soon the world shall see Spout.  and it will change the way we think and talk about films.  and what a refreshing change of pace that will be.  humans recommending films to other humans.  don't think thats powerful?  you say you like your netflix "robot recommendations"?  i say you're probably in need of a good therapist.  why?  think about it.  has the netflix machine watched these films?  does the database stop halfway through its daily grind and say "hey, i'll bet dan would really love this wuthering heights crap?"  nope.  machines base recommendations on patterns and genre tags.  for example, i use napster.  for streaming music, while i code, it's perfect.  but I dont rely on the robotic recommendations for anything:

ummmm...i'm pretty sure that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was NOT influenced by David Bowie.  Pretty sure.  Maybe the guy that wrote the recommendation script should have thrown a date check into his worthless referral code.  maybe.
So Spout seeks to change this model.  In my Sci-fi group i can see what other people are watching, what they're blogging about.  What they're tagging.  I can start a discussion about Battlestar Galactica that may lead to a recommendation of another film by another human.  Humans.  Not scripts.  Not database stored procedures.  I dont want data.  I want recommendations that mean something.
and spout will do that for me.  soon.  very soon.

I'M on AMAZON!
Woohoo!  I actually have a Pre-Order button now!
How cool is that!

FINALLY got back into the writing zone.  I was dragging for the longest time.  Between having the flu (twice), my shoulder being screwed up, allergies (what a mess) and Biztalk class for a month, I've found it very hard to come home and pound on the book.  I dont want to just put out some piece of crap, so it takes a decent amount of research and work.  This last week and a half, I've been moving at an accelerated pace.  I just finished 2 1/2 chapters in a week.  Thats almost 70 pages and a pretty good pace for somebody that has a 50-60 hour a week job on top of this all. 
It's almost there.  So close i can feel it.  I do need to do a better job of getting my edits back to the editor.  Its hard to revisit stuff that you "thought" was done.  But it's part of the process. 
I also need to start planning for the upcoming Code camp.  I'll have more details to post concerning that, as they become available to me.  Nick and I will be presenting on Ajax and Atlas.  It'll be a good time.  I'm paranoid of the question and answer phase.  I hate having to say "I dont know."  Not because its an ego thing, but simply because people "expect" you to know absolutely everything about a topic, if you happen to have book out on it.  We'll see.  Developers tend to understand that if you dont know, but are willing to follow up, then it's o.k.
The book release is going to be fun, but I'm gonna neeeeed a serious vacation after this.

attention microsoft virtual earth developer guys:

please bring back the html popup parameter for the mapcontrol constructor.
i dont want to use your ve_panel.  its lame.
and the javascript errors right out of the box?  seriously.

thank you.  please drive thru.

some jokes just write themselves.  case in point:  the following instruction manual that accompanied a new dvd player:

There is an awesome interview with Bill Gates on Channel 9.  Its a little over 15 minutes and well worth the view. Its nice to see Mr. Gates acknowledging the power and capabilities of Ajax.  He also discusses Office 12, sharepoint and a few other technologies that will shape our industry.

Check it out here:

http://channel9.msdn.com/showpost.aspx?postid=163166

Well it's official now. I'm going to be at the Microsoft campus in Redmond Washington from April 2-8th for Biztalk 2006 Deep Dive training. It's going to be an awesome experience.  This will be my first visit to nerd-mecca. I'll be blogging and posting pictures...stay tuned.

Here's the course outline:

 Unit 1: Designing and Planning BizTalk Integration Solution

	Identifying Patterns and Integration Scenarios
	Scripting a BizTalk Server Installation
	Designing and Planning a BizTalk Solution
	Workshop: Processing flat files

 Unit 2: Developing Message Integration Solutions

	Advanced XML Message Processing
	Creating Advanced BizTalk Maps
	Building Custom Pipelines
	Integrating with Protocol Adapters
	Workshop: Developing a messaging solution

 Unit 3: Integrating with Applications and Systems

	Working with Data and Application Adapters
	Integrating with SQL Server
	Integrating with SharePoint
	Integrating with MQSeries
	Workshop: Developing an Integration Solution

 Unit 4: Developing Orchestration Solutions

	Inside the BizTalk Orchestration Engine
	Building Advanced Orchestrations
	Creating Transactions
	Integrating Services into an Orchestration
	Integrating with IBM Host Systems
	Workshop: Designing and building an orchestration solution

 Unit 5: Managing and Securing a BizTalk Environment

	Designing a BizTalk Server Environment
	Implementing Enterprise Single Sign-On
	Monitoring a BizTalk Server Environment
	Workshop: Monitoring and Securing a BizTalk Environment

I finally came across a working ZX80! I was able to pick it up from EBay at a pretty decent price. And it came with a ton of stuff. SYNC magazines, software, memory pack and more! I had to purchase a black and white t.v. (the 5 inch portable kind was the only thing i could find brand new.) But the thing works well. After I finish the book, I'd like to put up a dedicated page for the computer and scan the books that came with it and make those available via the web. My next project is to see if i can dump the applications from cassette to mp3 and play them back from the Ipod into the ZX80. Anyway, here are a few images that i took tonite:

Little by little we human beings are confronted with situations that give us more and more clues that we aren't perfect.

-mister rogers

with the controversial accomodation that Google has made to the chinese goverment, I thought it would be interesting to see if my sites came up.  Apparantly I am chinese approved:

its been forever since i've updated.
The book is moving right along.  I'm a little behind, but i have a week of vacation coming up that will help get things back on track.  Its a grueling, but rewarding process.  Quite possibly the toughest thing I've done, professionally, in my lifetime.  Fortunately the support and advice that I receive from Apress (www.apress.com) makes it bearable.
On top of the 50-60 hours of the work project, the 30 or so hours a week on the book, I'm also attending Jim Wilt's BizTalk 2006 class.  Its a few nites a week and we'll probably go a month or so on the current track.  Its an awesome experience.

Tonite was a slight change of pace from the normal “lab work” that we've done in previous sessions.  Keith Bauer (Tech. Program Manager - Biztalk - Central Div) was kind enough to stop by and lay out a good foundational understanding of BTS messaging.  Not only did he break down the various diagrams, but provided good “real-world” illustrations for each of the various messaging components.  Some in depth conversations spawned during the question/answer portion of the class and he was able to address a majority (if not all) of the questions asked.  As we progress thru the class, I'm reminded of why I became fascinated with the product in the first place.  There is so much to learn and so many layers of architecture that Biztalk brings to the table, that I'll be entertained for years.  Its the perfect product for an obsessive compulsive personality.

Well back to the book.  I still have an hour and a half left before my cutoff time of 2 a.m.

fun fun.