Live Mesh

I'm really impressed with Microsoft's new "cloud computing" initiative. For those of you not in the biz, cloud computing basically means storing / processing information from the web instead of from your local computer.

The new service www.mesh.com has some really cool stuff which you can checkout on their website. The one I am really impressed with is the folder sharing. You can now have a folder on your desktop that is synchronized with a folder on mesh.com. Furthermore, this folder can be synchronized with any other machine on your mesh and shared to other users of mesh. Why is that cool? Here is what I like:

• Synchronize chat log folders so my log history is the same on every machine.
• Synchronize personal projects that I am working on so I can work on them everywhere.
• Easily share my files / pictures with my friends.
• Easily manage remote computers.
  

Additionally, it also gives me peace of mind knowing that I have a backup in case my hard drive dies.

What really makes this software great is that the folder's you share show up like any other folder on windows.


P.S. Works for Mac too!

Undo Close tab

Well I cant help it... I just stumble across really useful stuff sometimes. Of course, it helps that I love anything that allows me to increase my own efficiency. So here is another little useful trick that I bet you didn't know!

Have you ever closed a tab when browsing the Internet unintentionally? (This happens to me sometimes because I tend to mis-click) Firefox has an "Undo" option for that. It doesn't seem to revolutionary, but for me it wasn't something I had considered a possibility until I found it playing around one day. Just right click on the blank tab area and you'll see it in the menu.

So if you happen to have that Paypal tab open and you mis-click to close it, use the undo option and send me $20 while you are at it. ;)

Getting lyrics to your Itunes Music

I was listening to a song on my computer today and after messing up a few words in the song I started wondering if there was a way to get lyrics for all my music through iTunes. (I already knew that music had the option to add lyrics to it)

Sure enough, there are a few programs out there. Here is the one that I used. Simple interface with only two options and it integrates into iTunes. You just select the songs you want to download lyrics to and it can go off on it's own and get them all for you. Processes 2-3 songs a second which is fast enough for me.... not like I'm going to be doing this all the time anyways.

Here is the link: http://senthilkumar.googlepages.com/ituneslyricsimporter

New Backsplash

Spent some time in the last week installing a backsplash in my condo. I was surprised at how much of a pain in the butt it was. The main problem I had was cutting the tiles on the tile sheets. Thankfully I didn't have to do much of this type of cutting comparatively, but it still really slowed things down.

Lessons learned:

• Take an hour early on and plan out the whole layout.
• Use clean bucket when mixing grout.
• Sanded grouts are easier to work with than non-sanded.
• Get a nice tile saw to cut through tile sheets.

Looks pretty good, huh?

How to move an off-screen window back on-screen

With anybody who hooks up external monitors or uses multi-monitor displays, I'm sure you have encountered the situation when the window / program you are trying to access is outside of the visual display area. I've figured out a way over the years to quickly bring the window back in the display area. Here is how you do it:

1. Right-click on the window you are trying to access and click "Move"
2. Hit any one of the arrow keys on the keyboard. (This will lock the window to your mouse cursor)
3. Move your mouse around to bring it back within the display area.

I'm not sure why hitting an arrow key on the keyboard has this effect, but it does work and is alot faster than resizing your desktop or restarting your computer.

Finding large files wasting space on your computer

Vista's Folder explorer now has a "Stack View" option. Stack view organizes the files in the current display based on whatever Stack View options you choose (irregardless of whether the file is in a folder). One of the options for Stack View is "Size". So, all you have to do is open your root C drive and choose from the file menu View -> Stack By -> Size. Vista will group your hard drive files based off their size and give you the results.

(Great way to figure out which files are using up your hard drive space!)

Software Explorer in Vista

It has been awhile since I have blogged.... not because I haven't had the time or dont want to, but more like having something useful to say. I started thinking and since I'm a software professional, maybe I should share some of the more useful things I have learned / figured out over the years. As such, here is a cool one - Software Explorer in Vista.

What is great about this tool is the information it displays as an alternative to hitting Ctrl-Alt-Del and going to the task manager. (Great for trying to figure out why your computer / internet is running so slow)

Here are the things that are really useful:

• You can see and disable all startup programs that run when Vista starts. (great for killing malware apps)
• You can see more information about the running applications than Task manager displays. i.e. "Ships with Operating System", "File path"
• You can see which programs are access the internet and to which IP address.

Very useful little tool. I'm just surprised it isnt more visible in vista. Here is how you get at it:

1. Open Start->Control Panel -> Windows Defender
2. Select "Tools"
3. Select "Software Explorer"
   

Certifiably... smarter

Well, it is finally done. I've finally finished my full Microsoft Certified Application Developer path. My test was 2 days ago on Wednesday and I had been reading the SQL 2000 book in my free time for a couple of months. With about a week to go, I start really dedicating my time to it... all free time including skipping soccer games (a really big deal!) I had gone through the book about 4 times altogether and had taken a few practice tests so I felt pretty good going in; but I was worried about the time limit. (100 minutes for 44 questions)

The test itself was more of a ridiculous sort of test than anything. The questions they ask you are specific to the syntax of the language and the nuiances of the language (aka gotchas) What bugs me about that is that those are the first things you forget. From my experience, the concepts are more important... when it comes to the details it only takes a few minutes to look it up online. During the test it was taking me a bit longer than I anticipated to figure out exactly what they were asking so I was stressing out a little bit. In the end, I ended up with an 87% which isnt too terrible but I felt I could probably have made that a 97% if I had another hour. (many of the questions were simply too long to figure out in the time frame)

Anyways, overall i'm extremely satisfied with the results and glad I took the test. I feel a better grasp of the language and have a better idea of how SQL will interpret and execute my code....which makes me a better programmer.

Now... onto a new challenge.....hmmmm.....

In need of some good elbow grease

Boy, just when I thought soccer was hard on the legs.... God enlightens me by showing that it can be hard on the arms as well.

I was having a pretty good game tonight. After watching my team play in a tournament over the weekend I was ready to get my ankle brace back on and stretch out the lungs. Everything was going good until about 30 minutes in when I was trying to dribble the ball. The ball got a little caught up in my legs and my toe got stuck on the ball. This happens every once in awhile... no big deal. You fall down and then get back up again. It is a turf field as well so the surface is fairly soft to fall on. This time though, when I fell my arm must have gotten caught under me in the fully extended position because I felt my elbow strain under the full weight of my body falling down on it. I didnt feel a pop or anything but my elbow ligaments were pulled farther than normal and it hurt quite a bit. There isnt much swelling and no discoloration so that is good.

For all my soccer enthusiasm, I'm left with an arm that hurts to move paired with my existing bum ankle. At least there is a bright side to it.... I have something to blog about!!!

Been forever since I have blogged!

Boy, I think I need to get a more exciting life because it seems like I have nothing new to talk about. (Or maybe I just need more readers because the only people that read this are the same ones that know what is going on) Doh!

Well at the very least I can post some links to some cool stuff. Check it out-

• BMW that can change shapes
• Dog that can throw and retrieve
• Car that can run on water
  

Rail of a tale

Made a minor improvment to my condo over the past couple of weeks.... although I say minor, it was quite a lot of work. I'm still not a huge fan of the oak. I was looking for something in a lighter color that would match more to the white molding and light colored wood of my kitchen, but I do have to say it looks pretty good.

The fun part was surprising mom of course. She loves it so I think I'll be building one at their house in the near future.

Clearflow from maps.live.com.

So Microsoft recently released this new technology that added to their mapping system that gives you the ability to route you around traffic backups that occur on the highways. Previously, mapping systems could not do this because there was no guarantee that the surface streets would have any less traffic than the highways. How microsoft implemented this (apparently) is they analyzed traffic data on surface streets around seattle and came up with models that are supposed to help predict when / where backups would occur on city streets. Then they can use this model to generate information that would allow their route calculation engine to determine which route would get you to the destination the quickest.
Sounded like a good idea to me so I thought I would give it a try. Here are my results:
Try #1: Clearflow cost me 20 minutes - Didnt calculate the time it would take to get through a timed-onramp light.
Try #2: Ontime
Try #3: 20 minutes late - No signification cause... just heavy traffic along the route.

Overall it has cost me more time than it has saved. Although it does seem to work sometimes, I wonder if it is a fluke or if the "model" they are using is actually correct.

Why I wont use it in the future? If it can't anticipate on-ramp blockages then I have no need for it in a city where you need to eventually get on the freeway. Additionally, I wonder how this system scales up nationally. If Microsoft cant accurately predict how traffic is going to flow it it's own city, how could it work in other cities?

To me it seems like money was spent on a technology that Microsoft wanted to get back so the solution is more "hype" than anything else. If it doesnt work, why make it available?

Home improvement

Well it has been over a month since I blogged last.... not that anybody reads this thing but me and those I specifically send it to. lol.
So I have these lists I keep of things to do in my life. There are 2 lists - "hard" to-do and "easy" to-do. Lately I've been feeling ambitious and trying to get a few things done off the list. 2 of the major items are my final big home improvement projects:

• Tile my kitchen counter backsplash
• Replace the wooden hand rail in my upper hallway.
  

Neither one of these tasks are a whole lot of fun. For my counter backsplash the big problem is choosing a tile design. I've been to a few tile stores but nothing has really striked me a "perfect" for my setup. The other thing I'm worried about is doing too-fancy of a backsplash for my linoleum countertop. Of course I could put a nice stone tile in as a countertop, but I think that would be overkill and not necessarily cost-effective.

For the upstairs railing, what I really need to do is pull the existing railing out and buy wood in the same proportions to match what the existing railing looks like... then hopefully put that railing together with only a few modifications. Seems relatively easy until you realize that I only have a chop-saw. DOH! My kingdom for a few good woodworking tools.

The other fun thing coming up is Jen's 30th birthday party. We spent last weekend trying 5 different martinis in anticipation of the big event. All were good, but we discovered it is difficult to try a bunch of different martinis and stay sober at the same time. :) (especially when they are really good!)

Fun in the sun in San Francisco

Well... I don't know about sun, but at least it was fun. Jennifer and I went down to San Fran last weekend and had a pretty good time. (taking me was my 30th birthday present from Jennifer) It rained and was windy for most of the time which was ironic because the weather up in Seattle was great.

Highlights /Lowlights of the trip:

• Met up with family and friends all weekend and it was great to see everybody.
  
• The restaurant we went to on Friday night had great sangrias.
  
• Saturday was the shopping day. I was thinking of going to Alcatraz but didn't want to fight the bad weather so I went shopping with the ladies. I got myself a new skirt and some new shoes! (just kidding on the skirt)
  
• We went out to a restaurant on Saturday night that had flights of wine. Jennifer, Elena, Kevin and I all had a flight and dinner which was really good.
  
• Jennifer and Elena decided to split the "ravioli" appetizer for dinner on Saturday night - They each ended up with 3 raviolis. (the plate only came with 6 normal raviolis!) At least they tasted good. :)
• After dinner on Saturday night, we went to an Irish pub to have another drink. I mistakenly decided to mix my previous wine with Guinness and payed for it on Sunday with a hangover.
• On Sunday we saw the sights: Lombard street; Cable Car; The waterfront; Pier 39 with the sea lions; and Golden Gate bridge.

Overall it was really a lot of fun. I forgot how much I love San Francisco. I'm also really amazed at how well the public transportation system works. Emphasis on how screwed up Seattle is without a train system like most other major cities have. Pictures Here

To Caucus or not to Caucus

After a little prodding from Jennifer, i decided to try out this caucus thing. My district had our caucus at a local elementary school. Overall it was an interesting experience that I would probably do again. I did discover a few things though:

1. Some people are strange. I guess "different" is anything that is not what you are, but I must say... there were some people here who were definitely different than anybody I have ever met.
   
2. The election process has gotten way overcomplicated. Y'know, for a simple thing like counting votes, it was way over complicated.... Or maybe it was complexly worded. Anybody have a "Caucusing for dummies" book lying around?
   
3. The democratic caucus is more political than anything else. I cant tell you how many times I heard the phrase "Hillary cant win against McCain"... or ..."Republican's will come out in numbers to make sure Hillary will lose"
   

The 3rd conclusion above is what really gets me. Why cant we be voting for the most qualified candidate? If both parties voted that way, couldn't we be reasonably assured that a good candidate will be elected? Furthermore cant we be assume women will come out in numbers with Hillary as the candidate as well? Last I checked women are more democratic than men.... so wouldn't it be likely to assume that a woman candidate would drive the female gender to "come out in numbers" for the democratic candidate??

Obviously I'm no political strategist, but I feel that people tend to rely on previous successes to ensure future success. From what I've seen it seems success favors the risky.

Tide to Go Instant Stain removal

This thing is great. I sound like a commercial for this product but it really does work well. I spilled coffee on my nice white pants monday morning and I had a review with a few of my account managers in the afternoon. I wasnt sure how this thing would work, so I tried a little bit on the stain and it worked great! It is almost like an eraser for coffee stains. (except for the fact that your pants are wet for 20 minutes afterwards) I used the it on the rest of the stain and it was completely gone. The other thing I like is that it is small and I can keep it in my computer bag.

Now if it could remove smells I'd never have to wash my clothes again!

Problems with Managing a Team

Part of my time during the week is to manage a soccer team. The managing part of the team isnt too difficult (collecting dues, finding players) It does take time, but most of the time I dont mind. The really tough part of managing a team is overcoming problems with attendance. On a weekly basis, we have ~ 30% of the players on the team that fall into one of the following two categories:

• Show up 15-20 minutes late.
• Dont show up at all.

This causes two major problems:

• Getting coordinated enough to prevent goals from being scored on us until the late players arrive.
• Providing enough subs for the players on the field, but not having too much. (everybody on the team pays money to play, so nobody wants to sit on the sidelines too much)

I've found getting this right to be an extremely difficult thing to do, mainly because of basic human tendancies. Most people have an optomistic view of how long it will take to get there. Additionally, and possibly unconsciencely, they figure "if I'm late, I wont waste any time waiting for others". The major problem here is that it is a negatively re-enforcing tendency. Those who are a little late, end up waiting longer for those who are alot late... and therefore being more late the next time around.

The other problem I've mentioned is players who say they are going to make it, but dont. Most people are pretty good about posting their absence when they are away.... but unfortunately, pretty good doesnt help me. Assuming most players make this mistake once every other season, that would give me ~ 1-2 unexpected absences per game. Not too terrible...right? Yeah, not a big deal IF you could expect normal distribution throughout the season. The problem is, you cant. You may bet zero unexpected absences one week, and then 4 the following week. With such high variations, it makes it near impossible to "expect" the unexpected and correctly anticipate those that will be missing.

I think the only "silver bullet" to the whole problem is to ask each player individually if they will be attending the game on game day. This works to eliminate the problem, but WHO HAS TIME TO DO THAT EVERY WEEK!!!?

Anyways, if anybody has a good idea on how to overcome these sorts of problems, i'm all ears.

Bus'ted transportation system

So I decided to start taking the bus. Seems like a weird decision to make after just buying a new car 6 months ago, but for me it feels like I'm finally doing what is logical when it comes to transportation. (anybody that knows me knows I prefer to do what's logical) Obviously there are certain conflicts with soccer, but I'm planning on taking the bus whenever I dont have conflicts in the evening..... should be 2 or 3 days a week. Besides, I figure there is ~10 bucks a day I can save by taking the bus.

Simple decision, but so far it has been pretty painful.

Morning 1:

• Bus scheduled to arrive at 8:18
  
• Leave my place at 8:07
• Arrive at bus-stop at 8:16 -> Bus was 3 minutes early and I missed it.
  
• Arrive at work 30 minutes late.

Morning 2:

• Bus scheduled to arrive at 8:18
• Leave my place at 8
• Bus is 10 minutes later that usual -> Miss transfer at bus station.
  
• Arrive at work 30 minutes late.
  

Morning 3:
TBD

Oh what great fun it is standing outside in the cold when I could be in my nice new car with heated seats!

First Post

Well decided to start a blog since it seems like everybody in the world has one these days. I have a development blog going for problems I have solved in the programming world but not a personal blog. Well at the very least, I can use this more like a journal and keep track of my thoughts over the years. (we'll see if this holds up)

Lately I've just been into the post-holidays work-only schedule. The exciting thing for this week though was that apple had a press event when they were supposed to make some pretty big announcments.

Recap:

----From a iphone user's perspective----
Great new features:

• "Here I am" locator for the mapping application

Ok features:

• Homepage that allows multiple tabs of data.
  

----From an investor's perspective----
Like the idea of rentable movies. Few annoying things though:
1. Movies only available for 24 hours following first watch
2. Movies not viewable outside of apple devices (iphone, itunes, mactv)
Overall: Makes me wonder what the point is?? Only hardcore apple fans are going to own the devices to handle all this info. Maybe Steve Jobs can push the movie industry into using DRM so I can watch the freakin thing on my Media Center Extender....?