(This is the first in what will be a weekly wrap-up)

Development

• Mads Kristensen reckons ASP.NET is too easy - Just consider the consequences before taking the easy way. My advice is to throw away the designer and start writing code
• The infinitely useful Sysinternals applications has been released in a single download zip file. A full list of what’s included and what they do is available here.
• On the subject of lists, SQL Server Code,Tips and Tricks, Performance Tuning has a list of Ten SQL Server Functions That You Hardly Use But Should and Mike Woodring has a huge amount .NET sample code for pretty much anything you can think of
• Joe White is running a 31 day series on ReSharper.

Blogging

• Lorelle VanFossen continues her 30 days of wordpress plugins with a number of great articles.  Too many to list here, but the How to Install, Configure, and Use WordPress Plugins is a must-read for new WordPress users.
• Graeme Philipson wonders why more (or any) Australian CEOs haven’t taken up the opportunities that blogging offers for PR and marketing.
• Gravatar 2.0 exited it’s public beta phase and has now gone live. Sign up now.
• Reid Stott explains why blogging is no different to any other public forum; you will be held accountable for what you write:
  

  Stipulated, it’s your right to express your political opinions in the harshest manner you can muster, dump ad hominem all over your opponents, and cuss at will. It’s your blog, and your right to try and make a difference with how ever many read it in whatever way you please.

  This is the price. When you can really make a difference, it will come back to bite you in the ass.

• Performancing finally gets itself aquired.  SplashPress Media has picked up the community site and the metrics tools.  They will continue to develop ScribeFire (aka Perfomancing FireFox plugin), but they’re not aquiring Performancing Partners (the ad network).

Comics

• xkcd on Lisp - definite contender for best one yet.
• Rooster Teeth on why you should always lock your computer

Science & Tech

• The European Space Agency are making hiking maps of Mars.  You know, for all those outdoorsy type astronauts.
• 21.3″ Premium Digital Samsung LCD Center with Five 17″ Digital Wings. Sure, I’ve got a spare US$3,299 lying around somewhere.
• Connecting the Flu Dots: the past century’s huge gains in life expectancy are due in large part to small, simple measures like access to flu shots and clean water, rather than the more complicated, expensive, dazzling medical technologies that are more heavily promoted.
• Changing our minds yet again. Now seafood might be good for unborn children.  No wonder parents are confused.
• 101 Ways to Hack your PC
• Google Maps shows transit stops & 3d buildings for some US cities

Video of the week

This video is actually from last week, but I never got around to posting it.

Web 2.0…the machine is Us/ing Us