If the Blank App template were a sheet of white printer paper, the Navigation App template would be a sheet of graph paper -- both are essentially empty, but one provides some helpful structure. By contrast, the Grid App or Split App templates might be pages from a coloring book, where the outline of your application is provided and only the details must be filled in.

(from my upcoming book)

[More]
Categories: Books | Development | Professional | Technology | Windows 8 | Windows Store apps

Debugging Windows Store apps in the Simulator is a pretty slick idea that mostly works.

Mostly.

[More]
Categories: Development | Professional | Technology | Windows Store apps | Windows 8

There's a reason why people have the impression that certain things are hard to do: they are.

Somehow I end up committing myself to things that fall into this category.

[More]
Categories: Family | Personal | Professional | Rules to Live By

You may or may not know that I am currently writing a book.  If you didn't, now you do.  That's a picture of the cover.

[More]
Categories: Books | Code | Development | Professional | Software Projects | Technology | Windows 8 | Windows Store apps

Update 5/4/2013: Source code now available on GitHub.   I just spent a couple hours writing a Windows Store application for use at our Deeper in .NET conference this weekend.  It's a simple app that displays the time remaining until the next session starts, and also allows you to cycle through slides (image files only) during the countdown.  Event Timer was initially published on 4/4/13.  You can find it and screenshots in the Windows Store.  For now, and for... [More]
Categories: Development | DiDN | Event Timer | Professional | Software Projects | Technology | Tools | Windows 8 | Windows Store apps

My whole life I've heard, "Use the right tool for the job," and I am a big proponent of that and tell people all the time.  But there are times that something is low-risk, and it's easier to try to use whatever is on hand than going to get the right tool.  So you take a calculated risk and move on with your life.  Sometimes, though, you're wrong.  You mess things up with the wrong tool and end up having to try to patch it, taking more time and effort that it would have taken to do it right in the first place.

This especially sucks when the "right tool" is your electric beard trimmer and the "wrong tool" is the safety razor you thought you could use to touch up your moustache.

[More]
Categories: Personal | Professional | Stupid Things I've Done

Eighteen months ago, I sat down and wrote out a description in bullet points of what my ideal job would be like.  I described my position, the company, and my co-workers.  My previous job had many of those qualities.  It was a good job at a good company, but it wasn't everything I wanted.  I wanted to change things, but they weren't mine to change.

I've been at SafeNet for about 7 weeks now.  I realize that's not that long, but so far it seems like every single bullet point on my description of an ideal job has been satisfied.  Here's my list from June 2010.

[More]
Categories: Professional | Work

If it wasn't for dominoes, we wouldn't have the "domino effect".

[More]
Categories: Professional

The other day I signed up for Vizualize.me.  Once I got over the fact that they misspelled "visualize" it looks like a pretty nifty little service. They make a graphical resume for you, like the one to the right. I'd always wanted my very own personal infographic, and now I have one.

[More]
Categories: Professional

Back when I was around 18 or so, I used to have a truck much like this one (65 Chevy).

[More]
Categories: Family | Personal | Proud Dad