I'm in the process of transferring one of my domains to www.namecheap.com so that I can get a first-hand look at their service.  Anyone had experience using them?  They are currently running a special offer with any domain registration or transfer, you get a free one-year subscription to their WhoisGuard service.

I'll post a review after I've had a chance to use their service for a while.

This is very cool.  This code translation tool converts VB.NET->C# or C#->VB.NET as you type with code coloring!

I've got an environment set up for ASP.NET 2.0 Beta 2, if anyone is interested in helping me test it out.

Chris Sells just posted an entry titled "Career Path for Developers?" that really struck a chord with me.  I can really empathize with "Pete's" sentiment, and I know of several other developers that can, too.  I'm not about to abandon software development -- I love it too much and my current job is about as close to being a dream job as I can imagine.  But, there have been points in my career where the enjoyment has been "sucked out" and I was left wondering how I wanted to spend the next 20-30 years.

I really appreciate the comment left by Andrew.  He says, "...forget about 'career path' and ... do what you love doing."  Man, is that not true.  Life is too short.  Don't stay in a job that is sucking the life out of you.  Get a copy of 48 Days to the Work You Love or 48 Days To Creative Income.  Do something!

The Daily Grind has a link to more information about the Microsoft Certified Architect board certification.  Microsoft has also added a Microsoft Architecture Resource Center and RSS feed.

Paul Wilson has announced version 4.0 of his awesome O/R mapper.

Update: WilsonORMapper v4.0.0.0 (5/26/2005) includes the following:

• Supports "shared inheritance" in the database using type discriminator.
• This is also referred to as "single table with type discriminator".
• Always supported "redundant inheritance" or "one table per concrete type".
• Added support for .NET v2.0 Generics and Nullable Types -- VS 2005 Beta.
• Allows you to initialize you own relation collections, as long as IList.
• Works for all new objects, as well as non-lazy cases for existing objects.
• QueryHelper GetExpression expanded with ComparisonOperators by Paul Welter.
• Also includes nearly complete OPath engine (Longhorn Specs) by Jeff Lanning.
• Added ExecuteScalar and GetDataSet methods to the Transaction class.
• Added defaultNamespace for types that do not include the Namespace.
• Breaking Change: ExecuteCommand/Update/Delete returns int (not bool).
• Bug Fixes: Enum support, ObjectSet indexer, two types with the same name.
• Bug Fixes: Exceptions and Parameter are now marked Serializable also.
• And a special thanks to Jeff Lanning for help with both OPath and Generics.

I am hooked on Yahoo's new music subscription service, Y! Unlimited.

• Access to over 1 million songs, streamed instantly or download as much as you want.
• As you rate music (songs, artists, albums), the music engine begins to suggest new music that matches your tastes.  I've already listened to a ton of great music I would have never taken the risk to buy.
• There are over 120 commercial-free "radio stations".  These are basically streamed play lists that you can play on demand.  Don't like the song currently being played?  Skip to the next one.  Create your own radio station and hear music based on your tastes.
• Tracks are encoded at 192kbps.  They sound great.
• Fill and re-fill your compatible MP3 player as often as you like, just like Napster-to-Go.
• Use your account on up to 3 computers.  Just don't try to use it on more than one computer at the same time.

$4.99 per month (yearly subscription) or $6.99 if you want to pay by the month.  How can you beat that?

Jeffrey Palermo writes a couple of very senior .NET/C# developers are needed at Dell to work on a call-center application.  If you fit the description, or know of anyone who does, he'd appreciate the referral.

I just realized that I've never blogged about ApologetiX.  Shame on me.  They go by the tag, "That Christian Parody Band."  If you like music parodies ala "Weird Al," you're going to love these guys.  Their lyrics are clever, solid and firmly grounded in the Gospel.  What amazes me is how musically talented they are.  The could be the greatest cover band of all time, if they chose to be.  However, they have chosen to use their talents to reach people that might not otherwise ever hear the Gospel.  Give them a listen (requires free registration).  If you see a song you recognize, I guarantee it will bring a smile to your face.

The following is from their FAQ.


Currently listening to "Learn Some Deuteronomy (Live)" from New & Used Hits, parody of "Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard :)

Terry Storch posted a link to an interesting article, 10 Easy Ways to Keep Me from Visiting Your Church Because I Visited Your Website.  Some of the tips deal with usability, but mostly it's about avoiding the common mistakes that turn people off from church.  Great post!