Goodbye 2005, Hello Vegas
Well, here we are, one day before new year’s eve, looking back to 2005 and asking ourselves: What will 2006 bring? The answer is: nobody knows. I just hope that the new year will be full of health, wealth and happiness for all of us.
On a personal note, during the first 4 days of 2006 I will be in Las Vegas with my wife Jasmine and son George. I have never been in Vegas before, so it will be an interesting and exciting short trip for me, at least that’s what I’m hoping. I’m not a gambler, but how can you be in Vegas and not gamble?! I did set aside a few dollars for me to loose in the slot machines.
I started this blog in June 2005, and it has been my pleasure to share my experiences with you, and also learn a lot from you. I will continue to do that in 2006.
Thank you my friends. I wish you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Filed in Personal with 4 Comments | Tags: las-vegas, new-yearCool Firefox extension: Foxmarks
I have at least two computers I use on a daily basis, one at work and one at home. I use Firefox on both computers. I have always used the Firefox extension Bookmarks Synchronizer to synchronize my bookmarks to my personal FTP server, so that I can access them from work and home. When I upgraded to Firefox 1.5, the extension stopped working. I have been searching for an alternative ever since.
Recently, I found an extension called Foxmarks Bookmark Synchronizer. Basically, it performs the same functions as the older Bookmarks Synchronizer but it is much better because: (more…)
Filed in Firefox with 7 Comments | Tags: extension, FirefoxSQL formatter in Oracle Raptor
Oracle Project Raptor, a new and free graphical tool that simplifies database development tasks such as browsing database objects, running SQL scripts, and editing PL/SQL statements, has just been released. (more…)
Filed in Oracle with 9 Comments | Tags: formatter, sqlCool SQL function: EXTRACT
I have always used the SQL function TO_CHAR to extract parts of a date, like the month or the year. But, there is another way to extract parts of a date: the function EXTRACT. Here is an example: (more…)
Shop till you drop
Yesterday, on the way back from work, I was stuck in a huge traffic jam. The jam was not because of a car accident or because of bad weather (it was just raining) but it was because everyone was heading to the shopping mall (Washington Square mall, in case you live in Portland) which happens to be on my way home. Add to that the normal rush hour traffic, rrrrr! terrible.
This was a living proof that Xmas = Shopping.
Too bad I was not teleworking yesterday. I am today. Yes, I work from home two days a week which is really cool for the main reasons that I avoid traffic and do not need to shave in the morning 
. But according to the Wall Street Journal, working at home isn’t the day at the beach office mates imagine.
In any case, Merry Christmas and enjoy the holidays…
Filed in Personal with 3 Comments | Tags: xmasAnother semi-open source database
In addition to this list, here is another Java based open source database for you: H2. Well, it is not really open source, it is free to use and distribute, and the source code is included. But currently does not use a traditional open source (GPL) license. (via).
Filed in Technology with Comments Off | Tags: database, h2, open-sourceMy favorite Firefox keyboard shortcuts
Here are my favorite Firefox keyboard shortcuts. I find them very useful because they make my browsing experience faster and easier. They are also handy especially when I am tired of using the mouse. In no particular order: (more…)
Filed in Firefox, Tips with 4 Comments | Tags: FirefoxOpen source databases
I stumbled upon an article about open source databases. I’ve always thought that MySQL and PostgreSQL were the only open source databases out there, but it turns out that there are quite a few more.
Here is a list of open source databases that are mentioned in the article: (more…)
Filed in Oracle, Technology with 1 Comment | Tags: database, MySQL, open-source, PostgreSQLProducing XML from SQL using cursor expressions
In this post I will show an example of how you can transform a query result into an XML document. I will also show how you can write a query that produces nested or multi-leveled XML document using cursor expressions. (more…)
Filed in Oracle, Tips with 6 Comments | Tags: cursor, expression, xml
