Windows Azure CDN locations

I asked on the WebApps StackExchange forum a few months ago out of curiosity, if it is possible to know where a Content Delivery Network's servers are located?The unanimous answer was that it is not possible to know unless the CDN vendor gives it out. Both the respondents to the question also mentioned...

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Book Review - Software Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art

Software Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art by Steve McConnell is a book that meets my definition of a good technical book.In my opinion, Estimation is an underrated subject. A lack of understanding of this topic among team members (not just the PM) can negatively impact the success of the project....

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HOW TO open your favorite set of websites in new browser tabs at once

Ignore this post if you live on the web & rarely turn off your computer.On the other hand, if you have a favorite set of websites that you open everyday, you can automate the process of starting these sites in multiple tabs within a single Firefox window by using a Windows Batch file....

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What makes a good technical book 'good'?

This question came up StackOverflow.I have an unenviable target of reading at least one technical book a month. I have enjoyed reading dozens of them. Here's what I think are the ingredients of the secret sauce that makes technical books great -They are written in plain-English They have a no-fluff,...

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Search for keywords in videos with Microsoft Research Audio Video Indexing System (MAVIS)

If you were searching for videos that reference the Razor (view engine) from among Microsoft videos from events like PDC, MIX 2010, Channel 9, MAVIS can get you results with direct links to the precise moment that word was uttered in a video.This feature has also been implemented on  the U.S. Department...

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How AI touches our everyday lives

In the NewYork Post article "The machine age", Peter Norvig traces the progress of Artificial Intelligence over the years. He cites interesting examples of how we are already using applications that utilize AI -* Spam filtering programs using A.I. learning and classification techniques correctly identify...

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Does office space affect software development efficiency?

Steve McConnell identified "Noisy, crowded offices" as a "classic mistake" in software development, in his book Rapid Development. This finding has been substantiated by the results of multiple surveys. However, nothing much seems to be done about it.A recent CNN report reveals that the average (American)...

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India - Know your elected government representatives

Who says India is a poor country? Did you know 315 of the 545 MPs (Members of Parliament) in the current Lok Sabha or Lower House of Parliament are crorepatis (have assets greater than 10 million Indian rupees)? Out of 543 MPs (Lok Sabha), 153 are facing criminal charges. Fifty-four...

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Video Overview of Visual Studio 2010 suite

David Chappell has posted a video series on Visual Studio 2010 on YouTube. In all, the seven sessions are of roughly 45 minutes duration & cover the following topics -The Big PictureTeam Foundation Server 2010Requirements and ArchitectureDevelopment FundamentalsTestingManaging and Tracking a ProjectAdopting...

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China Bing Dictionary makes learning English fun

There are some odd words in English, especially those originating from other languages, that are not pronounced the way they are written (wonder if there is a word for these kind of words). Mispronouncing such words could make you a laughing stock.Unlike some other online dictionaries...

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Can’t proceed beyond Database Configuration step in PrestaShop Installation Wizard?

PrestaShop is an open-source e-commerce solution that is built with PHP. It is reportedly used by more than 50,000 webshops throughout the world. Like any PHP app, it runs under both Apache & IIS.While trying PrestaShop version 1.3.6 out, I ran into a few issues. After spending some time googling...

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