Handwriting Tips

I was trolling around the “blog-osphere” today and came across TabletPCBlogs, a site that provides free blogs to people writing about tablet pc’s. One of the blogs on the site had a link to this article by Dyas Lawson about improving your handwriting.

A very interesting article that explains the differences in writing styles – finger-writing and hand-writing. As he points out most people taught to write after about 1955 are finger-writers, ie they draw the letters using only their fingers. This results in a cramped, untidy writing style (eg mine!). To obtain elegant, flowing hand-writing, you actually need to utilise your whole arm and shoulder in the action and not really use your fingers at all. Bit of a revelation that was. But it makes sense when you think about it a bit.

I think I’m going to go and practice my handwriting for a while now

Link: Tips for improving your handwriting

How to Be Creative in Business

Interesting article via the Windows Mobile site on how you can use your WM device to capture random ideas and create new connections between them to come up with innovative solutions. I like the concept behind this and I use this as often as I can (the main reason being, as the article points out, “memory is fragile”, especially mine). Worth a read (it’s not very long).

Link: How to Be Creative in Business

Graphical Wonder: SharePoint Theme

Sick of the default Sharepoint site themes? Don’t blame you. Here is a free theme from GraphicalWonder.

Not sure if it’s really to my taste but it’s nice to see some fresh looks.

Link: Graphical Wonder: SharePoint Theme

CAML Query Builder V2

Now this is cool!

Build CAML queries for dynamically updating Sharepoint lists. The latest version adds some neat features:

You can now choose whether you work in object model or in Web services mode. It means that you now can use the app on the SharePoint machine itself and on a client accessing the SharePoint content via the Web services.

When working with the object model, you can only query for content. If you opt for Web services mode, you can query but also now update content in a SharePoint list using CAML.M

You now also have the possibility to make use of parameters and give these parameters a value at runtime when using the CAML Server Helper to execute the saved CAML query string.

I easpecially like the ability to work from the client rather than having to code on the server itself. Makes things alot easier.

The tool lets you point to your Sharepoint site and browse the available lists and pick the fields you want in your query and then run a test to make sure it is right.

The only slight downside to all this coolness is that you need a component on the server side to parse and execute the CAML query. Bit of a pain if you don't manage the server yourself. Oh well. Still cool!

Link: CAML Query Builder V2

AOpen Launches Digital Home Entertainment PCs

A couple of very cool looking HTPC's from AOpen. I particularly like the slimmer XC REC6 because of the size, but the specs of the bigger Media Center Server 400/410 are pretty cool. It has slots for 7 HDDs! It also appears to have (or support) multiple video input sources and output sources.

"The device also supports multiple screen output, allowing you to display the video output of different TV channels to separate video output devices"

The other nice thing about the XC REC6 is that it's built around the Pentium M. Means less power consumption therefore heat generation therefore less cooling requried therefore quieter. I'm all for that!

Both units have built in VFD's to see what they're doing (little bit redundant on a media centre, but hey), and controls on the front and also come with remotes. They both run Windows MCE.

I like this current trend of making the HTPC's look more like traditional audio equipment. Makes them look a lot more stylish and who wants a beige box in their living room. Another factor to consider is – where do you put the traditional shaped PC media center. Most people have AV housing that is not designed for traditionally shaped PC equipment so it ends up sitting untidily on the floor next to the cabinet and the cabinet is probably nearly empty now that the PC has taken over the duty of all the kit that was in there originally.

[ Via AOpen Launches Digital Home Entertainment PCs ]

: Mobile Application Development eHow-tos and Tutorials

My friend Craig pointed me to these "eHow-tos". They are Windows Media files that help get you started with developing with Windows Mobile 5.0. They start out fairly basic and progress to some reasonbly tricky stuff (building WEb services for Windows CE 5 for example).

A good resource if you're new to WM5 development.

Link: : Mobile Application Development eHow-tos and Tutorials