Back in the day Microsoft created a code base to be used to help people learn .NET programming. The format was a cool game called Terrarium, the concept was that using .NET code you would build creatures of different types. You had to build each creature within a range of specifications if your animal met the specifications you could put in in to the Terrarium environment and see how it manages with the goal that your creatures take over the Terrarium.

I used the original Terrarium as a way for my students at UCSD to get some real world experience with .NET. I found that a lot of students really got in to the game and enjoyed creating creatures. I never created a successful creature my self but I think I may give it another try this time around.

If you want to learn .NET or know someone who dose you might point them to the new version on CodePlex. The URL is http://www.codeplex.com/terrarium2, just don’t get too sucked in to it! :)

I have been given a new opportunity at Microsoft, for the last three years I have had the position of Developer Evangelist. In that role, I have had the opportunity to work with all the Microsoft focused user groups in Southern California. This has allowed me to work with some of the most local, community-focused people I have had the privilege to know. This was a perfect fit for me as I had been active in running user groups for almost 20 years. As a Developer Evangelist, I also was able to represent Microsoft at events where the attendees were not always the most positive (and often quite hostile) about Microsoft. This included events like JavaOne, OSCON, various BarCamps and many other. I enjoyed each of these engagements, and while I hope I encouraged Microsoft sceptics to have a more open mind to Microsoft, I know that I learned a lot about the startups, entrepreneurs & angel\venture investors. In the past, I have started a product company, two service companies and worked at a product startup but I had never needed to or been able to get involved into the angel\venture investor side of being in a startup. This made the last few years quite interesting and educational.

With the new job I have moved into the Western Region Developer Platform & Evangelism Strategy Team where I will be managed by the only person that objected to me being hired at Microsoft, but I think he is over it now :). The new position will let me work full time with startups, entrepreneurs & investors. I will get to help startups implement or integrate with Microsoft products and services. Once I do what I do, others on my new team will work with the startups to create white papers and case studies that will be used to help produce PR for the startups as well as Microsoft. I don’t know all of the details of my new position, I have a team meeting next week where I will learn more about the job, but I am looking forward to this new opportunity.

The only bummer is that now I will not get to go to Hawaii a few times a year.

I just found out that Microsoft is now offering this! Cool now I can tell people where they can get help…

From the support page:

Free unlimited installation and compatibility support is available for Windows Vista, but only for Service Pack 1 (SP1). This support for SP1 is valid until March 18, 2009.

Here is the link: http://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?LN=en-us&prid=11274&gprid=500921&x=15&y=14

I just got the exciting new that Central Coast Code Camp will be returning! This will be the second time for the Central Coast Code Camp and if it is anything like last year it will be a blast. Robert Hope did a great job putting it on and I am sure he will do another great job! I hope if you can find an excuse to make it that you do.

Check out the web site for more information www.centralcoastcodecamp.com.

I know I am slow but I did not know we had a great set of resources for learning SharePoint but if you are looking to get in to doing any level of development on SharePoint check out www.MSSharePointDeveloper.com. There are Virtual Labs, Quick Start guides, Webcasts and more of a wide range of topics around SharePoint development.

The PDC team just listed some of the sessions that will be at PDC08… I can’t wait, read the titles and descriptions and you too maybe able to figure out what the big news at PDC will be ;).

PDC2008 Sessions Overview

Check out this post Silverlight Mobile with John L Scott Real Estate at on10.net about a Windows mobile Silverlight prototype application for the real estate market… I can’t wait for Silverlight mobile!

The US Public Sector DPE group has started a cool set of videos myth busting issues that people have about Visual Studio, check it out!

www.mythweek.com

Mark Brown in is blog post CNET article on Google Capturing 3D Data talks about Microsoft's UltraCam that I heard about for the first time at ETech in 2007. At the time they had plans for the next version but even at the time it was the coolest image collection device I had ever seen (and I saw some cool stuff on airplanes when I was in the Navy) if you search on ETech ultracam you will see a lot about that session. With the imagery this camera can produce the Live team built algorithms that allow them to build the 3 dimensional data needed to build the maps that you can see on maps.live.com.

I have a great story about how I discovered that we were producing this type of map\imagery while I was I Devconnections a few years back but you have to buy me a beer or 6 to get it out of me ;).

I know I am just a lowly developer but I due use some administrative tools and I have loved for a long time and continue to use the Sysinternals set of tools. They have just opened up a new way to access there tools from there blog entry (with way too long of a title so I shortened it) Introducing Sysinternals Live Beta:

Sysinternals Live: We're excited to announce the beta of Sysinternals Live, a service that enables you to execute Sysinternals tools directly from the Web without hunting for and manually downloading them. Simply enter a tool's Sysinternals Live path into Windows Explorer or a command prompt as \\live.sysinternals.com\tools\<toolname> or view the entire Sysinternals Live tools directory in a browser at http://live.sysinternals.com.

I love it now I can download or just run the apps in a batch file!