Concise Example of C# Code Generation
Everyone knows that Don Box is a sharp guy. Blah...blah...blah. But I really like this 75 line program he has posted on his weblog - if this doesn't help you understand how C# generates code, nothing will.
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Everyone knows that Don Box is a sharp guy. Blah...blah...blah. But I really like this 75 line program he has posted on his weblog - if this doesn't help you understand how C# generates code, nothing will.
I like the idea behind on Microsoft's Coding4Fun site: some people (usually geeky people like yours truly), like to write code for fun. They have some decent articles on there right now with some interesting little apps. Worth a look if you like that sort of thing.
I just spotted this USB lava lamp on Engaget - I love USB!
The release of detailed coverage maps by T-Mobile is a great idea. This way, I can tell if they cover the places that I want to use my phone without going through the hassle of buying it and returning it if it doesn't work.
Now, if only their coverage was stronger in my neighboorhood, I'd be tempted to switch.
The new Yahoo! Messenger Beta looks interesting. VoIP is the most compelling new feature but the drag and drop for photos also looks nice. I'm going to install and give it a test drive...
Google has announced that they are going to start selling ads in RSS feeds. I'm not opposed to people making a buck off of their weblogs, but this could be the beginning of the end of RSS as we know it. I love the quote in B2Day: "This market will be utterly thrilling for the next three years until people figure out a way to utterly destroy it." How true.
I recently saw in Eric Sink's weblog that he did another mini-marathon. His story and my own experiences with running got me thinking about the similarities between distance events and software development.
You start both with great enthusiasm. In both, foolishly optimistic decisions on pace are often made. Finishing development projects and marathons is the hardest part - anyone can start, but it takes focus and effort to finish. Lastly, you learn a lot about yourself in the process. Even though I've been involved in shipping software for a long time and every project has similarities, every project has it's distinct challenges and rewards - same thing with marathons.
Even if you think Mr. Gates got his immense wealth through the exploitation of monopoly power (which I do not), you have to admit he puts his money up to some very good causes. Last year, it was well-placed investments in Third World disease. This year, it is an investment in the US education system. Both are areas where a bit of money can make a big difference.
I just found this interesting tool on Microsoft's website - it is an add-in that enhances Excel's integration with XML. Actually, it doesn't look like it enhances the functionality so much as it makes it easier to use. Worth checking out if you have to do any XML integration with Excel (and let's face it, who doesn't).
I bet they could come up with some interesting products between these two - get your movies/news/sports off of the satellite feed and watch them wherever you want. Archos needs to step it up a notch in their ease-of-use, but if they can do that, they might have a nice winner here.
ARC has interesting coverage on what SAP is up to with NetWeaver from the latest SAP Sapphire conference.
Having seen a decent amount of the NetWeaver technology up close and personal, I'd have to agree with the assessment that it is a work in progress but shows promise. With 4500 people working on it, it better be good...
Went to a fun concert on Friday evening - DeDe Bridgewater and the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra. They did quite a number of jazz standards and mostly alternated between orchestral arrangements and more traditional trio arrangements. Ms. Bridgewater is an incredible singer with very compelling stage presence and she worked very well with our local symphony maestro - David Wiley. It was a very fun evening and makes me want to see more live music (something that is a little bit lacking around here but can be found if you make the effort).
I went to the NCTC's TechNite awards dinner with some people from work last night. The council presented 5 awards to local companies for innovation in manufacturing, biotechnology and information technology.
The keynote speaker was Bob McDowell, a VP at Microsoft, who talked about the competitiveness of the IT market and how providers need to offer real value to business. This is especially important now during this period of hangover from the run-away IT party in the late 90s. He was an interesting speaker and had a good sense of humor and excellent presentation skills. All of the attendees got a copy of his book, which I'll probably take a look at to see what it is all about.
I've gone to this event for the past few years and it always amazes me that there are about 500 people there - it just doesn't seem like there is that much high-tech activity in the NewVa (not the best name) region. But, they come out of the woodwork each year. Overall, a good event and one that I'm glad I attended.
I watched 24 Hour Party People the other night. It was a lot different than I expected. I kind of went into it cold, knowing only that it was about the early Manchester scene and the people that made it happen. I thought it was going to be more of documentary kind of thing. Instead, it was told as a first person biography of Tony Wilson. If you don't know the bands and at least a little about what in general was going on, it might be tedious but, it is a must-see movie if you are a Joy Division/New Order/Happy Mondays fan.
Also, a strike against Blockbuster Online for the condition of this movie. My DVD player usually does OK with slightly scratched discs, but this one had a lot of areas where the audio and video would break up which was quite annoying. I'll lodge a complaint on the site and see what happens.
In an e-mail newsletter I received from ARC Advisory Group, Simon Bragg describes what he heard at Sapphire in Copenhagen about Mendocino:
User productivity...has been enhanced by the relationship with Microsoft, which aims to better integrate the Microsoft Desktop with the underlying SAP application. Outlook is likely to be a key interface for an enterprise whose processes are driven by events and emailed alerts. The project, codenamed Mendocino, will, for instance, enable users to book an appointment in outlook to a project within SAP. An e-mailed alert could bring up the relevant view within SAP’s portal, as a pane within outlook, to enable users to rapidly resolve the issue either themselves, or by kicking off a workflow.
With 12 million users, each of whom could be charged around $100 for the enhanced functionality, and there is a total available market opportunity of $1billion license revenue. Microsoft Business Solution products will also get this functionality, but Oracle Applications does not appear to be currently on the roadmap.
Sounds like a simple. but compelling, idea. Not a bad way to generate an extra billion dollars or so out of your installed base. Split that right down the middle between SAP and Microsoft and you still have a number worth getting out of bed in the morning for.
When it comes to adoption of XBRL, I'm in the same corner as the reglators at the FDIC and other government agencies. A Reuters article cites some interesting applications that agencies want to apply XBRL including money laundering and environmental analysis.
To me, this seems like a very promising technology to automate and standardize corporate reporting. If it became widespread, you can imagine some interesting automated investment strategies based on interpreting XBRL data. It seems unclear whether this will get enough support to take off, but it does have some of the right backers.
I recently saw an article saying that Sun was going to embark on an acquisition spree with the $7.4B in cash and securities they have. One of the questions asked was whether Dell was a target. Dell has a market cap somewhere in the $85B range and a strong insider who owns a large number of shares (Michael Dell). That would be one heckuva bold (read: impossible) aquisition move. Who asks these questions?