GeekPost Weekly Newsletter Volume 1 Issue 4

Geek Post

Volume 1 Issue 4

Friday 6 November 2009

Hippolite Musings

Nothing new with www.GrenadaVillage.org.nz this week.

My other personal website http://biblereader.cloudapp.net/ is down at the moment for the follow reasons:

• Microsoft emailed to inform that as I was hosted in North America, and they intended doing maintenance, would I please delete my service and recreate it in their South America domain?
• In order to delete the service, I also had to delete the deployments (PROD, TEST).
• No problem, I had the original project on my laptop.
• Except, I forgot, that in order to code Cloud Apps, I had to do it remotely on a Vista PC, because the SDK only runs on Vista, not XP.
• Except, my Vista PC at work got refreshed, and I no longer possess it.
• Hence,  I don't have a deployable project anymore.
• Which really is a pity, because while it was down, I took some time and tweaked my local copy of it, so that it no longer merely refers to a daily reading, but actually links to it as well!
• A handy little app in search of a site.

Blessings,
James

Developer News

Microsoft Diagnostics helps you validate those assumptions by providing a framework for developers to easily integrate simple system verification tests (Diagnostic Tests) into their applications. A system engineer or an administrator can execute securely with a remote client (e.g. ExpressClient) while the application is running. Productivity Hub Helps Reduce Training Costs

Microsoft has developed the Productivity Hub to help support your ongoing end user training efforts. The Hub is a SharePoint Server 2007 site collection that serves as a learning community and is fully customizable. It provides a central place for your training efforts, and includes training content from Microsoft's core products. Microsoft also provides ongoing and updated

Telecom News

If you want to help me potentially win a MacBook and/or holiday, then do the following:

• Sign up for Online Bill at Your Telecom
• Tell me about it
• I register your name, then I go in the draw to win

Here's three great benefits to Online Bill:

1. You get an email reminder when your latest bill is available online
2. Your billing history (up to 18 previous bills) is stored for you
3. It's green!

Security News

http://apps.facebook.com/crazyfunpix/item_detail/?previous_view=FB_FUNWALL_NOTIFICATION&media_token=S3FuKX7KCF_mC7nuH0WE5JwTeDRsvPafUV5Uk0P8HvVsn_teoJSI8xVk6BH-vJXzfv2Fn42iXo5r7qIRIiLqv5Er3A1EQbdvYyGpbJS66GQ2MvVlDB1k6N0BWTQHOvQ57sGeu9sfGDLzsCgpusIm-w&CXNID=1000005.8NXC&se=Bp0FMO4jpD50q82YIZnSKAgfuzOIZl2kWnFKy2rBFcVKthF6fDZGJyD6DeqYNwVB4NoImpNZB2hhmdXx750oszB1R0X5hFzvhyLyGwOyTY-wVrwRgvJQ1n5g30nKcRIP

Product News

Ever wish that somebody, anybody could force your lost and (of course) in silent-mode mobile phone to ring out loud until you find it? Microsoft My Phone has an ingenious new service that does just that. Although this premium feature will eventually cost a small amount, it's available for free through November 30, 2009!

Most My Phone features, like backing up your phone's content automatically, are available at no charge.* Back up the information on your phone today! Got an embarrassing ringtone?

Created with mobile etiquette in mind, these ringtones let you know you've got a call, without annoying everyone around you. New Windows Phone

With Windows phone, it's like your PC just grew legs. Take the web, work, and your friends along wherever you go, using the latest versions of Internet Explorer and Office Mobile, plus cool new apps, like Facebook and Windows Live for mobile.

Situations Vacant

Give your career renewed intensity and be at the forefront of a huge range of technologies. Gain visibility as you get involved in a wide variety of projects whilst working within a team dedicated to personal development. Develop, design and engineer network solutions for internal customers - exposure business wide to high profile projects will open up a world of possibilities for you. PRO0207P Senior Project Manager - Wellington

Be a key part of delivering strategically important projects and ensuring highly visible projects are effectively delivered to rigid deadlines. Champion project management best practices and lead by example to keep the focus on delivery and execution across the programme of work. With a raft of new initiatives to execute, this role is not to be overlooked.

Training News

• Windows 7 Training Kit For Developers

  Includes presentations, hands-on labs, and demos designed to help you learn how to build applications that are compatible with and shine on Windows 7.

• Windows Azure Platform Training Kit

  The Azure Services Training Kit includes a comprehensive set of technical content including hands-on labs, presentations, and demos that are designed to help you learn how to use the Windows Azure platform including: Windows Azure, SQL Azure and .NET Services. The October release includes new videos and labs in addition to VB code snippets and updated content for SQL Azure October CTP.

Dot Net News

.I had family commitments.  Here's the spiel:

Wellington .NET: Unit Testing 101

Xero, Level 1, 98 Customhouse Quay, Wellington
4/11/2009 6:00 p.m.

We've all heard the hype - that unit testing is a good way, "the one true way" to improve the reliability and flexibility of our systems, to drive out good design, reduce coupling, increase cohesion, write less code, write better code, write faster code, decrease dependencies, write code faster, reduce our carbon footprint, plant native trees, save the whales, reduce orangutan unemployment, counter global warming and colonize the stars.

Some of this hype is thoroughly justifiable. Some ... less so.

Come along to "Unit Testing 101" to see how to make Unit Testing work, not just from a mechanical perspective (how do we write a unit test) but from a philosophical one (how do we write a GOOD unit test).

Bevan Arps is a professional software developer and self confessed geek. With a career that spans analysis to testing, hardware installation to user training, and tech support to technical writing, he is currently a C#/.NET developer working for the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. Bevan's blog can be read online at www.nichesoftware.co.nz

Events Schedule

In this section, I highlight dates, times and venues of events either I am presenting at, or of interest to METTLE.  I'm available for bookings.

Humour

Marketing over-promise + Developer develops = Customers yelling!