I began using PHP in 1998 and used it heavily until 2004 when I discovered ASP.NET (C#). I still maintain a few PHP-based web sites, but I will admit the bulk of my recent web development has been with ASP.NET (C#). If you do the math I have been a PHP programmer longer than I've been an ASP.NET programmer. What the hell is a "NAMESPACE"? Coming from the PHP-world, ASP.NET was a challenge. ASP.NET is comprised of strongly-typed variables, true OOP, namespaces, event-driven execution, web controls, compilation, etc. I ...

Bruce Lee was classically trained in traditional martial arts.  He studied Wing Chung Gung Fu from Master Yip Man when he was a child.  Growing up he was a bit of a street brawler and was involved in several fights.  In college he studied philosophy, and in his adult life he became the super-star we know today.    In his quest to become the world's greatest martial artist Bruce Lee rejected traditional martial arts; he called it the "classical mess".   He found it made him rigid and ultimately hindered him from responding directly & effectively. ...

Recently there was a post made to "RealEstateWebMasters.com" by a REALTOR who was annoyed that other REALTORS were linking to and consequently "feeding" Trulia. What followed were responses by other REALTORS who supported this idea and questioned why consumers need Trulia.  Many implied Trulia was hurting consumers by providing inaccurate information.  Many others expressed their frustration that Trulia was ranking ahead of them in search engines. I don't work for Trulia.  I am not a real estate agent.  I am a web application developer with over 5 years of ...

I noticed today a press release describing an agreement between Yahoo!, Zillow, and Trulia regarding the adoption of a new data format standard for the distribution of real estate listings online.  Speaking as a web site application developer who has spent over 5 years in the real estate industry, let me just say "Hooray!!".   This press release is pretty benign looking, but to those in the real estate industry it should send chills down your neck.  For years Multiple Listing Services have fought over their little regions.  They were governed by boards which ...

Mongolian Restaurants always rate higher than other restaurants. I had a wonderful opportunity to dine at the Bourbon Steak at the Fairmont Princess Resort in Scottsdale, AZ . I was told this was a 5-star restaurant (see update below), although I honestly have no idea what that means. I read about the star rating system on Wikipedia and was unable to find any information about how you get a star. For the purposes of this article I am going to assume there are a limited number of "restaurant stars" ...

I think it's now fair to say, the RON PAUL R3VOLUTION isn't happening today, or anytime in the near future. I say this with no condescension or amusement.  I say this with a little sadness .  Truth tellers are rare and almost never popular in their time.  Ron Paul may not be "right" on every issue, but I think it's fair to say that he tried to tell the truth.  For that, at the very least, I think he, his campaign, and his supporters should be celebrated. His surge of ...