Some odds and ends…

This isn't one of my 'real' posts, but just some tid-bits that needed saying.

Some odds and ends…

I’ve had a lot of hits lately, by people looking for one (or more) of the string comparators I’ve implemented in Foxpro and VB.Net. So… for any of you that are driving by, and would like a copy of the raw source for any of the comparators, just stop by CP.Solutions, navigate over to the feedback form and request a link to download it. You need to be specific and let me know what algorithm you want:

Levenshtein
MetaPhone
NYSIIS
Jaro-Winkler

They’re free and I’m providing them without any express or implied warranties. The only thing I ask is that you give credit where it’s due and leave the comments in the program headers.

The entire package, along with the POL utility is very nearly complete. I intend to make that available for a very reasonable one time fee ($99/developer). If you’re interested in that, please indicate your interest on the feedback form. Formats will include a Visual Foxpro class library and a VB.Net DLL

Jaro-Winkler Levenshtein NYSIIS Metaphone Percentage of Likeness FoxPro VB.Net

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I’m in the process of revamping my personal website with an eye toward providing a real photo gallery. I like the open source PHP product called ‘Coppermine’, and I’m wondering if any of my readers have any experience with incorporating PHP into an otherwise HTML type site. Any problems or special issues that you’re aware of? Any “gotcha’s” you can give me a heads up on??

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Would the folks who are constantly ( 5 or 10 times a week) dropping by here after googling for “Chuck Gronsbell” drop me a note, or leave a comment? Curiosity has finally gotten the better of me!

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The folks over at Byzantium Shores were kind enough to add a link on their page to my post the other day on Relationships. I’d like to say thanks, and point y’all over there as this fellow has some interesting things to say.

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Things at work are extremely busy at the moment. From what I understand it’s a combination of things, year end approaching, budgets for 2006 being due and several ‘open items’ reaching the end of tolerance levels. For me, it’s meant being included in half a dozen additional small projects, all of which are ‘up against the wall’ and definitely past the due dates.

I suppose I could be stressing over it, but, I look at it this way… work, is work… I’d rather be working than not… and all this additional stuff, makes a contract extension look even more likely!!

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On the home front… the new roof is all but finished, some cleanup and ‘caps’ to nail in and we’ll be calling that a wrap. I’m almost looking forward to a really, really heavy rainfall so we can ‘test’ out’ the results. After 5 years of patching, flashing and repairing, it will be so wonderful to not have to worry about leaks any more!!

You see this roof, has probably leaked since the house was originally built. Every section of roof (there are four distinct sections) has had at least one leak since we’ve been here. Even the section we totally replaced, still leaked in at least two places.

The new roofer, did discover why though, and has fashioned a fix.

My friend and contractor Mike Turner, says this guy has been doing all of his roofing for five years now, and there has never been a leak once he’s done. Y’all keep your fingers crossed, and I’m putting away the buckets!

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This weekend is supposed to be in the mid-70’s, breezy and just beautiful fall weather.

That means I’ll be back on the truck project again and you can expect pictures of all the work this weekend. I’ll be getting the bed floor and wheel wells finished and in primer on Friday, the sides and front in final ‘blocked’ form and primer on Saturday and everything in a coat of sealer on Sunday.

Pretty ambitious, and with any luck it’ll get done. Then I can bring the chassis back in and pull the cab off and start on that!! I’m excited, it’s been too long and I need to beat some steel into submission!!
Truck Project

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New programming projects… well, the two new clients I mentioned a few weeks ago are still alive and “potentials”. I’ve spoken with each and they assure me that as soon as the ‘rush’ is over… they want to get started on their projects.

It’s a good thing I wasn’t counting on either one to pay the bills this month!!

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Blogroll… It’s been brought to my attention that some of the folks I have on ‘my’ blog roll, do not have me on theirs… Ummmm thanks, but that’s not why I started a Blogroll…. I just thought someone else might enjoy some of the sites I do.

I’m very happy to be listed on anyone’s site that thinks they’d like to add me. I try to visit the site’s of everyone who posts a message here, or where the URL shows up in my stats.. If I enjoy the blog and return to read more there when I can, I add it to the roll.

If I’ve somehow omitted anyone from the blogroll, who would like to be on it, drop me an email or leave me a comment and I’ll check your site out, and consider doing so.Blogroll

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Seems the POL utility I’ve written is finding more and more utility at the client site. I’ve been asked to generate ‘best match’ candidates to link several thousand new records in a new table to some existing datastore that contains several hundred thouand records.

I’m beginning to wonder how I got along without it in the past.

I think that so many of my previous clients were not aggregating data, but simply managing their own, that it wasn’t the issue it is here. Any time you attempt to bring together data from multiple sources you have a real potential for duplicates. The POL does a nice job of identifying existing records that may be duplicates of those being imported. It also can ‘preprocess’ the incoming file and write off to a suspense file those records that are identified as having potential matches in the existing datastore.

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So.. that's about it for today.. between the roof and work I'm about worn out today... I'll work at finding something....Ummmmm... more interesting for tomorrow!!

Thanks again for stopping by!!