August 26, 2007 - As the Web was born and grew in importance in the early 1990s, it immediately changed the way the world connected, communicated and gained knowledge. And while the Web has had a major impact on all aspects of society, it has had an especially big effect on businesses... (read more)
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Want a Job at Google? Try These Brainteasers First
August 30 2007 - Dream of landing a coding job at an A-list tech company? It might be a good idea to prep for your interviews by pondering how many golf balls can fit inside a school bus. Or how much you would charge for washing all the windows in Seattle. Or why, exactly, manhole covers are round and not, say, square... (read more)
20 Tips to Improve ASP.net Application Performance
August 31, 2007 - Are you an asp.net developer? If you aren't don't worry, we have similar posts in the works for Ruby, PHP, and other developers out there. If you are an ASP.net developer, listen up! ... (read more)
Seven Wonders of the IT World
September 07, 2007 - First, there were the Seven Wonders of the World. Then there was a New Seven Wonders list, voted on Internet-style. That got us thinking: What are the seven wonders of the IT world? Here's a look at seven of the biggest, most extreme and most unusual computers and projects. By the way, do you have a vote for an eighth wonder? Tell us about it by commenting at the end of this story... (read more)
How to Protect Your Wireless Network
September 25, 2007 (Computerworld) Bad guys don't target just big, corporate networks. If you have a Wi-Fi network at home or in a small office, intruders may be after you, such as casual "war drivers" who troll city streets, looking for unprotected wireless networks. (Want to know more? See "Why you need wireless protection.")... (read more)
IT Planner: 5 Steps to Better Job Security
October 22, 2007 - Tech professionals need to adapt their skills to the business side of the job.: 5 Steps to Better Job Security"> In an age of cost containment, a looming economic slowdown, outsourcing, offshoring, the impending retirement of a bulk of the IT professional population, and declining enrollments in math, technology, engineering and science classes, it comes as little surprise that IT professionals are an insecure bunch. Many are questioning what can be done to ensure their career survival... (read more)
25 Skills Every Man Should Know: Your Ultimate DIY Guide
These days, you can outsource almost any job—but some things you need to know how to do yourself. Study our master list with step-by-step tips from the experts, and test your DIY aptitude each step of the way... (read more)
The Layoff Lifeboat: How to Get Back to Work
Nobody wants to talk about layoffs. Theyre humbling, humiliating, draining and have a huge fiscal and professional drain on those that have been affected by them. But if you work in IT, it is rare to not know at least one person who has been down that road, and how hard it was for them to get back on their feet.
Joshua Muskovitz, a senior developer at SRC, headquartered in Orange, Calif. had the bad fortune to be laid off two months before 9/11.
"People were really excited to hire IT after 9/11," he quipped sarcastically. "The job market was devastated."
It took him a year to get back on his feet, and even that was an arduous process, beginning with teaching at the local ITT Technical school in Albany, N.Y., where he is based, which "paid almost to the penny what unemployment did, as in, not even close to enough" to taking on contract work before finally getting a full-time job with benefits.
In this year, he learned a lot. As if being unemployed isnt bad enough, there is a stigma attached to it.
"You have to constantly explain why you are unemployed. You have maybe a small window of time, a few weeks or a month, where people wont ask, though, so its best to get started looking as soon as you can," said Muskovitz.
Furthermore, as is often the case in IT layoffs, you are not alone in being laid off—often it is an entire department or company that is let go at the same time, which means that the market is flooded with people just like you.
"If you dally, theyre going to get there first. You wont miss out on a job because youre not qualified, but it gets a little dog-eat-dog out there. Layoffs tend to come in cycles; theyre anything but sporadic," said Muskovitz.
The good news is that advice on how to get back on your feet after being laid off isnt just for those who have recently lost their jobs—it can serve as protection if you ever do, and as anyone who has ever lost a job before knows, you can never play it too safe.
1. Look for the Signs
A little-discussed fact of job loss is that, quite often, the months and weeks leading up to a layoff werent exactly the best of times. In fact, layoffs are rarely a sudden event.
"A company doesnt just look at the bank account one day and—gasp!—we didnt know we were running low! They knew it was coming. Everyone knows it coming, whether there is word of a big meeting or sale that could determine the future of the company or whether management is moping around," said Muskovitz. "It wasnt really a great job up until the very minute you got laid off."
As nihilistic a view as that statement may seem, the smartest move is to see these signs coming, and not wait until the axe finally drops to face the facts, whether that means getting back in touch with contacts, updating your resume or asking friends if their companies are hiring.
"On the day that you are laid off, or ideally before that, you want a Rolodex full of contacts. My big rally against open networking is that you can have 10 thousand contacts and not know any of them. Make sure you really know some people," said Muskovitz.
While no layoff is easy, getting gears into motion beforehand can help people get back on their feet faster, because the job market usually operates on a first come, first serve basis.
"If you really in your heart believe that the day is coming, dont wait until you are laid off to start looking for a job. On that day you are with a thousand other people. Be the first person," said Muskovitz.
2. Apply for Unemployment That Very Day
Even though it will be the very last thing that you will want to do—swallow your pride, get your papers together and march to the bureaucratic nightmare that your towns unemployment office will inevitably be—it has to be the first.
"Your benefits are based entirely on the day you go to apply. If you wait a day, you get one day les. You may not want to deal with it; you may be sure you are going to get a new job tomorrow, but you must," said Muskovitz.
There are other reasons as well, some of which vary by state.
"Here in Washington, there is a one-week period before you can start collecting. But, most layoffs happen on a Friday, so if you can get there on Friday, the week ends [on] Saturday, so those two days will count as seven" Robert Poulk, a Redmond-based senior enterprise systems troubleshooter, currently working on contract, who called himself all-too-seasoned in the ins and outs of unemployment.
Muskovitz, like others, made no bones about this process: applying for unemployment is "an awful, awful thing."
"People who apply for it are made to feel guilty about it, despite the fact that it is an entitlement. You have paid into this fund. Its your money, go get it," said Muskovitz. "Its really not a handout but its very much treated that way."
Muskovitz admits that it was a bit of a culture shock to go from being a white collar professional to being ordered to look for a job every day, be able to constantly prove this or else your only source of income would be taken away. The job-placement services that are offered are not always technology-focused.
"The first rule, though, is to put your pride in the bank and go deliver pizzas if you must," he said.
3. Mope, Cry or Imbibe, But Stay Classy
After the initial trip to the unemployment office is made, it is sometimes okay to give yourself a day or so to decompress, especially if, like in Muskovtizs case, it has been a "not very enjoyable" job.
"There is a lot of tension, and the next day, youre not raring to go. I gave myself a week or two to take a vacation, sit outside, look at the clouds and not work," said Muskovitz.
He had been able to buy himself a little bit of time by negotiating a severance package [See Tip 10] beforehand, but even if you have not done the same, its okay to take a day to get your head together, especially if you have until the end of the month, for example, before your job is eliminated.
Yet even if you have advanced noticed, its important not to flip your bosses or coworkers the proverbial bird or act in any way unprofessional.
"The most important thing to do is to realize that the company did not want to do this. It was a last resort. So serve out your time, be a professional and hopefully make some connections. Be the guy that left with class, because it keeps that door open for you if business conditions change," Jim Lanzalotto, vice president of strategy and marketing at Yoh Services, a provider of talent and outsourcing services based in Philadelphia, told eWEEK.
4. Cut Back On All Excess Expenses, Get Insurance
The unemployment office may be a sobering event, but the visit is rarely as mood-killing as receiving the first check itself. While the exact amount received varies from state to state, in general it approximates 50 percent or less than your weekly earnings, with a set maximum that also varies by where you life.
At best, once your severance (if any) runs out, youll be living on half your prior income, and there will be no choice but to cut back on any and all excess expenses. "The longer you can hold out, the better for everyone," explains Muskovitz.
Health insurance must be arranged as well, and even though it will cost an arm and a leg (no pun intended), it is essential that you remain covered, or you will do yourself an unintentional disservice.
"Every time you change jobs, your new insurance will demand proof of continued coverage, or they will only give you limited benefits for a period of time," Muskovitz said.
5. Perfect Your Resume
In general, unemployment insurance lasts for 26 weeks (about six months), but in times of extended high unemployment, benefits may be extended by 13 weeks or more. Nevertheless, once youre done moping, arranging unemployment pay and health insurance, its time to get down to the brass tacks of job hunting and buff your resume to a high shine.
Of course, not everyone agrees that you should wait until you need a new job to get this in order, in fact many argue that you should be updating it even when your next job hunt may be years off.
"I really believe that the process of updating your resume should not be an event-driven thing. You should always be updating it, to be ready for both internal [and] external activities. Maybe there is a promotion you want, or a move to another department… Dont let anyone make you feel that you are disloyal to keep it updated. If youre in charge of your brand, this is your brochure," said Lanzalotto.
Your resume should be flawless; as this is not a place where mistakes are easily forgiven. There should be no typos, it should look clean and neat and it should be totally coherent.
"If they cant take the time and trouble to get one piece of paper right, why do I want to risk my business on them? Its not rocket science to get it perfect. Ask your friends to take a look at it, buy them a beer," said Muskovitz, who has been the point person for hiring in many of his jobs.
"The very first place you lose your chance at a job is for your resume to have typos and or be in any way incoherent."
6. Tell Everyone in the Whole World That You Need Help
Losing a job, even if it was your company that failed or could no longer afford to keep you aboard, is humiliating. Few have gone through what is often called "the horror of unemployment" without it taking a toll on their self-esteem. Many deal with this by keeping the arduous process of getting back on their feet again to themselves, but this is the wrong way to handle it.
"Nobody is going to guess that you are looking for a job. If you appropriately communicate what you want to do, people generally want to help you, so reach out to your contacts," said Lanzalotto.
Muskovitz says that this is no time to be stoic and pretend that things are okay when they are not. During a year-long bout of unemployment, he even went so far as to make a t-shirt that said "Hire Me" with a list of his skills on it. Hed wear it to mixers.
"As soon as you know youve lost your job, start calling in favors. If you had a friend that suddenly lost their job, you would do everything in your power to help them out, but only if you knew there was a problem. The way you find a new opportunity is to enlist as many human beings as possible to help you find it," said Muskovitz.
You never know when the bag boy at the grocery store has a mother with a consulting business that needs help, he added.
7. Your New Job is Finding a Job
Those who have been laid off and those who advise them agree on one thing: you must come out of the gate fighting.
"That first week, you are still in a work mode and you have to take advantage of that. If you get used to staying home and sleeping late, your pace changes. When youre shocked and pissed off is a good time to leverage this energy and get the engines running," said Poulk.
In treating job-hunting as your job, maintaining a routine can help combat the funk that surrounds not knowing where your next paycheck is coming from.
"Every single morning, go out, buy the newspaper and read the classified [section]. Go to all of the job boards and post your resume everywhere and go to Google and find that one magic phrase that nobody else has thought of and e-mail everyone that you know," said Muskovitz.
Muskovitz would have business cards made with his contact information on it and have them and a stack of resumes everywhere, including his car. Hed have lunch at a diner and run into a friend and give the friend two cards, one for them and one for anyone else they know.
"Id put classified ads in the paper offering to do one-on-one computer tutoring or maintenance. Id help people who were computer-phobic. Odds are, if you are technically inclined, youve been doing this anyway for friends. Now get some work out of it," said Muskovitz.
8. Dont Take It Out on the Wrong People Having to ask friends for help and relying on social services for paychecks is emotionally draining.
"People have a lot of pride and this wears them down. Its awful and terrible and horrible, but if youve kept up your healthcare, take advantage of the mental health services available if you must. Find people to talk to," said Muskovitz.
Muskovitz said that being unemployed humbled him. While unemployed, hed look at people on the street and finally understood how few steps there were between himself and the homeless guy he stepped over on the sidewalk. It was a sobering experience and finding people to talk to was essential to his well-being.
"Its better than taking it out on your family," he said.
9. Take a Deep Breath When You Reach the Shore
When you finally land a new job, its the best day in the world. But, your job recovery process is not over yet.
"When you get that gig, celebrate. And then, thank everyone who helped you. Send them an e-mail, a letter. People appreciate that follow-through," said Lanzalotto, who sees the help friends have given as a responsibility as well as a gift. "Now it will be your job to reach out to other people who might run into the same problem."
Furthermore, dont be surprised if you are not completely out of the woods, financially or emotionally.
"Its not an immediate jump back into well. If youre in a leaky boat and you plug the hole, you still have water in the boat. Even if you are on a day-to-day basis more or less back where you were, you accumulate baggage," said Muskovitz, who said that seven years later, he still carried debt from his year without a job.
10. Negotiate Severance Pay This Time Around
Theres an old adage about if you make a mistake once, its forgivable, but making the same mistake again is less so. IT and other professionals who have been laid off even once quickly learn to try to negotiate severance packages at the start of a job.
After being laid off from a company once, then rehired, Muskovitz did just this, and when layoffs came around again a year later, others had only two weeks pay while he had three months.
"It happened four times total, so I got wise—it helped a lot," he said.
Even recruiters agree it can be in the best interest of a scorned professional.
"Its almost like a prenuptial agreement, but its appropriate because if youre going somewhere, your hope is that relationship is going to work and you hope youre going to be a great player and as asset to them. But if this doesnt work out, you want to get something fair back," said Lanzalotto.
Top 10 Free Video Rippers, Encoders, and Converters
OCT 31 2007 - So many video file formats, so many handheld video players, so many online video sites, and so little time. To have your favorite clips how you want them—whether that's on your DVR, iPod, PSP or desktop—you need the right utility to convert 'em into the format that works for you. Commercial video converter software's aplenty, but there are several solid free utilities that can convert your video files on every operating system, or if you've just got a web browser and a quick clip. Put DVDs on your iPod, YouTube videos on DVD, or convert any video file with today's top 10 free video rippers, encoders and converters... (read more)
The 30 Top Paying Jobs in IT
Everyone knows the top paying IT job is the CIO. But, a new survey reveals that 29 other IT positions will have six-figure salaries in 2008.
No one is surprised that CIOs are the highest paid IT professionals, with a projected average annual salary of between $126,750 and $210,000 in 2008. But, 30 other IT titles also are projected to have average annual salaries that will top $100,000 next year, according to the just-released Robert Half Technology 2008 Salary Guide.
Robert Half Technology, an IT staffing firm, projects that nine new occupations will for the first time have starting salaries averaging, on the high end of the range, in six figures:
- Business Continuity Analyst, $100,250;
- IT Auditor, $102,750;
- Data Modeler, $103,000;
- Network Security Administrator, $103,000;
- Systems Security Administrator, $103,500;
- Data Security Analyst, $104,000;
- Data Warehouse Analysts, $104,250;
- Software Engineer, $104,500.
10 Top Paying IT Jobs for 2008
Here are the average salary ranges for the top 10 paying IT job titles in 2008, as projected by Robert Half Technology.
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Here are the 30 IT job titles with high-range average salaries topping $100,000 in 2008, according to Robert Half Technology:
- Applications Architect
- Applications Development Manager
- Applications Development Project Manager
- Business Continuity Analyst
- Business Intelligence Analyst
- Chief Information Officer
- Chief Security Officer
- Chief Technology Officer
- Consulting and Systems Integration Director
- Consulting and Systems Integration Practice Manager
- Consulting and Systems Integration Project Manager/Senior
- Consultant
- Data Architect
- Data Modeler
- Data Security Analyst
- Data Warehouse Analyst
- Data Warehouse Manager
- Database Administrator
- Database Developer
- Database Manager
- Information Technology Manager
- IT Auditor
- Lead Applications Developer
- Network Architect
- Network Security Administrator
- Senior IT Auditor
- Senior Web Developer
- Software Development Project Manager
- Software Engineer
- Systems Security Administrator
- Vice President/Information Technology
To see the average salary ranges for these 30 and other IT jobs as well as other detailed salary information click here to get a copy of the Robert Half Technology salary guide.
Why Linux Will Succeed On The Desktop
Nov 1, 2007 - I believe Linux will become the de-facto standard desktop operating system. Though it'll take a while for many users to break free from ties to Windows, there is good reason to believe that this day will come.
Consider that the global community is already beginning to rally behind standard document formats. In addition, as browsers like Firefox gain more market share, users are less tolerant of Internet Explorer-only web sites. However, the transition is slow and will continue to be a slow one. Most people will switch away from Windows only when dollars are on the line... (read more)
10 Career-Killers to Avoid
November 07, 2007 (Computerworld) -- Like other types of workers, IT professionals can be vulnerable to committing career sabotage -- sometimes without even recognizing it.
To help IT professionals become more aware of potential career blunders, Computerworld yesterday spoke with John M. McKee, president of BusinessSuccessCoach.net, a Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based career coaching and consulting firm. McKee is the author of author of Career Wisdom: 101 Proven Strategies to Ensure Workplace Success. Here are 10 career-killers, with McKee's advice about how to recognize and avoid them... (read more)
How to Construct a Killer Resume, From Start to Finish
November 7, 2007 @ 12:30 pm - Last week, I wrote a controversial article about resume tips that got a lot of readers fired up. As a result, I thought it would be worthwhile to go through the entire process of creating a strong resume, step by step... (read more)
The 10 Hottest Certs for 2008
November 12th, 2007 - Michael Trapp, writing for knowhow-now.com, has composed a list of what he believes will be the hottest certs for 2008. The list is based on job growth, sales of certification training material, and “a little guess work.” ... (read more)
Top 12 Areas for Technology Innovation through 2025
Tuesday, November 20, 2007 - What will likely be the most important scientific and technological breakthroughs with significant commercial value and impacts on the lives of consumers out to 2025?... (read more)
How to Buy a Flat-Screen TV
Tuesday, October 16, 2007 10:00 PM PDT
The sexiest thing going in TV is flat panels--plasma and LCD screens that are only a few inches thick. But if you're not planning to hang your TV on the wall, is a flat panel the best way to go? And which are better: plasma or LCD flat-screen TVs? Here's what you need to know before you buy, and for a visual overview, see our "How to Buy a Flat-Screen TV" video buying guide... (read more)
10 Tips To Secure Your Laptop
Nov. 24, 2007 - Whether you're home or on the road, these security steps will help protect you and your computer from wireless scoundrels.
As more people use laptops for their primary work PCs, the chances for being compromised because of wireless miscreants loom large. Here are 10 how-to tips to protect yourself and make the best use of a wireless network, whether you are at home, at work, or in between... (read more)
The Top 10 IT Disasters of All Time
From faulty satellites nearly causing World War III to the Millennium Bug, poorly executed IT has had a lot to answer for over the years
Following the loss of the personal records of some 25 million child benefit recipients by Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs this month, the UK government will be acutely aware of how quickly mismanagement of technology can lead to serious problems... (read more)
Google Chart API
The Google Chart API lets you dynamically generate charts. To see the Chart API in action, open up a browser window and copy the following URL into it:
http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=p3&chd=s:hW&chs=250x100&chl=Hello|World
Press the Enter or Return key and - presto! - you should see the following image:
... (read more)
Firefox & IE Prompt You To Remember Passwords - Do You Say Yes ?
When you type a password into any web form, both Internet Explorer and Firefox prompt whether you would like them to remember your password.
If that’s a personal computer, chances are high that you will click Yes and the password is then saved in the web browser... (read more)
15 Innovators & Influencers Who Will Make A Difference In 2008
Dec. 15, 2007 - Meet 15 people who will help shape the business technology world in the coming year. They're not the usual suspects -- the names everyone knows. Several are industry and tech execs, and most are gurus, prophets, or evangelists of one sort or another. They're all passionate about an idea, an approach, or a technology, and they're focused on driving it to the next level. Watch for each of them to be a force for change in their own corner of the tech world... (read more)
Google Gets Ready to Rumble With Microsoft
December 16, 2007 - A CEREBRAL computer-scientist-turned-executive, Eric E. Schmidt has spent much of his career competing uphill against Microsoft, quietly watching it outflank, outmaneuver or simply outgun most of its rivals... (read more)
Top 10 stories of 2007: Age of realignment
December 14, 2007 - 2007 was a big year for IT, and we look back at the biggest stories, from the iPhone to Windows Vista to the growth of consolidation in the software market... (read more)
Friday, February 15, 2008
The Best New Internet hoaxes
February 14, 2008 (Computerworld) You've been had. Some geeky guy with a bad comb-over just convinced you to click 100 times on your Gmail account to somehow tap into a Google TV beta... (read more)
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Evaluating Career Opportunities: It’s Not Just About the Numbers
Ready for a change? Looking for a new job? Here is advice from an expert on what to look for when evaluating new opportunities. By Heather Hamilton
There are few decisions in life that have a bigger impact on your future potential than selecting a new job. Sure, there are matters of the heart: marriage, children, etc. But when making a career move, you need to use your head and do your research. The time to start deciding is before you start looking. While we are conditioned to evaluate opportunities based on compensation, there are a wide range of other factors that need to be weighed. So creating a framework for evaluating opportunities before you start looking will help you say yes to the right opportunity and walk away from everything else... (read more)
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
The Super Bowl XLII Mailbag
The Patriots may not have made history, but I managed to make history of my own this week: For the first time in the history of this column, I was bedridden with the flu and bronchitis for three straight days. The timing couldn't have been worse -- not only did I have to cancel Wednesday's podcast with David Stern, but I couldn't write a reaction to the Shaq trade, slap together a column of post-Super Bowl e-mails or finish a monster mailbag that was already half done. In fact, I couldn't do anything except sleep, cough, watch television and sleep... (read more)
What 19 & 0 Will Mean ...
January 28, 2008 - When it's all over, once the Patriots win Super Bowl XLII, there will be more to the victory than just being crowned the best team ever. There will be perks that come with achieving this -- perks the Patriots earned, perks that will be bestowed upon them, and the perks the rest of us are just going to have to deal with... (read more)
'Free fallin' Out Into Nothing'
GLENDALE, Ariz. (Monday, 3 a.m. MT) -- Now it all makes sense.
You bleed for your team, you follow them through thick and thin, you monitor every free-agent signing, you immerse yourself in draft day, you purchase the jerseys and caps, you plan your Sundays around the games ... and there's a little rainbow waiting at the end. You can't see it, but you know it's there. It's there. It has to be there. So you believe... (read more)
Ten Things We Learned From the Giants' Super Bowl Win
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- While all the talk leading up to Super Bowl XLII centered on perfection, on how the New England Patriots were one of the best teams ever, we forgot to acknowledge one simple fact: The New York Giants were playing better at this time of the year than their opponents... (read more)
Blame Pats for this Loss
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The New England Patriots don't deserve perfection. They deserve exactly what they got Sunday evening: a Super Bowl loss that will haunt them for the rest of their lives... (read more)
'Supernatural' Catch by Tyree a Play for the Ages
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- David Tyree, beaming and sweating in equal measure, was still settling into his seat at postgame Podium No. 5 under University of Phoenix Stadium when the first question came his way... (read more)
Unflappable Manning Lets Instincts Take Over
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Had the Patriots tried to spy on the Giants -- specifically QB Eli Manning -- before Super Bowl XLII, it would have been pointless... (read more)
Eli, Monster Defense Power Giants to Shocking Super Bowl Victory
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- There was a palpable expectation of history here on a chilly night in the Arizona desert. Super Bowl XLII delivered on that score, but history of a different sort than predicted was made Sunday... (read more)
Loose Fit: Giants Just Fine With Underdog Role
February 2, 2008 - PHOENIX -- The New York Giants had barely started celebrating their NFC championship win at Green Bay when a startling text message brought them back to earth... (read more)
Super Bowl Predictions: Our Experts Weigh In
February 1, 2008 - PHOENIX -- Who'll win Super Bowl XLII? It could be the Patriots in a blowout. Or maybe they'll sweat it out in the final minutes. Or maybe the Giants in a stunner. After all, few people give them a chance to knock off an unbeaten New England team that has already been lauded in some corners as the best in NFL history... (read more)
15 Reasons Patriots Will Win
Friday, February 1, 2008 - PHOENIX -- On Nov. 4, 2007, just after the New England Patriots had improved to 9-0, I committed all my Super Bowl Sunday delegates to Bill Belichick. I'd seen enough. I mean, how can you ignore the polling numbers? The Patriots were beating the front-runners (San Diego Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts) and it was obvious they'd be the AFC nominee. So I wrote that New England wouldn't lose another game. Not in the regular season. Not in the postseason... (read more)
Perfection? These Pats Have Been There Before
Friday, February 1, 2008 - PHOENIX -- The night before his team became perfect, Russ Hochstein sat in a hotel room and played Sheep's Head. Playing cards is what they do in small towns to pass the time. Two cards in the middle, pass, ante up. In 24 hours, his Nebraska football team would finish a 13-0 season. Hochstein had no idea if he should be nervous. He was young and naïve, and hadn't seen much of the world outside his farm in Hartington, Neb... (read more)
The Tom Brady Experience: 'Almost' perfect
Thursday, January 31, 2008 - Alone in the garage, calves screaming, the 16-year-old boy bounces grimly, tenaciously, into the night. In a 3-by-2-foot box, with five dots arranged as you would find them on dice, he works through five simple drills: both feet forward then back, around the perimeter, the left foot first and then the right in a figure-eight pattern, a two-footed bunny hop all the way around, always facing forward and, finally, the bunny hop with a 180-degree hopscotch twist to bring it home... (read more)
Expect Burress Prediction to Fall Short
Thursday, January 31, 2008 - PHOENIX -- Plaxico Burress caused a stir by predicting his Giants would beat the Patriots, 23-17. It wasn't the forecast that was interesting but the score. This has been an offensive season, so a low-scoring game would be a surprise. Tom Brady couldn't believe Burress thinks the Patriots would score only 17 points. The fewest points they've scored in a game all season was 20. In Week 17, the Patriots beat the Giants, 38-35... (read more)
Monday, February 11, 2008
SQL Editor for Database Developers
Features
SqlBuilder is a very useful, powerful and intelligent C# tool for all developers, which works with databases... (read more)
Introduction to Object Oriented Programming Concepts (OOP) & More
1. Introduction
I have noticed an increase in the number of articles published in the Architect category in code-project during the last few months. The number of readers for most of these articles is also high, though the ratings for the articles are not. This indicates that readers are interested in reading articles on Architecture, but the quality does not match their expectations. This article is a constructive attempt to group/ define/ explain all introductory concepts of software architecture for well seasoned developers who are looking to take their next step as system architects... (read more)
Sudoku Algorithm: Generates a Valid Sudoku in 0.0452 Seconds
Introduction
When I designed the project this article is based on, it was much less about producing a fast algorithm for Sudoku generation. For all intents and purposes I had already achieved this in a previous project. No, this project was about testing myself that little bit further to learn new ways of dealing with things and, overall, improving my previous code with the new things I had learnt. Little did i know i'd reduce my all time best 5 second algorithm to a mere 0.07 second algorithm. Now i look at at, it seems so obvious... (read more)
Enable Your Users to Write Math Equations in Your Web and Desktop Apps
Introduction
If you own applications such as Blogs, Forums or Wiki and strive to delight your customers with every new release, you probably don't need justification for this feature. In this article, I'll show you how you can allow your users to type in math equations and have them rendered in nice textbook format with absolutely minimal coding effort on your part... (read more)
A Very Easy to Use Excel XML Export Library
Introduction
Just like any other Excel XML export article/library writer, my quest started when I wanted to export a simple report to Excel. I knew that writing a Excel XML library is very easy and I was sure I will find plenty of such libraries on the net. I did found many, but none of them was simple, yet intuitive, powerful and implemented everything I needed. I can take ages to write a background component like a export library, but when using it, I want it to do my work fast and without fuss. The library is compatible with .Net 2.0/3.0/3.5... (read more)
Client Side Validation for Checkboxes Inside the GridView
Introduction
I am presenting here a JavaScript that ensures that at least one CheckBox is checked among checkboxes in a particular column inside the GridView Control before submitting a form... (read more)
Datagrid for Master/Child or Master/Slave Details Using ASP.NET & C#
Introduction
Visit http://www.progtalk.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleID=1 for my lastest updates and new versions to this solution/project.
Want to see a working example of this feature?
I have used this collapse expand feature in my website at www.progtalk.com.
In the main page, you can click to expand and collapse the table items.
Best of luck... (read more)
ToDoList 5.4.5 Feature Release - A Simple but Effective Way to Keep on top of Your Tasks
Latest Update (5.4 Feature Release)
Woo Hoo for Undo/Redo!
That's right folks, u/r finally makes it to ToDoList after only 4 years - I hope it was worth the wait!
Jocularity aside, it turned out to be much simpler than I anticipated, but that may simply be because I've been thinking about it for so long.
Unfortunately (sorry Klaus) sorting is not included in the undo mechanism because at present I believe it to be quite different to task edits and I want to give it more thought.
Other than that the only appreciable changes are in importing other formats which now happens off a single panel like the export has done for a while. Oh, and you can now import tasks from the Windows clipboard as if they were files... (read more)
Simple Pop-up Control
Sample application using a custom pop-up control:
Another application, this one using a custom tooltip...
...and a more complex pop-up that can be resized:
Tracking pop-up opening below the specified part of a control:
Cascade of pop-up controls:
Introduction
Pop-up windows are everywhere. Each tooltip is a pop-up window; each combobox has its pop-up list; many advertisements are also shown in pop-up windows... (read more)
Real Time Exception Handling with Stack Trace
Introduction
Exception handling is the major activity in application life cycle and especially for VB6 platform which doesn’t provide much support for exception handling natively. This article might help to focus on the best way to debug the deployment version of your applications and to find out the exact problem on client machines... (read more)
Set Collections for C#
Introduction
In this article I'm going to talk about set collections and an implementation of them I have written in C#.
Background
I've been programming for over 30 years, and for the last 20 I've used either C, C++, JavaScript or Delphi. So when C# was first proposed my initial reaction was “Oh no! Not another C-based language”. However, as I studied the implementation of C# I was impressed by the work Microsoft had put into making an elegant and unified programming system... (read more)
Quiz - C# & .NET Secrets
Introduction
software architects invites you to prove your knowledge about certain subjects concerning Microsoft .NET technology by participating in a monthly quiz. This month the quiz is about C# and .NET secrets. In this article you can reread the questions. Additionally you get background information about the correct answers... (read more)
LinqToSQL: Query Mulitple Databases in 1 Linq Expression & More...
Introduction
The objective of this article is to demonstrate functionality in the LinqToSql library that transforms LINQ expression trees to SQL statements that can be executed against multiple RDMS systems and not just Microsoft's SQL Server offerings. The LinqToSql library implements the following features and functionality: ... (read more)
Selecting & Deselecting all Checkboxes inside the GridView
Introduction
I am presenting here a small JavaScript that select/deselect all Checkboxes of a particular column inside the GridView control provided header CheckBox of that column is checked or unchecked... (read more)
WPF : A Beginners Guide Part 3 of n
Preface And Thanks
I am a .NET programmer, but a busy one, I do VB .NET and C#, ASP .NET / Winforms / WPF / WCF Flash Silverlight the lot. Basically I keep my toe in. But when I started writing this article series I naturally chose my favourite language (which happens to be C#). I since got an email from an individual who requested that I publish this series with source code in VB .NET and C#. I simply stated I didn't have time. So this individual (Robert Ranck) volunteered to help out, and do the translation to VB .NET, based on my orginal C# projects... (read more)
10 ASP.NET Performance & Scalability Secrets
Introduction
ASP.NET 2.0 has many secrets, which when revealed can give you big performance and scalability boost. For instance, there are secret bottlenecks in Membership and Profile provider which can be solved easily to make authentication and authorization faster. Furthermore, ASP.NET HTTP pipeline can be tweaked to avoid executing unnecessary code that gets hit on each and every request. Not only that, ASP.NET Worker Process can be pushed to its limit to squeeze out every drop of performance out of it. Page fragment output caching on the browser (not on the server) can save significant amount of download time on repeated visits. On demand UI loading can give your site a fast and smooth feeling. Finally, Content Delivery Networks (CDN) and proper use of HTTP Cache headers can make your website screaming fast when implemented properly. In this article, you will learn these techniques that can give your ASP.NET application a big performance and scalability boost and prepare it to perform well under 10 times to 100 times more traffic... (read more)
History's Greatest Gadgets
February 01, 2008 | 8:26:23 PM -It's not all about circuits, silicon and stock options: mankind's been making technology since the dawn of time. Here's ten of the most wonderful gadgets from centuries—and millenia—past. No "ThyPhone" jokes, if you please! ... (read more)
Dot-com Pioneers -- Where Are They Now?
February 1, 2008 1:11 PM PST - In light of Friday's announcement that Microsoft has made a bid to buy Yahoo, it's a good opportunity to take a look at some of the pioneering tech companies that made the Web what it is today. Some of them continue to innovate and turn a profit, while others have either died off or been consumed by larger companies... (read more)
Is Your Client A Certified Asshole?
Find Out With the Asshole Client from Hell Exam (ACHE). A 20-Question Test from Bob Sutton... (read more)
Polaroid Pulls the Plug on Film Factories
February 9, 2008 - 11:19AM - Polaroid is dropping the technology it pioneered long before digital photography rendered instant film obsolete to all but a few nostalgia buffs.
Polaroid is closing factories in Massachusetts, Mexico and the Netherlands and cutting 450 jobs as the brand synonymous with instant images focuses on ventures such as a portable printer for images from cell phones and Polaroid-branded digital cameras, televisions and DVD players... (read more)
Getting Clueful: 7 Things CIOs Should Know About Agile Development
February 06, 2008 - Though it may surprise cynical IT managers to learn this, developers care passionately about the software they write.
Managers want top-notch, bug-free applications delivered on time, which meet or exceed user expectations—and the people who build that software have the very same intention... (read more)
10 Great Free Downloads for Your Network
February 06, 2008 (Computerworld) Got a small network, home network, medium-size network -- even an enterprise network -- and want to get the most out of it? Then I've got good news for you: 10 free pieces of software that can make your network easier to use, troubleshoot and maintain. These freebies will help everyone from networking pros to networking newbies and everyone in between... (read more)
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