Brian Peek [MVP C#]

Outlook Webmail Add-in for Windows Home Server

2007-08-10T11:57:21Z

My latest article is posted to Coding4Fun. This time, I wrote an add-in for Windows Home Server that allows one to view their email stored in Outlook via the web. Perhaps I'm the only one, but I have 6 or 7 email accounts all of which POP into Outlook. Hardly any of them support IMAP or have a webmail interface. When I'm away from home and want to check my messages, either I have to remote desktop into my home machine and use Outlook that way, or I need to remember to shut down outlook, and then check all accounts separately. With this add-in, I can now view my Outlook messages via a web browser.

I'm doing something a little different with this article by offering the source code and binaries via CodePlex. My hope is that you folks out there might find a use for this and decide to extend it. Hopefully CodePlex will make that process easier.

Check out the article and, as always, comments and questions welcome!

Cross-posted from BrianPeek.com.

Head Banger

2007-07-31T09:54:48Z

Back in May, I posted about my involvement in Maker Faire 2007. For one of my projects, myself and several friends, collectively known as Ganksoft Entertainment, created a game from scratch using the Microsoft XNA Framework and Game Studio Express called Head Banger. It's a rhythm-based music game in the vein of Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) and Guitar Hero. If you are a fan of either game, or the genre in general, you'll likely enjoy what we've created. I have posted the game up to our website in both Windows and Xbox 360 flavors. Sometime soon I will be writing an article that will appear on Coding4Fun on how the game was created along with the full source code of the game.

But, in the mean time, try out the game and enjoy!

Cross-posted from BrianPeek.com.

Microsoft Robotics Studio and Lego Mindstorms NXT

2007-07-16T23:03:24Z

I have published my latest article on MSDN's Coding4Fun titled "Microsoft Robotics Studio and Lego Mindstorms NXT". This article will demonstrate how to use Microsoft Robotics Studio v1.5 to drive a robot built using Lego Mindstorms NXTwith an Xbox 360 Controller in C#, VB.NET and MSRS' included Visual Programming Language.

Comments welcome!

Cross-posted from BrianPeek.com.

Even More .NET-based Wiimote Applications

2007-07-02T08:30:00Z

I've received a few more emails from folks using my Managed Wiimote Library to do some cool things with the Nintendo Wiimote in Windows. Here are a few more:

PowerPoint + Wiimote = Wii Key by Chad Hower
A Wii Flock of Boids by Robert Burke
Vibration Recorder by Brian Uphoff

Amazingly fantastic stuff. I've created a list of projects using the library here.

If anyone out there is using my library for a project, please let me know and send me a link so I can add you to the list!

Cross-posted from BrianPeek.com.

C# MVP

2007-07-02T07:56:53Z

Woo hoo! I was notified earlier today that I've been awarded the 2007 Microsoft MVP Award for Visual Developer - Visual C#!

A gigantic thank you goes out to John Papa for nominating me for the award, and to the entire Microsoft MVP team for selecting me.

Cross-posted from BrianPeek.com.

New Wiimote Goodness

2007-06-12T08:30:00Z

My latest article has been posted at MSDN's Coding4Fun site. This article explains how to create a Wiimote Controlled Car using my Managed Library for Nintendo's Wiimote. At the end of the article, you will have a remote controlled car that can be driven with a standard Nintendo Wiimote.

Also note that my original Wiimote library and article have been updated with some new features including x64 support, a potential fix for those with incompatible Bluetooth adapters/stacks, and a Microsoft Robotics Studio service.

As always, comments and questions welcome. Enjoy!

Cross-posted from BrianPeek.com.

Microsoft Surface Computing

2007-05-30T06:50:00Z

I'm typically not one to link to other sites in my blog, but if you haven't watched the Microsoft Surface Computing video at on10.net, please go watch it now. Absolutely incredible. I want a coffee table like this.

Update: The official Microsoft Surface website.

Update 2: Popular Mechanics video

Cross-posted from BrianPeek.com.

XNA Timing Bug

2007-05-30T06:48:00Z

While working on my game for Maker Faire (which you'll be able to download in about a month), I came across a timing bug on the Xbox 360 using XNA. For an application that requires very accurate timing (millisecond precision), one can use the StopWatch object in .NET 2.0. This was working quite well in my PC build, but on the Xbox 360 build, I would notice that time would drift with no explanation. After digging around for a couple days and writing a simple sample to prove the point, I determined that the time value returned by the StopWatch object would drift by about 150ms/minute, which is considerable when precision within a few milliseconds is required (and considerable when it should be accurate to begin with).

I eventually found a workaround: DateTime.UtcNow.Ticks is perfectly accurate on both platforms. So a quick rewrite to use this property in all locations requiring accurate timing fixed everything quite nicely.

The item is bugged, sample code is sent to the XNA team and it will hopefully be fixed in a future version. But, for now, if you're looking for accurate timing on the 360, DateTime.UtcNow.Ticks is your friend.

Update: After Chad's comment on CodeBetter.com, just wanted to clarify a few things...

DateTime.UtcNow.Ticks may in fact not be precise on any given platform. As stated below, sitting in a tight loop may not see the Ticks value increase for several milliseconds.
StopWatch internally actually uses DateTime.UtcNow.Ticks if the QueryPerformanceCounter doesn't give back the results the StopWatch wants (precision information). On the 360 side of things, QPC does return the valid information to the StopWatch so QPC is what gets used.
The issue above is not one of precision, it's one of accuracy. The length of a millisecond on the 360 according to StopWatch/QPC is just plain wrong. Updates to the StopWatch value are certainly quite fast (millisecond precision) yet over time, comparing the time to "wall time" or DateTime.UtcNow.Ticks shows that the StopWatch runs slower than real-world time by about 150ms per minute. It never catches up and in fact, just drifts further and further behind. After about 10 minutes, StopWatch is one second in the past. But again, only on the 360. On the tested PCs, there was a drift of only 2 or 3 milliseconds in that same ten minute timeframe.

Cross-posted from BrianPeek.com.

Wiimote Applications

2007-05-17T22:26:36Z

I've received a couple emails in the past week of people using my Managed Wiimote Library to do some spiffy things.

Brent Rossen's project is described as:

This project was primarily created to allow the Wiimote to be used as a novel interface for a virtual environment. The goals were to create a Wiimote server, allow interaction with a virtual environment, and provide haptic as well as audio feedback. Six degrees of viewing freedom and stereo vision are provided via a Head Mounted Display and optical tracking system. Sound is provided through FMOD. Much of this project is built on top of code from the Virtual Patient Project.

Evan Merz has created a virtual drum kit available at his site along with a video showing its operation.

Great stuff, guys. Anyone else using my library for a project? I'd love to hear about it!

Cross-posted from BrianPeek.com.

Maker Faire 2007

2007-05-09T04:44:52Z

I will be attending this year's Maker Faire with the Coding4Fun gang. We will have a variety of spiffy projects to play around with, including two I have done: several "Wiimote-controlled" cars using my Managed Wiimote Library and Microsoft Robotics Studio, and a game written with my Ganksoft Entertainment cronies using Microsoft's XNA Game Studio Express. So if you're in the San Mateo area, stop by May 19th and 20th and have a gander. At only $15 for admission, there's plenty to see and do...

More details at (also linked above):

Cross-posted from BrianPeek.com.

Mix 07

2007-04-25T18:26:00Z

Anyone heading out to Mix this year? I'll be there once again, but this time I'll be (partly) working the Coding4Fun booth. We should have a few interesting toys to entertain the masses between sessions. Stop by and throw a Wiimote at my head or something.

Cross-posted from BrianPeek.com.

NYC .NET Developer's Group Presentation Posted

2007-04-20T19:44:00Z

I have posted the slide deck and all sample code shown during my "Interfacing External Hardware Using Managed Code and Microsoft Robotics Studio" session. Thanks to everyone who attended. Questions and comments on all are welcome!

Cross-posted from BrianPeek.com.

NYC .NET Developer's Group Event

2007-04-16T22:21:00Z

I will be presenting Interfacing External Hardware Using Managed Code and Microsoft Robotics Studio on Thursday, April 19th at the NYC .NET Developer's Group monthly meeting, which begins at 6pm. I'll be showing off some cool toys from the Phidgets people (an RFID reader, interface kits, sensors, etc.), how to control hobby servos and motors via a PC, and wrapping up with an introductory look at Microsoft Robotics Studio.

Come out and heckle!

Cross-posted from BrianPeek.com.

XNA and 3D Model Exporting

2007-04-13T00:50:00Z

Here's an important safety tip that I wish I knew before the 4 hours I wasted on figuring it out.

When building a model in 3D Studio Max (or likely every other modeling package in the universe), and then exporting it to a DirectX .X file via the Pandasoft X file exporter or kilowatt X file exporter plugins, ensure that the model has no meshes named with a space or period (or likely other characters). This will cause the XNA importer and DirectX Viewer (or likely every other .X file importer in the universe) to fail with a very informative error like "Parser error" with no further information.

We had a model that was working great. My artist decided to tweak some things and add some new meshes, at which point the new version of the model stopped working. At first we blamed it on the new parts that were added, then textures, then the exporter, then....who knows.

Finally, after exporting the original model as a .X and the new model as a .X and comparing, I found that the mesh names that had spaces in them were not being exported correctly. One area would reference the name with an underscore, and another would have the actual space character. Fixing the names in 3D Studio Max and then exporting again fixed everything.

Meh.

Cross-posted from BrianPeek.com.

Hello. How are you? Nice to see you.

2007-04-04T00:36:00Z

Well, if you're reading this, that means everything is working swimmingly with my new blog here at CodeBetter.com! My intent is to cross-post technical content from my personal blog here to reach a much wider and varied audience.

Like the rest of the folks here at CodeBetter, I'm a .NET guy but I tend to focus on some perhaps off-the-wall projects due to my "job" as an author at MSDN's Coding4Fun site. So, expect a smattering of real-world tips and tricks, source code, and a variety of interesting things you can do with .NET that don't necessarily involve SQL Server and Sharepoint.

Thanks to John Papa for the nomination and the rest of the CodeBetter's for having me. You'll see some real content soon...