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• Enhance Your Browsing with Hyperwords in Firefox

  - by Asian Angel

  While browsing it is easy to find information that you would like to know more about, convert, or translate. The Hyperwords extension provides access to these types of resources and more in Firefox. Using Hyperwords Once the extension has finished installing you will be presented with a demo video that will let you learn more about how Hyperwords works. For our first example we chose to look for more information concerning “WASP-12b” using Wikipedia. Notice the small bluish circle on the lower right of the highlighted term…it is the default access for the Hyperwords menu (access by hovering mouse over it). If you hover over the the Wikipedia (or other) link you can access the information in a scrollable popup window. Or if you prefer click on the link to view the information in a new tab. Choose the style that best suits your needs. Hyperwords is extremely useful for quick unit conversions. Suppose you want to share a news story that you have found while browsing. Highlight the title, access Hyperwords, and choose your preferred sharing source. You may need to authorize access for Hyperwords to post to your account. Once you have authorized access you can start sharing those links very easily. This is just a small sampling of Hyperwords many useful features. Preferences Hyperwords has a nice set of preferences available to help you customize it. Alter the menu popup style, add or remove menu entries, and modify other functions for Hyperwords. Conclusion Hyperwords makes a nice addition to Firefox for anyone needing quick access to search, reference, translation, and other services while browsing. Links Download the Hyperwords extension (Mozilla Add-ons) Download the Hyperwords extension (Extension Homepage) Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Switch to Private Browsing Mode Easily with Toggle Private BrowsingPreview Tabs in Firefox with Tab Preview 0.3You Really Want to Completely Disable Tabs in Firefox?Quick Hits: 11 Firefox Tab How-TosWhen to Use Protect Tab vs Lock Tab in 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 Xobni Plus for Outlook All My Movies 5.9 CloudBerry Online Backup 1.5 for Windows Home Server Snagit 10 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 Use ILovePDF To Split and Merge PDF Files

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• What's new in the RightNow November 2012 release?

  - by Richard Lefebvre

  What new in the RightNow November 2012? In order to find out, please watch this tutorial with imbedded demonstration or read the November 2012 Release notes.   News Facts The November 2012 release of     Oracle’s RightNow CX Cloud Service marks the completion of development efforts for 2012 and continues Oracle’s commitment to enhancing the Oracle RightNow offering following the acquisition. New release delivers key capabilities designed to help organizations improve customer experiences in order to increase customer acquisition and retention, while reducing total cost of ownership. Part of the Oracle Cloud, Oracle RightNow CX Cloud Service now integrates Oracle RightNow Chat Cloud Service with Oracle Engagement Engine Cloud Service, helping organizations intelligently and proactively engage with customers through the right channel at the right time. Chat solutions have emerged as an important component of a cross-channel customer experience strategy. According to Forrester Research, Inc., chat adoption has risen dramatically between 2009 and 2011 from 19% to 37%, and it has the highest satisfaction level of all customer service channels at 62% satisfaction. (*) To help companies deliver enhanced customer experiences, Oracle has made significant investments in Oracle RightNow Chat Cloud Service throughout 2012. With the addition of rules-based engagement to existing capabilities such as co-browse, mobile chat, and cross-channel knowledge integration with the contact center, all delivered via the cloud, Oracle RightNow Chat Cloud Service is differentiated as the industry-leading chat solution. The Oracle Cloud offers a broad portfolio of software as-a-service applications, including Oracle Customer Service and Support Cloud Service, which is based on the Oracle RightNow CX Cloud Service. New Capabilities Key Oracle RightNow Chat Cloud Service and other cross-channel capabilities include: Chat Business Rules, with over 70 built-in rule conditions, leverage the Oracle Engagement Engine to help enable organizations capture rich visitor data and invoke complex actions and triggers. Chat Business Rules allow granular control over when to engage a customer via the chat channel based on customer behavior, customer profile information and operational information. Click-to-Call provides the option for a customer to engage with a live agent over the phone during the Web browsing experience. Chat Availability Controls provide organizations with the ability to throttle volume through the chat channel based on real-time agent availability and wait time thresholds. This ability to manage the channel more efficiently allows organizations to provide a better experience to customers using the chat channel. Strategic and Operational Chat Channel Analytics provide better insight into channel and agent productivity and utilization and effectiveness with both out-of-the-box reports and ad hoc reports. New chat channel analytics provide comprehensive metrics with full data transparency. Background Service Updates improve high availability metrics for Oracle RightNow Chat Cloud Service during service update periods, setting the industry leading standard for sales and service delivery to customers via the chat channel. Additional Capabilities include: Improved Web developer tools for more efficient self-service user interface design Improved administration for enhanced user sessions management Increased cross-channel community collaboration Enhanced extensibility widgets and syndication management Streamlined content management and analytics capabilities Read the full announcement here

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• Create Custom Playlists in Windows Media Player 12

  - by DigitalGeekery

  A playlist is a group of songs or media files that are grouped together based on a theme. Today we’ll look at how to create your own custom playlists in Windows Media Player 12. Create Custom Playlists Open Windows Media Player and switch to the Library view. Click on the Play tab at the top right to reveal the List pane.   If you currently have songs listed on the List pane, you can remove them by clicking Clear list.   To add songs to your playlist, right-click on the song title, select Add to, and then click Play list. You can also drag and drop the song title right onto the play list area. Hold down the Control [Ctrl] key while clicking to select more than one track at a time.   Changing the Playlist Order You can click and drag each item in your playlist to move it up or down.   You can also right click on the title and select Move up or Move down, or to completely remove a track from your playlist. You have the option to shuffle your list by clicking the Options list icon and selecting Shuffle list from the dropdown list. By selecting Sort list by you can sort by Title, Artist, Album, Release date, and more. Saving and naming your playlist To save your playlist, click on the Save list button. You’ll be prompted to enter a name for your playlist in the text box. Click away when you are finished. Windows Media Player will display your most recent playlists in the Navigation panel. Simply select the playlist anytime you want to listen to it.   Conclusion Custom playlists are a great way to group your music by themes such as mood, genre, activity, season, and more. If you are new to Windows Media Player 12, check out our post on managing your music in Windows Media Player. Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Fixing When Windows Media Player Library Won’t Let You Add FilesShare Digital Media With Other Computers on a Home Network with Windows 7Install and Use the VLC Media Player on Ubuntu LinuxMake Windows Media Player Automatically Open in Mini Player ModeWhat are wmpnscfg.exe and wmpnetwk.exe and Why Are They Running? 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 Acronis Online Backup DVDFab 6 Revo Uninstaller Pro Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows Easily Search Food Recipes With Recipe Chimp Tech Fanboys Field Guide Check these Awesome Chrome Add-ons iFixit Offers Gadget Repair Manuals Online Vista style sidebar for Windows 7 Create Nice Charts With These Web Based Tools

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• Add a non-Google Tasks List to Chrome

  - by Asian Angel

  Most people rely on a task list to help them remember what they need to do but not everyone wants one that is tied to a Google account. If you have been wanting an independent tasks list then join us as we look at the Tasks extension for Google Chrome. Tasks in Action As soon as you have finished installing the extension you are ready to start adding new tasks to your list. Enter your task into the “Text Area” and press “Enter” to add the task to the list. Note: Your tasks list will be retained (in the order you set) when you close and then reopen your browser. In just moments you can have your task list ready to go. Notice that there is also a “numerical indicator” attached to the “Toolbar Button” so that you will always know how many tasks you have left to complete. You can use the “drag and drop” function to rearrange your list into a more proper order if needed. When you are finished with a task all that you will need to do is click on the “Checkmark” to remove it from the list. If you need to make a new entry similar to an existing one simply right click and the text is automatically pasted into the “Text Area”. Make any desired changes and press “Enter” to add your new task to the list. Prefer to skip using the drop-down window? Click on “Tasks” at the top to open your list in a new tab instead. The tasks list looked very nice in our new tab. Being able to use the style that best suits your needs makes this a very convenient extension. Conclusion The Tasks extension is a perfect fit for anyone who needs a tasks list available but does not want to be tied down with an online account. Quick, simple and best of all hassle free. Links Download the Tasks extension (Google Chrome Extensions) Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Turn Chrome’s New Tab Page into a Google Tasks PageAccess Google Tasks in Chrome the Easy WayHow to Make Google Chrome Your Default BrowserAdd a To-Do List to Chrome’s New Tab PageAccess Remember The Milk in Google Chrome the Easy Way 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 Test Drive Mobile Phones Online With TryPhone Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day, 3/23/10 New Stinger from McAfee Helps Remove ‘FakeAlert’ Threats Google Apps Marketplace: Tools & Services For Google Apps Users Get News Quick and Precise With Newser Scan for Viruses in Ubuntu using ClamAV

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• Work at Oracle as a Fresh Student by Ang Sun

  - by Nadiya

  The past months have flown by since I started working at Oracle; but at the same time it feels like I’ve been here forever. I came to Beijing to find a job after I graduated from The University of Southampton with a MSc in Software Engineering. I got an offer the next day after I had an interview with my manager. This new style of working life hasn’t been a problem with me. The atmosphere here is fantastic and everyone is so friendly and easy to talk to. I am the first member in our AIE China Team. We do appreciate those colleagues from Core I/O team who helped us a lot to familiarize ourselves with the new environment. After hire orientation training I got to know many new people from various teams including Middleware, People Soft and Solaris. Also Oracle provides weekly system online training as additional training for those people who need it. The best thing about working at Oracle is that there is a balance between work and rest. It’s good to have a really nice park and green space near the Oracle buildings. Most of us like to walk around the riverside after lunch before we get back to work. I like to grab a cup of latte before discussing issues and the schedule of our projects in a weekly conference call with my US colleagues. It has been great experience; I am working alongside talented colleagues from different countries and nationalities. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii- mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi- mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}

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• Hey You! Stop Using the Apply Button and Just Click OK! [Geek Rants]

  - by The Geek

  As a computer geek, I often find myself helping people, and watching them change settings on their PC… and they almost always click the Apply button, and then the OK button. Why? Whenever you encounter a dialog box in Windows, there are the standard OK, Cancel, Apply buttons—but you don’t actually have to click the Apply button first. The OK button does the same thing, saves the settings, and then closes the dialog box… saving you an extra click. Don’t believe me? Try it out for yourself. Only the worst possible application won’t behave that way, and you probably don’t want to use that type of application to begin with. The only exception to this rule is a multiple tab dialog box, on a badly written application. Sometimes… your settings on one tab won’t stick unless you click Apply. Note that in this particular case, you can make changes in any one of the tabs, and they will carry through without having to click Apply, because this dialog window is well written. We’re just using the screenshot as an example of a multiple tab setting interface. So now that you know better, you can tell us… do you always use the Apply button first? Have you ever found an instance where it behaves differently? Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Got Awesome Skills? Why Not Write for How-To Geek?Customize Your Windows Vista Logon ScreenUse Outlook Rules to Prevent "Oh No!" After Sending EmailsGot Awesome Geek Skills? The How-To Geek is Looking for WritersQuick Firefox UI Tweaks 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 Recycle ! Find That Elusive Icon with FindIcons Looking for Good Windows Media Player 12 Plug-ins? Find Out the Celebrity You Resemble With FaceDouble Whoa ! Use Printflush to Solve Printing Problems

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• Convert DVDs and ISO Files to MKV with MakeMKV

  - by DigitalGeekery

  Looking for a quick and easy way to convert your DVDs or ISOs to MKV files? Today we take a look at the MakeMKV Beta which gets the job done very well. Installing and Using MakeMKV Download and install MakeMKV (See download link below) If converting a DVD, place it into your optical drive. When you open MakeMKV you will be greeted by it’s minimalistic interface. Click on the DVD to hard drive button to open the DVD, or the folder icon on the top menu to browse for an ISO file.   MakeMKV will open the disc or file. Once the disc or file is opened, you’ll see the titles listed in the window on the left. Double-click on the titles to expand the tree structure.   Remove any title or tracks you don’t want to convert by unselecting the check box to the left. On the right side of the window, click the folder icon to select browse for your file output directory. When ready, click the MakeMkv button to begin the conversion process.   Conversion will proceed.   When the conversion is finished. Click OK. That’s all there is to it! Your MKV file is ready to play. Conclusion MakeMKV is currently still in beta and during the beta phase it will rip both DVD and Blu-ray for free. However, the DVD ripping functionality will always remain free. After 30 days if you want to continue ripping Blu-ray discs, you’ll need to purchase a license. DVD rips are very quick…typically around 15-20 minutes depending on the length of the movie. MakeMKV is available for Windows, Mac, Linux and will rip and convert DVDs to MKV files. Not all media players natively support MKV playback, so if you’re having trouble playing MKV files, try downloading VLC Media player, or the latest version of the DivX codec. Download MakeMKV Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips How To Rip DVDs with VLCEasily Change Audio File Formats with XRECODEHow To Convert Video Files to MP3 with VLCConvert PDF Files to Word Documents and Other FormatsConvert DVD to MP4 / H.264 with HD Decrypter and Handbrake 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 Office 2010 Product Guides Google Maps Place marks – Pizza, Guns or Strip Clubs Monitor Applications With Kiwi LocPDF is a Visual PDF Search Tool Download Free iPad Wallpapers at iPad Decor Get Your Delicious Bookmarks In Firefox’s Awesome Bar

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• Recording Topics manually and automatically

  - by maria.cozzolino(at)oracle.com

  When you are recording UPK topics, the default mode for recording is manual recording, where you tell the system when to record each screen shot. This mode allows you to take the exact screen shot you need. However, it does get a bit tedious when you are recording long topics, especially if you forget to take a few screen shots. In UPK 3.5, a new version of recording was introduced - Automatic Recording. It was designed to simplify the recording process by automatically capturing screen shots as you perform your transaction. If you haven't experimented with Automatic Recording, I'd recommend you give it a try - it might make your recording life easier. If you are recording with sound, you can also narrate your topic while recording it. To turn on Automatic Recording: 1. In Tools/Options, there are two recorder tabs. The first tab, under content defaults, includes settings that you may want to share between developers, like whether keyboard shortcuts are automatically captured. 2. The second tab is the one that contains the personal preferences, like screen shot capture key and whether to record automatically or manually. On this tab, choose the option for Automatic Recording. 3. Save the settings. Note that this setting will NOT impact content defaults; this is for your user only. When you launch the recorder, you will notice a slightly different message with guidance on how to start and stop automatic recording. Once you start recording, the recorder window is hidden until the end of the recording session to allow you to capture your transaction. In the task tray, there is a series of icons that let you know that you are capturing content. You can pause the recording, as well as set and view your sound levels if you are using sound. A camera appears during each screen capture to help you know when the system is capturing a screen shot, and a context indicator appears to show the recognition. With automatic recording, you can let the system capture the necessary screen shots. It may provide a more natural recording experience, and is probably easier for the untrained developer. On the other hand, you have a bit more control with manual recording on which screen shot appears, but it also means you have to remember to capture the screen shot. :) We'd be interested in hearing which type of recording you do, and any rationale on why you made that choice. Please comment and let us know. --Maria Cozzolino, Manager of UPK Software Requirements and UI Design

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• Is my computer slow due to lack of swap

  - by Kristian Jensen

  A few months ago, I installed Ubuntu 12.04 alongside with Windows 7 on my Asus EEE-PC 1015bx. It has a tendency of freezing and when trying to investigate I found that a swap partition of only 256 MB had been created. The Asus EEE-PC 1015bx is born with 1 GByte RAM only and it is not possible to add further or exchange the existing 1 GByte with a larger card. When looking at the system monitor, it looks like all swap is being utilized along with 70-75% of the RAM, even with very few applications running. Can the lack of much swap space be the reason for my computer running slowly and at times freezing? How can I add a swap partition? Or should I add a swap file instead? At the moment, I see two partitions when viewing the system monitor: one 28.6 GByte ext4 partition which must be the one containing Ubuntu and one 100 GByte fuseblk partition which I assume is the one holding Windows. It shows that I have 18.6 GByte free space on the ext4 partition. Can I "take a bite" from the ext4 partition and convert this into a swap partition? I was thinking something like 3 GBytes for swap considering my limited RAM. I hope that someone can guide me through. Thank you. 20th Oct 2012 - Further details Thank you for below answer which I find very useful. I am certainly considering switching to one of your suggested shells as I can see from the Internet that many have posted that these require much fewer resources than ubuntu. It seems to me that lubuntu is the perfect match for my very limited computer. I will have to wait a few days, though, as I am presently limited by a very slow and restricted Internet connection via satellite. But will lubuntu install as simply another shell replacing unity or will it replace ubuntu all together? Will the software that I have installed under ubuntu still be accessible in lubuntu? And can I return to ubuntu if required? Regarding the actual question of swap: When I run gparted, it shows me that there is one ntfs partition of 100 GBytes from where it boots and the before mentioned ext4 partition of 28.6 GBytes is not mentioned. Could it be that my ubuntu installation resides inside this 100 GBytes ntfs partiotion? And if so, can I take a bite of this for my swap partition? Realising that gparted is shown in Danish, I hope that you can make out what I mean. System monitoring shows below details: Once again I sincerely hope that you can help. Thank you.

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• Achieving Zero Downtime Deployment

  - by MattW

  I am trying to achieve zero downtime deployments so I can deploy less during off hours and more during "slower" hours - or anytime, in theory. My current setup, somewhat simplified: Web Server A (.NET App) Web Server B (.NET App) Database Server (SQL Server) My current deployment process: "Stop" the sites on both Web Server A and B Upgrade the database schema for the version of the app being deployed Update Web Server A Update Web Server B Bring everything back online Current Problem This leads to a small amount of downtime each month - about 30 mins. I do this during off hours, so it isn't a huge problem - but it is something I'd like to get away from. Also - there is no way to really go 'back'. I don't generally make rollback DB scripts - only upgrade scripts. Leveraging The Load Balancer I'd love to be able to upgrade one Web Server at a time. Take Web Server A out of the load balancer, upgrade it, put it back online, then repeat for Web Server B. The problem is the database. Each version of my software will need to execute against a different version of the database - so I am sort of "stuck". Possible Solution A current solution I am considering is adopting the following rules: Never delete a database table. Never delete a database column. Never rename a database column. Never reorder a column. Every stored procedure must be versioned. Meaning - 'spFindAllThings' will become 'spFindAllThings_2' when it is edited. Then it becomes 'spFindAllThings_3' when edited again. Same rule applies to views. While, this seems a bit extreme - I think it solves the problem. Each version of the application will be hitting the DB in a non breaking way. The code expects certain results from the views/stored procedures - and this keeps that 'contract' valid. The problem is - it just seeps sloppy. I know I can clean up old stored procedures after the app is deployed for awhile, but it just feels dirty. Also - it depends on all of the developers following these rule, which will mostly happen, but I imagine someone will make a mistake. Finally - My Question Is this sloppy or hacky? Is anybody else doing it this way? How are other people solving this problem?

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• Mark Zuckerberg tops the list of 50 Highest Rated CEOs. 3 Indian CEOs feature in the list.

  - by Gopinath

  Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook is rated as the best CEO according to a report released by the popular employee reviews website Glassdoor.com. 50,000 employees reviews submitted to Glassdoor in the past 1 year are considered for preparing the rating list and Zukerberg topped the list with 99 percent approval to the question “Do you approve of the way your CEO is leading the company?”. Wow! That’s an amazing support to Zukergerg from his employees though stock market and share holders are not with him. Coincidently Facebook is also rated as the best company to work by Glassdoor in a recent survey. Here is the list of top 10 CEOs Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook; 99.3% Approval Bill McDermott & Jim Hagemann Snabe, SAP; 99% Approval Dominic Barton, McKinsey & Company; 97% Approval Jim Turley, Ernst & Young; 96% Approval John E. Schlifske, Northwestern Mutual; 96% Approval Frank D’Souza, Cognizant Technology Solutions; 96% Approval Joe Tucci, EMC; 96% Approval Paul E. Jacobs, QUALCOMM; 95% Approval Richard K. Davis, U.S. Bank; 95% Approval Pierre Nanterme, Accenture; 95% Approval 3 Indian CEOs in the top 50 list – TCS, Wipro & MindTree The list featured three Indian CEOs and all the three are leading Software IT Services organizations in India and creating thousands of IT jobs.  Natarajan Chandrasekaran – the CEO of TCS is at 25th position, Krishnakumar Natarajan – the CEO of MindTree is at 28th position and  Wipro’s T.K.Kurien is at 44th position. Glad to see Indian CEO joining the global ranks. Tech Heavy Weights Google, Apple, Amazon & Microsoft aren’t in top 10 Another thing to note from this report is that the CEO’s of technology heavy weights Google, Apple, Amazon and Microsoft are not in the top10 list- looks like their employees are not really happy with their bosses. At least not as happy as their peers at Facebook. Google CEO’s Larry Page is at 11th position, Jeff Bezos of Amazon at 16th position and Tim Cook of Apple is at 18th position. Well the Microsoft CEO is not even in the list of top 50!! You can read the complete list of ratings at Glassdoor.com’s blog. Photo Credit: Andrew Feinberg

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• ACORD LOMA 2010: Building Insurance Companies in the Clouds

  - by [email protected]

  Chuck Johnston, vice president of global strategy and alliances for Oracle Insurance, participated in a featured speaking session at ACORD LOMA 2010. He provides an update on his discussions with insurers at the show and after his presentation. Every year I always make a point of walking the show floor at the ACORD LOMA technology conference to visit with colleagues and competitors, and try to get a feel for which way the industry will move over the next 12 months. Insurers are looking for substance in cloud (computing), trying to mix business with pleasure (monetizing social networks), and expect differentiation through commodity (Software as a Service). The disconnect at this show is that most vendors are still struggling with creating a clear path from Facebook to customer intimacy, SaaS to core cost savings and clouds to ubiquitous presence. Vendors need to find new ways to help insurers find the real value in these potentially disruptive technologies by understanding the changes coming to the insurance business and how these new technologies impact the new insurance business. Oracle's approach to understanding the evolving insurance industry comes from a discussion with our customers in our Insurance CIO Council, where one of our customers suggested we buy an insurance company to really understand our customers. We have decided to do the next best thing and build our own model of an insurance company, Alamere Insurance, that uses the latest technologies to transform its own business. Alamere will never issue an actual policy, but it does give us a framework to consider the impacts of changes in the insurance landscape and how Oracle technology meets the challenge or needs to evolve to help our customers be successful. In preparing for my talk at the conference using Alamere as my organizing theme, I found myself reading actuarial memoranda on CSO table changes and articles on underwriting theory that really made me think about my customer's problems first and foremost, and then how Oracle technology can provide answers. As much as I prefer techno-thrillers and sci-fi novels to actuarial papers for plane reading, I got very excited about the idea of putting myself back in the customer shoes I haven't worn in a decade, and really looking at how Oracle can power the Adaptive Insurance Enterprise. Talking to customers and industry people after the session, the idea of Alamere seemed to excite people and I got a lot of suggestions as to what lines of business we should model and where we should focus first on technology uptake. One customer said to a colleague that Oracle's attempt to "share their pain" was unique among vendors. More about Alamere, and the Adaptive Insurance Enterprise next time. Chuck Johnston is vice president of global strategy and alliances for Oracle Insurance.

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• Customize the Background in Boxee

  - by DigitalGeekery

  Are you a Boxee user who thinks the default background is little boring? Today we’ll take a look at how to freshen up the look of Boxee by changing the background. Boxee Background When you log into Boxee, select the Settings button at the upper left corner of the Home page.   Select General on the Settings screen. When you select or hover your mouse over the Background Image button, you’ll see options to set a background image or set a background image folder. You’ll have the option of settings a single static image as your background, or choosing an images folder.   If you choose a folder, Boxee will rotate through the images in the folder. To set Background images folder, select that option. Browse for your image folder.. And then select OK.   Boxee will rotate through the images in the folder.   Images will change every ten seconds.   If you prefer a single static image, select Set background image   Choose a image and select OK. Now just enjoy you nice new backgrounds.   If you ever wish to revert back to the default Boxee background, simply select Reset Images on the Settings \ General screen. Adding your own backgrounds is a nice way to customize your Boxee experience. Ideally, you’ll want to choose high resolution images and images oriented as landscape rather than portrait. If you are unfamiliar with Boxee, check out our article on getting started with Boxee.  Looking for a Boxee remote? Read how to use your iPhone or iPod Touch as a Boxee remote. Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Integrate Boxee with Media Center in Windows 7Using Pandora in BoxeeWatch Netflix Instant Movies in BoxeeUse your iPhone or iPod Touch as a Boxee RemoteCustomize the Windows 7 Logon Screen 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 Use ILovePDF To Split and Merge PDF Files TimeToMeet is a Simple Online Meeting Planning Tool Easily Create More Bookmark Toolbars in Firefox Filevo is a Cool File Hosting & Sharing Site Get a free copy of WinUtilities Pro 2010 World Cup Schedule

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• Second Edition of Regular Expressions Cookbook Has Been Published

  - by Jan Goyvaerts

  %COOKBOOKFRAME% The first edition of Regular Expressions Cookbook was published in May of 2009. It quickly became a bestseller, briefly holding the #1 spot in computer books on Amazon.com. It also had staying power. The ebook version was O’Reilly’s top seller during the whole year of 2010. So it’s no surprise that our editor at O’Reilly soon contacted us for a second edition. With Steven and I always being very busy, those plans were delayed until finally both of us found the time to update the book. Work started in January. Today you can buy your own copy of the second edition of Regular Expressions Cookbook. O’Reilly’s online shop sells the eBook in DRM-free ePub, Mobi, and PDF formats for $39.99 and the print version for $49.99. These are the list prices for the eBook and the print book. If you’re looking for a discount and free shipping of the print book, you can pre-order on one of the various Amazon sites. Deliveries should start soon. The discount rates differ and are subject to change. Amazon will also pay me an affiliate commission if you use one of these links, which pretty much doubles the income I get from the book. Amazon.com. Free shipping to the USA. Amazon.co.uk. Free shipping to the UK and Ireland. Amazon.fr. Free shipping to France, Monaco, Luxembourg, and Belgium. Amazon.de. Free shipping to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Belgium, and The Netherlands. If you don’t want to wait for the print book to arrive, the Kindle edition is already available for instant delivery. The Kindle edition works on Amazon’s Kindle hardware, and on PCs via Amazon’s Kindle software (free download). Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk Amazon.fr Amazon.de I’ll blog more about the book in the coming days and weeks with details about what’s new in the second edition.

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• Set a Video as Your Desktop Wallpaper with VLC

  - by DigitalGeekery

  Are you tired of static desktop wallpapers and want something a bit more entertaining? Today we’ll take a look at setting a video as wallpaper in VLC media player. Download and install VLC player. You’ll find the download link below. Open VLC and select Tools > Preferences. On the Preferences windows, select the Video button on the left. Under Video Settings, select DirectX video output from the Output dropdown list. Click Save before exiting and then restart VLC. Next, select a video and begin playing it with VLC. Right-click on the screen, select Video, then DirectX Wallpaper.   You can achieve the same result by selecting Video from the Menu and clicking DirectX Wallpaper.   If you’re using Windows Aero Themes, you may get the warning message below and your theme will switch automatically to a basic theme.   After the Wallpaper is enabled, minimize VLC player and enjoy the show as you work.     When you are ready to switch back to your normal wallpaper, click Video, and then close out of VLC.   Occasionally we had to manually change our wallpaper back to normal. You can do that by right clicking on the desktop and selecting your theme.   Conclusion This might not make the most productive desktop environment, but it is pretty cool. It’s definitely not the same old boring wallpaper! Download VLC Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Dual Monitors: Use a Different Wallpaper on Each Desktop in Windows 7, Vista or XPDual Monitors: Use a Different Wallpaper on Each DesktopDesktop Fun: Video Game Icon PacksDesktop Fun: Starship Theme WallpapersDesktop Fun: Mountains Theme Wallpapers 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 All My Movies 5.9 CloudBerry Online Backup 1.5 for Windows Home Server Snagit 10 VMware Workstation 7 OpenDNS Guide Google TV The iPod Revolution Ultimate Boot CD can help when disaster strikes Windows Firewall with Advanced Security – How To Guides Sculptris 1.0, 3D Drawing app

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• Back-sliding into Unmanaged Code

  - by Laila

  It is difficult to write about Microsoft's ambivalence to .NET without mentioning clichés about dog food.  In case you've been away a long time, you'll remember that Microsoft surprised everyone with the speed and energy with which it introduced and evangelised the .NET Framework for managed code. There was good reason for this. Once it became obvious to all that it had sleepwalked into third place as a provider of development languages, behind Borland and Sun, it reacted quickly to attract the best talent in the industry to produce a windows version of the Java runtime, with Bounds-checking, Automatic Garbage collection, structures exception handling and common data types. To develop applications for this managed runtime, it produced several excellent languages, and more are being provided. The only thing Microsoft ever got wrong was to give it a stupid name. The logical step for Microsoft would be to base the entire operating system on the .NET framework, and to re-engineer its own applications. In 2002, Bill Gates, then Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect said about their plans for .NET, "This is a long-term approach. These things don't happen overnight." Now, eight years later, we're still waiting for signs of the 'long-term approach'. Microsoft's vision of an entirely managed operating system has subsided since the Vista fiasco, but stays alive yet dormant as Midori, still being developed by Microsoft Research. This is an Internet-centric fork of the singularity operating system, a research project started in 2003 to build a highly-dependable operating system in which the kernel, device drivers, and applications are all written in managed code. Midori is predicated on the prevalence of connected systems, with provisions for distributed concurrency where application components exist 'in the cloud', and supports a programming model that can tolerate cancellation, intermittent connectivity and latency. It features an entirely new security model that sandboxes applications for increased security. So have Microsoft converted its existing applications to the .NET framework? It seems not. What Windows applications can run on Mono? Very few, it seems. We all thought that .NET spelt the end of DLL Hell and the need for COM interop, but it looks as if Bill Gates' idea of 'not overnight' might stretch to a decade or more. The Operating System has shown only minimal signs of migrating to .NET. Even where the use of .NET has come to dominate, when used for server applications with IIS, IIS itself is still entirely developed in unmanaged code. This is an irritation to Microsoft's greatest supporters who committed themselves fully to the NET framework, only to find parts of the Ambivalent Microsoft Empire quietly backsliding into unmanaged code and the awful C++. It is a strategic mistake that the invigorated Apple didn't make with the Mac OS X Architecture. Cheers, Laila

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• Extreme Performance and Scale Delivered by SOA on Oracle Exalogic

  - by J Swaroop

  Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii- mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi- mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii- mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi- mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Demands to incorporate internet-scale applications, data, and social media traffic with existing IT infrastructure require extreme availability, reliability, and scalability. In this session on industrial-strength SOA, learn how Oracle Exalogic and Oracle Exadata engineered systems address these requirements. Topics covered: (1) how SOA and BPM benefit from “hardware and software engineered for each other,” (2) how Oracle Exadata provides the data tier with unparalleled scalability and performance for SOA and BPM running on Oracle Exalogic (3) customer case studies (4) best practices and topology guidelines (5) information on tools that help operate, manage, provision, and deploy—to help reduce overall TCO. Extreme engineering at its best! Session details: 10/2/12 (Tuesday) 11:45 AM - Moscone South -308

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• Siegertypen unter sich - beim Oracle Partner Day in Frankfurt

  - by A&C Redaktion

  WIR WARTEN AUF SIE! ORACLE PARTNER DAY - 29. OKTOBER 2012 Erfolg hat immer eine sportliche Komponente – Ehrgeiz, Wissen und Durchhaltevermögen sind mit entscheidend, um in die nächste Runde zu kommen. Sie als Partner können jetzt in einer neuen Liga spielen, denn ab sofort haben Sie die Möglichkeit, das gesamte Oracle Red Stack Produktportfolio – Software, Hardware und Applications – zu verkaufen. An diesem Tag erwarten Sie: David Callaghan, Senior Vice President EMEA Alliances & Channels Jürgen Kunz, Senior Vice President Northern Europe & Country Leader Germany Silvia Kaske, Senior Director Alliances & Channels Europe North Christian Werner, Senior Director Alliances & Channels Germany Sie haben Fragen an die Executives? Im Oracle Leaders Panel (ab 17 Uhr) werden diese live beantwortet. Schicken Sie uns Ihre Fragen einfach zu: per SMS an +49 176 84879149, per Email, via Facebook oder über Twitter.Das neue A&C Coaching Team steht. Sind Sie dabei?Spitzenleistung braucht eine breite Basis: die neue Mannschaftsaufstellung lernen Sie vor Ort live kennen. Holen Sie sich Unterstützung. Und profitieren Sie von einem exzellenten Netzwerk – Ihrer Partnerschaft auf dem Weg nach oben. Steigen Sie mit Alliances & Channels gemeinsam in die neue Liga auf, das mit seinem Produktportfolio am Markt seinesgleichen sucht. Nur noch wenige Tage bis zum Oracle Partner Day 2012!Aber noch nicht zu spät, um sich zu registrieren. Machen Sie sich jetzt auf den Weg an die Spitze! Melden Sie sich hier gleich an.Noch besteht die Möglichkeit für ein 1:1 Meeting mit ausgewählten Oracle Managern vor Ort. Kreuzen Sie Ihren Wunschpartner an, mit dem Sie sich gerne austauschen möchten. Sie machen den Test. Wir zahlen die Testgebühr!Nutzen Sie die Gelegenheit, sich direkt zum OPN Implementation Specialist zu akkreditieren! Melden Sie sich jetzt zum offiziellen Implementierungstest beim Testcenter Pearson Vue vor Ort beim Oracle Partner Day an. Wählen Sie Ihre Fachbereiche aus Fusion Middleware, Applications, Hardware, Datenbank und gehen Sie als Implementierungsspezialist nach Hause. Jetzt kommt der Ball ins Rollen! Sportlicher Abschluss in der Commerzbank ArenaNach den fachlichen Themen des Tages wollen wir den Abend in sportlichem Rahmen mit Ihnen ausklingen lassen. Die „Oracle Red Stack Arena Sport Challenge“ hält für Sie einige Überraschungen bereit. Nur so viel sei verraten: Es wird auch ein mit QR-Codes verknüpfes Gewinnspiel mit attraktiven Preisen geben. Bereiten Sie Ihr Smartphone dafür vor. Wir freuen uns auf Sie!

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• Siegertypen unter sich - beim Oracle Partner Day in Frankfurt

  - by A&C Redaktion

  WIR WARTEN AUF SIE! ORACLE PARTNER DAY - 29. OKTOBER 2012 Erfolg hat immer eine sportliche Komponente – Ehrgeiz, Wissen und Durchhaltevermögen sind mit entscheidend, um in die nächste Runde zu kommen. Sie als Partner können jetzt in einer neuen Liga spielen, denn ab sofort haben Sie die Möglichkeit, das gesamte Oracle Red Stack Produktportfolio – Software, Hardware und Applications – zu verkaufen. An diesem Tag erwarten Sie: David Callaghan, Senior Vice President EMEA Alliances & Channels Jürgen Kunz, Senior Vice President Northern Europe & Country Leader Germany Silvia Kaske, Senior Director Alliances & Channels Europe North Christian Werner, Senior Director Alliances & Channels Germany Sie haben Fragen an die Executives? Im Oracle Leaders Panel (ab 17 Uhr) werden diese live beantwortet. Schicken Sie uns Ihre Fragen einfach zu: per SMS an +49 176 84879149, per Email, via Facebook oder über Twitter.Das neue A&C Coaching Team steht. Sind Sie dabei?Spitzenleistung braucht eine breite Basis: die neue Mannschaftsaufstellung lernen Sie vor Ort live kennen. Holen Sie sich Unterstützung. Und profitieren Sie von einem exzellenten Netzwerk – Ihrer Partnerschaft auf dem Weg nach oben. Steigen Sie mit Alliances & Channels gemeinsam in die neue Liga auf, das mit seinem Produktportfolio am Markt seinesgleichen sucht. Nur noch wenige Tage bis zum Oracle Partner Day 2012!Aber noch nicht zu spät, um sich zu registrieren. Machen Sie sich jetzt auf den Weg an die Spitze! Melden Sie sich hier gleich an.Noch besteht die Möglichkeit für ein 1:1 Meeting mit ausgewählten Oracle Managern vor Ort. Kreuzen Sie Ihren Wunschpartner an, mit dem Sie sich gerne austauschen möchten. Sie machen den Test. Wir zahlen die Testgebühr!Nutzen Sie die Gelegenheit, sich direkt zum OPN Implementation Specialist zu akkreditieren! Melden Sie sich jetzt zum offiziellen Implementierungstest beim Testcenter Pearson Vue vor Ort beim Oracle Partner Day an. Wählen Sie Ihre Fachbereiche aus Fusion Middleware, Applications, Hardware, Datenbank und gehen Sie als Implementierungsspezialist nach Hause. Jetzt kommt der Ball ins Rollen! Sportlicher Abschluss in der Commerzbank ArenaNach den fachlichen Themen des Tages wollen wir den Abend in sportlichem Rahmen mit Ihnen ausklingen lassen. Die „Oracle Red Stack Arena Sport Challenge“ hält für Sie einige Überraschungen bereit. Nur so viel sei verraten: Es wird auch ein mit QR-Codes verknüpfes Gewinnspiel mit attraktiven Preisen geben. Bereiten Sie Ihr Smartphone dafür vor. Wir freuen uns auf Sie!

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• Interviews: Going Beyond the Technical Quiz

  - by Tony Davis

  All developers will be familiar with the basic format of a technical interview. After a bout of CV-trawling to gauge basic experience, strengths and weaknesses, the interview turns technical. The whiteboard takes center stage and the challenge is set to design a function or query, or solve what on the face of it might seem a disarmingly simple programming puzzle. Most developers will have experienced those few panic-stricken moments, when one’s mind goes as blank as the whiteboard, before un-popping the marker pen, and hopefully one’s mental functions, to work through the problem. It is a way to probe the candidate’s knowledge of basic programming structures and techniques and to challenge their critical thinking. However, these challenges or puzzles, often devised by some of the smartest brains in the development team, have a tendency to become unnecessarily ‘tricksy’. They often seem somewhat academic in nature. While the candidate straight out of IT school might breeze through the construction of a Markov chain, a candidate with bags of practical experience but less in the way of formal training could become nonplussed. Also, a whiteboard and a marker pen make up only a very small part of the toolkit that a programmer will use in everyday work. I remember vividly my first job interview, for a position as technical editor. It went well, but after the usual CV grilling and technical questions, I was only halfway there. Later, they sat me alongside a team of editors, in front of a computer loaded with MS Word and copy of SQL Server Query Analyzer, and my task was to edit a real chapter for a real SQL Server book that they planned to publish, including validating and testing all the code. It was a tough challenge but I came away with a sound knowledge of the sort of work I’d do, and its context. It makes perfect sense, yet my impression is that many organizations don’t do this. Indeed, it is only relatively recently that Red Gate started to move over to this model for developer interviews. Now, instead of, or perhaps in addition to, the whiteboard challenges, the candidate can expect to sit with their prospective team, in front of Visual Studio, loaded with all the useful tools in the developer’s kit (ReSharper and so on) and asked to, for example, analyze and improve a real piece of software. The same principles should apply when interviewing for a database positon. In addition to the usual questions challenging the candidate’s knowledge of such things as b-trees, object permissions, database recovery models, and so on, sit the candidate down with the other database developers or DBAs. Arm them with a copy of Management Studio, and a few other tools, then challenge them to discover the flaws in a stored procedure, and improve its performance. Or present them with a corrupt database and ask them to get the database back online, and discover the cause of the corruption.

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• Keeping up with New Releases

  - by Jeremy Smyth

  You can keep up with the latest developments in MySQL software in a number of ways, including various blogs and other channels. However, for the most correct (if somewhat dry and factual) information, you can go directly to the source.  Major Releases  For every major release, the MySQL docs team creates and maintains a "nutshell" page containing the significant changes in that release. For the current GA release (whatever that is) you'll find it at this location: https://dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql/en/mysql-nutshell.html  At the moment, this redirects to the summary notes for MySQL 5.6. The notes for MySQL 5.7 are also available at that website, at the URL http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.7/en/mysql-nutshell.html, and when eventually that version goes GA, it will become the currently linked notes from the URL shown above. Incremental Releases  For more detail on each incremental release, you can have a look at the release notes for each revision. For MySQL 5.6, the release notes are stored at the following location: http://dev.mysql.com/doc/relnotes/mysql/5.6/en/ At the time I write this, the topmost entry is a link for MySQL 5.6.15. Each linked page shows the changes in that particular version, so if you are currently running 5.6.11 and are interested in what bugs were fixed in versions since then, you can look at each subsequent release and see all changes in glorious detail. One really clever thing you can do with that site is do an advanced Google search to find exactly when a feature was released, and find out its release notes. By using the preceding link in a "site:" directive in Google, you can search only within those pages for an entry. For example, the following Google search shows pages within the release notes that reference the --slow-start-timeout option:     site:http://dev.mysql.com/doc/relnotes/mysql/ "--slow-start-timeout" By running that search, you can see that the option was added in MySQL 5.6.5 and also rolled into MySQL 5.5.20.   White Papers Also, with each major release you can usually find a white paper describing what's new in that release. In MySQL 5.6 there was a "What's new" whitepaper at this location: http://www.mysql.com/why-mysql/white-papers/whats-new-mysql-5-6/ You'll find other white papers at: http://www.mysql.com/why-mysql/white-papers/ Search the page for "5.6" to see any papers dealing specificallly with that version.

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• Is inline SQL still classed as bad practice now that we have Micro ORMs?

  - by Grofit

  This is a bit of an open ended question but I wanted some opinions, as I grew up in a world where inline SQL scripts were the norm, then we were all made very aware of SQL injection based issues, and how fragile the sql was when doing string manipulations all over the place. Then came the dawn of the ORM where you were explaining the query to the ORM and letting it generate its own SQL, which in a lot of cases was not optimal but was safe and easy. Another good thing about ORMs or database abstraction layers were that the SQL was generated with its database engine in mind, so I could use Hibernate/Nhibernate with MSSQL, MYSQL and my code never changed it was just a configuration detail. Now fast forward to current day, where Micro ORMs seem to be winning over more developers I was wondering why we have seemingly taken a U-Turn on the whole in-line sql subject. I must admit I do like the idea of no ORM config files and being able to write my query in a more optimal manner but it feels like I am opening myself back up to the old vulnerabilities such as SQL injection and I am also tying myself to one database engine so if I want my software to support multiple database engines I would need to do some more string hackery which seems to then start to make code unreadable and more fragile. (Just before someone mentions it I know you can use parameter based arguments with most micro orms which offers protection in most cases from sql injection) So what are peoples opinions on this sort of thing? I am using Dapper as my Micro ORM in this instance and NHibernate as my regular ORM in this scenario, however most in each field are quite similar. What I term as inline sql is SQL strings within source code. There used to be design debates over SQL strings in source code detracting from the fundamental intent of the logic, which is why statically typed linq style queries became so popular its still just 1 language, but with lets say C# and Sql in one page you have 2 languages intermingled in your raw source code now. Just to clarify, the SQL injection is just one of the known issues with using sql strings, I already mention you can stop this from happening with parameter based queries, however I highlight other issues with having SQL queries ingrained in your source code, such as the lack of DB Vendor abstraction as well as losing any level of compile time error capturing on string based queries, these are all issues which we managed to side step with the dawn of ORMs with their higher level querying functionality, such as HQL or LINQ etc (not all of the issues but most of them). So I am less focused on the individual highlighted issues and more the bigger picture of is it now becoming more acceptable to have SQL strings directly in your source code again, as most Micro ORMs use this mechanism. Here is a similar question which has a few different view points, although is more about the inline sql without the micro orm context: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5303746/is-inline-sql-hard-coding

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• Finance: Friends, not foes!

  - by red@work

  After reading Phil's blog post about his experiences of working on reception, I thought I would let everyone in on one of the other customer facing roles at Red Gate... When you think of a Credit Control team, most might imagine money-hungry (and often impolite) people, who will do nothing short of hunting people down until they pay up. Well, as with so many things, not at Red Gate! Here we do things a little bit differently.   Since joining the Licensing, Invoicing and Credit Control team at Red Gate (affectionately nicknamed LICC!), I have found it fantastic to work with people who know that often the best way to get what you want is by being friendly, reasonable and as helpful as possible. The best bit about this is that, because everyone is in a good mood, we have a great working atmosphere! We are definitely a very happy team. We laugh a lot, even when dealing with the serious matter of playing table football after lunch. The most obvious part of my job is bringing in money. There are few things quite as satisfying as receiving a big payment or one that you've been chasing for a long time. That being said, it's just as nice to encounter the companies that surprise you with a payment bang on time after little or no chasing. It's always a pleasure to find these people who are generous and easy to work with, and so they always make me smile, too. As I'm in one of the few customer facing roles here, I get to experience firsthand just how much Red Gate customers love our software and are equally impressed with our customer service. We regularly get replies from people thanking us for our help in resolving a problem or just to simply say that they think we're great. Or, as is often the case, that we 'rock and are awesome'! When those are the kinds of emails you have to deal with for most of the day, I would challenge anyone to be unhappy! The best thing about my work is that, much like Phil and his counterparts on reception, I get to talk to people from all over the world, and experience their unique (and occasionally unusual) personality traits. I deal predominantly with customers in the US, so I'll be speaking to someone from a high flying multi-national in New York one minute, and then the next phone call will be to a small office on the outskirts of Alabama. This level of customer involvement has led to a lot of interesting anecdotes and plenty of in-jokes to keep us amused! Obviously there are customers who are infuriating, like those who simply tell us that they will pay "one day", and that we should stop chasing them. Then there are the people who say that they ordered the tools because they really like them, but they just can't afford to actually pay for them at the moment. Thankfully these situations are relatively few and far between, and for every one customer that makes you want to scream, there are far, far more that make you smile!

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• Real-time Big Data Analytics is a reality for StubHub with Oracle Advanced Analytics

  - by Mark Hornick

  What can you use for a comprehensive platform for real-time analytics? How can you process big data volumes for near-real-time recommendations and dramatically reduce fraud? Learn in this video what Stubhub achieved with Oracle R Enterprise from the Oracle Advanced Analytics option to Oracle Database, and read more on their story here. Advanced analytics solutions that impact the bottom line of a business are challenging due to the range of skills and individuals involved in realizing such solutions. While we hear a lot about the role of the data scientist, that role is but one piece of the puzzle. Advanced analytics solutions also have an operationalization aspect that also requires close proximity to where the transactional activity occurs. The data scientist needs access to the right data with which to model the business problem. This involves IT for data collection, management, and administration, as well as ensuring zero downtime (a website needs to be up 24x7). This also involves working with the data scientist to keep predictive models refreshed with the latest scripts. Integrating advanced analytics solutions into enterprise apps involves not just generating predictions, but supporting the whole life-cycle from data collection, to model building, model assessment, and then outcome assessment and feedback to the model building process again. Application and web interface designers need to take into account how end users will see and use the advanced analytics results, e.g., supporting operations staff that need to handle the potentially fraudulent transactions. As just described, advanced analytics projects can be "complicated" from just a human perspective. The extent to which software can simplify the interactions among users and systems will increase the likelihood of project success. The ability to quickly operationalize advanced analytics projects and demonstrate measurable value, means the difference between a successful project and just a nice research report. By standardizing on Oracle Database and SQL invocation of R, along with in-database modeling as found in Oracle Advanced Analytics, expedient model deployment and zero downtime for refreshing models becomes a reality. Meanwhile, data scientists are also able to explore leading edge techniques available in open source. The Oracle solution propels the entire organization forward to realize the value of advanced analytics.

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• View Images and Videos in 3D in Firefox

  - by Asian Angel

  Different websites have their own format for viewing images and videos, but may not be a lot of fun to use. The Cooliris extension for Firefox lets you view those same images and videos in a dynamic 3D format. Before For our example we conducted a search for nature photos at Flickr. You could view them in a static format or even as a slideshow but what about something more dynamic looking? After As soon as the extension has finished installing, you will notice a new toolbar button used for launching the Cooliris tab. When you launch the Cooliris tab you will have an expandable menu system in the upper left corner. A speed dial setup in the center. And a small toolbar in the lower right corner Before going further you should check and make any desired adjustments in the preferences to enhance your viewing experience. In the upper right corner you can start your search by selecting from the available sources. The same search for nature images is more focused and clean looking this time. Clicking on an image will bring it forward and enlarge it. You can use the slider tool at the bottom of the tab to browser left or right through the images and videos. And when you find one that interests you, click on the popout button to open it in a new tab. Conclusion The Cooliris extension makes viewing images and videos fun and interactive with its’ 3D style format. Links Download the Cooliris extension (Mozilla Add-ons) Download Cooliris for Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari (Mac Only), & Chrome Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Make Firefox Display Large Images Full SizeInstalling Windows Media Player Plugin for FirefoxStop YouTube Videos from Automatically Playing in FirefoxShare Text & Images the Easy Way with JustPaste.itEasily View Source of Included Files in 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 VMware Workstation 7 Acronis Online Backup DVDFab 6 Revo Uninstaller Pro FetchMp3 Can Download Videos & Convert Them to Mp3 Use Flixtime To Create Video Slideshows Creating a Password Reset Disk in Windows Bypass Waiting Time On Customer Service Calls With Lucyphone MELTUP – "The Beginning Of US Currency Crisis And Hyperinflation" Enable or Disable the Task Manager Using TaskMgrED

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