Running vprtmupd.exe To Update Vertex

It took me a while to figure it out. I couldn't find any information on how to run this in the supplied documents. The image below shows how I ran this from the command prompt:

When I tried running this by just executing the exe, the command promt would open and after I entered the path for the data I would get an error saying "Unable to establish a connection with the Payroll Tax Database."

Fixed Dell Latitude Display Flickering

I was having problems with the external displays that I use with my Dell Latitude E7440. At work they would flicker, and at home one would flicker and the other would stop working after about two hours. I updated the video drivers and BIOS and the problem gone.

Dell makes it easy to update your drivers. Just go to the Dell support web site and you will find all of the latest drivers for your laptop.

Dell Laptop Runs Slow When Docked

My Dell 7440 work laptop ran great at work but it was running increasingly slower at home. It finally got to the point where the CPU usage was running at over 90% capacity. When I took the laptop off of the docking station and the CPU dropped to almost 10%. Putting the laptop back on the docking station, the CPU shot back up to over 90%. So I figured there was a problem with the docking station or maybe it couldn't handle the two large displays I had connected to the dock. I did some research on the Internet - a few people stated that they had a problem with the laptop running slow and that the problem was caused by the external power supply. I just happened to have a spare power supply so I swap the supply. Problem solved!

Hibernate NamedQueries and NamedNativeQueries Errors

Working on Android client/server project I ran into some problems with Hibernate 4.3.1 annotations and Java code for Named Queries and Native Named Queries. The errors I was receiving were along the lines of "error in named query". Below is an example of the annotations and code that finally worked for me when querying an MSSQL database. Note the differences between the NamedQuery and corresponding NativeNamedQuery.
For a MySQL database the NamedQuery did not work.

The annotations:

@Entity
@Table(name="Member")
@NamedQueries({
@NamedQuery(name="Member.loadByEmail", query="select m from Member m where email= :email"),
@NamedQuery(name="Member.loadByEmailAndPassword", query="select m from Member m where email= :email and password= :pwd")
})
@NamedNativeQueries({
@NamedNativeQuery(name="Member.nLoadByEmail", query="select m.* from Member m where email= :email", resultClass=Member.class),
@NamedNativeQuery(name="Member.nLoadByEmailAndPassword", query="select m.* from Member m where email= :email and password= :pwd", resultClass=Member.class)
})
public class Member implements Serializable{...

The code to create the query:

public Object findMemberByEmail(String email){
  return em.createNamedQuery("Member.LoadByEmail", Member.class).setParameter("email", email).getSingleResult();
}

public Object nFindMemberByEmail(String email){
  return em.createNamedQuery("Member.nLoadByEmail").setParameter("email", email).getSingleResult();
}

Eclipse Android apk Maven Build Error

Got the "Project build error: Unknown packaging: apk" error. Fixed by adding the extensions option to pom.xml file.

<extensions>true</extensions>
<packaging>apk</packaging>

Samsung S3 Camera Failed

I tried everything that I found on the Internet to try to fix the problem and for me what finally worked was replacing the camera. It cost me around $19 dollars for a new camera and it was relatively easy to replace.

Received Coursera Certificate for Programming Mobile Applications for Android Handheld Systems

Completed the Programming Mobile Applications for Android Handheld Systems class. The next class, Pattern-Oriented Software Architectures: Programming Mobile Services for Android Handheld Systems, starts May 12.