Richard Sprague wonders why Text To Speech does not get more attention. I thought I would share a valuable use of this technology.

I had to implement a TTS solution years ago in a VB6 app and it solved a huge problem for my client. I used Chant's fantastic SpeechKit package to accomplish this.

The problem was that we create a daily schedule for technicians out in the field. At that time we were not yet publishing the schedule to the web (of course, we are now). So, in order for techs not to have to come into the office just to get their info, each one of them had a special extension on the phone system. At the end of the day, the scheduler would have to dial each person's extension and leave them a voice mail detailing everythign they would need to know about the next days' work. In the summertime, there are about 70 field technicians. This solution was great for the techs but not so for the person who had that horrible chore.

I figured out how to take the data that was getting pushed onto the big schedule report and use Ms. Microsoft Mary (this was before the huge revision of the MS Speech tools) to "read" the information into individual WAV files. The tricky part was finding a DOS utility to convert the wave files into the format used by their voice mail system. Because of the many hurdles I was told by many, including the company that owned the voice mail system, that this project couldn't be done. But my client had faith in my pit bull like qualities when I am told "can't be done", and I persevered. Although still Mary has to "read" the info in real time, we run multiple instances of my app and she can do the whole process in about 20 - 30 minutes while the scheduler is able to do other tasks.

This has saved my client about 2 hours a day, 5 days a week for the past 4 years or more years. It was well worth the effort.

http://www.AcehAid.org

Thom Robbins is posting the session proposals for Code Camp III, Mar 12-13.

Follow the "call for speakers" link on that page to submit your session proposals!! They can be formal presentations or informal chalk talks.

http://www.AcehAid.org

Union Mutual of Vermont Companies

Insurance Company, Montpelier Vermont

ANALYST PROGRAMMER

     The successful candidate will be highly motivated and possess strong analytical organizational and communications skills.

     Qualified candidates will have an appropriate 4 year degree or equivalent work experience developing and maintaining web based applications. Ability to program in a team environment utilizing ASP.NET, C#, Microsoft SQL and AS/400 databases is required. A strong foundation in HTML, web standards and security is desirable.

     We offer a challenging position in a professional working environment with competitive salary and excellent benefits including pension and 401K plans.

     Qualified candidates are encouraged to submit in strict confidence a resume with cover letter to:
Union Mutual of Vermont Companies
VP - Information Systems
PO Box 158
Montpelier, Vermont 05601-0158

or submit to Resume2005@umfic.com

http://www.AcehAid.org

With new stories in the media about concern for western aid workers in Aceh Province, it is extremely heartening to see that the aid coming from IDEP (the folks I'm working with) is being supported by the Indonesian military.

From Susi's blog:

The Indonesian military and other groups have come together in support of IDEP's mission on the Sumatran coast, and it is with their blessings and support that the work continues.

http://www.AcehAid.org

Not sure if I mentioned that I am doing a 1/2 day pre-con workshop at ASP.NET Connections on March 20th (Orlando).

I am taking my WSE2 Security for Dummies talk and doing it for THREE hours, rather than trying to smoosh what is actually two presentations into one 75 minute session.  This is the way I prefer to do this talk because the point is to try to share what I know about WSE2 (and the security basics you need to grok in advance). I just can't do it to my heart's content in 75 minutes.

It's from 1-4 pm on Sunday March 20th.  There are 3 morning sessions also if you want to make a full day of it. Here are the details of the pre and post con sessions.

http://www.AcehAid.org

just had to:

I just noticed this!! Previously in Visual Studio.NET, when you right clicked on a .NET class in debug mode and chose "go to definition", it would bring you to that class in the object browser. Now (nov ctp), it opens up the code for the class!! Not that this is always what I'll want to do. (And of course, it's probably just some expirementing and not a reflection of what will be in the final bits. I'd be curious to find out.) Sometimes I want to just inspect a class without the goo.. Actually, I *am* having some trouble with the Object Browser in the latest bits, but that doesn't trouble me, since I have Reflector for .NET v4 which works with .NET 2.0. Yippee.

http://www.AcehAid.org

Mario Cardinal's presentation last night at Vermont.NET was fantastic and well attended!

Mario is one of those guys that big companies call in when they have enterprise problems that nobody can solve. He has been programming forever (it seems from all of the references he makes) and comes from a serious C++ background. (He is also a great presenter - in case anyone is interested in knowing that.)

I have hardly used the current application blocks - struggled with the updater and (sorry folks) but turned my nose up at the Data Access App block.

However, as he went through the various application blocks in the Enterprise Library (something I have really wanted to have happen a the user group for a long time  - I was so happy when he suggested it) I recognized a few things that relate to WSE.

A lot of the blocks encapsulate things that I know I want and need to do in my applications that i have not taken the time to learn yet. So though I may be QUITE cozy with ADO and therefore have that snobby reaction to teh DAAB, I am not very good with event logging, for example. (Want to see my scores on my cert tests? Great on everything except really crappy on tracing/debugging and it is the tracing that brought me down.) So, like WSE, there are a few ways I could leverage these application blocks in their most basic way and get some quick and immediate funcationality into my app without having to (or should I say ... before I have been able to) really learn about how that works. Just like with the basics of WSE2, you can just plug some key security into your web services without much education. Then like WSE2, I could start learning more about that particular task and leverage some of the more indepth features of the application block even customizing or extending it.

Another similarity to WSE2 is this. WSE, web services, even xml, are truly designed to handle interop issues. I am not doing interop. I am just writing .net clients with a .net back end. But I am using WSE2 in my solution becuase it was a quick and easy way to get some really good security built in.

The Enterprise Library is for Enterprise developers/applications. I am not writing enterprise application. But I will definitely be considering using those tools in my little apps, again, just to plug in some important functionality.

I fear this is another place where people will be making faces - it's overkill, more than you need blah balh blah. I've heard the same about my use of WSE2. And don't think that a million other developers like myself won't be using WSE2 in the same way that I'm doing it. I will definitely pay attention to community response to the Enterprise Library as it moves from specs to usable code. 

http://www.AcehAid.org

Reeling from the effects of the tsunamis, now this unbelievable flooding, mudslides and more in California. Sadly also some have died there. Just because it's 3 and not 150,000 doesn't make each death any less significant. Wrack and ruin along the california coast line.

http://www.AcehAid.org

acccch . Just wrapping up last edits on a debugger visualizer article only to disccover the implementation has (as promised) changed. As soon as I can get my code to actually compile based on the new documentation (which seems to be a bit of a challenge), I'll let you know what the changes are, if you haven't found them yourself. I'm still on Nov CTP (similar to Dec CTP though without enterprise stuff).

http://www.AcehAid.org

When I worked for Natural History Magazine years ago and spent a lot of time up at the museum, I used to dream about having the planetarium as my bedroom. So maybe this might work instead?

http://www.AcehAid.org

Peter Provost is trying to help solve the DNS problems that the IDEP site is having. This is the organization I have been working with for the past 8 days in Bali, bringing supplies and aid workers into Aceh Province. We need data from different locations as they try to resolve the IDEP site's IP. Peter has instrux as to how to do this and to submit your results. It's a problem that is effecting email and the ability to browse and during this crisis in Indonesia, this communication is critical. Thanks for your help.

http://www.AcehAid.org

I was so happy to see Scott Locks' post about how the American Red Cross website, the ASP site that is soon to be replaced by a brand spanking new ASP.NET site, really shone during the incredible use and abuse (the good kind ... lots and lots of donations) of the last 10 days after the devastation of the tsunamis in SouthEast asia.

Scott is a user group leader (www.caparea.net) and an INETA User Group liaison. He works at American Red Cross and that website is his baby. He has a lot to be proud of.

http://www.AcehAid.org

Our next meeting (this monday, Jan 10th) of Vermont.NET features the ebulient and really dang smart, Mario Cardinal who is coming down from Montreal. Mario is going to teach us all about Microsoft's Application Blocks.

Date: 01/10/05 Speaker: Mario Cardinal (Mario Cardinal Inc. ) -- Location: Gardener's Supply Topic: Introduction to Microsoft Enterprise Library and Application Blocks Application Blocks are Microsofts implementation of reusable code (and documentation) that provide proven solutions for commonly recurring problems. Enterprise Library, to be released to the general public in early 2005, is the next generation of the Microsoft's Application Blocks. The first release will deliver 6 Application Blocks into a single integrated package. This reusable code is a ready-to-use solution to solve problems that you often waste time solving over and over again in enterprise programming. This presentation provides a short introduction to the Microsoft Enterprise Library and shows what each block might be good for. The idea is to present the types of problems Enterprise Library try to solve and where to apply it in your own solutions. Speaker Bio: Mario is an independent senior consultant specialized in enterprise application architecture. His primary areas of involvement are object-oriented software development, design patterns, application blocks, code generators and software development process. He spends most of his time training and mentoring companies to build well-designed enterprise .NET applications. He speaks frequently for user groups and writes articles in various technical journals. Mario holds Bachelor of Computer Engineering and Master of Technology Management degrees from the École Polytechnique in Montreal, Quebec. He also holds the titles of Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD) and Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT). Mario is based in Montreal, Canada

http://www.AcehAid.org

Turned on the tube this a.m. to see what news from Indonesia (we don't get much reception here) I happened upon live covereage of the deployment of yet 45 MORE Vermont National Guardsmen (and women). There have been so many vermonters sent to Iraq. And there will be more.

http://www.AcehAid.org

give 'em a hand if you can

http://weblogs.asp.net/coltk/archive/2005/01/07/347718.aspx

http://www.AcehAid.org

If you are at CES, remember Aceh Aid (www.AcehAid.org).

Here is what they still need. It is GREAT p.r. for manufacturer's to donate stuff and it makes everyone feel like they have been able to do something useful to help in the wake of the horrible disaster.

http://www.AcehAid.org

Here's his promise.

right over here robert:

www.acehAid.org

we made it really easy for you.

 

http://www.AcehAid.org

My brother in law, Greg, works for Maxtor in Colorado. I knew from him that there was location in Singapore which is not quite as far from Indonesia. So with Greg's help, I contacted some people in the Singapore location and they overnighted two of their One Touch drives to the folks at www.AcehAid.org in response to this plea that Susi made on her blog for fear of losing all of the precious information they have to in conjunction with the work they are doing.

Thanks Maxtor!!!!

http://www.AcehAid.org

One of the current lead stories on CNN.com is about how the web played an instant and important role after the tsunami disaster. I couldn't help notice this paragraph

Both Apple.com and Amazon.com feature links to the American Red Cross. EBay allows sellers to donate 10 to 100 percent of their proceeds to UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, through eBay Giving Works, as well as other charities.

Apple had their home page changed really quickly. Microsoft's is now all about links to aid also, but it took them longer to get to it. So Apple and Amazon get the great mention here and deserve it to for their speed in making the decision to switch the home page and carrying it through.

It's really hard to make things happen quickly at big companies. I'm finding that as we are trying to get donations from companies. I emailed the p.r. person from a hard drive manufacturer asking for a hard drive. You think that would be GOOD p.r. But she has to ask around. It will take a few days. It's a $200 hard drive (retail).

http://www.AcehAid.org