Eric Longman

Internet geek. Project Manager. Propellerhead.

For the supremely geeky among us… Recently, my copy of SQL Server 2008 Management Studio began failing with this error message: Unable to cast COM object of type ‘System.__ComObject’ to interface type ‘Microsoft.VisualStudio.OLE.Interop.IServiceProvider’.  This operation failed because the QueryInterface call on the COM component for the interface with IID ‘{6D5140C1-7436-11CE-8034-00AA006009FA}’ failed due to the following [...]

After applying updates, I was unable to launch Microsoft Outlook 2007. Every time I tried, it would open the frame of the main window, then fail with a modal dialog box: Cannot start Microsoft Office Outlook. Cannot open the Outlook window. I ran Microsoft Office Diagnostics (which usually can fix these kinds of issues — [...]

I had a client ask me today to help with converting a bunch of WMV video files (Windows Media – Video) so that he could store them on his T-Mobile G1 and watch them.  After a bit of digging, I found a wonderful tool called HandBrake that exists to do nothing but convert videos between [...]

Here are a few cool toys for the Mustang…a little “wish list” for the new toy: 1) Sequential Taillight Kit — Makes the turn signals blink in sequential fashion; very retro and wicked cool 2) Clear Turn Signal Lights – Converts the standard amber turn signals into a nicer chrome/clear deal 3) Chrome Halo Headlights [...]

I traded in my beloved MINI today on a 2008 Ford Mustang.   It hurt a little bit, because that MINI was a WONDERFUL car, but it was time to move on as the MINI was quickly approaching 100,000 miles, and there were major systems that were due to begin breaking any minute. The Mustang [...]

This is wonderful!  A company in South Africa is going to begin using homing pigeons to transfer data between its two offices, which are roughly 50 miles apart.  Currently they use broadband to transfer about 4GB of encrypted data between the facilities.  It takes about six hours to transfer the data.  Instead, they’ll put the [...]

This is REALLY cool!  The video’s pretty long (11 minutes) but worth every single second. (Passed along by Ken, originally shared on the Professional Pilot News blog.)

The driver’s side window on my MINI Cooper has always been a bit temperamental.  Most of the time it works fine, but every so often it takes a vacation and will quit working. The last time it happened, the car was going in for service anyway (to fix a cracked coolant overflow) so I had [...]

Today I abandoned the Mac Mail application that comes with OS X in favor of Thunderbird. In a way, I hated to do it.  Mac Mail is very nicely put together, with an elegant, simple interface and everything right where it ought to be.  But in my experience the IMAP support was flakey — particularly [...]

The proof of the pudding, they say, is in the eating.  And so far, I’m liking what I’m eating. My shiny new (refurbished) MacBook Pro arrived this morning via FedEx ground.  The timing stunk — I was up to my ears in alligators due to some network issues at the data center (turned out to [...]