Finally got my Japanese drivers' license

It felt like it took forever but I finally got Japanesed drivers' license on Monday. I finally passed on my third try - boy these guys are picky, picky, picky...

Nice step-by-step for Outlook passwords

I found this one today and I was digging through Outlook 2007 password prompt issues for someone at work: http://www.petri.co.il/save-your-exchange-password-in-microsoft-outlook-2003-or-2007.htm

Odd ball error on SharePoint

I've come across a very odd error with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS 2007) that I just can't figure out. On line searching is leading me around in circles.

With MOSS 2007, there is a default search page, _layouts/OSSSearchResults.aspx and you just paste in that URL into the Simple Search web part or the Advanced Search web part. The first page of results will display just fine using either web part. However, the "next page" link fails for the Advanced Web Part.

When you use the Simple Search web part, you get a long URL:

/_layouts/OSSSearchResults.aspx?k=test&cs=This%20Site&u=http....

K = the info you put into simple search
CS = scope for the search

When you hit next, the JavaScript appends more stuff to the URL and off you go - no problems at all.

/_layouts/OSSSearchResults.aspx?k=test&cs=This%20Site&u=http....&start1=11

The advanced search does not format a long URL. When you hit Next, you get a blank page. I have been looking through everything I can find about this web part and I have gotten nothing out of it. It seems that 90% of developers out there roll their own search web parts instead of use Microsoft's. Even on the office.microsoft.com search, the top articles are how to make your own.

Come on... can't I just used the built in one?

Crackberry withdrawl...

I didn't actually have a Blackbery, I had an HTC Windows Mobile phone, but I have to say good-bye to being connected to my work e-mail 24x7 for the first time in years. The phone is over two years old - almost three - so I guess it is time for some hardware issues to crop up. I can't figure out if it is related to the sliding keyboard or something internal to the phone but it turned off when bumped. Wedging the battery in place didn't work, either so it is off to the repair shop.

Though, it may not be. Our main office recently selected the iPhone as our default corporate phone - right before the global down turn frozen everyone's budget. So, there is a chance I will get something totally different, instead. In Japan, the iPhone is still restricted to a single carrier (SoftBank) and they are still charging a little extra for the iPhone data plan. That makes it a lot harder to justify it as a business expense.

You can buy 100% legal, unlocked iPhones from the Hong Kong Apple Store, as long as you have it shipped to a location in Hong Kong. We have sales guys traveling to Hong Kong all the time... very, very tempting...

Switched my commute around

This week, I decided to change the way I get to work. Instead of taking the Yurikamome (ゆりかもめ) I am taking the regular subway, connecting through the Yurakucho/Hibiya (有楽町&日比谷) stations.

It made me realize how well-connected the Tokyo area actually is. I have three different ways to get to work that get me there about the same time plus a couple of alternates that are little slower. I have a half dozen different ways of getting to work that do not involve a single car. Coming from Seattle, that is kind of a shock. I suppose that Seattle is getting better, and I know that Seattle is smaller, but still...

Week numbers

My current company has an interesting method for coordinating work: they assign week numbers as the targets and deadlines. Instead of saying "finish Phase X by April 15th" they will say "finish Phase X by week 15". I hadn't encountered that in an American company before so it struck me as odd.

We did have some fun this year, though. The ISO standard for week numbering did not match the USA formatting for week numbers so we had a little be of conflict this week.

Training in Nagoya

I took a bullet train(shinkansen - 新幹線) trip this morning to Nagoya(名古屋)run an afternoon of training classes today. The trip was about 2 hours and my E-Mobile wireless network card kept the connection almost the whole way. It only dropped connection in the tunnels and smoothly reconnected on the other side. Very impressive, really. Even though I'm zipping along at 200mph, the cellular card handled everything.