Rajesh Lal's blogs

User Experience - An Introduction

7/14/2008 6:26:25 PM

I gave a presentation on User Experience, lately . Here is the slidshow

Let me know what you guys think

Code Project MVP !

1/4/2008 2:44:52 PM

How do you feel to be among the chosen 40 in a four million membered developer community codeproject.com ? In one word, elated. Having your name beside legends like Michael Dunn, Christian Graus, Nishant Sivakumar, Colin Angus Mackay, Marc Clifton, DavidCrow and others is an honour for a life time.

Check Quartz.(Alias) at Hall of Fame

When I saw the email, that I was awarded as Code Project Most Valuable Professional (MVP), I was surprised and happy at the same time. The year 2007 flashed by my eyes. All that, I learned and taught, the knowledge I gathered and shared, the articles, I wrote, applications I made, discussions and arguments at code project lounge, the prizes, I was awarded at code project, everything came in front of me in Vista Aero 3D style. It was like Code Project summed up everything I did, in three words, "Code Project MVP".

Check my articles here

Here is the List of awarded MVP's for 2008 at Code Project. My Alias is Quartz.(the tenth from the top) at Code Project. and here is the portion of the email I recieved.

"One of our most important announcements, however, is our MVP list for 2008. It's with pleasure, thanks and a little awe that I present to you our most helpful, our most prolific and our most valuable professionals:

1	Christian Graus	21	Mark Salsbery
2	Pete O'Hanlon	22	Karl Shifflett
3	Colin Angus Mackay	23	John Simmons / outlaw programmer
4	toxcct	24	Stephen Hewitt
5	Dave Kreskowiak	25	brahmma
6	Josh Smith	26	Cedric Moonen
7	Sacha Barber	27	J4amieC
8	The Ultimate Toolbox	28	Juan Pablo G.C.
9	Luc Pattyn	29	Quartz.
10	Hans Dietrich	30	Scott Dorman
11	DavidCrow	31	Mike Dimmick
12	Chesnokov Yuriy	32	Nishant Sivakumar
13	Marc Clifton	33	Daniel Vaughan
14	led mike	34	Philip Laureano
15	Jeffrey Walton	35	Giorgi Dalakishvili
16	Bradml	36	Martin#
17	Michael Dunn	37	originSH
18	andalmeida	38	James R. Twine
19	Guffa	39	Lukasz Swiatkowski
20	CPallini	40	Simon Sprott

The Founder of code project Chris Maunder also offered unlimited beers to the recipients. "If you can make it to Sydney in a couple of weeks Michael Martin has promised to buy you all as many beers as you want." Now thats the spirit.

So, what do you think ?

It's Time for Silverlight

1/2/2008 6:07:38 AM

So finally I gave the long awaited Silverlight Presentation

Its time for silverlight , Lots of discussion, Everybody liked it, I thought they will be overwhelmed and I will get a chance to start working on some "cutting edge" and "compelling" Silverlight projects. Not that much impressed ! Check the Slide Show

Here is the gist

Slide 1: Microsoft Silverlight An Introduction Rajesh Lal

Slide 2: What is Silverlight? Technology Overview Architecture Silverlight & Flash Silverlight Media Business Model Creating a Silverlight application

Slide 3: What is Silverlight? Definition Why it’s time for Silverlight Silverlight Background Difference between 1.0 and 1.1

Slide 4: Definition Silverlight is a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering the next generation of media experiences and rich interactive applications(RIA) for the Web

Check the Slide show

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How to write English properly

12/13/2007 4:34:42 PM

Funny gem of a collection !

1. Verbs HAS to agree with their subjects.

2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.

3. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.

4. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.

5. Avoid cliches like the plague. (They're old hat)

6. Also, always avoid annoying alliteration.

7. Be more or less specific.

8. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (usually) unecessary.

9. Also too, never, ever use repetitive redundancies.

10. No sentence fragments.

11. Contractions aren't necessary and shouldn't be used.

12. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.

13. Do not be redundant; do not use more words than necessary; it's highly superfluous.

14. One should NEVER generalize.

15. Comparisons are as bad as cliches.

16. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.

17. One-word sentences? Eliminate.

18. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.

19. The passive voice is to be ignored.

20. Eliminate commas, that are, not necessary. Parenthetical words however should be enclosed in commas.

21. Never use a big word when a diminutive one would suffice.

22. Use words correctly, irregardless of how others use them.

23. Understatement is always the absolute best way to put forth earth-shaking ideas.

24. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."

25. If you've heard it once, you've heard it a thousand times: Resist hyperbole; not one writer in a million can use it correctly.

26. Puns are for children, not groan readers.

27. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.

28. Even IF a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.

29. Who needs rhetorical questions?

30. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement. And the last one...

31. Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.

~~~

Nancy and the Craftsman

12/11/2007 10:07:44 PM

Milton Caniff, the creator of Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon, once said "a comic strip artist is like the director, the producer and the actor of his own stage play. " Using a similar analogy, Ernie Bushmiller was the architect, th e surveyor, and the building contractor for his own construction project.

Nancy was carefully designed to stand out clearly on the newspaper page and to be easily read and understood. Every line and letter had a specific purpose, and the composition of each panel was balanced and pleasing to the eye. The total effect was a masterfully crafted product that delivered its message with economy and precision. Bushmiller's creation served its function like a Shaker chair.

Ernie worked on an unconventional but regular schedule. Starting on Sunday evenings, he would finish six daily strips by Tuesday evening, often staying up until 2 AM. After taking two days off in the middle of the week, he then tackled the Sunday page on Friday and Saturday. A night owl, Ernie often said he got up at the "crack of noon".

Thinking up ideas was a laborious process for Ernie as he described in the following account: "I start with a blank piece of drawing paper and just sweat and stew until I think of a subject that seems likely to produce a ludicrous situation. I jot down items such as toaster, leaky roof, folding-chair, mail box, windy day, etc. ... anything that comes to mind. Looking at the advertising in a magazine like Life also helps, or a Sears-Roebuck catalog. When I find an item that seems likely, I start to kick it around in my mind to see if I can work out a fun ny situation. If nothing jells after a reasonable time, I discard it and try another item. Sooner or later my mind warms up and I get the nucleus of an idea. I usually can visualize how the last panel will turn out, so I start to pencil in the finish of the strip very roughly. If it looks okay, I the n w backwards toward the starting panels. I a work my strips in reverse. In this way I can the best path leading to the snapper. "

Above : Rough sketch of the visual "punchline pan el". Below: The finished s .

From the Collection of James T. Carlsson

Bushmiller rarely made preliminary sketches like the one on the previous page. When he was ready to produce his finished strips, he would pencil directly on the drawing paper. He would ink six dailies at once, switching from one to another to avoid boredom. The clean, accurate lines of Nancy were executed with the aid of drafting tools . Bushmiller claimed that his early experience producing crossword puzzles for the New York World taught him how to use a T-square.

Most of the punch lines in Nancy are visual, so the pictures need to be clearly readable to get the gag across. "I leave out all extraneous detail that may catch the eye and detract from the main point", Bushmiller explained. He went on to describe his unique philosophy of graphic layout: "I try to get some black into the object I am stressing if it is at all feasible. In a visual gag strip, clarity is more important than an artistic effect. I think variety in the panels helps the appearance of a strip. Long shots, close-ups and medium shots attract the eye and are useful in putting your idea across.

Composition is extremely important. By composition, I mean intelligent placing of your objects and characters so as to make it as easy as possible for your reader to get what you 're driving at."

Ernie Bushmiller will always be fondly remembered by his peers in the funny business as the "workingman's cartoonist".