I don't like my iPod or my iPod shuffle, I hate iTunes and can't find an alternative. I recently downloaded the latest version of iTunes and it spat the dummy when I connected the shuffle saying that the firmware needed updating.

I went to download the firmware at 53MB! for a shuffle firmware update Apple get my bloatware 2005 nomination.

I am quite particular when it comes to arranging my MP3 collection and so I would like to be able to transfer files to a portable MP3 player using Windows explorer and preserve the tree structure, again with apple ipods this is a big no no.

That said they do look great.

Scott Hansleman, Joe Stagner and Omar have put together a podcast with some useful insight on the DasBlog blogging engine. The quality is less than perfect but the content is great. Check it out if you want to learn more.

The short answer is if making changes to your production environment is costly then getting changes right the first time becomes vital. If your delivering software to a client then you will build confidence with the client if you deliver 'bug free' software. If you must peform business as usual testing or as some call it regression testing then a test driven development approach may lessen this burden with time.

An equally important question is when wouldn't you use test driven development? Well when there is relatively little expense in changing the production environment and when bugs making it into the production environment don't represent a disaster. Prototyping would not require it nor would temporary applications.

Do you need nUnit to do test driven development? No, all you need is to be able to create something that will test your code, this could be a vbs script, windows app or a keyboard macro. nUnit is just a tool that takes care of the more mundane aspects of TDD. Test Driven Development is an approach not a toolset.

To me it really comes into it's own when you are constructing components/services that will be used by other developers. The tests will serve two purposes they will prove your code works (hopefully) and they will be examples on how to use your components and services.

If you've ever wanted to use keyboard shortcuts for functions you would normally use a mouse for then look in Options > Keyboard. Here you can define your own personal scheme containing shortcuts you define. You can copy an existing scheme to base yours on.

I leveraged this to map Go To Definition on to CTRL+F which suits me fine because my favourite text editor that I use for a lot of Classic ASP work uses the same short cut to search for a highlighted word.

The list of actions you can map is extensive, but it would probably be folly to go wild and re-map everything, that said there is always one or two useful amendments that make life easier.

Whilst the IE team have expended vast resources to develop a Pop-Up blocker it seems someone forgot to tell the Windows Update team that people genrally despise things that go Pop. This wretched message keeps appearing on my machine and stealing the focus when it does so.

If would like to feedback information to the Windows Update team they operate a discussion forum on the Microsoft Site you can find it here: Windows Update Discussion

A colleague at work got this error message when using a piece of online banking software.

http://www.clonethegoogleapi.com/

This is an idea put forward by Dave Winer and Robert Scoble gives his opinion on the idea.

I think it is a really good idea that could be applied to lots of other things like messaging.

They do, they really really really do, i'm biased because they are my brother in-laws band and are playing a couple of gigs in london over the next few weeks. You can find out more about the band at www.silver-lounge.co.uk you can also download four tracks, and subscribe to their podcast.

I just took and passed my Motorcycle theory test, this enables me to take my practical test in the next two years. It is a 2 part test first is 35 multiple choice questions which are straightforward if you read the bock "The official theory test for motorcycles". The second part is a hazzard perception test, you watch a series of 14 video clips and are expected to click the mouse as you spot potential and actual hazzards. The second part is more natural if you have been driving a car for a few years.

The test is all done on a computer and the input is via touchscreen and mouse, the software is well written and the UI is intuitive, not what I was expecting. You can complete both parts of the test in less than 30 mins or if you take the full 40 mins for part one it would take just over an hour to complete.

All I have to do now is tell my wife I'm going to sit my pratical test, she has been less than encouraging when I have mentioned it in the past :)