Lynn Demarest's Blog, page 4

Custom Events in ASP.NET User Controls

When creating user controls, we sometimes need to notify the user of the control (usually a page or another user control) of something that happened in the control. Imagine a web page containing a gridview of Employer data and, beneath it, a user control containing a formview we use to edit a single Employer. When [...]

How Newspapers Blew It, How They Can Save Themselves

As Bezos bought the Washington Post and the wrecking crew took to tearing down the iconic Herald building on Biscayne Bay, I found myself once again marveling at the downfall of the daily newspaper. They say the Internet did it, but newspapers should have been excited by the ability to publish globally at virtually no [...]

About Microsoft.aspnet.FriendlyUrls

Finally, Microsoft has come up with a version of Friendly URLs that is friendly to programmers, too. Nonetheless, there are a few things you need to be aware of. First, the Microsoft.aspnet.FriendlyUrls assembly follows the standard “forward slash” model. So URLs look like this: //www.mydomain.com/documents/2013/01 When parsing the URL, the module starts from the right [...]

Pool Repair : Clogged Filter Cartridge

The swimming pool pump was getting hot and not pulling enough water. The pump trap window near the pump was filling only about halfway. I assumed there was a clog between the skimmer and the pump, but the pool store guy suggested running the system without the cartridge filter. Cartridge filters clog over time and [...]

Book Review: The Casual Vacancy

I haven’t read a single Harry Potter book, nor have I watched the movies. Wizards just aren’t my thing. But when Harry and his friends grew up and JK Rowling decided to write something different, I put it on my list. After all, how could millions of Potter fans be wrong? They weren’t wrong. The [...]

Easy as Pie Turkey Soup

Better late than never, here’s a simple turkey soup recipe. Ingredients: Turkey carcass (bones) mirepoix (1 rib celery, 1 medium onion, 1 carrot) 2 cloves garlic salt pepper 2 tbsp olive oil or two slices bacon cayenne (optional) Finely dice the onion, celery, and carrot. Sweat them in a large pot in 2 tablespoons olive [...]

Review: MFA in a Box (John Rember)

“MFA in a Box” is a beautifully written book not so much about the mechanics as the psychology of fiction writing. The author, a beloved professor of creative writing in the northwest, argues that the best authors endeavor like Buddhas to dive into awful truths everyday people wanting to maintain their sanity naturally avoid. Rember [...]

Review : Joseph Anton, a memoir (Salmon Rushdie)

Rushdie wrote this book in the third person, referring to himself as “he” instead of “I.” Unfortunately, it’s sometimes helpful to use a character’s name instead of the pronoun, especially after a sentence that calls attention to someone else who might reasonably be the “he” in question. (It seldom, if ever, was the other, but [...]

Thanksgiving, 2012: My Top Ten Reasons to be Thankful

Thanksgiving is tomorrow, so naturally I got to thinking about the reasons I might be thankful. 1. Despite the odds, I am still married to the love of my life, a force of nature who immerses herself courageously in the lives of those around her and cares about their happiness to the detriment of her [...]

“This is How You Lose Her” for Gringos

Especially for those non-Spanish-speaking fans of Junot Diaz, here are some definitions that might help when reading “This is How you Lose Her.” The Sun, The Moon, The Stars sucio dirty hijo son ecuatoriana Ecuadorian chinita eyes SLANG Eyes slanted like a Chinese, especially on a latin woman. a Bergeline original ??? a fashionable person [...]