In case you missed it, Microsoft shipped XNA Game Studio Express 1.0 last week. XNA provides a rich .NET based framework for building games, and supports development using C# and Visual Studio. The games you build with it can then be run on both Windows clients, and XBOX 360 consoles. XNA relies on a version of the .NET Compact Framework CLR that we ported to run on PowerPC chips (the XBOX 360 ships with a 3-core PowerPC CPU). For a killer demo that will impress your friends, install XNA Express, load up the built-in "SpaceWar" C# starter kit template, customize it, deploy it to the XBOX 360, run it and dazzle them with the graphics, and then set a breakpoint within your C# code in Visual Studio and show hitting the breakpoint and stepping through...(read more)

I recently had a chance to talk to the good folks at SpiDynamic about their DevInspect product which includes some great support for ASP.NET AJAX … In the process we started talking about AJAX security in general is and they sent me these links… looks like good information I wanted to pass on! Billy Hoffman, SpiDynamic's lead researcher in our SPI Labs group, has an on-demand web cast "Ajax (in)security" at < https://download.spidynamics.com/registration/AJAX_webcast.asp >; that's a variant of the very popular talk he gave at BlackHat. Caleb Sima, SpiDynamic's CTO, you might remember from "The Code Room: Breaking Into Vegas" < http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdntv/episode.aspx?xml=episodes/en/20060223CodeRoom3/manifest.xml >. Dennis Hurst,...(read more)

SearchDomino.com member Ray Green explains how to create a comments field for Lotus Notes documents by setting up two simple fields and adding some LotusScript code.

I am back from last week's vacation in Florida, where I attended the Ben Sutton golf school. ?I had a great time, but I don't think Tiger Woods has anything to worry about! ?I am brand new to the sport, and spent four full days (9-4) learning on course, not at driving range or putting green. ?My instructor Jan Kleiman (competed in 7 US Opens!) was fantastic, and very patient. ?I'm really happy with how I did, although I am not sure if that is a good thing, as this could turn out to be an expensive hobby! ? Carl, this is your fault! ?:-)

Quite some time ago I reviewed a manuscript for Raymond Chen’s new book “The Old New Thing”. Now if you don’t know who Raymond Chen is (which means you’re probably not in software development), he’s been at Microsoft for a really long time and is often the smartest guy in the room. So I got a pre release copy of the book. It’s part technical education, part Microsoft Products history and part geek entertainment. It’s fun to read and full of great info and anecdotes about the development of Microsoft’s products. I highly recommend it. Buy it here at Amazon.com Read More......(read more)

There are numerous misconceptions about the Semantic Web, largely caused by a misunderstanding of its aims and technologies. I've created this simple FAQ help dispel some of the myths....

I recently bought numerous reviews for SEO Book via ReviewMe. This post highlights the results of some of them.

Want to help advertise the IE7 AddOn contest that's running right now? Then why don't you add a badge to your page? Here's the source for each one, feel free to just link to them straight from my site if you'd like! read more)

Aaron Wall interviews Digital Ghost about SEO, words, and the future of search engine relevancy.

Light switches and sockets, they aren’t exactly the first things you have in mind when thinking about decorating your home. You should, because they enhance the beauty of a d�cor. Switches are no longer just plain white, square or invisible. They can provide an impeccably sleek surface to the walls of your home. You can now get decorative plates in a wide range of materials.

Bticino

Bticino is an Italian brand with a product line called "Axolute". It exist in all kind of shapes and in more than 41 different materials. Same examples are aluminum, slate and leather, wenge and Carrara marble. As you would expect the price is up to par. The cheapest cover plate starts from 8,22 Euro and it goes all the way up to 44 Euro. My problem with the Bticino brand is that most of the light switches have a kitschy perception.

I didn't have to search in other countries if it comes to innovative usage of materials, design and possibilities. I quickly discovered some nice Belgian brands too

Lithos

The website and downloadable brochure didn't had much to discover but from what I figured out is that Lithos has prices that are way out of our budget. The high quality bushed stainless steel with up to 8 push buttons, in bronze, brass, charcoal, nickel or RAL colour finishes, can be wall or flush mounted. New is the SB1LT Alu Grey (from 60 Euro) and SBQLB with white or blue LED lightning (from 75 Euro). Don't forget you need lots of them so the amount quickly rises.

Niko

Niko recently launched two new product lines: Intense with soft lines and Pure for a more luxurious finish like bamboo or stainless steel. On their site you can test the switches against the colors of your interior to see if it is a match. After some deliberation we opted for Niko switches in aluminum for downstairs and black ones for upstairs. Those black ones have like a rubber feeling to them.

A couple trivia points from a factoids about me blog meme that is spreading.

In the tip What Is Replication I introduced you to the basic concept where: ?"Replication is the process of keeping databases synchronized. ? That applies to both the design and the information inside the databases". ?In this tip I'll explain how replication is not just for servers, but also applies to your Lotus Notes client.

Let's start with a familiar concept. ?Using your web browser (Mozilla FireFox, Apple Safari, Microsoft Internet Explorer, etc) you type in a URL or click on a link such as http://www.ibm.com, and your browser "opens" the web page for you to see the information. ? In this case, the web browser is the client, and the web site it is opening comes from a web server.

Lotus Notes works in a similar manner. ? When you open a Lotus Notes database, your Notes client displays the information stored on the Domino server. ?However, Lotus Notes offers a huge advantage over web-based applications... you can access information "locally".

A "local replica" of a database allows you to access Notes data stored on your own computer, rather than accessing it on a server across a network connection. ?This "local access" results in much quicker access times, and most importantly means you can still work when you don't have a network or internet connection. ?If you are in a meeting room without network access, or on an train/airplane, or at a customer site where you can't access your own company's servers.... with Lotus Notes you can still have all the information you need at your finger tips!

Replication keeps the local databases "synchronized" with the versions on the server.

Say for example, your company uses a Lotus Notes based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. ?The CRM database keeps track of all the information about your clients, their products, history of the meetings you've had with them, and more. ?If you replicate the CRM database to your laptop, you can now jump in your car and drive to your client's office, and still have all the information you need available while at the meeting. ?During the meeting you sign a new deal, and you update the information in the CRM database right away. ?When you get back to the office and connect your laptop, the new information you have entered will automatically replicate to your Domino server. ?This is much better than waiting until you are back in the office to enter the information.

I have my mail file replicated locally to my laptop, as well as a dozen other Notes databases. ?There are several discussion forums that I participate in, and by having local replicas I can read and update them at any time. ?Similarly, I have this blog replicated locally. ?That means I can write new blog entries or add comments at any time. ?Then when I have a network connection all the changes I've made, as well as any new comments are synchronized between my client and the server that hosts my blog.

You can use footprints from spam sites and top selling thin content sites as a way to find other topics the spam sites cover for keyword discovery.

If you wanted someone to look at your site, what are the pages you would want them to look at? Does your site have any pages that makes your site stick out from competing sites?

In many ways near infinite competition and Google have commoditized the value of publishing to where AdSense is not a logical long-term business model or strategy for most publishers.

Friendships and passion are a much better way to create value than spending time reciprocating in networks of bad ideas.

Most pages can be optimized for being linkworthy or for commercial conversion, but it is rare that you can make pages that are optimized for both.