Entries for jsrfc58

XAML/WPF Usage [XAML/WPF Usage]

jsrfc58 — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 21:05:41 GMT

Are any developers using XAML seriously yet? Are you shipping any products with WPF functionality? I'm curious to see what people have come up with, beyond the typical MS examples/demos I've seen.

in reply to XAML/WPF Usage

iWoz: The Book [iWoz: The Book]

jsrfc58 — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 15:37:07 GMT

Co-founder tells his side of Apple story

Reuters wrote:

In a book titled "iWoz" published this week, Wozniak seeks to tell the engineer's side of the story and set a few things in the record straight.

I can't wait to read this...

in reply to iWoz: The Book

Transferring old VHS tapes to DVD [Transferring old VHS tapes to DVD]

jsrfc58 — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 20:54:42 GMT

I am thinking about having a VHS version of a family video transferred over to a DVD (which ironically came from an 8mm film). I have a DVD-burner, and some basic DVD-creation software, but I am wondering how difficult it is to do such a thing. Are there any good tutorials out there for doing this yourself, or is it something better left to a "professional shop"?

Just curious if anybody has ever done anything like this or would know how easy/difficult it is.

Thanks.

in reply to Transferring old VHS tapes to DVD

Somebody explain the magic of XAML to me [Somebody explain the magic of XAML to me]

jsrfc58 — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 16:13:09 GMT

Okay, I'll admit it, I haven't really worked much with DirectX (although I have done some OpenGL work and 3-D on my own the hard way). But why do I feel like I am missing something or another about the "power of XAML"? I understand the basic language and all, but for all the demos I have looked at it, I keep thinking it is just another 3-D modelling language/presentation system with a different syntax.

Is it the issue of separating the presentation layer from the "code" or something?

in reply to Somebody explain the magic of XAML to me

C9 Park: Scoble vs. Prion Man [C9 Park: Scoble vs. Prion Man]

jsrfc58 — Sat, 01 Oct 2005 04:19:45 GMT

in reply to C9 Park: Scoble vs. Prion Man

E-Books: Does Anybody Buy Them? [E-Books: Does Anybody Buy Them?]

jsrfc58 — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 02:05:03 GMT

I'm curious...does anybody (other than Tablet PC owners I guess) actually buy/use e-books? I'm wondering how big the market is for them nowadays. For reference books I can see this happening, but how about for non-fiction or even fiction?

Thanks in advance...

in reply to E-Books: Does Anybody Buy Them?

KDE over Mac OS X [KDE over Mac OS X]

jsrfc58 — Fri, 23 Sep 2005 14:22:29 GMT

Hey look at that. Somebody figured out how to run KDE over on Mac OS X. :O

http://www.appletalk.com.au/articles/index.php?article=12088

in reply to KDE over Mac OS X

Dutch Plan to Implement Tracking Database for All Citizens [Dutch Plan to Implement Tracking Database for All Citizens]

jsrfc58 — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 13:25:26 GMT

Dutch Plan To Implement Tracking Database for All Citizens

the article wrote:

The Dutch government will begin tracking every citizen from cradle to grave in a single database, opening a personal electronic dossier for every child at birth with health and family data, and eventually adding school and police records.

The Health Ministry says the new database will begin Jan. 1, 2007

...

But organizations can raise "red flags" in the dossier to caution other agencies of potential problems with children, said ministry spokesman Jan Brouwer. Until now, schools and police have been unable to communicate with each other about truancy records and criminality, which are often linked.

SQL Server, MySQL, or Oracle? Think of the markets if more countries follow this! Larry Ellison must be drooling.

Discuss.

in reply to Dutch Plan to Implement Tracking Database for All Citizens

So Nata1, when is your interview? [So Nata1, when is your interview?]

jsrfc58 — Thu, 15 Sep 2005 23:51:12 GMT

...or did you already have it? If so, how did it go?

in reply to So Nata1, when is your interview?

Somebody Hacked the Lego Factory [Somebody Hacked the Lego Factory]

jsrfc58 — Thu, 15 Sep 2005 14:00:10 GMT

The Lego Factory

Hacking the Lego Factory

An article wrote:

Last month, Lego launched Lego Factory, a service through which users can create their own unique and customized Lego models--a cat, the Statue of Liberty, a tree or whatever else users choose.

Once the designs are created and uploaded through Lego Factory, the company manufactures the bricks necessary for the model and ships them to users so they can assemble their models. Customers can also buy the bricks necessary to build from other people's designs, which are posted on the site.

I was always kind of wondering when they would come up with a modeling tool like this. Granted, I haven't touched a box of Legos in twenty something years...but I think I have a big box of them in storage somewhere.

in reply to Somebody Hacked the Lego Factory

DARPA Presents: The Flying Walrus [DARPA Presents: The Flying Walrus]

jsrfc58 — Thu, 15 Sep 2005 00:58:12 GMT

Wasn't there a reason we stopped building these things (except for sporting events)?

The Military's Walrus: An Unlikely Flying Machine

the article wrote:
DARPA's Walrus program to develop and evaluate a very large airlift vehicle has moved forward; DARPA announced the contractors for the first phase of the program. Despite detailed early descriptions of "war-balloons" in late nineteenth century science fiction, this isn't your father's (not to mention great-grandfather's) dirigible airship. According to DARPA's press release, "the Walrus aircraft will be a heavier-than-air vehicle and will generate lift through a combination of aerodynamics, thrust vectoring and gas buoyancy generation and management."

The Walrus operational vehicle (OV) is envisioned to have the primary operational task of deploying composite loads of personnel and equipment (for example, the components of an Army Unit of Action) ready to fight within six hours after disembarking the aircraft. Walrus will operate without significant infrastructure and from unimproved landing sites, including rough ground having nominal five-foot-high obstacles. It is intended to carry a payload of more than 500 tons 12,000 nautical miles in less than seven days at a competitive cost. Additionally, Walrus will be capable of performing theater lift and supporting sea-basing and persistence missions to meet a range of multi-Service needs.

in reply to DARPA Presents: The Flying Walrus

Re: PDC = Pretty Dumbed-down Content? [Re: PDC = Pretty Dumbed-down Content?]

jsrfc58 — Wed, 14 Sep 2005 17:23:09 GMT

in reply to Re: PDC = Pretty Dumbed-down Content?

Central Resource for RSS Feeds? [Central Resource for RSS Feeds?]

jsrfc58 — Mon, 12 Sep 2005 19:03:31 GMT

Is there a central resource anywhere on the net that lists RSS feeds? I don't mean for blogs, or even news...I mean for other types of sites. An example of this would be the Storm Prediction Center's RSS Feed. I don't mean Technorati, either.

Also, is there any type of centralized resource listing web services?

I have a lot of ideas...one of them is to create some type of application which pulls current traffic information for my local area, combine that with up-to-date weather/road condition (from the National Weather Service) and put that together with a sort of "MapQuest" type system which would find the fastest way from point A to point B for me for a given trip...taking into account the weather, traffic info, AND road construction/closures.

My local Department of Transportion does not seem to have any type of Atom/RSS feeds though...I'll see if I can get them going on that. LOL.

Edit: Hmmm. Here's one listing...xmethods...seems kind of short. Maybe I could start up my own service that lists "webservices"?

Edit2: Seems likes some of the "Try It" links on that site aren't working correctly or are broken altogether. Not very user friendly either.

in reply to Central Resource for RSS Feeds?

Does anybody use ham radio anymore? [Does anybody use ham radio anymore?]

jsrfc58 — Mon, 12 Sep 2005 16:21:05 GMT

This seems to be a dying field, except in times of emergencies. A local school is offereing a ham radio course (technician level I think) and I debating as to whether it is worth pursuing or not.

I suppose I can always take the course and then decide whether I want to drop the $200 on the equipment or not.

I just figured with the explosion of the internet, IM, chat rooms, etc. that nobody really does this anymore. *

Edit: speaking of that...I wonder how software has influence the field of ham radio. I used to "DX" quite a bit, too. *

* edited to make more "software related"

in reply to Does anybody use ham radio anymore?

This Week in Space News [This Week in Space News]

jsrfc58 — Sun, 11 Sep 2005 02:40:10 GMT

Our own life-giving sun is now trying to kill us again. :O

Sun's String of Fury Continues as 7th Major Flare Erupts

the article wrote:
An ongoing series of seven major solar flares, including two on Saturday, could disrupt communications on Earth and generate colorful sky shows for people at high northern latitudes for the next several days.

Even more serious effects are possible early in the week.

The spate of activity from the Sun is being generated by a large sunspot named 798. Sunspots are cooler and darker regions of pent-up magnetic activity. When they unleash their energy, it's a bit like the top coming off a shaken champagne bottle.

The sunspot is just rotating into view, so its energy has been directed sideways and not directly at Earth. In coming days, if more major flares erupt as forecasters expect, they'll head right at us and radio blackouts, cell phone dropouts and other communications disruptions are more likely, scientists said.

Wednesday's flare was a X-17, but the record is an X-40 back in November 2003. It wasn't aimed directly at us, however.

In happier news, we now have more "planet"-like things at the edge of the solar system. Their temporary names are "Santa", "Easterbunny" and "Xena":

Astronomers discover 2 more oddball objects

This article wrote:
"Santa is crazy, and it's my favorite -- by far the weirdest of the three," Brown said. It is significantly larger than Pluto, it's shaped like a huge cigar, and it rotates end-over-end every four hours; it also has a single tiny moon about 60 miles in diameter orbiting around it.

in reply to This Week in Space News

Leader of FEMA sacked [Leader of FEMA sacked]

jsrfc58 — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 17:27:54 GMT

FEMA Chief Relieved of Duties

The sad part about this whole tragedy is the amazing amount of finger pointing going on at all levels of government...state, local, and federal.

in reply to Leader of FEMA sacked

A Friendly Reminder From Your Chairman [A Friendly Reminder From Your Chairman]

jsrfc58 — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 14:18:28 GMT

Is this still a relevant philosophy at Microsoft?

Open Letter to Hobbyists wrote:
By William Henry Gates III
February 3, 1976

An Open Letter to Hobbyists

To me, the most critical thing in the hobby market right now is the lack of good software courses, books and software itself. Without good software and an owner who understands programming, a hobby computer is wasted. Will quality software be written for the hobby market? [6]

Almost a year ago, Paul Allen and myself, expecting the hobby market to expand, hired Monte Davidoff and developed Altair BASIC. Though the initial work took only two months, the three of us have spent most of the last year documenting, improving and adding features to BASIC. Now we have 4K, 8K, EXTENDED, ROM and DISK BASIC. The value of the computer time we have used exceeds $40,000.

:|

The feedback we have gotten from the hundreds of people who say they are using BASIC has all been positive. Two surprising things are apparent, however, 1) Most of these "users" never bought BASIC (less than 10% of all Altair owners have bought BASIC), and 2) The amount of royalties we have received from sales to hobbyists makes the time spent on Altair BASIC worth less than $2 an hour. [C]

Why is this? As the majority of hobbyists must be aware, most of you steal your software. :@ Hardware must be paid for, but software is something to share. [A] Who cares if the people who worked on it get paid? [C]

Is this fair? One thing you don't do by stealing software is get back at MITS for some problem you may have had. MITS doesn't make money selling software. The royalty paid to us, the manual, the tape and the overhead make it a break-even operation. One thing you do do is prevent good software from being written. Who can afford to do professional work for nothing? What hobbyist can put 3-man years into programming, finding all bugs, documenting his product and distribute for free? The fact is, no one besides us has invested a lot of money in hobby software. We have written 6800 BASIC, and are writing 8080 APL and 6800 APL, but there is very little incentive to make this software available to hobbyists. Most directly, the thing you do is theft.

What about the guys who re-sell Altair BASIC, aren't they making money on hobby software? Yes, but those who have been reported to us may lose in the end. They are the ones who give hobbyists a bad name, and should be kicked out of any club meeting they show up at. [6]

I would appreciate letters from any one who wants to pay up, or has a suggestion or comment. Just write to me at 1180 Alvarado SE, #114, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87108. Nothing would please me more than being able to hire ten programmers and deluge the hobby market with good software.

Bill Gates [A]
General Partner, Micro-Soft

in reply to A Friendly Reminder From Your Chairman

Banned Users on the New C9 [Banned Users on the New C9]

jsrfc58 — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 01:10:49 GMT

Okay, a few times today I have seen "Willy Duitt" on the "Who is Online" page on Channel 9. I thought he was...banned? Or just not allowed to post?

Also, why does it say there are 167 people logged in right now? Usually the number is in the twenties or maybe hits 40 when a good video hits the site.

Or...is the "who is online" page going by IP address now and "Willy Duitt" is really somebody else on here?

Or...is it yet another new bug? (Sorry to steal your thunder Loadsgood).

Maybe the addition of moderators is having a positive effect! :O

Either that or you are tinkering with the code behind Channel 9 (see other TextBox Error Posting thread).

[H]

in reply to Banned Users on the New C9

Project Looking Glass: Is it on life support yet? [Project Looking Glass: Is it on life support yet?]

jsrfc58 — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 00:31:21 GMT

Well? I haven't heard much out of the Java/Sun/Project Looking Glass camp in a long time. I went over to the main site a few weeks back and it looked almost the same as it did over a year ago.

Same screenshots.

Same web pages.

I suddenly have no urge to develop software for what appears to be a "dead in the water" platform.

With the rapid approach of the PDC, and the eventual arrival of Vista, I figured the Jave/Sun/Project Looking Glass thing would be making more noise than ever.

in reply to Project Looking Glass: Is it on life support yet?

TextBox posting bug [TextBox posting bug]

jsrfc58 — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 00:28:47 GMT

Whoops. I got this when I was trying to post a new topic:

FreeTextBox has not been correctly installed. To install FreeTextBox either:
(1) add a reference to FtbWebResource.axd in web.config:
<system.web>
<httpHandlers>
<add verb="GET"
path="FtbWebResource.axd"
type="FreeTextBoxControls.AssemblyResourceHandler, FreeTextBox" />
</httpHandlers>
</system.web>

(2) Save the FreeTextBox image and javascript files to a location on your website and set up FreeTextBox as follows
<FTB:FreeTextBox id="FreeTextBox1" SupportFolder="ftbfileslocation" JavaScriptLocation="ExternalFile" ButtonImagesLocation="ExternalFile" ToolbarImagesLocation="ExternalFile" ButtonImagesLocation="ExternalFile" runat="server" />

in reply to TextBox posting bug

SPOT watches (redux) [SPOT watches (redux)]

jsrfc58 — Wed, 07 Sep 2005 19:39:31 GMT

Previous discussion Karim wrote:

jsrfc58 wrote:
Shortwave radio travels around the world, however, and would work if you are outside the U.S. but had your trusty ol' SPOT watch.

I am not a EE but I am guessing you would need something like a 50-foot wire hanging off your arm to get reliable reception on a shortwave watch.

I have a portable shortwave set (from RadioShack, and no, it does not have the Tandy name on it anywhere LOL), and it does have a telescoping antenna...but you can still pick up quite a few stations without it extended.

Karim wrote:
I'm not sure how well low-power shortwave penetrates buildings, houses etc. compared to local line-of-site FM.

I'm not sure either, but the signals travel much, much farther, and I can usually pick up the stations anywhere inside my house. I can routinely pick up Radio Beijing, Radio Taiwan, HCJB in Quito (Ecuador), Radio Moscow, etc. Not that I always understand it.

Odd that I can never pick up the Middle East for some reason. Especially in war time.

Anyway...

Karim wrote:
THEN you have to negotiate worldwide rights to use certain frequencies... I mean I think just getting the US was hard enough, and they only had to deal with the FCC...? What if you send out updates to country X at the exact time the BBC World Service is sending their program on the same frequency to country X...?

I think this is a big issue...radio waves is one thing. Radio waves that could potentially be used by a computer for anything other that voice/Morse code are probably subject to even bigger legal issues. If it has anything to do with encryption, forget about it.

Karim wrote:
Don't think satellite radio is an option yet, unless you want to leave your watch in a windowsill to get updates.

Or you walk behind ANY tree with leaves on it. lol

Edit: come to think of it, they make miniature clocks that synchronize themselves with the bureau of standards...possibly with WWV in Fort Collins, Colorado. WWV is a shortwave based station that transmits atomic clock based time signals.

All. Day. Long.

http://www.atomic-clocks.com/

Additionally:

http://www.mfjenterprises.com/products.php?prodid=MFJ-122

My father (a former electrical engineer/technician/radio wiz) even has one of these.

So what is stopping the SPOT watches from using shortwave frequencies?

Using these frequencies would allow you to take the watch "worldwide" potentially. Or are there too many legal issues to wrangle with?

in reply to SPOT watches (redux)

How "New" Works in C++ [How "New" Works in C++]

jsrfc58 — Wed, 07 Sep 2005 18:12:04 GMT

How does the "new" keyword work in C++? I know that it reserves a specified block of memory, depending upon the data type, but let's say you write an irresponsible program like this:

int main(void){

int * x;
x= new int[5]; // a very small memory leak, but you could substitute a bigger object here instead

return 0;
}

~~Does the "new" command grab this block of memory by going through the operating system? Who keeps track of the allocated/deallocated memory in Windows?~~ Also, when the program ends (and ultmately all related processes), is the memory you allocated still considered "blocked off" or in use by the OS? If you then run this program one thousand times, will it gradually eat away at the available memory on your system even though you killed the program every time?

I suppose I should try it and find out. :P

Edit: Partially answered my own question...

http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/tut3-4.html

in reply to How "New" Works in C++

The Thread With No Name Other Than This One [The Thread With No Name Other Than This One]

jsrfc58 — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 04:17:12 GMT

Tonatiúh wrote:

jsrfc58 wrote:

[...] Just a little ambitious for a teenager. [...]
Just that fair kind of little ambition is at the root of Microsoft... Remind Billy, the teenager?

Hmmm. Well, I did apply a while ago, fwiw. I don't think anybody noticed. I guess I have to do something really super duper spectacular and then have them a) buy it and then just not do anything interesting with it, b) clone it and then just not do anything interesting with it, or c) call me.

a: not likely
b: depends on what I make
c: I don't have a CSci degree (although I do have a degree)

I've just given up trying to apply. Maybe I'll go putz around with Linux instead.

in reply to The Thread With No Name Other Than This One

Hey Beer, Where Does Linux Need Help? [Hey Beer, Where Does Linux Need Help?]

jsrfc58 — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 03:47:30 GMT

...on the desktop? In terms of apps I mean. I know, I know, go out to Sourceforge. Anyway, I'm getting bored with making things for Windows (I do that on my day job anyway). I just dropped the Knoppix disk back in my CD drive tonight and am beginning to see a lot of potential with it...there's a lot I didn't notice the first time around.

So...I need a challenge. Not TCP/IP/network stuff right now. Just beginning desktop app stuff.

Have to start somewhere.

:O

(Go on get mad. I know this is a Microsoft forum. Cripes.)

in reply to Hey Beer, Where Does Linux Need Help?

What Can Brown Do For You Today? [What Can Brown Do For You Today?]

jsrfc58 — Mon, 06 Jun 2005 20:07:46 GMT

Citi Notifies 3.9 Million customers of lost data

MSNBC wrote:

NEW YORK - CitiFinancial, the consumer finance division of Citigroup Inc., said Monday it has begun notifying some 3.9 million U.S. customers that computer tapes containing information about their accounts — including Social Security numbers and payment histories — have been lost.

Citigroup, which is based in New York, said the tapes were lost by the courier UPS Inc. in transit to a credit bureau.

Ouch.

in reply to What Can Brown Do For You Today?