Friday Links #29
12 Dec 2008Head First Design Patterns : Steve Smith’s Blog – According to the reviewer, this seemingly light-weight book is actually a serious programming book. Who knew?
Enhance Your Windows Vista Start Menu Search Functionality With Start++ – Adds shortcuts to the Vista start menu similar to Launchy.
Sara Ford’s WebLog : Did you know… You can use F1 to get Help anywhere, even in a web browser** – **There’s more to F1 than meets the eye.
K. Scott Allen : Identity Maps - There are a couple of important patterns in play when you use a persistence framework. These patterns have been around for quite some time but are relatively new to .NET developers who are jumping into LINQ to SQL and the ADO.NET Entity Framework.
Genetic Programming: Evolution of Mona Lisa – Using a simple DNA algorithm and 50 polygons, the author creates an amazing replica of the Mona Lisa. The images of the progress are way cool.
Google Code Blog: Native Client: A Technology for Running Native Code on the Web - These components make it possible to build applications that run in a web browser but incorporate native code modules. Is this Google’s challenge to Adobe Air and Silverlight?
Closeup of mouse image - Engelbart’s demo, 40 years later - CNET News – Hard to believe this humble little device started the “revolution”.
Oxite: Microsoft’s new Blogging and CMS Platform – A Microsoft built CMS targeted at developers. Casual users should stick with Wordpress.
Smiling, glasses and hats taboo for driver’s license photos – Indiana is using facial recognition software and needs you to not smile or wear glasses.
| [Balsamiq Studios, makers of plugins for Web Office applications | Balsamiq – ](http://www.balsamiq.com/)Lets you create software mockups in minutes. It deliberately produces images that look hand drawn to keep people focused on the idea and not the presentation. At $80 it’s not for a occasional use but sure would be handy for any UI developer. |
| [70 Beautiful Dual-Screen Desktop Wallpapers | Graphics | Smashing Magazine – ](http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/12/10/50-most-amazing-dual-screen-desktop-wallpapers/)Very nice collection. |
Download McAfee Antivirus Software for Free – Get a free year by following the link. I’m sticking with NOD32.
Advices on partitioning code through .NET assemblies - Patrick Smacchia – The grammar is a bit off but the idea is sound. I’ve made this point over and over to my colleagues at work with little avail. Maybe they’re reading this?
Is F# faster than C# – A bet with a coworker that C# would out perform F# in a simple counting exercise yields some very interesting results. Great detective work and explanation.
Movage – The only way to archive digital information is to keep it moving. Discusses the issues of long term digital storage.