rss
twitter
    Find out what I'm doing, Follow Me :)

KidGamers.org

Posted By Scott Stroz August 7, 2006 2:46 PM Related Categories: , ,
Comments: 2
Views: 4245

As a lot of people know, I am a huge video game fan.  I am also the father of two young video game fans.  One problem my wife and I frequently encounter is finding out which games are appropriate for kids, and whether or not they are good games.

Sure, there are review sites out there, but they tend to focus more on all games, and very rarely review games for kids, or how games might be played and/or enjoyed by kids.  Enter KidGamers.org. KidGamers.org aims to go beyond basic ESRB ratings, and typical reviews, and provide reviews of games with kids in mind.

KidGamers.org is a collaborative effort between myself, Ray Camden, Ben Forta and Emmet McGovern.  All of us are gamers, all of us are parents, and all of us are parents of gamers of varying ages.  Check out the site and let us know what you think.  We plan on doing a review each week, so visit often.

Reason number 12,783 why I love FireFox

Posted By Scott Stroz August 3, 2006 2:07 PM Related Categories: ,
Comments: 8
Views: 4039

I love FireFox.  I have loved it since I first laid eyes on its beautiful tabbed browsing back when version 1 was still in beta.  Since then, I have found many more reasons to love it.  I happened on another one, by mistake, yesterday.

I was troubleshooting an application, and needed to modify some JavaScript.  To make sure the changes I made were actually doing what I wanted, I needed to refresh the page, then view the source, a real pain in the ass. 

During one round of 'change code -> save ->go to browser -> refresh page -> view source', I alt+tabbed to the wrong window, and instead of looking at the page in FireFox, I was looking at the 'View Source' window.  Since I had gotten into a rhythm, I had hit F5, before I realized I was in the wrong window.  To my surprise, the code in the 'View Source' window refreshed, and showed me the result of the updated code.

I am in awe.  I no longer need to keep opening 'View Source' window after 'View Source' window when changes I make to my code are not viewable in a regular browser window. I love when FireFox makes my job easier.

Connecting to SQL DB using a different port

Posted By Scott Stroz March 20, 2006 1:25 PM Related Categories:
Comments: 13
Views: 8213
OK, so maybe I am an idiot. I have spent the last hour or so trying to connect to 2 different SQL Servers (one is SQL 2000 one is SQL 2005) while using the new MS SQL Studio.  The problem is that both of these servers are behind a firewall, and port-forwarding is being used.  As such, neither connection uses port 1433, the default port for SQL Server.

[More]

Book Review - Don't Make Me Think!

Posted By Scott Stroz December 28, 2005 3:23 PM Related Categories: ,
Comments: 3
Views: 2532
For Christmas, I received 'Dont' Make Me Think' by Steven Krug and I have been reading it during my daily commute, and I am finding it increasingly more difficult to put down.  The book has been around for a while, and is now in its second edition.

For anyone who even has a role in designing a site's layout, even if it is a tertiary role, this book is a must read.  The book devotes a lot of time discussing a 'common sense approach to web usability'.  However, as we prove time and time again, common sense isn't all that common.

CSS Bliss.

Posted By Scott Stroz October 30, 2005 10:17 PM Related Categories: ,
Comments: 1
Views: 3546
Anyone who knows me knows that I am somewhat of a CSS zealot.  One of the biggest pains in the arse when coding CSS is the differences between IE and Firefox (Mozilla).  I would have to have 2 windows open (one IE and one Firefox), and switch between them to constantly check my styles to make sure they were as consistent as possible.

[More]

I want a Nano

Posted By Scott Stroz September 23, 2005 12:33 PM Related Categories: ,
Comments: 3
Views: 3015
Call me a sucker.  But I am trying for more free stuff. This time an iPod Nano.

Just go to http://ipodnanos.freepay.com/?r=22640974 and sign up for an offer (I would suggest the Rhopsody offer, its only 99 cents).  If you don't see an option for Rhapsody on teh site, look in the e-mail you'll get from FreePay.com.

I feel a bit better about this offer since I know someone who has gotten stuff from FreePay.com.

Please help!

Dev Net has Studio 8

Posted By Scott Stroz September 12, 2005 11:49 AM Related Categories: , , ,
Comments: 3
Views: 3555
I just logged in to my Dev Net Subscription an dnoticed the the Studio 8 components were available for download.

If you have a Dev Net subscription, check it out.

Alert the media...Apple has a 2-button mouse!

Posted By Scott Stroz August 3, 2005 12:57 AM Related Categories: ,
Comments: 0
Views: 1657
 Today I have read, and commented on, several blog entries and saw a few news stories praising the fact that Mac uses now have a 2-button mouse with a scroll wheel.

Big deal.  I have had 2 button mouse with a scroll wheel for years. 

At $49.00, it seems a bit steep for a wired mouse.  But I guess its worth it to have your mouse match your computer (oops, almsot used 'PC'). I know Mac users are sensative that way.

The hype over the iPod I get...the hype over a 2-button mouse is lost on me.

Top 10 Downloads of the last 10 years...

Posted By Scott Stroz July 11, 2005 12:51 AM Related Categories:
Comments: 0
Views: 1334
 C-Net has come up with a list of the top 10 downloads in the last 10 years.

How many are on your computer right now? (me - 6)
How many have you downloaded? (me - 9)

Shared Memory = less gooder

Posted By Scott Stroz May 11, 2005 10:02 AM Related Categories: ,
Comments: 0
Views: 1292
 I have been trying to get CFMX 7 running on a 'server' of mine for quite sometime.  I use the term 'server' liberally here, it is a barebones system I bought to use as a development server at home.

The 'server' met or exceeded all of the system requirements, yet, CF would crash with frightening regularity (the worst was 8 times in 12 minutes).  I contacted MM for support, but didn't want to pay $500.00 for the support call, and posted numerous messages on various CF mailing lists.

Since the 'server' only had 512MB of memory (the minimum as per the system requirements), I thought that maybe upping the memory might help the situation.  Yesterday, I installed 1 GB of memory and after chekcing to make sure everything was OK I found what I think was the root of the issue.  While I had a 512 MB module installed, the on-board video card was sharing 32MB of it.  So in reality, I only had 480MB of memory for use by the system. I will be buying a cheap video card to reclaim that 323MB.

I ounished the server as best as I could.  I ran code that, while not every time, frequently would cause CF to crash.  After about an hour CF was still running strong (this was the longest CF stayed running, without a crash, while I was doing development work).

What's the moral to this rather embarassing story?  Make sure a box actually meets the system requirements for any software you install..oh, yea...and shared memory = less badder.


Previous Entries / More Entries