Scribd

I found Scribd the other day. They currently are using flash but are moving to HTML5. I am intrigued by the idea of inline PDF viewing on PDF heavy sites. Need to explore this more.

Gozaic - Historic Travel Site

Ok, so I clicked on an advertisement the other day.  I normally don't but I am glad I did.  I found Gozaic (http://www.gozaic.com/).  If is created and maintained by "Heritage Travel, Inc. a for-profit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation is the company behind Gozaic, the dynamic online travel community where people find and share heritage- and culture-rich experiences. The mission of Heritage Travel, Inc. is to present travelers with a broad range of heritage destinations, sites and events that define our collective past and enrich our lives – and help them connect through places that matter."  I have just begun exploring it but if you are into traveling to historic places, this is a must visit.

Cool Example of HTML5 in Action

I found this great example of what can be done with HTML5, especially the canvas element.   This web app alows for some cool drawing types that go beyond Paint.  Check out http://muro.deviantart.com/.

Great Resource for Kid Activities in Skagit County

My wife found this site full of local kids activities: http://skagit.macaronikid.com/

SQL Go and Batches

The other day someone asked me how the GO command should be used with MS SQL Server. I must admit that it was one of those things that I just used without fully understanding what it is. So I researched it and found directly from the source (msdn page about GO and msdn page about Batches) a good technical explanation. In summary, the GO command is not a SQL command at all, instead it is a command used by our most common SQL tools (sqlcmd and osql utilities and SQL Server Management Studio Code editor) to signal the end of a batch. So what is a batch and how is it different then a transaction. The short answer is a batch is the group of commands sent all at once to the server from the client. A transaction consists of one or more batches.

Fiction Blog

On the way to work this morning I had this idea for a fictional set of blogs. Or more specifically, what would happen if a blog site was setup to host one or more interrelated "blogs" by/about fictional people and then the community was asked to create the entries. Basically, each entry would me a mini story painting part of the larger picture of the fictional owner. Multiple blogs could support other characters, maybe those that the first one meets or interacts with. I wonder what would the story look like in the end?

Local Events

I never realized that the Bellingham Herald had an events calendar.  Here is the list of Kid friendly events for Bellingham.  This inspired me to check the Skagit Valley Herald.  They have an events page for Skagit County.  The Bellingham one is a bit better as at least I am able to filter on kid friendly.  I really wish I could add them to my google calendar easily.  Need to work on that.  I kinda started my own calendar that I maintain and my family uses.