LHC – Collisions

A headline referring to the LHC particle accelerator made me laugh; the headline states: LHC has its First Collisions. Think not really; didn’t it collide with a sandwich?

http://scitech.blogs.cnn.com/2009/11/23/large-hadron-collider-has-first-collisions/

For those not informed about the LHC it is the worlds largest particle accelerator; 17 miles in circumference; tucked away in the mountains between France and Switzerland. Twice since it schedule debut it has had issues; the first of which was a power issue (uses enough energy to power a small city) and the second of them was due to bread from a sandwich which was somehow inside of it.

Rapid Development

I have been using CodeSmith for several years now. It is only second to Red-Gates SQL products, (SQL Prompt & SQL Compare). (No I am not paid by either company to make a review; just personal experience with both products).

I have written my own scripts that create strongly typed business objects, collections and DAL using CodeSmith. Some are dated and I have been trying to move them to more current technology like Ajax & jquery.

Features that I would like to see in CodeSmith

1. Better Mapping Support for map files that are not contain in the default location (My Documents\CodeSmith\Maps).
2. MasterPage like functionality for Common content structure
3. Cache dependency support know when a file has been modified in and re-compile project accordingly

 SQL Prompt a better intelli-sense tool than what is provided by MS in either VS.net or SQL Business Studio Management. It can see the database structure and allow you to join tables on FK/PK fields. It shortens the development time on queries by helping developers write queries.

SQL Prompt features I would like to see

1. Support for CLR types built-in or custom (HierarchyId, Geometry, Geography)
2. Support dependant on Server Version
3. Custom support for naming conventions on aliases; currently takes the first letter and each capitalized; (really looks ugly to see trdx) maybe a regular expression would help

Not withstanding the above feature requests; this tools are still powerful check them out for yourselves.

Buzzwords – Suck

Buzzwords have no value when the people you are talking to aren’t in your industry.

I hate them with a passion; there is no reason to tell me that you need ”Business continuity” in any sentence; Web 2.0; or any word that describes absolutely nothing while trying to sound techy.

These are buzzwords that are geared to make the person using them sound smarter than they actually are. They are completely worthless; void of meaning and do not actually describe any of the underlying technology.

The newest buzz term seems to be social media; well look at the term; social is just close or inter-perosnal; while media makes it sound cool, that can be any form of communication; via blog, news article, or forum. The real issue here is that all these forms of communication occured prior to the use of the term; it is a buzzword to attempt to say its “new”; sorry but I have been developing on the internet for some time; and a guest book on your website was the cool thing to do.

Stop using them to sound cool; they have no actual value and cloud the idea behind the interaction; while you can argue that you can communicate in new ways that none of those things provided previously; but isn’t that what is supposed to occur?

Like saying Web 2.0; what the hell does that mean? Is there a new version of the Web that has been in beta and we didn’t know? Is there actually something new in it? Wait a second, you mean to tell me that its just how we actually interact with websites? Do you think the average user will know when he actually encounters it? Ohh wait, I remember this technology was actually implemented in IE 4.0; what version are we at now?

In a single sentence today I heard the terms; V2V, V2B or B2V. In the context of the subject; I can figure out what it means, I am not in your industry so halt, stop and do not utter or toss another buzzword my way.

The point is I do not care that you can actually pronounce “continuity”; and I do not think that really means much when we are talking about backup solutions. I am telling you that I have 800 GB of data; I need to be able to get this data back to a server so my users can continue working.

Forgiveness

Today, I would like to start to forgive a man; that I know little about; but has hurt me just the same.  A man who while driving drunk killed my brother.

I have been struggling with this for a while. I had convinced myself that I could not forgive a man who has not admitted guilt. Instead has hidden behind lawyers and legal maneuvering. All the while it just cultivating the anger that I hold against him.

I have felt insulted that he offered money to avoid jail time; while admitting nothing. More so when this does not directly impact him financially as he doesn’t have the money himself.

A careless day of drinking that has ripped both of our families apart. I can’t imagine how his mother feels; how she is hurt; financially, emotionally and physically. How his sisters who looked up to him; are now tormented and ashamed by his actions; or how his friends who gossip about the incident; or those who stand by his side do so half heartedly.

I have never felt that he should be placed in jail for the full term of the law. Instead I reserved my say as a family member to the States Attorney and left it to them. I didn’t want vengeance to be my motive. I didn’t want to further destroy him or his family and myself along with it. I’ve been hurting for my son; who loved my brother as a friend, however too young to know the impact of it all. I’ve been hurting for my youngest daughter who also was too young; she has great faith that I wish I had; the morning after I sat with her on my lap as she explained to me that we can’t go see him; that we don’t own a ladder that tall to get to heaven. I’ve been hurting for my oldest daughter trying to comfort at the funeral; not able to give any words but instead hold her tight. I’ve been hurting for my middle daughter who understood enough about death just not how to express how she felt and how she hurt; instead would not leave our side; expecting something to happen to my wife or myself. I have never been able to express to my wife how this really affected me; I know she can see it in my eyes but there are no words that I can gather that can bring any comprehension. This hurt will not dissipate with the forgiveness that I am offering; it will last a lifetime.

I think there has been enough hurt that has resulted from this; I no longer want to hurt from carrying this continued animosity. I will still be hurt from not being able to joke and hang out with him; this forgiveness, can not attempt to address the things that I miss about my brother; there are so many things that I miss. There are so may things that I can’t even begin to explain; just goofing off and getting in trouble; so many things that brothers do; a friend that stood up for me; a friend who I could talk to.

This forgiveness doesn’t negate any of his responsiblity in the law; he is still accountable in the eyes of the law; and I will speak for my brother when the time comes; I just no longer want to carry a burden of disdain for him. Its been 18 months and I feel like it has consumed my every waking moment; wanting him to suffer even a tiny bit for what he has done. I do not want to hold a grudge against him for a moment longer. Instead I am asking God to help me put this yoke down. I pray that I will not pick this back up; that I will not continue to hold on to this anymore. That I can leave it with you God, to take the pain and hurt from holding on to something that doesn’t do me any good.

God, cleanse my heart of anger and bitterness that I have against him. Allow me to forgive a person who has caused me great pain. Release me from my continued arrogance of your will. Give me the strength and guidance to forgive him, as you have forgiven me. Give me joy in doing so; to know that I am following you; Allow both families to heal; and comfort them like only you can. I know this will not be something that I can just let go and walk away; give me the strength and courage in you; to dissolve the bitterness in my heart for against him. Lord, do not let his punishment in hands of the law bring any joy to my heart; that is not the forgiveness that I seek; I seek a forgiveness that you give to all freely. Instead God, remind me to forgive him so that you will forgive me. I know that the forgiveness that I am offering; is likely something that I will continue to do over and over; I ask you Lord to remind me how to forgive when I am struggling with this; teach my heart how to forgive like you do. 

To quote a holocaust survivor- Corrie Ten Boom: “Forgiveness is to set a prisoner free, and to realize the prisoner was you.”

Silverlight Bing Map Control

Today Microsoft released the Bing Silverlight control RTW. Speak and you shall receive; I am utterly surprised by its release.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee681900.aspx

SQL 2008 – Spatial Data

I recently started playing with SQL 2008’s new spatial data types. The field types allow you to store geometry/geographic data in the database server; query data based Distance, Intersections and all the other little goodies that allow you to compare geometry.

Issues that I have with the Microsoft’s support of the new types:

1. Lack of a data importer of geometric data
2. Lack of a viewer of geometric results (yes there is one included in SQL query analyzer) however no external support to allow consumers to view the data.

There are a few promising open source projects that wrap the API’s of Google Earth or Bing Virtual Earth; and a technology preview of Bing Virtual Earth in Silverlight.

The Silverlight CTP is still lacking functionality to have direct integration with SQL geometric data. Instead you have to do build custom types to get it out of the database and preview it on the map which is no walk in the park when the geometry contains multiple polygons.

SQL 2008 R2: Report Server will allow integration with geometry data types; some time during the first half of next year.

What I would like to see is a Microsoft fully supported SQL data importer; and hopefully a RTM version of the Silverlight control. These features would allow you to build location driven data that show the true power of SQL server and Silverlight. Unfortunately the Silverlight support has been lingering for over a year.

 

Returning your call

God, sorry I missed your calls lately. Well not really I have been avoiding getting back to you; I know what you have been wanting to talk to me and I know what you’re going to say.

Not as if I have to tell you what I have been up to; but I will for my sake.

My family has been a high priority and work consuming most of my time. I really just haven’t left any time to return your call. Today that will change, today I will reserve time to call you; instead of you having to nudge me. I am scheduling time for us. I know there will be times that you will remind me that I am faltering again. However I need to talk to you more often than I am willing to admit. That I shouldn’t continue to face all life’s trials alone.

Thanks again for calling it was nice talking to you again.

Fees for Convenience

Today I went to look at the taxes for my home.  I looked at the current amount owed that will become due in full before the end of March. On top of the taxes, to pay them online there is an additional 2.5% for the convenience of paying them online. Now this baffles me; to reduce human error, processing time and the payroll for government employees; there is an additional fee for paying your taxes.

This is just about as stupid as stupid gets. Seriously Ticketmaster has this same issue, there is a fee of $2.50 per ticket when you purchase the ticket online and print them yourself. I mean for the love of all things pure, it is my ink, my printer. There is no additional costs on their part so I just don’t understand these stupid fees for them coming into the digital age.

If the county wants to believe that it is making up the costs of development they are dead wrong. Businesses know its part of doing business. What I don’t understand is if it is taxpayer money that employs people to do all the labor of crediting accounts and filing; what exactly is there a $25 if it doesn’t require them to touch the billing or accounting for it. 

I mean its spend $0.49 for a stamp or $25 convenience fee? I am not a math genius but it’s not hard to guess which one I am going to choose. Voluisa County get your head on straight; really do you want us to send the bill snail mail or have it digitally entered for you?

Google vs AT&T

Everyone has been viewing the hype from about AT&T’s complaint to the FCC about Google not wanting to terminate calls in rural areas that charge rates that are sometimes 100 times the norm.

Most people are attempting to side with AT&T in this matter; however obviously no one is looking at the details of this.

Now lets talk about the 2 issues at hand:
Net neutrality
Rural Phone Access

Rural Phone Access

Lets set the time and place; From 1920 – 1960’s AT&T aka Ma’ Bell. Were charging rates that made the government take notice. Which eventually forced the breakup into smaller regional bell while making AT&T only able to sell long distance. During that time LATA’s were formed by the FCC to regulate who could sell phone services. Each of these LATA’s were created mainly around metro areas. Ma’ Bell didn’t want to bring the lines out to these areas as a cost vs return perspective.

Some of the rules:
required to terminate calls that originated on their network to these rural companies
co-located their terminating switch at a central office that was closest to them (at a cost of course)
The fees the smaller telco’s were required to pay were regulated

So these small phone companies dug the lines ou themselves; however these small companies were able to charge AT&T pretty much any rate they wanted to for AT&T to have a client that was calling that destination. This created a black hole of sorts, were these small companies can charge fees and share the profits with companies that are located within their area. So you would get 900 numbers that would locate there for 2 fold in profits. First from charging the end customer for 2.99 a minute plus shared profits from the carrier of the originating call.

 

Net neutrality

The concept of net neutrality really never regulated and had been a concept in heart only. However the issue came to forefront from Comcast selectively sending reset (RSET TCP/IP) packets to force the client to ask for the content again to fulfill the original request.  Comcast claimed they had the authority to manage their network any way they saw fit. However traffic that crossed their network was also affected.

The FCC never had authority to regulated data transfer from one network to another; however the general agreement between network providers was to route traffic to the closest neighbour using BGP protocol where the routers each give a list of routers connected to them directly; this allows shortest path routing. Congress has to pass a law allowing the FCC to regulate network data transfers. 

The FCC instead just placed a general rule for broadband providers; not network providers to allow content providers to use any technology to provide services to the end consumer. However Google does not own any network lines that connect to someone else. Instead they purchase their connectivity from network providers. 

Summary of AT&T’s complaint to the FCC

AT&T’s complaint states that Google has been a long time supporter of Net neutrality but is being a hypocrite for not providing Google Voice service to rural areas. AT&T is drawing a picture for the FCC claiming both of the issues are related. The very idea that AT&T is attempting to associate two different types of rules as one in the same is baffling by itself; the rural phone access was brought on by AT&T’s original anti-trust behavior in the 70’s.  Unlike the net neutrality rule was clearly to benefit end consumers by allowing them to purchase content from any provider (ie Netflix over the internet).

Let me clarify that the Google Voice application is a free service. Unlike AT&T that charges customers to place phone calls. This clear distinction shows that AT&T is lodging this complaint on the sole reason of money. To force Google to either eat the costs so it would be more competitive or abandon the service all together; neither option is in the best interests of the consumer. This is a clear attempt to be retaliatory for Google responding to Apples refusal to allow Google Voice on the iPhone. I think that once the FCC is done investigating the original matter with the Apple; that the refusal to allow it is solely at the discretion of AT&T. If I were on the FCC panel, before attempting to open a new inquiry into the Google Voice application, I would be subpoenaing emails from management about Google. I am sure that we would find that not only did AT&T have a role in the App Store refusing it, but also AT&T’s management would likely be filing this complaint for misdirection; to quote a favorite child-time carton: “Hey Rocky watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat, nothing up my sleeve.” I am sure that there would a committees that AT&T would have to respond to in front of Congress if that was the case.

Dismayed

For anyone that knows me; my family and I have been struggling with a difficult time. We have been dealing with the death of my brother, that was killed by a DUI driver last year. With the trial scheduled in the near future.

I am scared to confront someone that I do not even know and express my feelings of hurt that he couldn’t even begin to fathom. It wasn’t like cancer where he died slowly and we could all say our goodbyes, hug or comfort each other. Instead a person who’s actions proved to be fatal to someone other than himself has taken my brother from us. Not knowing anything that he was doing that lead up to the incident irks me.

For the past few weeks, I have attempted to gather the words how this incident has affected me in a letter to the court. Just when I think that I have found the words to express something that had eluded me, a new aspects appear. Thoughts that appear clearer on paper than they do on my head. Once on paper I see things in a different light, that brings up things that I haven’t addressed in my letter. While I can go on forever about the things that we shared, and the things that I will miss about my brother; I am just trying to find north again. Normalcy that isn’t normal anymore.

I have been struggling with not having a mean spirited letter to the court, many things that I would love to say; but I will not let vengeance by my motive. I will not concede and let anger control where I go. I have been able to do it with varying success, just to re-write it again and again.

The amount of time for anything to wind its way through the court system concerning and baffling. I can not express how it feels to sit; and wait for some finality, just to see it pushed to another date. 

I bear the weight to stand for my brother; when no one else will. My brother can not ask for someone to speak on his behalf as the driver can.

Court hearings on our son’s birthday, my birthday talked with states attorney,another just days prior to the 1 year anniversary; a hearing coming up the day after my wedding anniversary, and another the day before my daughters birthday.

I have asked my oldest daughter to write a letter to the court. I tried to express to her everything that my wife and I have continued to endure. It will not matter to me if she does or doesn’t, however I would like that the court hear every bit of the lives that have changed as a result of this incident. Knowing how he hurt everyone is important; letting him look at us when he attempts respond; I am not sure what words he could utter.

There is much more to the story; but I am lost. I can’t shake this out of my head, it has continues to haunt me.  Almost to the point of obsession; rightly so however I do not want this to define me, instead I would rather have it reverse. That my faith be shown, and I define the situation by faith.

There are no more delays left, he either takes the plea deal or face a jury, with a minimum of 10 years that the judge must sentence him to.  If the takes the plea deal he will face 5 years prison and 10 years probation; a more than just sentence for his actions and callous disregard for life and liberty.

(edit)

Apparently I am wrong there are more delays. What a mockery our justice system is.