Hello.

I'm exploring how to improve the relevance of Yahoo Term Extraction API results. My initial question to Yahoo revealed that their system uses a semantic network to relate words and phrases. I'm experimenting with a two-step process: first, extract terms without a query to identify the most relevant term, and second, use that term as a query in a second extraction to refine the results. This might improve relevance, though it doubles the number of API calls. I plan to test this in my DeliTag and AjaxTag applications. Read More

I'm diving back into XAML after a break and reviewing "Programming: Windows Presentation Foundation." So far, the book is well-written with clear C# and XAML examples. While the initial XAML overview is a bit fast-paced, the layout section (Chapter 2) is excellent, offering helpful examples for each concept. Read More

I've been experimenting with the Bluetooth library for .NET I mentioned earlier, but I'm having trouble getting it to work. I wanted to connect my phone to my computer and transfer images, but it's not working as expected. The library itself seems fine, it's likely my understanding of Bluetooth communication that's lacking. On the plus side, detecting devices with the library is very easy! Read More

My website traffic this month is unusually high, almost matching the entire previous month's traffic in just eight days. Google seems to be the primary driver of this surge, sending a significantly larger number of visitors compared to other search engines like Yahoo and MSN. A majority of the searches are related to C#, which suggests I should continue focusing on that topic in my future posts. Read More

I've just started testing the Sphere Beta Program. While I appreciate the related blogs feature, I find the blog post search results less helpful. When I search for terms like "AJAX", the related blogs are more relevant than the actual posts returned. I'm not sure keyword searches within blog posts are effective for me. I'd love to see features like RSS subscriptions for results, customizable date ranges (e.g., between 2 and 4 months ago), and a "find similar blog posts" search option. Read More

I've joined the Sphere Beta Program and have some initial thoughts. While I find the related blogs feature useful, the blog post search results for keywords like "AJAX" aren't quite hitting the mark. I'd love to see improvements such as RSS subscription options for results, more refined date filtering (e.g., between specific dates), and a "find similar posts" feature. Read More

This post explores how to create JavaScript expando objects within C#. I discuss how to achieve this effect using both client-side JavaScript manipulation from C# and by adding attributes to HTML elements server-side, similar to how tooltips extend WinForms classes. I also touch upon the potential for C# 3.0 to offer this functionality natively and the possible use of Reflection and ExtenderProviders for dynamic property addition. Read More

This post discusses the differences between Perl and C#. While both languages use semicolons, they differ significantly in object-oriented features, frameworks, semantics, and regular expression handling. C# is strictly object-oriented with a robust framework, while Perl offers more flexibility and built-in regular expressions. The author uses Perl for quick tasks on their Linux server and C# professionally. Read More

This blog post explores the meaning behind the Google search query "oops c#." It questions whether the searcher was looking for information on Object Orientated Prototyping Systems, Object-Oriented Programming Systems, or general C# errors. The author requests that the original searcher contact them to clarify the intent behind their query. Read More

I'm curious why social bookmarking services like Simpy, Shadows, and del.icio.us prioritize a user's tags over a global view. When clicking a tag, I'd rather see globally relevant tagged pages than just those from a single user. A single user's tagging habits aren't as useful as seeing the broader community's perspective on a topic. Ideally, these services would offer a toggle between user-specific and global tag views. Read More

My Wikipedia-based AJAX Tag and AJAX Tag 2 scripts were temporarily broken due to an issue with Yahoo's service. Big thanks to the Yahoo developer team, especially Toby Elliot, for quickly resolving the problem! Of all the Web 2.0 APIs I've used, Yahoo's has the most helpful and responsive support. Read More

This post addresses the C# problem of checking if a string contains a number. Two approaches are suggested: using the Convert class with specific data types like Convert.ToInt16, Convert.ToInt32, Convert.ToFloat, etc., and using regular expressions like ^[0-9]+$ or ^[\d]+$ for whole number strings. The post aims to help C# programmers effectively perform this type of string validation. Read More

Seeing increased C# searches in my blog logs. Visitors might appreciate the lack of C# content here, so I'll start addressing C# topics. Read More

I've just added a Google AdSense referral link to my blog! Google recently updated AdSense, including their terms and conditions. While I spotted mentions of "Feeds" and "Referrals" in the new terms, I haven't yet seen Feed Advertising in action. If you're interested in monetizing your blog, give AdSense a try! Read More

I've updated DeliTag. Currently, it only supports Del.icio.us integration with Firefox. To enable broader compatibility, I'm actively seeking proxy scripts for SIMPY and SHADOWS. Read More

I've updated DeliTag to support uploading tags to SIMPY and Shadows. SIMPY works great! I had some initial trouble creating a Shadows account due to CAPTCHA issues, but I eventually got an account confirmation email, even though I haven't successfully completed CAPTCHA verification yet. Read More

In a previous post about verifying a hex number string with regex, there was a slight error. The regex should have been ^[A-Fa-f0-9]+$. A further refinement to prevent leading zeros (except for the number zero itself) would look like this: ^[A-Fa-f1-9][A-Fa-f0-9]*$. Read More

I noticed the Yellow Pages cover uses different font sizes, similar to a tag cloud, and it made me wonder if a tag cloud for business listings would be useful. It also made me notice that "Bouncy Castles" was one of the biggest entries! Read More

This blog post discusses a regex exercise to verify if a string is a hexadecimal number. The proposed solution is ^[A-Fa-f0-9]*$, which matches any combination of hexadecimal digits (0-9 and a-f, case-insensitive). The author acknowledges that this regex allows starting a number with 0, which might not be desirable. Read More

I'm changing the focus of AJAXTag. Instead of just giving users related information, I want to let readers explore and discover connections themselves. I'll create an interactive version of my blog, allowing users to generate an OPML file of related data. This is inspired by Memorandum, but focuses on user exploration within areas of interest. What are your thoughts? Read More