7/20/2009 Update: Looks like they've pulled the session videos that had "permalinks" :(. Website says check back in August, so I'll have an update when these become available again.

Welcome to another Feel Good Friday; don’t forget to vote! Did you catch the online streaming of the keynotes from the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference? If you didn’t, you can watch them on demand. Great news around the Windows Azure Business Model (and pricing – more on this soon), the Windows Mobile Marketplace, and a ton of Microsoft Partner Coolness. If you are looking for more, you can catch sessions as well. Myself? I’ll be watching:

  • Lap Around Windows Azure, Business Edition - Gain a high level overview of Windows Azure including basic platform features and functionality, overall benefits, and the common scenarios for using Windows Azure. Those attending vertical sessions on Windows Azure and the Azure Service Platform and who want to gain a better understanding of the Windows Azure's features, capabilities, and benefits are encouraged to attend this session.
  • Extend Your Application to the Cloud with the SQL Azure Database - Learn how SQL Azure delivers on the promise of database-as-a-service in the Cloud. See how partners like Infosys and Clearway are building their LOB applications on SQL Azure. The session demonstrates interoperability with Windows Azure, the symmetry of the programming model, and how tools for on-premises SQL Server and SQL Azure make it easy to port your existing applications.

Yup, thoroughly geeky. But I’ll also be catching this one…

  • Become a Trusted Advisor and Win Big Business - As bad economic news creates upheaval and uncertainty in the workplace, it's imperative to position yourself as a trusted advisor to your customers. Learn powerful tools to help you build, sustain, and utilize trust with customers in order to secure more business. Enhance your current approach by applying the same value-proven tools used with Microsoft and successful partners worldwide.

At the conference, they played the “Microsoft 2019 video”. If you haven’t seen it (and some of my coworkers haven’t) go ahead and watch it. The music, the scenarios, the possibilities…fantastic. I never tire of watching it.

Envisioning Video

Follow the links on that page to get behind the scenes of the video – could this be fact or fiction? You decide. To me, the advances brought by Microsoft Surface and Windows 7 multi-touch, make some of the scenarios seem not too distant.

This “2019 video” joins the rest of the envisioning videos from Microsoft’s Office Labs and you can watch them all here. What inspires you? Let me know!

Happy Feel Good Friday!