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    December 07

    Moving

    I decided I needed my own domain name for my blog, so I'm moving over to VistaClues.com for the technical content, and Northrup.org for the personal content. See ya there.
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    October 11

    Puppy Pictures

    Here are a few pictures of Sandi, our 8 week old Lab mix.
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    <> It's tough to take pictures because it hasn't stopped raining since Friday, and it's not going to stop raining until next week. The weather is making housebreaking difficult, too.
    12:28 PM | Add a comment | Read comments (34) | Permalink | View trackbacks (1) | Blog it | Animals
    October 07

    Getting Settled In

    Yesterday I got broadband and cable TV installed, so I can finally feel comfortable in the new house. I was able to bring northrup.org back online. Here are a couple of pictures from my backyard. I have lots of wildlife nearby, but I haven't managed to get close enough to anything to get a decent picture.
     
    I'm getting a puppy on Sunday, so they'll be lots of dog pictures coming soon.
    9:32 AM | Add a comment | Read comments (9) | Permalink | Blog it
    October 03

    Moved

    I've been offline for a wihle because I was moving. I'm settled in now, but I still don't have broadband Internet access. The only broadband option I have (besides over-priced, slow satellite) is a Comcast cable modem. This house hadn't previously been wired, and it's going to take a while to get it wired. Comcast will only commit to call me in the next week, so it might be months before I'm actually connected.
     
    So, in the meantime, I'm connecting through my mobile phone (thanks to Verizon wireless excellent EVDO service). Northrup.org is down until I either get broadband Internet access or find a local Web hosting colocation provider.
     
    Oh, if you sent me an e-mail on Thursday or Friday last week, it was lost. Please re-send it.
    9:37 AM | Add a comment | Read comments (5) | Permalink | Blog it
    September 24

    DIY Tech with Tony Northrup: Controlling Lights with .NET

    The second of my DIY Tech videos, Controlling Lights with X10, is available on the MSDN Coding4Fun website. This video builds on the first video by showing you how to control lights with your computer. Basically, with the right X10 hardware, you can control any light with an application. In the video, I mix in Web services to build a lamp that glows red when a stock goes down, and green when a stock goes up. Check it out.
    7:48 AM | Add a comment | Read comments (30) | Permalink | Blog it | Computers and Internet
    September 14

    What kind of bird is this?

    Click the thumbnail for a bigger view of the picture, and add a comment if you know what kind of bird it is. Thanks!
    11:49 AM | Add a comment | Read comments (59) | Permalink | Blog it | Animals
    August 21

    What is this animal?

    Please add a comment if you know what this animal is. If you're good at identifying animals, help me identify others at:
     
     
    I like animals, and I like taking pictures, but I don't like organizing or categorizing things. So, thanks for your help.
    9:13 AM | Add a comment | Read comments (65) | Permalink | Blog it
    August 05

    DIY Tech with Tony Northrup

    MSDN just published the first installment of a series fo do-it-yourself videos, starring yours truly:
     
     
    The first video shows you how to use X10 to remotely control the lights in your home. Cool stuff, and not too technical. Enjoy!
     
    5:02 PM | Add a comment | Read comments (9) | Permalink | View trackbacks (1) | Blog it | Computers and Internet
    July 28

    Falconeering

    Spent a couple of hours today at the The British School of Falconry learning about birds of prey. Took a great walk with a couple of hawks, learning how to communicate with them. Fascinating stuff. Here are a couple of pictures. As usual, no pictures of the photographer.
    10:14 PM | Add a comment | Read comments (18) | Permalink | Blog it | Animals
    July 14

    Taming Tessa

    I ordered two copies of this book, but I feel like I should order 20. How often will I have the opportunity to be a major romance star? 

    Taming Tessa

    The Lady Will Not Be Broken ...

    With soft whispers and a gentle touch, Tessa Seaton can tame the wildest beasts. The daughter of an impoverished baronet, controlled by an unscrupulous uncle, her remarkable talent for calming and riding unbroken horses makes her a valuable asset, though she dreams of independence and stables of her own one day. Then Lord Anthony Northrup unexpectedly gallops into her life.

    ... The Gentleman Will Not Be Deterred

    At first, Anthony is shocked and angered by the fetching maid who fools unsuspecting souls into purchasing unsuitable steeds. But when he realizes Tessa acts out of love, the dashing nobleman is enchanted. He must release the remarkable lady somehow from her distasteful servitude and have her to cherish forever. But Tessa is no damsel in distress and she will not be tamed; rather, it is she who must set Anthony's heart free with her unique gift and passionate fire.

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    July 01

    Rabbit

    Terrible picture, but I try to photograph everything that visits my backyard.
    8:31 AM | Add a comment | Read comments (4) | Permalink | Blog it | Photography
    June 29

    Google Earth

    OK, I know I'm the last blogger to pick up on Google Eath. I actually started playing with it yesterday, and I was amazed. But it wasn't until I discovered that it displayed 3d buildings that I felt the need to blog.
     
    A screenshot says it all. Here's a picture I took of the Boston skyline from a boat, and Google Earth's version of it.
     
     
     
     
    4:05 PM | Add a comment | Read comments (4) | Permalink | View trackbacks (3) | Blog it | Computers and Internet
    June 27

    Labrdoodle pup

    We went to visit a labradoodle breeder this weekend. VERY cute puppies.
     
    Oh, and thanks MSN Spaces, for adding an HTML button to the toolbar .
    9:11 PM | Add a comment | Read comments (36) | Permalink | Blog it | Animals
    June 24

    Gas

    The picture says it all.

    4:22 PM | Add a comment | Read comments (61) | Permalink | Blog it | My Life
    June 22

    First rose on my vine

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    June 21

    Squirrels Eating Things

    Who knew squirrels liked strawberries and tomatos?

    10:06 PM | Add a comment | Read comments (7) | Permalink | Blog it | Photography

    Internet Explorer, Now With Tabs

    There's a new version of the MSN Toolbar with the feature everyone wants--tabbed browsing. It is worth downloading, but it's not as good as Maxthon or even Firefox.

    Tabbed browsing is a very, very good thing. Whether you use the Web for fun or work, it'll make you more efficient. So now, let's talk about why the MSN Toolbar's implementation isn't so good:

    • Bad installer (still). If you're already using the MSN Toolbar and you try to install the version with tabbed browsing, it'll tell you that you already have a newer version. So, you have to uninstall the MSN Toolbar and then re-install to add tabbed browsing. this is the second time I've had to go through this. Seriously, most hobbiest programmers add upgrade funtionality to their installers, so why can't MSN do this?
    • It's buggy. Open some tabs. Switch to full screen. Your tabs are gone. It's not like this is some obscure process I went through; people do this all the time.
    • It's not well integrated into IE. For example, if you open up the Favorites tab and open a folder in your Favorites, and then open a new tab, the new tab won't have the same Favorites folder open. So you'd then have to re-open it.
    • You'll still have lots of IE windows. Pop-up windows open in new IE windows, not tabs. That's one of the most basic features of tabbed browsing.
    • You can't open different groups of tabs. It supports "My Tabs", which lets you open one group of tabs. But Maxthon and Firefox let you any folder of your Favorites. I do this all the time--I have a folder for all the blogs I read that opens all at once, all the Websites I check for software updates, places where people might review my books, etc. The MSN Toolbar limits you to just one set of tabs.

    So, if you still need to use IE (Maxthon is better than Firefox, but some things don't work quite right), the MSN Toolbar with tabs makes IE better. But I'll still be using Maxthon.

    9:07 AM | Add a comment | Read comments (25) | Permalink | View trackbacks (1) | Blog it | Computers and Internet