Since I posted version 2.1 of MyNetflix, I have received some great feedback. I just released another minor update today which resolves some problems which were reported to me. The new release is version 2.1.0.2 beta, and can be downloaded from my Software page.
Changes since version 2.1.0.1 beta
Enhancements:
Bug fixes:
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I have completed development on the next version of MyNetflix (v2.1). This new version has been in private beta for about a week, and now it is ready for public beta. One of the features you will probably be most interested in is the ability to play WatchNow movies in full screen, and use the remote control for pause/resume commands.
Changes since version 2.0 beta
Enhancements:
Bug fixes:
Public Beta Program
The public beta version of MyNetflix 2.1 can be downloaded from my Software page. Please send any feedback you might have about this version to mynetflix@anpark.com, or use my Feedback Page.
Public Beta Update - 02/28/2008 @ 8:58P MST
I just posted a new version of MyNetflix which resolves two issues. The first issue was that the “Test” button in the configuration app was not working. This has been fixed. The second issue was that with accounts that did not have WatchNow capabilities, MyNetflix would show the watchnow features and display an error if they were used. The configuration application now correctly tests for this, and MyNetflix will not show the watchnow categories if the feature is not enabled on your account. Thanks for the great feedback so far, and keep it coming!
Public Beta Update - 03/01/2008 @ 9:43A MST
It looks like Netflix upgraded their website last night, and the Episode list in MyNetflix stopped working. Unfortunately, this is simply one of the risks that comes with parsing the watchnow data from their web pages. I have corrected this issue and posted a new version of MyNetflix on my software page. Thanks!
Screenshots
Browsing your queue
Movie Details (in queue)
Browsing genres
Browsing genres
Movie Details (not in queue)
Browsing “Watch Now” movies
Browsing “Watch Now” movies
Movie Details (Watch Now)
Select Episode (Watch Now)
About
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A friend of mine, Roger Whiting, designed a logo for the MyNetflix plug-in I have been working on. This logo will appear in the “More Programs” screen in Media Center. 
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Whew! I’ve been pretty busy responding to all of the emails and feedback for MyNetflix, and I wanted to take a moment to say “thanks” to a few people who helped indirectly with the development efforts on this project.
I mentioned in my previous post that “I’ve kept this pretty quiet” up until now, and that’s true. I have to say, though, that even though these people did not know I was working on this project, their contributions to the Media Center development community have both accelerated and encouraged my development of this project.
Ryan Hurst. Ryan wrote the original version of MyNetflix that was designed to run within Media Center 2005. His version was the inspiration for this new version, which was written using the Media Center Markup Language (MCML) for Windows Vista. Ryan has also been very helpful in getting the word out about this new version, and in providing feedback about features/issues.
Steven Harding. Steven worked on a open-source (LGPL) library for MCML developers called MCMLookalike. This library allows developers to easily get started writing add-ins which have similar pivot menus to those found in Media Center. MyNetflix uses this library for the categories at the top of the main page. Steven has also been a contributing community member on the MediaCenterSandbox forum, which is a helpful resource for MCML developers. I found several of his posts to be helpful during the development process.
Niall Ginsbourg. Niall has several of his own add-ins for Media Center, is a fellow Media Center MVP, and has been very active in the MCML development community. Niall also worked on MCMLookalike with Steven. In addition, he has provided sample code/images for a Vista MC Style GelButton, which is used in MyNetflix for the buttons on the “Movie Details” page. Niall has also been a helpful community member on the MediaCenterSandbox forum, where he has shared his knowledge about MCML development.
In appreciation of their community efforts, I have also added a “special thanks” section on the About page in MyNetflix.
It was also brought to my attention (thankfully) that MyNetflix was unintentionally violating some of the terms of the LGPL license under which MCMLookalike was published. I have addressed these issues this evening and have posted a new version of MyNetflix which is now available for download on my Software page. No bug fixes or enhancements to this version, but if you are beta testing please take the time to check out the new version and make sure I didn’t break something. 
I am still compiling all of the emails and feedback I am receiving, and will hopefully be able to address some more of the issues and feature requests in the coming days. Keep the feedback coming!
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I’ve kept this pretty quiet, but I’ve been working on a new Media Center plugin for a little while now. It is now ready for beta testing, and I’ve decided to run a public beta for this one.
MyNetflix features
Public Beta Program
The public beta version of MyNetflix can be downloaded from my Software page. Please send any feedback you might have about this version to mynetflix@anpark.com, or use my Feedback Page.
Public Beta Update - 02/10/2008 @ 8:35P MST
I got some very good initial feedback from a few people and apparently there were problems with UAC both during the running of the configuration application and the running of the plugin. I have updated the version on the Software page to resolve these issues. I’m going to try not to make this thing too much of a moving target for beta testers, so I probably won’t do another build for at least a few days unless I find something major. In the meantime, please keep the feedback coming!
Public Beta Update 2 - 02/11/2008 @ 9:22P MST
There was a problem with the previously posted version that occurred in some cases during the configuration. An error: “System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.” would occur when launching the configuration application. Since this was affecting quite a few people, I fixed the issue and did another build. I overwrote the previous version on my Software page with this new version. If you experienced the issue and did not get around it, please download the new version.
Screenshots
Browsing your queue
Movie Details (in queue)
Browsing genres
Browsing genres
Movie Details (not in queue)
Browsing “Watch Now” movies
Browsing “Watch Now” movies
Movie Details (Watch Now)
About
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I just posted the final pictures of the Girl’s Maple Dresser on my Woodworking page.
I’ll be compiling the posts I have made on my website into a set of plans, and I should have those available soon in PDF format.
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This is a continuation of the Girl’s Maple Dresser project.
Time estimate for this step: 4 hours.
The tenth and final step in making this dresser is to assemble the dresser, drawers, and drawer faces.
Step 10a: Install drawers
The drawers of the dresser were installed in step 7. So, reassembly should be quick and easy. First, install the drawer slides in the cabinet of the dresser using the screws provided. Next, install the drawer slides on the drawers using the screws provided. At this point, I like to mark numbers on back of the drawers for future installation.
Step 10b: Drawer Faces
Once the drawers are installed in the dresser, the drawer faces can be installed. Depending on what drawer handles you have chosen, you will need to drill holes in the appropriate places on the drawer faces.
I chose Vintage Floral 64mm Vintage Bail Pull in Antique Nickel drawer handles from knobs4less.com. I ordered 9 of these, which allows for 1 on each of the small drawers and 2 on each of the large drawers.
Make a template out of carboard or thin wood to mark the location of the holes for the drawer handles, and drill the holes using a drill press.
Once the holes have been drilled for the drawer handles, place the drawer faces into the dresser and align and separate them using small shims.
Using a handheld drill, drill through the holes in the drawer faces into the drawer. The screws to hold the handles on will come from inside the drawer and hold the handles on the outside of the drawer faces. These screws will also hold the drawer faces in place.
Screw the drawer handles onto the drawers, starting with the bottom drawer and working upward. This will allow you to align the top drawer with the drawer face below it.
Once the drawer faces have been installed, the dresser is complete! Here are a few pictures of the completed dresser.
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Today I was working on a very simple HTML application which was targeting a Windows Mobile 5 device. One of the key elements of the application was a small form which had a few fields the user could fill out and submit.
For example, consider the following code:
which generates this page:
The problem is: If you have more than one input field in a form, Pocket Internet Explorer WILL NOT submit the form when the user presses the enter key in one of the input fields. For example: if the users enters data into “Field 1″ and wants to submit the form, they must tab to the “Submit” button and press enter.
First of all, this isn’t really a new problem. Some browsers have behaved this way for a long time, and the solution is pretty well-known in the industry. All you need to do to solve this problem on most browsers is to add an onkeydown event to all of the fields, check for the enter key (code 13), and submit the form using javascript. However, Pocket Internet Explorer doesn’t support the ONKEYDOWN attribute of an INPUT element. So, now what do you do?
Well, it took me a little while to figure out a solution, but the following works quite well. According to the HTML Reference for Pocket Internet Explorer, the FORM HTML Element does support the ONSUBMIT attribute. So, we can divide the single form up into three forms (one for each input) and sync up the values when the user submits the form. Consider the following HTML:
In this example, the fields are divided up into three forms (one field per form). Each form contains it’s primary field, as well as hidden fields for the other values. All of the forms have the same ACTION attribute, and all of the forms have an ONSUBMIT attirbute which points to the getOtherFields() JavaScript method. In the getOtherFields method, we populate the hidden fields on each form with the actual fields the user sees. After populating the hidden fields, we return true so the form will now be submitted.
This solution presents the same page to the user, but now allows the enter button to be pressed in any of the fields to submit the form.
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This is a continuation of the Girl’s Maple Dresser project.
Time estimate for this step: 36 hours.
The ninth step in making this dresser is to stain and varnish the dresser.
Step 9a: Select stain and varnish
For this dresser, I chose to use Minwax Cherry (235) Wood Finish to stain the wood.
For the top coat, I chose to use Olympic Oil Based Clear Satin Polyurethane.
Step 9b: Stain
Set up all of the pieces of the dresser in a large work area with plenty of ventilation. I used my garage, since there is enough ventilation, and not very much outside dust blowing around. Before staining, sand any rough areas of the dresser using 220 grit sandpaper. Then, clean the wood from any dust particles using a tack cloth. Once the wood has been sanded and cleaned, apply the stain using a cheese cloth. After a few minutes, wipe off any excess stain using a clean piece of cheese cloth.
After letting the stain dry for at least four hours, apply a second coat of stain in the same way as the first coat. The second coat will catch any areas that might have been missed, and provide a deeper richer look to the stain.
Step 9c: Varnish
After the second coat of stain has dried for at least 8 hours, it is time to apply the varnish to the dresser. Once again, clean the surface of the wood using a tack cloth to remove any dust particles. Gently stir the varnish to an even consistency and color (shaking will create air bubbles in the varnish). Use a high-quality brush to apply the varnish to the wood, and make sure to apply the varnish with the grain of the wood.
I usually coat all furniture with at least three coats of varnish. After the first coat of varnish has dried, buff the varnish with 000 steel wool. The steel wool should remove any roughness on the varnish, and will slightly dull the finish (which will allow the second coat to stick better). After using the steel wool, clean the steel wool shavings off of the wood using a vacuum. Once again, use a tack cloth to remove any dust or remaining steel wool particles. Apply the second coat of varnish to the wood using the same brushing technique. Repeat for the third coat. After the final coat, do not use steel wool as it will dull the finish. Let the piece dry for 24 hours before assembly.
That’s it for the finishing. Next, we can assemble the dresser.
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This is a continuation of the Girl’s Maple Dresser project.
Time estimate for this step: 16 hours.
The eighth step in making this dresser is to build the drawer faces of the dresser. The drawer faces for this dresser will be made from maple.
Step 8a: Measure
There are two sizes of drawer faces for this dresser, and there are three drawer faces of each size. The drawer faces are essentially raised panel drawer faces and are constructed using a center piece of maple and four border pieces. The dimensions of the finished larger drawer faces are 28 5/8 x 8 1/2 inches. The dimensions of the finished smaller drawer faces are 10 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches. These dimensions leave approximately 1/8 inch on each side of the drawer faces once placed inside the cabinet. The drawer faces are 1 1/8 inches thick.
Step 8b: Cut pieces to size
The next step is to cut all of the pieces used for the drawer faces to size. For the borders, we will need 3 different length pieces. The border pieces are 1 1/2 inches wide, and 1 1/8 inches thick. From maple stock, cut 13 pieces 30 inches in length. These will be used for the final three lengths of: 28 5/8 (6 of these), 8 1/2 (12 of these), and 10 1/2 (6 of these), but it will be easier to run them through the router if they are longer lengths to begin with.
For the center pieces of the drawer faces, cut three pieces of maple to 26 3/4 x 6 1/2 inches. These will be for the centers of the large drawer faces. For the smaller drawer faces, cut three pieces of maple to 8 1/2 x 6 1/2 inches.
Step 8c: Route drawer face borders
The drawer face borders have three sides cut using a router. The decorative inside edge (top-right in the picture) is cut using a Classical Plunge Pattern Bit (model C1674) from Grizzly Industrial. This bit is used on a router table using a guide, without using the pattern bearing of the bit. The outer edge (top-left in the picture) is cut using a 3/8 inch Core Box Bit. The inside cutout (bottom-right in the picture) for the center insert is cut using a large straight bit with several passes on the router table.
Step 8d: Route drawer face center pieces
The drawer face center pieces have all four sides cut using the same router bit. These sides are cut using a Classical Plunge Pattern Bit (model C1674) from Grizzly Industrial, the same bit used for the borders. Once again, this bit is used on a router table using a guide, without using the pattern bearing of the bit. The center pieces are passed through the router bit several times (adjusting the fence deeper each time) to reach the final border of 1 1/4 inch.
Step 8e: Cut borders to size
Using a mitre saw, cut the drawer face border pieces to size by cutting 45 degree angles at the right length. 6 pieces will be cut to 28 5/8 inches, 12 pieces will be cut to 8 1/2 inches, and 6 pieces will be cut to 10 1/2 inches.
Step 8f: Assemble and glue
Now is a good time to sand all of the pieces using 100, 150, and 220 grit sandpaper. After sanding, assemble and glue the border pieces together. Make sure to align them clamp them tightly and ensure the drawer face borders are square.
After the drawer face borders are glued and dried, install the center pieces into the back of the drawer face borders and glue in place.
Step 8g: Test fit
Test the fit of the drawer faces by inserting them in front of the drawers in the cabinet, and placing spacers between the drawer faces to hold them in the correct position.
Here is what the dresser looks like with the drawer faces resting in place.
That’s it for the drawers, and the build of the dresser. Next, we can stain and varnish the dresser.
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