ZogBlog

ModBlog (by the makers of DeskMod - those graphics wizards who help everyone reach desktop nirvana) is a new blog service that frankly looks better than any I've seen. What's cool is they understand what a subdomain is!!! For instance, I could be: Coolio.modblog.com. Sweet. Plus they are now free. Thanks to Neowin.net for pointing them out. They even have an interview with the developer.

As most of you know. PVR = Personal Video Recorder (For those who like anologies: like Xerox is the copy company, TiVo is the PVR company). Anyway, if you are up to building your own PVR with a toothpick, bubblegum and a small thermo-nuclear detonator, just go here to get step by step instructions.

UPDATE: More Build your own PVR links from HackADay.com.

• Build Your Own PVR (11/25/2004)
• Series 2 TiVo Hacking (12/4/2004)
• Build Your Own Media Center PC (12/21/2004)

However if that's too much... you could always just hack the TiVo Series 2 boxes to get to PVR nirvana.

I'm currently testing SQL Reporting Services... so far I'm impressed. This product is waaaay better than Crystal Reports.NET. However, there are a few things to note:

• Requirements: SQL + IIS (no biggie)
• VS.NET get's a Report Definition Language (RDL) designer, but the reports must be in a separate "Report" project instead of your existing VB/C# project.
• The release versions help file is wrong and out of date, get the update.
• SP1 has already been released due to some severe issues with publishing a report from VS.NET. (SP2 is currently in beta).

I've stumbled along and figured how to setup a header and footer in the designer, as well as how to configure alternating row colors. So far the hardest thing to do (because of poor documentation) is to figure out how to run (Render) a report in a browser without the aid of the Report Manager site. To do this you need to understand that their are TWO virtual roots created in IIS during install: Reports (Report Manager) and ReportServer (Reports). It would have made more sense if they called the Report Manager root ReportManager, and the reports root Reports... but once you figure this out your halfway there. Next you have to figure out how to turn off the toolbar and pass parameters:

http://server/ReportServer/?%2f + report name (where %2f aka / is required before your report name)
• &ParamName=ParamValue
• &rs:Format= [HTML4.0, PDF, EXCEL]
• &rc:Toolbar=false
• &rs:Command=Render

As I discover more I just might post it. ;)

I finally got the Scoble phone. My shiny new Audiovox SMT-5600 running Microsoft Smartphone 2003 SE is on the way from Amazon.com via overnight shipping. Net cost: $48 (including shipping). How could I get it so cheap? Good question.

In the whirlwind merger of AT&T Wireless and Cingular, the SMT-5600 was dropped from the line up (with assurances that it's coming back - presumably after it's obsolete). Amazon in its zest to empty inventory of phones (that have been discontinued by their carriers) offers $200 rebates to help offload their stock. They are currently doing this on umpteen different phones. They even offer a $50 discount if you get the $20/mo data plan added to your service. I doubt I will do this, but if I did, my net cost would be $0. Sweet.

In addition, my company (BAE-IT) offers a discount for AT&T Wireless customers (or Cingular customers now). Once I get my cell phone number swapped over, I'll try to switch my plan over to Cingular (because Amazon requires that you setup an AT&T plan), then I'll get my corporate discount. Ahhhh... Merry Christmas to me. ;)