Palermo4

Sync Multiple Macs with Live Mesh

Palermo4 — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:52:00 GMT

Microsoft software service saves the day for Mac dilemna.

www.palermo4.com

Palermo4 — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 04:43:00 GMT

I have officially moved my blog site to www.palermo4.com.

I will keep this blog site alive during the transition. My only posts here will be pointing to new posts at www.palermo4.com.

Hope to see you soon!

SnagIt v9 == Worth The Upgrade

Palermo4 — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:57:04 GMT

I just recently upgraded to SnagIt v9 and I am very happy with the new features.

One feature sorely lacking in previous versions was the ability to manage multiple captures at a time. There were many times where I would accidentally lose a screen capture by performing another one without saving the first. With the latest version, I can capture and easily manage multiple images.

I really like the new editor as well. It features a quick and easy to use "ribbon" style interface for quick editing of images as can be seen below.

The editor also supports easy tagging, searching, and management of captures. For example, I can now find images by tag or by date created as seen below.

As I mentioned in a previous blog post regarding SnagIt, this is a tool I use every day. I have only used the new version one day and I am already dependent on the new features. If you own a previous version of SnagIt (or competing product) and wonder if it is worth investigating, the answer is YES!

[download trial version of SnagIt v9]

Technorati Tags: snagit

Video: Advanced Features in Windows Vista

Palermo4 — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:33:30 GMT

In a previous video on Windows Vista, I showcased some of nice usability features compared to XP. In this new video referenced below, I target the IT professional and explore more advanced features. Once again, the "anti-Vista" folks out there are more than welcome to view the video and provide feedback.

[view video on advanced features in Vista]

Video: What's New for Your Users in Windows Vista

Palermo4 — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:24:00 GMT

There is much controversy over Windows Vista. Where I work, several have given up on Vista and have returned to XP. There is plenty of information out there as to why users do not like Vista. The point of my video is to highlight the advantages of Vista. I am not a preacher of Vista. I would not say I "love" Vista. I have had my own issues with Vista, as is seen in some of my previous blogs. Nonetheless, I am not leaving Vista because I have become too attached to some of the features that have increased my productivity as a user and developer. If you are "anti-Vista", I encourage you to view the video referenced below and then provide feedback.

[view video on what's new for XP users moving to Vista]

The Region Gadget

Palermo4 — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:43:51 GMT

You can now download a gadget to display the latest posts to The Region.

Technorati Tags: theregion,gadget

Video: Write Your First Silverlight Game

Palermo4 — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:42:30 GMT

In this video, I demonstrate how to start writing your first Silverlight game. I show how to create a dramatic space scene, add a soundtrack, and associate movement with the mouse wheel. This is the first part of a two-part series.

[watch the video]
[download the code]

Technorati Tags: silverlight,video,game

How Well Does Steve Ballmer Sleep?

Palermo4 — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:56:03 GMT

One of my favorite highlights of the MVP Summit is when the top executives get on stage and allow anyone in the audience to ask any kind of question.

Think about that for a moment.

I have worked for a "Fortune 500" company in the past where the CEO sat on stage and took pre-screened questions from his employees - questions he had time to reflect on before answering.

This is not the case at the MVP Summits. This year, Ray Ozzie and Steve Ballmer were open to answering questions from the vast sea of MVPs. Keep in mind, we are not Microsoft employees, and we are keenly aware of "challenges" Microsoft faces in multiple dimensions. That said, any one of us could simply stand in line before one of four microphones in the audience and ask a question or "provide feedback".

A good number of questions this year centered around SharePoint and Groove.

The final question in Steve Ballmer's session was from a first-year MVP. His question was not about the future of any technology. He did not ask about whether an existing technology would continue to be supported. He did not complain about an issue he had with Microsoft. He simply wanted to know if the CEO of Microsoft slept well at night. Steve did not hesitate with his reply. With a big smile, Steve replied (in part): "I sleep good... real good... I get 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night".

Technorati Tags: steve ballmer,mvp summit

Awesome Hosting Support for ASP.NET Sites

Palermo4 — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:38:36 GMT

When a company follows through with the claim "#1 Service & Support", it is rare. In many cases, companies don't follow through with minimal expectations.

It is nice to have a business relationship with a hosting company that does a great job with customer service. I am about to do some radical changes to my personal web site (www.palermo4.com) which I have hosted at www.OrcsWeb.com. I needed some infrastucture support, and I needed the work done urgently. Through the administration interface, I was able to do quite a bit. But when I ran into a technical difficulty, I needed quick answers from the ORCS Web support, that is exactly what I got.

A special thanks to Peter Viola for his quick response time!

Technorati Tags: orcsweb

Video: Use Mouse Wheel to Zoom in Silverlight 1.0

Palermo4 — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 02:05:48 GMT

In this video, I demonstrate how to allow your Silverlight applications to respond to mouse wheel events. In a previous video, we learned how to create a cool “magnifying glass” effect for image viewing. Using the mouse wheel, I will provide the additional feature of zooming in & out.

[watch the video]
[download the code]

Technorati Tags: silverlight,video,mouse wheel

Video: Magnify a Portion of a Photo using SIlverlight 1.0

Palermo4 — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:25:13 GMT

In this video, I demonstrate how to load an image into a Silverlight control that can be examined at greater detail with a magnifying glass effect.

[watch the video]
[download the code]

Technorati Tags: silverlight,video

Starving in Seattle

Palermo4 — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 04:52:15 GMT

I just arrived today in Seattle for the MVP Summit, and I was hungry before I left Phoenix. Thanks to the power of twitter, I was able to meet up with Tim Heuer at Pike Place for lunch and a coffee from, well... you know.

Technorati Tags: tim heuer,starbucks,pike place,mvp summit

Heroes Happen Here - Launch in Phoenix, AZ

Palermo4 — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 17:54:35 GMT

On April 1st, the "Heroes Happen Here" launch event ran successfully in Phoenix, AZ. I had the privilege of speaking with Rob Bagby in the developer track entitled "Defy Occasionally Connected Challenges Smart Client Application". Rob did an amazing job presenting throughout the day, interweaving different technologies across a common business scenario. If you were at the event, leave a comment here and tell Rob and I what you thought of the event.

Be sure to get resources related to the launch event!

Technorati Tags: heroes happen here,rob bagby

The Chicken Dance

Palermo4 — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 19:21:44 GMT

I recently had the pleasure of attending a 3-day agile boot-camp event offered by Headspring Systems and taught by Jeffrey Palermo.

This was an excellent training event, and I plan to ~~steal~~ be inspired to use some of his methodologies at Interface Technical Training.

One of the methods learned at the boot-camp was proper ways to use source control. I enjoyed the discussion so much, I used one of my GTD collection tools, jott.com, to make sure I would remember to blog about it. Jeffrey named one of his processes the check-in dance. By the time jott.com sent me my message it read this way:

Be sure to blog about the chicken dance...

Ok, so jott.com is not perfect. It does however provide an interesting laugh here and there.

Technorati Tags: agile training,jott.com,jeffrey palermo

GTD: Collection Tools

Palermo4 — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 18:37:01 GMT

In my ongoing quest to live by "Getting Things Done" (GTD), I am always looking for ways to maximize each principle. One recommendation that is very important is to identify what my collection tools are (and use them).

Collection tools (or capture devices) allow me to capture important thoughts as they happen. For example, I have a 30-45 minute commute to work each way. Instead of listening to the radio, I typically allow for "free thinking". What If I happen to have an idea for how to solve a technical problem while I am driving? What if I suddenly remembered I needed to email someone? What if I had a great anniversary gift idea? What if I had all of these ideas, but because I could not capture them, they vanished away? A collection tool allows me to make sure my thoughts get persisted somehow. With that said, here are my two favorite collection tools:

Jott.com

Jott.com allows me to speed dial to a voice activated system that allows me to verbally "jott" my thoughts. The Jott service then converts my voice message to text and sends me an email. This is fantastic for when I am commuting back and forth to work. I typically jott 5-10 times each commute. This has been an incredible way to not let important thoughts escape from me.

Wallet with Pen & Paper

This is by far my favorite collection tool. I can not count how many times this has come to my aid. Many times at work someone will mention something that I want to follow up with. I might be at Starbucks and suddenly have an idea while I am standing in line. I can discreetly take out my wallet with pen and paper and write down whatever is needed. In the past, I tried to use my PDA for this, but it was never as quick and simple as the wallet alternative. I also have observed that it appears to be much more socially acceptable to take pen & paper out to take a note when in conversation than to use a PDA.

These are my primary collection tools. Does anyone else have a great system for capturing ideas?