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Sat, Nov 7 2009 15:24

Why .NET apps keep crashing on your Tablet PC

I’ve been struggling with this issue for some time. I have a small, simple .NET application I wrote in Visual C# a few months ago – I’ve tentatively titled it “ iFetch ”, because it fetches radio shows from the BBC iPlayer . It really is very little more...
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Thu, Oct 22 2009 21:16

Windows 7 – what it’s missing

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll be aware that today was the release of Microsoft’s latest operating system version, Windows 7. So, everyone else has their own ideas of what’s missing in Windows 7, here’s my list, and it’s not the same petty...
Posted by Alun Jones | 2 comment(s)
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Fri, Oct 2 2009 8:36

Google bans MVP

Google certainly sounds like it’s a nice place to work . Table football, free lunches, that whole “ don’t be evil ” mantra, and the requirement to spend 20% of your time on projects that aren’t specifically to do with any particular company goal (with...
Posted by Alun Jones | 5 comment(s)
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Tue, Sep 15 2009 21:36

Zune HD – but not mine

A friend of mine ordered a Platinum Zune HD recently (that’s the 32GB model), and because he was unable to receive the shipment, asked for me to open it for him and check on its functionality to make sure he hadn’t been shipped a lemon. Since...
Posted by Alun Jones | 2 comment(s)
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Sun, Jul 12 2009 16:41

Dreaming of the future...

Here are some technologies I just can't wait for: OLEDs: for room lighting - ambient light from ceiling-tile sized light panels [those of us that suffer migraines want an alternative to fluorescent lights, compact or otherwise] for either back-lighting...
Posted by Alun Jones | 4 comment(s)
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Sun, Jul 12 2009 12:11

Nice support from Lenovo

I’ve been wanting to post this comment for some time, but never seemed to get around to it. I’ve been through a number of different laptops over the last decade or so – Compaq, Dell, Gateway, and Toshiba – and each time, I’ve found that they just don...
Posted by Alun Jones | 1 comment(s)
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Sat, Jul 4 2009 10:59

Stupid Outlook 2007 RSS Feed Workaround

I was starting to wonder why other people were getting news stories before me. Then I realised I just wasn’t getting news at all. Looking at my Unread RSS Feeds search folder in Outlook 2007, I noticed that I hadn’t received a single post since June 10th...
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Thu, Jun 25 2009 22:17

Zune – So Nearly Perfect, it Hurts

For a while now, I’ve been listening to the BBC radio on my MP3 player – even wrote a program to download the audio of various programmes and convert them from RealAudio to MP3 so that I can listen to them on the bus or in my car on the way to and from...
Posted by Alun Jones | 5 comment(s)
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Tue, Mar 3 2009 15:45

Microsoft TechFest

Last week, I went to Microsoft’s TechFest as part of their “Public Day”. This is the first time MVPs as a group have been invited to this event, and although it’s clear we missed some of the demonstrations that are not public-ready, this is something...
Posted by Alun Jones | 1 comment(s)
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Mon, Mar 2 2009 10:44

MVP Summit 2009 is here!

I snapped this picture last week at Microsoft' Research’s Tech-Fest event. Microsoft always makes the visiting MVPs feel welcome at Global Summit time, when all MVP awardees are invited to visit Microsoft’s campus, and engage in face-to-face conversations...
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Fri, Dec 26 2008 14:42

Sad notes – passed over Christmas.

I’m very sad to note that Eartha Kitt has died – even in her eighties, the woman simply embodied sexiness. Truly the best Catwoman ever . And as the voice of Kaa, in The Jungle Book, purely hypnotic. [To those of you who are saying “huh? Winnie the Pooh...
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Thu, Dec 25 2008 13:52

Running out of disk space? How’s your logs?

I ran out of disk space today. This is not entirely a new issue for me, because I like to listen to BBC Radio from back home, and my only way to do that is to download the shows overnight so I can listen to them the next day. [I’m not allowed that sort...
Posted by Alun Jones | 5 comment(s)
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Mon, Dec 1 2008 15:13

News: Apple, Linux Users repeatedly mash "refresh" button

Okay, so that's just one way to explain the news story at ComputerWorld "Windows market share dives(*) below 90% for first time" - statistics don't lie, but they don't always answer the question you thought they did. ComputerWorld...
Posted by Alun Jones | 1 comment(s)
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Tue, Oct 14 2008 10:41

Windows 7 officially has a name

So, what’s the scoop? It’s going to be called “ Windows 7 ”, according to Mike Nash posting at the Windows Vista Blog . [Is it just me, or does Mike Nash look a little like the chef who got into trouble for inflating his resume in the opening credits...
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Sun, Oct 12 2008 21:36

HTML Help in MFC

I recently got around to converting an old MFC project from WinHelp format to HTML Help. Mostly this was to satisfy customers who are using Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008, but who don’t want to install WinHlp32 from Microsoft. (If you do want to...
Posted by Alun Jones | 1 comment(s)
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Sat, Oct 11 2008 17:49

Weak point against Vista

First rule of demonstrative writing – lead off with an undeniable example of the point you’re trying to make. Case in point – Dan Lyons’ article in NewsWeek on “ A Gloomy Vista for Microsoft ”, meant to be a piece defining how bad Vista is. “Last year...
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Sat, May 3 2008 16:57

Can You Write Good Code for an OS you Despise?

No, this isn't another of my anti-Mac frothing rants. This is one of my "here's what I hate about many of the open-source projects I deal with" rants. I'm trying to find an SFTP client for Windows that works the way I want it to...
Posted by Alun Jones | 3 comment(s)
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Fri, Mar 21 2008 21:15

Retro-bundling - another suck of the Apple

I thought I was done blogging about Apple Software Update, having removed QuickTime from my system completely, and sworn never to install it again or watch another QT or MOV file. But nooo, someone had to spoil it by telling me what Apple Software Update...
Posted by Alun Jones | 9 comment(s)
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Fri, Feb 29 2008 18:47

Random leap-day events.

A semi-hobby of mine is that of date- and time-related issues with computers. Something that we all take for granted, and assume to be easy, is actually incredibly complex, with rules that depend on where you are, when you are, which laws you follow,...
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Mon, Feb 4 2008 12:21

Google on Microsoft / Yahoo! Deal: "Wah!"

In case you've been under a rock, Microsoft appears to be trying to take advantage of Yahoo! Inc's recent poor performance to make an unsolicited offer (as far as I can tell, it's not a hostile bid until and unless Yahoo! officers declare...
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