Weekly Link Post 134

Here is the latest installment of links that I have found interesting in the past week.

Application Development/Design

• The .NET Asynchronous I/O Design Pattern – "Asynchronous operations allow a program to perform time consuming tasks on a background thread while the main application continues to execute. However, managing multiple threads and cross-thread communication adds complexity to your code. Fortunately, the .NET Framework has a useful Design Pattern."
• Web Browser in C# – "A tabbed Web Browser in C# with favicons, History & Favorites, Links Bar, View Source, Search, and Print functionality."
• Senior Developer Assessment Revisited – Eric Smith continues his assessment of the characteristics of a Senior Developer.
• Java in the Eclipse IDE for Education – "…effort has been around making Eclipse just a little easier to use during those first few months of learning."
• Named and Optional Arguments – A beginner’s guide to the Named and Optional Arguments in C# 4.0
• How To Learn F# – explains some ways to learn the F# language
• Creating a simple game in clojure – "If a game consists of a thin layer of Clojure wrapped around a full-featured Java game engine, is it actually written in Clojure?"
• The Non-Programming Programmer – Good article on why "the vast majority of so-called programmers who apply for a programming job interview are unable to write the smallest of programs."
• Visual Studio Tips:  Using CTRL + ALT + Dn Arrow to Open the File Menu Dropdown List | Using CTRL + ALT + B to Open the Breakpoints Window | Insert File As Text | Code Definition Window | Understanding Virtual Space

SQL Server, Compliance and PowerShell

• SSIS: Make your output files dynamic part 2 – "The idea here was to make an ssis package, producing a text file output, that would cope with complete changes to the data source"
• Console input with Powershell – Nice Powershell script to build a batch-type menu.
• Are you interested in a virtual PowerShell brown-bag event? – I voted monthly…
• SELECT from a Stored Procedure – "Occasionally I find myself wanting to SELECT from a SPROC in SQL Server. Usually this is because I want to ORDER the results or filter them further with a WHERE clause"
• Free Database Sync Tools – Good list of free tools.
• Calculating number of workdays between 2 dates – Handy to know…

Community/Technology Events & Training

• Houston Area User Group Meetings – This is my monthly listing of Houston area user group meetings.
• Upcoming SQL Server Presentations – Brent Ozar informs of his upcoming events.

Internet, Software, Technology & Science

• Bing – It Does Way More Than You Think – Good information on Bing.

Self-Improvement, Productivity and Career

• Improved Productivity: A 12-Step Program – "It can be hard to prioritize, manage the workload and stay focused, but with a few simple steps and a good dose of discipline, you can be on your way to more control over your days."
• Stuck in Anger Mode? Use it to Fuel Your Drive for Change – "If we can utilize the energy of anger, riding its energy rather than it riding us, the possibilities for positive change are huge."

Sports, Entertainment and Everything Else

• Trace the Ecliptic Across the Sky – "The ecliptic is the path the sun, moon, and planets take across the sky as seen from Earth. It defines the plane of the Earth’s orbit around the sun."
• Dilbert comics I Found Funny:  02-22 | 02-23 | 02-26 | 02-27
• Movie Trailers:  How to Train Your Dragon | A Nightmare on Elm Street | Clash of the Titans

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Great Link Blog Sources

• The Simple Dollar – Weekly Roundup
• Rick Minerich – F# Discoveries This Week
• John Clayton – Weekly Web Nuggets
• Jason Haley – Interesting Finds
• Alvin Ashcraft – Morning Dew
• Steve Pietrek – Links
• Arjan Zuidhof – LinkBlog
• Mike Gunderloy – Double-Shot
• David Vidmar – Links of the week
• Sam Gentile – New and Notable
• Craig Bailey – On Microsoft
• Chris Alcock – Morning Brew
• Jonathan Gardner – Links
• Greg Duncan – A Feed You Should Read
• Johnathan Giles – Java Desktop Links of the Week

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Happy Surfing.

^..^