So there I am . . two tabs open and next to each other.  Facebook and my site on Wincustomize.  (In the background is the DX Skin checker I use.) I'm thinking to myself . . wouldn't it be cool if I could display my gallery on my Facebook profile?  What about my favorite skins?  Oooo what about my watchlists? Has anyone ever tackeled a Facebook app?  Is there any interest?

I missed this last week but it looks like MS has released the SDK for MS gadget developers. These gadgets will work on Live.com, the Vista sidebar and on the desktop. Compared to Konfabulator (Yahoo widgets) or DesktopX, the gadgets in the MS gallery have a long way to to go. Gallery: http://microsoftgadgets.com/Gallery/#Page1 But for anyone who wants to try out the new toy from the folks that brought us MS Bob and Active Desktop: http://microsoftgadgets.com/livesdk/index.htm

Luke O'Brian at Slate posts an article describing why the good imaginative games that indie developers create are not making it to the mainstream. Stardock gets a mention for GalCiv. In addition to the points Luke makes, I think the criticism to any PC app is also a deterant to making games (and other apps). Gamers want more game/graphics/etc. for less money and any gaps due to that lack of budget aren't shrugged off like a indie-movie would be.

We don't usually get the local paper but today was different. I don't usually don't have time to read it; today was different. I don't usually read about folks I know here at WC and GalCiv.com; but today was different. Congrats to Cari for being recognized as a great developer and a woman. Both are plusses in my book! "Carolyn "Cari" Begle doesn't just play video games. She makes them. Begle, 27, works for Stardock in Plymouth, Mich. Most recently, she was the lead developer on Ga...

I have a friend that is picking up the Wi-Fi signal from a neighbor from her 802.11g laptop. There is no security on the neighbor's signal. Her husband just bought her a Palm TX which has 802.11b and she wants to but can't connect. Could she pick up a 802.11g (that also supports access point and connect from there. I have advised her that they could (and should) turn on some kind of encryption and the party is over. I have further advised her that the legality of what she is doing...

I picked up the desktop pet and think it's pretty cool . . . but there are some things right off the bat I wish for: A better ball, something like this: Link . Maybe being able to play kick with him. More interaction with the little guy (all it appears I can do is tickle/pet and move). Being able to put him to bed. Or making him take medicine. Or a behavior change when I move him away from the trash can. Give him a radio/BoomBox. With access to my playlist. Let him pick the musi...

My third daught er is really enjoying Feeding Frenzy. I want to addit to the DesktopX desktop I made for her but none of the images I have laying around look as good as the icon for the game. But I want my DX object much bigger than the icon. And the icon looks doesn't resize well. So how do I get bigger better version of the thing. I tried doing a printscreen of the game and cut away the extra stuff . . .but I was hoping for a better way. Any help?

I picked up the Unorthodox Skin pack when it came out and use some of the skins now and again. Mostly for the Wow factor along with the tablet PC. Mike Bryant, Mark McQuillan, and Ian Black did an awesome job. But some of the skins suffered from the jaggies, especcially PocketPC. Could that be improved with elements of WB5? Is there any chance that they might be updated?

Adam Kinney writes " ...We do have articles in the works, though, and things are moving fast. This first one recounts the story of my first simple gadget and illustrates the basic components needed to build your own gadget. Building a simple gadget for Live.com Expect more in the future on advanced uses of the Atlas Framework (which is powering the Live.com site) and demonstrations on new ways to use gadgets. " --from http://microsoftgadgets.com

Is it a designed feature that if I embed an DX object into my rightclick menu (battery meter) and hit the F10 key the object comes to the front without the menu? I haven't decided if I like it or not . . . but I would like to know if it's a bug I shouldn't get used to or a feature that I can exploit.

It's funny how red and blue states have been so in the news in the US lately and here I am contributing to the whole thing. But these red states are the ones I claim as notches on my steering wheel. And the blue ones, targets in my future. The rules for claiming a state are easy for me (Your rules may be harder or easier. That's OK, it's your world, be happy). 1) Lay-overs in airports don't count. I must leave the airport complex and visit the city. 2) Driving to/t...

So there I am watching the kids while Susan is at work. She made sure they were fed and clean before she left. She gave us all a hug, stressed how important her work is and how far behind she is. Tells us that she loves us and heads out. Peace reigns. We coo. We sit up. We creep around a little. We play with little animals that crinkle or beep or play poorly digitized nursery rhymes. Now what to do with the NEXT ten minutes . . . Maybe a nap. Maybe the play goes on for a while...

My thoughts this time of night seem to center around the youngest. It wasn't always this way. I remember being centered on my wife. Maybe when the kids move out. Tonight's observation centers around the fact that the baby can come into the house in her mother's arms and flash a smile that could reboot a linux server. She giggles and coos and I am in love again. So I take her in my arms (the baby) and give her a smile in return. And she cries. I check to see if she is dry. Check. Ha...

The baby is crying in the room next door. She's much more demanding than my last daughter. The last one would wake up and contemplate life with a zen-like attitude. This one . . . she wakes up and crys in a way that you know translates into "Pick my ass up!" But she is five months old and waking twice a night. The wife and I are fried. We are always tired and not being great partners. The other three girls are suffering too. It's nice that my boss is a woman who raised kids and underst...