SQL Server Express

When all is added up I would hate to think how many hours of my life have been spent in the tremendous pursuit of doing nothing.  It’s not too hard to rack up the days watching tv, viewing facebook and surfing blogs and forums on the net.  But enough wallowing, it’s time to do something about it.

I’ve downloaded the latest SQL Server Express 2005 edition, installed the Northwind database and about to step through the data access tutorials from the asp.net site.

Stay posted for more details.

Joined Gym

Started going to the gym this week, well actually joined up a week ago.  I’m thinking that the gym has become the new pub for the other thirties.  It’s amazing how many of us coulda-been champions rock up to pound the treadmill now.

Working on Microsoft Certification

I’m starting to finally move on my goal to get a Microsoft Certification.  I have to admit that it is a daunting prospect at the moment.  The end goal is to work through the text for the exam 70-526 which will allow me to combine my practical experience with proper study.

Having not studied since leaving university over ten years ago starting to study again is hard.  But I am following a few basic tips:

• Break the learning into smaller chunks;
• Design and develop a practise application that touches on all the functionality covered by the exam.  In this case I need to develop a c-sharp application that does the following:
  • Implement a Windows forms application with custom user controls.
  • Use the Microsoft System.Data namespace to work with data both in a connected and disconnected environment.
  • Use data bound controls
  • Work with XML and Printing
  • Implement Internationalisation and create a deployment solution.
• Only study when the kids are asleep
• Don’t ever ever ever create a colour-coded timetable of how I am going to study.

Fixing brakes on my bike.

It’s nice to do something once in a while that has no dependency on Computers. My mountain bike has sat in the garage for the last three years because the back brakes had gone. Anyway I was able to buy a new set today and put them on all without contacting a bike mechanic.

I went for the cheapest available, huffy, mainly to get the bike back on the road for today. Long term I want to put a more durable set of brakes on but in the meantime will go with the huffs.

Now just to find somewhere to ride the thing!!!

projects

I’m starting up a couple of new learning projects to help me in life and my work. The goal is to learn something new that is going to help me further on and also be fun to do while I am doing it.
Anyway here’s the list

• Fix my push bike and actually ride it.
• Go for a decent bush walk.
• Teach myself enough of a foreign language that I could order a coffee or beer.
• Learn enough about .NET 3.5. that I know what the differences are between 2 and 3.5

Designing changes to data models.

I have been on the hunt for the perfect database modelling tool and haven’t been able to come up with one that is much better than the one that sits under your nose. That is Microsoft Excel or a similar spreadsheet tool.

I am finding a very quick and easy way to design a new system or make changes to an existing one is to start with a spreadsheet containing worksheets for each table in the existing data model I want to change. On each worksheet I put the table columns and description as separate rows.

I find this is great because I like to see the final result rather than the plans. By putting the data on the same sheet as the schema I am able to quickly see what affects adding new columns will have on the underlying data. Also it lets me do a paper test of the schema before starting coding.

I am still looking for a better way of doing it. I know there are some guys who can sit down with a pencil and a piece of paper and design the perfect database model. But for me at least I like to design my tables around the data they store, the processes that manipulate the stored data and around the end user screens that access the data. Which is why doing it in Excel is so great.

Brisbane Deer

As I was driving to work the other day I saw the strangest sign (at least for Brisbane).  It was a deer ahead sign similar to the kangaroos ahead sign

Anyway it turns out that the outskirts of Brisbane have a wild-deer problem.  Apparantely someone at some point let two go (male and female) and you do the math.

Riding Brisbane Busses

I’m back on the busses again after three weeks on the train.  For those unaquainted with the idiosynchrises of Brisbanes public transport system there are basically four types of people in the city:

- The few those lucky few who get to drive and park at work;

- Those who take the bus;

- Those who take the train; and

- Those who ride their bikes (remember Lycra is a privilege not a right).

Myself I have done all four over time.  Without a doubt the best is to drive my car in but parking is prohibitive anywhere within a 100 km of the CBD (or so it seems).  But now I am back on the bus.  I tried the train but gave up because at the moment I have to take a connection (two trains) to get to work. It’s actually not as bad as it sounds but as anyone will tell you about Brisbane miss your connection and expect to wait.

Which is why I am back on the bus.  I missed my connection one day and ended up taking over an hour and a half to get home.  But one thing about Brisbane busses is that if you are on the main routes (which I am) you can always get a bus one way or another every ten minutes.

Baby born Yesterday

I haven’t blogged for a week or two as had much more important things on my mind as my wife was nearing the end of her pregnancy.

We thought we had a couple of weeks to go but on Monday my wife went to see her GP about an alergic reaction and yesterday she gave birth to our third child.

Anzac Day Plus One (April 26)

Continuing on the theme of the Anzac day celebrations I spent part of last night researching my namesakes on the WW1 and WW2 honour rolls.

The Australian war memorial web site has an option to Research a Person.  I used this to find the service record of my Grandfather on my dad’s side and my Great-Uncles on my dad’s side as well.

Quite fascinating experience and really gets you into the history of the times seeing your surname come up.

Also sad as well.  Probably luckily if I can use that term in that only one of my ancestors was actually killed in war.  But makes for a sobering journey to follow a young man from leaving Australia, to his posting in France, to see him being awarded a Military Medal for bravery and finally seeing his Mother provide his details for Australia’s war memorial.