April 2007 - Posts

C# Fingerprint Reader

I was playing with my fingerprint reader this weekend and thought I would share what I have worked on. I began this process like I do many others by doing a search to see if anyone has already implemented what I wanted to do. My search turned up an article by Scott Hanselman (http://blogs.msdn.com/coding4fun/archive/2007/03/06/1815291.aspx). Here he builds an application to warehouse his families fingerprints. He also talks about a SDK called GrFinger (http://www.griaule.com/page/en-us/grfinger_fingerprint_sdk). After spending some time looking at his code, and the sample that shipped with GrFinger, I decided to embark on writing my own.

The requirements:
1) The software shall capture a fingerprint using the MS Fingerprint Reader (http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/productdetails.aspx?pid=093)
2) The software shall be able to save a person’s prints and name to a sql server database
3) The software shall be able to lookup a person by their fingerprints

The solution: See zip file for complete source (http://www.onetug.org/DNN/Portals/0/member_files/Onetug.Identity.zip).

Application Image

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April 19, ONETUG meeting

Sorry it took so long but here is the PowerPoint from my presentation.

Includes Introduction, Robot, and C# Future slides.

http://www.onetug.org/DNN/Portals/0/member_files/2007_04_19_Meeting.zip

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Microsoft Silverlight

Ever since before WPF had WPF/E we were hearing rumors about this product. Microsoft describes the product as "a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering the next generation of media experiences and rich interactive applications (RIAs) for the Web. Silverlight integrates with existing Web applications. Silverlight media capabilities include fast, cost-effective delivery of high-quality audio and video to all major browsers including Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer running on the Mac or on Windows. By using Expression Studio and Visual Studio, designers and developers can collaborate more effectively using the skills they have today to light up the Web of tomorrow." (http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/asp.net/bb187358.aspx). I have seen some demos and I would describe it as some REAL competition for Flash.

Besides the fact that this product is going to turn web development on its head, I have it on good authority that it was actually named after David Silverlight a Florida .NET developer and the founder of such legendary websites as http://www.community-credit.com, http://www.nonprofitways.com, http://www.dwightbobbleheads.com, http://www.realtechnologyheros.com, http://www.xmlpitstop.com (well just about every webpage on the internet). I cannot reveal my sources, you understand NDA’s and the like, but I just wanted to congratulate David and wish him all the luck with his new product. Now if he would only give me a cut of the profits. . . .

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Windows Live OneCare

I have blogged about free ways to backup and a free anti-virus program in the past. While these are good tools , I have had a life altering experience. Well not really life altering but it was very cool. I have started a 90 day trial of OneCare (http://onecare.live.com). I really like it. I would explain this product as having a corporate IT department for your home computer. My IT department at work does regular scans of my work computer for viruses, backs up my files and does all the maintenance tasks that we should be doing at home, but for some reason we never do them. Well OneCare changes all of that. Not only does it do all that stuff, but it works as seamlessly as Microsoft Update, they also include a help center. I would have to give this product 5 gold stars. The only think I don’t like is that costs money but they do provide a 90 day trial and they allow you to use it on 3 computers. 
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Robots at UCF and more!!!

Thank You JT for letting me speak to your class.

Here is the PowerPoint:
http://www.onetug.org/DNN/Portals/0/member_files/2007_04_02_robot.ppt

Some other links we discussed.
Free converter for old versions of office to read the new file types:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=941b3470-3ae9-4aee-8f43-c6bb74cd1466&displaylang=en

A student asked how to get experience, I recommended volunteering for this group that creates and donates applications for nonprofit organizations.
http://www.nonprofitways.com/

Interview at Microsoft
http://channel9.msdn.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=19737
http://channel9.msdn.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=19187

Free font for VS.NET to make code easier to read
http://windark.net/blog/PermaLink,guid,918cc94f-1235-4d39-ba3d-07279c451d67.aspx (Thanks Eddy)

SysInternals alot of very cool tools for windows
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/default.mspx

CodePlex source code repository and collaboration tool
http://www.codeplex.com/

Refactor! for Visual Basic 2005
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/vbasic/ms789083.aspx

SOA - Take a look at this article by Tom Fuller (http://www.soapitstop.com) from Tampa about SOA
http://aspalliance.com/707

My solution to the exercise you did in class
http://www.onetug.org/DNN/Portals/0/member_files/ISMUserInformationCollector.zip

You talked about arrays, How about Generics??? :)

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'list of type strings
Dim lst As New List(Of String)
lst.Add("Shawn")
lst.Add("jt")
lst.Add("asdf")
For Each s As String In lst
Console.WriteLine(s)
Next
'
'
'
'How about a list of customers?
Dim cList As New List(Of Customer)
Dim c As New Customer()
c.FirstName = "Shawn"
c.LastName = "Weisfeld"
c.Age = 12
cList.Add(c)
c = New Customer()
c.FirstName = "JT"
c.LastName = "Shim"
c.Age = 12
cList.Add(c)
For Each cc As Customer In cList
Console.WriteLine(String.Format("{0}, {1} ({2})", cc.LastName, cc.FirstName, cc.Age))
Next

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