Microsoft introduced filtered search for VS 2005 Docs and the filter has "Languages" and " Technology"categories. Languages have C#, C++, J#, JScript, VB, XML and FoxPro and Technology have Visual Studio IDE, ASP.NET, C++ Libraries(.NET), .NET Compact frame work, Windows Forms, C++ Libraries(Native) and .NET Framework as their filter options. I am sure this will really help the developers to cook their meals.

Check out @ http://www.rediff.com/money/2005/jun/21ms.htm

This is from my co worker Chalani:

The Red Planet is about to be spectacular! This month and next, Earth is catching up with
Mars in an encounter that will culminate in the closest approach between the two planets
in recorded history. The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287. Due to the way
Jupiter's gravity tugs on Mars and perturbs its orbit, astronomers can only be certain that
Mars has not come this close to Earth in the Last 5,000 years, but it may be as long as
60,000 years before it happens again.

The encounter will culminate on August 27th when Mars comes to within34,649,589 miles
of Earth and will be (next to the moon) the brightest object in the night sky. It will attain a
magnitude of -2.9 and will appear 25.11 arc seconds wide. At a modest 75-power magnification Mars will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. Mars will be easy to spot.

At the beginning of August it will rise in the east at 10p.m. and reach its azimuth at about 3 a.m.
By the end of August when the two planets are closest, Mars will rise at nightfall and reach
its highest point in the sky at 12:30a.m. That's pretty convenient to see something that no
human being has seen in recorded history So, mark your calendar at the beginning of
August to see Mars grow progressively brighter and brighter throughout the month. Share this with others. 

NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN

Microsoft released June 2005 Community Technology Preview (CTP) for Visual Studio 2005 on 15th this month.  This CTP consists of Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition, Visual Studio 2005 Team Suite and Visual Studio 2005 Team Foundation Server. As usual this is available to MSDN subscribers and for more information visit http://blogs.msdn.com/robcaron/default.aspx and http://channel9.msdn.com/.

Guys,
There is a cool Web Service performance comparison article on MSDN which compares .NET2.0, .NET 1.1, Sun JWSDP 1.5 and IBM WebSphere 6.0. I can see in all the charts .NET2.0 is leading and if you are interested read the test methodologies and other details there.

MIcrosoft has released another beta product “Acrylic” - the codename for a new graphics product for professional designers.

Microsoft acquired Creature House, makers of creative design toolset Creature House Expression little while ago.  The “Acrylic” beta is a new version based on the Creature House Expression with added capabilities. It combines strong vector and raster painting and illustration capabilities, along with very cool effects.

Click here to download and give a try.

You can download Bangalore DevCon Presentation Materials here: http://www.abhishekkant.net/DevConBang2005/.

The slides and materials are available for following presentations.

1. Office 2003 and .NET

2. ASP.NET Security

3. Introduction to Sharepoint and Developing cool Web Parts

4. Reflection/Dynamic building of assemblies

 When NASA began the launch of astronauts into space, they found out

 that the pens wouldn't work at zero gravity. (Ink won't flow down

 to the writing surface) In order to solve this problem, they  hired

 Andersen Consulting (Accenture today). It took them one decade and 12

 million dollars. They developed a pen that worked at zero gravity,

 upside down, under water, in practically any surface including

 crystal and in a temperature range from below freezing to over 300

 degrees C.

 The Russians used a pencil...

First Survey of U.S. Corporate Application Server and Scripting Deployments Reveals Microsoft® Ahead of Competing Web Platforms

The Top 1000 Application Servers Survey results from May 2005 Web requests to each 2005 Fortune 1000 company’s main Web site were:

Microsoft         43.6% 
Java platforms  12.2% 
PHP:                5.2% 
ColdFusion:       2.7% 
Perl:                2.3%
Python (Zope):  0.1%

The Top 1000 Application Servers Survey results from May 2005 Web requests to each 2005 Fortune 1000 company’s main Web site were:

Microsoft IIS: 53.7% 
Apache: 22.7% 
Other Web servers: 12.8% 
Netscape Enterprise: 10.8%

source port80software

Check my photo album for latest photos of Mathu. These photos were taken on the 31st Day ceremony of my Mathu.

Today I did a presentation on “Application Updater Component and ClickOnce” in our monthly Colombo .net user group meeting - June. ClickOnce is a new easy deployment technology available in .NET 2.0 for windows client applications. Actually this presentation is after three or more years where I did earlier presentations on University of Moratuwa for my Computer Science and Engineering degree course. I hope audiences enjoyed my presentation and their feedback will definitely give me boost to do more presentations in the future.

This joke is from my co-worker Chalani.

The SLP (Sri Lankan Police), The FBI, and the CIA are all trying toprove that they are the best at apprehending criminals. The President decides to give them a test. He releases a rabbit into a forest and each of them has to catch it.

The CIA goes in. They place animal informants throughout the forest.They question all plant and mineral witnesses. After three months of extensive investigations they conclude that rabbits do not exist. 

The FBI goes in. After two weeks with no leads they burn the forest, killing everything in it, including the rabbit, and they make no apologies. The rabbit had it coming.  

The SLP goes in. They come out two hours later with a badly beaten bear. The bear is yelling: "Okay! Okay! I'm a rabbit! I'm a rabbit!'

* Project Leader is a Person who thinks Nine women can deliver a child in one month. 
* Software Engineer is a Person who thinks a single woman cannot deliver a child in nine months. 
* Onsite Engineer is one who thinks single woman can deliver nine children in one month. 
* The client knows that it takes a man & a woman to deliver a child in nine months

I come across these shortcuts in microsoft site and will be helpful to the beginners and powerful users can have a look to refresh them again. Shortcuts are grouped under 4 categories such as Driving around your Desktop, Working with Word, Accelerating Excel and Expediting Internet Explorer.

I was nominated as a member for the interview board to interview the Graduate Trainees who have applied for the post of Development Assistant (IT) in Department of Hindu Religious and Cultural Affairs. There were six applications but only four turned to interview today. I was asked by other members to check their technical knowledge and I m sure they all enjoy the day todayJ. All three members of Interview board anonymously selected a girl for this post even there was one guy who is smarter than this girl in technical and other aspect but looks like he is over qualified for this post with MSc degree.

For my last 3 trips to Jaffna I used train up to Vavuniya and then I traveled by bus. Travel to Jaffna is not so easy and I hope to write about that in my blog separately.

For my first trip I didnt know the fare to Vavuniya and asked the ticketer at the counter – “how much”? He replied me “Eighty rupees”. I simply gave 80/= and got the ticket. After I got into the train since I don’t have anything to do until train starts I read the whole ticket and got to know that the ticket fare is only 76/=.

Second time the ticketer gave me the balance of twenty rupees for my hundred rupees and I did not ask about the balance since there was a big queue for ticket and I m little reluctant to ask the balance.

Third time I wanted to be smart and changed exact to Seventy Six rupees with my help of brother and got the ticket. I got into the train and checked the ticket and I was shocked for a moment. Because he didn’t give the ticket to Vavuniya, he gave the ticket to “Eraperiyakulam” station which is one station before Vavuniya. I could not have time to change since the train starts to move. I was lucky enough since the ticket collector at Vavuniya didn’t read the ticket and allowed me to go out. Mmmh.. Now you see who is smart? Ticketer or me….

Quote

Power of Human Brain

jsut raed tihs........ I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid. Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are witren, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azmanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas thought slpeling was ipmorantt! Ceehrs !

Any thoughts on coming up with a computer algorithm which works as faster as our brain ? :-)