Joel Dahlin

Feedback Tab

Are you an ASP.NET developer looking to add a Feedback tab to your site?  

I just put together a quick tutorial and downloadable example on my blog.
Check it out: 

Rackspace Cloud Support

I've been hosting with the Rackspace Cloud for almost 2 years now.  If you follow me, I am sure you've heard me talk them up before.  Here is just another great reason I like hosting with them.  They have excellent support that won't let you go until your issue is fixed.
Here is a transcript of a support chat I had with them this evening.

 

General Info
Chat start time  Feb 3, 2010 8:40:13 PM EST
Chat end time  Feb 3, 2010 9:07:38 PM EST
Duration (actual chatting time)  00:27:25
Operator  Jeff J.

 

Chat Transcript
info: Welcome to the Rackspace Cloud an operator will be with you shortly. Your approximate wait time is 0 minute(s).
info: Welcome to the Rackspace Cloud!  My name is Jeff J., how may I help you?
Joel: So I have an asp.net site running on a default of Linux. I did this because I want to install Wordpress on the site as well.
Joel: However, I am noticing something isn't working on the site, could it be due to the fact that it isn't default technology of asp.net?
Jeff J.: Hello Joel,  that could very well be correct.
Joel: ok, so my question is, well Wordpress run in a asp.net default technology?
Joel: do you know off hand? I imagine many people run Wordpress
Jeff J.: I'm not sure off hand, but I just asked another coworker that is more experienced in wordpress, and he claims it should work when ran from another subdirectory
Joel: on asp.net default technology?
Jeff J.: Correct, it should be able to.  
Joel: ok cool. Finally, I tried changing the default technology of my site to asp.net about 2.5 hours ago, but it still hasn't changed, did I miss something?
Jeff J.: Not sure, let me check for you Joel.
Joel: [domain] is the domain
Jeff J.: Ok, one minute
Jeff J.: I am trying to fix that for you right now.  It may take a few minutes
Joel: ok
Jeff J.: Check the Features tab of your control panel now.
Jeff J.: It should show .NET 2.0, 3.0, 3.5   Windows Server 2008 / IIS 7.0  as the default
Joel: yes, so does the ftp change as well?
Joel: because the site isn't loading now
Jeff J.: [domain] isn't loading for you?
Joel: well that is at a different host, you need to use the testlink
Joel: I will be moving to rackspace cloud once it is all working
Joel: [testing url] 
Jeff J.: Oh sorry about that
Jeff J.: That isn't a correct test link.  It appears to have not been fully provisioned yet.  I can push that through for you right now.
Joel: so should I justhold on?
Jeff J.: Yes, if you have a minute
Joel: I do, thanks
Jeff J.: Ok it should be working now
Joel: I'll test quick
Joel: Yes, it is working and it did fix my issue I was having too. Thank you!
Jeff J.: Awesome!
Joel: hopefull wordpress will work in this environment now. thanks for your help
Jeff J.: No problem Joel!

 

Are you using Skype for your business?

I just posted a blog about how I use Skype for my business.  Please check out the post.  If you're using it as well, let me know how in the comments.  If you're using something else, I am curious as to know what and why you believe it may be better.

http://blog.dahlindevelopment.com/2010/01/skype-for-business/

Social Media Experts

MN Headhunter just put out a great post.

It is about the fact that everyone today is self-proclaiming to be a social media expert.

It is something that I totally agree with and have the same rant about.

For people that are hiring people to teach them about social media whether it be by presentation or to come in and work with your company.  Please do a little background research on them.

Bad external HardDrive saved

I just tried firing up an older external harddrive. "USB does not recognize device.  It may be malfunctioning.  Try again,it the problem proceeds please replace device."  

I thought maybe it was because I was running Windows7 and it just didn't work.  I tried it on a Vista machine and received the same message.
So, I cracked the case and pulled out the harddrive.  I was surprised to find it was a SeaGate HDD inside this SimpleTech external harddrive.  I took the harddrive out and put it in an external harddrive enclosure.  It worked!

Lesson, it may just be the case that goes bad, try taking out the harddrive and testing it in something else before just writing it off.

Burn an ISO to DVD - Windows7

Windows 7 is great for burning ISOs to DVD.

Just right click on the iso > Open with > Windows Disc Image Burner.
Once the window opens up choose burn.  I haven't checked the "verify disc after burning" yet and I have had no issues.

Oh, and of course, make sure you have a blank DVD-R in your DVD writer drive.

   
Click here to download:
Burn_an_ISO_to_DVD_-_Windows7.zip (41 KB)

Windows 7 issues

I've been using Windows 7 now for about a month.  Overall I really like it.  I have ran into a few issues though.

  1. Skype audio recording really seems to be flaky.  I never know if my voice is going to go through or not.  I used to use a headset that simply plugged into the line in.  This wasn't recognized at all. I then tried a usb headset which has got me to where I am now.  It worked about 50% of the time.  I reinstalled Skype under Vista compatibility and it seems to be working better, but does still go out.
  2. Wacom Bamboo Pen Tablet, the driver constantly goes bad.  I end up re-installing the driver daily.
  3. I am having issues with Firefox opening a new window when one is already opened.  FF is my default browser so if I have an instance of it open and click on a link in a different application like outlook I end up getting an error.
All 3 of these are really major issues that I have been dealing with.

I hope some fixes come soon.

Things Everybody Thinks

This blog post found at Life In Hyperbole is just too funny.

Things Everybody Thinks

I stole this from my roommate.  Everyone (especially in my generation) thinks these things:
  1. I wish Google Maps had an “Avoid Ghetto” routing option.
  2. More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can’t wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that’s not only better, but also more directly involves me.
  3. I don’t understand the purpose of the line, “I don’t need to drink to have fun.” Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they’ve invented the lighter?
  4. Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you’re going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going?  But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you’re crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.
  5. That’s enough, Nickelback.
  6. I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.
  7. Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the “people you may know” feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?
  8. Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn’t work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ’s. We just figured it out. Today’s kids are soft.
  9. There is a great need for sarcasm font.
  10. Sometimes, I’ll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the f * ck was going on when I first saw it.
  11. I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I’ll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone’s laughing at the right parts
  12. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
  13. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.
  14. I think part of a best friend’s job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
  15. Was learning cursive really necessary?
  16. Lol has gone from meaning, “laugh out loud” to “I have nothing else to say”.
  17. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
  18. Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.
  19. Whenever someone says “I’m not book smart, but I’m street smart”, all I hear is “I’m not real smart, but I’m imaginary smart”.
  20. How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear what they said?
  21. I love the sense of camaraderie when a n entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!
  22. Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using ‘as in’ examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss’s last name to an attorney and said “Yes that’s G as in…(10 second lapse)..ummm…Goonies”
  23. What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?
  24. While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it…thanks Mario Kart.
  25. MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
  26. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
  27. I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.
  28. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
  29. I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least kind of tired.
  30. Bad decisions make good stories
  31. Whenever I’m Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don’t mind if I do!
  32. Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?
  33. If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.
  34. Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I’m from, this shouldn’t be a problem….
  35. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you’ve made up your mind that you just aren?t doing anything productive for the rest of the day.
  36. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don’t want to have to restart my collection.
  37. There’s no worse feeling than that millisecond you’re sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.
  38. I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
  39. “Do not machine wash or tumble dry” means I will never wash this ever.
  40. I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV.  There’s so much pressure. ‘I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren’t watching this. It’s only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?’
  41. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What’d you do after I didn’t answer? Drop the phone and run away?
  42. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
  43. When I meet a new person, I’m terrified of mentioning something they haven’t already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.
  44. I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it’s on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.
  45. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.
  46. Sometimes I’ll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
  47. I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
  48. Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn’t know what do to with it.
  49. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey – but I’d bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time…
  50. I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.
  51. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
  52. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

Everything is down!

I thought it was my connection that was down.  My email, Freshbooks, Basecamp, then I head to my twitter stream to see if that is working.

Looks like the internet is down. :)  Time to call it a day.