Cave Markings 

I've been using Google Reader as my feed reader for six months.  Scoble uses his reader to create a link blog.  I've been using this feature for a while, and find it very useful.

If I see something interesting in my feeds, but I don't want to read it immediately, I can add it to my shared items, and read it at my leisure.  This is less formal than a bookmark.  Later, if I think the article is interesting enough, I can bookmark it.

Because these shared items are public, you can follow along with me.  There is also a feed, so you can track my feed reading in your feed reader.  Think of it as a recursive feed.  I've added the links to the navigation section at the right.

Enjoy,

++Alan

If you read this humble blog in the browser, rather than a feed reader, you will notice some updates.  I have replaced the three-years-out-of-date photo with one from May 2007, and provided a link to the source image.  If you've ever wondered why this humble author is smiling, you can now click the pic to see the answer.

I've added some flair.  I'll try to include any events I am attending whether I am speaking or not.  Please explore the links in the flair section, they are all valuable, to me anyway.

I have updated my blogroll, and it was a lot of work.  It now consists of all the  developer blogs I follow, ordered by the author's name.  Some are .NET, some VFP, and some are none of the above.  This list represents the single most valuable resource in my developer toolkit.  I am constantly caught up in an ongoing conversation with the great minds represented there.  The conversation has been largely one sided for quite a while, but I'm beginning to interact again. 

2005 and 2006 were filled with upheaval as I changed jobs, and watched my marriage and my children's home fall apart.  This year began with my marriage to the most amazing partner I could ever imagine.  We set up a new household with four (sometimes five) children, and began the task of finding a new groove.  I'm happy to report that we have achieved that groove, and I am now able to direct more energy outside my home life.

This is why I'm updating the blog, I've got a lot to share, and I have the energy to do so, once again.  I'll be at Tech Ed in Orlando, next week, so look for lots of updates on the goings on there.

Cheers,

++Alan

Michael alerted me to the new version of Windows Live Writer this evening.  I just downloaded and installed Windows Live Writer Beta 2, and I'm happy to report that the installation file was not named setup.exe. 

The installation routine was unusual, however.  The setup wizard dialogs appeared in the bottom, right of my desktop.  I initially thought they were large windows running off the screen, but the were actually dialog sized windows, like you would expect to find centered on the screen.

I moved the first two windows in an attempt to see the whole thing, only to discover that I could already see the whole thing.  I'm pretty fed up with Microsoft usability guidance lately.  They appear to make up a new look and feel for every product setup and UI.  This attempt at innovation was probably intended to be less intrusive, but it was disconcerting in my experience.

In addition, why must MS attempt to reset my home page and search engine in Internet Explorer?  I like my home page and search engine, and they have nothing to do with the tool I'm trying to install.  At the very least, these options should be unchecked by default.

Anyway, if you're reading this, it works for me.

++Alan

I'm dusting off the blog, and making a fresh start.  I have plenty to say about technology, but first I need to thank Eric Sink for the excellent t-shirts.

If you want one of these cool t-shirts, you can pick one up at Tech Ed, or just ask.

Cheers,

++Alan