Required Verbage - my garbage collector

The product formally known as Denali

asithers — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 10:19:39 GMT

SQL Server 2012

It’s now got a name, and the licensing has also been unveiled – although simplified isn’t a term I *ever* apply to licensing (http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/en/us/future-editions/sql2012-licensing.aspx).

We’re still in CTP 3, so why not check out the all new evaluation guide - http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/confirmation.aspx?id=27069

Big Data

Snuck into the PASS summit press release, was this gem. Microsoft are now supporting Hadoop for unstructured big data queries. There’s quite a lot of detail to dig into, but the support for JavaScript is a nice move, if not entirely unexpected with our current track record.

http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/en/us/solutions-technologies/business-intelligence/big-data-solution.aspx

Demo Fest

On a technical front, Roger has announced the following – which will keep me busy :(

New and Updated SQL Azure Labs Available

Looking for a killer SQL Server 2012 demo?

Minimising OneNote task serendipity

asithers — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 12:38:00 GMT

One of those wonderful forehead-slapping moments, that I stumbled across only once I’d looked through the automation API for OneNote. And I thought I’d share.

I’m increasingly relying on OneNote to organise my life – dropping all kinds of research and meeting notes into it. I’ve also taken to tagging notes, either as actions, memorable names, or for research. Some kind of follow-up required in other words.

But as my notes have grown, actually sifting through the notes to find my tags and actions has become painful, and not at all obvious. Even more difficult has been filtering my actions by some kind of meaningful denominator – say customer, or meeting.

And it turns out that OneNote has this functionality pretty much built in. Here’s how it works -

Take a standard couple of tagged notes – here I’ve just got a couple of pages, but this works at multiple levels (including semantic searching such as today’s notes – nice).

Page 1

Page 2

The key here is the Find Tags button -

Click it – and you can search for Tags and then (Magic Unicorn bit), create a summary page of your Tags. Yay!

It looks like this – and there’s even pop-up navigation to link you back to the original content. Wonderful stuff.

New Windows Phone 7 Curriculum available!

asithers — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 10:41:52 GMT

One of my final jobs in the Academic Team was to commission / review / edit a complete Windows Phone curriculum for Computer Science. It’s differentiated from the MS materials in that it (mostly) takes a code-first approach to WP7 (rather than a feature-first approach) – therefore it’s particularly useful for complete novices to programming.

That said, Rob’s got a wonderful writing style, and the handbook is probably a great introduction to WP7 development for *anyone*. Also included are hands-on-labs and PowerPoint decks.

Now available from here – https://www.facultyresourcecenter.com/curriculum/pfv.aspx?ID=8729&Login=

And it looks something like this:

Windows Phone 7
In this chapter you are going to find out about the Windows Phone platform as a device for running programs. You will learn the key features of the platform itself, how programs are written and how you can sell your programs via the Windows Marketplace.
Introduction to Silverlight
This section looks at Silverlight and how to use it to create a user interface for your programs.
Introduction to Visual Studio 2010
When you write programs for Windows Phone you will be using Visual Studio. This section will take a look at the process of creating and managing Windows Phone projects. It will also show you how to run and debug Windows Phone programs using the Windows Phone emulator program. This allows you to test your programs without needing to have a device. However, this is not just a look at how to use Visual Studio. You will also find out how Visual Studio manages the content that makes up the solutions.
User Interface Design with Silverlight
Section 2 looks at some of the elements provided with Silverlight. In this section you are going to build on your skills and delve a bit more deeply into what Silverlight can do. By the end of this section you should be able to create useable, multi-page Silverlight applications that will work on a Windows Phone.
Consuming Data Services
One of the things that make a Windows Phone very useful is the “connectedness” that it has. It allows the user to consume network services wherever they are (as long as they can get a signal). This makes it possible for some genuinely new kinds of applications, particularly if you add in the way that the device is also location aware. In this section you explore the ways in which C# programs on the device can connect to and use data services provided by the network.
XNA Overview
After all the hard work in the previous sections now would seem a good place to have some fun and play some games. You can write games in Silverlight, but that is not really what it was designed for. XNA on the other hand was built from the ground up to be an efficient and powerful tool for game creation. In this section you are going to take a look at XNA and how to use it to create games for the Windows Phone device.
Creating Windows Phone Applications
You now know enough to make programs run on the Windows Phone device. In this section you will take a look at what it takes to turn a program into a “proper” application. This includes a variety of topics, from how to give your program a custom splash screen and icons to how a program can store data on a phone device.
Windows Phone Marketplace
You now know enough to make complete applications and games that will work correctly within the Phone environment and use the built-in features of the phone system. In this section you are going to find out how you can take your completed applications and submit them to the Windows Phone marketplace and maybe make some money from them.

The Total Perspective Vortex Revisited

asithers — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 12:14:44 GMT

The first time I saw the Microsoft org chart, I was reminded of Douglas Adams’ Total Perspective Vortex -

When you are put into the Vortex you are given just one momentary glimpse of the entire unimaginable infinity of creation, and somewhere in it a tiny little mark, a microscopic dot on a microscopic dot, which says, “You are here.” *

Summed it up - I could see my name at the bottom of a very, very long list, with Bill’s name shrouded in clouds. I learned to live with that – the weather is pretty good down here anyway.

And today I stumbled upon this - http://www.good.is/post/what-is-the-true-size-of-africa/.

Total. Perspective.

*Douglas Adams (1981). "9". The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. Ballantine Books. p. 70. ISBN 0-345-39181-0

Hacked - someone is being naughty with my gmail account...

asithers — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 21:42:03 GMT

Hmmm - OK, so a confession. I got a gmail account waybackwhen, when it was launched, and way before anyone *else*. OK - so April 2004 – 6 Months before I joined Microsoft.

And I kept it. My home mail has always gone through gmail - thinking that it was a good thing it wasn't on company servers - i.e. no hotmail.

But today...

Firstly, apologies if you received a fairly innocent email about shopping and love. From my email account. Mea maxima culpa. But it wasn't me. Some naughty girls or boys have managed to tap into my gmail sent-to list, and spam the lot of you. I’m just glad it wasn’t a nasty payload.

So - how did this happen, and what have I done about it?

Gmail keeps a pretty good record of account access – first thing to do was to check that – so let’s have a look.

Yup. That’s me. China and back in 10 minutes. Something is suspect.

So what precautions have I taken since? (make sure you read all the way to the end)

1. Change my password.

Yes-siree. The last one was pretty complex, the new one equally so.

2. POP and IMAP.

Gmail allows you to hook in via 3rd party apps and standard protocols. Just in case, I’ve turned these off.

3. Finally, I’ve disable any other application access to Gmail. Frankly I’m surprised these options were enabled – I’m pretty careful about this stuff. (The hyperkenetic rabbity avatar thing is there for a reason…)

4. So what gives?

I’m pretty confident it wasn’t my password – firstly it was pretty obscure (and badly spelled). There were no sent items in my account, so I suspect that my sent-to addresses were harvested and then spammed with my account as a From field.

However, I noticed that Facebook had access to my Gmail account. I remember enabling this years ago, literally caving in under the ceaseless nagging from FB. My totally unfounded guess is that this was the route into the account.

5. Summary

Ouch. And mea culpa all once again. Do take this as an obscure lesson in privacy. And of course, the eventual uncoupling of my 6 year tie-in to gmail and all the accounts it links to. I’ll be moving everything away from gmail over the next month or so…

Of course, my Hotmail account is 9 years older. Time to look at our Office options methinks.

Andy

Teachers, educators and advisors! Want to learn more about developing for Surface?

asithers — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 12:56:58 GMT

While I’m avoiding the temptation to title this “hands-on” (see what I did there?) or “touch the future” (budum-tish!), I’m looking to get a small, but perfectly formed gathering together to learn more about developing apps for this unique device.

What’s this?

I’m inviting education colleagues to a day of demos and discussion to learn more about developing applications for Microsoft Surface including

· Surface device details

· Application design considerations and guidelines

· Development tools and library overview

· Application debugging and deployment

Who is this event for?

The day is aimed at schools and university educators, as well as academic researchers interested in building applications for Microsoft Surface.

When and where is it?

7 December 2010; 10.00am – 3.30pm

Microsoft Campus

Thames Valley Park

Reading

How much does it cost?

This event is free of charge. Lunch and refreshments will also be provided.

How many people can attend?

We only have 15 places available, so initially there will be a limit of two attendees from each institution.

What do I do to join?

Please reply to this email (or send a mail to me – asithers@microsoft.com) confirming your interest, or with any questions you might have.

Imagine Cup UK 2011. Welcome Earlybirds!

asithers — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:43:23 GMT

Warning - Wet Paint.

With the smell of freshly cut plywood still strong, we’ve just launched the global Imagine Cup website – take a minute to have a poke around (and inhale deeply while you’re there).

Quite a change? We think so – especially the registration system. You didn’t check that out? Please take a minute to do so – I’d love to hear about your experience. And of course, we’ll be contacting registered competitors to keep them up to date with developments in the UK competition.

Registered?

Wonderful. You can always come back later if you haven’t.

Now what about the UK? The good news is that we’re continuing our partnership with leading UK Charities – we’ve seen some awesome solutions in Software Design, Embedded Development AND Games.

So while we finalise the competition details, I’m inviting you to get a head-start and get cracking thinking about solutions that help solve the world’s toughest problems. For inspiration, you could look at the Millennium Development Goals, or our UK Charity project briefs which you can download from the link below (no registration necessary):

Download the UK Imagine Cup Charity Briefings

Could it be me?

Of course it could – but competition is tough! If you want inspiration – take a look at the UK’s Kevin Pfister doing his thang on stage at the World-Wide finals! Yes – this could be you!

Webcast meeting: Office 2010 – What’s new for Students and Teachers

asithers — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:27:32 GMT

Microsoft Office 2010 introduces rich and powerful new ways to express and share ideas, which matches the way that students are working today, and the needs of teachers. Join this webcast for a demonstration of key features that will resonate with both students and teachers alike.

Discover how Office 2010 will enable you to bring ideas to life with advanced video and picture editing, broadcast capability in Microsoft PowerPoint 2010, easy document preparation through the new Microsoft Office Backstage view, and visualise data in new ways with Microsoft Excel 2010.

See the new Office Web Apps 2010 – online companions to Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote – which enable you to review and edit documents from a variety of web browsers.

Understand how students can collaborate better by taking shared notes or co-authoring documents in real-time with a fellow student.

This session will be mainly demonstration based – there will also be the opportunity to have any questions you have answered.

Dates and Times

Option 1: Tuesday July 27^th 10:30 – 11:30
Option 2: Wednesday July 28^th – 11:00-12:00

Register Here: https://www112.livemeeting.com/lrs/microsoft1/Registration.aspx?pageName=z3cfj313skq24qb7

Windows Phone dev resources link-o-rama

asithers — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:17:10 GMT

Quick set of links, probably more for my reference than yours…

MSDN Library has some nice guidelines and samples for Windows Phone 7
Charles Petzold has been busy – get the preview resources here
An excellent training kit (similar to the Azure kit) at Channel 9
The Windows Phone Developer Blog
Finally, more on XNA 4.0 at the veritable Creator’s Club

Arrg, my brain…

What’s the student Windows Phone 7 story?

asithers — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:01:35 GMT

It’s good. Read on.

There’s been a tension for a while between the MDSN AA and DreamSpark licensing in that the EULA for the developer tools distributed under these programs doesn’t allow for commercial usage. So you can never get rich selling that Grannie Knows Best recipe program you’ve been working on for years.

That’s just changed with the release of the Windows Phone 7 developer tools. Here’s how it works -

1. Download the free developer tools from http://developer.windowsphone.com/ This is all goodness, and I’ll explore more soon, but it looks like VS2010 express + Windows Phone Silverlight extensions + XNA 4.0 (targeting Windows, Xbox 360, and Windows Phone 7 Series).

2. Next register for the marketplace - https://developer.windowsphone.com/Signup-Create-Account.aspx.

Sign in with your WLID (yada yada) – you’ll then be able to set your account as a Student account – so use the same WLID you use for DreamSpark, uh-huh?

And no, Mobile Marketplace isn’t available in all countries. Sorry.

3. Set up your profile – you’ll need to pick a publisher name and it’s important to read the tax information carefully here. It made my head hurt, but you need to register to obtain a US tax code.

4. Done. Go build stuff while you’re still a student.

Andy

Meet the new boss – err, same as the old boss?

asithers — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:20:49 GMT

I’ve got a new laptop, which made me briefly popular in the office yesterday (In the same way that there’s apparently an umami taste, I’m sure there’s a gene that regulates the receptor for the smell of newly opened electronic goods, and it’s only expressed in geeks), as various techies gathered around to appraise the goods.

And the upshot was – that the machine looks somehow familiar. Let’s play a merry game of spot the difference:

Here’s my old laptop – a 2-year old Lenovo T61p.

And here’s the spanky new Lenovo W500.

Lots of late nights in the style labs eh? For the picky, the audio sockets have moved, as has the mic. There’s a webcam built in and to top it all off, we have a Windows 7 sticker and a very promising “lenovo ENHANCED EXPERIENCE” (sic).

The good news is that these machines are rock solid – the T61p has travelled round the world with me and never missed a beat. Just what I want from a corporate machine. Let’s hope the same for the W500 – initial thoughts are promising: fantastic 1920x1200 screen and 8Gb RAM are going to help of course :)

I had to intervene with some drivers when installing 64-bit Windows 7 though – all sorted, and let me know if you want the details.

Final thought – unboxing this thing was as exciting as opening a piece of Ikea furniture, although less assembly was required. Obviousy Lenovo don’t have the aspirational life-style community in the cross-hairs just yet…

Free workshop for academics - Introduction to Windows Azure

asithers — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:48:38 GMT

Course title: Cloud Computing with Windows Azure
Date: 26 March 2010
Venue: QA Training, King William Street, London EC4N 7BE
COST: Free of Charge

Overview
This intensive one-day instructor-led workshop is aimed at academics with an interest in cloud computing teaching and research, and who want to gain a general overview of Microsoft’s recently announced Azure platform. Delivered through seminar style presentations and demonstrations the workshop will focus on three key services – Windows Azure, SQL Azure and .NET Services.

What is Windows Azure?

The Windows Azure Platform is an internet-scale cloud services platform hosted in Microsoft data centres, which provides an operating system and a set of developer services that can be used individually or together. Azure’s flexible and interoperable platform can be used to build new applications to run from the cloud or enhance existing applications with cloud-based capabilities.

Microsoft SQL Azure extends the capabilities of Microsoft SQL Server into the cloud as a Web-based, distributed relational database. It provides Web services that enable relational queries, search, and data synchronization with mobile users, remote offices and business partners. It can store and retrieve structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data.

Microsoft .NET Services make developing loosely coupled cloud-based applications easier; .NET Services includes access control to help secure your applications, as well as a service bus for communicating across applications and services. These hosted services allow you to easily create federated applications that span from on-premises environments to the cloud.

At the end of the workshop delegates will:-

· Gain an understanding of the nature and purpose of the Windows Azure Platform

· Understand the role played by the following components:

Windows Azure
SQL Azure
.NET Services

Workshop Outline

· Module 1: Windows Azure Platform overview

· Module 2: Introduction to Windows Azure

· Module 3: Building services using Windows Azure

· Module 4: Windows Azure storage

· Module 5: Building applications using SQL Azure

· Module 6: Introduction to .NET Services

· Module 7: Building applications using the .NET Service Bus

FURTHER INFORMATION / BOOKING

This course is free of charge. If you are interested in reserving a place, please contact Andy Sithers via email (asithers@microsoft.com) or on 0118 909 4905.

Call for Papers – Women in Games

asithers — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:18:32 GMT

Hosted this year by the University of Bradford and Bradford college, the 7th Women in Games conference is being run on 25th and 26th March.

The good news is that the Call for Papers and Speakers deadline has been extended to 12th February 2010 due to the recent adverse weather in the UK. These can be emailed to submissions@womeningames.com.

All information on themes and types of submission are on the WiG website: www.womeningames.com

The Keynote speakers are confirmed as Lorna Evans (Tiga) and Professor Valerie Walkerdine (Cardiff University).

If you have any questions please email: bradford@womeningames.com

DreamSpark at BETT – looking for helpers…

asithers — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 14:12:05 GMT

As usual, Microsoft’s stand at BETT will be big, bold and for this year only (we think), kind of orange as well. Actually very orange indeed.

We’re going to have banks of demo PCs available – all running sexy Win 7 touch goodness. And on two of them, I’ll be demoing DreamSpark.

Actually, more specifically – I’ll be demoing what your students can do with the DreamSpark software – web development, databases, .net dev and of course, games.

Combine this with hands-on demos of Kodu and Small Basic, and we’ve got a real geeks paradise.

Now the only problem I have is finding someone to share it with.

BETT is running in London Olympia on Wednesday 13th Jan through to the highly coveted Saturday slot on the 16th.

So, if you’re a teacher, or a student, with a passion for Microsoft tools and technology, and fancy mixing it up with the 30,000 strong BETT audience, let me know.

We’ll even have a polo shirt for you, but you’ll have to supply your own footbath at the end of the day.

Andy

UK Imagine Cup – support our charities!

asithers — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 13:48:49 GMT

OK – so we had a really interesting concept with the UK Imagine Cup this year – we brought five leading UK charities on-board to help our students identify real-world problems that, well, that shouldn’t be problems really.

And now, while the judges are deliberating the Round 1 submissions, we’ve got two problems to address:

1. How do we get eyeballs on the other global technology competitions that are still open?

2. How do we keep momentum up with our charity partners? We’re planning to keep the project briefs they created open for the 2011 Imagine Cup, or until they’re solved :)

And of course, I need a way of thanking the charities who’ve worked with us this far.

So here’s the deal - for every student that registers for the UK competition, between now and 31st March 2010, we’ll donate one pound to our charity partners. No, not the one below, that would be silly*

In return, registrants get to learn more about the other Imagine Cup competitions that are running, such as:

So what are you waiting for – click here to register and donate now!

* Valid for the first 3000 registrations only. All funds will be divided equally between the five UK Charity partners.

Academic Pricing for MIX10 announced…

asithers — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:35:58 GMT

Are you passionate about the web?

Join us for MIX10, a 3 day event full of inspiration, content, and networking. MIX10 is a 72 hour conversation to learn about Microsoft's web platform and tools such as Windows Mobile, Silverlight, Expression, and ASP.NET.

MIX10 would like to offer a discount to full-time teachers and full-time students from accredited public and private educational institutions. These passes give you full access to the entire conference, March 15^th-17^th. To receive this discounted price of $595.00 USD, please email the MIX10 Registration Team for details including eligibility requirements.

Eligibility Details

The academic rate is for full-time students and full-time staff of the academic community at the time of MIX10 with proof of enrollment or employment from an accredited educational institution. The cost to attend with a code is $595 and covers the regular conference fee only; pre-conference workshops and hotel accommodations are additional.

There has to be a better way -

asithers — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:39:42 GMT

Packing up before leaving PDC, I was astonished at the sheer amount of *stuff* I carry around. Here it is, all laid out on the bed…

That would be – webcam, patch cable, headphones, Zune HD (oh yeah), headset, phone charger, power monkey, car headset, backup drive, some USB cables for the phone, the phone itself, camera battery charger, 8Gb stick, and a presenter mouse.

I’m going to have a serious rationalisation when I get home – if I can fit it all in my suitcase that is.

Office 2010 beta now available

asithers — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:38:04 GMT

For those in a hurry go get it here.

I’ve been using this software for the last couple of months. Would I go back to 2007? Only if you prised it from my cold fingers – it’s that good. Solid and stable, you really, really shouldn’t miss this.

Andy

Surface SDK Workstation Edition now available for download!

asithers — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:20:54 GMT

At PDC this week, we announced the broad availability of the Microsoft Surface SDK Workstation Edition. Now anyone interested in developing collaborative, engaging massive multi-touch, multi-user experiences for Surface can easily access the software at no cost through surface.com.

The Surface hardware is needed to deploy an application, and many use the Surface Developer units to create and test their applications directly on the device. The SDK Workstation Edition lets you use a PC to develop and a PC based simulator to test applications using multiple mice and tag simulation tools.

To support the launch of the SDK on MSDN, we are transitioning away from our private Surface Community site and integrating into existing public Microsoft sites:

Surface Web site (www.surface.com)

New Technical Resources section so prospective and existing customers and partners can quickly connect to the resources they need to learn more about Surface or get support on issues.

MSDN (http://msdn.microsoft.com)

New Microsoft Surface section of the MSDN Library (under .NET Development), providing the Surface SDK documentation and other topics about developing Surface applications.

New Surface-specific forums about designing and developing Surface applications.

TechNet (http://technet.microsoft.com)

New Microsoft Surface section of the TechNet Library (under Products and Technologies), describing the basics of the Surface software and hardware and how to set up, customize, troubleshoot, and maintain Surface units.

New Surface-specific forums about the Surface software platform, hardware, and applications.

Microsoft Download centre (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads)

All Surface downloads, including the Surface SDK Workstation Edition, applications, documentation, and any software fixes.

Microsoft Support (http://support.microsoft.com)

Public KB articles for fixes, known issues, and workarounds.

Surface Solution Center to direct customers to the right self-support and assisted-support options.

PDC Brain Filling….

asithers — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:22:31 GMT

So, I’m Los Angeles attending the Microsoft Professional Developer Conference. Jet lag seems to now be over (I needed an alarm clock this morning to get up for the 7.30am start), and I’m looking forward to 4 days of pure geekery.

Yes – that’s a real word. At least until Friday.

So what’s PDC all about? This illustration seems to be the simplest way to sum it up -

I can’t wait :)

Free Online Azure Training for UK Students

asithers — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:25:11 GMT

From our partner ICS -

Windows Azure - countdown to launch – for Students

The 'Countdown to launch' webinars are highly interactive live 1 hour sessions focused on helping you get the most out of your limited free ‘Dip into Windows Azure’ trial. The webinars will cover:

Overview and demonstration of Windows Azure
How you can benefit from your free trial
Understanding Windows Azure and the Azure platform
Azure pricing and Proof of Concept offerings
Next steps in your Azure adoption
Azure resources available to you
Q&A session

Time is of the essence and spaces are limited. Participation in the Dip into Windows Azure Trial is available and free of charge until 17th November 2009 so reserve your place now.

Presented by Mark Hirst - Senior Developer at ICS Solutions.

Exchange 2010 Voice Mail Preview Fun

asithers — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:22:00 GMT

We’ve just been migrated to the latest version of Exchange. With the 2007 release, all my voice mail has been handled by Exchange – you get a handy little player embedded in the email window + the option to take notes. It’s a genuinely brilliant productivity tool.

With the 2010 release, Exchange now creates a text preview of the message. And this is where the fun starts. Apparently it works just fine with an American accent, but either I’m getting some very strange messages *or* it’s struggling with the British intonation.

My latest vm:

I will hundred so I'm calling flavor in skills fast I'm just a quick call and let you know I've.
Been talking to underwater shut down in personal our phone number projects info for is and thanks Anthony like thing might be quite keen for in terms of you mentioned call -- under such as quick cool just check would be interested in person so I'm not for thanks calling from some things in life and while and see whether it might be west and balkanize fy now I have a conversation with them.
00 yeah if you give me a call back on 700-7362 six trying I don't know I wouldn't phoenix we can check israelite side

Dare I listen?

Andy

UK Imagine Cup – Calling all problem solvers!

asithers — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:54:33 GMT

What is the Imagine Cup?

The imagine cup is the world’s premier technology competition for students. In 2009, more than 300,000 students from 142 countries entered the competition making it a truly global event.

This is a chance for your students to really exercise what they have learnt in the classroom by putting it to use to solve real-world problems.

This year we are working with UK-based charities such as the Royal National Institute for the Blind, TearFund, and Leonard Cheshire Disability to produce broad project briefs for your students. This means that they’ll have the opportunity to address real issues which have an immediate impact on people’s day to day lives.

Why would my students be interested?

The Imagine Cup

· allows students to apply classroom learning in a practical situation, stretching their problem solving and technical skills

· is a great way to enhance a student’s CV, not only demonstrating their passion for technology but also demonstrating their grasp of current tools and technology

· is an opportunity to win great prizes! In addition to prizes for the winning UK teams, there is the opportunity to compete against teams from around the world at the worldwide finals in Poland.

What do I tell my students?

We’ve prepared an email for you to send to your students. This contains all the information they need to get started, as well as links to the website for registering. Please distribute this to your students to give them an opportunity to participate.

In addition, we have a presentation deck available for use in the lecture theatre.

Where can I find out more?

· UK Imagine Cup site: http://www.imaginecup.com/gb/sd.aspx

· UK Imagine Cup PowerPoint deck can be downloaded from here

· UK Project Briefs can be downloaded from here

Andy

Announcing the UK Student Azure Trial – hurry, hurry hurry!

asithers — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:11:42 GMT

I’m pleased to announce that we’ve launched a free Azure trial for UK students and developers (and academics of course) – can I encourage you all to encourage your students to sign up as quickly as possible?

Let me know if you need a canned email to send out to the masses!

Of course, can I also encourage you all to have a quick look at the site as well? It really simplifies the sign-up process, and we even deploy a sample application into your very own square foot of the cloud, just to get things started!

www.azureadvantage.co.uk

Signup code – ADE02

Andy

Nice summary of modelling tools in Visual Studio 2010

asithers — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:17:41 GMT

Useful for the classroom – Soma describes UML tools in VSTS 2010

Already in available in MSDN AA (hat tip: @ericnel)