Tod1d's Thought Process

Tuesday, June 23, 2009: Fixed Twitter Inserter

Tod Birdsall — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:31:45 GMT

StackOverflow Podcast 57
Platform vendors: What happens when you build an iPhone app that made obsolete by an iPhone OS upgrade? http://is.gd/10bDN
Star Wars the Old Republic: Meet the next playable class, the street savvy, credit seeking Smuggler.
Wondering what First Person Shooters the kids are playing these days? http://archive.gamespy.com/stats/
Installed the Battlefield 2 demo to see if I finally want to break down and buy it. I think I will pass.
I have to fix an issue with Twitter Inserter. Probably due to a Twitter API change. Need to get latest version of TweetSharp.
I am starting to look at books like Head First Statistics as college courses. I won't get any credits, but I get the benefits of learning
Sims 3 diary blog: Funny and sad at the same time
Learning about the C# lock statement
How to queue session requests to the same COM object in an ASP.NET application
We SAY we like to learn new things, but do we really? Why don't students like school? (via KathySierra)
Figuring out what changed in TweetSharp and caused Twitter Inserter to break.
Figured out that an TweetSharp extension method is no longer called "Accounts", but "Account". That is why the VerifyCredentials broke.
Fixed Twitter Inserter and submitted version 1.1 to the Windows Live Writer gallery for approval.
My job isn't to program; it is to delight my client by creating tools that solve his problems and increase his productivity.

Follow me on Twitter

Thursday, June 16, 2009: “You’re like a blister on a skunk’s colon.”

Tod Birdsall — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:08:03 GMT

Great Thinkers on Self-Education: Socrates (via writingjamie)
Reading highlights from StackOverflow Podcast 56.
What’s your favorite “programmer” cartoon? Funny and often true
Useful links for studying Harvard Classics and other classic literature: SparkNotes and CliffsNotes
Han Solo, P.I. (via codinghorror)
"You're like a blister on a skunk's colon."
The trailer for Real Racing (for the iPhone) looks awesome. I need to pick it up for my iTouch. (via codinghorror)
This could be a "philosophy 101" goldmine (via writingjamie)
Ivy League Education at Home Part 6: Moral Reasoning (via writingjamie)

Tweet Summary: Thursday, June 4, 2009

Tod Birdsall — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 03:09:13 GMT

I love my Sennheiser HD 202 headphones. The sound is clear, the have great ear coverage w/out being bulky. Plus they are inexpensive.
Consulting on Different Platforms & Varying Requirements: Experiences in getting gigs for .NET, Ruby on Rails, and iPhone
I need to check out the Google Wave video and see what all the hubbub is about.
rbazinet Recommended Spreedly for subscription service billing.
Have you seen the very entertaining Star Wars Old Republic MMO E3 trailer?
Building Intellectual Character: 6 Attributes That Will Make You a Better Learner
War of Art is on my Father's Day wish-list. Hope to read it soon.
Finished Pilgrim's Progress. Starting to read Benjamin Franklin's autobiography today. Loving Instapaper.
New Wii Workout Games Debut at E3
Brink: From the people who brought you Quake Wars: Enemy Territory
Star Wars Old Republic MMO: Smuggler class details and 100% voiced dialogue. That's just plain crazy.
Next time you purchase an app that includes "free" customer service verify 2 things: 1) When the salesperson said "phone support", they didn't mean "email only". 2)that their "email only support" isn't in a time zone that is about 12 hours different than your own.
Great Thinkers on Self-Education: Socrates

Tweet Summary: Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Tod Birdsall — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 01:56:02 GMT

Bought Mario Kart Wii. Whole family played for much of the day. Lots of fun. Love the online multiplayer mode.
77 is my highest on Flight Control, the fun little iPhone / iPod Touch game, thus far.
Learning: Flot, a pure JavaScript plotting library for jQuery. Simple, attractive and interactive charts and graphing
Learning: reCAPTCHA; a free anti-bot service that helps digitize books. Improve security while helping a good cause.
Re-familiarizing myself with Remember the Milk for task list tracking. Have not used it in over a year.
I see that Remember the Milk is still in "Beta". Should your app be out of "Beta" before you begin offering a "pay for Pro" version? LeeDumond says: What's better than getting users to test your app? Getting users to PAY you for testing your app!
Remember the Milk: Wishing I could drag an item up or down (see NetFlix Queue) to change order of priority.
Ran into an issue while uploading my Windows Live Writer plugin to the Windows Live Writer Gallery website. I figured out that the Microsoft site doesn’t play well with Firefox. Go figure.
Using jQuery in ASP.NET
Learn iPhone Development for Free: via Stanford U's online courses. Looks extensive.

Insert Tweets Into Your Blog Post

Tod Birdsall — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 02:38:25 GMT

I use Twitter as a micro-blogging platform. I assume that many of my readers do not use Twitter, and I want to share my Twitter posts (called “tweets”) with them. Enter Twitter Inserter.

Twitter Inserter my first Windows Live Writer plugin. It compiles your recent tweets into a nice bulleted list and converts all of the appropriate text to clickable links, then inserts it into your Live Writer blog post.

Windows Live Writer is “a desktop application that makes it easier to compose compelling blog posts using Windows Live Spaces or your current blog service.” It also works well with Community Server, which is what my blog is built on.

Download Twitter Inserter

Requirements:

Additional Credits:

The icon was created by Alex Mathers.
I am using the TweetSharp .NET library to interact with the Twitter API.

Please feel free to leave comments or questions at the bottom of this page.

BNUG June 2009 Meeting: XNA

Tod Birdsall — Tue, 26 May 2009 19:43:00 GMT

The next Bloomington .NET Users Group meeting is Jun 9th. Keep reading for details:

What's this XNA thing I keep hearing about?

This talk will cover what XNA is (and isn't) along with what's needed to develop with XNA 3.0. We will also cover target platforms of Windows, XBOX 360, Zune and Surface. We'll go through some demos and take a look at some code, identifying key aspects of the XNA Framework and game development. We'll also discuss the Xbox Live Community Games.

We will also welcome our new BNUG President!!!

Location:
Bloomington Microsoft Office

Event start: 6/9/2009 6:00:00 PM

Tweet Summary: Monday, May 25, 2009

Tod Birdsall — Tue, 26 May 2009 03:06:00 GMT

Learning: Google Web Toolkit: Write AJAX apps in the Java language, then compile to optimized JavaScript http://is.gd/2bt5
Learning: Helma, a Javascript Web Framework http://dev.helma.org/
Don't let title fool you; the part about starting your own biz is useful to anyone: How to Succeed Writing Mac Software http://is.gd/zPtl
Project: Start a Commonplace Book http://tinyurl.com/q6cbyo (via writingjamie)
Thanks to Instapaper (http://is.gd/Ajjo) and Bartleby (http://is.gd/1QTq), I am enjoying reading Pilgrim's Progress on my iPod Touch.
Finished good documentary The Conscientious Objector: Man refuses to carry weapon in WW2, but received Medal of Honor http://is.gd/AkjP
Returned from vacationing in Branson, MO with my wife and son. Lots of fun.
Shimer College: You like to think. You love to read. You don't want to sit in a lecture hall. http://www.shimer.edu
Learning Modal Dialogs - first attempt: #aspnet Modal Dialog with PostBack and return values to Parent Page http://is.gd/Cm5e
The 80/20 Rule of Reading: http://tinyurl.com/omwf8j (via writingjamie)
Wanting to move from beginner/intermediate JavaScript developer to advanced. Tempted to buy Professional JavaScript for Web Developers http://is.gd/CnEh
Experimenting with ModalPopup control in ASP.NET AJAX Control Toolkit http://is.gd/CoNx
Lawn Mowing Material: got Made to Stick audio book from public library. http://is.gd/CpTU
"A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can even get its boots on." - Mark Twain
Are You Addicted to Power Porn? http://is.gd/CxtE

Today's Summary: Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Tod Birdsall — Thu, 14 May 2009 06:23:00 GMT

Stumbled upon: TimmyOnTime; a time tracker that works via IM. http://is.gd/wZCE They need to move "help, FAQ" to top of page. Too hard to find.
A File Manager in MooTools, looks nice, maybe you will like the link: http://is.gd/x02v
Having tons of fun with Burnout Paradise PC demo. Too bad, it's only a 30 minutes long. http://is.gd/x5vb
Looking for a document diff plugin for Notepad++. Found "Compare Plugin" http://is.gd/2xdY
A decent summary: Maintaining state in ASP.NET: Know your options http://is.gd/xuQB
A more in depth look: Nine Options for Managing Persistent User State in Your ASP.NET Application
Finished reading How to Win Friends & Influence People. A very satisfying read. Just the right length.
Open Source or Die – The *Real* Future of Graffiti? (via @mhinton)
#dotnet software developer position open in Bloomington/Normal, IL area. http://is.gd/zB9a
Great Thinkers on Self-Education: John Holt http://tinyurl.com/oqplc4 via writingjamie
Working on my Windows Live Writer install package. Just about done. Then I will need to submit to WLW plugin site. http://is.gd/zHcn
Been having a lot of fun playing TrackMania Nations with my 9yo son. Fun racing #game. You can play it free. http://www.trackmania.com/tm/

Today's Summary: Monday, May 04, 2009

Tod Birdsall — Tue, 05 May 2009 05:54:00 GMT

Hacker breaks into Twitter's network, again http://tinyurl.com/ddlowx (via jongalloway)
Having fun with jQuery. Creating an interface that will be similar to Google Docs' file/file folder interface.
Learning: jQuery Context Menu Plugin http://abeautifulsite.net/notebook/80
Learning: jQuery Treeview plugin http://tinyurl.com/2ngukw
Learning: jQuery Splitter Plugin. Create split-pane views. http://www.methvin.com/jquery/splitter/
balexandre pointed out that I may end up with a long load time for my solution, with all of this Javascript. How does Google manage to do it?

Today's Summary: Thursday, April 30, 2009

Tod Birdsall — Fri, 01 May 2009 05:27:00 GMT

Trebuchets are harsh mistresses http://tinyurl.com/cy44sa via @codinghorror
Constructing NetworkCredential from WindowsIdentity so I can interact with web service that requests ICredentials http://is.gd/vrrR
ToRead: An Unschooling Manifesto http://bit.ly/18eWNI via @TravisSeitler

Today's Summary: Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Tod Birdsall — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 05:46:00 GMT

I need to try the boardgame Power Grid, but may wait until my 9yr old son is a bit older.
Innovation is the New Black
The Freedom of Fast Iterations: How Netflix Designs a Winning Web Site
I stumbled upon User Interface Engineering website. Liking it quite a bit.
I develop in short iterations (1-3 months), but NetFlix has me beat if they are still releasing once every 2 weeks: http://is.gd/vbbs

Today's Summary: Monday, April 27, 2009

Tod Birdsall — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 06:22:00 GMT

BrandonTurner Suggested that I allow the users of my Windows Live Writer plug-in to specify fewer than 20 tweets and that I should add a border.
Follow the Swine Flu in Real Time With Google Maps http://rly.cc/Va0Nr
Speaking of Swine Flu, if you have never played Pandemic, the board game, your missing out.
I love the "timer" feature of the iPhone Clock app. I use it for work and play. Suggestions on how to use it for work http://is.gd/uUIz
A coworker refers to his desktop icons as "acorns". Had to think of him when I saw this free icon set http://ping.fm/s1I9s via RussAdams

Today's Summary: Sunday, April 26, 2009

Tod Birdsall — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:41:00 GMT

Reading through notes from Stack Overflow Podcast 50 with special guest Steve Yegge http://is.gd/u8vI
While I have never listened to a Stack Overflow podcast, all the way through. But I enjoy Jeff Attwood's bullet point breakout.
What do I need to do in order to be a programmer out at sea? http://is.gd/unkO
Blog Interesting - 32 Ways to Keep Your Blog from Sucking http://is.gd/vww
Video Tour of Fog Creek Software with Joel Spolsky http://is.gd/sYUN
Getting the error "ASP.NET is not authorized to access the requested resource" when trying to upload file to my Community Server installation on GoDaddy. Figured out why http://is.gd/uMe6
Would you mind trying out my new Windows Live Writer plugin and provide feedback? Thanks http://is.gd/uMqt
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is probably the best FPS I have played since Quake 2 and is easily the best team based FPS I have ever played. Get the demo here or just buy it from Steam for $20. The initial learning curve is a bit steep, but it is worth your time.

BNUG Leadership Position Open

Tod Birdsall — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 23:47:00 GMT

If you are interested in leading the Bloomington .NET Users Group, please contact Jesse Baird. He is stepping down as president and is looking for a replacement:

Hey BNUG, I have officially decided that I am going to be looking for someone else to run the user group. My life's activities have increased with a new kid, longer hours at work, and a ton of traveling this summer and I have not been able to dedicate the attention that is needed to keep the group going. Excuses, excuses, I know, but it just doesn't make it high enough in the priority list until I am scrambling toward the end to throw together a meeting. We actually have been getting larger attendances in recent months so I don't want to let the group down because of my actions (or lack of). I have been struggling with this decision for months hoping that I could get back into a groove with all the things going on but my time commitments seem to have increased instead so I am in the process now of reducing several other things as well so I can be home with my family. Anyway, that is the story.

If there is anyone that would be interested in leading the group please let me know and we will begin a transition phase asap. If I don't get any responses then I will unfortunately have to let the group end. I will send out another email in a couple weeks either way.

Currently the May session is going to be canceled because originally it was supposed to be the same topics that became those MSDN/TechReady events that I sent you an email about a few days ago.

Thanks!!

Jesse has been a great leader and he will be missed.

Today's Summary: Thursday, April 23, 2009

Tod Birdsall — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 05:45:00 GMT

"Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware" looks very promising. http://is.gd/u5eN
Checking out DimDim as a WebEx alternative for web conferencing. There is a free version: http://www.dimdim.com