video format. Or follow Nash Grier’s example, which is to just have fun with and connect to your viewers, earning their trust that your next Vine will be as good as the last. Nash is only 15, has over 1.4 million followers, and adds about 100,000 a week. He broke out when one of his videos was re-Vined by some other kid with 300,000 followers. Make good stuff, get it in front of influencers, and your brand Vines could break out as well. Then there’s Snapchat, the “this photo will self destruct” platform. How can that be of use to brands besides offering coupons that really expire? The jury is out. But with an audience of over 100 million and a valuation of $800 million, media-with-a-time-limit is compelling. Now there’s “Snapchat Stories” that can last 24 hours and be shared to the public at large. You might be able to capitalize on how much more focus gets put on content when there’s a time limit on its availability. The underlying truth to all of this is, these are all tools. Very cool, feature rich tools, but tools. You can give the exact same art kit to 5 different people and you’d get back 5 very different works, ranging from worthless garbage to masterpiece. Brands are being called upon to be still and moving image artists. That’s what your customers are used to seeing, from a variety of sources. Commit to communicating with them accordingly. @mikestiles Photo: stock.xchng

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• What approaches can I take to lower the odds of introducing new bugs in a complex legacy app?

  - by m.edmondson

  Where I work I often have to develop (and bug fix) in an old system (.NET 1) whos code is complete spaghetti - with little thought given to variable names, program structure nor comments. Because of this it takes me ages to understand what bits need changed, and I often 'break' the existing software because I've made a modification. I really really want to spend a couple of months (with colleagues) going through it to refactor but existing developers both can't see the need - nor think theres time for this (the system is massive). I dread having to work on its code as it takes days to fix something only to find out I've broken something else. This obviously makes me look incompetent - so how can I deal with this?

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• Sitting Pretty

  - by Phil Factor

  Guest Editorial for Simple-Talk IT Pro newsletter'DBAs and SysAdmins generally prefer an expression of calmness under adversity. It is a subtle trick, and requires practice in front of a mirror to get it just right. Too much adversity and they think you're not coping; too much calmness and they think you're under-employed' I dislike the term 'avatar', when used to describe a portrait photograph. An avatar, in the sense of a picture, is merely the depiction of one's role-play alter-ego, often a ridiculous bronze-age deity. However, professional image is important. The choice and creation of online photos has an effect on the way your message is received and it is important to get that right. It is fine to use that photo of you after ten lagers on holiday in an Ibiza nightclub, but what works on Facebook looks hilarious on LinkedIn. My splendid photograph that I use online was done by a professional photographer at great expense and I've never had the slightest twinge of regret when I remember how much I paid for it. It is me, but a more pensive and dignified edition, oozing trust and wisdom. One gasps at the magical skill that a professional photographer can conjure up, without digital manipulation, to make the best of a derisory noggin (ed: slang for a head). Even if he had offered to depict me as a semi-naked, muscle-bound, sword-wielding hero, I'd have demurred. No, any professional person needs a carefully cultivated image that looks right. I'd never thought of using that profile shot, though I couldn't help noticing the photographer flinch slightly when he first caught sight of my face. There is a problem with using an avatar. The use of a single image doesn't express the appropriate emotion. At the moment, it is weird to see someone with a laughing portrait writing something solemn. A neutral cast to the face, somewhat like a passport photo, is probably the best compromise. Actually, the same is true of a working life in IT. One of the first skills I learned was not to laugh at managers, but, instead, to develop a facial expression that promoted a sense of keenness, energy and respect. Every profession has its own preferred facial cast. A neighbour of mine has the natural gift of a face that displays barely repressed grief. Though he is characteristically cheerful, he earns a remarkable income as a pallbearer. DBAs and SysAdmins generally prefer an expression of calmness under adversity. It is a subtle trick, and requires practice in front of a mirror to get it just right. Too much adversity and they think you're not coping; too much calmness and they think you're under-employed. With an appropriate avatar, you could do away with a lot of the need for 'smilies' to give clues as to the meaning of what you've written on forums and blogs. If you had a set of avatars, showing the full gamut of human emotions expressible in writing: Rage, fear, reproach, joy, ebullience, apprehension, exasperation, dissembly, irony, pathos, euphoria, remorse and so on. It would be quite a drop-down list on forums, but given the vast prairies of space on the average hard drive, who cares? It would cut down on the number of spats in Forums just as long as one picks the right avatar. As an unreconstructed geek, I find it hard to admit to the value of image in the workplace, but it is true. Just as we use professionals to tidy up and order our CVs and job applications, we should employ experts to enhance our professional image. After all you don't perform surgery or dentistry on yourself do you?

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