Mike-Ward.Net

Friday Links #60

Programming Computers

Simplifying the Process of Calling a WCF Service from Silverlight - After writing nearly the same code method after method (aside from changes in the event name and method name) I opted for a simplified approach that allows me to call any WCF service operation using a single method.

Brad Abrams : Silverlight 3 Controls Sample App – Check out the Silverlight Toolkit Samples The best part is not only can you run it as a quick reference and get a feel for how the controls work, but you can also get easy access to all the source code! Very cool. Very worth visiting.

Brad Abrams : MEF Preview 6: V1 Feature Complete Silverlight Support andMore! - Today we released MEF Preview 6 on codeplex. Not only is this the feature complete build for MEF V1.0 (which will ship with .NET Framework 4) but it also has the first drop of MEF for Silverlight!

CodeProject: Propagator in C# - an alternative to the Observer Design Pattern - Re-usable implementation of the Propagator Design Pattern in C#, a potentially more powerful alternative to the well-known Observer Design Pattern.

Google Testing Blog: The Advantages of Unit Testing Early - Writing unit tests as you develop isn’t just to prove that your code works (though that is a great portion of it). There are so many more benefits to writing unit tests.

Science and the Environment

Plastic circuits to make tougher, greener computers - Two Australian engineers are set to shake up the computer and electronics industries by discovering a way to make circuits out of plastic.

Major Breakthrough With Water Desalination System - Concern over access to clean water is no longer just an issue for the developing world, as California faces its worst drought in recorded history. The M3’s ‘smart’ nature means it can autonomously adapt to almost any variation in source water, allowing the M3 system to operate in situations where traditional RO desalination systems would fail almost immediately.

On the Web

Gmail Labs Adds Anti-Phishing Key - Gmail Labs – Lifehacker - “Super-trustworthy” is a technical term I just invented that means: (1) the sender, usually a financial institution, is a target of phishers, (2) all of the sender’s email is authenticated with DKIM, and (3) Gmail rejects any fake messages that claim to come from this sender, but actually don’t.

windows4all.com – Home - Windows4all.com is a Silverlight based online virtual operating system. It is is a website that simulates an operating system inside your web browser.

See the Light - Responding to this new landscape, Microsoft is changing interactive design, development, and deployment forever with the latest release of the Microsoft® Silverlight™ platform and Microsoft® Expression® design tools—specifically engineered to help interactive professionals transform their vision, creativity, and energy into reality.

Stuff I just Dig

Government honours veterans of Bletchley Park at last - V3.co.uk - The surviving workers from the Bletchley Park cryptography unit are to be honored, nearly 70 years after the unit was formed. (If you don’t about Bletchley Park, you’re missing out on some of the greatest heroes of WWII IMHO).

The Seven Types of Employees You Meet at Best Buy - Have you ever noticed that no matter which Best Buy you go into, you end up seeing the same people working there? That’s because there are seven types of people that work at every single Best Buy, with no exceptions. (Fun charactertures)

Pick of the Week

Sharpkeys – Reassign keys. I use it to reassign the Caps Lock to be a control key.