How to fix problems with the X-Axis in Microsoft Charting Components
The Problem: You’re creating a line or area chart using the Microsoft Charting components (the ones in System.Web.UI.DataVisualization.Charting, not System.Web.Helpers) and for whatever reason the first entry is actually in the second quadrant, like so: The Cause: The charting components assume you want to show some sort of contrast for the first value, but it […]
The case against scratching your own itch when building a product
I recently spoke on Atlanta Business Radio and after the interview I spent some time talking about with the hosts about TimeProducer.com and Stronico. One of the hosts had some interesting, and mildly troubling throughts. He asked me outright if I was “scratching my own itch”. He then presented a compelling case against doing that. To […]
How to fix problems with asp.net, C# and Request.ServerVariables[“HTTP_REFERER”]
The Problem: I recently built a small web app that tracked downloads. Part of that was using the referring page. Somehow, for some reason, the url was not being sent along with the request. The Cause: After much travail, I finally noticed that the browser was on page https://www.somedomain.com and the link in question […]
Free Derek Sivers video on App Sumo
I’ve been a huge fan of Derek Sivers for several years now, and I have seen, listened, or read over a dozen interviews and presentations with him, making me something of a groupie. Today’s App Sumo deal is the longest presentation I’ve seen of his, and chock full of data and useful advice. And it’s […]
Why you should NOT burn your boats, bridges, or escape routes
I recently came across the blog post “Founders: Burn Your Boats” on Hacker News and found it to be the exact wrong advice. The logic behind the argument is that by removing your escape routes (boats) you are committing totally, and focusing your attention on your startup company, and you will of course be happier. will be […]
The introvert’s guide to getting out of bank fees
Do you wind up paying bank fees because you’re introverted, shy, quiet, or just too well bred to complain about such things? There’s no need to pay the fees. Here’s how to get out of them. I recently bounced a check because I chose the wrong account in the online bill paying process (I have […]
What having a daughter taught me about business – Part I
My wife and I (mostly her) had out first child (a girl) five months ago. For various reasons we take her to lots of doctors, including four specialists, I thought I would share a bit of what I’ve learned on the topic of doctors and specialization by having a daughter. Observations You have to […]
How to fix problem with asp.net mvc 3 and json
The Problem: You are attempting to import json data into your web application, but you continue to get weird errors. Here is what the json data looked like [{“entry”:{“tags”:[{“name”:”Web Development”,”billable”:true,”id”:117906}],”created_at”:”2011-02-04T01:00:28Z”,”billable”:true,”minutes”:150,”updated_at”:”2011-02-04T01:00:40Z”,”recently_updated_at”:”2011-02-04T01:00:40Z”,”project_id”:40401,”import_id”:null,”url”:null,”time_to”:null,”id”:670893,”date”:”2011-02-02″,”user_id”:12914,”formatted_description”:””,”description_text”:””,”time_from”:null,”description”:”Web Development”,”invoiced_at”:null,”project_invoice_id”:null}},{“entry”:{“tags”:[{“name”:”Web Development”,”billable”:true,”id”:117906}],”created_at”:”2011-02-04T01:04:42Z”,”billable”:true,”minutes”:180,”updated_at”:”2011-02-04T01:04:42Z”,”recently_updated_at”:”2011-02-04T01:04:42Z”,”project_id”:40401,”import_id”:null,”url”:null,”time_to”:null,”id”:670909,”date”:”2011-02-01″,”user_id”:12914,”formatted_description”:””,”description_text”:””,”time_from”:null,”description”:”Web Development”,”invoiced_at”:null,”project_invoice_id”:null}},{“entry”:{“tags”:[{“name”:”Web Development”,”billable”:true,”id”:117906}],”created_at”:”2011-02-04T01:11:13Z”,”billable”:true,”minutes”:60,”updated_at”:”2011-02-04T01:11:13Z”,”recently_updated_at”:”2011-02-04T01:11:13Z”,”project_id”:40401,”import_id”:null,”url”:null,”time_to”:null,”id”:670914,”date”:”2011-01-31″,”user_id”:12914,”formatted_description”:””,”description_text”:””,”time_from”:null,”description”:”Web Development”,”invoiced_at”:null,”project_invoice_id”:null}}] The Cause: The json is not in the format you think it should be in While it looks like you […]
How to fix problems with Coded User Interface Tests
The Problem: You attempt to create a new Coded User Interface Test in Visual Studio 2010, and you get the following error: The following package failed to load: C:Users[File Path Goes Here]Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UITest.Extension.IE.dll. Coded UI Test is now in an inconsistent state. Remove this package and restart Visual Studio to work with Coded UI Test. The […]
How much is a client worth to your business?
One feature of my new web app is the evaluation of clients. At the moment I have the following criteria: Effective rate on their projects Size of billing Payment speed Amount learned on their projects Fun had on their projects Am I missing anything? Does anyone have any thoughts on how these criteria should be […]