I discovered that there aren't any built-in resources in SQL Server that will give me the list of columns in a stored procedure. Tables and views yes, but not procedures. However, there is a way to find column names (of a sort). We can use the sp_HelpText system procedure to get the actual text of our stored procedure. Capture these lines in a table variable and we can parse through them to find the select statement(s) and get the list of columns that way. It's a lot of work to do the parsing so I would recommend keeping the stored procedure code structured that we can find each column on a separate line immediately following the SELECT. Here's how to capture the text:

DECLARE @text TABLE (line NVARCHAR(MAX))
INSERT @text (line)
    EXEC sp_helpText 'stored_procedure_name'

Then we can examine the table with selects to find the column names we're looking for. Crude, perhaps, but it works.

I've had my SGS2 for just a month now, and have finally mastered it. The phone is now running a custom ROM from Paradox (root) and has all the software I need to make life good. Last month I figured I'd finally switch over to T-Mobile after working here for a year and a half... Got a pair of Samsungs (Galaxy S for my wife and SGS2 for me) at Costco for total cost of $179. Of course I'll have to pay the higher rate plan but it still saves money over the full retail price in the store.

I used the Skyrocket Root kit for rooting the phone on 2.3.5 (i believe it also works on 2.3.6), and downloaded the 2.3.6 Paradox ROM from http://downloadandroidrom.com/file/GalaxyS2TMobile/roms which has HUGE battery improvements:


and WiFi calling. Note: it does NOT have the Swype keyboard, but I don't use that one anyway. Been really happy with the ROM, since it is stripped of almost all of the standard bloatware. Even had to download FB, Twitter, and MyAccount but that's no big deal. I love the slick effects and UI tweaks. Can't wait til there's a new version available.

Just make sure you install Clockwork Recovery Mod before rooting.
You can get the root kit from links at the forum http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1340710
just follow the instructions, put the phone in usb debug mode and hook er up.

For the last month or so, I have been noticing a bunch of CPU spikes on my netbook, which is really low-powered for a CPU anyway. So, I got the latest version of Process Explorer, did a little web searching, and had come to no solution until today when I found this blog post by one of the creators of Process Explorer, Mark Russinovich who was experiencing the same issue. So I am clearly not as smart as he is, but I read his post and since he mentioned a Broadcom network driver that ended up being his culprit, I figured I would investigate my drivers.

Sure enough, my wireless network board built into the Acer Netbook (previously blogged) has a Broadcom driver. I didn't go to the extent he did about poking around and such, I just went to the Acer website to look for the driver to see if there was an update. Turns out I had the latest version. So, just for grins I went to the control panel and uninstalled the driver for that device. It had me reboot, and since I didn't delete the software itself, the driver reinstalled automatically on boot. Once I got the network reconfigured and back on WiFi, everything has been running smoothly with no more CPU spiking.

Good to know how he tracked down the issue, however, since it may occur again in the future. Let this be known: Broadcom driver users - beware of CPU spikes...

It was so dang dark in the back of the new MINI Cooper S Clubman boot, I decided that the one tiny wimpy little 194 incandescent lamp that is installed there was sadly inadequate. I proceeded to tear into the boot liner on the driver's side, and install new lighting on the ceiling. I had a flexible LED strip with 30 daylight color (5000K) LED's, so I wired it into a tiny black wire and ran the wire under the headliner rubber strip over to the wall, and tucked it inside the plastic piece that protects the airbag in the corner. I removed the tie-down latch screws (which are T40 star by the way). I removed the two plastic locks in the front of the wall cover by taking out the plastic center pin first, then using a screwdriver and pliers to lift up and pry out the two locks, releasing the wall board. I ran the wire down behind the board, and popped out the light lens and wire. I soldered the wires together to tap in to the light and voila! Next, I tacked the light strip up to the ceiling with some staples (temporarily) until I figure out the right glue to glue it down permanently. And dang if 3 of the 30 LEDs didn't just go out after I mounted it. Oh well, it's REALLY much better to be able to see in the cargo bay!

Note the lack of black bonnet stripes, and the fact that the roof is gray instead of black... These will be fixed shortly by the dealer.

Got the new netbook a few days ago from the corner Costco store for the same price as I paid for my last one a year ago, $300.

Here's a link to the Acer site for this model.

It's this year's model of the basically the same thing as last year, but with a bit larger screen, bigger hard drive, and more RAM. The resolution on this screen is 1366x768, taller than the 600 line screen on last year's model. This is very useful, because there are still many sites and apps that are set up for a minimum line resolution of 640 (VGA) so sometimes they are hard to get to work on the old model.

This model has 320GB hard drive and 2GB of ram, which can be upgraded to 4GB (recommended: $30 at Crucial). This ram is intended to be upgraded, as the bottom cover has one screw and then it slides forward (don't pry it up) to remove. Ram upgrade was completely uneventful and has been working without incident.

The screen is a little bigger (11.6" widescreen CineCrystal [whatever that means]) and it has an AMD C-Series Processor C-50 (1.0GHz, 1MB L2 cache) for a CPU. It's not a speed demon, but hey, it's a netbook. It's hyper-threaded, and mostly adequate. There have been some issues with the Windows 7 Home Premium OS where the System process suddenly jumps to 50% CPU utilization, but after flashing to the latest version of the BIOS (1.07) it seems to have lessened the issue if not eliminated it.

It has the standard webcam, multi-card reader, touchpad, N WiFi, and an Ethernet port. With a VGA, 3 USB's and an HDMI port can connect to most everything.

I have officially turned over my old large laptop, and now use this netbook for everything I do (YES including software development). My son now enjoys the use of last year's model. In short, a decent netbook and no real troubles. Biggest improvements over last year's is the larger screen size and resolution, the larger memory and hard drive, and Windows Home Premium instead of Starter. I use it both at home and at the office, and it's kept up with everything I've asked it to do. So far so good, let's see what they come up with next year...

Just got some new SkullCandy Ink'd ear bud headphones today. They sound pretty darn good for only costing $10 brand new (including shipping [eBay]). Nice deep bass response and crisp highs also. They are very simple, and don't have any widgets for iPhone or whatever. But, they get the job done and they are comfortable to wear all day long. They don't do as great a job at keeping outside sounds out of the ear, but it's not too bad. These guys do make a bunch of higher-end models which have more features, and for more $ of course. Strange thing is they aren't labeled Left and Right so I have no idea which is which... not that it really matters much.

OK well its not exactly 0 carbs, but really really low. Follow instructions to the letter

Pork roast, sliced thin
Bell Peppers, 1 red, 1 green
whole yellow onion, sliced and diced
1 medium tomato
2 carrots, sliced thin (1/8")
cliantro, parsley handful each
1 bottle white wine (375ml)
Sriracha rooster sauce 1tbsp
fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Marinate pork in white wine, enough to cover it for about an hour. Drink a glass of the white wine while this process is underway. Dice all vegetables into bite sized pieces while drinking the wine. Watch your fingers. Dump the wine from the pork into a big pan/pot and add the onions and carrots. Start the pork on medium heat, and add some water to boil- just enough to cover the pork. Stir/flip often. When the water boils off, brown them lightly. Meanwhile, boil the carrots and onions in the wine for 5 minutes then add all the rest of the veggies. Stir often. Add Sriracha while its cooking and stir in.

Pour yourself another glass of wine, and dump the rest into the veggies and a touch in the pork also. Combine the pork with the veggies. By the time you are done with the wine, pork and veggies are done. Serve hot. Also works with chicken.

An Agile Coach is a talented professional developer who is brought in to a team to help them raise their bar of excellence. This person is a servant-leader, an advocate, a teacher, a helper, and a technical resource as well.

A coach is there to guide the team, help them to do their best. This should be true of a coach on any team. An Agile Coach is someone who is well versed in the practices of an agile developer - XP, SCRUM, LEAN, etc. They have been around a few blocks and have some experience in various teams in various circumstances.

This person is sought out for their experience and their ability to convey their knowledge in a positive way. They are an active and participating member of the team - not someone on the outside. The Agile Coach should be developing code right along with the rest of the team. Sometimes the coach can be the team's representative to outside meetings also, where a developer is needed rather than a scrum master.

The coach should work directly with the scrum master, and be aligned in being able to protect the team from outside influence, as well as randomizations from meetings and questions from other groups. The Agile Coach should show leadership in how code should be written, and the behavior expected from the development team when it comes to coding both main-line and tests.

The coach should encourage continuous learning and growth, facilitating this wherever and whenever possible. He should encourage the team members strive to improve, while being there to assist and support them while they do, and ensure their success. The coach should set the tone for the team in modeling the attitude that will best serve the client, customers, and users.

COACH: Champion, Observer, Advocate, Cheerleader, Helper