Cubic

How difficult it is to find a list of all the compile-time variables available from the Visual Studio IDE. I had to dig around and search for something like 4 of them among the various projects I have to put in Google and even then I had to scroll down to the bottom of the first page of links. http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/c02as0cs.aspx Microsoft seems to be intentionally messing up Google search results. Then again, their own search engine can't find that page. This doesn't make sense. They obviously want people to use their search engine, but if it can't find stuff, let Google find stuff for you and don't pull dumb tricks to stop them from scanning the site. Unfortunately, I don't see anything there that will help me a lot. So frustrating. Those pictures ARE coming. I haven't taken them yet because I'm trying out multiple ideas for working copy mobilization of a subversion repository. One method definitely works (SVNCopy - a tool I wrote)...

Really large pain in the neck. When I purchased my main PC, it came with one of those "free" Lexmark printers that chew ink for breakfast and force you to clean the cartridges every two minutes. A couple days ago, I decided to do my "let's analyze Task Manager and see if there is anything I can clean up" mid-year cleaning. I discovered a few applications that had managed to sneak back into the startup sequence either through updates or simply running them (I hate Apple QuickTime with a vengance). And I noticed a number of SYSTEM processes running. After uninstalling the Lexmark drivers and applications about a year ago, I noticed that Lexmark had kindly left stuff installed. I also noticed that I couldn't shut down and disable the Lexmark printer service without also eliminating the printer spooler. I realized it was going to be more effort than it was worth, so I left it alone. Which brings me to today. Today I finally eliminated the last remnants of...

Today I put the finishing touches on the Ultimate Chair. I first went to Meijer and bought some supplies. A digital egg timer, some velcro with sticky backing, and a nice fluffy black pillow. As I said in Part II, the lumbar support poked into my back and made sitting in the chair very uncomfortable. The first step to making a chair comfortable is to determine how to eliminate the uncomfortable components. I solved the majority of the problems by flipping the lumbar support over its support mechanisms and made it hang down the back of the chair. Detaching the unit entirely is possible but is rather difficult. Besides, it still looks "okay". With the lumbar out of the way, I started experimenting and figured out the dimensions of a pillow that would make it possible to sit comfortably in the chair. I found a really great poly fill pillow that matches the black in the chair. I would have liked it to have an olive drab green in the center and black on the edge to better ...

Today I went out to the store and bought a number of supplies for the Ultimate Chair. As I was driving away I noticed a large'ish package at the front door. First I went to OfficeMax and picked up a mouse pad and surge protector with a 6 foot extension cable. I figure that is long enough. It has safety plugs which should help reduce overall risk in case of a sudden thunderstorm. On my way to the checkout I helped an elderly'ish lady figure out what button battery went with her key locater device. Then I wandered over to Best Buy because it was raining and the two stores are right next to each other. While I was there I wandered around. I had no intentions of buying anything but by pure coincidence I wandered into the cordless phones section of the store just as someone was pointing out that a $24.99 phone was $9.99 after rebate. I determined I needed this for two reasons: To be able to handle technical support calls outside and to see if this phone fixed a major issue I always ...

Continuing from my tirade yesterday, I think I've found a base to form the ultimate chair for software developers who want to work outside: http://www.hammacher.com/publish/72852.asp?promo=xsells See my previous post for some basic comments on the chair, but after some additional thought, I am fairly certain that I can put together several modifications to the chair to create the ultimate outdoor office space. The first step I see is to obtain one of the aforementioned chairs and set it up to get a better idea of what supplies I will need. Let's look at the checklist and see what issues will be solved up front by this chair and what I will have to do myself: 1) Is it comfortable? Well, I have sat in these sports chairs before and they are both comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time. I have strange sitting habits. I rarely sit in front of a computer screen in a chair the way it was designed. For instance, I am currently in the fetal position (feet on the chair, knees tu...

Doesn't exist. Yet. I'm not joking - there really isn't anything out there. I ran at least 20 searches on Google looking for outdoor furniture designed specifically for software developers to achieve top performance while working outdoors. Including, but not limited to, "lawn chairs", "outdoor furniture for software developers", "outdoor furniture", "how to get software developers outside into the sunshine", "getting software developers into the sunshine", etc. Edit: Stepping away from the computer for a few hours can do wonders. I found something close to what I want, but not quite. The keywords were a lot simpler than what I had been trying "outdoor chair laptop". Only that combination of keywords will bring up this chair: http://www.hammacher.com/publish/72852.asp?promo=xsells It is close, but I've sat in those funky green sports chairs before and they aren't very comfortable (IMO). The so-called l...