H-O-R-S-E is even more bizarre than volleycock!

For the uninitiated, volleycock was a cross between badminton and keepy-uppy, and was highly amusing.

A trick I learnt at my last job was to document the exact steps when installing software on a server. When the server needs re-installing, there is a correct method of rebuilding it in the same way.

The build machine's hard drive has failed twice in the last month or so, and I'm very glad I put the rebuild instructions on the wiki. It's saved loads of time.

Today was another good developer day. I know it's double geeky going to Microsoft on a Saturday, but hey, I'm a geek (even the geeks I work with think I'm geeky).

The sessions were really good, and I had to miss a couple that clashed with ones I went to. The first one was about CodeSmith, which I wasn't sure about attending, as I've used it quite a bit already. Simon Thorneycroft and Jonathan Hodgson gave me a tip-off beforehand that everyone going would get a free CodeSmith professional licence, which kind of made up my mind to go. Despite my impure motives, it was a good presentation, and it was good to see the full version in use; being a cheapskate, I've only ever used the freeware version.

Alex Homer's talk on XML reading and writing was excellent. I've been using the .NET 2005 XML classes for a while now, and some of them were still quite a mystery until Alex went through them. He has an easy, methodical style, and he seems to pack a lot in to an hour. This was probably the most useful session that I attended. I won a copy of his book on ADO.NET and System.Xml; hopefully I'll get more use out of it than the prize I won at the last event (there's still no takers).

The XSLT and XPath talk by the chuckle brothers was the most entertaining of the day. I noticed one of them taking a photo of the audience, so I grinned like a loony (that's me in the front row, um, grinning). Don't be fooled: although it looks otherwise, I was actually wearing matching shoes.

After lunch, I went to see Mike Roberts talk about .NET development trees. I've previously read his blog entry about the subject when I was setting up SourceSafe at work. The session started with group hugs discussions about what goes wrong when trying to build a project for the first time after joining a team. There were many sage hmmmms of agreement about version controlling database schemas - Simon Thorneycroft and I discussed it at a Sussex geek dinner recently. What was encouraging about this session was that most of the things mentioned as good source control practices we actually do at EurotaxGlass's.

Barry Dorrans' MSBuild talk was really good. I had considered volunteering to do a talk on MSBuild myself, but when I saw that Barry had already offered, I backed away slowly, making no sudden movements. Barry is way more qualified than me to talk on the subject, as he wrote some of the SDC MSBuild tasks, whereas I just use exec tasks to call command line programs.

Simon Thorneycroft and Jonathan Hodgson were clearly much more knowledgable about the intestines of .NET than I'll be for a long time. Their talk on CLR, GC and design patterns was well prepared, with an imaginative use of gift-wrapped boxes being passed around the audience as a metaphor for the garbage collector.

One of the good things about attending a community event is the community bit. I met a couple of people in the flesh for the first time. Helen Emerson and I have commented on each other's blogs for ages, so it was cool to actually meet her in the flesh.

I recognised Oliver Sturm from his photo on his weblog, and introduced myself. After chatting for a while, I found out that he's about to start working for Developer Express. In the last fortnight, I've started using their grid control, which Oliver's used for ages, and has helped out supporting it. I fear I may be pestering him soon...

After much practising with a hairbrush in front of a mirror, Benjamin Mitchell has finally worked out how to rhyme data with later. I have a couple of Seth Ifrican friends who (as well as Australians) also rhyme data with garter. It wouldn't be right if I didn't spot another pronounciation idiosyncrasy: Barry pronounced project to rhyme with blow-ject, rather than the more conventional object.

After hours socialising: Microsoft booked a bar for a couple of hours, and there was an attendees' geek dinner after the event finished, but I had a gig, so unfortunately I couldn't go.

I'm going to put a phot on my blog: three times this week I've come across something that made me think it was a good idea. Firstly, I read a blog post about the 10 things a blog should do (or have, or something - sorry, can't find link aha, found it). Secondly, recognising Oliver, and thirdly someone talking about it in one of the sessions. I might use the one I put on hot or not - I got a surprisingly high 5.9!

Just to prove it!

I'm currently at DDD at Microsoft.

Today is flat-screen monitor day. Everyone in the team gets as many new monitors as their graphics card allows. I get two!

Wow. I've always been impressed with Google, but now, even more so. Google can spell Harriyott.

It's hard to spell in a different way to long Czech names with lots of Ks and Zs, because Harriyott is easy to read, and is instantly pronouncable. Very few people remember both the I and the Y, as no words in English have an I followed by a Y. Nobody has ever guessed how it's spelt first time, and loads of people can't even get it right whilst I'm spelling it out to them: once they've got to the double R, they rush on ahead.

Sure, it's a real pain on the phone, but any Harriyott found on the internet is either me, or directly related to me. My son and my brother are the last in the line; if they don't produce sons, then no more Harriyotts.

I had no trouble buying harriyott.com. I've read a few blog posts recently from people with common popular surnames who have huge trouble to get on the first page of Google. I also read that Seth Godin doesn't have that problem.

OK, so it takes up more time, but I prefer it to a simpler name.

We have vacancy for another C# developer, who will be working with .NET 2005. We do automated daily builds using MSBuild, unit testing with TeamTest, and use a Wiki for project communication.

The job is based in Crowborough, East Sussex. Applicants should have a couple of years' C# experience and sound practical SQL Server knowledge. An MCP would help. If you're interested in applying, then please get in touch.

[Disclaimer: If I introduce a successful applicant to the company, I win some kind of 'experience', like driving a Ferrari or something (no cash alternative). However, I'd still recommend working here if I got nothing.]

Most of the blogs I read are technical, and their names and descriptions seem to have a couple of themes. Commonly, the blog name comprises the name of the author followed by either the word "blog" or the word "weblog".

• Eric J. Smith's Weblog
• Mike Taulty's Weblog

There's also the "code" theme: the name (or description) of the blog is chosen and written to look like source code. Some examples:

• Eric.Weblog()
• Tobler.SoftwareArchitecture()
• /* Rambling comments... */
• ISerializable
• Brain.Save()
• 0xDECAFBAD
• STEFANO DEMILIANI WeBlog SELECT * FROM [stefano].[thoughts]

Then there's the "self-effacing" theme. Not wishing to appear proud or arrogant, the writer swings the other way in the name or description:

• Jerry Dennany's Occasional Clue
• raving lunacy
• idunno.org rated by teachers as "must try harder".

And occasionally even both:

• writerus drivelus What in heavens name am I doing?

I find this a little irritating, as I'd like to have some idea about the content of the blog before having to read it.

There are a few that are very clever or funny, but these are rare:

• Halley's Comment
• OK, so I can't think of another one at the mo. Please comment if you can.
  

However, my blog name and description is hardly inspirational (mine are so poor they don't appear on the site, just in the feed).

The problem is similar to the one musicians face when starting a band. I've been in several bands, and it's a lot easier to write a few songs and get them sounding good than to think of a band name, which explains why I was in a band called Bod and the Cherry Trees (which narrowly avoid being called Thomas the Spank Engine!).

The problem is worse with blogging. During the installation / registration of the blogging software / service, a name and description must be chosen before writing posts. At least with a band there's a few rehearsals before a name must be chosen in time for the first gig.

When faced with the empty blog name and description boxes, it's easy to fill in the first nonsense that comes to mind. When a few people start signing up, it becomes harder to change the title, as the subscribers will wonder where it's gone, and hey, what's this new one - I don't remember subscribing to this.

So I'm stuck with "Simon's Software Stuff". I'm not thrilled about it, but it's got my name in it, and there's a clue as to what it's about, and the "Stuff" is just a little self-effacing.

Some highlights from tonight's Sussex geek dinner:

Firstly, free wine. Hugh agreed to sponsor this geek dinner by supplying us with Stormhoek. This time it was rosé, which went down well. I don't think I've had rosé before, but Peter had just come back from France, where he'd had plenty of it. He said it was fruitier than any other rosé he had drunk before.



Secondly, more geeks. Two people I hadn't met before, including Mike, who runs an OPC website, and noticed my recent post on OPC and got in touch. There were a few process control geeks present, so there was some double geekiness going on. Apparently LAUNCHcast interferes with serial ports when trying to talk to theodolites.

Thirdly, cracking passwords. One guy said that in his company only one user has a password, and it turned out to be my next door neighbour. My first guess was the name of his (much-adored) dog, and I was correct!

Fourthly, old computers. Until today, I had never heard of an Oric, and this morning someone at work told me they had one, and tonight Andy says he's still got his.

Someone asked me why I started organising geek dinners. Because my wife just doesn't understand me...

Anyway, it was another relaxed, fun, sociable evening. Hopefully there'll be another one before Christmas.

I've recently finished a website for my brother's company, Country Works. It was fun trying to make a "traditional" looking website, if there is such a thing, to suit a rural business.

Matt has also started blogging on the site, which I'll find interesting, as I know as much about trees as Matt does about computers!