I just purchased a Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 

I paid 52.69(sticker 66.00 then 15% off) I see Amazon.com has it

for 49.99  I guess I didn't do so good.  Even as they go out of business they still manage to rip me off.  However all hope is not lost during my Amazon prize search I noticed Microsoft has a rebate, turns out buying it from CompUSA keeps me qualified for a 20 dollar rebate. so I end up paying a little more for having it today.

I have always been a fan of Microsoft's Natural Elite keyboards and this one does not disappoint.  The F Lock is enabled by default and will remember its state between reboots its USB ( my computers don't have ps2 anymore).  Best of all the home keys are not all jacked up.( I have to get used to a small delete key again).

As a side note the drivers that come in the box's cd will not install under Windows Vista but you can install IntelliType Pro 6.1 to get it to work. 

BrokerUnivers reports

IBM Offering Origination Services

IBM has formed a new business unit that will specialize in mortgage origination services. IBM Lender Business Process Services Inc. "will enable mortgage lenders to replace the fixed costs associated with typical loan fulfillment operations with a variable cost framework," the company said. Services it will offer include loan application, underwriting, processing, vendor management, document preparation and loan closing, according to IBM.

Its events like this that make me wonder why I run my own DasBlog engine and not some Wordpress or Blogger site.

2007-03-12 19:12:51 PM
450
PingbackServerError:
System.Net.WebException: The underlying connection was closed: Could not establish trust relationship for the SSL/TLS secure channel. ---> System.Security.Authentication.AuthenticationException: The remote certificate is invalid according to the validation procedure.
at System.Net.Security.SslState.StartSendAuthResetSignal(ProtocolToken message, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest, Exception exception)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.CheckCompletionBeforeNextReceive(ProtocolToken message, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.StartSendBlob(Byte[] incoming, Int32 count, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.ProcessReceivedBlob(Byte[] buffer, Int32 count, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.StartReadFrame(Byte[] buffer, Int32 readBytes, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.StartReceiveBlob(Byte[] buffer, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.CheckCompletionBeforeNextReceive(ProtocolToken message, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.StartSendBlob(Byte[] incoming, Int32 count, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.ProcessReceivedBlob(Byte[] buffer, Int32 count, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.StartReadFrame(Byte[] buffer, Int32 readBytes, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.StartReceiveBlob(Byte[] buffer, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.CheckCompletionBeforeNextReceive(ProtocolToken message, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.StartSendBlob(Byte[] incoming, Int32 count, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.ProcessReceivedBlob(Byte[] buffer, Int32 count, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.StartReadFrame(Byte[] buffer, Int32 readBytes, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.StartReceiveBlob(Byte[] buffer, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.CheckCompletionBeforeNextReceive(ProtocolToken message, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.StartSendBlob(Byte[] incoming, Int32 count, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.ProcessReceivedBlob(Byte[] buffer, Int32 count, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.StartReadFrame(Byte[] buffer, Int32 readBytes, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.StartReceiveBlob(Byte[] buffer, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.CheckCompletionBeforeNextReceive(ProtocolToken message, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.StartSendBlob(Byte[] incoming, Int32 count, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.ProcessReceivedBlob(Byte[] buffer, Int32 count, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.StartReadFrame(Byte[] buffer, Int32 readBytes, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.StartReceiveBlob(Byte[] buffer, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.CheckCompletionBeforeNextReceive(ProtocolToken message, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.StartSendBlob(Byte[] incoming, Int32 count, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.ForceAuthentication(Boolean receiveFirst, Byte[] buffer, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.SslState.ProcessAuthentication(LazyAsyncResult lazyResult)
at System.Net.TlsStream.CallProcessAuthentication(Object state)
at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.runTryCode(Object userData)
at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.RuntimeHelpers.ExecuteCodeWithGuaranteedCleanup(TryCode code, CleanupCode backoutCode, Object userData)
at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.RunInternal(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state)
at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state)
at System.Net.TlsStream.ProcessAuthentication(LazyAsyncResult result)
at System.Net.TlsStream.Write(Byte[] buffer, Int32 offset, Int32 size)
at System.Net.PooledStream.Write(Byte[] buffer, Int32 offset, Int32 size)
at System.Net.ConnectStream.WriteHeaders(Boolean async)
--- End of inner exception stack trace ---
at System.Net.HttpWebRequest.GetResponse()
at CookComputing.XmlRpc.XmlRpcClientProtocol.GetWebResponse(WebRequest request)
at CookComputing.XmlRpc.XmlRpcClientProtocol.Invoke(Object clientObj, String methodName, Object[] parameters)
at CookComputing.XmlRpc.XmlRpcClientProtocol.Invoke(String MethodName, Object[] Parameters)
at newtelligence.DasBlog.Runtime.Proxies.PingbackClientProxy.ping(String sourceUri, String targetUri)
at newtelligence.DasBlog.Runtime.BlogDataServiceXml.Pingback(String sourceUri, String pingbackService, String pingbackTarget, String entryTitle)
while processing http://thisoldcode.microfisch.com/PermaLink,guid,830a2557-66ad-48e2-ae67-16e2beaccd71.aspx,http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=315.

When DasBlog throws up, it really does a number on your shoes.

VS Live is the best opportunity I get to learn Microsoft's new technology.  There are to many tracts and I would like to attend them all.  Today I am trying to pick a pre-Conference

Build Distributed Object-Oriented Apps in .NET 3.0

or

SQL Server 2005: Power to the Developer

or

Making the Tough Choices: Selecting the Right Techniques for Your Application

All very interesting but none match verywell to what I am working on.  I think its time to pick of a coin and start fliping. 

Good bye TMobile Dash

Hello Verizon xv6700

I'll let you know what I think after I get it hooked up to the Exchange server.

This made me laugh.  Then cry.

Microsoft Did It

Allison over at O'Reilly Radar wrote a little note to Google for the international feature.

By Allison Randal

Dear Google,

I applaud the enlightened international perspective that led you to provide your site in multiple languages and to detect a user's country and language preferences by their IP address. You'd be surprised how much French I remember from studying it as a child, and how much Dutch I can read as a result of studying Afrikaans the past 3 months. However, perhaps you should consider providing an option to change languages, or set a language preference, so your users aren't all forced to be so linguistically nimble when traveling. If there is such an option, I haven't been able to find it yet while navigating my account preferences in Dutch. I'm curious to experience Google Docs & Spreadsheets in Japanese, but maybe not that curious.

Love,
Allison

I post this as proof.  "Google guesses your language based on your IP address." and you doubted me!

4.6 billion dollars evedently.

Reuters reports Sirius plans to buy XM in $4.6 billion stock deal.  Its so nice to say I called that one.

Chris posted a little .net code that took J#'s gzip class and brought it into c#. I did that once back in the 1.1 days when I was desperate to escape implode.DLL(Talk about a fun library) at any rate it sucked so bad (J# runtime dependency anyone?)  That I moved my code to SharpZipLib which rocks.  Any way I digress I happened to comment to Chris that .NET 2.0 has compression.  And Chris says

How does .NET 2.0 provider for zip file decompression? That's new to me.
And why would I use an external library when I can use one that's built in?

Great now I have to find the info to pull files out of a zip archive with system.io.compression.  By chance the MSDN documentation says

This class does not inherently provide functionality for adding files to or extracting files from .zip archives. For an example of manipulating compressed file archives, see Compression Application Sample.

Ok, groovy I can look at your sample application. 

This sample demonstrates compression capabilities available in the .NET Framework. It builds a Windows Forms application that employs the GZipStream and DeflateStream types to compress and decompress files. The sample also introduces several types that are new in the .NET Framework version 2.0.

Great lets compile this bad boy and bask in its coolness.

Ok right what the hell is a .xip file?

I know this can be done and I know I am far to lazy to just write the code myself tonight.  Also I am almost positive some one has done all the work for me.

Indeed Dino has a blog entry System.IO.Compression and zip files 

So now I have proved that maybe I do know what I am talking about.

 I heard Mark sign the MaxiVista Vista Blues today. And had to respond

Mark Miller - Vista, I'm so Pista (part I)

I love MaxiVista, but I think they are using WDDM as to much of an excuse. The product tanks under xp when you try to use WPF (if you ever want to see your computer on acid. just try WPF and MaxiVista together, seriously you could sell tickets.)
Any way I digress MaxiVista will be outa busina if they don't come up with some type of solution(direct X). And thus I have given up the dream that is three monitors. My poor shiny Vista Computer will forever look funny with just two :(

Well It's official VSS and I have broke up.  I can't say I am really parting with any good memories and I really don't know what I saw in VSS to begin with other then convenience.  No more late nights trying to recover work that VSS misplaced no more slow VPN conversations that made my life so stressfully, I just can't take that kind of abuse any more. 

It's rough right now, we're separating what belongs to who, VSS is having a hard time letting go.  Visual Studio is being an enabler for VSS, but what can I do.  I've found a replacement already Source Gear Vault.  Much better. and its not just a fresh UI like VSS tried in 2005.  Vault has some really winning qualities. 

I am looking forward to my life with Vault, I think every thing is going to be ok.

In one of my greater moments of stupidity, I lost track of time and got ready to serve my juror summons the week after I was supposed to.  Which leads me to the need to write an apology letter and ask for a postponement of the summons.  So I start my letter with "I deeply regret to inform you that I missed my juror summons"  I know many apology letters start this way.  But what exactly do I regret? the the fact I have bad information that I need to tell you? Or the fact I have to tell you at all?  English WTF

Let me start by saying I hate InstallShield,  this probably isn't fair there was a time when I liked them back in the day when the name of the product matched the name of the company they were small and focused.  They installed software and it made life easy.  Now MacoVision has different ideas and IMHO ruined the InstallShield the product. 

I started the other day by reading Shahine's blog regarding InstallShield updater,  he found a nice resource to remove this product.  The trouble is, InstallShield updater keeps coming back.  Case inpoint yesterday evening I saw Steve's post about Nikon's RAW codex in vista so having a Nikon D50 I went and happily down loaded and installed the codex.  This morning I see that installation has once again turned on Install Shield Updater.  I tend to agree with Shahine I hate updaters the only one I don't really mind is windows update (in vista it's almost nice).  On the other hand I have to give credit to MacoVision the idea of one common update framework/resource is compelling(They charge an arm and leg for it though).  But These things should never be silently installed behind the users back.  Getting your customers to stay uptodate is a very difficult problem, I don't think a unique solution per company is the right choice but InstallShield updater sure comes up wanting.

ps,

This was my first post from windows live writer.  My initial impression is the spell check could be much better.

I got the new Logitech driver (I prefer unobtrusive generic drivers when posible)(I wonder how the XP driver will work on Vista).

You can also try remapping the forwared and back buttions to ALT+LEFT and ALT+RIGHT

The LazyBastard is at it again, check out his latest contribution to the ReplayTV scene.  WiRNS-RSS

I have been at home watching my new front door be installed.

They didn't install the peep hole, but I didn't tell them because I think they are ugly.

Its nice to have natural light in the hallway.

I started with orginizing my garage so we could get a new garage door. 

Then I moved on to getting my bikes out of the way, this project took 4 days.

Next I hung pegboard.

Then replaced our outdated front porch lights.

finaly we removed a pergula leaving only a pile of lumber.

I notice if I go to KQED.org in IE7 vista turns of aero support. Has anyone else seen this?  It looks to be how they are embedding windows media players’ activex control.  I can browse there with FireFox without this behavior so I am at a loss.

Rick Strahl was complaining about component vendors poor selling techniques and I agree. His rant was inspired by Kevin Dente's post How NOT to sell software (Kevin got free license out of his post, oh the power of public forums.) 

I am also getting sick and tired of the licenses hoops we have jump through in order to install third party components on our DEV systems and the crap it entail to get them working on a build system.  I can't count the number of bugs filed from some novel approach to license control screwing up an end build.

With one little mistake comes a nasty memory leak.  We found this in some of the code i wrote

CMenu* CLMI::GetLenderMenu(void)
{
    //test if lender should show up if not
    if ( !ShowLender() )
        return NULL;

    CMenu* clm =new CMenu();......

Sadly clm was never reclaimed, and MFC redraws the Main menu every time you blink so can you say bad :(

I picked up this issue from Mike Walker blog  where he reports that the US Secret Service is calling the ATM system unsafe after reading this post and the original report from Bob Sullivan's blog.  It Basically amounts the the fact that researchers that work for an Israeli computer security company have released a report in how the ATM network can be compromised in order to reveal PIN numbers.  ATM PIN's are essentially decrypted and encrypted on every network hop so if one machine is compromised it becomes simple to crack the PIN's encryption. And apparently this is some thing the Russian Mob is very interested in.  The Israely company release this report after being dismayed with the American Banks lack of action(Banks were informed of this security flaw in the ATM protocol 2 months before the release of the report.)

I owe mark an apology, While I think its bad idea to add functionality to a product that by all accounts is in deep code freeze.(ChristmasCancelledAgain) I really should watch my language in any comments I leave.  I wish Mark the best of luck with the Step Into Member feature he's working on.  It will definitely be a nice addition to CodeRush 2.1

I am against this idea of adding features and new functionality to a product that has hit code freeze.  Myself and colleges have been burnt many times when Business or QA wants one last thing added and a major bug is introduced and slips through the cracks.  We create complex solutions that are far from trivial to unit test and QA.  The more change introduced to the end of this development cycle exponentially increases the probability of a breaking bug shipping.

I am on the look out for some financial management software, I have tried MS Money and Quicken but I find them a little more complicated then what I want to deal with.  I borrowed a little from their list of features, this is what i am kind of looking for

Automatic register updates

Balance checkbook

Categorize spending

Spending reports and charts

Track spending

Budgets

Budget reports

Export to tax software(not very important)

Asset allocation

Attach electronic images

Convert reports to PDFs

Change customized reports

Any suggestions?  As a side note This list was pasted directly out of excel 2007 and formatted the table above with no effort.

I received my Gateway 21' monitor last Tuesday its serial number says it was produced in August 2005.  I wasn't expecting the referb to be that old but if it works great.  Of course its fancy stand was broken so it can't be raised or lowered.  I tried calling Costco's tech support three times but never got to talk to any one, they would call back the next day when i am at work.  Finally I emailed them and a replacement stand is on the way.  Ironically this monitor does not have the odd squeal the "newer" (manufactured in May of 2006) one exhibits from time to time.