General Musings

Some Stuff

Erik Lane — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 16:06:00 GMT

Things around here have been busy that's for sure. After spending the last year in Baltimore with Advertising.com I'm now a full time employee at Ciena. In addition to the new job we've also moved to the Colorado Springs, CO area and we're loving it. I'm getting the opportunity to work from home most of the time but have to make a trip up to Denver a couple of times a week and work in the office. The commute isn't bad and even when it's slow it's still nothing compared to DFW traffic.

Nothing special on the technical front is happening at the moment although I am enjoying the challenge of introducing Continuous Integration and Test Driven Development to my new team. I've got a couple of blog posts on using Entlib to create your own providers, etc.. but I don't think I'll be finishing them. However, I am using Entlib for audit logging so I may try and piece some of them together for something technical.

On a personal note, I did pass the Microsoft 70-536 exam at the end of the year - so I guess now I know I can pass a written exam to prove my knowledge? I know there are discussions on how much value certs add and I'm on the side of “they are worth the effort“. While I don't think they imply you're a coding superstar I don't think they hurt. In studying for exams (or interviews) I've learned a lot that I wouldn't have known about just in my daily coding. Now I have that knowledge in my tool belt for later use.

Because I no longer work in an office of developers everyday I've really taking a liking to Twitter. I can now have some pretty good technical discussion on there. Onward and upward.

Giddy Up!

Amazon MP3 Downloads

Erik Lane — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 16:08:00 GMT

I was itching for some new music and so I took the opportunity to checkout the Amazon Mp3 service. I downloaded and installed the Amazon MP3 Downloader and I was off and running. The first album to buy was a toss up:

New Thousand Foot Krutch - The Flame in All of Us
Old Project 86 - Songs to Burn Bridges By

You can see that I opted for the new TFK album.

You can have the downloader automatically add your tunes to your iTunes library but I like my file names in a particular format. So I use Media Monkey to rename all of the files and then manually add them through iTunes.

I've been using iTunes since I purchased an iPod (like most people) and it is OK. Since it's just "OK" I'm on the lookout for a way to completely move away from it. With the Amazon Mp3 service out I feel like I am one step further in than plan.

I really need a good podcast solution first before I'll be able to drop iTunes all together. If anyone has one please share it!

From Saul to Paul - A Complete 180

Erik Lane — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 15:48:00 GMT

I've been as asked to be a contributor over at A Complete 180 (from Saul to Paul). This will be something totally new for me and I'm looking forward to it. Living outside of your comfort zone is when you grow the most - I should grow a lot.

If you're not familiar with the site I suggest you stop by. Here is a blurb from their mission statement.

"...Yet, like all men, we face a world and systems that challenge our intentions each day. We don't give up or quit. We battle. We fight. We band together as brothers. We pray. We seek grace. When we fail, we ask forgiveness. At our core, we want all men to do the same. It’s the very mission and prayer of each of the authors and contributors of ac180.com."

Thanks Aaron.

Giddy Up!

Good Computer Desktop Lamp

Erik Lane — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 13:55:00 GMT

I need to get a desktop lamp for my cube at work. I started my new project last week and I've got a powerful machine, nice LCD monitor, and good chair to sit in. However, there is a big lighting problem. There is too much indirect light reflecting on the screen and it's causing my monitor to wash out. It's starting to hurt my eyes so I'm looking to get a lamp to light up my monitor.

Ott-Lite Vision Saver Crane Lamp is the one I want but it's too expensive.

Lorell Computer Desk Lamp"looks" similar but is closer to what I'm looking to spend.

If anyone has a favorite or is willing to recommend one - I'm open.

Giddy Up!

Quality Podcast Features from Tooth & Nail Records

Erik Lane — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 15:50:00 GMT

This post is more about a couple of neat features that Tooth & Nail Records have in their podcast than it is about the podcast.

Notice in the screenies.


In the timeline of the podcast there are tick marks that indicate segments of the show and the podcast logo is displayed.
A click of the advance button brings me to screenie #2. I've advanced to the next segment in the timeline but notice that the album art has changed. In this segment they are talking with the band pictured (Thousand Foot Krutch).
Two more clicks brings me to screenie #3. Again, I've advanced a few segments ahead in the timeline but they've changed the album art again. This time we're listening to a song called "The Flame in All of Us" and they put up the album cover.

These do not replace the quality of the content (awesome by the way) but they are nice features to have. It just shows the time and effort they put into the production of the podcast. To be honest, I'm surprised DotNetRocks hasn't done this already.

Giddy Up!

Broken Images in my RSS Feed

Erik Lane — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 08:08:00 GMT

Apparently the images in my feed, hosted by Feedburner, are being shortened to a relative path - which is breaking them since they are not hosted at Feedburner. This is either done by .Text or I messed something up.

I posted a couple of images in my PQI i810 USB Flash Drive post but they are not showing up in the RSS Feed. So if you want to take a look-see please click through to the blog.

PQI i810 USB Flash Drive

Erik Lane — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 05:57:00 GMT

Every other USB flash drive I have ends up in my bag and it stays there. That's not an issue when I have my bag with me but, sadly, I don't always have my bag with me. That has keep me on the lookout for a USB flash drive that I could keep with me almost 100% of the time. For that to happen it had to be one that I could carry on my key chain but also one that wouldn't be a hassle to use or carry with me.

It had to keep these criteria:

Small enough that when it was in my pocket it didn't bother me.
USB connector had to be protected.
The cap had to be built so that I couldn't lose it.
Had to connect to my key chain in a way that was solid and sturdy.

The PQI i810 does all of these.

Small, protected connector, and safely connected on my key chain

The protected USB Connector slides in/out

The speed of the PQI i810 Drive is actually pretty good and can be used for ReadyBoost. Because of its small size I take it off of my key chain when I use it and I am extra careful with the connector. These are trade-offs that I can live with and so I'm a happy camper.

Giddy Up!

Time for a New Project

Erik Lane — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 14:50:00 GMT

Well, the life a contractor has set in. My current project, that was suppose last until January, will now end on 8/31 so I have begun the search for my next project. If you have the need for my skills in C# and ASP.NET please feel free to contact me. I'm open for going just about anywhere but with preference to Baltimore/DC, Dallas/Fort Worth, or working remote.

Giddy Up!

Kids are so funny!

Erik Lane — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 10:35:00 GMT

These are not my kiddos but it's still so funny I had to share.

Adobe Acrobat Reader 8

Erik Lane — Fri, 18 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT

For the longest time I disliked having to have Acrobat Reader on my machine. If you wanted to read a PDF then it was the only option. The thing had a ridiculously long start up that was amplified by checking for updates every time it started up. All I want to do is read a PDF. That's why I got READER and not the full Adobe Acrobat application. KISS!

In came Foxit Reader and all was right with the world. It did the one thing I needed and did it fast and efficient. The only downside that I've found using Foxit Reader are financial sites that require you to have Acrobat Reader installed. I want to op-out of snail mail statements and I guess this is to ensure I can read the the PDF statements and to cover themselves from a legal standpoint. I wish they would also check for Foxit Reader but they don't...I asked.

I finally had to break down and install the latest version of Acrobat Reader. I have to say that I am really impressed. I'm pretty sure they took a look at what Foxit Reader does, saw that it was gaining popularity, and more and more people were really disliking Acrobat Reader. Here are a few things that I noticed about Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.

Updater Preferences - Very similar to WindowsXP automatic updates. I tell Acrobat Reader when to check for updates and what to do with them. I can also turn if off. Foxit Reader checks for updates when I ask it to.
Quick startup - Only 2 seconds vs. 20-30 seconds in previous versions. Foxit Reader is still quicker but not by much.
Quick startup - No splash screen on startup. You can have the splash screen if you want but it's off by default. Foxit doesn't have one either. Clean and simple.
Quick startup - Instead of making me wait during start up to find updates, it searches for updates in the background. In process explorer and saw an "updater" pop up and then go away. Very nice.

There are still two things that I don't like but aren't a problem at the moment.

The large download and install coming in at 20.8MB. Foxit Reader is still small at 1.67MB.
It still doesn't have the ability to type on the PDF document like Foxit Reader does.

Using Acrobat Reader 8 has been a pleasant experience so far. I still wouldn't suggest replacing Foxit Reader but don't be afraid of using it if you had concerns like I did.

Giddy Up!