In my latest video, I demonstrate how to use two new methods of the System.GC class in the .NET Framework v3.5: AddMemoryPressure and RemoveMemoryPressure. You will see the impact of using these methods correctly when allocating unmanaged memory resources in your .NET applications.
Download video & code or visit www.visualstudio2008.defyallchallenges.com/videos.htm
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I am a big fan of David Allen's GTD (Getting Things Done) methodology. Lately I have been struggling with some of the recommended categories for certain items that land in my "inbox". Examples of context related categories are @Project, @WaitingFor, @Computer, @Agenda, @Errands, @Call, and so on. Lately, I have wanted to keep track of certain items, without making them actionable. This seems to contradict the point of GTD. Yet there are times when I simply want to recall a topic or situation to mind without making it a project, something I am waiting on, or something I am required to do anything about. I needed something that would keep a matter in front of me, but not require me to do anything about it. Thus, I propose a new category to the GTD community: @Radar.
With @Radar, you are not deferring an actionable thing. The nature of the category simply suggests one thing - don't forget about this.
For example, what if a colleague casually mentioned to you that he was going to be involved in a cool project - but a project with no direct impact on you. Having said that, you are curious about the project, and do not want to forget about it. And because you are not likely to get updates on the project, it may fade from memory. How would you manage that "thought" in your inbox? It is not @Project, because there is no immediate "next action". It should not be an @Agenda, because you may run into this person frequently, but it is not required to continually ask about the status of the project. It is not a Someday/Maybe list item, because it is not a matter I plan on making a project in the future. Alas, @Radar seems to be a perfect fit.
For any GTD enthusiasts out there, what is your opinion?
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Tonight I tried to configure my Linksys PrintServer PSUS4 with Vista. The other computers in my household run XP, and the user installation for creating the printing port ran smoothly. When I attempted to do this in Vista, I kept getting an error: I have UAC enabled (which is recommended) and I was suspicious that this was contributing to the problem. Thus, I was able to get everything to install correctly when I disabled UAC. Out of curiosity, I uninstalled the PrintServer software and enabled UAC again. This time, I installed everything with administrative privileges. Again, it worked.
I can print. Yippie. Hooray. So if you are reading this post, and need to get your Linksys PrintServer software to install properly, either disable UAC and run the installation or run everything as administrator. You need not read any further...
Wait a minute. I don't like my own findings. A part of me feels wrong for suggesting either solution. Will those reading the answer to my problem above try to run everything as administrator just to make sure anything works? Will others disable UAC and keep it off? What should a Vista user do?
I am not expecting perfection from my operating system. When I hear that some Vista users have gone back to XP, it frustrates me. When I hear some XP users refuse to upgrade to Vista, it frustrates me. I am a Microsoft enthusiast. I evangelize and teach about solutions based on Microsoft products. I want Microsoft products to flourish and succeed. That said, I don't want to feel guilty when I nod with a chuckle at the "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" commercials. I would rather feel outraged at these commercials and naturally defend Vista with conviction.
]]>Note: Macs are not perfect. Just search on "Mac problems" and you will see what I mean.
I downloaded Sara Ford's (er... um... Rob Caron's) "Visual Studio 2008 Tip of the Day" Windows Gadget earlier this week. I think this gadget is a must for all serious Visual Studio 2008 developers. I look forward to seeing what new productivity tip will be featured every morning when I turn on my computer.
Rob Caron - thanks for creating the gadget!
Sara Ford - thanks for supplying the data!
GMail now allows users to add more visual impact to "Labels" by enabling them with different colors. This only works in a couple browsers as noted by GMail team:
Note: Colored labels, group chat and rich emoticons only work in the latest version of Gmail, currently available for Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox 2. Please upgrade your browser to take advantage of these new features:
For those who want to quickly learn Visual Studio 2008, don't miss the great resources at http://www.visualstudio2008.defyallchallenges.com/
How can you make one UIElement in Silverlight appear behind or in front of another? How can you provide transparency effects to shapes, text, or videos? How can you clip geometric sections off of visual objects? In this video, you will learn how to accomplish these tasks with common graphic properties.
]]>What I enjoyed about my experience is that the GMail team did not stop there. After following a "fix it" link I was brought to the following set of directions:
Then I received confirmation that the Firebug would not hinder my GMail experience:
I enjoy using applications that take the initiative to solve problems I may not have even known about. I think this is an excellent example of improving UX.
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Need dynamic data in your Silverlight application? Want to create a nice interactive experience for users of your site? In my latest video, I demonstrate how to generate XAML dynamically on the server based on user input - and serving that content through AJAX via Page Methods.]]>