Cory Cissell

Pigs and Chickens

2008-12-22T12:41:00.001-08:00

A chicken and a pig are walking down the road. The chicken says to the pig, “Do you want to open a restaurant with me?” The pig considers the question and replies, “Yes, I’d like that. What do you want to call the restaurant?” The chicken replies, “Ham and Eggs!” The pig stops, pauses, and replies, “On second thought, I don’t think I want to open a restaurant with you. I’d be committed, but you’d only be involved.

- Ken Schwaber (Agile Project Management with Scrum)

Yes, I’m reading books on Scrum and agile software development. In fact, I just order three books from Amazon:

Agile Software Development with Scrum
Agile Project Management with Scrum
Agile Estimating and Planning

For those of you who work with me the books will be available to you also. The company is paying for the books.

Windows Live

2008-12-21T12:52:00.001-08:00

I’m really like all the “new” stuff the Windows Live team has put together. I say “new” because most of the stuff (photos, profiles, etc) have been around for a while but now everything is more integrated. I think a lot of new items has been added but it’s hard to say because stuff was really hard to find before.

One of the “new” features is Web Activities. Users can elect to share web related activities (flickr upload, Blogger posts, twitter post, etc) to Live.com. Now your friends using Windows Live can be kept informed when you do stuff. I prefer Flickr to Windows Live Photos, now when I upload a picture to Flickr my contacts will know that new stuff is available.

Recently, lots of updates were made to the Essentials software suite (Messenger, Writer, Photo Gallery, etc). Better integration between the software and the online services is very noticeable. For example, when I tag photos in Photo Gallery, it’s visible from my “web activities”. I can tag “people” with the list of Hotmail contacts, I can add a “photo album” into my Blog and the “album” is the photo album from Windows Live Photo.

I like the tighter integration but to make the most use out-of-it you really need to use Windows Live. I’m not yet ready to give up Flickr, Gmail, or Google Calendar even though the Microsoft equivalents are really good.

Family Photos

2008-12-21T12:26:00.001-08:00

We took some family photos. We really like them.

View Full Album

MTV – Where is the Music? Oh, it’s on line.

2008-10-29T20:30:00.001-07:00

MTV is posting it’s entire video catalog online. While this is great new, they could do a better job with the web site. For example, when I’m watching a video, the page lists the name of the album but it doesn’t link to other videos featured on that album. One would think it would be a good opportunity to allow the user to purchase the entire CD but it doesn’t. Also, then search experience could be improved by implementing auto complete.

In addition to tons of videos, a developers API is available so there is no telling the number of interesting application that will be created. MTV does have a few idea:

Build a music video gallery of MTV, VH1, CMT or LOGO artists.
Create an application to send music video dedications to friends on Facebook, MySpace, Flux or just about any other social network.
Mine our expansive music video archive to create the music application of your dreams.
Fashion a WordPress plug-in to dynamically pull music videos into blog posts

I think this is a great first step for MTV and I hope that lots of improvements to the web site is planned.

Red Hot Chili Peppers |MTV Music

Check out Ars Technicia for more information.

The Ultrasound

2008-10-15T18:56:00.000-07:00

We had the ultrasound. The video was uploaded to flickr.

For those of you who don’t want to watch all thirteen minutes to find out the sex – it’s a boy.

SNL Bailout Skit

2008-10-09T17:51:00.001-07:00

Wow, this skit is both brutal and hilarious. Hulu had the video up but removed it due to concerns of a lawsuit. The original version had subtext that said, “people who should be shot”. Check out the skit below.

Windows Live Downloads

2008-09-19T18:47:00.001-07:00

New version of several of Windows Live applications are available for download:

Movie Maker and Paint (not available for download) includes a a new UI that’s based on the Office 2007 Ribbon.

I use Writer and Photo Gallery on a regular basis and I think they are both fun applications to use. Out-of-the-box they offer lots of useful features but they also support plug-ins which allow third-party developers to add additional features.

Live Mesh v.s. Dropbox

2008-09-19T07:00:00.001-07:00

For those of you using Dropbox to synch files across computers I would suggest that you also try Live Mesh.

Live Mesh is a free tool from Microsoft that allows you to synch files, access files from the web, and even remote connect from the web to a connected device. I’ve been using it for a while and I think that it’s solid.

“Anything you add to Live Mesh is available from anywhere, including the web from your Live Desktop. Your Live Desktop comes with 5 GB of free storage, and can be used from most web browsers.

Need a program that's only on your home PC? With Live Mesh, access to all your devices—and any programs on those devices—is at your fingertips, no matter where you are.”

Best of all it’s free and offers more storage than Dropbox – 5 GB.

Learn more about Live Mesh.

Wind Storm!

2008-09-19T04:24:00.001-07:00

This past weekend’s wind storm didn’t do anyone any favors – houses lost roofs, trees were uprooted, and cars were damaged. Mine included.

The estimate from the body shot is over $3000.00. Ouch! My insurance company is taking care of everything including the crappy rental car; a Chevy Aveo.

You can check out more photos on my Flickr page.

The Correct Way to Write a Check

2008-06-27T19:30:00.001-07:00

My guess is that the author of this check thought he was unfairly charged, but that's just a guess. Click on the image to view it in it's original size.

Dropbox is Coming

2008-05-22T19:43:00.001-07:00

Dropbox, a free service that allows users to effortless sync and share files, has been in a private, invite-only beta for a while now. Even though they already send out thousands of invites a day (today they sent out over 5000) today they announced, via their blog, that ten-of-thousands of users who are on the wait list will be allowed to join soon:

"I’m happy to announce that, over the next few days, we will be opening the gates to tens of thousands more users on our beta invite list."

Dropbox is different from other file sharing application:

No complicated interface to learn. It's seamlessly integrated into your desktop.
Invite friends and family to a shared folder for easy collaboration around files.
Changes to your files are instantly synced across your computers.
All of your stuff is available via the web, so you can get it no matter where you are.
You can undelete files or restore old versions in a snap.

Dropbox has a Windows and Mac client available to testers and are working on a Linux version.

Pricing has not been announced but they expect the service to remain free to all user while the pricing tiers will allows for more storage and premium features (those haven't been announced either).

From my limited experience with the service it was indeed fast - very fast. Files that I added or deleted from "My Dropbox" appeared almost instantly on their web site. The "undelete' and "restore" feature" worked as advertised also.

One thing that immediately comes to mind with any service that going to share and host your files on their servers is security. Here what Dropbox's privacy policy states:

"Dropbox is very concerned with safeguarding your information. We employ reasonable measures designed to protect your information from unauthorized access."

Before I store anything more sensitive than my family photos I want to know a lot more about how they secure my files.

For those of you who have tried the application/service, before sending a suggestion or posting a complaint head over to the forums and checkout the upcoming features thread. Dropbox may already be planning to address your concern.

Protect Your Coin Slot

2008-05-12T19:36:00.001-07:00

If you like Saturday Night Live then heard over to Hulu and watch your next favorite skit.

Dilbert Minisodes Available on Hulu

2008-05-12T18:47:00.001-07:00

Did you forget that Dilbert was an animated series? Reconnect with Dilbert and friends on Hulu.

In this minisode, The Dupey, Dilbert designs a cute toy that evolves into a superior life form.

Check out all the Dilbert clips and minisodes on Hulu.

Dilbert Widget Now Available

2008-04-21T17:00:00.001-07:00

From the Official Dilbert Widget Page:

"Grab your very own Dilbert widget for your Facebook, MySpace, iGoogle page or any other place you may be feeling a void and let the icon of office workers make each day a little more brilliant and carefree."

What is a widget?

The "What Is" page describes it like this:

"Whether you call it a widget, gadget, badge, module, capsule, snippet, mini or flake; a widget is a small web or desktop application that brings information to you, so you don't have to look for the information yourself. Some widgets are helpful like clocks, calculators or calendars. Some widgets let you write desktop notes and see weather forecasts. REALLY GREAT widgets do even more incredible stuff, like let you feed Dilbert in color straight to your Facebook or MySpace pages, your blog, your personal web page or even your desktop.

Widgets are designed to be shared. You can send your favorite widgets to friends and co-workers, and anyone who sees a widget on your personal pages can download it for themselves. So just click the "Grab it" button, decide where you want to put your widget, and then pass it along. Even The Boss will smile when he gets that email."

What I found to be the coolest is that an Official RSS Feed is also available! Where most comics rss feeds offer only links to the comics Dilbert.com's feed offers the full comics strip.

Microsoft Surface Now in AT&T Stores

2008-04-18T19:39:00.001-07:00

Microsoft Surface, the new touch screen computer from Microsoft, is now available in five different AT&T stores nation wide.

The technology is simply amazing! Check out the hands-on demo video below and a another about Microsoft Research.

Microsoft Surface Demo

Microsoft Research

Beautiful Photos

2008-04-05T23:21:00.001-07:00

If you are into really beautiful photos then head over to Hamad Darwish and check out the gallery. Some of his work has can be found in the Vista wallpaper collection like the image to the right.

Additional photos can be found on Flickr.

Mozy Backup Service

2008-03-24T18:09:00.001-07:00

I've used Mozy remote backup service for almost a year and I love the service. It backs up all the files that I want it to including music, photos, videos, etc. I do have a small problem but it isn't with Mozy, it's my cable Internet access provider Insight. The problem is that if you use more bandwidth than what they feel is appropriate then they can disconnect your service. Well, this weekend I record lots of video using both a camcorder and my compact camera. Once I pulled the video down to my computer there was almost 50GB of files! All of which Mozy is going to keep safe.

Snow in the Spring!

2008-03-23T19:54:00.001-07:00

Her it is the fourth day of Spring and it's snowing!

To make matters worse the snow is actually sticking; it's nuts.

Easter 2008

2008-03-23T19:23:00.001-07:00

Holidays are always hectic when you have two separate families to meet with and this Easter was no different. We went to church on Saturday and on Sunday we visited with both Amy's and my family. Some fun pictures of Sophia are below and as always the rest are on Flickr.

	Amy Loves this picture. Sophia was finally in a picture-taking-mode.
	Lots of treats from the Easter bunny.
	A little dinner time fun.
	Once she was done sucking the apples from the bowl Sophia found a number of ways to play with it.

It can be a real challenge trying to get everything done that we want but in the end it's worth it. Time with family is important.

Lights, Camera, Action!

2007-08-25T07:42:00.001-07:00

And now for the first of several movies staring the one and only Sophia Grace. So, please sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

For those of you who maybe be a little concerned with the ending, let me just say that no children were harmed while making this video.

Coming Soon...Sophia Videos

2007-08-24T18:24:00.001-07:00

Today Blogger announced a new video upload capability, and I thought that it would fun to show our family and friends the short, low quality videos that we take with our digital camera. We never miss an opportunity to show off our sweet Sophia Grace.

Please keep in mind that none of our videos are really high quality because we take them with our digital camera but it's really more about content than quality. Stay tuned.

Sophia One Year Photos

2007-08-13T18:55:00.001-07:00

I wanted to share with everyone the pictures from Sophia's one year photo shoot.

You can check out all 71 photos on Flickr.