re: Recommending @@Identity? I Woudn't.
Not without a careful loook at the code... It does sound like @@Identity is being referenced (it should not be).
May 11, 2006
re: Recommending @@Identity? I Woudn't.
We are using SCOPE_IDENTITY and we are still getting these unexpected results. The scenario is as follows: Insert into Table A (which has an identity column) which fires a trigger adding a row to Table B which has an identity column. On subsequent inserts or updates the identity from Table B is used instead of the identity from Table A. This is happening in an application written in VB 6 using SQL Server 2000. Any suggestions?
May 08, 2006
re: WARNING: Don't Try to Fix Your Daughter's Laptop after 8PM
Only low-level formats (rewriting the sectors) will completely wipe things out, as far as I know. Any other type of reformat is recoverable.
May 07, 2006
re: The Writing is Done--Now the Hard Part
Neat. I'm looking forward to your book.
I read your last version that you handed to me at the MVP summit last year. You know so much, that it is impossible to stuff it in 800 pages. Hopefully I'll be as smart as you one day.
I read your last version that you handed to me at the MVP summit last year. You know so much, that it is impossible to stuff it in 800 pages. Hopefully I'll be as smart as you one day.
WARNING: Don't Try to Fix Your Daughter's Laptop after 8PM
I was working on my daughter's (George's) laptop the other night and made two mistakes. First, I was working on hardware after 8PM--this is a mortal sin as far as I am concerned. Next, I thought her drive had two partitions. It had one. I formatted both partitions. I shouldn't have. Thankfully, I discovered a program “Recover My Files” which after a considerable length of time (over 24 hours) was able to “unformat” the NTFS partitions. I, frankly was very grateful but sorta shocked as I assumed (incorrectly) that dropping a partition, creating a new partition and doing a full format would wipe the data. It does not. Each and every file on the drive was recovered (at least it looks like they were).
(Update: No, the Recover My Files program did not actually recover the data--at least it has not done so at this point. While it does see the files, when saved the files are corrupted.)
Another little issue: IBM (whose service is highly rated by Consumer Reports) sent George a “Used but Serviceable” replacement hard drive. It lasted about 18 hours before it failed. They're sending another. Perhaps it will last long enough to build a backup... This assumes that I won't be so tired that I delete the backup before getting a chance to install it. I wonder what data the replacement drive contains? Hummm, should I peek?
bv
The Writing is Done--Now the Hard Part
I've made a decision to stop adding new content to my new book “Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Studio and SQL Server (7th Edition)”. I finally came to the realization that I can't keep up with Microsoft and their constant churn. No, this does not mean I won't be publishing the book--hardly. It means that I'm going to trim back to 800 or so pages and publish the new stuff as EBook. This more closely follows the pattern used by Microsoft. That is, ship a product and then ship updates for the next couple of years (before it's made obsolete). ;)
To this end, the book's manuscript is now in the hands of the editors and reviewers. I hope to get it on the shelves this summer. The new support web site is up www.hitchhikerguides.net but not really ready for comments quite yet. Don't be surprised if the colors and layout change from minute to minute--I'm still tuning.
Let me end on this final note. This book would have been a lot harder without the help of Peter Blackburn. While he did not write a lot of content this time, he has been there during the entire process (over two years) keeping me on track, keeping my systems functional and keeping my eye on the ball when it comes to security issues. Thanks bud.
April 30, 2006
re: Motorola MPX-220 -- "We are not having Windows Mobile 2005..."
Sorry, they made specal language packs on russian language. If yo would know the web page of such people, write ther adress hear please.
re: Motorola MPX-220 -- "We are not having Windows Mobile 2005..."
i think that wm2005 wasn't made by russian, because i knew that some from rhe Bellorussia made special language pack for magneto
April 26, 2006
re: Motorola MPX-220 -- "We are not having Windows Mobile 2005..."
It has been a quite similiar situation in China (I mean PRC). It is easy to buy a Mpx220 on the market at the price of 1500RMB (about 180USD) and people are wondering that how can they upgrade the OS to WM5. There`re lots of discussion about this. But till now, so far as I know, NOBODY successed in installing WM5 on MPX220.
My opinion is...well... Microsoft`s tridition... new OS = new bugs
My opinion is...well... Microsoft`s tridition... new OS = new bugs
April 18, 2006
re: Motorola MPX-220 -- "We are not having Windows Mobile 2005..."
Same thing here in Bulgaria - people who have MPx200 have updated their OS to version 5.0. There is a public ROM in 3 parts for MPx200 before more than a half year. All the people who have MPx200 have updated to WM 5.0 without any problems and they say that it's as fast as before.
I really can't understand why there isn't WM5 ROM for MPx220 when this phone have all the hardware requarements for a normal work under WM 5?! I read some time ago that MPx220 is the only test smartphone on which Microsoft made tests during the development of WM 5. If this is true, I really can't understand why there isn't a ROM? There isn't even a hacked version of WM 5 like the version for the MPx200 (for who don't know the ROM for the MPx200 was created by some russian enthusiasts, not Microsoft or Motorola). So why this enthusiasts didn't make a similar version in 1 part for MPx220? It must be easier that for the MPx200... I really can't understand!
I really can't understand why there isn't WM5 ROM for MPx220 when this phone have all the hardware requarements for a normal work under WM 5?! I read some time ago that MPx220 is the only test smartphone on which Microsoft made tests during the development of WM 5. If this is true, I really can't understand why there isn't a ROM? There isn't even a hacked version of WM 5 like the version for the MPx200 (for who don't know the ROM for the MPx200 was created by some russian enthusiasts, not Microsoft or Motorola). So why this enthusiasts didn't make a similar version in 1 part for MPx220? It must be easier that for the MPx200... I really can't understand!
April 14, 2006
re: Finally, my ThinkPad is backed up and restored.
I just downloaded the R&R program, and it now asks whether or not it should destroy exsisting data
April 09, 2006
re: Finally, my ThinkPad is backed up and restored.
I cant remember my rescue and recovery password and my T42 is useless (won't boot). Appearently the only thing I can do is reinstall R&R but you are supposed to uninstall first! I can't uninstall if I can't boot. Any one have any ideas?
Bob
Bob
re: Motorola MPX-220 -- "We are not having Windows Mobile 2005..."
Hi! i live in Russia and there mpx220 costs more then 10 999 rubles(more then 350$) And mpx200 lesser then 150$. And i can't undestand why we can install wm2005 on mpx200 with weak hardware?
March 30, 2006
re: Motorola MPX-220 -- "We are not having Windows Mobile 2005..."
pless
re: Motorola MPX-220 -- "We are not having Windows Mobile 2005..."
search torrents for wm 2005
March 21, 2006
re: Having problems posting responses to this blog?
Nice to see you again, Bill. Used to see you on the VISBAS-L in the late '90s.
Was searching for Bill Vaughn the actor and ended up on your blog.
Anyway, was surprised by that "extole". Should be "extol", I guess.
Was searching for Bill Vaughn the actor and ended up on your blog.
Anyway, was surprised by that "extole". Should be "extol", I guess.
March 14, 2006
re: SQL Management Studio--It ain't Visual Studio
Ah, yes, I'm intimately familar with the Profiler and how VS works. The problem is that in this day and age, the two teams (VS and SQL Server) still haven't created a VB-like (or C#-like) intelligent code editor/debugger for TSQL scripts. It's not just the debugging part which can be done in VS, it's having to go back and forth and back and forth to pick up features in one that's not in the other.
re: SQL Management Studio--It ain't Visual Studio
I don't understand. You can use Profiler to step through, start, run to cursor, pause, stop, and toggle breakpoints for your queries. You can also use SQL Server 2005 in conjuction with Visual Studio 2005 for step into/over/out, breakpoints, call stacks, and variables for stored procedures, functions, triggers, aggregates, and UDFs. What am I missing?
March 09, 2006
Where's Bill?
While I was invited to VSLive Orlando and DevTeach Montreal this year, I was forced to turn down these kind invitations. I am taking time off to speak at SQL/Visual Studio Connections in Orlando the week of April 4th. I'll also be passing through the Kansas City .NET user group on the way to give a talk on ADO.NET “Connecting“. I'm also giving a talk at TechEd in Boston and I hope to visit user groups out there if invited.
I'm focusing very heavily on my new book “Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Studio and SQL Server (7th Edition)”. For the last month or so I've been focusing on the SQL Server CLR Executables chapter that has grown to over 90 pages so far. I've discovered a wealth of un and under documented features and issues that once discovered will make developing CLR stored procedures, functions, user-defined types, aggregates and triggers a lot easier. I also include a section on leveraging these executables from other applications--where it's possible.
Next on the agenda is the Visual Studio ReportViewer control and the reporting features of Visual Studio 2005.
Peter Blackburn and I hope to have the first draft done in the next couple of months and published by this summer. So far we have over 600 pages and we're still going strong.
Thanks for waiting.
Having problems posting responses to this blog?
Please report any problems posting to this blog. I have some pretty tight anti-spam tests in place that might have prevented some legitimate posts from being accepted. Generally, if your post contains more than two links, it's rejected. This approach was taken as the spammers invariably list a long list of links in their garbage posts. I also reject or delete posts that extole the virtues of President Cleveland--those simply can't be tolerated.
Generally, I don't like to answer 1:1 technical questions--I simply don't have the bandwidth. I do lurk on the public newsgroups and the MSDN forums which are good resources for free advice. I don't charge any more to answer questions on the forums than I do for questions sent via email, but you have a lot better chance of getting through my junk mail filters.
If you have comments that are not accepted, please feel free to email them to me. I will be happy to post them--whether or not I agree with the comments. My email address is 
--be sure to put “Comments on blog subject <subject>” in the subject line.
Thanks
March 04, 2006
re: Finally, my ThinkPad is backed up and restored.
I gave up on Ghost for my Thinkpads years ago. I use the Lenovo R&R program that can be downloaded from their site.
re: Finally, my ThinkPad is backed up and restored.
I am wondering how you get into the Ghost program.
Just got a used IBM T30 and I cannot get past the [OK] button in Ghost
because neither the USB mouse nor the Trackpoint will work.
Therefore Ghost is completely unresponsive.
It seems that the Ghost floppies need more support files.
Have tried every way I know of to activate [OK] including
Tab, Enter, etc. I know I can use arrow keys once I get past the initial ghost screen.
I would much rather have a single Ghost image than composite backups
I am using Ghost 8.2 floppies that have USB support.
They work fine on several other desktops that have USB mouse.
Just got a used IBM T30 and I cannot get past the [OK] button in Ghost
because neither the USB mouse nor the Trackpoint will work.
Therefore Ghost is completely unresponsive.
It seems that the Ghost floppies need more support files.
Have tried every way I know of to activate [OK] including
Tab, Enter, etc. I know I can use arrow keys once I get past the initial ghost screen.
I would much rather have a single Ghost image than composite backups
I am using Ghost 8.2 floppies that have USB support.
They work fine on several other desktops that have USB mouse.
February 25, 2006
re: Haunted Keyboard -- Backspace and Delete key stop working (Whidbey)
I have this issu in the released verions on VS.NET 2005, and I can't shake the look on the keyboard, needs instant suggestions && solutions.
February 06, 2006
re: Motorola MPX-220 -- "We are not having Windows Mobile 2005..."
Where can i get the wm 2005 rom images? I have searched the web, but couldn't find it. I would really appreciate if you could tell me the link.
Thanks,
MP
Thanks,
MP
February 05, 2006
re: Motorola MPX-220 -- "We are not having Windows Mobile 2005..."
Sure I explain.
U have WM05 in your MPX200 and in your MPX200 SD Card, because without SD card, no WM05 on MPX200.
The hardware u talk about is that MPX200 has smaller flash IC´s the MPX220. Which means that MPX220 probably won´t need to install WM05 in 3 parts (1 to the phone, and 2 to the SD). But for now, public solution is only this one and only for MPX200 not for MPX220.
Thanks
U have WM05 in your MPX200 and in your MPX200 SD Card, because without SD card, no WM05 on MPX200.
The hardware u talk about is that MPX200 has smaller flash IC´s the MPX220. Which means that MPX220 probably won´t need to install WM05 in 3 parts (1 to the phone, and 2 to the SD). But for now, public solution is only this one and only for MPX200 not for MPX220.
Thanks
re: Motorola MPX-220 -- "We are not having Windows Mobile 2005..."
Sure I explain.
U have WM05 in your MPX200 and in your MPX200 SD Card, because without SD card, no WM05 on MPX200.
The hardware u talk about is that MPX200 has smaller flash IC´s the MPX220. Which means that MPX220 probably won´t need to install WM05 in 3 parts (1 to the phone, and 2 to the SD). But for now, public solution is only this one and only for MPX200 not for MPX220.
Thanks
U have WM05 in your MPX200 and in your MPX200 SD Card, because without SD card, no WM05 on MPX200.
The hardware u talk about is that MPX200 has smaller flash IC´s the MPX220. Which means that MPX220 probably won´t need to install WM05 in 3 parts (1 to the phone, and 2 to the SD). But for now, public solution is only this one and only for MPX200 not for MPX220.
Thanks
re: Motorola MPX-220 -- "We are not having Windows Mobile 2005..."
Sure I explain.
U have WM05 in your MPX200 and in your MPX200 SD Card, because without SD card, no WM05 on MPX200.
The hardware u talk about is that MPX200 has smaller flash IC´s the MPX220. Which means that MPX220 probably won´t need to install WM05 in 3 parts (1 to the phone, and 2 to the SD). But for now, public solution is only this one and only for MPX200 not for MPX220.
Thanks
U have WM05 in your MPX200 and in your MPX200 SD Card, because without SD card, no WM05 on MPX200.
The hardware u talk about is that MPX200 has smaller flash IC´s the MPX220. Which means that MPX220 probably won´t need to install WM05 in 3 parts (1 to the phone, and 2 to the SD). But for now, public solution is only this one and only for MPX200 not for MPX220.
Thanks
January 21, 2006
re: Connecting Checklist
That would be a much useful tool.
re: Connecting Checklist
Thanks for the additional points. Eventually I hope to write a "connect me" application that will connect to SQL Server and build a connection string to match or report on what's blocking the connection.
re: Connecting Checklist
6) For W2k and XP it's the ASPNET account, for W2K3 it's by default the INetworkService.
Impersonating another account for XP and W2K is not that hard there's two ways to do it simply.
a) In web.config: <identity impersonate="true" user="" password"" />.
b) Change the anonymous account on the IIS server and in web.config set: <identity impersonate="true" />
For W2k3 you set up a new application pool with the new account as it's identity.
Impersonating another account for XP and W2K is not that hard there's two ways to do it simply.
a) In web.config: <identity impersonate="true" user="" password"" />.
b) Change the anonymous account on the IIS server and in web.config set: <identity impersonate="true" />
For W2k3 you set up a new application pool with the new account as it's identity.
January 19, 2006
re: Connecting Checklist
Okay this is a pretty good blogpost.
January 17, 2006
Connecting Checklist (Amended)
Updated: March 7, 2006: Added ASP.NET connecting info.
In the newsgroups and in my conference sessions, there still seem to be a lot of questions on getting connected. Perhaps this checklist can help. Yes, connecting can be a ... well, problematic. ASP apps also pose additional issues. In order to connect to SQL Server several factors must be in place. Go through this checklist to help get (and stay connected) to an instance of SQL Server.
1) Your application must identify the machine name and the instance of the target SQL Server. This means you’ll need to reference the machine name and the instance name unless you have installed SQL Server as the “default” SQL Server (the only option pre-SQL Server 2000). The syntax is “<machine name>\<instance name>”.
2) To identify the local machine name, you can use “.” or “(local)” or in VS 2005 (2.0 Framework) you can use My.Computer.Name. You can also define an alias to address a specific machine and instance and use this alias in the Server= element in the connection string. The term “localhost” refers to the local TCP/IP address and is used to access the local IIS server, not the local SQL Server.
3) When connecting to an instance of SQL Server directly via an IP address (which raises a number of scary security issues), see the addendum at the bottom of this checklist.
4) The DNS must be able to identify the named machine (it must resolve to a valid IP address). If the DNS is not working, the server can't be found. It might be necessary to alter the “hosts” file (Windows\system32\drivers\etc) to map a specific machine name to an IP address to circumvent this issue. DNS accessibility can be a function of how the NIC is configured or the availability (state) of the domain controller.
5) The targeted instance service must be running on the specified machine. SQL Server can be configured in single-user or paused mode or the service might be stopped for some reason. These states don't permit external connections. You can check the status of the service using the services.msc MMC snapin or via code (2.0 Framework).
6) If you're using SQL Server authentication, the server instance must be configured for mixed mode security. By, default SQL Server is not configured to support SQL Server authentication (what’s called “mixed-mode” security.
7) If you’re using SSPI authentication (Trusted Connection=True or Integrated Security=True (or SSPI)), the Windows account you’re using (or impersonating) must have an account on the server one way or another. This means there must be a SQL Server login that grants sufficient rights to the user’s group. By default, Windows users in the Administrators group are granted access to all objects but the DBA might (and usually does) restrict those rights.
8) In the ASP case, IIS opens the connection as ASPNET (pre-Windows 2003) so this login must be granted rights. Yes, you can try to impersonate a Windows user using an ASP application, but this is complex to setup and keep working. Other complicating factors here include running the SQL Server on a different system—other than the IIS system.
9) ASP applications might have to run under a trusted domain account.
10) The login account must exist and be granted rights to the initial catalog.
11) Depending on the protocol you choose (or is chosen for you), you must punch a hole or two in the client firewall if the server is on another machine. This means getting into the Windows firewall program. If the server is on the local system, it's best to bypass the network providers and use the shared memory provider. You must also make sure the protocols you need are enabled on the server--they are off by default. The best way to manage the services is using the new SQL Server Surface Area Configuration tool and the SQL Server Configuration Manager.
12) The server itself must have available connections. This is not a given. Check the server configuration to ensure that the license restriction or the DBA-imposed restriction on accounts has not been exceeded.
13) The connection pool must also have available space. The new ADO.NET 2.0 exception handlers are not that helpful. They often return a generic message that doesn't really help. The ConnectionString parser in ADO.NET 2.0 is better than ever. It’s more tolerant of additional spaces and such and will simply report an exception if the syntax is incorrect. That said, remember that the ConnectionString is used to test for existing connections in the connection pool. It can’t vary from connection-to-connection without creating a new pool. Connection pooling issues are not a concern for Windows forms applications (smart clients), but are a vital issue for ASP and Web Service applications.
14) For Windows 2000 and XP IIS logs on using “ASPNET” account credentials. For Windows 2003, IIS uses “INetworkService” by default. Some folks think that impersonating another account for XP and Windows 2000 is not that hard. They say there are two ways to do it:
a) In web.config: .
b) Change the anonymous account on the IIS server and in web.config set:
For Windows 2003 you must setup a new application pool with the new account as its identity. (Thanks to Patrik Löwendahl [C# MVP] for this contribution.)
15) When connecting to a SQL Server instance connected via IP address:
a. While 1433 is the official Internet Assigned Number Authority (IANA) socket number for SQL Server, you should still determine the port being exposed by the targeted server instance—each instance can be addressed by its own TCP port. The SQL Server Configuration Manager exposes the IP address of the TCP port if it has been assigned. If Dynamic Ports are enabled, then you need to determine that port. See KBs 269882, 823938 and 287932 for more details.
b. Using the same tool, make sure the TCP/IP protocol is enabled.
c. Using your Firewall administration tool on the client and the server, make sure this port is not blocked. It will be blocked by default.
d. Make sure your connection string uses “Network=dbmssocn;” as the protocol.
e. It might be easier to simply add an alias to the Host file located at “C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc”.
I think that covers most of the known issues. If you think I need to add more to the list, let me know.
Other useful links:
http://support.microsoft.com/Default.aspx?id=317012
January 14, 2006
re: Road Warriors Journal: Lessons Learned Traveling to Australia and New Zealand
My experience with Qantas was good then real bad.
Its funny how just one employee can screw it up for an entire company.
Once when arriving in Sydney late they held a plane for us to go to Hobart and the gate agent went byond the call to help us.
I wrote a thank you letter to Qantas and they wrote back about how they trained their people and expect no less than "Perfect".
Then on a flight from Melbourne to Hobart a male flight atendant admonished me for having my digital camera on.
Then I had stuck it in the seat back and the light was still on -on its way to automatic shut off and he came by again and threatend to throw us off the plane [he may have been haveing his period so I left it alone.
I'm a retired electronic nuclear engineer and I guess I missed that class as digital cameras were not yet invented.
Always learning.
I thought I held the record for complaing but you have me beat [thank God] whoops theres the G word again.
Aloha from Maui [originaly from Duluth MN]
terry kh6sq@arrl.net
Its funny how just one employee can screw it up for an entire company.
Once when arriving in Sydney late they held a plane for us to go to Hobart and the gate agent went byond the call to help us.
I wrote a thank you letter to Qantas and they wrote back about how they trained their people and expect no less than "Perfect".
Then on a flight from Melbourne to Hobart a male flight atendant admonished me for having my digital camera on.
Then I had stuck it in the seat back and the light was still on -on its way to automatic shut off and he came by again and threatend to throw us off the plane [he may have been haveing his period so I left it alone.
I'm a retired electronic nuclear engineer and I guess I missed that class as digital cameras were not yet invented.
Always learning.
I thought I held the record for complaing but you have me beat [thank God] whoops theres the G word again.
Aloha from Maui [originaly from Duluth MN]
terry kh6sq@arrl.net
January 13, 2006
re: Motorola MPX-220 -- "We are not having Windows Mobile 2005..."
i have mpx200 with wm 2005.
hardware of this phone is lower than mpx220.
Explain that?
hardware of this phone is lower than mpx220.
Explain that?
January 12, 2006
re: Recommending @@Identity? I Woudn't.
<quote>
While there are some special circumstances where SCOPE_IDENTITY() isn't the best approach
</quote>
What are these special circumstances? Can you please elaborate. Thanks!
While there are some special circumstances where SCOPE_IDENTITY() isn't the best approach
</quote>
What are these special circumstances? Can you please elaborate. Thanks!
December 26, 2005
Shhh !! Don't tell the VB.NET MVPs.
SHHHHH !!!! Don't tell the VB.NET MVPs or they will Pooh Pooh us C# MVPs.
... but here is a...
... but here is a...
December 16, 2005
re: Veteran’s Day—November 11, 2005
I heard something the other day that has evolved my point of view on what I read, watch and to whom I listen for advice. The advice was to read, listen and seek out those opinions with which one does not agree. That is, if we all read authors that share our opinion, we’ll never grow to understand others or the points they are trying to make. We won’t understand the strengths of their arguments or their weaknesses. The problem is that George Bush (43) has surrounded himself with people who have a similar agenda (or an agenda of their own) and simply does not understand the point of view many of (a growing many) of us share.
I heard from another Veteran that feels that if we had committed more troops to Vietnam we could have “prevailed”. Having lived in Thailand and Vietnam for over six years, having seen the political climate there, having heard first-hand from the French who tried and failed and having studied the political and economic climate in Southeast Asia I doubt very seriously if any foreign power could cleanse South Vietnam from those that would have us leave. We would have had to invade North Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos which would have (undoubtedly) bring in the Chinese, North Korean and their Russian allies. Like Iraq, propping up a government that can’t protect itself can only go so far if the people they “govern” don’t want them in power. In Thailand (where conditions were and are very different), it was often the people, not the Thai (or American) army that made sure foreign insurgents were arrested and dealt with. When the “Thai-cong” came into villages in the north and began to spread their lies, it was the village people that sent their heads back to Bangkok. Every village from north to south has a revered picture of the King and Queen. No such loyalty to the government existed in Vietnam. No such loyalty to the government (past or present) exists in Iraq.
If George Bush had read (and understood) a bit more history before swaggering into Iraq looking for cheap oil, he would have realized the French were right. The country is barely governable. Ever since it was partitioned after World War I, the Iraqis, Turks and Iranians (and their neighbors) have had a tough time living together. I think that sometimes it’s best if the west just leaves these places alone to settle their own differences.
Where we might have done some good would have been in Sudan. But that’s another story. Perhaps the Republicans will take the military there after they’re done with Iraq and Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan—spreading Christianity and their twisted concept of Freedom that include spying on their own citizens without a court order, secret foreign (and domestic) prisons, no habeas corpus protection and clandestine operations within our own borders.
I applaud the Senate for standing up for our rights. It’s about time they got some backbone.
I heard from another Veteran that feels that if we had committed more troops to Vietnam we could have “prevailed”. Having lived in Thailand and Vietnam for over six years, having seen the political climate there, having heard first-hand from the French who tried and failed and having studied the political and economic climate in Southeast Asia I doubt very seriously if any foreign power could cleanse South Vietnam from those that would have us leave. We would have had to invade North Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos which would have (undoubtedly) bring in the Chinese, North Korean and their Russian allies. Like Iraq, propping up a government that can’t protect itself can only go so far if the people they “govern” don’t want them in power. In Thailand (where conditions were and are very different), it was often the people, not the Thai (or American) army that made sure foreign insurgents were arrested and dealt with. When the “Thai-cong” came into villages in the north and began to spread their lies, it was the village people that sent their heads back to Bangkok. Every village from north to south has a revered picture of the King and Queen. No such loyalty to the government existed in Vietnam. No such loyalty to the government (past or present) exists in Iraq.
If George Bush had read (and understood) a bit more history before swaggering into Iraq looking for cheap oil, he would have realized the French were right. The country is barely governable. Ever since it was partitioned after World War I, the Iraqis, Turks and Iranians (and their neighbors) have had a tough time living together. I think that sometimes it’s best if the west just leaves these places alone to settle their own differences.
Where we might have done some good would have been in Sudan. But that’s another story. Perhaps the Republicans will take the military there after they’re done with Iraq and Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan—spreading Christianity and their twisted concept of Freedom that include spying on their own citizens without a court order, secret foreign (and domestic) prisons, no habeas corpus protection and clandestine operations within our own borders.
I applaud the Senate for standing up for our rights. It’s about time they got some backbone.
re: Veteran’s Day—November 11, 2005
Brian, I agree with you almost 100%. I really agree with you on your point stop attacking those who disagree and stop lying...
But I still think that it is possible for one who has never severd to be "better" than one who has. As you said, "43 who never listens to advice anyway" he's not getting advice then...
If one surrounded themselves with adequate advisors and heeded their advice... they could be just as good as one who has served.
But I still think that it is possible for one who has never severd to be "better" than one who has. As you said, "43 who never listens to advice anyway" he's not getting advice then...
If one surrounded themselves with adequate advisors and heeded their advice... they could be just as good as one who has served.
December 15, 2005
re: The Ups and Downs of New Zealand
<quote>
I guess we expected to see more castles as those shown in Middle Earth. We didn’t see any at all.
</quote>
Gold, bill, pure gold!
I guess we expected to see more castles as those shown in Middle Earth. We didn’t see any at all.
</quote>
Gold, bill, pure gold!
December 14, 2005
re: Veteran’s Day—November 11, 2005
i'm a veteran too. U.S. Army Infantry. i was active duty during first gulf war.
I agree with your comments 100% and appreciate your saying this. I served a commander in chief i respected in Bush 41. I couldn't say the same for 43.
How could a president who never served in war be "better" than one who did? - getting advice isn't the same as serving. Particularly with 43 who never listens to advice anyway. Chicken Hawk got 5 deferrments because he was too "busy" to serve in Vietnam. Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz - they look at war like a chess game or a map room excercise.
War is too important to be left to imperial cowboys and the neocon professors who run (and i use this term loosley) this one.
What would i suggest? difficult to say at this decision branch. Kind of like having your wife get you lost and driving you in the middle of nowhere then having her say "if your so smart get us out of here"
but here i go ...
1) stop attacking americans who disagree as unpatriotic or likening them to Michael Moore - that's a good start.
2) stop lying about the war and perpetrating myths - like trying to still link Iraq to 9/11
3) either send in another 100K troops to get the job done or pull them ALL out - now. either one is fine but quit Vietnamming the conflict - not enough troops to win, too few to lose. while good young men and women are killed and critically maimed daily and we make no progress.
and on another note - i was going to blog about this myself but chickened out. Veterans day isn't a Republican holiday. taking this solemn holiday to attack people - including other veterans while surrounding yourself in trappings of the military (which didn't suit him while he was supposed to be serving) personally sickens me.
I'm not a democrat. I supported this war in the beginning. but i make a mistake in trusting our government. i'm against it now.
support the troops. Bring 'em home.
I agree with your comments 100% and appreciate your saying this. I served a commander in chief i respected in Bush 41. I couldn't say the same for 43.
How could a president who never served in war be "better" than one who did? - getting advice isn't the same as serving. Particularly with 43 who never listens to advice anyway. Chicken Hawk got 5 deferrments because he was too "busy" to serve in Vietnam. Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz - they look at war like a chess game or a map room excercise.
War is too important to be left to imperial cowboys and the neocon professors who run (and i use this term loosley) this one.
What would i suggest? difficult to say at this decision branch. Kind of like having your wife get you lost and driving you in the middle of nowhere then having her say "if your so smart get us out of here"
but here i go ...
1) stop attacking americans who disagree as unpatriotic or likening them to Michael Moore - that's a good start.
2) stop lying about the war and perpetrating myths - like trying to still link Iraq to 9/11
3) either send in another 100K troops to get the job done or pull them ALL out - now. either one is fine but quit Vietnamming the conflict - not enough troops to win, too few to lose. while good young men and women are killed and critically maimed daily and we make no progress.
and on another note - i was going to blog about this myself but chickened out. Veterans day isn't a Republican holiday. taking this solemn holiday to attack people - including other veterans while surrounding yourself in trappings of the military (which didn't suit him while he was supposed to be serving) personally sickens me.
I'm not a democrat. I supported this war in the beginning. but i make a mistake in trusting our government. i'm against it now.
support the troops. Bring 'em home.
December 13, 2005
re: Finally, my ThinkPad is backed up and restored.
You should know that there is a switch "-IB" that you must use in Ghost when you have a special service partition like those on all ThinkPads. And use the 8.0 version!
December 09, 2005
re: Finally, my ThinkPad is backed up and restored.
There might be other issues at play. I have had considerable difficulty using Ghost to restore to a system where the motherboard has been upgraded. This seems to be a security constraint in Windows itself. As to the lastest version of R&R, I've had no luck installing it on my T40 laptop. I'm still using the older version.
re: Finally, my ThinkPad is backed up and restored.
Glad to read about this. I will sure try R&R out: in August, I tried the R&R program but it couldn't work well, maybe due to insufficient backup disk space. So I got a larger backup disk with USB drive and tried Ghost. What a horrible Ghost. Changed hard disk, changed motherboard - still cannot boot up from restored disk, that's mean can create image but cannot restore.
My notebook T42 already have R&R. Bill, do you advise me to download R&R again from Lenovo site? Do you think the version you downloaded in April is more up-to-date than my notebook which I got it in August? (you don't know, nevermind. Thot you may know)
BTW, Symantec is one of the many companies that outsource in call centre service to India. Philippinos and Singaporeans speak better English, but the Philippines is weaker in IT and Singapore is expensive. China labour is cheap but their English sucks. So outsource to India. Maybe they should try Malaysia.
My notebook T42 already have R&R. Bill, do you advise me to download R&R again from Lenovo site? Do you think the version you downloaded in April is more up-to-date than my notebook which I got it in August? (you don't know, nevermind. Thot you may know)
BTW, Symantec is one of the many companies that outsource in call centre service to India. Philippinos and Singaporeans speak better English, but the Philippines is weaker in IT and Singapore is expensive. China labour is cheap but their English sucks. So outsource to India. Maybe they should try Malaysia.
December 07, 2005
re: Motorola MPX-220 -- "We are not having Windows Mobile 2005..."
Bill,
PArt of the problem is that Microsoft is not really making much inroads in this space. Windows Mobile is not a visible platform for the wireless providers at least here in the states. I love my Windows Mobile (2003) phone, but try going out and buying a Windows Mobile phone from the providers from their Web site. Unless you already know about the technology you're not bloody likely to ever find it.
Until that changes there won't be any market momentum so that the providers actually have an incentive to upgrade the OS even at a price.
Also, as the previous comment states, keep in mind that Windows Mobile 5.0 requires that .NET 2.0 is installed on the phone and is NOT installed in ROM like .NET 1.0. This means it steals a lot of precious memory from the tiny bit that is there in the first place.
In order for WM 5.0 to become really viable phone hardware will have to get better too... so I wouldn't be too terribly excited about WM 5.0 unless you actually run it on a newer more powerful phone.
PArt of the problem is that Microsoft is not really making much inroads in this space. Windows Mobile is not a visible platform for the wireless providers at least here in the states. I love my Windows Mobile (2003) phone, but try going out and buying a Windows Mobile phone from the providers from their Web site. Unless you already know about the technology you're not bloody likely to ever find it.
Until that changes there won't be any market momentum so that the providers actually have an incentive to upgrade the OS even at a price.
Also, as the previous comment states, keep in mind that Windows Mobile 5.0 requires that .NET 2.0 is installed on the phone and is NOT installed in ROM like .NET 1.0. This means it steals a lot of precious memory from the tiny bit that is there in the first place.
In order for WM 5.0 to become really viable phone hardware will have to get better too... so I wouldn't be too terribly excited about WM 5.0 unless you actually run it on a newer more powerful phone.
re: Road Warriors Journal: Lessons Learned Traveling to Australia and New Zealand
If it's any consolation, Bill, your presentations (I saw two of them) were highly entertaining and educational.
The only trip I've made to the US, I made on Air New Zealand. It wasn't bad at all, but then I'm not a seasoned flier, so it might rank differently on your flight-o-meter. :)
The only trip I've made to the US, I made on Air New Zealand. It wasn't bad at all, but then I'm not a seasoned flier, so it might rank differently on your flight-o-meter. :)
Road Warriors Journal: Lessons Learned Traveling to Australia and New Zealand
I just spent over two days in the (sadly inept) hands of Qantas Airways--about 50 hours of hellish customer service. This trip was one of the most grueling I’ve ever had to endure. Since 1960 (when I made my first trans Pacific trip), I’ve sailed across and flown over the Pacific many (too many) times. I’ve flown there in a 707 in the late 60’s courtesy of the US Army—landing at
A few months ago I was invited to speak at VSLive in
The trip down to LAX (on
When we arrived in LA the transition to the international terminal was… well, interesting and a challenge in itself. There was no one to show the way and if it was not for a helpful TSA guard (who would have guessed), we would have never learned the secret handshake and hidden door to use. The signage at LAX is challenged at best. Once in the International terminal we ferreted out the Qantas gate. It was only by chance that I asked at the desk about our seat selection. It seems that
The flight from LAX to
Our problems began again as we boarded our flight from