No I have not forgot about the contest! I am still waiting to hear back from the other two judges. I just sent them an email about the issue. I will be posting the scores and declaring a winner within 7 days or so, so if you have an entry keep your fingers crossed!

Im going to have something special for you all in the next few days, won't say what it is just yet but it's really cool! (At least i think it's cool :p)

Well I'm back at home! Wuhoo! We left at around 7 or 8 am and got back to terrace at 8 pm. I think that laptop I bought is going to be well worth it. The more I use it the more ideas I have on how I can use it. I was going to post more blog entries from the road but when your driving 100 km an hour it's hard to get a Wi-Fi signal, let alone get a signal long enough to make a blog entry.

I could have made an entry from Prince George, Houston, And Burns Lake, but I could not get reliable net access for longer then a few seconds. I'm amazed at just how many unsecured Wi-Fi routers are out there! Not to mention routers that are connected to a broadband internet connection. It's crazy.

Anyway getting tired from watching DVD's all day on the trip back home so am going to sleep early. Have internet, will blog...

Just on my way back home. Making theis blog entry from mcbride husky! Did I mention how much I love Wi-Fi!

Sweet I'm posting this entry from an unsecured wifi access point named "linksys" hehe ...some one did not secure there router lol. This is sweet! Can't blog now must make the most of it!!

Well I just purchased a new (Refurbished) HP ZV5000 laptop computer. I purchased it from Mr. Laptop. He runs his business out of the basement of his house. He has a nice setup, with a book shelf setup displaying the availible laptops that are for sale as well as a number of monitors and desktops. I purchased this Althlon 64 3000+ for $1199 CAD (before taxes). It's got all kinds of goodies in it too like Wifi 802.11g etc, 80gig HD, 512MN mem, and DVD/CD-RW drive, and a GeForce 4 440 Go 64Mb (deticated memory). Although this is my first laptop I think I got a good deal on it. I am having some adjustment issues with the keyboard layout. The keys are not like a standard keyboard so it takes a little longer to find the home/end/delete keys etc. but that's minor. The touch pad takes a little getting used to especilly when I've never used one before. Good thing I brought my optical mouse from home. I also purchaed a new hickers backpack for $170 CAD and a car adapter for the laptop so I can watch dvd's on the long trip home.

I will probably write a review of the system when I get back home.

Whoa! stop everything! I was just on the job site loading up the ladders and equipment and stuff, and just got in the truck and could smell plastic burning. I'm thinking what the hell? I check the brand new apc car lighter adapter and it's freaking melting! Holy crap! I just bought the dam thing like 2 hours ago and paid $80 CAD just to have it melt on me! The truck was not even running, to boot! Needless to say it's going to be back to radio shack asap. My long standing faith with APC is now in serious question! All the surge protectors I have at home are APC products. I have not had any problems with them thus far but this meltdown has got me thinking thoughts I don't want to be thinking about. Dam it's a good thing I disconnected the laptop before getting out of the truck!!! But I did not disconnect the wall adapter for the laptop from the APC car adapter so now I'm concerned about plugging in the laptop using it's wall adapter! Geeze I almost fried my brand new less then 24 hours old laptop!!! Oh my poor baby are you ok! :P Now I'm wondering if my waranty on my laptop covers bad surge protectors that may cause damage to the system. Then again apc usually has faulty device protection on there products.

We are just bringing the equipment up to the north side right now, and am typing this glog entry on the laptop, so I can just cut and paste it into my blog whenever I get access to the internet again.

Anyway I was doing a little war driving on the way to the job site and there had to be at least over a dozen hot spots I picked up along the way! This wifi stuff is geting me thinking things that could get me into trouble. hehe. It would be awsome if I could find a hot spot with internet access!

No not really, I am stuck on the south side of edmonton for a few days doing a house. It's only one story but it is really chopped up with lots of cutting involved. I should be returning to the north side tomorrow. That's why I have not been able to make a blog entry as of late.

As for the contest, http://contest.createdbyx.com/ it has now closed and the entried that were submitted are now being judged. Final scores and a winner will be posted in about two weeks or less.

Also, I may be returning home within a week or so, I will see how it goes. So I may not make another post until then. ...

I forgot how much installing vynal siding can cause your hand to turn into a claw. I wake up in the morning and my hand is all stiff from cutting the plastic siding material all day. I can't complain about the pay though. For me it's not to bad. I have already made $2000+ in the week and a half or so I've been here. They seem to have some good deals on laptop computers here in edmonton so I am going to buy just a cheap one so I will be able to work on my projects when ever I have time off. I usually work from 8am to 7-9pm, 7days a week, so I don't really have that much free time.

But any way I thought I would just make a quick blog entry to inform you all of what I'm up to. I am writing this entry from edmonton alberta's Cyber one internet and gamming center.

I guess it being the May 19, the contest will be over soon. I will try to make another post in another few days or so.
Until then...

Well I know it was coming but did not expect to come so soon. My finances have begin to run dry so it's that time to store them up again. I will be moving out of province to Edmonton, AB (The home of http://www.bioware.com/) and will not be able to bring my computer with me. I may even be traveling as far as Fort McMurray, AB. But don't fret, I will still have limited access to the internet and may even make a few blog entries from time to time. I will be relying on a computer drop in company (for lack of a better desc). For a few cents on the dollar you can drop in and use a computer with a internet connection. My brother also lives there, and I could also use his internet connection there too.

I will not be able to get internet access myself because I will be living out of a travel trailer that will be parked on the job site most of the time. What kind of work will I be doing you ask? Installing Vinyl siding, on houses and duplexes. Edmonton and other places like Fort McMurray, AB are booming right now, with new subdivisions going up like wildfire. And with that demand for housing comes the demand for a workforce to build them.

If I end up renting a house at some point then I will get reconnected to the internet, but I don't see that happening any time soon. I am also hoping I can find a cheap decent/used notebook while I'm there so I can continue to work on my programming projects.

A few new files to be aware of ...
You can find the new release of DXTools release 6 here
My 90% completed WikiCompiler app is available here
A new support library that I will be starting to use is available here

Well until next time I make blog entry, laterz all...

I have uploaded the current state of the DX9Tools library as well as the DXTools tester application that contains demonstration code.

The library is not yet documented but should be easy enough to understand just by using the object browser.

I am hoping by the next release the library will come with better documentation as well as the possibility of some demonstration videos.

DX9T6.zip (7.51 mb)