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Posted by on 28th July, 2007

Bicycles in Amsterdam

Having lived in Amsterdam and Rotterdam for over a decade, this list of 82 pictures brought many memories back. Unlike in the USA, where everyone drives their SUV to the shops less than 1 km away, in Holland, they do it differently. The preferred method of transportation is the bicycle or “fiets”. Of course, for longer trips there is excellent public transportation and yes, people do own cars as well, albeit smaller ones. Soon after I learned to walk, the bike was the next logical method of going places…everywhere: to school, the grocery store, library, football games, etc and this in the almost constant rain or freezing, windy, bitter winters of Holland. “[in Holland] there are many cyclepaths and other segregated cycle facilities. The network stretches to all provinces, and the bordering nations Belgium and Germany. The country values its cycleways as much as any other method of transportation – like a network of roads, these cycleways can take you from any city to a destination of your choice...

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Posted by on 27th July, 2007

Visual Studio 2008 Beta 2

Visual Studio 2008 Beta 2

The new Visual Studio 2008 Beta 2 is ready to be downloaded.  You can get it here: Visual Studio 2008 (formerly called “Orcas”) is Microsoft’s new flagship software development product for computer programmers. With features like multi-targeting support, Javascript Intellisense, AJAX support and LINQ, it sure promises to be a fully featured and exciting release. You can find the complete feature list in this white paper. [button link=”http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/vstudio/aa700831.aspx” color=”#FFFFCC” size=”1″ style=”4″ dark=”1″]read...

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Posted by on 25th July, 2007

Disagree without offending

Disagree without offending

Whether you acquire this valuable skill or it is natural in you, it is one that one simply must have to be able to interact, socialize and simply succeed in your relationships with anyone you know or encounter in the future. Everyone is unique and so are their thoughts. The true art lies in being able to listen properly, communicate accordingly and whether you get your point across or not, whether you convince the other person or not, maintain the relationship intact or stronger than it was, even if no mutual agreement was reached. Here is an excellent article that highlights some of these points that one should keep in mind in any discussion. [button link=”http://johnplaceonline.com/achieve-balance/how-to-disagree-and-persuade-without-offending/” color=”#FFFFCC” size=”1″ style=”4″ dark=”1″]read...

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Posted by on 21st July, 2007

FTP add-in for Visual Studio

FTP add-in for Visual Studio

Visual Studio is a very complex and complete piece of software and I use it everyday. I have very few add-ins for it simply because it really comes with everything I need. However, there is one thing, one key feature that I find is missing. I had written about it before and that is the lack of FTP support for web applications. Sometimes, you just need to be able to make changes to a file, run it locally to verify that it works and being able to upload it directly to the webserver from within VS. I know there is some support for it, but frankly I think it was placed in there at the last minute…it is unusable. So, I think I have finally found a product that does the job decently exactly as I expect it to. It is an add-in to VS2005 and it is called Dispatch . “Dispatch is VS plugin that helps you keep track of the files that need to be uploaded –...

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Posted by on 20th July, 2007

Apparently vinegar can do all this

Apparently vinegar can do all this

Of course everyone has some advice on how to remove a stain from the carpet or how to avoid smelly shoes, but some of these 62 little known uses of vinegar just seem incredible. Most are certainly worth trying and probably very efficient. However, until I try them out myself or see some solid proof I think I am going to remain somewhat skeptical about some of these solutions offered, especially ones like #54… I just have the impression that the room won’t smell as fresh as it says it will… [button link=”http://odyb.net/food-cooking/62-little-known-uses-of-vinegar/” color=”#FFFFCC” size=”1″ style=”4″ dark=”1″]read...

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Posted by on 19th July, 2007

Exercise: make it a habit!

Exercise: make it a habit!

I don’t exercise every day but I do wish I was more consistent about exercising regularly. It seems that every morning I decide that, this time, for real, I am going to start exercising every day.  I find myself waking up early and exercising for a few days and then suddenly, one morning I decide to skip a session and it goes downhill from there….until next Monday; then we start all over again. So, what can we do about it? Here  is a  good article on how to make your exercise session an actual habit, like showering or brushing your teeth. We don’t stop and think about either those activities, we just do them….if we could only do that with an exercise routine… [button link=”http://ririanproject.com/2006/09/21/how-to-make-exercise-a-permanent-habit-in-your-life/” color=”#FFFFCC” size=”1″ style=”4″ dark=”1″]read...

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Posted by on 18th July, 2007

What tools I use for software development

What tools I use for software development

I read a post somewhere (truly can’t remember where…) about the tools one uses to develop software and thought to myself: do the software tools or programs we use identify us? I think it would it be safe to say that you can tell a lot from a person from what he is wearing or which software products he/she uses. Would you think doifferent of someone who told you they used x application…? maybe because you preferred another one? Interesting questions, but I’d thought I’d post some of my own tools I use on a daily basis… Here they are: Visual Studio 2005 (IDE) SQL 2005 Management Studio (Database) Virtual PC / VMWare (PC Virtualization) Winmerge (File/Folder differencing) Fireworks / Paint.NET (Image editor) Dispatch (VS FTP add-in) SyncBack (FTP Syncronization) Fiddler (HTTP debugger) Axosoft Ontime (VS bug track...

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Posted by on 18th July, 2007

Avoid losing your motivation

Avoid losing your motivation

“Staying motivated is a struggle; our drive is constantly assaulted by negative thoughts and anxiety about the future. Everyone faces doubt and depression. What separates the highly successful is the ability to keep moving forward.” There are 3 primary reasons we lose motivation. Lack of confidence – If you don’t believe you can succeed, what’s the point in trying? Lack of focus – If you don’t know what you want, do you really want anything? Lack of direction – If you don’t know what to do, how can you be motivated to do it? [button link=”http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-motivate-yourself/” color=”#FFFFCC” size=”1″ style=”4″ dark=”1″]read...

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Posted by on 18th July, 2007

Password hacking tactics

Password hacking tactics

You just created your online access account for your brokerage account, just like many other online services you have created accounts for… Which password did you pick? The same as usual…the same you use for all your other accounts? A different one? You have a different password for each site? Then, how do you remember all of them? Maybe you have some software application that remembers them for you. Whichever our case, more likely than not, we don’t spend much time thinking about the strength of our passwords, even though we are constantly reminded about the threats of not doing so… Well, here is an article by John P. who shares how he would hack your password. Read it and it may make you want to change your passwords to something stronger… [button link=”http://onemansblog.com/2007/03/26/how-id-hack-your-weak-passwords/” color=”#FFFFCC” size=”1″ style=”4″ dark=”1″]read...

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Posted by on 17th July, 2007

The fear of the unknown

The fear of the unknown

“It is incredible, how many things never get their chance to be done simply because we’re afraid to be the first ones to even try. We fear rejection and lack of acceptance, we fear a possible failure, and we generally would rather scrap a great idea than be courageous and adventurous enough to be the first. Well, it doesn’t have to be this way.” Excellent article highlighting many things that we all know are true; things that we know we should be doing, but simply don’t out of fear of the unknown. I remember me as a kid staring up at the Space Mountain rollercoaster in Disney World and finally deciding I was not riding it, because [fill in any reason]. If only that kid knew how much fun he’d have if he had decided to ride… (that kid got to know 20 years later ho wmuch fun he had misse dout on). Whether it is to do something that hasn’t been done before by anyone, or it is...

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