[Infected by Brad Wilson]{.556184619-22032005}

You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book do you want to be?
[“The idea is you memorize a book and repeat it over and over again until your grandchildren run from the room whenever you open your mouth and start quoting, 'Mr. Popper's Penguins,' or …

So last night I signed up for “Amazon Prime,” which provides “all you can eat” express shipping for a year for \$79. This is a great deal for me now that I live in Hawaii, since media mail to Hawaii can take weeks.

So I dropped a couple books in …

University of Hawaii researchers have discovered the wreck of a giant (400 feet long!) Japanese submarine aircraft carrier in 2,500 feet of water off Oahu. Captured at war's end, the I-400 and I-401 carried three float-plane bombers intended to strike targets such as the Panama Canal, San Francisco, and …

I was talking with Microsoftian Scott Woodgate yesterday and he let me know of a lacuna in my toolbox: BizTalk 2004 has a forward-chaining RETE-based rules engine. I've never heard of anyone using this technology (BizTalk's implementation, I mean -- I've used (and written) rules engines before). Dang. Not enough hours …

My latest SD Times column is on Microsoft's Smart Client strategy. Funny story: when I wrote this, the acronym “Ajax” hadn't yet been invented...

The DevX Office portal has opened and, waddya' know?, I've got an article about using XML to transfer data to/from Office applications.

MSNBC has an interactive Flash app that provides bracketed competition for comedies. My Final Four was “Austin Powers“ vs. “Something About Mary“ and “Spinal Tap“ vs. “Dr. Strangelove,“ with “Something About Mary“ going up against “Strangelove“ for the crown.

Fun, but how did “Pee Wee's Big Adventure” not make the …

::: {.Section1} Ah Ooo Gah! Ah Ooo Gah! Prepare To Download! Prepare to Download! 

The WinFX March 2005 Community Technology Preview (CTP) is now available for download to MSDN subscribers. The WinFX CTP includes new versions of Avalon, the unified presentation subsystem, and Indigo, the new service-oriented communications infrastructure. …

MSDN subscribers …

Last night was the first really clear evening in a week. As a matter of fact, it was downright gorgeous -- Mauna Loa was dusted with snow, a few low cumulus clouds gave the horizon some character, the setting sun really lit up Hualalai. And, I saw Mercury for the first …

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[Loren writes about Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith’s talk of patent reform (covered here and here). A line in Loren’s post caught my eye:]{style=""}

“it's not the patent fee that's the big issue. You'll still need legal assistance writing and filing the patent.”

[Ever since my …