*Words of Wisdom From The Elder

Tuesday March 18th is the Detroit, MI MSDN Launch Event for SQL Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008 and Windows Server 2008.  I’ll be speaking at the event on the topic of “Defy Occasionally Connected Challenges with Smart Client Applications“. 

About The Event

The Detroit event will celebrate the launch of Windows Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008. The event will bring together IT Pros and Developers to get an in-depth, up-close look at the new products and will give attendees an opportunity to meet with our Partners as well as members of the development teams who created the cutting-edge technologies. And all attendees will get a promotional pack containing all three new products. Join us for this day long celebration!

Panel Discussion

During lunch I will be on a discussion panel for architects discussing how businesses can start leveraging these new tools.  I don’t have any further information on the panel other than that at the moment.  I also don’t know if the panel discussion is open to the public or invitation only.  If I find anymore details on it, I’ll update this post.

Geek Dinner After Event

After the event we are having a Geek Dinner at PizzaPapalis which is only a few blocks away from the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit.  The slots for the dinner are getting full so if you know you are going to attend the dinner then be sure to RSVP.  Note the new RULES section.  If you are planning on coming, it is important you bring cash to the dinner so we can easily settle our tab.  Also, if you are not coming, either email me or Twitter a direct message to me.  I have to let the establishment know a fairly close number so we can get pizzas ordered ahead of time to shorten the wait.

I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of friends and fellow team members next week.

February 23rd, 2008 a plethora of knowledge will descend upon Huntsville, AL for the Alabama .Net Code Camp 6.0 event.  Speakers are traveling as far away as Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi to put on the code camp.  If you are within the general vicinity of Huntsville you should take advantage of this opportunity.

For more information about the line up of speakers and sessions planned, visit the Alabama Code Camp web site.

Event Details

Location:
Virginia College at Huntsville
Network Engineering Department
2800a Bob Wallace Avenue
Huntsville, AL 35805

When:

7:30AM – 5PM

Registration:

https://www.clicktoattend.com/invitation.aspx?code=124330

I will be speaking on four topics that day which revolve around Smart Clients and Workflow Foundation.  Two on each.  I missed last years code camp in Huntsville due to some other travel so this is my first time to do a code camp in Huntsville. I am looking forward to it.  See everyone on the 23rd!

Doug Turnure, Chad Brooks and me are doing a half-day technical overview covering the new features surrounding Visual Studio 2008 in Jackson, MS from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM on February 4th, 2008.  Then later that night we are having a Geek Dinner with special guest Sara Ford in Hattiesburg, MS.  Here are the details and how to register for the seminar (yes you HAVE to register for the seminar).  You do not have to register for the Geek Dinner but please RSVP as described.

Seminar Agenda

9:00 – 10:00: Visual Studio 2008 Overview for Architects (Chad)

If your job as a Software Architect is to research and exploit technology to help achieve business results – then you need to take a look at what has just been released in Visual Studio 2008 and the .NET Framework 3.5.   In this talk we will discuss several of the many new features you need to understand and explore to be able to fully leverage these new capabilities in your environment, including multi-targeting support, new features for SOA, and web enhancements. Finally, we will discuss the road ahead and preview some of the local architect, web design, and developer events that you can use to help further your understanding of Microsoft platform and development technologies.

10:00 – 11:00 Visual Studio 2008 and the .NET Framework 3.5 (Doug)

Visual Studio 2008 has shipped, and with its arrival, there are several new features in the framework, compilers, and the IDE itself. In this technical overview, we will discuss some of the new developer productivity enhancements in Microsoft Visual Studio 2008. We’ll explore new designers that assist developers in creating applications more quickly and easily. We’ll also take a look at LINQ, and the benefits it provides.

11:00 – 12:00 Visual Studio 2008: New Developer Productivity Enhancements (Keith)

Learn what is new in Visual Studio 2008 when it comes to building Smart Clients.  We’ll take a look at several new enhancements and improvements developers can take advantage of in Visual Studio 2008.  In this session we’ll look at several things such as Client Application Services, new improved ClickOnce features, offline and online data syncing and more.

Location

New Horizons Computer Learning Center
1855 Lakeland Drive
Suite R101
Jackson, MS 39216

Phone: 601-914-4500

Registration
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032367675&Culture=en-US

Or by phone:  877-673-8368 and reference Event ID:  1032367675

Geek Dinner Agenda

7:00 – 10:00 Geek Dinner in Hattiesburg with Sara Ford

Location

Chesterfields’ Restaurant
Hattiesburg, MS

For more information about the dinner including directions, and how to RSVP for dinner please visit previous Geek Dinner announcement on this site.

The Huntsville Alabama Code Camp date has been announced as February 23rd, 2008 from 7:30 AM – 5PM.  The location is Virginia College in Huntsville.  I submitted several topics so I’ll post more information when I know which ones were excepted, if any. 

In the meantime, if you are have a topic you would like to submit the call for speakers is still open.  More information can be found on the Alabama Code Camp web site which by the way is done in Silverlight.

Monday February 4th, 2008, we will be having a geek dinner in Hattiesburg, Ms with special guest Sara Ford from Microsoft.  Sara is the Program Manager for Codeplex.Com which serves as a hosting ground for open source projects.  Sara is originally from Mississippi so we are glad to have her back in the area and taking time out of her traveling schedule to join us.   Living in Seattle she doesn’t get to come back home often so this is a very special occasion to have her be able to join us.  Sara has already blogged about the dinner (she beat me to it) and I know she is excited to join us.  The following information should help to answer any and all questions.  If I fail to cover all the bases either add a comment or send me an email via the contact link on the site. 

When

Date: February 4th, 2008
Time: 7:00 PM

Where

Chesterfield’s Restaurant – Chesterfield’s is a staple restaurant in Hattiesburg that serves great food along with great service.  For those at the University without transportation it is conveniently located within walking distance at the intersection of Hardy and Hwy 49.   

Directions

Driving from:

the north (via I-59 S)
the south (via I-59 N)
the east (via US-98 W)
the west (via US-49 E / SR-42)

Who Can Attend?

The short answer is anyone that considers themselves a technologist or a geek.  Doug Turnure, Microsoft Developer Evangelist for Mississippi, and Chad Brooks, Microsoft Architect Evangelist for Mississippi, will also be joining us.  Doug and Chad know there stuff and can answer all types of questions and are great contacts to have.  We also aren’t discriminating based on location so if you are from Alabama, Louisiana or nearby states in driving distance of Hattiesburg feel free to join us.

What If I’m an Open Source Person, Can I Still Go?

Absolutely!  Sara would love to talk to you more than the rest of since it is her job to stay in touch with the open source community!  Remember that a geek dinner isn’t about a division of interest; it is about talking to the community, learning, and building long lasting friendships.  Don’t worry; you will not be the only open source person there.  I’m also a carrying card member as is Sara.

What is a Geek Dinner?

Although there is no official definition a geek dinner is a time for technologist, enthusiasts, developers, architects and others in the community to gather and talk about technology.  That’s it, plain and simple.  It doesn’t mean you are part of a sacred group or cult, it just means you were hungry on a Monday night, needed some place to eat and there were a bunch of people that like technology like yourself eating at this one place so you decided to join them.

How Do I RSVP?

Easy.  Just add a comment to this blog entry or send an email using the contact link on the site stating your intentions of attending and I’ll start to gather a head count from that.

Who Pays For Dinner?

Since there is a 2008 launch event during the day in Jackson, Ms, Microsoft has graciously agreed to sponsor part or all of the dinner depending on the number of attendees.  Note: Not all geek dinners are sponsored so this is really appreciated!

Received RSVPs

If your name appears in the following list I have received your RSVP.  If not, please re-send.

Sara Ford – Microsoft Program Manager for http://codeplex.com
Me – Quicken Loans
Shane Walters – Singletree Technologies
Doug Turnure – Microsoft
Chad Brooks – Microsoft
John Weathersby, Jr. – Open Source Software Institute Executive Director
Wayne Walters – Assistant Professor, USM, School of Computing
Stan Burton – President & CEO, Burton Computer
Sean Brace – Systems Engineer, Howard Industries
Jean Gourd – Visiting Assistant Professor, USM, School of Computing
Keith Parish – Software Engineer
Ryan Duclos – Program Director for LANUG, Proficient Consultant
Shara Walters – Singletree Technologies
Bill Booth – Pan American Life
Tim Hampton – Student
Aubrey Cote – Forte Online

UPDATE 1/25/2008 10:12 AM

There was a previous problem submitting comments as well as through the contact page in Internet Explorer.  This explains why people that emailed said they couldn’t post comments.  Sorry, this is now fixed.  In the mean time search for the site is disabled.  I will get it back on soon.