The slides from my Introduction to Distributed Version Control with Mercurial grok talk at the January 2010 CINNUG meeting is available here (pdf).

I will be speaking at devLink 2009!  If you are not familiar with devLink, take a look at what great technical content you get over three days for only $75.  Here is my speaker bio, and my sessions will be:

Windows Mobile Development*
Do you want to learn how to develop applications for Windows Mobile that are useful in your personal life, or in the enterprise? Had enough drag-and-drop demos where you build boring-looking applications? This session will include an introduction to the Windows Mobile platform, .NET Compact Framework, Windows Mobile SDKs, SQL Server Compact Edition, and frameworks from Microsoft and third-parties. The latter half of the session will discuss and demonstrate creating advanced user interfaces with .NET CF as well as tools and techniques for testing, debugging, and tuning your applications. This session expects no Windows Mobile or .NET CF experience, but will presume some Visual Studio and .NET experience.

Compact and Capable!**
SQL Server Compact Edition is an in-process database for use in applications that extend data storage capabilities to the desktop and to mobile devices. It is ideal for distributed and embedded applications and delivers essential relational database functionality in a small footprint while providing the familiar programming and management interfaces of SQL Server.  This session will explore how you can leverage SQL Compact as a local data store for Smart Client and Smart Device applications.  Also covered will be Visual Studio support, deployment options, ADO.NET interfaces, and synchronization options. Leave this session empowered with knowledge how to make your applications work anywhere the users are.

My sincere thanks and appreciation to the devLink speaker selection committee for selecting my abstracts.  Register today and come join me in Nashville, TN from August 13 – 15, 2009.

* The WM Dev session is an in-depth session which will be a multi-hour session.
** Yes, I stole the tagline of the SQL CE team for my talk title (and think it quite apropos for the product).

MetaBlog Post Extension is a Graffiti plug-in that will allow you to set several post properties when posting via the MetaBlog API by including some tokens in your post body.  I created this plug-in in response to a comment to my original Publishing to Graffiti CMS from Diarist post that asked about setting the Include on the Home Page property of a post when posting.

Installing MetaBlog Post Extension

Once you have the plug-in, you can either place it into your /bin directory yourself (via file copy or FTP), or use the File Browser in Graffiti.  To use the File Browser, go go the Graffiti control panel > Site Options > Utilities > File Browser.   Select the bin folder from the folder list and then click the Add Files link. Locate NinoB.Graffiti.PlugIns.dll and upload it.

Now, as all plug-ins are disabled by default, it must be enabled.  In the Graffiti control panel, navigate to Site Options > Plug-Ins.  Locate the ‘MetaBlog Post Extension’ entry and click the Enable link.  Once enabled, it will look like this:

 Configuring MetaBlog Post Extension

There is no configuration for this plug-in.

Using MetaBlog Post Extension

In your post, add one (or more) of the following tokens:

 Here is an example using Windows Live Writer:

Here is an example using Diarist:

Download the plug-in here!

Notes

I have only tested this from Windows Live Writer (WLW), Microsoft Word 2007, and Diarist, so your YMMV (your mileage may vary). Any HTML that your blogging tool may prefix or suffix the token text with is not removed, so if your tool actually submits <p>[draft]</p>, the <p></p> will be left behind after the post is processed.

I would appreciate any feedback – please leave a comment to this post, or contact me directly.  Enjoy!

UPDATE (2008-05-12):  I had to withdraw from speaking at CDODN due to personal/professional conflicts. So it goes and such is life. 

It's official. I'll be giving my Windows PowerShell - An Introduction  (aka PowerShell for Devs) talk at the Cleveland Day of .NET 2008 on Saturday, May 17, 2008. I'm looking forward to seeing all my Heartland district friends, meeting new people, and having a great time.

The abstract goes something like:
Windows PowerShell is the new standard Windows command-line shell that includes a runtime engine, data providers, core commands, a new scripting language, and an interactive prompt. It is a tool that should be in every I.T. professional’s toolbox, be that a toolbox of a software developer or system administrator. This session will give an introduction to basic concepts and usage scenarios as well as examples of useful scripts and extending PowerShell.

As the DoDN site says:

The Day of .NET's are a one-day conference on all things .NET organized by developers for developers. These events are usually offered at no cost to anyone interested in .NET development.

These conferences are ran by local user groups and rely on volunteers to make them happen.

Come one, come all (be sure to register), learn something new, and vote with your feet.

I am delighted to announce that two of the abstracts I submitted for the Central Ohio Day of .NET 2008 have been accepted!  Go to http://cinnug.org/cododn/default.aspx for details, session list, and event registration (even though the event is FREE, please do register as it helps with planning for facilities, swag, and refreshments).  I hope to see you there on April 19, 2008!   My sessions are:

A Quick Tour of the Windows Mobile Development in Visual Studio 2008 (Level 200)
This session will give attendees a quick tour of Windows Mobile Development in Visual Studio 2008, primarily focusing on developing with the .NET Compact Framework 3.5 against the Windows Mobile API and SQL CE 3.5. See what features are in VS2008 to enable development of Windows Mobile applications for both the hobbyist and the enterprise. This session will also discuss and demonstrate use of Windows Mobile APIs including GPS, Outlook Mobile, SNAPI, and WISP as well as SQL CE 3.5

Access to Your Data Anytime and Anywhere With the Microsoft Sync Framework  (Level 300)
The Microsoft Sync Framework (MSF) is a comprehensive synchronization platform that enables synchronization, offline, and collaborative scenarios for services, applications, and devices. This session will discuss MSF, its architecture (including the default providers (Sync Services for ADO.NET, Sync Services for File Systems, and Sync Services for FeedSync)), and the mechanisms by which MSF can be extended. Demonstrations of MSF usage and building a custom provider will also be featured in this presentation

 I am very excited about the Sync presentation as I can also now talk about ADO.NET Sync Services for Devices which just released CTP1!

My presentation from the Ann Arbor, MI Day of .NET on 5 May 2007 may be found here.

The fine folks putting together Day of .NET (Ann Arbor, MI  May 13, 2006) have selected two [out of five] of the abstracts that I submitted. My sessions are:

Life with LUA: Developing for Fun and Fortune as a Non-Admin
Abstract: As developers, we’ve been hearing that we should not run with administrative priviledges on our computers, but how do you develop software as a non-admin (and why should you)? This talk will discuss the reasons for developing as non-admin and look at the non-admin future (UAC) coming in Windows Vista. You’ll also get the scoop on problems that non-admin raises and solutions for those as well various tools, techniques and experiences developers have encountered along the way.
Audience: 200 level session

Securing Your Mobile Data 
Abstract: The mobility field has grown – in maturity and presence. Fortunately, this growth has brought many things with it, but has it brought security? How can I secure my Windows Mobile devices, the data they carry, and the .NET Compact Framework applications I build for them? How do I securely access data for and from my applications? Which wireless technology should I use (or avoid)? How do I maintain data integrity? You’ll see how you can leverage your .NET (and .NET CF) knowledge to keep your data secure. This session will illustrate some answers via .NET Compact Framework on Windows Mobile 5.0 as well as discuss some open-source alternatives.
Audience: 300 level session

Please check out the site and be certain to register (it’s free!).

-Nino

Still haven't signed up for Day of .NET in Ann Arbor, MI? Good Grief!  Get on it! Register. It's free, as in no cost to you.

Fresh from MEDC 2006, I'll be talking about Securing Your Mobile Data and Life with LUA: Developing for Fun and Fortune as a Non-Admin.  My colleague, Dave Giard, will be presenting An Introduction to Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006. 

Visit the site and take a look at the entire schedule.  I hope to see you there!

-Nino

The April 2007 CINNUG meeting is upon us, so, today (Tuesday, April 17), come over to Max Traning in Mason and see ME (yep, really, me) talk about Windows PowerShell and what it can do for YOU, the developer.

Wonder what a cmdlet is?  (Nope, they're not chocolate-covered)  Want to leverage the pipeline? (no, not that one)   Learn about aliases (and keep out of trouble with the law).  Find out how runspaces can rock your world.    

Windows PowerShell. Better than sliced bread?  You betcha! 

...hmm sounds like some new cmdlets are needed:  Slice-Bread, Toast-Bread, Butter-Bread  (is using butter as a verb in the standard verb-noun pattern stretching it?   ..anyways.. come to CINNUG hear what it's about.  And if PowerShell doesn't float your boat, there's always the pizza.  Heh.

There was a good crowd at tonight's CINNUG meeting for my Windows PowerShell presentation - thank you to all who were in attendance.

My PowerPoint deck and other materials may be found at the download page here (If you want to skip the fluff and get the .zip straightaway look here).

There were a few questions that came up during that talk that either I wanted to double-check on or needed to research an answer, so here they are:

Q: How do I permanently load a custom cmdlet?
A: Put it into your profile script. 
Create a profile.ps1 file and place it in your profile dir. Add Add-PSSnapin MyCustomCmdlet to your profile script.
The profile would be \Documents and Settings\<profile>\My Documents\WindowsPowerShell\ on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.  It would be \Users\<profile>\Documents\WindowsPowerShell on Windows Vista. Look at this entry on MSDN for Customizing Windows PowerShell for more.

Q: How do I FTP from PowerShell?
A: Options:
- Take a look at this script by Joannes Vermorel.
- NetCmdlets  http://www.nsoftware.com/powershell
- Take a look at this script posted to the microsoft.public.windows.powershell newsgroup

Again, thank to all who were in attendance and happy PowerShell-ing.      ...and for some fun, check out PowerShell Invaders (you may need to sign the script depending on your execution policy).