Merge sort is a sorting algorithm that runs in O(n \log n) time. It is a divide and conquer algorithm, so it can get the most out of today’s multi-cored systems. It works by continually splitting up the array until each item stands on its own. The items are then merged back with the items that they were split with in the correct order.

The decorator pattern allows behaviour to be added to an existing object at runtime. This is achieved by wrapping the object (the component) in another class (the decorator).

This article looks at the definition of Big-O notation, how it works and provides some code examples of different Big-O time complexities.

This article shows how to configure your Umbraco website to have Courier publish notes automatically when tranferred.

You can access a menu in Windows 8 that gives you access to all sorts of system-related things by bringing the cursor to the start menu hotspot (bottom-left corner of the screen) and right-clicking.

Being a someone that is a little OCD about organisation, I was a little disappointed when I couldn’t immediately figure out how to name the Windows 8 app groups on my new start screen. You can do it, it just may not be immediately obvious for everyone.

One way that I’ve used to grab SQL from a file in the past is to simply include the SQL as a string in a resource file. This isn’t really ideal though if you plan to edit or even view your SQL again.

A handy little trick that’s global to most of Google’s core services. Press Shift + / (?) or Ctrl + / to display an overlay containing the hotkeys for the application. To hide it you can repeat the hotkey, press Esc or click off the overlay.