Xbox 360 - Top 10 Games on Amazon

		Gears of War 2
		Fallout 3
		Fable II
		Grand Theft Auto IV
		Dead Space
		Call of Duty: World at War
		Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
		Prince of Persia
		Mirror's Edge
		Left 4 Dead

Xbox 360 - Prey

I really like Prey for the Xbox 360. In Prey, you play the role of Tommy, a Cherokee warrior with special mystic abilities including the ability to spirit walk. The game has a great story compared to typical first person shooters and the brief dialog interspersed throughout the levels really adds to the overall experience. The game designers did a great job of visually melding organic and mechanical elements to create other-worldly levels and a deep sense of immersion. Two interesting game play elements include shifting gravity and portals. Both game play elements are often used as puzzles and often grant access to previously inaccessible areas in the game.

See GameSpot for a complete review of Prey.Prey

Fix Extremely Slow Firefox Localhost Connections

Dan Wahlin discovered why Firefox runs so slowly when connecting to localhost. The Firefox IPv6 localhost bug significantly impacts page load times for the integrated Web servers in Visual Studio 2005 and Visual Studio 2008, as well as local AJAX development. Dan explains the issue and outlines the resolution:

It turns out that the slowness is caused by an IPv6 issue with DNS and can easily be resolved by turning IPv6 support off in Firefox while doing localhost testing. To make the change, type about:config in the address bar, locate the network.dns.disableIPv6 setting and double-click on it to set it to true. This does the trick for the Firefox localhost issue on Vista and everything is running fast again.

 

Xbox 360 - Media Center

Scott Hanselman wrote a great article about the Xbox 360 media center and multimedia features found natively in the Xbox 360 console including the New Xbox Experience.

Xbox 360 - New Xbox Experience (NXE)

On November 19, 2008, Microsoft launched the New Xbox Experience (NXE) for the Xbox 360 console in North America. Most people with Xbox Live have probably already heard about the new avatars; however, a really slick feature is the ability to embed your avatar in a webpage by linking to a special image directly on Microsoft's servers.

Here's an example of my Xbox Live avatar:

To display your avatar on a Web page, insert an image with one of the following URLs:

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/Verious/avatar-body.png
http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/Verious/avatarpic-l.png
http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/Verious/avatarpic-s.png

Replace "Verious" with your Xbox Live screen name.

Emption - Comparison Shopping

The new Emption comparison shopping website launched today.

Emption is a comparison shopping website that has developed unique technology to improve and simplify the shopping experience. Shopper's can search, browse by category, and filter products to quickly compare prices and find the best deals.

Even though Emption is in beta, it already has a number of exciting features.

MySQL Row Number

Use the following MySQL query to return a row number for each record in a recordset:

SELECT @row := @row + 1 AS `RowNumber`, SomeTable.*
FROM SomeTable, (SELECT @row := 0) `DerivedTable`;

Explanation

MySQL allows variables to be assigned and selected in the same statement; therefore, @row := @row + 1 increments the value of the @row variable by one and selects the result. Because the default configuration of MySQL does not allow multiple queries, the value of @row is initialized through a sub-select in the FROM portion of the query. It is important to note that MySQL requires a name for each derived table, in this case the derived table was named DerivedTable. SomeTable and SomeTable.* should be replaced with your table and field list respectively.

Alternate Syntax

If MySQL is configured to allow multiple statements per command (this is turned off by default to prevent several types of SQL injection attacks), you can use the following alternate syntax, which does not require a derived table:

SET @i = 0;
SELECT @i := @i + 1 AS RowNumber, SomeTable.*
FROM SomeTable;

MySQL Numeric Data Types

Signed

Type	Minimum	Maximum
TINYINT (1 Byte)	-128	127
SMALLINT (2 Bytes)	-32768	32767
MEDIUMINT (3 Bytes)	-8388608	8388607
INT (4 Bytes)	-2147483648	2147483647
BIGINT (8 Bytes)	-9223372036854775808	9223372036854775807

Unsigned

Type	Minimum	Maximum
TINYINT (1 Byte)	0	255
SMALLINT (2 Bytes)	0	65535
MEDIUMINT (3 Bytes)	0	16777215
INT (4 Bytes)	0	4294967295
BIGINT (8 Bytes)	0	18446744073709551615

Source MySQL Numeric Data Types

Microsoft to Ship jQuery with Visual Studio

Microsoft has announced they will be shipping the JavaScript jQuery library with Visual Studio. From the jQuery Blog:

We have two pieces of fantastic, albeit serendipitous, news today: Both Microsoft and Nokia are taking the major step of adopting jQuery as part of their official application development platform. Not only will they be using it for their corporate development but they will be providing it as a core piece of their platform for developers to build with.

This is important news for developers because they will now be able to standardize on the jQuery library for all JavaScript development.

Not So Delicious First Impressions

I do not a very good first impression of Delicious:

Sorry, there is a temporary problem. Adding a new bookmark failed.

Please use your browser's Back button and try again. If this problem persists please contact support.

Hmm... isn't adding a bookmark the main feature of the service? Delicious has now broken over a dozen times in the first 10 minutes of use.

I would think adding bookmarks would be rock solid.

Ironically, many of the support pages fail to load properly because Delicious has mixed secure content with non-secure content causing warning messages to pop-up on a regular basis.

Delicious

Like Twitter, I have been hearing about Delicious for awhile now so I finally signed-up. I'm really glad they changed the main URL from http://del.icio.us/ to http://delicious.com/, the former was a challenge to remember (and type).

Follow me on Delicious:

http://delicious.com/Verious/

Web-based Services

I recently stumbled across Username Check, a website that lets you check if your preferred username is available at a variety of popular (and several obscure) websites. The complete list of websites is as follows:

• Behance
• Blogger
• Brightkite
• Colourlovers
• Corkd
• Dailymotion
• Delicious
• Digg
• Diigo
• Disqus
• Ebay
• Etsy
• Favtape
• Ffffound
• Flickr
• Friendfeed
• Funnyordie
• Hellotxt
• Hexday
• Identica
• Ilike
• ILikeLoveIt
• Imageshack
• Isfingawesome
• Jaiku
• Koornk
• Kwippy
• Lastfm
• Linkedin
• Livejournal
• Magnolia
• Meemi
• Mixx
• Multiply
• Myspace
• Pandora
• Picasa
• Plurk
• Posterous
• Pownce
• Rejaw
• Smugmug
• Stumbleupon
• Technorati
• Tinyurl
• Tipjoy
• Tumblr
• Twitter
• Typepad
• Vimeo
• Virb
• Visualizeus
• Vox
• Wordpress
• Xbox-live
• Yahoo
• Yoono
• Yotify
• Youtube
• Zooomr

Twitter

It was bound to happen sooner or later. I have been hearing about Twitter for awhile now so I finally signed-up.

Follow me or leave your username in the comments so I can follow you:

http://twitter.com/Verious/

Windows Live ID Web Authentication SDK

Recently I have been researching Single Sign-On options to streamline the user's experience. One interesting provider I found is Windows Live ID Web Authentication, which allows visitors to logon to a website using their Hotmail or Windows Live account. Microsoft describes the Windows Live ID Web Authentication SDK as follows:

The Windows Live™ ID Web Authentication software development kit (SDK) gives you a platform-neutral way to bring the power of the Windows Live ID authentication service to your own Web site.

According to Microsoft the benefits include:

• Ability to use Windows Live gadgets and controls to incorporate authenticated Windows Live services into websites
• HTTP-based, platform-neutral interface for implementing Windows Live ID authentication in existing websites, even if they are hosted by third-parties
• Freedom from the technical details of authentication
• Huge user base: any of the millions of users who have a Windows Live ID can login to Windows Live ID Web Authentication websites

Download Windows Live Web Authentication SDK 1.1

Manage Windows Live Web Authentication Websites

Experience the Nintendo Wii

I definitely encourage everyone to checkout the following link to a really cool Adobe Flash-based Nintendo Wii advertisement. The concept and implementation are first class.

Experience the Nintendo Wii

Windows Live Messenger

To remove advertisements from Windows Live Messenger without installing a patch or crack:

1. Run "Notepad.exe"
   Note: In Windows Vista, run "Notepad.exe" as an Administrator by right-clicking on the shortcut and selecting "Run as administrator"
   
   
2. Open the host file
   "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\Etc\host"
   
   
3. Add the following lines to the bottom of the file:
   127.0.0.1    rad.msn.com
   127.0.0.1    rad.live.com
   
   
4. Save the file and restart Windows Live Messenger
   (if it was already running)

To restore advertisements in Windows Live Messenger:

1. Run "Notepad.exe"
   Note: In Windows Vista, run "Notepad.exe" as an Administrator by right-clicking on the shortcut and selecting "Run as administrator"
   
   
2. Open the host file
   "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\Etc\host"
   
   
3. Remove the following lines from the file:
   127.0.0.1    rad.msn.com
   127.0.0.1    rad.live.com
   
   
4. Save the file and restart Windows Live Messenger
   (if it was already running)

Windows Live Alerts

Microsoft recently released a new version of Windows Live Alerts, which provides several exciting new features:

Windows Live Alerts enables customers to instantly connect to the information that they care most about via Windows Live Messenger, Mobile, and Hotmail.

When you update your blog or other RSS feed, Windows Live Alerts will automatically send a headline to all subscribed readers. The power of Windows Live Alerts is that users can choose where and when to receive alerts.

Learn about the new RSS feature of Windows Live Alerts.

Subscribe to Windows Live Alerts for this website by clicking on the following button (you can unsubscribe at any time by visiting alerts.live.com):

Fuel Tracking Websites

Recently I stumbled across several websites that let users track gas mileage and compare it with other people driving similar vehicles. The site that looks the most promising is Fuelly.

Fuelly is a site that lets you track, share, and compare your gas mileage.

Sky High Wi-Fi

According to a News.com article, "Delta Air Lines passengers will get Wi-Fi access on all domestic flights by the middle of next year, the company said Tuesday."

The optional service will cost $9.95 for flights less than three hours and $12.95 for flights over three hours, which is great for business travelers who are currently limited to working on offline documents.

According to the article, other airlines are also testing similar services.

Amazon Web Services

The new TiltedAxis website is written in ASP.NET (C#) and integrates seamlessly with Amazon Web Services.

WPF TransitionContainer Control

The following video demonstrates the Microsoft WPF TransitionContainer control, which provides animated transitions between ViewStates:

The TransitionContainer control was written by Pavan Podila.

WPF ElementFlow Control

The following videos demonstrate the Microsoft WPF ElementFlow control, which supports CoverFlow, Carousel, and many other ViewStates:

CoverFlow ViewState (with reflections)

Carousel ViewState

Other ViewStates

The ElementFlow control was written by Pavan Podila.

Self Destruct

Self Destruct is a fun and fast paced shoot'em up game programmed by Terry Cavanagh with graphics by Annabelle Kennedy:

Download Self Destruct

XNA Animation Library

XNAnimation is a skeletal animation library for XNA. The library allows developers to easily manipulate, playback, interpolate and blend animations. See the following video for a demonstration:

Yahoo! Chart API

Yahoo! has released version 2.5.2 of the Yahoo! User Interface (YUI) Chart Library. The Chart Library requires Flash Player 9.0.45 or higher. Supported chart types include:

• Horizontal & Vertical Bar Charts
• Line Charts
• Pie Charts

Google Chart API

Google has recently published the Google Chart API, which lets developers dynamically generate and embed static charts into Web pages.

Some of the supported chart types include:

• Pie Chart

• 3D Pie Chart

• Line Chart

• Bar Chart

• Stacked Bar Chart

• Venn Diagram

• Scatter Plot

• Radar Chart

• Maps

XNA Creators Club Tour

Checkout the following video for a quick introduction to Community Games Beta on Xbox Live. The video covers the following topics:

• How to join XNA Creators Club
• Creating and sharing games on Xbox Live

Dream. Build. Play. 2008

Microsoft is holding another "Dream. Build. Play." competition for aspiring game developers. The games must target the Xbox 360 platform. Prizes includes the following:

• First Prize $40,000 (USD)
• Second Prize $20,000 (USD)
• Third Prize $10,000 (USD)
• Fourth Prize $5,000 (USD)

This year all entrants will receive a free 12-month XNA Creators Club trial membership.

The entry deadline is September 23, 2008.

Multi-Touch Technology

According to a News.com article, Microsoft plans to include a multitouch interface in Windows 7. The really exciting news is the multitouch interface should work with existing touchscreen hardware as demonstrated on a Dell laptop in the following video:

Microsoft Surface Demonstration

Sheraton Hotel demonstrates Microsoft Surface:

Microsoft Surface Review & Demonstration

Popular Mechanics reviews and demonstrates Microsoft Surface:

Microsoft Surface Possibilities

Short video showing some of the things that are possible using Microsoft Surface technology:

Windows Home Server Television Commercial

Television commercial with Bill Gates presenting HP's version of the Windows Home Server:

Microsoft Touch Wall

Microsoft introduces Touch Wall with improved drag-and-drop technology for wall-size displays:

JavaScript Frameworks

The following are some commonly used JavaScript frameworks:

• Prototype
• jQuery
• YUI
• MooTools
• Dojo

Windows Home Server

Microsoft recently released Windows Home Server, which makes it easy for families to keep and share documents, photos, videos, and music.

Some of the key features include:

• Remote Access
• Media Sharing
• Drive Extender
• Home Computer Backup
• Home Networking

Learn more about Windows Home Server.

IT Budgets

According to InformationWeek, more than half of all IT professionals surveyed believe we are in or heading for a recession.

As the economy cools, many of the 374 business technology professionals in our poll are bracing themselves for trouble.

• 58% say we're either in or headed for a recession
• 57% are being asked to reduce or limit IT spending
• 37% are cutting IT staff, third-party consultants, or both

The InformationWeek report titled, "Recession And You" for IT professionals is currently available as a free download.

Dell Coupons

15% off select desktop accessories, laptop accessories, memory, cameras and vehicle GPS.

• Q6?OJDON$GS5MQ
• SWQHT6T89HW92V

The coupons will expire after one use each, so they are on a first-come-first-served basis.

Watch Movies & TV Shows Online for Free

Hulu is a new Web-based service that allows you to watch movies and TV shows online for free. Currently they have a limited selection; however, they are adding new content all the time.

Hulu's mission:

Hulu's ambitious and never-ending mission is to help you find and enjoy the world's premium content when, where and how you want it. We hope to provide you with the web's most comprehensive selection from more than 50 content providers including FOX, NBC, MGM, Sony Pictures Television, Warner Bros., Lionsgate, and more to deliver premium programming across all genres and formats, television shows, feature films, and clips. Watch full-length episodes of current primetime TV shows such as The Simpsons and The Office the morning after they air, classics like Miami Vice and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and clips from Saturday Night Live, Nip/Tuck, and others. Hulu also offers full-length feature films like The Usual Suspects, Ice Age, Three Amigos!, and The Big Lebowski as well as clips from films such as Napoleon Dynamite, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Devil Wears Prada and many more. Hulu is free and ad-supported — available anytime in the U.S.

Unobtrusive JavaScript

I recently read several articles about the merits of Unobtrusive JavaScript, a programming paradigm that encourages the separation of functionality from structure, content, and presentation. Some key benefits of Unobtrusive JavaScript include:

• Better accessibility
• Improved portability
• Faster development
• Simpler code maintenance
• Graceful degradation of functionality

Some scripting event types that developers commonly commingle with document content and structure include:

• onclick()
• onfocus()
• onblur()
• onmouseover()
• onmouseout()
• onload()
• onchange()
• onsubmit()

Inline JavaScript functions can be difficult to maintain, especially if there are numerous occurrences of the inline code sprinkled throughout the website or if multiple people work on the same website. This is especially true when Web developers working with WYSIWYG editors make changes to the site, since the WYSIWYG editors have a tendency to mangle code.

Free Windows Vista Advisor Polo Shirt

Microsoft is giving away Windows Vista Advisor Polo Shirts for individuals who complete the "Get the Facts on Windows Vista" quiz. Follow the link, then click on "Training Quiz" to participate.

Microsoft estimates the quiz will take 15 to 30 minutes, but I participated and the quiz took about 6 or 7 minutes.

The quiz is a great real-world example of Silverlight in action.

Microsoft Press Free E-Book Offer

Download the complete "Introducing Microsoft LINQ" e-book from Microsoft Press for free. Also download select chapters from "Introducing Microsoft ASP.NET AJAX" and "Introducing Microsoft Silverlight 1.0"

Windows Live Alerts SDK

Microsoft has announced a software development kit (SDK) for Windows Live Alerts:

There's no better way to communicate with customers than with real-time alerts sent directly to their desktop, mobile device, or email. Windows Live Alerts detects where customers are on the network and intelligently delivers an alert message.

According to Microsoft the software development kit provides:

1. RSS Feed Based Alerts - You can quickly and easily enable Windows Live Alerts from an RSS feed. This zero development solution for Windows Live Alerts is available now.
2. Programmatic Alerts - The SDK is for developers familiar with Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) who want to programmatically integrate with the Alerts notification service to access advanced features.

Windows Live Writer Ping Servers

Configuring Ping Servers in Windows Live Writer is an essential step if you want search engines to crawl your new posts as soon as possible.

To configure Ping Servers in Windows Live Writer:

1. On the "Tools" menu select "Options..."
2. Click "Ping Servers" in the left column
3. Place a check mark next to "Send pings to the URLs below"

Next, enter one or more of the following URLs in the text box; each URL should be entered on its own line:

• Google
  http://blogsearch.google.com/ping/RPC2
• Technorati
  http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping
• FeedBurner
  http://ping.feedburner.com/
• VeriSign
  http://rpc.weblogs.com/RPC2
• Ping-o-Matic
  http://rpc.pingomatic.com/

Windows Live Search SDK

Microsoft has announced a software development kit (SDK) for Windows Live Search:

You can easily add Search to your site with our Live Search box. For more options, use our Live Search Web Service, where you’ll be able to query for web results, images, news, phonebook listings, feeds, and meta tags.

According to Microsoft the software development kit provides:

1. SOAP API - With the SOAP API you can create a custom search engine, enhance your existing site search with spelling suggestions, images, news articles, feeds and phonebook results.
2. AJAX Control - Easily add search to your web site with this AJAX control. Deploy the script as is from the wizard, or customize it for more functionality.

Silverlight Streaming SDK

Microsoft has announced a software development kit (SDK) for Silverlight:

Microsoft Silverlight Streaming by Windows Live is a Silverlight companion service that makes it easier to deliver and scale rich media. The service offers a free and convenient solution for hosting and streaming cross-platform, cross-browser media experiences and rich interactive applications that run on Windows and Mac.

Combined with the ability to create content with Microsoft Expression Studio and other 3rd party tools, Web designers and content publishers wishing to integrate Silverlight applications into their online properties can enjoy complete control of the end user experience.

Here's the fine print:

While the service is in beta, storage is free up to 10 GB and streaming is free up to 5 TB of aggregated bandwidth per user account per month. Videos should not exceed 10 minutes and have a maximum bit rate of 1.4 Mbps. As we move out of beta, unlimited streaming will also be available for free with advertising, or with payment of a nominal fee for use of the service without advertising.

Windows Live Messenger SDK

Microsoft has announced a software development kit (SDK) for Windows Live Messenger:

Let web site visitors interact with Windows Live Messenger users using the Windows Live Messenger Library, Windows Live Messenger IM Control, and the Windows Live Presence API.  You can also use the Windows Live Messenger client, version 7.0 and later, to develop a single-user or multi-user application through the Windows Live Messenger Activity API.

According to Microsoft the software development kit provides:

1. IM Control - The IM Control enables web sites to show the presence of Windows Live Messenger users and let site visitors engage in IM conversations with site owners or representatives.
2. Presence API - The Presence API is an HTTP-based API that returns a Windows Live Messenger user's presence.
3. Messenger Library - The Windows Live Messenger Library is a client-side JavaScript library that enables third-party sites to seamlessly add instant messaging capabilities with Windows Live Messenger.

Amazon MP3

If you listen to downloaded music and have not already heard, Amazon recently launched a new music download service called, "Amazon MP3". Individual songs generally sell for $0.89 to $0.99 on Amazon MP3, which is cheaper than iTunes; however, the big news is songs are encoded in MP3 format, which means they will work on most devices without conversion. No longer is you music library chained to an iPod.

Microsoft Office Outlook Connector

If you use Microsoft Outlook to check your e-mail and have a Hotmail or Windows Live e-mail account, I strongly recommend installing the Microsoft Office Outlook Connector. The Microsoft Office Outlook Connector uses MAPI to access HTTP mail accounts, which provides additional functionality and a much smoother experience.

Visual Studio 2008

On Tuesday, March 18, 2008, Microsoft released Visual Studio 2008. The new version is fully Vista compatible and adds a lot of new features. Some of the most exciting new features in Visual Studio 2008 include: full JavaScript debugging and Intellisense, .NET Framework Targeting, LINQ, and improved CSS support.

If you are interested in trying the new version, Microsoft offers a free 90 day trial of Visual Studio 2008.

Microsoft Silverlight

Microsoft Silverlight 2 Beta 1 is now available for download on Windows and Mac OS X.

Microsoft is developing Silverlight to compete with Adobe Flash, the current industry leader for Web-based multimedia.

Attention Test

I thought the following video was very interesting:

Visit the original website.

Windows Vista Service Pack 1

I recently installed Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) on several different computers; most installations went very smoothly; however, I had issues on two computers.

The first issue occurred on a Dell laptop, which required several drivers updates before SP1 would appear in the Windows Update download list due to known driver compatibility issues. Manually updating drivers is only a minor nuisance and was expected. Once the drivers were updated the installation was seamless and the performance increase on the laptop is noticeable; the laptop boots in approximately half the time and the wireless networking now connects much faster. The wireless network now also reconnects without constant user intervention (an annoying problem prior to SP1).

The installation of SP1 on a Windows Vista Ultimate Edition (a Media Center PC I have connected to my television) was another story all together. Initial installation of SP1 appeared to work without a hitch; however, problems began as soon as I went to watch a DVD... you could sort of see the DVD play, but the entire display was covered by patches of psychedelic colors. Clearly there was an issue with my current configuration and SP1. The strange part was that normal and recorded TV functioned without issue. Based on past experience, I determined that it was most likely a driver issue, so I began the tedious process of narrowing down the issue. Initially I thought the issue was caused by an SP1 incompatibility with DVD-ROM driver, so I downloaded the latest drivers and firmware updates and systematically applied them one at a time, rebooted and retested the issue. Unfortunately, this did not resolve the spinning kaleidoscope of color. So I continued to upgrade one driver at a time until I was able to resolve the issue. In the end it turns out Windows Update installed a new video card driver for the NVIDIA video card at the same time it installed SP1. Reinstalling the previous driver resolved the issue.

Just went I thought everything was working on my Media Center PC, Windows kindly informed my I needed to reactivate. Normally, activation is a fast, seamless process; however, for some reason Windows would not allow me to activate online and to make matters worse, each time I tried to activate Windows the system removed one day from the number of days remaining to activate. Ultimately, I had to use the phone activation process, which is probably the least user friendly solution available. For anyone who hasn't been through the phone activation process, you don't ever want to! It involves reading nine groups of six digit numbers (for a total of fifty-four numerals) to a voice response system. After reading the numbers to the automated system twice, I was transferred to a human, where I then had to read the numbers again. Reading 162 numbers over the phone is not fun and does not make me feel like a valued customer. Who ever designed the phone activation process should be fired.

In the end, I was able to reactivate Windows and resolve all of the driver issues and other issues caused by SP1.

Even with all the hassle, I think it was well worth the effort, especially on laptops, where the improvements are the most dramatic.

Get Microsoft Office 2007 Ultimate Edition for only $59.95

Microsoft has a great promotion going for college students; get Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 for just $59.95, but you will have to hurry the offer ends on April 1, 2008.

"Office Ultimate 2007's brand new features and fresh look will help you organize and get all your work done in the blink of an eye."

Anti-Spam Technology

Paul Graham has posted a great article, "A Plan for Spam" about combating spam with naive Bayesian filtering. He has also posted an updated article, "Better Bayesian Filtering", which improves on the ideas from the original article.

Marco Minerva provides, "Graham Algorithm", an open source C# implementation of the algorithm from the articles.