I may be the only person still using Windows Desktop search, but I like it! I can call up the interface with a simple shortcut, using the shortcut key properties:

... and to index efficiently you can select the types of files that should be searched in the advanced options. However, I noticed quite early on that I was not getting the hits I was expecting. After reviewing the 'Index file types as text' I realized that I was missing some critical files types that only developers would be interested in.

Adding the following files seemed to do the trick:
.ascx; .asp; .aspx; .chm; .config; .log4net; .pst; .resx; .sql

"The most happy marriage I can imagine to myself would be the union of a deaf man to a blind woman." - Samuel Taylor Coleridge

This generally has happened for me subsequent to a command-line initiated build. Upon opening the IDE I have no intellisense support for the simplest of types.

To fix this issue consider deleting the .projdata file, this is a hidden file found in the \Debug folder of the project:
          TestApp\Debug\TestApp.projdata.

Also note for ASP.NET applications this file is found in:
         C:\documents and settings\[user]\VSWebCache\TestApp\obj\Debug\TestApp.projdata

"You see things; and you say 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say 'Why not?' " - George Bernard Shaw

I have a miniature music studio at home and I am pushing the limits of the Windows XP machine I purchased a year or so ago. I have 512Mb of RAM and 2 x 40 gig hard drives installed. The first and obvious steps are to throw in at least 1 gig RAM and get 160 gig hard drive. This would mean me burning at least $160 which may not happen until after the Christmas season.

There are quite a few tweaks to the XP environment that enable you to get every last bit of processing power available. I found this MusicXP site that goes into step by step detail on what to tweak and what the effect of the tweak will be. I am sure these tweaks would be useful even for hard core gamers. Someone should write an application to help do this, may be store your previous settings and then enable them once your liaison with musical production is over for the evening. Maybe that someone should be me!

"Music with dinner is an insult both to the cook and the violinist." - Gilbert Chesterton

I was visiting the PropellerHead website, in attempt to get some information about a new piece of music software that I recently installed. As the page loaded I saw some activity in the lower right corner of IE that suggested that I needed to verify a Add-on.

The whole thing about running an Add-on is that you always want to make sure who created it and also to ensure that it can do little or no harm. How much do you trust the source? This issue has been tackled by using a valid signature. A valid digital signature verifies the identity of the publisher (the company, website, or individual that is distributing the file), as well as the fact that the file has not been tampered with since it was signed. If the file has no valid digital signature, you cannot be certain that the file is actually from the source it claims to be from, or that it has not been tampered with. You should not open the file unless you trust the publisher and know that the contents are safe to open.

Unfortunately so few Add-ons appear to be verifiable, or at least only Adobe and Microsoft appears to be bothered enough to setup a Digital signature for their controls.

I certainly do not trust ActiveX controls as a rule, but you can now use the Add-on Manager to verify what controls are running and subsequently what resources it may be using. Here is Microsoft's advice:

Before installing any ActiveX control, consider the following:

• Were you expecting to receive this control? - Are you surprised that this website is trying to download an ActiveX control? Has this website required you to use an ActiveX control in the past? If this action is unexpected, you should be very cautious. Make sure you know what the control is for and what it will do to your computer before you save or run the file.
• Do you trust the website providing the control? - Don't install an ActiveX control unless you absolutely trust the website that is giving you the control.
• Do you know what the control is for and what it will do to your computer? - The website providing the file should tell you what this ActiveX control is for and provide any special details you need to know before you install it. If this information is not available, you should not install the control.

"Study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that it takes in." - Leonardo da Vinci

I am not sure of the sales figures for the Zune so far this week. I for one was poised to purchase and ready to get the new device. However, the recent information that I have received regarding the application of a new DRM system has made me pause.

It appears that the new Zune will not honor the DRM of any of Microsoft's previous PlayforSure suitors (the playforsure irony is killing me). So you would think that MSN music is exempt. No! apparently the two dozen songs that I purchased from MSN music are useless on the new Zune! Seriously someone is not thinking things through! It appears MSN music, Play4Sure and Zune are never going to meet at a common ground. So if you were crazy enough to purchase music from MSN you will have to burn a CD and rip the music into an  unprotected format. DRM, you have got to love it! Well this should spell then end of MSN and Playforsure.

Thankfully most of my music was ripped from CD in an unprotected format (WMA and MP3) in Windows Media Player so I can convert these files into the Zune experience. In order to remain flexible I will have to buy CDs and rip my music. That way if Microsoft decide to update the DRM standard again it will not worry me! DRM, you have got to love it!

I am still tempted to move forward, the WiFi features are terrific and the share and play features are tempting for an avid musician like myself. The idea of sharing my music with anyone in my vicinity and being able to permit them to play that song for a limited time is genius! iPod will need to respond but not quickly ... they should revel in being the 900lb gorilla.

This is a quote from the Zune site that first got me hooked!

Picture this: You're walking down the street. Or you're in a room with a . Or at a concert. Or at the airport. Or on the bus (you get the picture) and then you whip out your Zune and see all these other Zune devices around that you can choose from. Zap! You’re connected to your best friend and send the new song your band recorded in the garage last weekend. Another friend gets the hilarious podcast your kid brother made at school, plus that song you just downloaded from the Zune Marketplace and can’t get out of your head. And hey, lookee here, your friend wants to send you something that you might like and buy, too.

Best of all, the song you sent isn’t just a 30-second preview­—it’s the whole song! Your friend can sample the song up to three times in three days, flag it on their device and then, if they like it, they can buy it later from Zune Marketplace. It's all connected.

bunch of friends

 

"I like rice. Rice is great if you're hungry and want 2000 of something." - Mitch Hedberg

I have been working with improving some images in ASP.NET and compiled this code from various MSDN sources. Generally I have found the issues revolve around the concept of anti-aliasing.

private void Button1_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
    Bitmap bmp = null;
    Graphics g = null;

    try
    {
        bmp = new Bitmap(@"c:\inetpub\wwwroot\MyWebTest\MYimage.jpg");
        g = Graphics.FromImage(bmp);
        g.CompositingMode = CompositingMode.SourceCopy;
        g.SmoothingMode = SmoothingMode.HighQuality;  //Specifies high quality, low speed rendering
        g.InterpolationMode = InterpolationMode.HighQualityBicubic; //This mode produces the highest quality transformed images.

        Response.ContentType = "image/jpeg"

        //Create a parameter collection
        EncoderParameters codecParameters = new EncoderParameters(1);
        //Fill the only parameter
        codecParameters.Param[0] = new EncoderParameter(Encoder.Quality,100L);
        //Get the codec info
        ImageCodecInfo codecInfo = FindEncoder(ImageFormat.Jpeg);
        //Save the image
        bmp.Save(Response.OutputStream,codecInfo, codecParameters);

    }
    catch(Exception ex)
    {
        Response.Write(ex.Message);
    }
    finally
    {
        if (g != null)
        {
            g.Dispose();
        }
        if (bmp != null)
        {
            bmp.Dispose();
        }
    }
}

private static ImageCodecInfo FindEncoder(ImageFormat fmt)
{
    ImageCodecInfo[] infoArray1 = ImageCodecInfo.GetImageEncoders();
    ImageCodecInfo[] infoArray2 = infoArray1;
    for (int num1 = 0; num1 < infoArray2.Length; num1++)
    {
        ImageCodecInfo info1 = infoArray2[num1];
        if (info1.FormatID.Equals(fmt.Guid))
        {
            return info1;
        }
    }
    return null;
}