Dot Net Monkey

If you are ever wondering what version of the .NET framework you have installed on a machine (and who doesn't) you can check out this handle little table of version numbers.  Alternatively if you are too lazy to even do that then you can download a utility to tell you.

There is this thing called the Flash Mind Reader which at first glance appears to read your mind… oohhh… spooky. 

Well obviously it doesn’t, but somebody said my girlfriend can have a free lunch if she could figure it out.  I did a quick google for it and found this answer which I thought was a pretty clear explanation.  Just putting it out there in case someone wants a free lunch in the future.

You select a 2-digit number, add together both digits and subtract the total from the original number. The final number is one of these:

00 - 0 = 0
01 - 1 = 0
02 - 2 = 0
...
10 - 1 = 9
11 - 2 = 9
..
19 - 10 = 9
20 - 2 = 18
21 - 3 = 18
..
29 - 11 = 18
30 - 3 = 27 etc .. see the pattern?
..
99 - 18 = 81

The answer is always:
x*10 + y - (x+y) = x*9, where x,y=0..9, therefore possible answers are 0,9,18,27,36,..,81.

By closer inspection of the symbols one finds that all ten possible answers share the same symbol, and that is the symbol that will be shown in the orb.

BTW, somebody owes google a free lunch.

Here are some useful links on P2P:

• Microsoft P2P website (uber website, badly in need of updating)
• P2P Whitepaper (White paper)
• Windows Vista p2p collaboration APIs
• peerfb@microsoft.com (email alias for questions)

I saw this blog entry about Unit Testing Rules and thought it quite interesting.  The point being:

A test is not a unit test if:

• It talks to the database
• It communicates across the network
• It touches the file system
• It can't run at the same time as any of your other unit tests
• You have to do special things to your environment (such as editing config files) to run it.

Basically, I’m not someone who is particularly religious in my view of what makes a test and what makes a unit tests.  I see unit tests and tests in general as just a tool to help make coding safer and more enjoyable. 

For me I don’t really care if it is strictly a “unit test” or not, having said that, at my current place of employment we have a zillion unit tests that take hours to run because it brakes #1 on the list (talks to the database).   The end result of this is that I find I am unable to use the tests as effectively as I should be able to. 

What I have taken away from this is that it is important separate the slow running database tests verses the quick running object tests.  Regardless of what you call them

amaztype is a nifty little utility that uses the amazon web services to generate a word made up of amazon items.  Can’t think of a use for it but a really original use of the amazon web services.  Check it out here…

This could be a handy link if you ever wanted to write something that integrates directly into Messenger.  Introducing the MSN Messenger Activity SDK…

Get state-of-the-art information about building applications for MSN Messenger. The MSN Messenger Activity API gives you innovative tools to build applications that integrate with MSN Messenger and reach millions of users worldwide.

Sounds exciting no?

Eric Sink knows a lot about running small software companies… or at least it seems that way from where I sit. 

He always seems to be writing lots of common sense in his various MSDN articles and right here on his blog.  If you are a nerd who is thinking about making your way to nerd stardom by starting a small software company then do yourself a favour and drop past one of Eric’s articles… Like this one.

• ASP.NET Controls
• WinForms Controls

They aren't all free (but what is these days )

There are new sources of files coming from every direction: digital cameras, e-mail, cell phones, portable media players, camcorders, PDAs, and laptops. Increasingly, computer users are using different folders, drives, and even different computers (such as a laptop and a desktop) to store and retrieve files. Yet managing hundreds or thousands of files is still largely a manual operation. In some cases it is necessary to get copies of files from one place; in other cases there is a need to keep two storage locations exactly in sync. Some users manage files manually, dragging and dropping from one place to another and keeping a mental card catalog in their heads. Others use one or more applications to provide this functionality for them.

Now there is an easier way. SyncToy is a free PowerToy for Microsoft Windows XP that provides is an easy to use, highly customizable program that helps users to do the heavy lifting involved with the copying, moving, and synchronization of different directories. Most common operations can be performed with just a few clicks of the mouse, and additional customization is available without added complexity. SyncToy can manage multiple sets of folders at the same time; it can combine files from two folders in one case, and mimic renames and deletes in another. Unlike other applications, SyncToy actually keeps track of renames to files and will make sure those changes get carried over to the synchronized folder.

• Ten CSS tricks you may not know
• Ten more css tricks you may not know

Bob Smith, my assistant programmer, can always be found
hard at work in his cubicle. Bob works independently, without
wasting company time talking to colleagues. Bob never
thinks twice about assisting fellow employees, and he always
finishes given assignments on time. Often Bob takes extended
measures to complete his work, sometimes skipping coffee
breaks. Bob is a dedicated individual who has absolutely no
vanity in spite of his high accomplishments and profound
knowledge in his field. I firmly believe that Bob can be
classed as a high-caliber employee, the type which cannot be
dispensed with. Consequently, I duly recommend that Bob be
promoted to executive management, and a proposal will be
executed as soon as possible.

That idiot was reading over my shoulder while I wrote the report sent to you earlier today. Kindly read only the odd numbered lines (1, 3, 5, etc...) for my true assessment of him.

• The DevelopMentor ListServ
• The Microsoft hosted Forums

NerdTV is a new weekly online TV show from PBS.org technology columnist Robert X. Cringely. NerdTV is essentially Charlie Rose for geeks - a one-hour interview show with a single guest from the world of technology. Guests like Sun Microsystems co-founder Bill Joy or Apple computer inventor Steve Wozniak are household names if your household is nerdy enough, but as historical figures and geniuses in their own right, they have plenty to say to ALL of us.

FolderShare allows you to share and sync important information instantly with anyone you invite, making it the perfect solution for personal or small business use. FolderShare allows you to share with other people, sync folders between your own computers, and remotely access your files via a web browser.