Episode 327

Kevin Hazzard on Technology in Schools

Episode 326

Rob Gibbens on Xamarin 3.0

Episode 325

Laura Eagin and LeeAnn Drees on Girl Develop It

7/6
Today I am grateful for the hospitality and generosity of my cousin Sharon and her family, who shared their San Rafael home with us this week.

7/5
Today I am grateful for an afternoon watching the Oakland A's win in walk-off fashion yesterday with Tim Giard and cousin Billy.

7/4
Today I am grateful for my first trip to California in 6 years.

7/3
Today I am grateful for a successful apartment search yesterday.

7/2
Today I am grateful for:
1. Running into old friends yesterday
2. A good night's sleep last night
3. Staying close to home most of June before the crazy travel month of July.

7/1
Today I am grateful to my friend Mike for taking the time yesterday to teach me about Azure Notification Hubs.

6/30
Today I am grateful for a strong end to the first Fiscal Year with me on the inside.

6/29
Today I'm excited that I've had the chance to meet so many entrepreneurs the past couple months. Their energy is contagious!

6/28
Today I am grateful for a few hours hanging out yesterday in my hometown of Grosse Pointe, MI.

6/27
Today I am grateful I could spend yesterday evening with my son Tim.

6/26
Today I am grateful I had a chance to spend yesterday afternoon with Nick Giard before he returned to Florida this morning.

6/25
Today I am grateful for my teammates, who often go out of their way to support one another.

6/24
Today I am grateful I have the opportunity to work from home when it makes sense.

6/23
Today I am grateful by the overwhelming choice of videos I can watch whenever I have free time.

6/22
Today I am grateful for some extra sleep this weekend to make up for the last few weeks.

6/21
Today I am grateful for a combined birthday/Father's Day dinner celebration last night with my boys.

6/20
Today I am grateful I finally got my car fixed after being unable to open my trunk for a month.

6/19
Today I am grateful for the Great Lakes Area .NET User Group. Volunteering the past 6 years has been a great experience! I will miss you guys!  #‎MIGANG‬

6/18
Today I am grateful for a week full of user groups and other dev community stuff!

6/17
Today I am grateful to all those who missed the USA-Ghana World Cup game last night to hear me talk about Azure Mobile Services at the Windows Developer Group in Columbus.

6/16
Today I am grateful I could spend Father's Day with my 2 favourite people - Nick Giard and Tim Giard - at the Tigers game yesterday. (and a walk-off RBI)

6/15
Today I am grateful for
1. The example set and the lessons taught by my father.
2. The privilege of being a father to my 2 boys who have grown into excellent young me.

6/14
Today I am grateful for
1. Sushi with my boys
2. Technical assistance from a friend.

6/13
Today I am grateful my son found a summer job yesterday.

6/12
Today I am grateful for a successful Dev Day yesterday in Columbus - our final first-party event of FY14.

6/11
Today I am grateful I could spend time yesterday with my boys and I got to meet Nick's girlfriend for the first time..

6/10
Today I am grateful my son's car trouble was easily repaired.

6/9
Today I am grateful for the network of smart people I find myself surrounded by.

6/8
Today I am grateful to the organizers and attendees of the Pittsburgh TechFest for making me feel welcome here. ‪#‎pghtechfest‬

6/7
Today I am grateful for dinner and an evening with Randy and Pam in Pittsburgh. It has been too long.

6/6
Today I am grateful to see my son Nick yesterday for the first time in months and to share dinner with both my boys last night.

6/5
Today I am grateful for a full day yesterday and a chance to meet so many new people.

6/4
Today I am grateful for
1. Lunch with an old friend I haven't seen in years
2. A chance to clear the air
3. The enthusiasm in the audience last night for my Azure talk at The Factory Co-Working space in GR.

6/3
Today I am grateful to my brother Doug, who found and fixed up a used car for my son.

6/2
Today I am grateful to Peter Ritchie and Susan Yount, who said nice things about me in public.

Episode 324

Wolfgang Goerlich on Security Development Lifecycle Security consultant Wolfgang

Here is the chronicle of my recent trip to Romania and Hungary.

• Romanian Rhapsody – Part 1: Arrival and Sibiu
• Romanian Rhapsody – Part 2: IT Camp
• Hungarian Rhapsody – Part 3 of Romanian Rhapsody
• Romanian Rhapsody – Part 4: Final Thoughts

You can view photographs of my trip at these links:

• Photos of Romania
• Photos of Budapest, Hungary

I’ve been home from Romania for a few weeks and I’m really glad I made this trip. I hope I can go back next year and I hope I can schedule multiple European conferences during the same trip.

Here are a few final thoughts about the trip

International Travel is much easier for Americans

To travel to Romania, I had a passport, an airline ticket, and a hotel reservation. After I arrived, I decided to go to Hungary. I rented a car and was at the border crossing 12 hours after making that decision. I didn't need to call anyone in Hungary to let them know I was coming.

Europeans have it different. To travel to the US - even for vacation - a Romanian must apply for a Visa. Visas are granted by lottery, so chances are he will not get one on his first application.

I speak only English fluently and know only a few phrases in other languages - none of which are common to eastern Europe. Yet I had very little problem communicating in Romania and Hungary. Why? Because Europeans grow up learning multiple languages and guess what the most popular language is? Nearly everyone in a large city's service industry speaks passable English, as does nearly everyone under 30. It was blind luck that the language I grew up speaking is the common language for these countries.

Hotels

I was surprised that most Romanian hotels did not have an alarm clock – something that is now standard in American hotels. Some hotels also did not provide a washcloth. I looked and was surprised not to find one.

In the Cluj-Napoca hotel, there was a low sink about the size of a toilet next to the toilet. I don't know what it's for but I did not wash my face in it.

In the second hotel I stayed in Budapest, the pillows were enormous - way bigger than I've ever seen on a bed before. I wonder what sort of creatures usually stay there.

Infrastructure

Romania has only one highway. Major cities are often connected only by 2 or 3 lane roads.

The roads in Romania and Hungary are not as well marked as in the U.S. Often the road names are on the side of a building, rather than close to the intersections. In Budapest, the many road sign are printed with a fancy font, making them difficult to read in a hurry.

Miscellany

Smoking is more common in Romania and Hungary than in the U.S. Smoking is allowed in restaurants and many people smoke while eating. I had forgotten how much that bothers me.

Every single person I met in Romania and Hungary was friendly and willing to try to help. I was lost several times and I received help from complete strangers, who went out of their way for me.

The landscape in Romania is much prettier than in Hungary (at least where I traveled). Transylvania was filled with green, rolling hills, farms, and small towns everywhere I went. But Budapest was a nicer city than any I found in Romania. I liked the Romanian cities but Budapest is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever visited.

This is part 4 of a series describing my 2014 trip to Romania and Hungary.

Photos of Romania

Photos of Budapest

Last month, I wrote about the advantages of the BizSpark program. Here, I will describe how to apply for this program.

There are two ways to sign up: With and without an Enrollment Code. If you don’t have an Enrollment Code, your application goes into a queue and is evaluated by someone at Redmond and you will hear back in a week or two with a message indicating whether or not you were accepted into the program. If you sign up with an Pre-Approved Enrollment Code, you can begin accessing your benefits immediately! I or another BizSpark Champion can provide you with a Pre-Approval Enrollment Codes.

Qualifying startups can contact their local evangelist to receive a Pre-Approval Enrollment Code.

Here is the process for signing up for BizSpark.

1. Navigate to https://www.microsoft.com/bizspark/

You may need to log in with a Microsoft account (formerly known as a Live account). If you use Microsoft services, such as OneDrive or Instant Messaging, you already have a Microsoft account; If not, you can get one here.

Click "Join Now".

2. Select Language

The “Language” page displays, as shown below.

Scroll down
    Select a Language from the Dropdown
    Click the [Next] button.

3. Enter Startup Information

The “Your Startup” page displays, as shown below.

Scroll down (again)
    If you have a Pre-Approved Enrollment code, enter it into the "Enrollment Code (optional)" textbox. If not, leave this box blank. NOTE: Although the Enrollment Code is optional, there is a great advantage to having one: a Pre-Approval code will enroll you immediately, instead of waiting a week; and it will guarantee your acceptance in the program.
    Enter the rest of the form with information about you and your company.
    Click the [Next] button.

4. Agree to Terms

The “Agreement” page displays, as shown below.

Scroll down (again)
    Click the Checkbox to indicate acceptance of the End-User License Agreement
    Click the [I Accept] button.

5. Confirmation

The “Thank You” / Confirmation page displays, as shown below.

At this point, you should be either enrolled in the BizSpark program or have submitted your application. Those who are enrolled can click “My Benefits” to see how to download software and activate their Azure account and immediately beginning taking advantage of the BizSpark benefits.

It only takes a few minutes to sign up.

I have 6 Windows Phone apps to show you this week. I tried each of them and they are all well done.

Applause Light

(Click here to install)

This app displays a big "Applause" button. Hold down this button to hear applause; release the button to stop it. You can choose from Light applause, Standing Ovation, rowdy applause, or Small Crowd. You will probably hear me using this app at the next technical presentation I attend (or that I present at)

My Minutes

(Click here to install)

Enter text notes about meetings you attend; A timer lets you record when the meeting  starts and stops, so it can calculate meeting duration. It even lets you assign notes to a particular time segment of the meeting.

World Flag Quiz

(Click here to install)

This quiz displays the flag of a country. You need to guess the country that represents. You win by correctly identifying flags and by going through the quiz faster.

Motivational Penguin

(Click here to install)

Open the app to see a penguin urging you to "Believe in Yourself!" or "Work hard! Keep fighting!" or "Don't give up your dreams!"
Set the Lock screen to update with one of these Penguin messages and change every hour (or daily or twice daily) so you can get random inspiration throughout the day.

Car Locator

(Click here to install)

Open this app and Save the location of your car; return to the app later for directions where you left your car.

Pandamonium

(Click here to install)

This is a game in which you move a Panda back and forth along the ground, trying to catch fruit as it falls from the sky. Points for catching fruit; You lose when too much fruit hits the ground.

Episode 323

Bill Wagner and Tony Surma on Humanitarian Toolbox

Day 7: Sunday, May 25

From Cluj to Budapest

I woke up earlier than I expected, excited to drive from Cluj-Napoca, Romania to Budapest, Hungary. The front desk called and ordered a rental car, which arrived late morning. Meanwhile I ate breakfast with those conference speakers who remained at the hotel.  The car arrived but without sufficient papers to leave the company, so I had to take the car delivery man to his house (Not his office - his house!), so he could pick up the papers.

I stopped at a shopping mall, hoping to get a card for my phone that would allow it to work in Europe. My phone had lacked the ability to call or receive email or browse the web since I arrived, except when I was connected to the hotel wi-fi. Before I left America, I had called the local AT&T store to ask how I could use my phone in Europe. When I told him I bought the phone at the Microsoft store, he told me it was certainly unlocked and the best solution was to buy a SIM card after I arrived in Europe. I found a shop at the mall that would sell me a SIM card; unfortunately, when she inserted the card into my phone, we received an error message that the phone was locked by a provider. This was a problem because I was counting on using GPS to tell me how to get to Budapest. I had no idea even how to get out of Cluj, much less which road led to Budapest. I found a solution to this problem: I stopped at a Travel Agency in the same shopping mall, where a friendly travel agent printed out a map to Budapest and translated the key directions for me. I was on my way.

I arrived in Budapest about 7 hours later, after only getting lost 3-4 times.

I didn't have directions to the hotel but it was located in downtown Budapest and I assumed that it would be obvious how to get downtown (as is the case in most American cities). Sadly, I found myself driving lost among the outskirts of Budapest. I pulled over to question a few pedestrians but none spoke English. Finally, I found a helpful lady and 2 high-school age girls who were leaving church. They not only found directions on their smart phone, but they rode along with me to guide me to my hotel before taking a bus back to their home. In America, it is almost unheard of for 2 innocent girls to get into a car with a stranger (much less, a foreign stranger), but I'm glad these girls had no qualms about this.

I thought I was late meeting Adam and Magdolna, but I learned that Budapest is in a different time zone than Cluj, so I was actually early.

They took me to a nice outdoor cafe, where we ate plenty of Hungarian food. After dinner, we walked along the river and he advised me on sights to visit the next few days.

Day 8: Monday, May 26

Budapest Castle District

The busy schedule, extreme travel, and lack of sleep from the last week caught up with me and I slept 12 hours before slowly waking up around noon. I spent much of the afternoon in a small cafe sipping a latte, writing, and watching the world go by.

Adam had left town for 2 days to visit his father, so I toured the city on my own.

In the late afternoon, I headed up to the Castle district, which lies across the river on a hill overlooking the city. The palaces of the Austro-Hungarian Empire have been restored and turned into museums. In fact, the entire hill is covered in museums, along with old churches and monuments. The view of the city is amazing from this area. It was dark before I finally climbed back down and crossed the river to my hotel.

My travels were guided in part by suggestions from Adam and from a Walking Tour outlined on a map of Budapest that I picked up at the hotel.

Monday night, I had a chance to do laundry at my hotel and it felt good to freshen my clothes.

Day 9: Tuesday, May 27

Gellert Hill and downtown Budapest

The Marriott I originally reserved was nice (suite of rooms, full kitchen), but far too expensive for my budget, so I reserved an apartment in the Jewish District. I checked out of the Marriott and headed for Gellert Hill, so named for St. Gellert, who - according to legend - was tied in a barrel and thrown from the mountain by pagans to die in the Danube.

The climb to the top of the hill was a challenge, but it was worth it. Halfway up the hill, one finds a statue of Gellert, surrounded by roman columns overlooking the city and a waterfall.  At the top stands a 19th-century citadel and a magnificent statue dedicated to the people of Hungary.

Near the bottom of the hill is a monastery built into stone of the mountain. The monastery is closed to the public, but the associated church is open. The contrast between the stone hideaway of cloistered monks and the bustle of downtown Budapest is startling.

I walked across the Liberty Bridge and through downtown Budapest visiting (among other sites) the Central Market Hall, where dozens of vendors set up stalls to sell meat, fish, vegetables, and other wares; The Hungarian National Museum; and the Church of St. Michael

I walked back to the hotel to pick up my car and head to my new hotel. Streets in Budapest are not marked nearly as well as in the US (if they are marked at all) and the sign for the hotel was not visible from the street, so it took me a long time to find the hotel and check in. .

When I finally find the it, I was pleasantly surprised. Although the rate was a third what the Marriott charged, I had a suite at least as big as the Marriott’s. And I had free wi-fi. If I return to Budapest, I will first check out All4U Apartments in the Jewish District. My room overlooked a pedestrian area of restaurants and bars

I had to rush to meet Magdolna, who had invited me to dinner. She found me wandering aimlessly a half block from the restaurant, searching for the correct street number. We shared Hungarian fish soup and a Hungarian dessert consisting of pancakes, rum, chocolate, and whipped cream. After dinner, we walked around an old part of Budapest before I dropped her at her subway stop.

I finished the evening with a craft wheat beer at Léhűtő near my hotel.

When I tried to sleep, I discovered the downside of a hotel near so many bars. I drifted off to the (very loud) sounds of a rock band and a techno DJ at bars below.

Day 10: Tuesday, May 28

Last day in Budapest. Last day in Europe

In the morning, Adam returned to Budapest and invited me to a Turkish bath. I walked from my hotel (about a mile) and I was ready to relax when I arrived. A Turkish bath consists of about a half dozen small pools, each set to a different temperature. Nearly-naked men soak in them for a bit, then move on to the next pool. I tried them all - from the shockingly cold water to the shockingly hot water. Spotlights of different colors shine from the ceiling into the largest pool. Supposedly, different color lights will heal different ailments. I'm not sold on this medicine, but I did try it.

All in all, it was a relaxing morning, hanging out and chatting with Adam. 

Afterward, I had lunch near my hotel and drove back to Romania.

I had no trouble getting back to Cluj-Napoca, but I had no idea how to get to my hotel. I stopped at a downtown restaurant, where I received directions that did not help. By some miracle, I stumbled upon the hotel a little after midnight. I only slept about 4 hours before I had to get up and drive to the airport for my flights home.

This is part 3 of a series describing my 2014 trip to Romania and Hungary.

Photos of Budapest

Day 4: Thursday, May 22

IT Camp, Day 1

Up early to hear the keynote. Peter Keller talked about fear in organizations - what causes fear; how fear can hurt us; how to manage fear; and how fear can motivate us to achieve new things.

Mihai Tataran and Tudor Damian gave a second keynote - this one about security. The highlight was Tudor's demos showing how easy it was to hack a user's password in a typical corporate environment. The main effect of this second keynote was to make the audience afraid for the security of their data, so it's a good thing it was preceded by a talk about fear.

Later that morning, I gave my Data Visualization talk. The room was nearly full and it was very well received. I was fortunate that I could give this talk in English, even though English was not the first language of most of the audience.

In the evening, the conference organizers reserved much of the hotel dining room and treated the speakers to dinner and drinks. This was a great opportunity to get to know the other speakers - most of whom were European and most of whom I had never met.

Day 5: Friday, May 23

IT Camp, Day 2

I delivered my second presentation - this one on building a Windows 8 game using Construct 2. The audience was great and seemed to enjoy it.

I recorded 2 interviews with Technology and Friends - one with Peter Keller and one with Tudor Damian. Both of these have been published at http://technologyandfriends.com/.

I took more time today to talk with the conference attendees. Unlike most American developer conferences, this one was attended by nearly 40% women. The industry seemed far less dominated by males here than back home, although I did notice only one female speaker.

In the evening, the conference organizers took the speakers to a local restaurant and treated us to another multi-course meal. Again, it was a great opportunity for me to get to know the speakers. Although most of the attendees seemed to be from northern Transylvania, I met speakers from Romania, Hungary, Poland, Italy, Bulgaria, Norway, England and the United States.

Day 6: Saturday, May 24

Alba Iulia

The conference was over but IT Camp reserves the day after the conference for a cultural outing for all the speakers. This year's outing was to Alba Iulia - a beautiful city south of Cluj. Alba Iulia was the first capital of Romania when it gained independence after World War I.

After the bus ride to Alba Iulia, we stopped for an excellent lunch and set out to walk around the city with a tour guide. Alba was a walled city that was well-fortified against attacks but that was never attacked. The country have spent the last five years restoring the city's historic buildings and monuments and the place is gorgeous. Our tour guide was supposedly telling us about the history of the city, but it was hard to tell as he never spoke above a whisper and there were several dozen of us.

After the bus ride back to the hotel, we were treated to one last dinner. I don’t recall attending a conference that treated speakers as well as IT Camp. From the 5-star hotel accommodations to the food to the conference organization, everything was done well.

After the bus returned to the hotel, the conference treated us to another (excellent) dinner. We hung out in the lobby after dinner talking and I decided I would drive to Budapest in the morning. I had met Adam and Magdolna from Budapest a few days earlier, so I made plans to meet them for dinner.

This is part 2 of a series describing my 2014 trip to Romania and Hungary.

Photos of Romania

Day 1: Monday, May 19

Arrival

I didn't mind the 3 flights; I didn't mind the 15 hours of travel. I didn't even mind the lack of sleep or the oversold flights. But, as I sat in the Cluj-Napoca airport and watched the luggage conveyor belt stop without my suitcase, my heart began to drop.

The good news was that my friend Tibi was waiting outside baggage claim, and a friendly face was what I needed as I headed to the office to fill out the paperwork.

Tibi drove me to his home in downtown Cluj-Napoca, where we picked up his wife Nicoleta and we went out to a nice lunch at a local beer garden. I spent the afternoon at Tibi's house before catching a bus down to Sibiu.

I came to Romania to speak at the IT Camp in Cluj-Napoca (http://itcamp.ro), but it's been 26 years since I've been to Europe and I've never been to Eastern Europe, so planned for a longer trip.

I scheduled 2 days with a tour guide in Sibiu. Although the tour didn’t officially start until Tuesday, Adela was kind enough to pick me up at the bus station and drive me to my hotel Monday evening.

Day 2: Tuesday, May 20

Sibiu and surroundings

Tuesday morning, Adela and I walked around the old city of Sibiu. Sibiu is a walled city, originally built by the Saxons to protect western Europe from invasion by the Turks. The city has a mix of many different architectures, due in large part to the different nations that have occupied Transylvania over the centuries. The Germans built 3 clock towers so one clock would always be visible from anywhere in the city. Roman architecture is evident in the arches.

Our first stop outside the city was Astra - an outdoor museum featuring reproductions of buildings from a great many regions and eras of Romanian history. The Saxons only allowed Romanians to build their churches of wood, so only these reproductions remain.

We made a stop in Sibiel, known for its icons - religious scenes painted on glass. Catholics in this region have been creating these works of art for centuries, but it wasn't until the 1960s that a local priest asked citizens to donate their icons to a local museum, where everyone could view them.

Next, we drove to Cisnadie, which is known in German as Michelsberg. Apparently, many of the cities founded by Saxons have both German and Romanian names. We hiked up to the fortified church at the top of the mountain overlooking Cisnadie. The church was recently restored and the views from the top are spectacular.

Day 3: Wednesday, May 21

Sighișoara

Sighișoara is allegedly the birthplace of Prince Vlad - more popularly known as Count Dracula, so of course we had to go there. Historical records suggest that Vlad's parents visited there at the time of his birth and some documents have even identified the house in which he was born. We had lunch in the restaurant that now occupies this house.

Sighișoara contains an old walled city and a church sits atop a steep hill within this wall. We climbed the hill to see the church and the cemetery just outside. Even at midday in full sunshine, it was a bit spooky.

Following the drive back to Sibiu, Adela dropped me at the bus station, where I was taken back to Cluj-Napoca. The bus dropped me on the city's edge and I took a cab to my hotel. The cab ride cost about $3 - an startlingly low amount for an American taxi.

This is part 1 of a series describing my 2014 trip to Romania and Hungary.

Romania Photos

Roots of Life is a Windows Phone 8 medical application that provides recommendation for ideal body measurements as well as recommended dosages of medicine.

You begin by entering what you know about yourself (or your patience), such as weight, height, and age. The more information you enter, the more and better calculations it can provide. For example, my ideal weight for my height and age is – well, never mind about that (cough, shuffle, look away).

This app is no replacement for advice from a doctor or other health professional, but it does provide the sources on which recommendations are based, which makes it a good starting point for health care or good supplemental information from your health professional.

You can install Roots of Life on your Windows Phone 8 here.

Episode 322

Tudor Damian on Application Security Threats

Parent Pathway lets you record information about your child throughout his or her life. You begin by listing vital information, such as name, weight, height about the child and information about you - the child's caregiver. You even list allergies and medication dosages and frequencies. The app will remind you when it is time to give the next dose.

Then, you can add notes every day. This can serve as a journal if you want to remember your thoughts as you watch your child grow. Or you can use it to record daily information about your child's health - There are event categories, such as Medication and Diet to track how your child is doing and what he or she is consuming.

Parent Pathway is free and would be a good app to keep track of your child's health and activities. You can use it to monitory medications, diet, and the effects of these or you can go back and read what you wrote about the child as he or she was growing up.

You can install Parent Pathway from here.

Episode 321

Peter Leeson on Organizational Change

Yesterday, I attended the Pittsburgh Tech Fest for the second time. The first time was 4 years ago, when the event was still known as The Pittsburgh Code Camp.

It’s always a pleasure for me to return to Pittsburgh. I worked for a commodity trading advisor in downtown Pittsburgh for a few months during graduate school; I had a chance to visit some college friends who have settled in Pittsburgh; and I had a chance to drive through the Fort Pitt Tunnel. If you have never been through the Fort Pitt Tunnel, I can tell you that the exit from the tunnel into downtown Pittsburgh is an amazing sight. It reminds me of the scene in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy opens her door to reveal the land of Oz in full Technicolor.

I was originally scheduled to deliver one presentation – Effective Data Visualization. But there was a cancellation, so I was asked to give a second talk on Azure Mobile Services. The room was full for my Data Visualization talk and the audience seemed to enjoy it. This was the first time I gave the Azure Mobile Services talk and it was not as polished as I would like it, but I will give it 3 more times this week, so I have time to work on any shortcomings.

I watched a presentation on Xamarin that highlighted the new features of version 3; and a presentation on Building an API that gave some advice on how to approach a API development. I liked the presenter’s idea of writing client code before you begin writing the API itself.

The event was well-organized and attracted 2-300 attendees, most from western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. There was no dominant platform, but it seemed that .NET and JavaScript were more popular than the other platforms discussed.

If you are a software developer near Pittsburgh, I recommend you check out the Pittsburgh Tech Fest next year.

For decades, The Onion has poked fun at the stories in newspapers, TV news, and online news sources. This is the newspaper that has published headlines like the following:

• Expert On Anteaters Wasted Entire Life Studying Anteaters
• Powerful ‘His And Hers’ Towel Lobby Stalls Gay Marriage Legislation
• Zombie Nutritionist Recommends ‘All-Brain Diet’
• Rotation Of Earth Plunges Entire North American Continent Into Darkness
• Casual Friday Claims Lives of 13 Nuclear-Waste-Disposal Technicians
• 450,000 Unsold Earth Day Issues Of Time Trucked To Landfill

The project began as a print newspaper in Madison, WI, before moving to the web, so it’s only natural that a rich client would emerge to automatically deliver daily content to users.

The Onion Windows 8 app automatically refreshes each day with fake news stories for your entertainment.

Download the Onion Windows 8 app here.

Episode 320

Windows Mobile Developer Stories

6/1
Today I am grateful for lunch with my son yesterday.

5/31
Today I am grateful for a great experience at ‪#‎selfconference‬ yesterday.

5/30
Today I am grateful to Jose Mojica for letting me keep his car at his house while I was out of the country and to Jennifer Marsman for picking me up from the airport. You guys saved me hundreds of dollars.

5/29
Today I am grateful to Mihai Tataran for inviting me to ‪#‎ITCamp14‬ and to Diana Tataran for arranging my travel to Romania.

5/28
Today I am grateful for 3 amazing days in Budapest.

5/27
Today I am grateful to Adam Granicz and Magdolna for taking me to dinner and showing me around Budapest. They made my visit here so much better. I hope I can return the favour one day.

5/26
Today I am grateful to all the men and women who gave their lives in defense of our country.

5/25
Today I am grateful to the 2 young ladies who rescued me when I was lost miles from my hotel in downtown Budapest.

5/24
Today I am grateful for those who organized an excellent IT Camp here in Cluj-Napoca and made me feel so welcome. ‪

5/22
Today I am grateful for all the new people I've met and talked with the past 24 hours.

5/21
Today I am grateful for 2 days of a guided tour of Transylvania by Adela Dadu. ‪

5/20
Today I am grateful that my luggage was finally returned to me and the cameras appear to be in working order.

5/19
Today I am grateful for the hospitality of Tiberiu Covaci and his wife Nicoleta.

5/18
Today I am grateful for my first trip to Europe in 26 years.

5/17
Today I am grateful for all the people who came out to the //PUBLISH hackathon this weekend and those who worked hard to organized it.

5/16
Today I am grateful I was able to celebrate my niece's college graduation with her and her sister.

5/15
Today I am grateful for:
1. A successful Dev Day yesterday;
2. My new camera;
3. Jose Mojica and his son for helping me choose the camera
5/14
Today I am grateful for lunch with my son yesterday.

5/13
Today I am grateful for the pond in my backyard, especially on a sunny day like this.

5/11
Today I am grateful for my mother, who has shown amazing strength through the past few years.

5/10
Today I am grateful to have my son home for the summer.

5/9
Today I am grateful that my son has completed his Freshman year at Indiana University!

5/8
Today I am grateful for the hospitality and generosity of Nickolas Landry.

5/7
Today I am grateful to those who have helped me greatly as my workload has increased. There are too many to mention here and I would probably leave out someone if I tried.

5/6
Today I'm grateful for the inspiration from meeting so many entrepreneurs last night with so many great ideas and so much energy.

To score, you must block your enemy’s attacks and attack him without running out of stamina (making you a helpless victim).

This game usually costs money but it is free until June 9. You can install Glorious Maximus here.

Episode 319

Andrew Brust on Excel BI Tools

Starting a software company involves a lot of risk, including (but not limited to) financial risk, technology risk, market risk, and timing risk. Microsoft is actively trying to remove at least some of the risk for startup companies who are developing a software product or service. Because the first few years of a company tend to have the highest risk, Microsoft is offering the BizSpark program to mitigate that extra risk until a company stabilizes. The BizSpark program is designed to provide free software, free cloud computing hour, and free access to technical resources to qualified startups.

Specific benefits of the BizSpark program are:

1. Free Microsoft software, including Windows, Visual Studio, SQL Server, Office, and many more. BizSpark members can download many thousands of dollars worth of software for free for 3 years
2. $150 a month of Microsoft Azure cloud computing hours. If you are not familiar with Azure, check out http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/ to see all the services that are available. There are too many Azure services to describe here, but startups often find Web Sites, Virtual Machines, and Azure Mobile Services useful in promoting or integrating with their products. If your demand increases, beyond this, there is even a chance to increase this to $5000 per month for one year.
3. Free access to technical resources, such as Microsoft Technical Evangelists. Your local evangelist likely has regular office hours and can help you troubleshoot some of your technical issues.

There is absolutely no obligation or cost to joining the BizSpark program. At the end of the 3 years, you keep the software you have installed. There is no fee for the program and obligation to buy more software or Azure hours (although, we certainly hope that you do.)

To qualify, the company must meet the following criteria

1. The company must be engaged in building a software product or service
2. The company must be privately held
3. The company must be less than 5 years old
4. Annual revenues must not exceed $1 million.

More details about the BizSpark program are available at http://www.microsoft.com/bizspark/.

In the past, a startup was required to apply to the BizSpark program and wait for a response from Microsoft (sometimes for over a week). Now, however, I can provide a code to eligible startups that registers them in the BizSpark program immediately.

If you meet the above criteria and you would like to take advantage of the program, reach out to to your local Technical Evangelist (If you are in Wisconsin, Illinois, or Indiana, that is me) and describe your startup’s product.

Chili’s Restaurants can be found across America and now they are easier to find with the Chili’s Windows Phone app. From your phone, you can now search for the Chili’s closest to your current location or a specific address. You can also view the menu and even place an order directly from your phone. You can share the love by buying a gift card from the app.

Above are the most useful features (to me) but there are a few other features, such as links to Facebook and Twitter, the ability to sign up for a newsletter, and a few videos.

Install the Chili’s phone app at http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/chili/10632f07-b076-46e2-9660-18ac4572d69f.

Episode 318

Marcel de Vries on Code UI Tests

Episode 317

Rockford Developers on Building a Tech Community

Dev Days 2014 is a free Microsoft coming soon to a city near you (hopefully).

This event will present some of the content from the Build Conference last month.

Here is the agenda:

The first of these events was Friday in Chicago, where over 100 people registered. The upcoming schedule and registration links are below:

Meanwhile, there is still one more Enterprise Developer Boot Camp scheduled in Edina, MN. You can register for this free event at this link.

Episode 315

Michael Collier on How to Think About Azure

5/4
Today I am grateful I had a chance to see my nephew Dylan receive his First Communion yesterday.

5/3
Today I am grateful for a nice lunch with Velichka yesterday.

5/2
Today I am grateful that my summer schedule is shaping up so nicely.

5/1
Today I am grateful for:
1. The great job that Michael S. Collier did yesterday at the Chicago Azure Dev Camp, which made me look good.
2. Drinks with Douglas Leung, before he left for Hong Kong.

4/30
Today I am grateful for these amazing views from my office.

4/29
Today I am grateful I crossed so many items off my To-Do list yesterday.

4/28
Today I am grateful for no early morning meetings or calls.

4/27
Congratulations to the MSU Women's Golf Team, who won their 3rd conference championship in the last 4 years! ‪#‎GoGreen‬

4/26
Today I'm grateful I was able to this blog post.
/2014/04/25/AYearOfGratitudeOutLoud.aspx

4/24
Today I am grateful that Tom Bruns, who I haven't seen in years, drove up to Columbus to attend my class yesterday.

4/23
Today I am grateful to those who step up and help when things seem overwhelming.

4/22
Today I am grateful for lunch with John and the awesome gift he brought with him.

4/21
Today I am grateful for
1. Spending Easter with family
2. My son Tim was home this weekend and we spent a large part of it together.
3. Seeing Deepak last night for the first time since last year and hearing about all that's happening in his life.

4/20
Today I am grateful I will be seeing my siblings and their kids this afternoon.

4/19
Today I am grateful to God, who gave his only son to save the world and me.

4/18
Today I am grateful for lunch with Christine, who I haven't seen in far too long.

4/17
Today I am grateful for the Great Lakes Area .NET User Group and all that I gained from working with this group these past 6 years. ‪#‎MIGANG‬

4/16
Today I am grateful for the stranger at Biggby yesterday who returned the $60 that fell out of my jacket. He wouldn't accept a reward, so I dropped some of it in the tip jar.

4/15
Today I am grateful for my mother Joyce Giard, who celebrates her 81st birthday today.

4/14
Today I am grateful I was able to introduce my niece Amanda to the MSU Dairy Store, which serves the best ice cream in the world!

4/13
Today I am grateful for drinks with friends last night at an outdoor café in downtown Chicago.

4/12
Today I am grateful for the empathy and kindness that I witness every day - online and in-person.

4/11
Today I am grateful for the great turnout and enthusiasm by students on my Indiana college tour this week.

4/10
Today I am grateful that I was in Bloomington only 2 days and I had lunch with my son twice and he even came to my workshop Tuesday night.

4/9
Today I am grateful I had the privilege to know Dave Bost for few years before he went to heaven.

4/8
Today I am grateful that I will see my son in a few hours.

4/7
Congratulations to Nick Giard, who coaches in the conference that just won the national championship! :D

I know that Dave Bost touched many people in the developer community through his work as a Microsoft Technical Evangelist. If you are one of them, please sign this card for Dave’s family. http://www.groupcard.com/c/YqOV2EsDu-s

Shortly after Dave’s death, I wrote about him and the impact he had on my life in this post: /2014/04/11/RememberingDaveBost.aspx 

Dave’s friend Clark will print the card and deliver it to Dave’s family on May 9. Please pass on this information to anyone who knew Dave or benefited from his work.

Simple Music Player is an easy-to-use player for your music collection. It can play mp3, mp4, m4a, aac, wma and wav files in your collection and it allows you to filter by Genres, Artists, Albums and Playlists. It even looks up album art and displays it while songs play.

The interface is clean and easy to use. The authors offer a free version or an ad-free version for $1.49.

You can install Simple Music Player at http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/simple-music-player/88602e49-e240-4254-9aa2-39ba85b8afe5

Episode 315

Lance McCarthy on App Studio

I will be out speaking quite a bit this summer. Here is my schedule so far:

Not every good idea has to be original.

I began executing on a good idea one year ago today - on April 24, 2013. I know the date because the day before was the 25th anniversary of my failed marriage and I was feeling sorry for myself, so I posted on Facebook something negative

Posting did not help. I sank into self-pity and embraced my sorrow and I began to think about my life and my attitude and the attitude I projected through social media. Like many people, I used Twitter and Facebook to vent - to express frustration with my life and to whine about my circumstances.  I never had trouble thinking of things to complain about - some of them recent and some (like my memories of my marriage) from a past I could not release.

I took the time to read through a few months of my writings on Twitter and Facebook and I did not like the person I saw. That person was very negative, which was odd, because I did not perceive myself this way and I don't think people who know me personally person perceive me this way.

I resolved to change how I projected myself on social media and (hopefully) to change my outlook on life.

I was inspired by presentations I had recently seen. At Stir Trek, Elizabeth Naramore gave a very personal talk, describing how she rebounded from a low point in her life to a much more positive space. One of her techniques was to write in a notebook every morning something for which she was grateful. Day 1 was difficult for her. All she could think of was that her kids were not fighting and it was not raining. But she showed us the notebook entry from a few months later and she was filling entire pages with paragraphs of gratitude.

Not long after Stir Trek, I heard Layla Driscoll (now married and re-branded as "Layla Sells") gave a talk titled "Find Your Happy" in which she encouraged us to look for something positive every day. Every day, Layla shared these gratitudes on Facebook.

I've know Elizabeth and Layla for years and I've always admired how they approach life with such a positive attitude. I took Elizabeth and Layla's advice and I ran with it.

On April 24, 2013, I posted "Today I am grateful that I have friends who are willing to pick me up when I am feeling down."

That was the start.

Every morning, I wake up and try to think of something for which I am grateful. Sometimes, it's a good thing that happened yesterday; sometimes it's something I'm excited about that is scheduled for today; sometimes it's just a general positive aspect of my life or the world around me.

At the end of a month, I compiled the previous month's gratitude posts into a single blog post - an idea I stole from Jeff Yates.

As you might expect, some days, I struggle to come up with something positive. Some mornings, I wake up with a dark cloud - usually the same one that covered me the night before. Some mornings, I dwell on bad news from yesterday or last week or from years ago. But this exercise helps me to move past that bad news and that dark cloud.

Do I still get depressed these days? Of course. But less often than before. And later in the day. My outlook has improved and the world around me has improved.

I'm happy that others found inspiration in my posts - in the same way that I was inspired by Elizabeth and Layla and Jeff. Facebook and Twitter often seems to be filled with negativity and avarice.  A few people have told me they look forward to my posts which motivates me to keep doing them.

So I've accomplished a few things. I'm projecting a much more positive image to the world, but the very act of posting positive messages has magically brought up my own attitude; and I've inspired others, who are, in turn taking a more positive attitude out into their own days.

Today I'm grateful to those who inspired me and the changes that inspiration brought about.

I am involved in a number of first-party events from Microsoft over the next few weeks. Many people have contributed to the content of these events and they should be very educational. All events are free and last a full day. The dates and registration links are below:

Below are the official descriptions of these events.

Enterprise Developer Camp

Do you have existing .NET client line of business (LOB) applications? Join Microsoft developer experts, and see how to modernize these applications and move them forward. Learn what the Microsoft devices and services strategy is and how existing applications fit in. See demos, and work through hands-on labs to learn how and why to move your LOB applications to Windows Azure, how to use third-party controls to add a modern look and feel, and how to provide your users the ability to use LOB apps on a variety of devices, including Windows 8 and Windows Phone. And do all of this using Visual Studio 2013 and your existing XAML skills!

Agenda Topics:

· Overview

o Get an overview of the Microsoft platform, and discover the main reasons why developers (and businesses) should build on it. Learn what we mean when we talk about devices and services and the opportunities they present.

· Adopt a Services Architecture

o Learn about best practices for building WPF LOB applications that are based on a services architecture. Review the Expenses app that serves as foundation for the session, and explore a number of coding topics.

· Move to the Cloud

o Find out how to cloud-enable the Expenses app so users can access expense data on-premises and off-premises. Walk through the steps, including configuring the WCF service to use SQL Azure, deploying the WCF service to an Azure Web Site, and configuring the Expenses app to use the cloud service.

· Lunch

· Modernize Your App

o Explore new features in Visual Studio 2013 that make XAML development easier. Learn about controls provided by third-party vendors, and see how they can be used to build WPF apps that have a more modern look and feel.

· Build for Multiple Devices

o See how you can take your existing skills and build Windows 8 and Windows Phone apps. Get a basic overview, and then see how to build an Expenses app for both of these platforms to provide users the ability to manage their expenses on additional devices.

Dev Days 2014

Microsoft’s Refactor Your Dev Skills at Dev Days 2014 is a conference where Microsoft shares the latest Operating System, cloud, device, development and developer tools. Much of the material is inspired from the 2014 Build Conference, with exciting announcements expected in all of the categories above. If you didn’t have time to view as many build sessions as you would have liked, and didn’t have time to pull together the key developments, this is the conference for you. These events are meant to distill an overview of the latest developments on Microsoft platforms and highlight some of the best new capabilities coming in each areas below:

Agenda

• An overview of what was announced at Build
• What’s new in the cloud platform?
• What’s new in building web technology native apps?
• What’s new in .NET Language apps?
• What’s new in Visual Studio and Application Lifecycle Management?
• How to get started using new capabilities.

Windows Azure Developer Camp: Make It Happen In The Cloud

Join a Microsoft Azure Developer Camp and leave with code running in the cloud! This is a free, one-day Microsoft Azure Instructor led Workshop where you roll up your sleeves and get hands-on with the latest Microsoft Azure development tools and technologies.
We will start with the basics and build on to more advanced topics, featuring instructor led
hands-on labs for:
-  Learn how to build infrastructure at the speed of code with Virtual Machines in the cloud
-  Build your first cloud native application, and deploy it into an auto-management environment
-  Easily configure single sign-on for your ASP.NET application, and learn how to extend your corporate identity store to apps in the cloud.
Throughout the day, you’ll hear from local Microsoft Azure Partner specialists and Microsoft product team members. We’ll talk about how Microsoft Azure, Microsoft’s open and flexible cloud platform, enables you to quickly build, deploy or move existing applications to the cloud. And don't worry, we speak your development language, .NET, node.js, PHP, Python, and all developers are welcome!
Be fully prepared for this hands-on day of coding by bringing your laptop and signing up for the free Microsoft Azure trial

Episode 314

Adam Jones on Data in Azure

This Windows 8 app made me smile. Open the app and touch an icon and your PC plays a recording that sounds like you have an emergency in your house, giving you the opportunity to politely hang up on a telemarketer or other annoying-but-difficult-to-get-rid-of caller.

Sounds include Doorbell, Crying Baby, Gunshot, and CSI, which plays a voice saying "Get off the phone. We need to clean the blood out of the carpet." That last one is my favourite.

Download Anti-telemarketer Soundboard at
http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/anti-telemarketer-soundboard/595568f0-bb7c-4530-adb2-3751abae5c90

Episode 313

Hoelting, Boyd, and Japikse on Building Hybrid Apps with Cordova

On March 7, Tim Benham and I made plans to meet Dave Bost for lunch. Dave cancelled at the last minute. His e-mail is below. It breaks my heart to read it today.

"I'm sorry guys. I'm going to have to take a rain check. I'm out of commission today at home with a debilitating migraine headache.
I'm really sorry.
How's next week?."

2 days later, Dave was in the hospital and doctors were operating on his brain; 3 days and 2 surgeries later , he was in a coma. He never awoke from that coma. 

Monday evening – about a month after he checked into the hospital - Dave passed away.

I don't know his age, but I know he was younger than me and I know he left behind a wife and daughters.

For years, I have been part of the developer community and Dave, in his role as a Developer Evangelist, was charged with helping to build and support this community. But it was always clear that this was never just a job to Dave. He genuinely wanted to help people and to teach people. I never saw him talk down to anyone, regardless of their skill level. He was one of the most personable people I've known. When I think of Dave now, I always think of his smile, his positive attitude, and his relaxed, disarming manner. I think these attributes shine through in this interview I recorded in 2010: /2010/02/10/DaveBostOnTheThirstyDeveloper.aspx

My first week at Microsoft was Dave's last with the company. It was his job to train me. He took the time to show me how he approached the job, where to find everything and what I needed to be successful.  We stayed in touch after he left the company, but we never got together for lunch as we planned.

Tomorrow, Dave's body will be buried and we will miss him and remember how much brighter the world was with him and his smile in it. I’ve taken comfort these past few days in reading all the tributes to Dave and seeing all the photos of him posted on social media by those who knew him better and longer than I did. It’s clear he touched many lives during his time on Earth.

The lessons from tragedies like this are almost always the same: Life is precious; tomorrow is not promised to you; appreciate those around you while they are here. Sometimes it takes a tragedy to remind us of these truths.

When I get home, I’m going to call an old friend and schedule lunch.

Episode 312

Miguel Castro on MVC and Web API

4/6
Today I am grateful for students who are so passionate about learning that they are willing to stay up all night finishing a cool project.

4/5
Today I am grateful for those people with the talent, time and willingness to work to make outstanding movies for me to enjoy.

4/4
Today I am grateful for the amazing tools I work with every day.

4/3
Today I am grateful for all the time I spent with my son this week while he was in town.

4/2
Today I am grateful that I'm getting paid to watch the #BLDWIN keynote address.

4/1
Today I am grateful for this sunburn and this cold and this back pain and this heartache and a sleepless night and my inability to stop breaking wind.

3/31
Today I am grateful I am taking my son to his first Detroit Tigers Opening Day!

3/30
Today I am grateful I was able to spend time last night with old friends I hadn't seen in years - Pat and Joe in the early evening; and John and Melissa after dinner.

3/29
Today I am grateful for all those who donated their time to host a local edition of the Global Windows Azure Boot Camp all over the world.

3/28
Today I am grateful for the dozens of people who gave up their evenings to hear me speak in Bloomington, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Columbus this week.

3/27
Today I am grateful for lunch with friends yesterday and a great turnout at the Dayton .NET Developers Group last night.

3/26
Today I am grateful for

1. Lunch with Barry Fridley, whom I haven't seen in years.
2. A great audience at the Cincinnati .NET User Group last night.
3. Going to the pub with the local Cinci devs.
4. Hanging out with Nino late into the night.

3/25
Today I am grateful for the hospitality and generosity of Nino Benvenuti and his wife Shannon.

3/24
Today I am grateful that I spent nearly all my waking hours yesterday with my son.

3/23
Today I am grateful for excellent community events like #GrDevDay and for those work to put them on.

3/22
Today I am grateful that Lino told me he looks forward to my daily gratitude posts.

3/21
Today I am grateful for a long phone call with my sister, who I only see every few months.

3/20
Today I am grateful that the Great Lakes Area .NET User Group is still going strong years after I stepped away from leading it.

3/19
Today I am grateful for my first nerd lunch in a long time. It was good to see everyone again.

3/18
Today I am grateful for a few days at home before I hit the road again.

3/17
Today I am grateful for the Michigan State Spartans, who won a Big 10 basketball championship game in Indianapolis, just like the MSU football team in November!

3/15
Today I am grateful that, even though I am only home for a few hours, I get to spend much of it with my son.

3/14
Today I am grateful to #VSLive for inviting me to speak here. I had a great time!

3/13
Today I am grateful for 11 hours sleep and no morning commitments.

3/12
Today I am grateful for those who trust me enough to share their secrets with me..

3/11
Today I am grateful for a few days in the desert to recover from a brutal Michigan winter.

3/10
Today I am grateful that I am on my way to VSLive for the first time.

3/9
Today I am grateful I was finally able to resolve my e-mail client issues of the past week.

3/8
Today I am grateful for all this great recorded music from which I can choose.

3/7
Today I am grateful for a large and enthusiastic crowd for my presentation in Chicago last night.

3/6
Today I am grateful for the cartoonist Herge and the pleasure his character Tintin brought to so many of his fans, including me.

3/5
Today I am grateful for a packed room at the Findlay Area .NET User Group last night and for the the guy in the front row who helped me troubleshoot my failing demo.

3/4
Today I am grateful for my 8 apps that were approved for the Windows 8 and Windows Phone store this past week.

3/3
Today I am grateful for the 12 books I sold on eBay this weekend.

3/2
Today I am grateful for all the kind birthday wishes yesterday.

3/1
Today I am grateful I made it safely to Columbus last night, despite driving while exhausted.

Like Day 1, there were a number of big announcements from Microsoft during the Day 2 keynote at the Build conference. The most exciting parts were the new features of Windows Azure (now “Microsoft Azure”), as that team continues to push out new features at an impressive rate.

My notes from the Day 2 Keynote are below. Just like yesterday, these are just my raw notes and it’s possible I missed or misheard or mistyped something. So back off, ok? ;)

Azure
    Create, Delete, Manage Azure VMs from within Visual Studio
    Enable Remote .NET Debugging on VM
    Use Puppet to manage Azure VMs
    Intelligent Routing with Traffic Manager
        Route user to closest data center
        Manage failover
    Provision Azure from Visual Studio
    Powershell editor in Visual Studio
        Azure deployment scripts
    Browser Link
        2-way communication between VS and any web browser
    Web Jobs
        Run Background tasks
        Web Jobs SDK
    Free SSL certificate with every web site instance
    Publish code from VS to Azure Mobile Services
    Single Sign on with Active Directory
    Enable Java on Azure
    SQL Azure
        Max SQL Database size 500GB (was 150GB max)
        Automatic backups
        Self-service restore
            roll back db to point in time
            Built-in feature. On by default
        Active geo replication
            Primary DB in read-write mode
            Secondary in Read-only mode
            In case of catastrophe, you can initiate failover
.NET and C#
    Visual Studio suggests refactoring
    Roslyn project is now Open Source
    Xamarin can use Roslyn Compiler
New Azure Portal
    Service Health
        Snapshot of global health of data centers
        Drill down via "blades" - flyout panels
    Visual Studio online integrated into Azure portal
        Team project
        Automated builds
        Source control
        Edit code in browser (syntax highlighting)
        Check in changed code
        Azure Resource Manager

Day 1 of the Microsoft Build conference is in the books. The keynote included some exciting announcements. The most significant changes were about Windows Phone 8.1, however there were also some interesting upgrades to Windows 8.1 and Microsoft office, along with a look at new phones from Nokia.

Below are the notes I took during the keynote. I learned most of this information at the same time as the rest of the world. If my notes contain any errors or important omissions, it’s because they are just that – raw notes.

Windows Phone 8.1
    Action Center
        Accessible from anywhere
        Show important apps and settings
    Customize lock screen (personalize)
    start screen
        Show more tiles (High-density)
        Background
    Cortana
        Digital assistant
        Powered by bing
        Replaces WP8 Search button
        Quiet hours
        Infers places and interests, but you can override or add to these
        Personal assistant:
            "What's on my calendar for Saturday?" "Wake me up at 7AM" "Put dentist appointment on my calendar for August first at 10AM"
            Lets you know about conflict
            Cortana is currently in BETA!
        "Next time I talk with X, remind me to talk about Y"
            Sets reminder. Reminds during next phone call, chat, or e-mail with X.
    Enterprise VPN on phone
    S-MIME E-mail
        Digitally signed e-mail
    MDM Policy: Workplac settings: workplace apps; restrict apps or saving to phone by role
    Workflow keyboard
        drag finger across letters
        Set Guiness record for fastest phone typing
    IE11
        Reading mode
        In-private browsing
    Availability
        Rolling out to consumers in next few months
        On new phones in late April / Early May
Windows 8.1 Update
    Mouse and Keyboard users
        Minimize Modern app
        User can make taskbar visible
        Switch between Win32 and Modern apps
        Power, Search, and Settings on-screen (top-right)
        Right-click menu on Metro side
        CTRL+Click
        New apps highlighted
    Availability
        April 8

App Dev
    Universal Windows apps
    Same code to produce apps for phone, tablet, and client
    Migrate existing app
        Drag common code to "Shared" node in Project Explorer
        Create custom controls for each platform
    Common app experience across devices
        Shared App Identities
        Customers can buy 1 app and it will work on phone and PC
        In-app purchaces cross platforms (e.g., buy sword)
        Devs can choose different experience if desired
    Submitting app to store now 50x faster

Office
    Optimized for touch
        Larger ribbon icons
    Galleries
    Faster - more responsive
    Unlimited Undo & Redo
    Automatically saving Office docs to OneDrive
    Pinch to zoom
    Same office version runs on PC, Tablet, and Phone
Phone
    Silverlight apps still run on WP8.1
WinJS = cross-platform

The 2014 Microsoft Build Conference takes place April 2-4 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Build has been sold out for months and I am not going. However I can still attend the sessions of this conference because Microsoft will be streaming them live from http://channel9.msdn.com/?wt.mc_id=build_hp.

I intend to watch the keynote. It begins at 8:30AM San Francisco time, which is 11:30AM at my house, which means I can sleep in a bit. Other sessions are available live on Channel 9. Even if you miss one (if you have to work or if it takes place at the same time as another session you want to see), you can view a recording shortly after the session ends. The conference schedule is available at http://channel9.msdn.com/?wt.mc_id=build_hp.

Microsoft has a history of making major announcements at Build. Although I have no inside information, I expect the same thing to happen this year. If you are in the tech world, it’s worth your time to at least watch the keynote.

I would like to attend next year’s Build Conference (Boss, that’s a hint, if you are reading), but I can still view the content from my own living room.

You should too.

Episode 311

Brent Schooley on Windows 8 Design

I am home after touring around Indiana and Ohio this past week, speaking at student groups and user groups.

You can find below my slides and demos for each presentation

This is the second time, I’m going to promote my own apps in this space.

I’ve written a series of games based on a green-haired cartoon character I created named “Spinach Top”.

So far, I’ve published 4 of these games, described below.

Spinach Top Climbs the Sky
In this game, you can use the keyboard arrows or on-screen arrows to make Spinach Top jump from platform to platform until he reaches the smiling sun at the top of the sky. The trick is that the platforms change their speed each time they change direction. Bonus points for getting to the top faster.
Install this game here.

Spinach Top In Space
Spinach Top flies through a meteor shower hunting down little green men in flying saucers who are bent on destroying him. He must also avoid colliding with the meteors.
Install this game here.

Spinach Top Drives Fast
A racing game, in which Spinach Top must navigate a track that spells out his name, while other cars pass him and collide with him.
Install this game here.

Whack-A-Spinach-Top
My take on the classic Whack-A-Mole game. Each time Spinach Top pops out of a hole, touch him to make his head explode and score points.
Install this game here.

I’ve created a web page where you can download all the Spinach top games, plus a few other games at http://spinachtop.azurewebsites.net/.

Episode 310

Nik Molnar on Glimpse

Hidden Garden is a series of children games apps in which the user is presented with a picture and must find a number of objects hidden in that picture. Examples include butterflies, teacups, and birds. Find all the hidden objects in a picture to advance to the next level which shows a different picture with even more objects hidden. Most of the pictures focus on a fantasy scene, such as fairies in an idyllic garden. The artwork is very well done and so is the music that plays during each game. The game is addictive and looks like a fun puzzle for children.

Pig Out Productions - the makers of these games - typically charge for them, but they are free for a limited time. Most games are available for Windows 8 and other platforms.

You can see a complete list at http://pigoutproductions.com/hidden-garden-series.html