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I have just uploaded the first release of my BlogWriter for Smart Devices which allows you to post new messages to blog servers that uses the MetaBlog API. My aim was to provide a LiveWriter like application for devices like my HTC PDA. In the zip file you will find these instructions and a .CAB file. The installation process is as follows: Make sure you Smart Device has .NET Compact Framework 3.5 installed Copy the the CAB file to your smart device On the smart device double click on the CAB – you will get a message about unknown publisher, say OK. The EXE and the CAB are digitally signed but Black Marble is not a known publisher (we don’t have Mobile2Market certificate which is the only type that the installer can check publishers against). Answer the questions as to where you want to install the application. Once the program has been installed there should be a icon on program menu for Blog Writer, click it to run You see a splash screen, this should disappear after a short while and leave an empty page (this is because the blog server has not been configured yet) ...

I went to very interesting IET meeting last night entitled ‘Enigma & Friends’ given by John Alexander. He is a private collector of encryption machines; the bulk of his collection is currently house in the Block-B exhibit at Bletchley Park and is open to the public. The difference between going to the museum and seeing his presentation is threefold. Firstly the you get his extensive knowledge of the subject, but I think even more interestingly hear of the adventures it takes to obtain what must be remembered were (or still are) top secret machines. And finally you get a chance to handle the machines, probably something I will not get the chance to do again. ...

This post has been written with a blog writer (same idea as Live Writer) that I have written for a Smart Device using the .NET Compact Framework 3.5 The reason I wrote it was I find Community Server a bit awkward to use in a web browser on a small form factor device like my HTC Cruise phone. Being able to create a post offiline just seemed an easier option. ...

I posted a while ago about my new HTC Cruise, well I am still really happy with it but I have come across a problem. I have found that from time to time I get problems trying to do a Send/Receive in Outlook Mobile via the 3G mobile phone network. Well today after a chat with Tom I spotted the pattern. ...

I will be speaking on Visual Studio for Database Professionals to the Scottish SQL usergroup on the 4th June in Edinburgh. Update The event booking site is now available at http://www.sqlserverfaq.com/?eid=115

The details are out the for VBug event I am speaking at, it is going to be at The Castlegate, Melbourne Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 2JQ Hope to see you there.

A busy time in the next few weeks for free community launch events for Windows 2008, Visual Studio 2008 and SQL 2008. This week we at Black Marble are hosting a series of three evening events (See online booking) where you can see virtually the whole set of Black Marble speakers. On the 30th of April there will be a VBug hosted launch event in Newcastle where I, Rik and Iain will be speaking. ...

After an uneventful journey I have got home from the IMTC conference in Dublin. Thanks to the organiser for running the event, it seemed to go well. I hope I managed to answer any question my sessions on SQL BI and Scrum raised, if not send a message via this blog. I suspect there might be a few from the Scrum session as it seems the cinema (where the conference was held) had a movie scheduled to start at 6pm, the same time I was scheduled to finish so not much chance to stand around for a Q&A and chat. ...

It is the school holidays, so I am sitting in a children’s indoor jungle gym sorting out my slides for Ireland while my son rushes around. Having someone working on a laptop here seems to be a bit of novelty. I have had a number of children rush over to see what I am doing. They don’t stay watching long when they spot the VPC of SQL 2008 and a PowerPoint stack. ...

Just found out that Robert and myself are both now doing two sessions at the Irish Microsoft Technologies Conference next week. **Thursday **13:45 - BI in SQL 08 (Richard Fennell) 16:45 - Microsoft Volta: Next Gen .NET Client-Server Apps (Robert Hogg) **Friday **10:00 - Overview of Business Process Automation and implementing an Enterprise Service Bus using Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2 (Robert Hogg) 16:45 - What is Scrum? (Richard Fennell)