2009 – Tough on the Economy and Tough on Truth

December 31, 2009 by Leave a Comment

If you're interested in even-handed, but accurate information about all of the political claims made over the past year, then I strongly recommend you take a look at FactCheck.org.I enjoyed their Whoppers of 2009 article, pointing out those who stretched the truth among liberals, conservatives, and various special interest groups.Let me know what you think,-Kev … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Politics, Thoughts

Got a slow holiday seaons? Why not spend it learning?

December 31, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Traditionally, the time between Christmas and New Years is a bit slow.  Many people take time off from work and, for those of us still working, it's a good time to catch up on all of those low priority projects that have been on the back burner for the last several months. If you find yourself with a few extra hours, why not engage in some first-hand learning with the new features of SQL Server 2008 R2?  Here are two great resources to get you started. First, take a look at betaforsqlserver.com, a partnership between MaximumASP, Dell, PASS, and Microsoft.  When you register, you get your … [Read more...]

Filed Under: On-Line Resources, SQLServerPedia Syndication Tagged With: , ,

Sequels for SQL: Dec 17, 2009

December 17, 2009 by Leave a Comment

In the Sequels for SQL series, I point you to sites where you can go beyond the nose-to-the-grindstone resources that we see every day as SQL Server professionals.  (My favorite resource for pan-SQL Server pointers is Steve Jone's Database Weekly email newsletter.)  These are the story that comes after and outside (the sequels) of our daily working lives (the other SQL).  Let's broaden our horizons together.  If you hit on an interesting but overlooked topic, I'd like to hear from you. SQL Server: We live it.  We love it. When Jimmy May talks, I listen.  Not just because he's a personal … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Administration, Cool Technologies, Gov2.0, Hardware, On-Line Resources, Opinion, Professional Development, Seven Sequels, SQLServerPedia Syndication, Trends Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Like PowerShell for SQL Server?

December 14, 2009 by 1 Comment

Check out my new Tool Time column in this month's SQL Server Magazine. It features some great new PowerShell scripts and information from Chad Miller (blog) who I had the pleasure to meet in person back in October of this year while speaking at the SQL Server of central Florida and at SQL Saturday #21. In addition, I'd like to point out a free utility called PowerGUI.  If you're like me, the last thing you have time for is learning a new code like PowerShell.  So I copped out and got the next best alternative to real code, the fancy and pretty drag-n-drop interface of PowerGUI.  (Full … [Read more...]

Filed Under: SQLServerPedia Syndication, Tool Time Tagged With: , ,

Data Deduplication Technology – New Article on DBTA

December 14, 2009 by 1 Comment

I've been seeing more and more questions from customers about data deduplication technologies. I guess that's because I can't open a blog, website, or email related to technology without some vendor or another pushing the wonders of data deduplication.  Consequently, I thought I'd take a few minutes to describe what the technology is all about.  I'll sum up my thoughts on the the value of deduplication technology by saying "It depends".  Read my article entry at Database Trends & Applications magazine here. If someone in your company is pushing you to examine this very expensive … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Administration, Hardware, IO, SQLServerPedia Syndication

Girls Day Out With Dad

December 1, 2009 by Leave a Comment

On this particular cool and clear Saturday morning, Rachel's girls had to spend the morning with their dad.Katie and Anna, Before Getting Their MakeoverSo I had the opportunity to do something fun and different with Katie and Anna.That's when I noticed that our little neighborhood newspaper had a story that one of the local beauty schools was holding an open house where girls could get free hair, nails, and makeup. Sounds perfect! I'm certain the girls will enjoy this. Me? Well, let's just say the Lord has given me a certain degree of patience when indulging my daughters.Anna Goes FirstThe … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Thanksgiving 2009

November 27, 2009 by Leave a Comment

We had a blessed Thanksgiving this year. Sam was able to drive down from Greencastle, Indiana, where he goes to Depauw University, to join us. And Rachel's mom, dad, and brother came over for the feast. Dylan's girlfriend, Rachel Ramsey (who I now call "Twix"), was also able to join us. It was a great time! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Experiences

The Sequels for SQL Server: The Week of November 27, 2009

November 25, 2009 by 3 Comments

Just as an FYI, I've added one new slide deck and webcast to http://KevinEKline.com/Slides/, as well as quite a few upcoming user group events where I'm speaking in http://KevinEKline/Upcoming-Events/. I'm starting a new series called Sequels for SQL Server.  In this series, I point you to sites where you can go beyond the nose-to-the-grindstone resources that we see every day as SQL Server professionals.  These are the story that comes after and outside (the sequels) of our daily working lives (the other SQL).  Let's broaden our horizons together.  If you hit on an interesting but … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cool Technologies, On-Line Resources, Opinion, Professional Development, Seven Sequels, SQLServerPedia Syndication, Trends Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Honor 58 & Spelling Bee

November 24, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Kaylee did really awesome in this year's spelling bee. Last year, Rachel wouldn't let Kaylee live down her first round elimination on a word that they told her would be on the spelling bee. This year she made it through three rounds and even had a word - "solemn" - come up that we'd studied together. Yeah Kaylee! On a related note, I was hoping to see Anna compete. But for reasons of her own, she opted out.The Honor 58 situation, though, is a honor choir open to 5th through 8th grade students who qualify in a tough audition. Kaylee and Savannah both made it in and gave a great … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Experiences

Dia de los Muertos & Cheekwood, Fall 2009

November 22, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Dia de los Muertos is the Latin American tradition celebrating the Catholic holiday of All Saints Day. Emily's Spanish class entered the contest at the region-wide tapete contest. Tapete (pronounced "tap-et-ay") is a traditional Mexican chalk art expressing a variety of traditional "Day of the Dead" themes. Since the Day of the Dead is not traditionally a sad or scary day, the scenes are usually very festive and bright. Emily drew the image for her team and they put it on pavement and ... WON! Great job Emily!The celebration was held at the very beautiful Cheekwood botanical gardens and, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Experiences, Kids
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