Continuous Refactor

I’ve tried to do mind mapping in Notepad and Excel.  I’ve also used sort of Kanban approach to mind mapping using sticky notes on the wall.  Today I set out to find a tool, preferably a free tool, to help with mind mapping.  I quick search on Google turned up FreeMind near the top of the list.  I downloaded and installed it.  Then, within minutes I had the high-level mind map prepared for this blog.  FreeMind also supports exporting the map into several different formats including HTML or as a .PNG file like the one below.

I have used and have been an avid fan of FogBugz for years.  One quirk that I experience when running on Microsoft SQL Standard or SQL Express is that the database grows very quickly.  Even so, it can be reduced back to an acceptable size by running a simple script.  I am now running FogBugz 6.1 and using SQL Server 2008 Express, 64-bit.

Here is the SQL maintenance script:

USE FogBugz
GO
ALTER DATABASE FogBugz
SET RECOVERY SIMPLE;
GO
DBCC SHRINKFILE ([FOGBUGZ DATABASE FILE DatabaseName],1);
DBCC SHRINKFILE ([FOGBUGZ LOG FILE LogFileName],1);
GO
ALTER DATABASE FogBugz
SET RECOVERY FULL
GO

Since I am running SQL Express edition, there is no built-in support to run maintenance packages, so I use the command line OSQL to run the script above.

Here is the command line:
[CODE]osql -ic:\tools\fb_shrink.sql -E -S.\SQLEXPRESS -oc:\tools\fogbugz_shrink_results.txt[/CODE]

I saved that command in a BAT file and then scheduled using the system scheduled tasks to be executed once daily.

In the last month and a half I’ve built out a launch page site at KellyOrr.com, a professional blog at ContinuousRefactor.com, a personal blog at 43five.com and a photo stream at Fotographiti.com.  Aside from the hosting space, I have used a suite of free tools.  Here is the list:

• Retaggr – the Definitive Online Profile.  This service dynamically builds and serves out the badge that appears on KellyOrr.com and ContinuousRefactor.com with a collection of logos for each social network on online service that I use.  It shows a brief description of who I am, my picture and my last Twitter update.
• Facebook – helps you connect and share with the people in your life.  This site is primarly used for personal social networking.  It enables you to link with colleagues and friends and share udpates, photos and Facebook-enabled games.
• LinkedIn – Over 30 million professionals use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas and opportunities.  The network enables users to stay updates about colleagues as they move between jobs.  I used it to keep an ever-current online resume of my professional activities.
• Twitter. I often call this micro-blogging.  Twitter enables you to update your status from anywhere you have access to a web browser.
• Ping.fm – a simple service that makes updating your social networks a snap.  I type my updates into the website at Ping.fm and each social network that I have identified in my account is updated automatically.
• Flickr – a Yahoo! service for storing pictures online.  Admittedly, I do pay for the Pro version of this service, the free version is very powerful and only puts limits on daily uploads.
• Flickriver – this service creates a photo stream of pictures from a flickr account.  I like how it presents the pictures and allows users to search by keywords and sort by tags.
• BlogEngine.NET — BE.N, as it’s often referred to by fellow developers, is my blog software of choice.  It’s simple, effective, skin-able, written in .NET and free.  I run my personal and professional blogs from it.
• WordPress – [Update Jan 28 2011] Since Microsoft has deployed Live blogs on WordPress and since it has taken off like wildfire in the last two years, I have switched my blog to WordPress as well.  I run the locally installed version available from WordPress.org.
• Skype — I used to pay more than $50 per month for a land line and dial tone with no voicemail or caller ID out here on the countryside.  Now that land-based high speed Internet is available, I got rid of my home-office land line and use Skype instead.  For a dedicated number, I pay about $5 a quarter!  Skype-to-Skype calls are free and people can call my Skype number from anywhere in the world and I can take the call anywhere in the world that I can get access to the Internet and Skype.  I’ve used the service and my account in Germany and Russia with no problems.
• Gmail — For years I insisted on using my own domain names and Microsoft Outlook for email.  I still use my own domain names, but I got rid of Outlook when I realized I have access to Google’s search horsepower in a GMail account.  I no longer have hundreds of nested folders that I sort mail into.  All of my mail gets tagged and added to a single archive folder.  Now I search instead of sort.
• Amazon.com — I signed up for an Amazon.com Associate account.  When I write book reviews or list books referenced in talks that I’ve attended, the pictures of the books come from Amazon.  If a reader clicks the book, they are transferred over to Amazon and if they buy the book, I receive a commission from Amazon.
• Google Analytics — I’ve used several web traffic analytics tools over the years, but they all pale in comparison to Google Analytics.  The basic version is extremely powerful and, of course, free.  Once you sign up for your account, Google will generate a simple snippet of code for you to add to your website.  That code will send information about each visitor to Google for analysis.  The aggregated data is presented in numerous reports for your review via a web interface.
• Clustrmaps — This service provides a push pin style map of where your readers are located.  The more visitors you have from a location, the bigger the head of the push pin.  This map is available as a dynamic graphic to include on your site.  The service is free.

For whatever reason, the Tortoise update notices like the one shown here are always intimidating to me.  I right click and select ‘SVN Update’ and get the update checker pop-up.  I think, “What? There is another update?  I’m not running the newest version?  What am I missing?  Was there something in the last versions that could be a risk to me?  How long will this take to update?  Where do I go again and what do I do?”

It’s quite simple really.  Here are the steps:

1. Notice the pop-up and think “Gee, I should update this.  It’ll only take a minute.”
2. Browse out to http://tortoisesvn.com and click the ‘Download’ link at the top of the page.
3. Scroll down and select the version needed for your computer.
4. Save the file.  I prefer to just put it on my desktop so I can easily find it again.
5. Double click and walk through the installation.
6. Reboot.  Done.