I can hardly believe that a year has already passed by… Exactly a year ago I was blessed with what I thought was the best start to the year 2009. Last January 1st, 2009 I received an email from Microsoft awarding me the Microsoft MVP status; I was psyched to the say the least. While the rest of 2009 is history, I am pleased and blessed to say that 2009  continued to be a good year for me and my family; I can only pray (and work hard) that 2010 will bring us the same joy and happiness that 2009 did. This January 1st, 2010 I am blessed with another great star... [More]

Necessary Tools New grips Double-sided grip tape A vise Utility knife - For best results use a hooked blade rather that a pointed one. Solvent – Make sure you use a mineral spirit Container for solvent spills Golf tee Rag Marker (not entirely necessary) Remove The Old Grips Using a utility knife, cut a straight line through the grip. Make sure you cut well through the rubber, but avoiding damage to your shaft (especially if it is graphite): Then peel the old grip off: Safety Note: Always use common safety practices when ... [More]

A couple of months ago, one of my backup drives experienced a fatal failure, one of those unrecoverable ones – UGH!. This was my media drive, the place where I stored all my digital photos, videos, and music. While I was not concerned with the music library (I can always rip them from my CD’s again) I was definitely concerned about the family photographs and videos, and specifically those that my wife and I took in the last 6 years or since my Daughter, Aurora, was born. We had a TON of photos, of every single step she took, and every new word she said. The good news... [More]

Just the other day we had a customer with the exact same quote: “Show us how you did that, so we can do it in-house”… and the following video, although an obvious exaggeration, depicts what I am beginning to see more and more; is this a sign of the economy, or…? Well, you decide – I just thought this was too funny to not share.   We’re not a “Taco Stand” – Way too funny!     Technorati Tags: Business,Vendor-Client Relationship,Humor

It’s about time I wrote a little bit about my experience at my very first MVP Summit, so here I am. First of, so much went on, and so much was learned, that I could not possibly cram everything into one single blog post… well I could, but then it would be too tedious for me to write and for you to read. So what I plan on doing is to write a series of blog posts, each about a specific event that I felt was worthy of a post. The first in the series is about the VB-Insiders Party. The VB-Insiders party (oh, and everyone was welcome to attend, by the way, not just VB’ers... [More]

I am pleased to announce the publication by Wrox Press of Wrox Blox Done in 60 Minutes:  Building a Custom DotNetNuke Membership Provider by yours truly. In this publication, I put down into more detail the topic which I presented at last year’s OpenForce08 / DevConnections conference. In this eBook (Wrox Blox) I demonstrate how to build and configure the DotNetNuke (DNN) Membership provider without modifying any core DotNetNuke (DNN) code.  By reading this publication you will soon see what a powerful tool this can be for gaining control over the DNN mem... [More]

I can’t think of a better way for me to start 2009 than by thanking everyone for their support and encouragement over the past year. I received word on January 1st that I have been selected as a 2009 Microsoft MVP, which is a great honor for me.  It seems like a long time since I first began work in this field, and while I grew to love my work and enjoy the community I entered because of it, I never dreamed I would get an honor like this! As you all know, sometimes times are tough and each year brings accomplishments and setbacks.  The last year has been no... [More]

I was updating my professional profile on LinkedIn the other day, and I realized that there was a lot missing about what I do. In essence my profile contained a lot of the stuff I did for a living, but not was lacking all the work I do on volunteer basis. All the community contributions such as speaking, organizing, writing etc, was left out all together. I decided to start compiling a list of my community contribution and while I am sure I missed some things, here is what I came up with so far: Open Source Projects DotNetNuke Core Team Member DotNetNu... [More]

Ok, file this one under "just plain silly but fun nontheless" :-) Starring, my wife Calli, my daugther Aurora (5), and my son John (6 months), and of course, yours truly.

I don't know about you, but for the past two years I have been using a virtual machine to do all my development. The thought process is simple: I can back up the entire machine into one file I can have as many configurations as I wish (operating systems, IDE version DB Servers, etc) Clearly defines my business workspace versus my development workspace Well, there is lots more, but I am not try to sell you on using virtualization here, just how to access it from anywhere you want ;) The setup is fairly simple: One powerful desktop machine runnin... [More]

Two little hands, two little feet, now our family is delightfully complete! Proudly announcing John Hanein-Chagoury. Born Tuesday, October 16th, 2007 at 12:35 P.M.  7 pounds, 10 ounces and 21 inches long. Mom and John are doing great.

The issue of Net Neutrality is still very much debated. I recently stumbled through this interesting clip and thought I would share it with all of you. It is an interesting video clip which I am sure will stimulate your thoughts in this matter. Having said that, I am still skeptical about the outcome. One can never under estimate the power of many.         For your reference I also found the following information on Google: What is Net Neutrality? Network neutrality is the principle that Internet users should be in control of w... [More]

I have heard so much about Vista's quirks lately, especially from disgruntled co-workers and friends who had decided to take the early plunge! Their daily comments on Vista range from "G" all the way up to "R" rating, as allegedly the productivity has, since their upgrade, fallen to an all time low. Then, yesterday, I hear this bit of news! The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) bans Windows Vista. NIST is now considering a Linux + Google Apps alternative. This is a bold move, and one that I do not particularly agree with; Perharps topic for anoth... [More]

Not too many of the people I have had the pleasure of meeting during the last 9 years know that I have lived in Africa for the better part of 25 years. As a matter of fact a big portion of my family still lives and work in West-Africa, in Nigeria to be exact. My father was born in Lagos, the capital city of Nigeria in 1943. To be exact, he was born on Broad Street in downtown Lagos, a street that is now the large artery that goes through the city. My brother and sister were also born in Lagos, in 1970 and 1977 respectively. I was my parent's only child born outside... [More]

This sums it up pretty well… need I say more?

Yesterday, University scientists released the results of a recent analysis that revealed the presence of female hormones in beer. Men should take a concerned look at their beer consumption. The theory is that beer contains female hormones (hops contain phytoestrogens) and that by drinking enough beer, men turn into women. To test the theory, 100 men were fed 8 pints of beer each within a 1 hour period. It was then observed that 100% of the test subjects: Gained weight Talked excessively without making sense Became overly emotional Couldn't drive F... [More]

Ok, I know, I am about to rant and complain, but you will understand after you hear me out. First, allow me to give those of you who could not make it to TechEd an idea of the size and layout of the convention. The session rooms are located at each extreme of the building - North and South. North and South have 2 floors each. The distance between one end to another is probably 3 football fields! Let me tell ya its a hike. Anyway how would you feel if you showed up at say North Side Room310 only to be told that the session was moved to South Side 320? Ok, now mul... [More]