Friday Links #48
25 Apr 2009Native JSON Parsing: What does it mean? - Rick Strahl’s Web Log - Quick tests confirm that the performance gain from using native JSON serialization is significantly faster than using the json2 JavaScript library.
Lifehacker - SkiniTunes is a Mini Interface for Your iTunes Collection – iTunes – A more compact frontend for iTunes.
| [6 Cool Websites To Unleash The Mad Scientist Within You | MakeUseOf.com](http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/unleash-the-mad-scientist-within-you/) - Unleash the mad scientist within. |
| [Visual Studio Tip: Open XAML in code only mode | Corey Schuman](http://www.85turns.com/2009/04/23/visual-studio-tip-open-xaml-in-code-only-mode/) – No more annoying waiting for the IDE to update the preview mode. FTW |
Edison helps your PC conserve energy, save you money - The simplest way to cut down on the amount of energy your computer uses is to shut it down when you’re not using it. Turning off the display, hard drive, and other hardware helps too. And while you can do all of this manually, let’s face it: you’re lazy. Edison is a free utility for Windows XP and Vista that automates the process for you.
Lifehacker - PackageFactory Converts any Windows Program to Run on a U3 Drive - If you’ve been holding your breath for a portable version of one of your favorite Windows applications, it might be time to take matters into your own hands. PackageFactory helps convert your applications.
Lifehacker - Google Calendar Agenda Puts Your Schedule in the Vista Sidebar – I was just thinking about writing one of these. Now I don’t have to.
| [Microsoft’s answer to Google AdSense | Digital Media - CNET News](http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10224959-93.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5) - Microsoft on Wednesday opened its PubCenter advertising service up for public beta testing, providing more of an alternative to Google’s AdSense and Yahoo Publisher Network technology. |
NAB09 - Microsoft Releases IIS Smooth Streaming: The Silverlight Blog - Highlights include: live and on-demand adaptive streaming (with IIS Smooth Streaming) including PVR-like functionality for pausing and seeking live feeds, better format support (including native H.264), a media pipeline that lets you plug in other third-party codecs, and GPU acceleration which improves full-screen “true” HD (1080p) playback.
Peli’s Farm - Stubs: Comparison with other mocking frameworks - Stubs is a lightweight stub framework that is entirely based on delegates. We designed it so that it brings as little overhead as possible, and as a side effect, is very effective with Pex. Cool idea.
| [Another List of 5 Great and Useful Visual Studio Shortcuts | Dev102.com](http://www.dev102.com/2009/04/22/another-list-of-5-great-and-useful-visual-studio-shortcuts/) – These are one’s I didn’t know about (well, OK, I knew about Ctrl-K, CtrlX). |
Here It Comes to Save the Day!!! - Gadgetwise Blog - NYTimes.com - It’s not for the casual gamer — or the casual anyone—but the $500 SpacePilot Pro, arriving courtesy of Logitech subsidiary 3Dconnexion, is full of wow for designers and engineers who work in three-dimensional computerized environments.
| [6 Reasons Why Plurk Beats Twitter | MakeUseOf.com](http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-reasons-why-plurk-beats-twitter/) - And one good reason it doesn’t. It’s not Twitter so you’re friends won’t be on it. |