Month: August 2005

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Nullable Value Types in C#

One of the smaller, but more useful features in the new .Net 2.0 was going to be Nullable Value types. Basically allowing you to have a null int will make conversations with databases, most of which allow any field to be null, to be much, much easier.

Well, what I wasn’t aware of was there where some limitation in the implementation of this feature, but apparently these limitations have been fixed at the 11th hour by Microsoft based on customer feedback. The feature now works the way it should.

I can’t help but be amazed by this, the ‘new’ microsoft. There have been quite a few instances of feature requests and ‘bugs’ spotted by developers and entered in their [‘Ladybug’ feedback centre](http://lab.msdn.microsoft.com/productfeedback/) that Microsoft have really taken notice of and done something about. The other one that springs to mind is the new icons and graphic library to be included in Visual Studio to make it easier to create applications with the latest ‘xp’ look and feel.

Check out the below article for the full scoop on nullable types.

[http://blogs.msdn.com/somasegar/archive/2005/08/11/450640.aspx](http://blogs.msdn.com/somasegar/archive/2005/08/11/450640.aspx)

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Damn, I’m Meme-ing again

Generally I don’t like these ‘meme’ things, but this one looked interesting so I thought I’d give it a go. [[via](http://www.drimple.net/?p=129)]

10 years ago: 1995 – started the year unemployed in edinburgh, not the most inspiring time of my life. had met the love of my life (my wife), got my first proper job, in the IT industry, which saved my soul. drank too much, smoked too much, ate too many pasties, put on too much weight…

5 years ago: 2000 – 1999 was much more significant as it was the year I got married. 2000 was just another year – I’m sure something exciting happened but I can’t seem to remember.

1 year ago: we started out new hobby, rock climbing in the january, and got our first outdoors experience in the august (birthday present, best ever). went to nepal on holiday, fab.

Today: get up, go to work, try to take photos in lunch-hour, work some more, go home, have tea – pretty much it. I might go to an art gallery at lunch-time.

Tomorrow: Same as today? More interesting is the weekend, when I might go to Durham to take lovely photographs, and maybe an art talk at the aforementioned gallery [[Vane](http://www.vane.org.uk)].

5 snacks I enjoy: carrot cake, caramel slice, anything with chocolate in * 3

5 Bands/Singers that I know most of the lyrics to their songs: Queen, Bon Jovi, one They Might Be Giants Song – that will have to do as I’m VERY crap at lyrics (as the wife, she does like laughing at me as I get it wrong).

5 locations I’d like to run away to: lake district, yosemite, australia, new zealand, the moon (when it has a dome!)

5 bad habits I have: bite nails, flickr surfing, ignoring my wife, forgetting stuff, interupting people

5 things I like doing: flickr surfing, reading books, walking in the hills, climbing, taking photos

5 things I would never wear: white socks with black trousers, sadals with any socks, not much else (I’m a sucker for a bet).

5 TV shows I like: Dead like me, Desperate House Wives, Will and Grace, Seinfield, 24

5 Movies I Like: Casablanca, Blade Runner, The Princess Bride, Hero, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

5 Famous People I’d Like to Meet: Einstein, [Henri Cartier-Bresson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Cartier-Bresson), [Pierre de Fermat](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_de_Fermat), [Thomas Edison](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Alva_Edison) and [Ben Franklin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin)

5 Biggest Joys at the Moment: 350D camera, this web site working, spending time with caroline, not having to do the great north run, being alive

5 favorite toys: 350d camera, this web site, flickr, ruby, climbing gear

5 people to tag: if you have a blog, consider yourself tagged.

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Website Format Moved

Well, incase you can’t tell, the website has had a major overhaul.

I’ve moved from Movable Type to [Wordpress](http://www.wordpress.org “WordPress”) and am feeling quite happy, as I think it all went very well. Hopefully everything should be redirecting in just about the right way, and I think I have a bit more flexibility than before.

One of the main reasons for the move was the Page feature, which you can see on the left of the menubar. These allow me to create static (don’t argue about that word, the content is fairly static) pages that I can update as and when, mostly for my Flickr.Net API and screensaver work.

The other reason, it that I was bored of the look and feel. So ner!

If you spot any problems then let me know, and I’ll try and fix them.

Other features we now have:

* Comment email subscription
* Better category support
* Some awesome plugins (including the Markdown plugin)

Well, back to the grindstone.

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Enough to make you cry

I’m not really an emotional person in real life, I bottle things up and ignore stuff rather than face things that might make me sad, a form of self defence no doubt.

But sometime, for no apparent reason something will just cause a tear or two to well up in my eyes, touching something deep within. Flickr has provided me with three of these occasions so far, pictures, usually with words, which have touched me for various reasons.

The first, and most recent is from Special. I suggest you go to Flickr and read the description. There are many things bad about the internet, but it does provide a certain amount of outlet for so many people – you can say things to no-one that you could never say to anyone.

Beneath
Beneath
Originally uploaded by Special.

The second wasn’t so much the picture, but the text that went with it. Although the picture and caption tell a story in themselves.

Please don't Crush Me
Please don’t Crush Me
Originally uploaded by !efatima.

The third one (or first taken in chronological order) was just one of those photos, I just stared for a while, the look in the eyes speaking volumes. The vulnerability, trying to hide behind the cushion, but the camera seeing all.

Of Me Looking Back
Of Me Looking Back
Originally uploaded by Shooz.
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Henry Moore


Yorkshire Sculpture Park 038
Originally uploaded by _pauls.

Henry Moore has to be one of my favourite artists, his stuff being so emotional and connected in a strange and abstract way. It was his birthday on the 30th July so I thought a quick post was in order.

The above photo was taken at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, a place I really must go to as Bretton Hall, which it is adjacent to it is where my mum went to college (drama and english) and on the lake of which is where she first met my dad.