Microsoft at the UC

For all you Microsoft / ESRI users, make sure and note the following Special Interest Group meetings at the upcoming ESRI International User Conference. 

Microsoft SQL Server
Tuesday, June 19
Noon-1:00 p.m.
Room 23 B

Attend this meeting to hear technical updates and presentations on managing geographic information using SQL Server from SQL Server users and Microsoft representatives.Lunch will be provided.

Mobile GIS
Wednesday, June 20
Noon-1:00 p.m.
Room 26 A

Join ESRI's mobile team to learn about the latest ESRI mobile applications designed to run on Windows Mobile devices. Kevin Ramsaur, Microsoft Team System Product Representative, will discuss Windows Mobile devices and future developments. Art Maria, AT&T Business Market Group, will discuss AT&T's wireless security philosophy, latest developments, and the elements of a mobile security solution. You will have the opportunity to win an AT&T HP iPAQ 6920 Smartphone, an ESRI Developer Network (EDN) subscription, or a copy of ESRI ArcPad 7.0.1. Lunch will be provided.

Microsoft .NET
Wednesday, June 20, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
Room 6 F

This third annual meeting is designed for all users of Microsoft's .NET technology. Art Haddad, ESRI's .NET development lead, will moderate the meeting. The program will include a presentation from Microsoft as well as user presentations and updates from ESRI development staff. Drinks and appetizers will be served following the presentations.

ArcGIS Engine Anniversary

3 years ago today, ArcGIS Engine first shipped as part of the larger ArcGIS 9.0 release. It's hard to believe it been three years already but at the same time 9.0 seems long ago. The 9.1 and 9.2 were solid updates for Engine and more improvements are on the way with 9.3 which is currently under development.

There are many successful deployments of custom solutions out there based on the the ArcGIS Engine Runtime and many more to come. Thanks to all the ESRI staff who have worked for many years on making ArcGS Engine what it is today.

BYU alumni at the ESRI User Conference

As in year's past, several BYU alumni and friends of the Y at the ESRI User Conference are going to get together for dinner on Monday June 18th.  If you are interested in joining us, leave me a comment or send me a email so I can get you the details.

Quote of the Day:
Civilization begins with order, grows with liberty, and dies with chaos.
--Will Durant

15 Best Diet Tips Ever

Health site WebMD has compiled a list of the"best diet tips" ever.

Of course, there's nothing new under the weight-loss here; you've probably heard most of these tips many times before. That said, this is good list.  Any tips you want to share? Mine tip is everything in moderation.

Link to 15 Best Diet Tips Ever

Quote of the Day:
If misery loves company, misery has company enough.
--Henry David Thoreau

2kSW - Soccer Team

A few months ago, a friend approached me about putting together a men's team for the Redlands City League. I thought it would be fun so we got a few buddies from church and formed a team.  We called ourselves 2kSW (2,000 Stripling Warriors).  Our team is made up of 30 something year old Dads who haven't played competitive soccer since high-school plus a few that have never played in a organized league. 

We have completed the first half of the season with a record of 3 wins and 2 ties (no loses).  We are in 2nd place and holding our own.  The city website is a little behind on the weekly results but here are the current standings.

It's been a lot of fun putting on a jersey and playing as a team under the lights on Friday nights.  It takes me back to being 16 and playing varsity soccer in high soccer.

Getting to Know ArcObjects - Updated for 9.2

The popular Getting to Know ArcObjects book from ESRI Press has been updated for ArcGIS 9.1 and 9.2.

This is a great book for getting started with VBA and ArcObjects.

 

Quote of the Day:
A thing is not necessarily true because badly uttered, nor false because spoken magnificently.
--Saint Augustine of Hippo

ESRI User Conference 2007

Just a little over one month till the biggest ESRI / GIS event of the year. Once again, the ESRI International User Conference will be held in San Diego, CA June 18 - 22.

I hear hotel are selling out fast so make your plans now to be there. San Diego is a awesome city and the conference is great. I'll be there most of the week and look forward to meeting lots of EDN Subscribers and ArcGIS Engine developers.

Photo blog

For those that haven't noticed the link on my Rise and Shout blog, I have a simple photo blog where the content comes from simple photos taken with my Motorola Q Smart Phone and then automatically posted and hosted via Flickr.

To see what I see, checkout http://robelkins.blogspot.com/

It can be hard to find good help

http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComic.mpl?date=2007/2/24&name=Close_to_Home

i'm Making a Difference

For all you MSN / Windows Live Messenger users.. Get out the new i'm feature.

i’m is a new initiative from Windows Live Messenger™. Every time you start a conversation using i’m, Microsoft shares a portion of the program's advertising revenue with some of the world's most effective organizations dedicated to social causes.

 

Quote of the Day:
The thing I hate about an argument is that it always interrupts a good discussion.
--G.K. Chesterton

BYU engineering students develop merry-go-round to power African schoolhouses

Came across this story in a recent alumni newsletter...

A team of Brigham Young University student engineers this week unveiled a merry-go-round capable of turning children’s play into electricity.

The students’ prototype merry-go-round uses a direct current generator system to turn the rambunctious energy of kids into electricity that can light schoolhouses in places like rural Ghana. Six engineering students labored on the project for two semesters to develop a device complicated enough to capture and translate human energy into electricity, but simple enough to incorporate old car parts

For the rest of the article

Watch the story on Salt Lake ABC4

Simple tips

Here are some simple tips on eating to help you in your weight lost goals.

• Buy a pack of chicken breasts. Grill them and then freeze them in individual tupperware. Take them out on a daily basis when they are needed for lunches. 
• Buy and prepare a week's worth of vegetables. Put peppers, spinach, tomatoes, and carrots in salads. Cut up raw broccoli florets, carrot sticks, and celery pieces for appetite suppressing snacks. Put all of these veggies in tupperware for the week. 
• Buy bags of apples, oranges, and grapefruits. Take 2 of each to work each day or leave the bags of fruit at work. Buy berries to be kept in the fridge at home.
• Buy raw nuts such as almonds, cashews, and walnuts. Avoid roasted nuts as most are roasted in unhealthy vegetable oils. Take bags of healthy nuts to work for snacks. 
  
• Treat yourself once per week, but no more, to your favorite meal and don't feel guilty about it.

The key - Do some exercise or physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day Monday - Saturday with Sunday being your day of rest.

Relocate the menu bar in IE7 to the top of the window

The Menu toolbar is not on by default in IE7 and when you turn it on, it's not in the place you would expect.  Here is a article about how to change the default potion of the Menu toolbar for IE 7 

Link to Unhandled Perception: Relocate the menu bar in IE7 to the top of the window

Quote of the Day:
Their’s not to reason why, Their’s but to do and die...
--Alfred, Lord TENNYSON

Retired!

From Visual FoxPro to VB6, developers are coping with the demise of key programming languages

Link to Redmond Developer News | Retired!

I taught myself VB 6 back in the day and still have it installed on my machine today.  Yes, I also have Visual Studio 2005 installed and use it more and more but VB 6 is like those old T-shirts from the 90s that my wife keeps telling me to throw out...  It's fast, convenient and comfortable.

Quote of the Day:
The happiest couples are those who spell "us" with a capital "you."
--Klare Provine

Water Project Benefits 15 Malaysian Villages

When I was 19, I went to Guatemala for 2 years to server a mission for my church.  Each week we spent hours on different humanitarian projects to help the locals.  I learned many valuable life lessons during my 2 years in Guatemala, one was the value of water and how it can improve the quality of life.  We should never take for grant our access to clean running water here in the US.

Link to Newsroom - Water Project Benefits Malaysian Villages