The problem is a common one: a legacy web application and database without much proper architecture or separation. The whole thing should really be thrown out; using agile methods we could probably rewrite the pieces that are still relevant much faster than refactoring the entire thing. However, the business has dictated that the a new architecture and interface be built on the existing database.

The new architecture uses NHibernate’s object relational mapping to persist business objects to and from database storage and Castle Windsor’s inversion of control implementation to separate data access from business logic and services. And since I’m now a devotee of test-driven development, it’s all covered by NUnit tests.

The whole thing is generated by a set of custom CodeSmith templates, which handle a number of quirky legacy design decisions. At 150 tables and 7 files each, it yields 1050 files containing 450 unit tests which take about 6 hours to run It’s probably six months worth of work, and I was able to do finish it single-handedly in a week with just a basic template as a start.

As one architect I interviewed with last year put it, software development is finally moving away from repetitive handcrafting to more industrialized production where people will do more concept work and less coding. For instance, this video shows .netTiers producing a whole web applications from just the database design.

Between a few ideas I had sketched out and the shots they wanted, we found enough to fill the hour of shooting we managed to get. As noted in the link above, babies do add a certain chaotic element that rewards preparation, patience, and flexibility. Though even some the feeding break provided some good photos.

Following Joe McNally’s advice in The Moment It Clicks, I went with soft lighting and choose a shoot-though umbrella and fill card. (The fill cards are actually a new upgrade: white foam board painted black on one side, which made a good backdrop for a few shots.) As I went from shooting my plan to following what Giada wanted to do, it was tough to keep the fill; an opposing umbrella or bounced flash might’ve been good for more general fill. Though I was able to shoot ISO 100 with a 580 EX II at 1/4 power or less through the main umbrella.

Traveling with lighting gear wasn’t bad; thanks to the Strobist traveling light philosophy, it’s fairly light and the 20×30 fill cards are the only bulky item. I actually could’ve left the tripod home, though - keeping up with her movements required plenty of my own.

Processing added a few more learning experiences; I found that orange and yellow filters worked well for black and white portraits and that a gamma vignette helped pop the focal point of several shots. I’m pleased with the end results, and certainly learned a few new things, including a little improvisation!

View all of Giada’s photos

A polarizer definitely cut the glare, and the hood doubled as a good splash guard. Resting a slightly loose tripod ring in my palm also made it easy to switch from horizontal to vertical. Being out on the boat for a few hours also gave me a change to not only get crisp freeze-frames, but to experiment with some other angles, compositions, and motion blur effects. The 70mm end of the zoom also yielded some nice portraits.

There were only three problems: my back got a bit contorted following the action for hours, my hand did finally cramp up on the smaller grip of the Rebel XTi, and I need to bring my trunks so I can try some wakeboarding!

View all the waterskiing photos

First, this is a big endorsement of Flickr. It’s already the go-to photo community site and people post some really creative and high quality images there. Getty has recognized this and decided Flickr is a good place to look for new content in the increasingly crowded microstock market.

Second, it’s a smart business move for Getty. Compare the costs with iStockPhoto: instead of spending time and money reviewing applications and images that aren’t up standards or likely to seel, they can hand pick the best photos for which they have a known sales demand. Furthermore, they’re only offering exclusive deals, which eliminates any competition for their Flickr portfolio. Finally, the invitation-only cachet from a big name like Getty on a non-commercial site like Flickr is likely to wow a number of people into agreeing without considering the terms or other options.

Third, this is a good deal for casual photographers and a bad deal for those who are developing a more serious business. If you’re just posting to Flickr to share, the recognition from Getty and a few extra dollars will make your day. If you’re treating your photography as a business, you’re locking yourself into an exclusive licensing agreement with a single provider, which has been shown to limit your overall and microstock earnings.

There is one upside for professionals struggling to get a feel for the microstock market. This allows them to let Getty do the work of identifying marketable microstock images from their portfolio, which could be used as guidance for submissions to other, multiple microstock sites.

In summary, it’s good news for Flickr and Getty, a little bonus for casual photographers, but not much for growing or established professionals.

Gas: -$120

Discover Gas Card Cashback: +$5

Energy Stocks ETF (XLE) Gain: +$134

Total: +$19

So this month I beat Big Oil! My fortunes will probably change next month, though; I usually average 3 tanks.

The first step in this thought experiment is figuring out what that personally meaningful opposite is, be it a belief, lifestyle, or position on a certain issue. For me, I think something that shapes my life significantly is the regular use of computers. It’s how I earn a living, communicate with friends and family, and even meet women. How would I fare if unplugged for a month?

First, I’d have to take a different job than software development. Instead of building virtual products in essentially physical isolation, I’d have to create something more concrete with much more face to face interaction. The latter would definitely be an improvement; for all our technology, communication is much more effective in the physical word, from nonverbal cues to having the full attention of both parties. Without the power of computers to fall back on, solutions would also likely be simpler with better planning before implementation.

Socially, email would be out, replaced with phone calls and gasp real letters. The impact of that would be huge - it’s easy to lose track of people when an email or two falls by the wayside, but a phone call or letter would really carry the message that someone’s important to you. Real world dating would likely continue to be a disaster; just meeting people on the street has never been my forte. The one saving grace would be that getting off the computer would mean being more socially active, and meeting more people naturally.

Finally, there’d the impact on my free time. I’ve always enjoyed mountain biking and snowboarding because they got me outside; photography offers some of the same draw, but is now tied to the computer at some point. Picking up a film camera and trading blogs for some classic books on technique would certainly change the way I shoot. Without the instant feedback and zero-cost of clicking a digital shutter, I’d have to learn to be more discriminating and get it right in-camera the first time.

Overall, it would probably be a beneficial experience. Being cut from the easy isolation and busy multi-tasking of the computer world would force me to be more social and develop additional skill in my other passions. Realizing that, there are certainly some smaller changes I could make to my life.

How would you lead an opposite life for 30 days?

Download Multi-Tag Search for Gallery2

Links for young investors

What would you add or remove from the list?

Early on, I earned a bachelor’s from Cornell and a master’s from Penn State, cementing a solid education. The latter was an evening program reimbursed by work, which made the long haul a good deal. The free time and various jobs since have let me pursue my own interests in reading, technology, and photography.

My career got off to a good start with a job at a big corporation where I experienced many different projects before deciding to move on after 7 years. There were some accumulated hard times behind the decision, too, but I weathered them while making a shift from engineering to software. The path forward is still uncertain in terms of what to do and where to do it, but I’ve accumulated enough skills and ideas to open up the options a bit.

Financially, slaving away for the corporate machine has paid off. Between investments and my parents pushing me to buy a condo before the real estate bubble, I can’t complain. My biggest outlay tends to be travel; lots of vacations, snowboarding trips, and a few international and business trips. There are still plenty of places I’d like to go, though I sometimes find myself waiting on the right time or companion.

Companionship has probably been the most difficult thing to find; frustratingly the end results don’t reflect my effort. I’ve had plenty of dates, online dating adventures, and some shorter and longer relationships. Finding and recognizing the right person ties into a number of other plans for travel, buying a house, and starting a family. Hopefully at this point, I at least know what I’m looking for.

The company of family and friends has been easier to find, though the circle has shrunk over the years. I am glad I settled back in the Philadelphia area, where many of them are more accessible. Adopting a cat last year was a great addition; Meadow is always good, affectionate company.

All in all, life is good, even if I tend to spend more time thinking about how to make it better than enjoying what I already have. Maybe contentment is the wisdom I’ll gain in my 30’s…

As noted in the articles, it was a big undertaking with lots of technical challenges. Sharepoint seems a little overemphasized; we also built a handful of custom web applications, feed infrastructure (ATOM as well as RSS), Google Search Appliance integration (one of my contributions), NewsGator Enterprise, and security.

Of course, the bigger challenge in any enterprise is cultural adoption by employees and management. To that end, deploying enterprise 2.0 takes passionate advocates from project management to grassroots early adopters. The Unity team has carved a solid beachhead there, so it’ll be exciting to see how it continues to grow!