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Problems with IE9 and Compatibility Mode

13 Oct

Specifically, when you receive an error in IE9 stating “A problem displaying {web address here} caused Internet Explorer to refresh the webpage using Compatibility View.” it most likely is related to you having the Helvetica font installed on your Windows machine.

Therefore your choices are:

  1. Uninstall Helvetica from your machine.
  2. Use an alternate browser.
Sorry gang. That’s all I’m aware that you can do right now. Also, if you’re making web pages, ensure that Helvetica is not the first font in the font-family CSS style or use an IE9-specific CSS file.
 
No Comments

Posted in Windows

 

Open Mac .pages File in Windows

16 Oct

My wife received a file the other night from one of our Mac friends ending in a .page extension. She the goes on to tell me she can’t open it on her Windows machine. After some quick searching, this is what I discovered:

  1. Make certain you can see File extensions in Windows Folder views (i.e. “filename.exe”, “file.pages”, etc).
  2. Add .zip to the end of the filename.
  3. Now double-click the file to open it.
  4. Search the file for Preview.pdf.
  5. Extract the PDF and you have the whole document.
 
4 Comments

Posted in Windows

 

Android Froyo Update – Screen Lock Issues

23 Sep

It appears with the latest update (Froyo 2.2) for the Android devices, your screen lock may appear to be mandatory. If you look in Settings > Locations & Security > Screen Lock the None and Pattern options could be disabled if you are using Corporate Sync. I’ll at least explain what happened to me and how I fixed it on my Droid X:

  1. Received the update overnight on 9/21
  2. It needed me to setup a screen lock
  3. I went into Settings > Locations & Security > Screen Lock
  4. I noticed I couldn’t select None or Pattern
  5. I went Settings > Accounts
  6. Removed my Corporate Sync account
  7. Back to Settings > Locations & Security > Screen Lock
  8. Select None or Pattern
  9. Back to Settings > Accounts
  10. Add your Corporate Sync account back
  11. Verify your screen lock didn’t reactivate

That’s it – hopefully it sticks!

 
1 Comment

Posted in Gadgets

 

MSBuild and Web.config Transforms

01 Sep

So here is the backstory: we have traditionally developed in Visual Studio 2008 using Visual SourceSafe 2005 (I know, right!) and Web Deployment Projects 2008. We always had configuration section replacements done on our web projects. So we upgraded to TFS 2010 and VS 2010. But after reading all about Web.config transformations here at MSDN, I could not get it to work on a team build. So after a lot of digging and experimentation, I discovered the following settings need added to your Team Build Definition and viola, it will build it as a deployment project with the web.config transformed!

So basically just add “/p:CreatePackageOnPublish=true /p:DeployOnBuild=true” and you’re set!
 
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Posted in TFS

 

How-To: Install Dell Bluetooth 365 in Precision M6500

20 Aug

So I received a brand new, ultra-fast, Dell M6500. It is everything and then some for programming and digital design needs. However, the Dell support site is rather lacking in the documentation on an aftermarket install of the Bluetooth 365 module.

Note: Do not follow instructions in the Dell M6500 Service Manual on installing it as a PAN – this is for the Wireless USB install.

Therefore, tonight, using some ingenuity and research between the M6400 and M6500, I was able to install the part.

Important! Before doing anything, discharge any static, have a clean workspace, and remove the power supply and battery.

  1. Using a tweezers, carefully remove the two screw covers on the lower right and left of the display bezel. Then remove the two screws.
  2. Using a flat, narrow, plastic device (I used a thicker zippy tie), carefully insert in the opening behind the Dell logo at the bottom of the bezel.
  3. Gently pull the bottom corners away from the display and upward. Be extra careful if you did not remove the display from the machine, as there are a few flaps at the bottom that need pulled from behind the speaker guard.
  4. Continue to gently pull outward from the display and upward until you reach the top. The top took a little wiggling and there is a magnet that messes with your mind. Eventually it will come off.
  5. I apologize for the blurring image – the area we’re looking for is at the bottom, just left off-center.
  6. Carefully pull back the black connection cable.
  7. Insert the Bluetooth 365 module first under the black plastic retaining clip.
  8. Next, keeping the black cable from step 6 out of the way, screw down the module. The hole is located behind the black connection cable.
  9. Finally, attach the cable to the module. Also, on mine, there was a pin #14 on the module and the cable, so I made certain they lined up.

That’s it! Reassemble your bezel by reversing from step 4 backwards and you’ve gotten it installed! In my Windows 7 64-bit the driver (both from the Dell site and the CD-ROM) would not install. It works, but it detects it as a Microsoft Generic Bluetooth device.

Cheers! And happy modding!

 
3 Comments

Posted in Gadgets

 

ASP.NET MVC 1 FormCollection & Checkboxes

19 Aug

While working on a project in C# 3.5 using ASP.NET MVC, I have a challenge where I cannot use a strongly-typed view. I noticed the checkbox is coded as

1

<%= Html.CheckBox("HoldFlag", Model.HoldFlag) %>

However, calling form["HoldFlag"] was behaving oddly. When the box was checked, it was returned as “true, false” but when unchecked it was “false”. So I guess for now I’m going to handle it as follows:

1

var hold = form["HoldFlag"].Contains("true");
 
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Posted in .NET, MVC

 

SDLC 2010 – I Call It Recursive Idiocy

30 Jul

Funny and True Software Development Life Cycle

Here’s a software development life-cycle template that I offer you, my colleagues, free of charge.

  • Gather requirements
  • Gather more requirements
  • Assign Project
  • Begin coding
  • Change requirements before any useful code has been written and do not tell the developer
  • Keep coding with a confused but happy look on your face
  • Change requirements again, this time eliminating an entire requirement that has already been coded
  • Keep coding with a straight face
  • Change requirements and also add some new requirements
  • Keep coding still with nobody having seen the code
  • Create a new task with other additions to the same code that has not yet been seen or approved.
  • Keep coding, but much slower and in disbelief that a place functions like this
  • Add more items to a task and say it’s the final list of items to work on.
  • Keep coding but do a lot more internet surfing since you realize this crap isn’t going to end well
  • Add more items to the list which you just said was final for the second time but mark it as TBD
  • Stop coding because you’re just pissed off
  • Business Analyst asks Developer how progress is coming on the task where half of the original items are crossed out and some items still are marked TBD
  • Testers ask the Developer how testing is going.
  • Developer is so confused he looks for a new job and give up working on the project.
  • BA thinks project is still coming along nicely even though no coding has been done for the task as it is listed now.
  • Developer’s supervisor quits in disgust  nobody cares but his team
  • Developers leave one by one
  • Company keeps running with idiots at the wheel
  • Life goes on
 
6 Comments

Posted in Development

 

Wake up Steve Jobs – the Matrix has you…

29 Jul

So it’s legal to break your iPhone/iPod/iPad outta jail now, eh? Well for those of you who spent tons of time researching best ways to jailbreak their Apple devices, there exists a new way of getting straight to the good stuff.

A snazzy little site provides an easy-to-use reference chart on how to jailbreak <insert Apple device here>. Just surf on over to http://www.jailbreakmatrix.com and have yourself a look.

 
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Posted in Gadgets

 

Droid X – You Are Chosen!

28 Jul

Apple bores me – I love you iPhone, but AT&T really has lousy coverage where I’m at, my family is, my friends are, where I travel, and so on. I’d so much rather have a phone that works. That being said, I do think it’s funny how Steve “Ego-Maniac” Jobs has taken to attacking other companies. I guess he was under stress after all?

Slams aside, I was leery of going back to Motorola. I liked my Q years ago, but Motorola’s issues with Blur (the issue being it exists) really bothered me. But I ponied up, and bought the Droid X online. And after installing all my favorite apps, I must say the only thing I “really” miss are PopCap games. But I have them on my iPhone-turned-iPod Touch and on my iPad so I’m ok for casual gaming.

So the X is fast, looks pretty nice, and does all I need it to do. One feature that is really not hitting people is the ability to have multiple Microsoft Exchange accounts. This is pretty awesome for me, having a business and personal account both on different Exchange servers. The best thing, however, is that I can use my phone…drum roll please…where I live! How amazing is that! And I didn’t pay extra for that feature.

There are a couple of draw backs that I can see. I use this phone for 80-90% business and the battery just drains away. I usually have to charge it around lunch and then at night. The other short-coming is the fact that, like other Android phones, it doesn’t support 360 degree screen rotation. This doesn’t bother me, but it does some.

So all-in-all, I love it. I would recommend trying it, and if unhappy, go with the Incredible instead. Or the Sprint Evo 4G or Epic 4G. Any of them at this point appear to beat the iPhone 4. Unless you fix your boo-boo with a band-aid.

 
1 Comment

Posted in Gadgets

 

The Six Phases of Being Employed in the Insurance Industry

11 Sep

I live in a suburb of Des Moines, IA – self-proclaimed “Insurance Capital of the World”. And much like the appliance industry, the names never change, only the titles and companies of one’s employment. So because I have so many friends in the industry, I gave into peer pressure and went to work for one of these institutions. The saying “the grass isn’t always any greener” was soon translated to “the grass was scorched by Round-Up”. And I had a friend share this with me, so here you all go:

Phase 1

You are listening to jazz — Your first day at work is great. Your fellow co-workers are wonderful, your office is cute, you love your agents, and your manager is the best!

Phase 2

You are listening to pop music — After a while you are so busy that you are not sure if you’re coming or going anymore.

Phase 3

You are listening to heavy metal — This is what you feel like after ONE month.

Phase 4

You are listening to hip hop — You become bloated due to stress, you’re gaining weight due to lack of exercise because you are so tired and have so much work to do and, when you do get home, you feel sluggish and suffer from constipation. Your fellow co-workers are too cheerful for your liking, your agents don’t understand a word you say and the walls of your office are closing in.

Phase 5

You are listening to GANGSTA RAP — After more time passes, your eyes start to twitch and you forget what a ‘good hair day’ feels like as you just fall out of bed and load up on caffeine.

Phase 6

You are listening to the voices in your head — You have locked your office door to keep people out. You wonder WHY you are even here in the first place and WHY you became an insurance professional!

 
4 Comments

Posted in Potpourri