A beta of the Architecture Journal Reader has been released. Use it to get all the latest, greatest architecure articles from Ray Ozzie, the Chief Software Architect of Microsoft.

Get daily tips on Visual Studio 2008 in this recently released free gadget.

Microsoft has made improvements on SyncToy and released the beta for public consumption. Like the name suggests, SyncToy lets you keep your files syncronized between folders and computers.

Here are the new features for the 2.0 beta release:

Dynamic Drive Letter Assignment: Drive letter reassignment will now be detected and updated in the folder pair definition.

True Folder Sync: Folder creates, renames and deletes are now synchronized for all SyncToy actions.

Exclusion Filtering Based on Name: File exclusion based on name with exact or fuzzy matching.

Filtering Based on File Attributes: The ability to exclude files based on one or more file attributes (Read-Only, System, Hidden).

Unattended Folder Pair Execution: Addressed issues related to running scheduled folder pairs while logged off.

Folder Pairs With Shared Endpoints: Ability for folder pairs associated with the same or different instances of SyncToy to share end-points.

Command line enhancements: Added the ability to manage folder pairs via the command line interface.

The SyncToy engine has been rearchitected to provide scalability and the ability to add significant enhancements in future releases.

Sync engine is also more robust insomuch that many single, file level errors are skipped without affecting the entire sync operation.

Sync Encrypted Files: Sync of Encrypted files works when local folder and files are encrypted, which addresses the common scenario involving sync between local, encrypted laptop PC folder and remote, unencrypted desktop PC folder.

64-Bit compatibility

Folder pair rename

Sub-folder Exclusion Enhancements: Descendents creates under excluded sub-folders are automatically excluded.

Folder Pair Metadata Moved: Folder pair metadata removed from MyDocuments to resolve any issues with server-based folder pair re-direction setup.

Removed combine and subscribe actions.

Add another weapon to your Kodefu arsenal. Jospeh Albahari has released LINQPad, the easy way to LINQ!

Can't wait for C# 3.0 and LINQ? Well you don't have to! Dynamically query SQL databases today in LINQ: no more struggling with antiquated SQL. Download LINQPad and kiss goodbye to SQL Management Studio: LINQPad supports LINQ to objects, LINQ to SQL and LINQ to XML—in fact, everything in C# 3.0 and .NET Framework 3.5. LINQPad is also a terrific learning tool for experimenting with this exciting new technology.

It does require an installation of .NET 3.5 beta 2, but at least you don't have to install the full Visual Studio 2008 to start using LINQ. If you really want to build your chops, Joseph's issued the LINQPad Challenge.

If you think that you understand LINQ—or would like to—then I invite you to take the LINQPad challenge. The rules are simple:

1. Locate the shortcut for SQL Management Studio on your Start Menu and move it some place else.
2. In its place, insert a shortcut to LINQPad.
3. For the next week, perform all your ad-hoc SQL queries using only LINQPad.

At the end of the week, you will actually think in LINQ, rather than thinking in SQL and translating to LINQ. (LINQPad also allows old-fashioned SQL queries for tasks are genuinely impossible or clumsy in LINQ. You'll feel an unpleasant sense of failure, though, should you cheat and use this feature frivolously :)

This is a great way to stay ahead of the curve. Begin your training today!