Is your UPDATE and DELETE not being generated with your Table adapter Configuration Wizard?
ANSWER: Make sure that you have set your Primary Key on your SQL / Database table.
Saturday, 22 January 2011
Tuesday, 27 July 2010
Telerik RadGrid Frustration
RadGrid does not show or isn't visible on Page_Load?
Set a default value for your datasource SelectCommand of the SqlDataSource of your Grid.
e.g.) <SelectParameters>
<asp:ControlParameter Name="FleetNo" ControlID="txtFleetNo" PropertyName="Text" DefaultValue="0"/>
</SelectParameters>
I discovered this error, when using a MaintainFleet page and and an AddFleet page.
The maintain page was working perfectly with the RadGrid. So I copied the code over for my new Add page.
I changed my dropdown from the Maintain Page to a textbox on the Add page. That field is the control parameter of the Select statement . And unless you set a default value for the Textbox one, the grid will not be visible until a postback is done. Of course the code was working on the Maintain page.... the Dropdown had been set with a default value in the code.
Set a default value for your datasource SelectCommand of the SqlDataSource of your Grid.
e.g.) <SelectParameters>
<asp:ControlParameter Name="FleetNo" ControlID="txtFleetNo" PropertyName="Text" DefaultValue="0"/>
</SelectParameters>
I discovered this error, when using a MaintainFleet page and and an AddFleet page.
The maintain page was working perfectly with the RadGrid. So I copied the code over for my new Add page.
I changed my dropdown from the Maintain Page to a textbox on the Add page. That field is the control parameter of the Select statement . And unless you set a default value for the Textbox one, the grid will not be visible until a postback is done. Of course the code was working on the Maintain page.... the Dropdown had been set with a default value in the code.
Wednesday, 06 January 2010
Ultimate Family Tree - Problems?
Got a Divide by Zero error when running your Ultimate Family Tree (platinum) Application? on XP or Windows 98
Here is the fix :
1. Download the patch file below.
2. Copy the Patch26.exe file to the directory containing FOXW2600.esl (the directory where FormSoft is installed).
3. Open a system Command Prompt window. The program item for this is in the Windows Start menu, under the Programs group called MS-DOS PROMPT.
4. Type the following commands at the command prompt. Note that the CD command must access the directory where you copied the PATCH26.exe file in step 1.
CD
(i.e.: CD C:\UFT )
ATTRIB -r FOXW2600.ESL
PATCH26 FOXW2600.ESL
ATTRIB +r FOXW2600.ESL
4. PATCH26 copies the original (unpatched) file to "Copy of Fox26000.esl".
The above information can be found in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.
(URL - http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q240/9/82.ASP )
Download the patch here http://www.datacustoms.com/download/Patch_26.exe
Thursday, 30 July 2009
Excel Tip
This should come in handy for most Excel Users!!
Status bar statistics (Excel)
The status bar in Excel shows handy statistics when multiple cells are selected. In Excel 2007, the status bar shows the selected cells' average, count, and sum. This is an easy way to quickly analyze data without authoring formulas.
Status bar statistics (Excel)
The status bar in Excel shows handy statistics when multiple cells are selected. In Excel 2007, the status bar shows the selected cells' average, count, and sum. This is an easy way to quickly analyze data without authoring formulas.
Friday, 19 June 2009
Thursday, 04 June 2009
Snippets from Author - Juliette Powell’s online interview about how social networking can actually aid your company
• Companies should tap into audience and clients opinions and feedback via social networking e.g.) Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.
• They should have conversations with their staff members to get their opinions and feedback. This is how you can discover the more applicable market for your company.
• The more employees are connected with Each other and with people in the same industry as your company, the more resource information is available for your company.
• Draw up Guidelines that reflect the culture and future of your company.
• The flow of information in your company shouldn’t just be top-down, but it should be dialogue, not dictatorship.
• They should have conversations with their staff members to get their opinions and feedback. This is how you can discover the more applicable market for your company.
• The more employees are connected with Each other and with people in the same industry as your company, the more resource information is available for your company.
• Draw up Guidelines that reflect the culture and future of your company.
• The flow of information in your company shouldn’t just be top-down, but it should be dialogue, not dictatorship.
Wednesday, 03 June 2009
God and the Geese
There was once a man who didn't believe in God, and he didn't hesitate to let others know how he felt about religion and religious holidays.
His wife, however, did believe, and she raised their children to also have faith in God and Jesus, despite his disparaging comments. One snowy Eve, his wife was taking their children to service in the farm community in which they lived.
They were to talk about Jesus' birth. She asked him to come, but he refused.
"That story is nonsense!" he said. "Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth as a man? That's ridiculous!"
So she and the children left, and he stayed home. A while later, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blizzard. As the man looked out the window, all he saw was a blinding snowstorm. He sat down to relax before the fire for the evening. Then he heard a loud thump. Something had hit the window. He looked out, but couldn't see more than a few feet. When the snow let up a little, he ventured outside to see
what could have been beating on his window.
In the field near his house he saw a flock of wild geese. Apparently they had been flying south for the winter when they got caught in the snowstorm and couldn't go on. They were lost and stranded on his farm, with no food or shelter. They just flapped their wings and flew around the field in low circles, blindly and aimlessly. A couple of them had flown into his window, it seemed.
The man felt sorry for the geese and wanted to help them. The barn would be a great place for them to stay, he thought. It's warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm. So he walked over to the barn and opened the doors wide, then watched and waited, hoping they would notice the open barn and go inside.
But the geese just fluttered around aimlessly and didn't seem to notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them. The man tried to get their attention, but that just seemed to scare them, and they moved further away. He went into the house and came with some bread, broke it up, and made a bread crumb trail leading to the barn. They still didn't catch on.
Now he was getting frustrated. He got behind them and tried to shoo them toward the barn, but they only got more scared and scattered in every direction except toward the barn. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where they would be warm and safe. "Why don't they follow me?!" he exclaimed.
"Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the
storm?"
He thought for a moment and realized that they just wouldn't follow a human.
"If only I were a goose, then I could save them," he said out loud. Then he had an idea. He went into barn, got one of his own geese, and carried it in his arms as he circled around behind the flock of wild geese.
He then released it. His goose flew through the flock and straight into the barn -- and one-by-one, the other geese followed it to safety. He stood silently for a moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes earlier replayed in his mind: "If only I were a goose, then I could save them!" Then he thought about what he had said to his wife earlier. "Why would God want to be like us? That's ridiculous!"
Suddenly it all made sense. That is what God had done. We were like the geese--blind, lost, perishing. God had His Son become like us so He could show us the way and save us.
As the winds and blinding snow died down, his soul became quiet and pondered this wonderful thought. Suddenly he understood why Christ had come.
Years of doubt and disbelief vanished with the passing storm. He fell to his knees in the snow, and prayed his first prayer:
"Thank You, God, for coming in human form to get me out of the storm!"
His wife, however, did believe, and she raised their children to also have faith in God and Jesus, despite his disparaging comments. One snowy Eve, his wife was taking their children to service in the farm community in which they lived.
They were to talk about Jesus' birth. She asked him to come, but he refused.
"That story is nonsense!" he said. "Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth as a man? That's ridiculous!"
So she and the children left, and he stayed home. A while later, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blizzard. As the man looked out the window, all he saw was a blinding snowstorm. He sat down to relax before the fire for the evening. Then he heard a loud thump. Something had hit the window. He looked out, but couldn't see more than a few feet. When the snow let up a little, he ventured outside to see
what could have been beating on his window.
In the field near his house he saw a flock of wild geese. Apparently they had been flying south for the winter when they got caught in the snowstorm and couldn't go on. They were lost and stranded on his farm, with no food or shelter. They just flapped their wings and flew around the field in low circles, blindly and aimlessly. A couple of them had flown into his window, it seemed.
The man felt sorry for the geese and wanted to help them. The barn would be a great place for them to stay, he thought. It's warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm. So he walked over to the barn and opened the doors wide, then watched and waited, hoping they would notice the open barn and go inside.
But the geese just fluttered around aimlessly and didn't seem to notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them. The man tried to get their attention, but that just seemed to scare them, and they moved further away. He went into the house and came with some bread, broke it up, and made a bread crumb trail leading to the barn. They still didn't catch on.
Now he was getting frustrated. He got behind them and tried to shoo them toward the barn, but they only got more scared and scattered in every direction except toward the barn. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where they would be warm and safe. "Why don't they follow me?!" he exclaimed.
"Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the
storm?"
He thought for a moment and realized that they just wouldn't follow a human.
"If only I were a goose, then I could save them," he said out loud. Then he had an idea. He went into barn, got one of his own geese, and carried it in his arms as he circled around behind the flock of wild geese.
He then released it. His goose flew through the flock and straight into the barn -- and one-by-one, the other geese followed it to safety. He stood silently for a moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes earlier replayed in his mind: "If only I were a goose, then I could save them!" Then he thought about what he had said to his wife earlier. "Why would God want to be like us? That's ridiculous!"
Suddenly it all made sense. That is what God had done. We were like the geese--blind, lost, perishing. God had His Son become like us so He could show us the way and save us.
As the winds and blinding snow died down, his soul became quiet and pondered this wonderful thought. Suddenly he understood why Christ had come.
Years of doubt and disbelief vanished with the passing storm. He fell to his knees in the snow, and prayed his first prayer:
"Thank You, God, for coming in human form to get me out of the storm!"
Friday, 29 May 2009
Services
Perhaps the single biggest complaint we get from readers concerns service. Herewith some thoughts on this touchy subject.
I became confused when I heard the word 'service' used with these agencies: South African Revenue 'Service', Postal 'Service', Telephone 'Service', Municipal 'Service', Civil ’Service’, South African Police 'Service' and the general disclaimer Customer 'Service'.
This was not what I thought 'service' meant, but today, I overheard two farmers talking, and one of them said he had hired a bull to 'service' a few cows.
Suddenly it all came into focus. Now I understand what all those agencies are doing to us.
:-)Saturday, 23 May 2009
Application Architecture and Design
ASP.NET 3.5 Application Architecture and Design by Vivek Thakur. I am reading this book , and I have decided to jot down a few notes of my interpretation and some excerpts, as I read it. I have posted the link of where the book can be bought, for those interested.
Business Needs
"
"
"
Application Architecture
"
"
"
Design
"
"
"
Development
Business Needs:- Business Specifications are done by the Business Analysts and Project Stake Holders. They determine the business needs of the project.
Application Architecture:- Is the Blueprint. It defines the limits and boundaries of the project, where all business aspects and requirements are met and taken care of. Different Architectural styles have been grouped together with famous approaches and techniques used widely.
Architectural Styles represent a particular interaction and behaviour pattern between the system and it's components, along with a particular layout. e.g.)
Design:- Designing the actual program. Involves Programming Techniques and Patterns of design. Laying out the basic Solution Framework
Business Needs
"
"
"
Application Architecture
"
"
"
Design
"
"
"
Development
Business Needs:- Business Specifications are done by the Business Analysts and Project Stake Holders. They determine the business needs of the project.
Application Architecture:- Is the Blueprint. It defines the limits and boundaries of the project, where all business aspects and requirements are met and taken care of. Different Architectural styles have been grouped together with famous approaches and techniques used widely.
Architectural Styles represent a particular interaction and behaviour pattern between the system and it's components, along with a particular layout. e.g.)
- n-tier
- Service Orientated Architecture (SOA)
Design:- Designing the actual program. Involves Programming Techniques and Patterns of design. Laying out the basic Solution Framework
Thursday, 12 March 2009
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
Letter from Zimbabwe
Terrible, terrible things are taking place in Zimbabwe by the communist thugs that rule the place. the internet is a powerful tool and the only way that this madman and his henchmen are going to be brought to justice is if the whole world gangs up up on them and topples their evil bastion once and for all.
Please forward this everyone you know so it gets around the world in a few days.
Letter from Zimbabwe sent in by John Winter
I reckon that these are the last days of TKM and ZPF. The darkest hour is always before dawn.
We are all terrified at what they are going to destroy next........I mean they are actually ploughing down brick and mortar houses and one family with twin boys of 10 had no chance of salvaging anything when 100 riot police came in with AK47's and bulldozers and demolished their beautiful house - 5 bedrooms and pine ceilings - because it was 'too close to the airport', so we are feeling extremely insecure right now.
You know - I am aware that this does not help you sleep at night, but if you do not know - how can you help? Even if you put us in your own mental ring of light and send your guardian angels to be with us - that is a help -but I feel so cut off from you all knowing I cannot tell you what's going on here simply because you will feel uncomfortable. There is no ways we can leave here so that is not an option.
I ask that you all pray for us in the way that you know how, and let me know that you are thinking of us and sending out positive vibes... that's all. You can't just be in denial and pretend/believe it's not going on.
To be frank with you, it's genocide in the making and if you do not believe me, read the Genocide Report by Amnesty International which says we are - IN level 7 - (level 8 is after it's happened and everyone is in denial).
If you don't want me to tell you these things-how bad it is-then it means you have not dealt with your own fear, but it does not help me to think you are turning your back on our situation. We need you, please, to get the news OUT that we are all in a fearfully dangerous situation here. Too many people turn their backs and say - oh well, that's what happens in Africa
This Government has GONE MAD and you need to help us publicize our plight---or how can we be rescued? It's a reality! The petrol queues are a reality, the pall of smoke all around our city is a reality, the thousands of homeless people sleeping outside in 0 Celsius with no food, water, shelter and bedding are a reality. Today a family approached me, brother of the gardener's wife with two small children. Their home was trashed and they will have to sleep outside. We already support 8 adult people and a child on this property, and electricity is going up next month by 250% as is water.
How can I take on another family of 4 -----and yet how can I turn them away to sleep out in the open?
I am not asking you for money or a ticket out of here - I am asking you to FACE the fact that we are in deep and terrible danger and want you please to pass on our news and pictures. So PLEASE don't just press the delete button! Help best in the way that you know how.
Do face the reality of what is going on here and help us SEND OUT THE WORD.. The more people who know about it, the more chance we have of the United Nations coming to our aid. Please don't ignore or deny what's happening.
Some would like to be protected from the truth BUT then, if we are eliminated, how would you feel? 'If only we knew how bad it really was we could have helped in some way'.
[I know we chose to stay here and that some feel we deserve what's coming to us]
For now,--- we ourselves have food, shelter, a little fuel and a bit of money for the next meal - but what is going to happen next? Will they start on our houses? All property is going to belong to the State now. I want to send out my Title Deeds to one of you because if they get a hold of those, I can't fight for my rights.
Censorship!----We no longer have SW radio [which told us everything that was happening] because the Government jammed it out of existence - we don't have any reporters, and no one is allowed to photograph. If we had reporters here, they would have an absolute field day. Even the pro-Government Herald has written that people are shocked, stunned, bewildered and blown mindless by the wanton destruction of many folks homes, which are supposed to be 'illegal' but for which a huge percentage actually do have licenses.
Please! - do have some compassion and HELP by sending out the articles and personal reports so that something can/may be done.
'I am one. I cannot do everything, ---but I can do something.. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do. What I can do, I should do. And what I should do, by the grace of God, I will do.'
Edward Everett Hale
Please send this on to everyone in your address book. We send jokes out
without blinking an eyelid. We don't get told this on the news in South Africa , we only get told what they want us to hear. We all have a chance to do something, even though the something is by pressing forward to as many people as possible. Let's stop talking and let's start doing! There is power in prayer, there is also power in more people knowing about this than you in my address book. This is going to America , Dubai , Australia , France , South Africans all over South Africa , the UK . By forwarding this to all in my address book I have done something. The world needs to know what is going on.
Letter from Zimbabwe sent in by John Winter
I reckon that these are the last days of TKM and ZPF. The darkest hour is always before dawn.
We are all terrified at what they are going to destroy next........I mean they are actually ploughing down brick and mortar houses and one family with twin boys of 10 had no chance of salvaging anything when 100 riot police came in with AK47's and bulldozers and demolished their beautiful house - 5 bedrooms and pine ceilings - because it was 'too close to the airport', so we are feeling extremely insecure right now.
You know - I am aware that this does not help you sleep at night, but if you do not know - how can you help? Even if you put us in your own mental ring of light and send your guardian angels to be with us - that is a help -but I feel so cut off from you all knowing I cannot tell you what's going on here simply because you will feel uncomfortable. There is no ways we can leave here so that is not an option.
I ask that you all pray for us in the way that you know how, and let me know that you are thinking of us and sending out positive vibes... that's all. You can't just be in denial and pretend/believe it's not going on.
To be frank with you, it's genocide in the making and if you do not believe me, read the Genocide Report by Amnesty International which says we are - IN level 7 - (level 8 is after it's happened and everyone is in denial).
If you don't want me to tell you these things-how bad it is-then it means you have not dealt with your own fear, but it does not help me to think you are turning your back on our situation. We need you, please, to get the news OUT that we are all in a fearfully dangerous situation here. Too many people turn their backs and say - oh well, that's what happens in Africa
This Government has GONE MAD and you need to help us publicize our plight---or how can we be rescued? It's a reality! The petrol queues are a reality, the pall of smoke all around our city is a reality, the thousands of homeless people sleeping outside in 0 Celsius with no food, water, shelter and bedding are a reality. Today a family approached me, brother of the gardener's wife with two small children. Their home was trashed and they will have to sleep outside. We already support 8 adult people and a child on this property, and electricity is going up next month by 250% as is water.
How can I take on another family of 4 -----and yet how can I turn them away to sleep out in the open?
I am not asking you for money or a ticket out of here - I am asking you to FACE the fact that we are in deep and terrible danger and want you please to pass on our news and pictures. So PLEASE don't just press the delete button! Help best in the way that you know how.
Do face the reality of what is going on here and help us SEND OUT THE WORD.. The more people who know about it, the more chance we have of the United Nations coming to our aid. Please don't ignore or deny what's happening.
Some would like to be protected from the truth BUT then, if we are eliminated, how would you feel? 'If only we knew how bad it really was we could have helped in some way'.
[I know we chose to stay here and that some feel we deserve what's coming to us]
For now,--- we ourselves have food, shelter, a little fuel and a bit of money for the next meal - but what is going to happen next? Will they start on our houses? All property is going to belong to the State now. I want to send out my Title Deeds to one of you because if they get a hold of those, I can't fight for my rights.
Censorship!----We no longer have SW radio [which told us everything that was happening] because the Government jammed it out of existence - we don't have any reporters, and no one is allowed to photograph. If we had reporters here, they would have an absolute field day. Even the pro-Government Herald has written that people are shocked, stunned, bewildered and blown mindless by the wanton destruction of many folks homes, which are supposed to be 'illegal' but for which a huge percentage actually do have licenses.
Please! - do have some compassion and HELP by sending out the articles and personal reports so that something can/may be done.
'I am one. I cannot do everything, ---but I can do something.. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do. What I can do, I should do. And what I should do, by the grace of God, I will do.'
Edward Everett Hale
Please send this on to everyone in your address book. We send jokes out
without blinking an eyelid. We don't get told this on the news in South Africa , we only get told what they want us to hear. We all have a chance to do something, even though the something is by pressing forward to as many people as possible. Let's stop talking and let's start doing! There is power in prayer, there is also power in more people knowing about this than you in my address book. This is going to America , Dubai , Australia , France , South Africans all over South Africa , the UK . By forwarding this to all in my address book I have done something. The world needs to know what is going on.
Friday, 30 January 2009
Study: IT pay up in three areas, down elsewhere
Highest paying individual skills included security tools and SAP's NetWeaver.
While salaries for IT skills on the whole dropped in the US last quarter, according to a study by Foote Partners, three areas saw an increase in pay despite the troubled economy.
The recent results of Foote's Foote Partners' IT Skills and Certifications Pay Index found the first overall decline since mid-2004. Foote saw a .5 percent decline in the fourth quarter of 2008, compared to the third quarter.
"It was inevitable for skills pay to start reflecting the hard times we're in," explains David Foote, co-founder and CEO of Foote Research, in the report. "But the big difference this time around is the strong counter-trending. We've never seen anything quite like this before."
That counter-trending is what Foote called "an urgent demand for talent" in three areas: management/methodology/process, database, and messaging and communications skills.
Management/methodology/process pay leapt upward by 5.6 percent, while IT folks with database skills generated 2.9 percent more, and messaging and communications professionals garnered 2.9 percent more money during last year's fourth quarter.
The report also found several skills that have decreased in value during the last quarter, including application development, SAP and other enterprise application, operating systems, Web/e-commerce, and systems networking skills.
The highest paying individual skills in the same time period, meanwhile, included security tools and SAP's NetWeaver.
Foote Partners' IT Skills and Certifications Pay Index concentrates on the pay for 354 skills and certifications earned by 22,550 IT professionals in the US and Canada.
Taken from : http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/274842/study_it_pay_up_three_areas_down_elsewhere?fp=4&fpid=762454&eid=130
While salaries for IT skills on the whole dropped in the US last quarter, according to a study by Foote Partners, three areas saw an increase in pay despite the troubled economy.
The recent results of Foote's Foote Partners' IT Skills and Certifications Pay Index found the first overall decline since mid-2004. Foote saw a .5 percent decline in the fourth quarter of 2008, compared to the third quarter.
"It was inevitable for skills pay to start reflecting the hard times we're in," explains David Foote, co-founder and CEO of Foote Research, in the report. "But the big difference this time around is the strong counter-trending. We've never seen anything quite like this before."
That counter-trending is what Foote called "an urgent demand for talent" in three areas: management/methodology/process, database, and messaging and communications skills.
Management/methodology/process pay leapt upward by 5.6 percent, while IT folks with database skills generated 2.9 percent more, and messaging and communications professionals garnered 2.9 percent more money during last year's fourth quarter.
The report also found several skills that have decreased in value during the last quarter, including application development, SAP and other enterprise application, operating systems, Web/e-commerce, and systems networking skills.
The highest paying individual skills in the same time period, meanwhile, included security tools and SAP's NetWeaver.
Foote Partners' IT Skills and Certifications Pay Index concentrates on the pay for 354 skills and certifications earned by 22,550 IT professionals in the US and Canada.
Taken from : http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/274842/study_it_pay_up_three_areas_down_elsewhere?fp=4&fpid=762454&eid=130
Monday, 15 December 2008
Eight tips for a school day routine.
Eight tips for a school day routine. (Helps to stay sane)
Apart from perishables like milk, lay out everything for breakfast including bowls, glasses etc before you go to bed. Get the kids to help, and soon they’ll be doing it themselves.
Get the kids outfits ready the night before. Check that everything it there and ready to swap their pyjamas for. Once again, do it with your children and soon they’ll be doing it themselves. Don’t forget about your own clothes!
Create a space where the children can keep all their school things. From kit bags, satchels, swimming bags, sports equipment and ballet bags to library books and musical instruments, make sure they are packed and ready to go before bedtime.
Schedule what is needed at school on each day and mark it on a large calendar. This will help with the preparation on the night before, and keep you reminded of who needs to be dropped off or fetched when and where.
Deal with anything that comes home from school immediately. Whether it’s a form you need to fill out, an invitation you need to respond to, or a letter of concern from the teacher, do it there and then, and reply on the same day.
Create a set time and place for doing homework. Keep all necessary books and recourses like dictionaries, as well as stationery nearby. Pack the homework into school bags as soon as it has been finished.
Fill up with petrol on the way home from school rather than rushing it in the morning.
Wake up 10 minutes earlier than usual and leave for school 5 minutes early. You’ll be amazed at how this will relieve an enormous amount of stress and put the kids in a good mood for school.
Apart from perishables like milk, lay out everything for breakfast including bowls, glasses etc before you go to bed. Get the kids to help, and soon they’ll be doing it themselves. Get the kids outfits ready the night before. Check that everything it there and ready to swap their pyjamas for. Once again, do it with your children and soon they’ll be doing it themselves. Don’t forget about your own clothes!
Create a space where the children can keep all their school things. From kit bags, satchels, swimming bags, sports equipment and ballet bags to library books and musical instruments, make sure they are packed and ready to go before bedtime.
Schedule what is needed at school on each day and mark it on a large calendar. This will help with the preparation on the night before, and keep you reminded of who needs to be dropped off or fetched when and where.
Deal with anything that comes home from school immediately. Whether it’s a form you need to fill out, an invitation you need to respond to, or a letter of concern from the teacher, do it there and then, and reply on the same day.
Create a set time and place for doing homework. Keep all necessary books and recourses like dictionaries, as well as stationery nearby. Pack the homework into school bags as soon as it has been finished.
Fill up with petrol on the way home from school rather than rushing it in the morning.
Wake up 10 minutes earlier than usual and leave for school 5 minutes early. You’ll be amazed at how this will relieve an enormous amount of stress and put the kids in a good mood for school.
Friday, 19 September 2008
Understanding Software Developers
Wednesday, 17 September 2008
Google now has Audio Search Abilities....
Google Speech Recognition Technology Is Now Called Google Audio Indexing
WRITTEN BY AMIT AGARWAL ON SEPTEMBER 15, 2008TEXT SIZE
Sometime back, Google introduced speech recognition in YouTube that enables you to search for words spoken in the video and you could also directly jump to the portion where that word was said.
Initially you had to install an iGoogle gadget to experience YouTube’s speech recognition but now there’s a dedicated search page for this at Google Audio Indexing - this not just enables you to find spoken words in videos but also share that video portion.
If you like to share a clip where that word was found (or uttered), just click that ‘people’ icon in the YouTube Video player and you’ll get a direct link to that particular video segment.
Like Blinkx, Google too has developed its own speech recognition system (called GAudi, for Google Audio Indexing), which powers both Google Audio Indexing and the Google Elections Video Search gadget.
Google Audio Indexing currently searches only videos related to US Elections that are uploaded on the YouTube political channels.
WRITTEN BY AMIT AGARWAL ON SEPTEMBER 15, 2008TEXT SIZE
Sometime back, Google introduced speech recognition in YouTube that enables you to search for words spoken in the video and you could also directly jump to the portion where that word was said.
Initially you had to install an iGoogle gadget to experience YouTube’s speech recognition but now there’s a dedicated search page for this at Google Audio Indexing - this not just enables you to find spoken words in videos but also share that video portion.
If you like to share a clip where that word was found (or uttered), just click that ‘people’ icon in the YouTube Video player and you’ll get a direct link to that particular video segment.
Like Blinkx, Google too has developed its own speech recognition system (called GAudi, for Google Audio Indexing), which powers both Google Audio Indexing and the Google Elections Video Search gadget.
Google Audio Indexing currently searches only videos related to US Elections that are uploaded on the YouTube political channels.
Free Movies?
Apparently IMDB is now showing free movies. Have a look at this article published on infoweek.
 |
Amazon's IMDb Now Showing Free Movies
The site has begun showing more than 6,000 feature films and television shows submitted by CBS, Hulu.com, Sony Pictures Television, and more than 500 independent filmmakers.
By Thomas Claburn, InformationWeek
Sept. 16, 2008
URL: http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=210601952
The IMDB link is: http://www.imdb.com/features/video/
Monday, 15 September 2008
Email taking up too much of your time?
Is Email taking up too much for your time in a day? Found this interesting article on Daily Email usage.
Email becomes a dangerous distraction
Suw Charman-Anderson September 9, 2008
Back in the early 1990s, email was a privilege granted only to those who could prove they needed it. Now it has turned into a nuisance that's costing companies millions. We may feel that we have it under control, but not only do we check email more often than we realise, but the interruptions are more detrimental than was previously thought.
In a study last year, Dr Thomas Jackson of Loughborough University, England, found that it takes an average of 64 seconds to recover your train of thought after interruption by email (bit.ly/email2). So people who check their email every five minutes waste 81/2hours a week figuring out what they were doing moments before.
It had been assumed that email doesn't cause interruptions because the recipient chooses when to check for and respond to email (bit.ly/email3). But Dr Jackson found that people tend to respond to email as it arrives, taking an average of only one minute and 44 seconds to act upon a new email notification; 70% of alerts got a reaction within six seconds. That's faster than letting the phone ring three times.
Added to this is the time people spend with their inbox. A July 2006 study by ClearContext, an email management tools vendor, surveyed 250 users and discovered that 56% spent more than two hours a day in their inbox (bit.ly/email4). Most felt they got too much email - by January 2008, 38% of respondents received more than 100 emails a day - and that it stopped them from doing other things.
Karen Renaud, a lecturer at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, and her colleagues at the University of the West of Scotland discovered that email users fall into three categories: relaxed, driven and stressed. "The relaxed group don't let email exert any pressure on their lives," Dr Renaud says. "They treat it exactly the way that one would treat the mail: 'I'll fetch it, I'll deal with it in my own time, but I'm not going to let it upset me'."
The second group felt "driven" to keep on top of email, but also felt that they could cope with it. The third group, however, reacted negatively to the pressure of email. "That causes stress," says Dr Renaud, "and stress causes all sorts of health problems."
Dr Renaud's team discovered that while 64% of respondents claimed to check their email once an hour, and 35% said they checked every 15minutes, they were actually checking it much more frequently - about every five minutes. For some people, checking email is no longer a conscious and deliberate act, but a compulsion they are barely aware of (bit.ly/email5).
Tom Stafford, a lecturer at the University of Sheffield, England, and co-author of the book Mind Hacks, believes that the same fundamental learning mechanisms that drive gambling addicts are also at work in email users. "Both slot machines and email follow something called a 'variable interval reinforcement schedule' which has been established as the way to train in the strongest habits," he says.
"This means that rather than reward an action every time it is performed, you reward it sometimes, but not in a predictable way. So with email, usually when I check it there is nothing interesting, but every so often there's something wonderful - an invite out or maybe some juicy gossip - and I get a reward." This is enough to make it difficult for us to resist checking email, even when we've only just looked. The obvious solution is to process email in batches, but this is difficult. One company delayed delivery by five minutes, but had so many complaints that they had to revert to instantaneous delivery. People knew that there were emails there and chafed at the bit to get hold of them.
Another solution might be the notification system Growl (growl.info), which puts up a brief message on the screen with details such as the sender and subject line while the user is in other programs. Presently only available for Mac OS X, a version is being tested for Windows though this, of course, causes the interruptions you are trying to avoid. Companies are beginning to take these problems seriously, although the "no email days" favoured by Deloitte and Intel have not proved effective. Deloitte's "no email Wednesday" was abandoned after a month (bit.ly/email6) and Intel found that there was a "clear incompatibility" between the need of the pilot group to communicate asynchronously with colleagues and the avoidance of email for a whole day (bit.ly/email7). No-email days don't work, says Dr Stafford, "because they don't help people to change their behaviour while they are actually using email. Once your email is back, you're going to respond to it in the same old ways unless you replace your bad habits."
It's better to replace email with more appropriate tools. Roo Reynolds, a "metaverse evangelist" who is joining the BBC to work with social media, has moved away from email for everything but the most formal communications. "I use other tools ... I've got a whole set of contacts who love Twitter and if I want to reach them quickly then that's where they'll be."
Mr Reynolds has even begun to think of email as rude and invasive, preferring to use tools such as Twitter and Flickr. He also uses social networking sites such as Dopplr, which tracks people's travel, to find out if they are away before he contacts them, and status alerts from instant messenger or Twitter to help him decide if now is a good time to interrupt them. Other tools, such as blogs and wikis, have decreased the amount of email that he sends and receives, while RSS feeds and recommendations from friends and colleagues allow him to keep abreast of the most important news.
For a tool that business depends so heavily on, we put little thought into how we use email. Dr Karol Szlichcinski, a business psychologist, recommends providing guidelines and training to give people "ways of reducing the disruption caused by email, ways of managing email so that it doesn't run your day. Organisational norms build up, and people come to expect others to answer emails within a given timeframe, whether that email is important or not."
We may think email is simple, but its ease of use is deceptive. For many, it's a boon, but for an increasing majority it's the tail that wags the dog.
Keeping control of the inbox
If you find your mouse straying towards the "check email" button far too often, try these tactics:
- Turn off intrusive alerts. Anything that pops up, flashes, or goes "ding!" will interrupt you when you're trying to focus and will trigger a response to check your email.
- Set your email client to display just the title and first few lines of the email, so you can easily decide if it is important enough to deal with right now.
- Use other tools. Twitter and instant messaging (IM) are better for asking short questions of chosen groups. Wikis are better for collaborating on documents. Blogs are better for publishing information and having informal conversations.
- Send fewer emails. Do you need to hit "reply to all"?
- Schedule your email. Set aside time each day to deal with your inbox and ignore it for the rest of the day. Most people check first thing in the morning and late afternoon.
Suw Charman-Anderson is an expert in collaboration and communications
- THE GUARDIAN
This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/09/08/1220857455459.html
Email becomes a dangerous distraction
Suw Charman-Anderson September 9, 2008
Back in the early 1990s, email was a privilege granted only to those who could prove they needed it. Now it has turned into a nuisance that's costing companies millions. We may feel that we have it under control, but not only do we check email more often than we realise, but the interruptions are more detrimental than was previously thought.
In a study last year, Dr Thomas Jackson of Loughborough University, England, found that it takes an average of 64 seconds to recover your train of thought after interruption by email (bit.ly/email2). So people who check their email every five minutes waste 81/2hours a week figuring out what they were doing moments before.
It had been assumed that email doesn't cause interruptions because the recipient chooses when to check for and respond to email (bit.ly/email3). But Dr Jackson found that people tend to respond to email as it arrives, taking an average of only one minute and 44 seconds to act upon a new email notification; 70% of alerts got a reaction within six seconds. That's faster than letting the phone ring three times.
Added to this is the time people spend with their inbox. A July 2006 study by ClearContext, an email management tools vendor, surveyed 250 users and discovered that 56% spent more than two hours a day in their inbox (bit.ly/email4). Most felt they got too much email - by January 2008, 38% of respondents received more than 100 emails a day - and that it stopped them from doing other things.
Karen Renaud, a lecturer at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, and her colleagues at the University of the West of Scotland discovered that email users fall into three categories: relaxed, driven and stressed. "The relaxed group don't let email exert any pressure on their lives," Dr Renaud says. "They treat it exactly the way that one would treat the mail: 'I'll fetch it, I'll deal with it in my own time, but I'm not going to let it upset me'."
The second group felt "driven" to keep on top of email, but also felt that they could cope with it. The third group, however, reacted negatively to the pressure of email. "That causes stress," says Dr Renaud, "and stress causes all sorts of health problems."
Dr Renaud's team discovered that while 64% of respondents claimed to check their email once an hour, and 35% said they checked every 15minutes, they were actually checking it much more frequently - about every five minutes. For some people, checking email is no longer a conscious and deliberate act, but a compulsion they are barely aware of (bit.ly/email5).
Tom Stafford, a lecturer at the University of Sheffield, England, and co-author of the book Mind Hacks, believes that the same fundamental learning mechanisms that drive gambling addicts are also at work in email users. "Both slot machines and email follow something called a 'variable interval reinforcement schedule' which has been established as the way to train in the strongest habits," he says.
"This means that rather than reward an action every time it is performed, you reward it sometimes, but not in a predictable way. So with email, usually when I check it there is nothing interesting, but every so often there's something wonderful - an invite out or maybe some juicy gossip - and I get a reward." This is enough to make it difficult for us to resist checking email, even when we've only just looked. The obvious solution is to process email in batches, but this is difficult. One company delayed delivery by five minutes, but had so many complaints that they had to revert to instantaneous delivery. People knew that there were emails there and chafed at the bit to get hold of them.
Another solution might be the notification system Growl (growl.info), which puts up a brief message on the screen with details such as the sender and subject line while the user is in other programs. Presently only available for Mac OS X, a version is being tested for Windows though this, of course, causes the interruptions you are trying to avoid. Companies are beginning to take these problems seriously, although the "no email days" favoured by Deloitte and Intel have not proved effective. Deloitte's "no email Wednesday" was abandoned after a month (bit.ly/email6) and Intel found that there was a "clear incompatibility" between the need of the pilot group to communicate asynchronously with colleagues and the avoidance of email for a whole day (bit.ly/email7). No-email days don't work, says Dr Stafford, "because they don't help people to change their behaviour while they are actually using email. Once your email is back, you're going to respond to it in the same old ways unless you replace your bad habits."
It's better to replace email with more appropriate tools. Roo Reynolds, a "metaverse evangelist" who is joining the BBC to work with social media, has moved away from email for everything but the most formal communications. "I use other tools ... I've got a whole set of contacts who love Twitter and if I want to reach them quickly then that's where they'll be."
Mr Reynolds has even begun to think of email as rude and invasive, preferring to use tools such as Twitter and Flickr. He also uses social networking sites such as Dopplr, which tracks people's travel, to find out if they are away before he contacts them, and status alerts from instant messenger or Twitter to help him decide if now is a good time to interrupt them. Other tools, such as blogs and wikis, have decreased the amount of email that he sends and receives, while RSS feeds and recommendations from friends and colleagues allow him to keep abreast of the most important news.
For a tool that business depends so heavily on, we put little thought into how we use email. Dr Karol Szlichcinski, a business psychologist, recommends providing guidelines and training to give people "ways of reducing the disruption caused by email, ways of managing email so that it doesn't run your day. Organisational norms build up, and people come to expect others to answer emails within a given timeframe, whether that email is important or not."
We may think email is simple, but its ease of use is deceptive. For many, it's a boon, but for an increasing majority it's the tail that wags the dog.
Keeping control of the inbox
If you find your mouse straying towards the "check email" button far too often, try these tactics:
- Turn off intrusive alerts. Anything that pops up, flashes, or goes "ding!" will interrupt you when you're trying to focus and will trigger a response to check your email.
- Set your email client to display just the title and first few lines of the email, so you can easily decide if it is important enough to deal with right now.
- Use other tools. Twitter and instant messaging (IM) are better for asking short questions of chosen groups. Wikis are better for collaborating on documents. Blogs are better for publishing information and having informal conversations.
- Send fewer emails. Do you need to hit "reply to all"?
- Schedule your email. Set aside time each day to deal with your inbox and ignore it for the rest of the day. Most people check first thing in the morning and late afternoon.
Suw Charman-Anderson is an expert in collaboration and communications
- THE GUARDIAN
This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/09/08/1220857455459.html
Friday, 12 September 2008
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