A Fast Five Years

It's hard to believe that I've been blogging for SQLMag since December 7th, 2004.  That's almost 5 and 1/2 years ago!  Heck, I even had hair back then, though not very much. 

As we enter a new phase, you'll see a slight adjustment in my blogging here.  I still hope to blog at least once per week, as I have all these years.  However, in the past, I used to blog about almost anything related to SQL Server that crossed my mind.  Now, I'm tightening my focus somewhat to mirror my in-print column, Tool Time.  (No hyperlink at the moment, since I'm not sure if the old link will persist).  That's right.  I'll be bringing you even more great tools, scripts, cmdlets, and applications that can help make your life as an IT professional that much easier and your work days that much less complex.

It Ain't As Easy as It Seems

I'm always on the lookout for good tools to mention here.  Of course, the best SQL Server tools that are 1) free, 2) supported, and 3) very useful will appear in print.  But since I'll be writing more frequently about tools, I'll sometimes color outside of those lines in an effort to bring you tools that are innovative and uplifting.

This Week's Tool: AutoCollage

This week's cool tool is called AutoCollage and it's provided by Microsoft Research out of Cambridge, UK.  This tool allows you to create beautiful collages from a multitude of your favorite pictures with just a couple mouse-clicks.

The tools supports Win7 and is now included in the latest build.  So if you've bought a PC recently with Win7 pre-installed, there's a good chance it's already on your PC somewhere.

You can see a demo of the tool here. In addition, the tool is supported by a blog here.  Not interactive enough for you? Then you can also get help in their on-line forum.

At the left is an image demonstrating the kind of collages you can make quickly and easily using this tool.  Just tell it where to find your photos and off it goes!

Enjoy!

-Kevin

 Twitter @kekline

More content at http://KevinEKline.com/.