"So, a booth babe and a geek walk in to a bar..."

MVPeeps: get your clown on

trikah@microsoft.com — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:10:04 GMT

Hi, I think you MVPs are all in town this week? Come say hi if you’re near the Commons. I’m in Studio E, formerly known as 119, on the first floor in 1274. You can’t miss me. This is the second time I’ve left the house pre-dawn in red shoes and pink tights, thinking I look “cheerful” to find that, in full light, I actually look “clown-like.”

Welcome to the big top!

And welcome to Redmond. Hope the summit is great.

My laptop is in Spokane.

trikah@microsoft.com — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 05:28:00 GMT

I left it under the seat in front of 17C, flying back from LA. When I got off the plane in Seattle tonight, it stayed and flew to Spokane, in eastern Washington. Turns out the laptop will spend the night there, and fly home tomorrow via Fedex. It should have its own little passport and frequent flyer number. A little laptop road warrior. Like George Clooney.

I’m an old hand at this.

trikah@microsoft.com — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:35:55 GMT

I was recently informed that I’ve been at Microsoft for five years, all of a sudden. There is a bowl of Tootsie Pops outside my door, five pounds of them. Stop by if you are in Redmond, and pick up a celebratory TP.

Your friend,
Trika

Let’s get this guy off this rock!

trikah@microsoft.com — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:46:32 GMT

I’m supposed to be in charge of our advertising. That’s a part of my job, now, at Windows Embedded.

Sidebar: Windows Embedded makes Windows for specialized devices.

When I started this job, most of the advertising planning was done, so alls I had to do was a little project management-type stuff (pointing, shouting, banging fist on table) towards the end. The campaign just finished (it was running in China, Russia, Korea, Taiwan, Germany, and the US) and now we’re trying to figure out what to do for this year. It was kind of a graphic novel type thing. This is what it looked like:

There were little mini-videos that ran as ads online, too (you can find them in the lower left of the US landing page) and one of them had a guy stuck on a rock.

OMG.

So that’s what I’ll be doing, in case you were wondering what I’m up to. Just a little advertising, is all.

Your friend,
Trika

I don’t know what you’re talking about.

trikah@microsoft.com — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:58:54 GMT

What? I’ve been at my desk all day.

Lamp Attack

trikah@microsoft.com — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 01:56:49 GMT

I’m sitting in a little cube in the Seattle office. Right behind me, there is a lot of open space, and for some reason there is this lamp that hangs down too low, right in the middle of the open space. I just stood up to get a Diet Coke and hit my head on the lamp, for the third time today. The lamp then swings around kind of wildly and I try to walk out like nothing happened and it’s embarrassing. I haven’t seen anyone else run in to it.

I am not sure why this lamp is gunning for me, in particular.

put your paws in the air for our bike shop guy

trikah@microsoft.com — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:15:00 GMT

Maybe you've heard that there's a Commons as part of our new Studios West campus--home of Studio E!!!!--with shops and restaurants and whatnot, including a little bike shop? I've already used said shop to buy a helmet when I forgot mine, and some reflective tape when I was heading home late. I just lost a brake cable, so I was trying to look up their number tonight to make arrangements for repairs tomorrow while I'm at work.

Sidebar: This bike shop is very handy.

In any case, in my looking I came across a slightly snarky but harmless post lamenting the life of a Microsoft-bike-shop-guy, and the inevitable mini-jabs at Microsoft. Nothing out of the ordinary but for a response from the owner of the bike shop that I really liked; it made me like him, and like Microsoft. Read it in the comments on the original post, or here:

I am one of the owners of the “Bike Shop” in question so I thought I would add to the conversation to clarify some of the details. Our shop name is Eastside Ski and Sport and we are more than just a repair shop or a bike store as we also are a ski and snowboard retail, rental, and repair shop as well. Our new Redmond location currently provides retail and service and we are considering rentals.

As for our client base I will say that Microsoft as well as any other corporation for that matter has the same mix of people that you run into anywhere else in the world. The same types and kinds of people you will find in any bike store. The vast majority of people we serve are great customers who remind us why we went into this business to begin with which was to bring our passion for cycling, skiing, and the outdoors to others. These are the same type of great customers that have made your work experience in a bike shop a positive one.

Every bike shop has positive and negative aspects of the business that change based on the shop and ours is no different. However, our new store at the commons is completely counter to the perspective that Mr. Byron sets forth. We have been greeted daily with customers that are beyond excited to have a ski and bike shop on campus. I have received more hugs at my store in Redmond in the past week than in any other location that I have been in previously. On our opening day I had a customer come into the store actually bouncing because she was so excited wanting to know if we did snowboard tunes. When I told her that we did she was so happy she immediately gave me a huge hug and told me that she was so happy as she has been trying to get her board tuned for two years but just could not find the time to get that done with her schedule. That is the type of customer we have… happy, excited, appreciative, and positive ones.

As for the job in the store itself it is pretty damn cool. How I know this is I am the one working here from sun up to sun down. We are two guys that left the corporate world to follow a dream and I am thrilled every day that I get to work in either one of my stores to help provide products that make a positive difference in people’s lives. I frequently hear stories from my customers how they lost 100, 200, even 300 pounds and how the products I sell have changed their lives for the better. So this is not a big corporate bike store with employees that are bored out of their minds. I love every minute of every day that I am not sitting behind a desk or living out of a bag sitting in some airport waiting for yet another delayed flight.

Yes our Redmond location has some interesting and unique traffic flows but we all wear a lot of shoes here and there is not any down time where you have to “look busy” because we are busy. Properly servicing the customer takes time, effort and attention to detail and we are constantly moving to insure we meet our goals of excellent service. This location also offers us many amenities you don’t find in a typical bike shop which include a vast array of fantastic restaurants at our finger tips (try Chandy’s for amazing soups and sandwiches, Typoon for incredible Thai, and my long time Eastside haunt Acapulco Fresh), a spa/salon, Pike Place, a sports bar and an array of other great places I have not had a chance to try. This is also the first time I have had locker rooms, showers, and sports fields which support my active and commuting lifestyle.

To be clear we are a company that competed with other shops in teh area and won the opportunity to place our second store on this campus. Our services in Redmond are available to anyone with a Microsoft badge including vendors, their families and friends. So the commons project is a benefit to vendors as well as employees. We are not subsidized and we are not offering any special deals or pricing that we don’t offer in our other store with one exception. That exception is that we put on monthly clinics or seminars here to help educate our consumers which makes them better consumers and which helps grow the sports we love which benefits us all by having happier and healthier people in the community. This is really not an extra service as we tend to do this one-on-one in our Woodinville store. This Commons has so many more customers a group setting is a better use of our resources. Our value proposition is that we bring convenience, education and a high level of service to the local community. We also have the philosophy that we want to have fun at work and we compensate our employees well to keep and retain quality talent which allows us to offer a higher level of service which is our primary product. At the end of the day that is exactly what Microsoft is doing with the Commons project they are offering services that help attract and retain quality employees and which increase employee’s quality of life.

One of our other primary drivers we have is to help grow and to support commuting by bike. Microsoft has many other programs and subsidies to encourage commuting by bike and having our store//shop on campus is one yet one more. Is there anyone that would dispute that encouraging commuting by bike is a huge benefit to the community, the environment, and to the health and wellness of the commuter? Microsoft is doing the right thing here I am consistently amazed and the level of bashing that they endure. For instance many if not all of these building are LEED certified which if you are not familiar with makes these locations many times more environmentally friendly. Also the level at which Microsoft goes to separate their waste and to recycle I have never seen before and I have worked at some very large companies in my day. Maybe we could cut Microsoft a bit of slack here as they are doing some great things for their employees, vendors, the community, and the environment. Simply employing hundreds of thousands of people worldwide in today’s economy which creates many times that number of jobs in the community should be enough for people to offer a nod of thanks to Microsoft.

I hope they can fix my brakes tomorrow. In related news, let me take a second to say again that I sure do love that bike shop, Eastside Ski and Sport. Eastside Ski and Sport; for all your ski, snowboard, and cycling needs.

You do not suffer alone

trikah@microsoft.com — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 02:44:35 GMT

You know how you hate it when Microsoft renames products every 10 minutes and you have to try and keep up with what you’re supposed to call things? Please know that you do not suffer alone. Our part of campus has just been rebranded to match the new, adjacent Studios West part of campus. As a result, my building, Building 119, is now called Studio E.* And my old building, Building 117, is now called Studio H.** Buildings 116 and 118 are now Studios G and F***, respectively:

I think this is kind of funny.
See you soon.
Trika

* “E” for “effing ridiculous”
** “H” for “seriously? what the H.”
*** You do the math.

Live Meeting: Windows Embedded in Manufacturing

trikah@microsoft.com — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 04:16:17 GMT

Remember how I used to do Live Meetings all the time? It was very fun. As part of one of the campaigns I work on these days, we’re hosting a Live Meeting about embedded systems in manufacturing operations. If you’re interested in what’s new in manufacturing technologies and where Windows Embedded is involved, you should come.

Manufacturing and industrial solutions are what I’ve been learning about for the last few months. I have learned a lot, but it is a miniscule amount of what is to be known, so I rarely say a peep. But maybe you know even less than I do, so here are some interesting things I now know.*

In the area of industrial solutions, there’s building automation (like HVAC, security, safety systems), energy and power (windmills, nuclear, distribution systems), and industrial automation (breweries and foods, robots and assembly lines).
An HMI is a human-machine interface: usually input panels that let people talk to big factory floor machines. These are getting fancier and fancier with better UIs all the time. Sometimes they’re little panels attached to the side of a conveyor belt, for example, or sometimes it might be a huge screen hanging down from the ceiling.
A key part of factory automation is the PLC – programmable logic controller. It’s kind of the input/output center for running a machine, telling it what to do based on inputs it’s getting from the HMI and data reporting back from the machine. Something that’s happening, though, is that people are wanting these to be more like a PC, with ability to connect to other BI systems, do fancier on-the-spot analysis, post cute photos on facebook, use the Snipping Tool, etc. In the past they’d just scrap the needed things together on the PLC, or get an industrial PC and try to make it do the critical things only a PLC can do (like control something where lives are in the balance). But now there’s a trend to making a PAC – programmable automation controller – that is kind of a PLC with PC-like powers, all in one place.
The manufacturing equipment industry is really conservative, for the most part. These people wear ties. No, really, a lot of manufacturing equipment is really expensive, and stays in use for years and years and years – so they take their time to get it right and innovation doesn’t happen overnight; the development cycle is a lot longer for manufacturing systems than it is for a music player or something. And they do wear ties.
In the past, a factory’s IT was mostly managed separately from the rest of the company. They could do whatever they wanted with their technology over there. Like a little plant-floor version of Vegas. But it sounds like more and more a company’s (picture Nabisco or Volkswagen or Sony) CIO or IT org is taking on responsibility for manufacturing technologies as part of the whole enterprise IT, as plant floor technologies get more powerful and smart and connected, and need to integrate with other BI and systems across the co. This little video is kind of a cool vision of the future, per MSFT: Microsoft and Manufacturing.
OMAC** is the Organization for Machine Automation and Control, the “global organization for automation and manufacturing professionals that is dedicated to supporting the machine automation and operational needs of manufacturing.”
Our team went to exhibit at this huge show callled Hannover Messe, an industrial technology trade show that’s held every year in Germany. I was kind of blown away by how big it is; more than 200,000 people are ambling around there for about a week. I think Teched is about 10,000 people, right? They hold Hannover Messe in these huge airplane-sized hangars that sit empty the rest of the year. Vow.

I think it’s interesting, anyway.

Your friend,
Trika

* I’m pretty sure I know them, anyway.

**I nearly sent out a promotional e-mail that referenced OMAP.org instead of OMAC.org, as intended. Fortuitous that a copyeditor caught that before I announced to 20,000+ device manufacturers the connection between Windows Embedded and the Golden Path to Unlocking the Genetic Potential of Wild Rice Species.

My office is a mess. To wit:

trikah@microsoft.com — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:00:23 GMT

Updated at your request with photographic evidence. Three photos of piles of things:

And one photo of a half-dead plant:

I think we’re moving offices again and maybe getting an office mate, so I’ll need to get this tidied up asap. Unrelated: Here is a photo of Walla Walla, Washington.

And here is a photo of me with my friend Kim at a rodeo in Walla Walla, Washington. More specifically, me standing in front of the chicken strips truck with my friend Kim at a rodeo in Walla Walla.

Snip to my lou, my darling

trikah@microsoft.com — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 04:06:57 GMT

Is everyone else already in love with the Snipping Tool? I didn’t even know about it until my co-worker Cees passed me the ST pipe, now I can’t get enough. I bet you already know about it. But if you don’t, this just in: This Snipping Tool Will Change Your Life.

You can cut out anything you see on your screen, in circles or squares and then write on it and highlight then send it or save it or anything. Don’t tell Live Writer but I’m going to start seeing Snipping Tool on the side, if you know what I mean.* In related news: “Chicken in the bread pan kickin’ out dough,” if you know what I mean.

You have it in Vista and 7 –> Programs –> Accessories –> Ye Olde Snipping Tool

* It’s unclear what is meant.

* My name breaks over two lines in my little welcome menu. I wonder if that happens to one-time loves Tino Donderwinkel and Ravi Bahamidapati. I bet it does not happen to my co-worker Tao Li.

Welcome to the thunderdome

trikah@microsoft.com — Tue, 12 May 2009 23:55:00 GMT

I'm in LA for TechEd, now. I'm on my way over to the show in a few minutes. I think our booth, the Windows Embedded one, is in the orange section of the Technical Learning Center. I'll be around this afternoon, then all day Wednesday and Thursday. I hope you will come say hello. Also, don't forget to go get a wristband (from our booth!!) for the Windows Embedded community party tonight at Lucky Strikes; I think it will be really fun.

I am not sure why, but I have started saying Welcome to the Thunderdome a lot. I think it might be pretty annoying, but I can't seem to stop saying it.

In other news, my hotel room is facing an external, glass-walled elevator that keeps zooming by, literally about 10 feet from me where I'm sitting at my little desk. There's this awkward moment when it stops on my floor and I make eye contact with the passengers and they notice I haven't made my bed yet, then we both kind of look away, waiting out the few slow seconds until it starts moving again. Maybe I'll tape up a little "Hello! Enjoy your trip!" sign they can read through the glass. A little icebreaker, to keep everyone comfortable.

In other news, did you know that there are hard-real time systems that can react in 100 microseconds, and did you know that essentially that means a system can take feedback and make adjustments or react 10,000 times per second, to keep everything going right? And did you know that this is the symbol for microseconds: μs?

WttT, ladies.

How to tell if your project is embedded

trikah@microsoft.com — Wed, 06 May 2009 19:03:00 GMT

Sometimes, peeps are working on systems or projects that are embedded, but they don't know it. Embedded devices or systems, in short, are devices or systems that pretty much just do one thing. Other tips that you might be making an embedded solution would be: it has to work in crappy conditions like really cold or rainy or whatever; it doesn't have an interface or a mouse, maybe; small footprint; it's hard to get to; stuff like that.

The reasons you should care whether your project is technically an 'embedded project' or not are:

You might be doing more work than you have to. Windows Embedded software is configured specially for embedded scenarios, so we might have done some of the work for you already. And/or
You might not be using the most efficient licensing model (i.e. you might be throwing your money away, like our friends Lil' Wayne and T-Pain, to the pleasant surprise of a bunch of ridiculously busty bank tellers)

My friend at work organized these two sessions, with the help of our partner Adeneo, to help you figure out if you're working on an embedded solution and you didn't even know it. Two sessions on May 28.

I think we're doing a separate session to address people who might be a poet, and didn't even know it.

Registration open now...

trikah@microsoft.com — Mon, 04 May 2009 22:23:00 GMT

...for bowling and what not in LA. Party info and registration URL in my earlier poast.

<update May 6> If you tried to register and it didn't work a bit ago, try again. It said registration had closed... but I think the site was just getting updated or something.

Roadkill mitigation system (or, Windows Embedded at the Imagine Cup)

trikah@microsoft.com — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:54:00 GMT

Windows Embedded is a sponsor of the Imagine Cup, have you heard of it? If not, Ye Olde Cup is a big MIcrosoft competition for students to build great stuff using Microsoft technologies. It's been around for seven years, there are sick prizes involved, and really smart students from around the world participate.

There are nine divisions in this year's competition, and I think embedded has the most hoopla, just after the software development category. Last year, about 400 teams submitted embedded entries, then 15 finalist teams went to Paris to present their embedded solutions to a panel of judges. Who picked a winner.

The 2008 theme was something along the lines of make something that helps the environment, so submitted projects included Team China's marine oil detecion device, Team Ireland's carbon neutral car (they drove it from Ireland to Paris for the Imagine Cup) and my favorite, Team Korea's roadkill mitigation system. I invite you to watch this little video about last year's embedded competition, to:

Get a feel for what the imagine cup is like (it is fun, as far as I can tell)
Watch the students present their embedded solutions
Find out who our winner was (kind of a cute story)
And finally, take a gander at the video MC, Scott Davis, who, OMG, SITS DIRECTLY NEXT TO ME IN BUILDING 119!!

This year the Imagine Cup theme is a simple little something I like to call solve the world's biggest problems. In our case, solve the world's biggest problems with an embedded device. The finals are going to be in Cairo in July and I imagine* that it will be off the hook, snitches.

More when I hear it.
Your friend,
Trika

*if you will

Bring cheer bars for making sounds!

trikah@microsoft.com — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:13:00 GMT

Mini-update of no value whatsoever:

I did make it to both Zhu Hai, finally, and now Taipei (on time, for once) for the summits. Which is nice.
Things are wrapping up tomorrow and I've got an evening to do something fun before I get back on my plane. I think baseball is a big whoop here, so I was searching around to see if there are any games on.... and I found these minor league team names, and I love them: Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, Brother Elephants, and La New Bears. I also love this tip someone posted for people going to the games: "Bring cheer bars for making sounds!! (except you are good at screaming) "

To my mind, it can't ever hurt to have a cheer bar along, even if you are good at screaming.

you don't need a visa to go bowling (registration site live)

trikah@microsoft.com — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 10:39:00 GMT

In other news, we're having a party at TechEd, maybe you'd like to come?

Windows Embedded is hosting a party to get the embedded and application developer communities mingling... Invitees are embedded developers, our partners, and staff... plus another crowd near and dear to my heart: certified developers. The thought is that there's a lot of overlap of skills between these two groups, our team wants to get to know developers who are committed to Microsoft and have great skills, and we'd like to improve awareness of Windows Embedded in the bigger Microsoft community.

I've heard through the grapevine (and by grapevine, I mean my friend Angel, who is working on TechEd-related stuff) that the party is going to be pretty rad. Here's what I know so far... if I've gotten anything wrong, please don't shoot the messenger. The messenger is in Hong Kong, and already a little bummed out.

Your friend,
Trika

Lucky Strike with Windows Embedded: Community Party at TechEd

What:
An evening of bowling, drinks, music, food and general swankiness with the Windows Embedded team (all 18 lanes, pool tables, foosball, ping pong, great food, open bar, and a D.J....)

Where:

Right across from TechEd at Lucky Strikes Lanes in LA: http://www.bowlluckystrike.com/locations/info/?id=26

When:

Tuesday, May 12

7 PM to 11 PM

Who:

The Windows Embedded team, partners, and customers; plus special guests the Microsoft Certified developer community, trainers, MVPs, and other generally great people.

Why:

To celebrate what Windows Embedded and Microsoft Certified developers have in common: demonstrated skills using our platform and development tools, commitment to Microsoft, and a love of... bowlng. We want to mix it up and introduce embedded development to the top Windows developers and for Windows Embedded developers and partners to get to know the outstanding Windows development community.

How:

<update May 6> If you tried to register and it didn't work a bit ago, try again. It said registration had closed... but I think the site was just getting updated or something.

You’ll need to register online in advance via this site: https://microsoft.crgevents.com/windowsembeddedrockandbowl and then show your printed confirmation to pick up your blue wristband (required to enter the party) at the Windows Embedded Technical Learning Center. I'm not sure when the party registration will cap out.

And then something bad happened.

trikah@microsoft.com — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 10:20:00 GMT

You might recall that I've been excited to attend our partner summit in Zhu Hai, China, to hang out with my team and our partners.

I got back online in Hong Kong yesterday after my mini-break to learn that my manager missed her China flights, so I'd be doing her presentation at the summit. She's really organized and reliable and I know she felt awful about it; I sent her some 'don't worry, it happens, buck up' messages and headed to catch the ferry from Hong Kong to the mainland, for the meeting.

And then something bad happened.

In the cab, one of my colleagues pointed out that my China visa had a conspicuous black marker line through the middle of it; that, in fact:

My visa was a single entry visa
I'd used that single entry for my mini-break
And I couldn't go to China again for the meeting.

Even though Hong Kong is now (as of late 90s, right?) back to China, it's still pretty separate for all practical purposes in the travel department. Apparently. You go through immigration, get stamped, etc. when going between the two, and you have to a multiple entry visa to go back and forth. I think I knew this but just didn't put it all together when jumping through all the visa application hoops in getting ready for this trip.

So I'm back at my hotel in Hong Kong, feeling like a total dumbass and reading a 'don't worry, it happens, buck up' message from my manager, while someone else has to do our presentations. I've applied for a new, express visa and if it shows up in a few hours, I'll make it to Zhu Hai tonight in time for some late night karaoke and some stuff tomorrow. I feel just sick about it, havnig come all this way. It's so dumb. And no amount of dim sum or tea served in pots is making me feel any better.

Ye Olde Smart Pill

trikah@microsoft.com — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 14:02:00 GMT

I never told you who won the SPARK contest I was on about earlier. 'Twas Doug Conn, creator of the 'Smart Pill' medication dispenser, who took home the honors and the $15,000 grand prize. I think that's great. Here's a story about the announcement and Doug and Jason, the runner up. I think they'll both be in LA for TechEd, as Windows Embedded guests, so maybe we can meet them. And maybe we can ask Doug to give us some money.

Or pills.

Those both seem like good things to have in LA.

New Favorite Device

trikah@microsoft.com — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 05:50:00 GMT

I have a new favorite device! It is the Sapporo dispenser at the Northwest Airlines lounge in Tokyo Narita. You press a button and things start tilting and pouring and the next thing is you’re sipping from an icy glass, eating edamame and lounging in a little chair. I don’t know what just happened but I love it.

I am here on my way to two partner summits: one in Zhu Hai, outside of Hong Kong, and one in Taipei. Like any self-respecting Microsoft business, we have partners all over the place doing all sorts of things (we are nothing without our ecosystems! Never enough ecosystems). The Windows Embedded partner channel is actually pretty wild; so many different parts have to come together to actually ship a device. We've got partners who make the chips (silicon vendors) that have to be set up to work with a Windows Embedded os. Then there are the hardware vendors (IHVs) for help with drivers, h/w, peripherals etc and independent software vendors (ISVs) who help with custom or third party applications among many other things; then the system integrators who help the oem (original equipment manufacturer) make their idea and parts all fit and set up right to work as planned; and our distribution channel—the people who actually sell the license once someone gets their device all sorted to make it and sell it. And there are other kinds of partners, too. Probably. Or something.

These partners (our ecosystem, if you will) all need to know what’s going down with Windows Embedded. And, I'm sure they are on pins and needles to hear about the marketing wizardry YT's got up her sleeve. And we need to know their plans, too. So I’m going to the China summit and the Taiwan summit; we target both of those countries with the advertising campaign we’re running so it’s good to be here and meet up with my local co-workers and partners. Advertising is part of my new job, did I tell you that? My job at these events, though, is to stand around not doing much, looking a little uncomfortable and speaking the wrong language. I'm looking forward to it!

Something exciting to report is that before the summits start, I will drink this beer in Narita, then take a mini-holiday/long weekend in Guilin, China, where people fish with birds. Other things I’m doing on my mini-holiday are playing ping pong, going hiking, and drinking tea. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Your friend,

Trika

Get on the Bus

trikah@microsoft.com — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 07:10:20 GMT

I'm sure you've all seen this '3 butts, 1 seat' scenario to decide who gets to go on the Get on the Bus Microsoft Learning trip to TechEd? I think it's very cute. And J's is my favorite. That guy.

Mini-Poll: Hilarity v. Nausea

trikah@microsoft.com — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 23:26:52 GMT

If you were to see a profile photo like this

(in someone's TechEd Connect profile, for example) what would you think is happening? Would you think they were:

A. Covering their mouth in a fit of hilarity
B. Being suffocated from behind by a mysterious attacker
C. Fighting to control nausea

Please let me know what you think.

Eating Cup-o-Noodle in LA

trikah@microsoft.com — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:08:32 GMT

I’ll be in Los Angeles, California for TechEd 2009, doing Embedded things instead of certification things this year. I'm glad it worked out that I still get to go. I know travel budget is a killer for most people this year, but I hope to see you anyway, even if you're sleeping on the show-floor, eating cup-o-noodle, and carrying your swag around in a kerchief tied to a stick.

We (Windows Embedded) are doing two full-day, deep-dive seminars for experienced embedded developers as part of the TechEd precons. If that's you, you can learn more here. Our presenters are people like Doug Boling and my friend Dion (see Figure 1), who is funny. Everyone who attends the precon takes home a development board and a package of our software, which is cool.

Figure 1.

If you are not an embedded developer but want to learn about it, you can come visit our booth or go to one of the 12+ sessions in our track and meet my nice team.

Go to the TechEd Schedule Builder and click on the Windows Embedded track to find all of our stuff, including a three-parter in which my colleague Olivier teaches you how to build a digital picture frame all by your lonesome. Something you might like to know is that Olivier's voicemail message is in French. So, if you call him and he is not there, it is a fun little French surprise and you don't know what he is saying! It's possible that he's saying, "this is Olivier, please leave a message," but you really can't be sure; it's all very mysterious.*

In any case, if you're headed to LA, you should plan to attend WEM305: Building a Picture Frame, Part 1: Build the OS Using Windows Embedded CE, Olivier Bloch.

Windows Embedded CE is a 32-bit, real-time componentized OS designed to build small footprint, power conscious devices. During this session, learn the fundamentals of Windows Embedded CE and see how to use the tools to build a picture frame. From the Operating System designing up to the deployment on a real target, you will see demonstrated all the steps of a Windows CE device development. After this session you will not resist trying the tools to build your own customized picture frame!

See you soon, hopefully.
Trika

*Unless, say, you speak French.

The Home Brain System, among other things

trikah@microsoft.com — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:17:57 GMT

A lot of Windows Embedded people will be at Embedded Systems Conference (ESC) next week, in San Jose, California. Have you heard of this ESC? It is one of the main conferences for people what work on embedded things. I’m not going, because I’ll be on vacation.

Don’t mind me, vacationing my head off.

But back to business. I went to the last ESC event, it was held in Boston, Mass. right when I started this job. My contribution was to stand at the booth and look anxious. It was fun, though, hearing what the attendees were working on—not all Windows Embedded projects, just any kind of embedded anything. One guy was making a little spy ball you can throw somewhere (like around a corner or in a window) and when it lands it immediately takes 360-degree photos and sends the scene to a little machine I’m holding hundreds of yards away, looking furtive in a trench coat and white sneakers, trying to figure out what the H you're up to.

But seriously, back to business. The most fun thing of all the things Windows Embedded is doing at ESC is letting attendees vote for the winner of a hobbyist contest we’ve been running. The winner takes home $15,000, which, in the current economic climate, is nothing to sneeze at. In the contest, people from all over the place submitted ideas about what home-automation-y device they could make with Windows Embedded, and then we sent the likely contenders a kit with all the stuff they needed, for free, and then they made things. Finalists to report include:

The Smart Pill: An intelligent medication dispenser that combines disparate technologies into a machine that recognizes a patient’s medications, understands the pharmaceutical information, and helps the user take the correct medication at the right time.
Home Brain System (HBS): A central nervous system that manages network-enabled devices in the home, allowing them to function together based on the occupants’ wants and needs.
Computing at a Glance: Extends ambient computing into a natural, two-way interface through eye motion and a few simple, natural gestures.

We're flying those finalists to San Jose to demo their devices on stage... and the winner will be sent to TechEd, too. Fancy. You can check out the other submissions on the contest site. I like this little training buddy submission the most, where the computer tells you how great you are all the time.

If I won $15,000, I would just pay people to tell me how great I am all the time.

Everybody makes mistakes

trikah@microsoft.com — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 02:34:00 GMT

Yesterday, right before my mid-year performance review with my manager, I spilled hot coffee ON my manager.

<Update, March 27> Manager unharmed/I still have a job. Appreciate your concern!