Admiral James Stockdale, a true American military hero running for Vice President, used this line as deadpan joke in 1992.  It failed miserably and they went on to lose the election. Well I’m using it here to explain why my blog has been inactive as of late. I am currently working on my MBA and working full-time. I will try to do better at updating the blog, but obviously my narcissistic blogging priorities have been lower on the list. I will do better! Best regards,

Microsoft’s marquee development tool is poised to make some great strides in making .NET developers even more productive than they are already today. Though it is still only Beta 1 and MS does not plan to release the tool until late 2010, there is a significant numbers of features that appeared to be production ready (along with a few that are currently promised for Beta 2). Looking around On first glance there is something different about the UI/UX. It may be that the graphics team is still cleaning up the look and feel or it could be that the IDE is written using WPF. Either way it definitely needs a bit of refinement in my opinion. On the bright side the new tool will support dual monitors. If you into test driven development there is a whole new menu section dedicated to TDD. I haven’t had time to look at the particulars, but it is encouraging to see some MS effort in this space. Extension Manager promises to be beneficial by providing sample project templates, dire... [More]

Did you know your personal answers on FaceBook Quizes/Games/Applications can and are sold to advertisers? Including email address, name, address, relationship status, medical info, etc. Once you open a FB application the application's developer has access to everything in your profile!!! I begrudgingly joined FaceBook a few months back to find out about my upcoming year high school class reunion. I was quite surprised how much I liked using the site to keep up with extended family and connecting with old friends (even the ones I did not like so much back them - you know who you are). After signing up I was inundated with invitations for beer, bowling, and hugs all through FaceBook, of course. But something in the back of my mind prevented me from running any of them. I couldn't get past the ominous warning that states, "Allowing {application name} access will let it pull your profile information, photos, your friends' info, and other content that it requires to work."I kept sayin... [More]

As much as I’d like never to debug complicated classic ASP code again, the fact is it’s everywhere in the enterprise today. Here is one way that I have found to speed up the process of supporting classic ASP w/ VS 2008 SP1/3.5. At the last User Group meeting, I presented the features in the VS08 SP1 and 3.5 Framework. One topic/feature was only lightly covered in the documentation, but really jumped out at me, was that with Visual Studio 2008 SP 1 and 3.5 Framework VS 2008 can debug classic ASP code (script). I tried to find more information online, but the details were hard to find.So after a bit of research and trial and error I am sharing what I learned with you! Here’s How: 1.) Allow Server Side Debugging inside IIS Manager for the web site. 2. Open the Web Site in VS 2008 IDE by File - Open - Web Site and browsing to the directory that the IIS’s web is pointed to. 3. Accept FrameworkUpgrade Warning (if prompted). 4.  Configure Web Site Star... [More]

Great guideline from Toastmasters Intl. Give more than you expect others to give. Combine optimism and perseverance. See everyone as a diamond in the rough. Express appreciation; accept responsibility. Keep your ego in check. Show respect for the people around you. Treat team members as family. Be a source of inspiration. Stress cooperation, not competition. Maintain a sense of humor. http://www.toastmasters.org/MainMenuCategories/FreeResources/QuestionsaboutLeadership/PositiveLeadership/LawsofPositiveLeadership.aspx

Today I responded to an inquiry as how to judge whether an developer is a Senior/Mid/Junior level. Here is my rule of thumb (with some commentary): A senior requires little or no supervision, can work with the business teams independently, understands current technology and is looking ahead to new trends, and constantly creates personal growth opportunities, can lead and mentor other developers. (They make others more valuable as well as themselves) A mid-level can do tasks independently but needs some guidance on architecture or direction. (Their value is the work they produce) A junior requires task guidance and supervision. (Their value will begin 12-24 months down the road) I think in our business we have too many seniors that do not the basic soft skills, are not current with technology, and get promoted because of time in the position and not necessarily what value they create for the organization. This is one reasons organizations are seeing their development maintenance co... [More]