Category: Resource

Web Service Reference in Visual Studio 2010

If you’ve used Visual Studio 2008 or 2010, you’ll notice that Web Reference is no longer there (like in VS 2005 and previous), instead, you see Service Reference –– actually, it’s STILL there, just hidden!

So, what’s the difference?  Well, according to this post:

Add Web Reference is the old-style, deprecated ASP.NET webservices (ASMX) technology (using only the XmlSerializer for your stuff) – if you do this, you get an ASMX client for an ASMX web service. You can do this in just about any project (Web App, Web Site, Console App, Winforms – you name it).

Add Service Reference is the new way of doing it, adding a WCF service reference, which gives you a much more advanced, much more flexible service model than just plain old ASMX stuff.

So, how do you access it?  Simple — right-click on Service References in the Solution Explorer window and…

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Click on “Advanced…”

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Then click on “Add Web Reference…”

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Voila!  You can now consume the web service like you did pre-Visual Studio 2008 era.  Happy coding!

Field Test for iPhone Signal Strength Returns in iOS 4.1

Archived from Mac Observer.

When Apple released iOS 4.1 for iPhone Wednesday, the company once again included a utility that allows you to measure your signal strength on your device, a utility that that had been available before the release of iOS 4, but was not included when iOS 4 was introduced earlier this year.

The utility is called Field Test, and it is accessed by dialing *3001#12345#* (followed by the “Call” button). When you do that, a blank “page” launches with a title bar that reads “Field Test,” along with a Refresh button, as you can see in the image below. The Field Test part is that your signal bars will be replaced with a negative number that measures signal strength as expressed in decibels of noise in the signal.

To that end, the higher the number, the stronger the signal. -80db would represent a stronger signal than -90db, and -102db would be worse still (for instance, this reporter has particularly foul coverage at his office). TMO staff around the country found signal strengths ranging from -82db to about -120db, with any number lower than that representing little or no practical signal.

From user posts at Gizmodo, which first noted the return of Field Test, any Field Test near -70db represents something close to full signal strength. One staff member with an AT&T 3G Microcell got a measurement of -67db from one meter away from his microcell.

Pressing the Home button on your iPhone will end the Field Test and return your display to normal. Locking your phone (or allowing it to self-lock) with the Field Test still running will leave the Field Test numbers in your menu bar until you come back and quit the app via the Home button.

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Cheapest days to shop online reference

Archiving via Yahoo! Shine.

  • Mondays: Best for buying men’s and women’s dress pants. The average sale is about 48 percent off.
  • Mondays: Also great for purchasing sunglasses. The average discount is 55 percent.
  • Tuesdays: Best for buying men’s apparel. The average discount is 42 percent.
  • Wednesdays: Find lowest prices on shoes. The average discount is 38 percent.
  • Wednesdays: Also find best deals on kids’ clothing. The average discount is around 40 percent.
  • Thursdays: Best for buying women’s handbags. The average discount is 36 percent.
  • Fridays: Biggest sales on accessories like jewelry, belts and scarves. The average discount is 42 percent.
  • Saturdays: Best sales on intimates (37 percent off) and jackets/outerwear (51 percent off).
  • Sundays: Buy your swimsuits for an average 52 percent off!

Reference for jsSHA

jsSHA - A JavaScript implementation of the complete Secure Hash Standard family
            (SHA-1, SHA-224, SHA-256, SHA-384, and SHA-512) by Brian Turek

About
-------------------------
jsSHA is a javaScript implementation of the complete Secure Hash Algorithm family as defined
by FIPS PUB 180-2 (http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/fips/fips180-2/fips180-2withchangenotice.pdf)

With the slow phasing out of MD5 as the standard hash to use in web applications, a client-side
implementation of the complete Secure Hash Standard family was needed.  Due to SHA-384 and SHA-512's
use of 64-bit values throughout the algorithm, JavaScript can not easily natively support the calculation
of these hashes.  As a result, a bit of hacking had to be done to make sure the values behaved themselves.
SHA-224 was added to the Secure Hash Standard family on 25 February 2004 so it was also included in this
package.

Files
-------------------------
src/sha.js
The complete SHA implementation

src/sha1.js
A smaller/web friendly implementation of only SHA-1.

src/sha256.js
A smaller/web friendly implementation of only SHA-224 and SHA-256.

src/sha512.js
A smaller/web friendly implementation of only SHA-384 and SHA-512.

src/wrapper.js
Wrapper functions to be added to the above script files if the jsSHA 0.1 interface is desired

test/test.html
A test page that calculates various hashes and has their correct values.

Usage
-------------------------
Include the desired JavaScript file (sha.js, sha1.js, sha256.js, or sha512.js) in your header (sha.js used below):
<script type="text/javascript" src="/path/to/sha.js"></script>

Instantiate a new jsSHA object with your string to be hashed as the only parameter.  Then, call getHash with the desired
hash variant (SHA-1, SHA-224, SHA-256, SHA-384, or SHA-512) and output type (HEX or B64).  In the example below,
"This is a Test" and "SHA-512" were used as the string to be hashed and variant respectively.

var shaObj = new jsSHA("This is a Test");
var hash = shaObj.getHash("SHA-512", "HEX");

NOTE: If you are using sha1.js, omit the SHA variant parameter as there is only one option.

Since the interface was changed drastically from 0.1 to 1.0, src/wrapper.js is included in case the old interface is desired.
Simply copy and paste the correct functions from wrapper.js to the bottom of the used jsSHA JS file.

Contact Info
-------------------------
The project's website is located at http://jssha.sourceforge.net/

Tips on how to prolong your laptop battery life

This applies to any device that uses lithium ion batteries (i.e. laptops, smartphones).

Battery

  1. For lithium ion batteries, you do not need to discharge them fully and recharge constantly. Since they don’t have the same "memory" as older nickel-metal hydride batteries, it is actually better to discharge a lithium ion only partially (10 to 20%) before recharging. You need to do a full discharge only about every 30 charges (usually around every 2 to 3 weeks).
  2. Consider taking your battery out when using your laptop plugged into AC power. Just make sure to keep the contacts clean. If you need to clean them, use a lint-free cloth moistened with rubbing alcohol every couple of months.

Software & Hardware

  1. Defrag your hard drive regularly
  2. Dim your screen to the lowest level you can tolerate
  3. Close unused programs running in the background
  4. Disable WIFI when not in use.
  5. Hibernate your computer, not standby.

Environment

  1. Avoid propping your laptop on a pillow, blanket, or other soft surface that can heat up or block cooling fans.
  2. Clean your desk. It sounds strange, but if you have a dusty, dirty desk, that dust will get into the vents and clog the cooling fan. Once the dust is inside your laptop, it is much harder to remove. You can try blasting it out with canned air, but you run the risk of damaging internal components. You can also remove the vent and clean out the grit, but remember that taking apart your laptop can void the warranty. So clean your desk at least once a week, if not daily.
  3. Try not to store your laptop in a place where the air temperature exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit, such as a hot car or an outdoor patio. And if your laptop heats up or is cold, let it return to room temperature before starting up.
  4. Use a cooling pad when using a notebook computer on your lap.