With the release of v2.0 of dasBlog, I decided to give it a try.  After working with BlogEngine.NET, I felt dasBlog was a bit easier to set up and get running.  When I was setting up BlogEngine, there was some content on the home page (on some of the themes) that I desperately tried to find how to edit.

After digging through some code, I found that code (the About Me) was not editable via any UI.  I feel that BlogEngine is going to be a good product for someone that really wants an engine to integrate into their existing app, but I just wanted something to capture my rambling thoughts.

Your mileage may vary.

What's been in development longer than the iPhone, and will outsell said Jesus phone in a week?

SPORE, an upcoming game from EA and famed game designer Will Wright (Sim City, The Sims), that's what. The game was finally let out of it's cage at the Leipzig Gaming Conference, and was just reviewed by 1UP.

It sounds just as fantastic now as it did when I first heard about it.  Maybe I should buy a gaming rig...

When my old hard drive fritzed out my installed XP, a bolt of fear went deep through my soul. The main reason for that was the 17.8GB of music I have on that drive. Once I realized it was still there, I exhaled again, then decided I would no longer keep my music on my local drive. Seems simple enough; tell iTunes where the music is at and off we go.

Unfortunately, iTunes really -- and I mean really -- wants to keep music locally. Especially when you're actively using it as the client for netcasts, things can get confusing quickly.

This issue no longer bothers me because I found, fell in love with, and useiTLU, or iTunes Library Updater.  Lifehacker has a great how-to article, so I won't duplicate it here.  Just let it be known that I approve of this software.  

Hello everyone, my name is Matt, and I'm a Flight Sim junkie.

<crowd> Hello, Matt </crowd>

Back in 1982, the first PC-based game I played was subLOGIC's Flight Simulator.

I played it on my oldest brother's ultra-compact, ultra-lightweight Compaq Portable IBM-PC clone.  It only weighed 34 pounds and had two -- COUNT THEM -- 2 floppy drives and looked just like this:
Anyway, Flight Simulator has always had a nice warm place in my heart, regardless how piss-poor as it was in 1983.  Consequently, I've been very excited to get my laptop setup and settled for Microsoft's latest refresh of the venerable series, FSX.

I checked out all of the specifications to see if my 2 year old Dell will hold together for it:

• XP/Vista?  Check!
• Processor > 1.0GHz?  Check!
• RAM > 512MB?  Check!
• HDD > 14GB...  uuuuhhh

Ummm... that can't possibly mean what I think it does.  They just want me to have a big HDD.  Right?

Nope. One-four gigabytes avialable on the hard drive.

In the back of my head, Dr. Emmet Brown is yelling "ONE POINT TWENTY ONE JIGAWATS!!?!?"

Holy moly.  I've read some amazing reviews of this piece of software, but I cannot dedicate 90% of my available HDD space to one game.  Visual Studio 2005 Pro, the product I use to actually make a living, doesn't take up more than 2GB of space.

Back on the shelf you go, FSX, I hope to build a special machine just for you.  One that looks like a Delorean.  And has a Flux Capacitor.

*SNIFF*

My father has been deamonized by macular degeneration, a debilitating disease that causes you to slowly lose your vision.  It's frustrating for him and my mother, and it pains me to see him go through it.

As a web developer, his challenges are constantly running through my mind as I create new sites.  Today, I came across a website that's using Odiogo.com, a automatic text-to-speech plugin for blogs or other content.  I'll be looking into this product for more information, but if you've been using it, I'd be interested in your feedback.

Saw a post about GoPingMe.com, a service that allows you to set multiple reminders that are sent via SMS to your cellphone.  It sounds interesting enough, and the screenshot (below) really sells the idea.

Here's the catch:  In the terms of service, the following is buried in the middle of the mess of a Terms of Service contract:

You agree to allow ZETETIC LLC to contact you via email, telephone, or postal mail for the purposes of marketing, advertising, announcing new products and services, or informing you of updates to SERVICES you already use.

Now, I really don't mind if you want to send me an advert in the SMS.  I can ignore that just like anything else.  But what I can't stand for is you [potentially] selling my cell-phone number to a bunch of spammers.  Especially with all of the great dialer tools freely available, it doesn't take much for someone to set up a couple of phone banks, liberally seed some telephone numbers, then send the machines off to do the dirty work. 

Yeah.  Good luck with your service, fellas.

Two notes today; first, I found WebbAlert.com today.  My diagnosis?  Meh.  I guess if you've got a crush on Morgan Webb, the ex-Tech TV sideshow hottie, it's eye candy.  For the rest of us, the information seems trite at best.

One story was interesting however.  Successful Software created a piece of "software" that was nothing but a text file renamed to .EXE and uploaded to download sites.  The textfile said, "This program does nothing at all."  What did he get in return?   16 awards, and some interesting comments like, "Great job, we're really impressed!!![sic]"

So, note to self, if you're ever downloading sofware from a vendor and they mention any/all of the vendors listed on Successful Sofware's post, well, caveat emptor.

Two notes today; first, I found WebbAlert.com today.  My diagnosis?  Meh.  I guess if you've got a crush on Morgan Webb, the ex-Tech TV sideshow hottie, it's eye candy.  For the rest of us, the information seems trite at best.

One story was interesting however.  Successful Software created a piece of "software" that was nothing but a text file renamed to .EXE and uploaded to download sites.  The textfile said, "This program does nothing at all."  What did he get in return?   16 awards, and some interesting comments like, "Great job, we're really impressed!!![sic]"

So, note to self, if you're ever downloading sofware from a vendor and they mention any/all of the vendors listed on Successful Sofware's post, well, caveat emptor.

I’ve been listening to netcasts a lot.  I’m getting picky on what gets into my list of netcasts, as I’m starting to figure out fairly quickly that 30 netcasts eat a fair amount of hard drive space.  That’s not to say that I wouldn’t like to have all 30 netcasts saved.  Herein lies the point of this post.

In the attempt to sound more professional, a few casts have a standard bumper that is played at the beginning and end of every netcast.  For example, take TWiT.  They have a one minute lead-in, and a (roughly) one minute lead-out.  For TWiT and a recent 91-minute show, that amounts to about 2.2% of their netcast size.  The download of that cast was 42.9MB, meaning the bumpers consist of 0.85MB of space that I simply don’t listen to, which also implies there’s nearly 1MB of data transferred which they paid for that is never consumed.

In the case of TWiT, I suppose it’s not a deal breaker; it’s only 2-3%.  In the case of some of the smaller casts I listen to however, it boggles my mind.  Take The Finer Points, a netcast by a Certified Flight Instructor talking about air safety.  He publishes netcasts in the range of 5-10 minutes with a 1 minute bumper on each end.  For a 5 minute show, that’s 40% of his show.  Holy moly.  Even at a longer (for him) 15 minute show, we’re talking a 13% waste.

This all struck home for me when I was listening to a netcast hosted on a .MAC account who busted his bandwidth limitation for the month.  His show also has a bumper, but he’s chosen to use a 5 minute space to highlight a random band.  Great idea if this were a music cast, but it also was about general aviation.

If I produce a netcast one day, I will prefer to use bandwidth efficiently and get a wider audience.  But that’s just me…

 

Visual Studio, Visual Studio 2005, Development Tips & Tricks, Vista

Tips & tricks for using Spambayes on Vista

My name is Matt Birmingham.  I've been working with computers professionally since 1986, and unprofessionally since I first laid hands on a Commodore VIC-20.  I currently work for New Amsterdam Consulting, Inc, as the lead application architect and general do-everything-guy.  I am a Microsoft Certified Solution Engineer and hold a degree from Arizona State University as a Computer Systems Engineer.

I have worked with both private and public companies helping them leverage investments by integrating legacy systems with cutting edge technologies.  These companies have ranged from 5-employee not-for-profits to Fortune 100 companies with $30B USD in annual profits. 

Before New Amsterdam Consulting, I worked as an independent contractor, and as a consultant for mid-sized consulting firm where I lived through the entire dot-com bubble, beginning to end.  Previously I worked in the IT departments of a national hotel chain and a major US airline.

I love the idea of being a "jack-of-all-trades." Robert A. Heinlein put it best in Time Enough for Love:

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. 

I had to look up what "conn a ship" meant so I think I qualify as more of a jack-of-some-trades. That said, I do have some first-hand knowledge of being a

• Musician I have been playing the drums since 1981, and only got descent after seven years.  I have appeared on three recorded CDs, and currently play with The Calamities.  I have heard many good jokes about drummers, this being my favorite: "What do you call the guy that hangs out back stage with musicians?  A drummer."  I'm convinced Dave Weckyl has a third arm.
• Photographer  I am the unofficial photographer for my wife's wedding floral business.  I would very much like to drop a few thousand on a nice medium format Mamiya and photo-document the world.  Speaking of which...
• Traveler  I have traveled to six countries, and hope to one day retire to a nice flat near the Louvre with my wife and a small dog or two.  I have visited 15 states in the US, driven through six others, and lived in two.  I've been to six of the 50 places the BBC says I need to see before I die, and am disappointed that visiting Michelangelo's David wasn't on the list.  6 of 50... hmmm... I better find my passport.
• Cook  I've never worked an hour in a professional kitchen, but that doesn't stop my obsession with Alton Brown, finding secret recipes, and collecting all of the gadgets I can't live without.   I have, at one time, used 5 of the 6 burners on my 36" duel-fuel Kitchen-Aid range.  I can make: a mean pizza, pad thai, a high-roast chicken with potatoes that you would kill for, the tastiest grilled brats and corn you've ever had, and cinnamon buns that nearly made Cinnabon entirely leave the greater Phoenix area.
• Adoptive parent  If you or anyone you know is pregnant, and is confused about whether or not to keep the child, please have them contact a local adoption agency.  Adoption is a real opportunity, and for some parents, the only way to have a family.

I have other passions that I admit having little first-hand knowledge of, but that doesn't stop me from loving: the NFL, MLB, lacrosse, and road cycling (in no particular order), general aviation, and roadsters. 

If you've read this far, you're obsessing.  Go read a good book.