Hello. I am Paul Kinlan.

I'm excited to announce the launch of Topicala Business, a new search tool for UK businesses! List your business for free to add your description, services, contact info, and more. Topicala Business also searches the web to show you what customers and competitors are saying. Find your listing using your company number (www.topicala.com/business/{companyNumber}) or search by business name (e.g., www.topicala.com/business/topicala or www.topicala.com/business/06512461). We're using data from Companies House and currently have over 169,000 companies listed. Claim your free listing now to boost your visibility on Google and other search engines. I'm eager to hear your feedback and suggestions for future features!

The Liverpool .Net User Group is officially formed! Join fellow .Net enthusiasts in the Liverpool area for discussions on all things .Net. Visit our website at http://www.usersof.net/ or join our Google group at http://groups.google.co.uk/group/liverpoolusersofdotnet to connect with other members and stay updated on upcoming meetings. The next meeting is scheduled for April 17th, 2008 - http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/454169/. We encourage everyone interested in .Net to join us!

I've joined Twitter! Follow me @PaulKinlan - http://www.twitter.com/PaulKinlan

Concerned about Facebook privacy? I've created a Facebook application called "Know Your Privacy" to help you understand how third-party apps access your profile data. It highlights potential risks and offers common-sense advice. Find it at http://apps.facebook.com/knowyourprivacy/. Your feedback is welcome! Disclaimer: This app is for informational purposes only and doesn't imply any misuse of data by installed apps. It's not professional advice; contact authorities for accurate information. Resources on identity theft are included.

I've integrated Topicala into Facebook, allowing users to search the internet without leaving the platform. Check out the app at http://apps.facebook.com/topicala/. It's easy to use, requires no personal data, and was a breeze to develop. I'd love to hear your feedback!

This post introduces a C# 3.0 extension method for converting IDataRecord fields into a Dictionary<string, object>. This simplifies access to field data, particularly useful in scenarios like passing data to a Workflow instance. While convenient, it's important to note that direct IDataRecord access offers better performance for frequent data retrieval.

I've released a new, open-source Microformat parser for .NET, available on Codeplex! This stream-based parser uses a flexible XML configuration to define how microformats like hCard and rel-tag are extracted from HTML/XML, allowing for easy adaptation to spec changes. The provided C# code example demonstrates the simplicity of using the framework to read and process microformat data. Feedback and contributions are welcome!

My review of "Microsoft XNA Unleashed" by Chad Carter. XNA is Microsoft's game development platform for Windows and Xbox 360. This book provides a great introduction to game development with XNA, covering key concepts like componentization and game components/services. It also touches upon physics and AI. While the book is light on visuals and the AI chapter could be more substantial, it's a good starting point for C# programmers wanting to explore game development using XNA. It's less suited for experienced graphics programmers or those unfamiliar with C#. The release of XNA v2 might make some parts of the book outdated.

Introducing Topicala Desktop, a new application developed in partnership with Rosetta Software Ltd. This handy tool allows users to search Topicala.com directly from any Windows application by simply highlighting text and pressing CTRL+T. It's perfect for anyone who needs quick access to information, like journalists and students. Whether you're reading an email, a legal document in Microsoft Word, or anything else, Topicala Desktop provides instant search results in Internet Explorer. Download and install this free tool today!

I've launched two new beta features for Topicala: Topicala Popular and Topicala People. Topicala Popular helps you discover trending content online, similar to Digg or Delicious, by tracking site visitors via an embedded image. Topicala People helps you find people online using hCard microformats. You can get your information on Topicala People by wrapping it in hCards and either including the Topicala image or pinging our server. These features will soon integrate directly into Topicala's main search. Try them out and let me know your feedback!