I’ve previously mentioned the “Client for JMS on J2SE with IBM WebSphere Application Server” on alphaWorks which enables Java clients running in a non-J2EE environment to access destinations on a service integration bus defined in a WebSphere Application Server (or Process Server, ESB or XD) cell. This client has now graduated to a fully supported version. There is now a small install process to take you through the license agreement but you still end up with a JAR file that weighs in at only 2MB. If you also need to suport retrieval of JMS resources from JNDI then that adds around another 0.5MB.
Archive for the ‘Technology’ Category
Supported J2SE JMS client
Thursday, August 31st, 2006Canon 400D announced
Friday, August 25th, 2006As Andy reports, my “new” camera has already been trumped by the recently announced Canon 400D. Improvements include a 10MP self-cleaning sensor and a larger LCD. You can’t win with electronic gadgets though: there is always something better just round the corner. Just think how much I’m saving on disk space though.
The good loaf
Sunday, August 13th, 2006We have finally retired our Kenwood Rapid Bake breadmaker after many years of frequent use. The bearing in our second replacement bread pan had disintegrated in the same way as the first and the whole machine was making such a racket that it was no longer possible to put it on overnight. After a whole ten minutes research we plumped for the Panasonic SD253 currently retailing for £80 on Amazon (a lot less than the Kenwood cost originally). From the two loaves we’ve had so far I’d rate the Panasonic pretty highly. We have a greater choice of loaf sizes than with the Kenwood and the paddle leaves less of a hole in the bread. Bake times seem to be longer than for the old machine but this isn’t a problem as we can once again leave the machine on overnight. Indeed, it’s so quiet you can sit next to it and barely know that it’s on. Just have to work out why the nut dispenser didn’t drop seeds in to the last loaf…
Making space
Sunday, August 13th, 2006In anticipation of having to reduce the number of peripherals I tote round, set about clearing space on my primary hard disk to copy some essentials off the secondary disk. As on previous occasions, I found SpaceMonger to be an excellent tool in locating the disk hogs and had soon freed up around 30 gig. Hopefully the subsequent defrag will also help bring some life back to my increasingly sluggish laptop. While using VMWare last week I could no longer remember whether the disk light was meant to stay on permanently!
Broken Firefox update
Saturday, July 29th, 2006Firefox updated itself to version 1.5.0.5 on my work laptop yesterday at which point it would no longer connect to the web. It was only after half an hour of playing with the Check Point Integrity Flex desktop firewall today (which claimed that Firefox was allowed to connect to the internet) that I finally checked the “Changes Frequently” option, at which point Firefox sprang back in to life. Phew – just a few hours of being forced to use IE was more than enough!
PlusNet grief
Tuesday, July 18th, 2006I have used PlusNet as my ISP for nearly a year now and my disillusionment is now pretty much complete. At the time I moved over they came highly recommended and, unbelievably, their website is currently trumpeting that they were top of a customer satisfaction survey by uswitch.com.
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Nike+
Tuesday, July 18th, 2006Runner’s World has an article on a fascinating piece of kit that let’s you turn an iPod Nano in to a speed and distance monitor for running. The Nike+ consists of the usual footpod and then a wireless receiver that plugs in to the base of the Nano. As well as the usual capabilities to record data and then sync with a computer, the unique selling point of the Nike+ is that it can also tell you through your headphones how you’re doing. In theory you need to fork out the £65 for a pair of Nike+ shoes to hold the footpod but the Runner’s World articles suggests that attaching it to the laces does the job just as well. The really unbelievable part of this technology is the price – just £19. Fortunately I don’t have an iPod Nano otherwise the temptation would be there!
Camera purchase
Sunday, June 25th, 2006After months of indecision I finally purchased a Canon EOS 350D digital SLR today. Originally I had been toying with the idea of something like the Fuji S9500 but in the end decided that I’d like to have the extra flexibility that a digital SLR would provide. The next choice was between the Nikon D50 and the Canon. In the end I don’t think the decision was entirely rational.
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