XNA Game Studio 3.0 CTP Released!

Yesterday, I had the distinct pleasure of announcing the CTP of XNA Game Studio 3.0 LIVE.  I was speaking on XNA at Laguardia Community College's 3rd Annual New Media Day, my first session went from 10:15 - 11:15...and since I couldn't announce the CTP until 11am - it was a great finish to my talk!

Here's the link the the CTP announcement: http://blogs.msdn.com/xna/archive/2008/05/07/announcing-xna-game-studio-3-0-community-technical-preview-ctp.aspx

Some highlights:

• You can now develop XNA games for the entire Zune family (4,8,30,80 gig models, both v1 and v2 versions) - with access to the Zune's wireless functionality and non-DRM music.
• Visual Studio 2008 is supported (and only Visual Studio 2008 with C# or Visual C# Express works with the CTP, not VS2005)
• You can submit feature suggestions or report bugs via the Microsoft Connect site.  Who knows, they may make it into the final release (which is targeted for the holiday season)!

If you write a game for the Zune - let me know, I'd love to test it out.

Visual Studio 2008 Podcasts

Last month, Sam Gazitt and I did a series of short podcasts waxing poetic on Visual Studio 2008.  Basically it's just Sam and I blabbing, but I had a fun time recording them, and I think they do a good job of highlighting the awesomeness of Visual Studio 2008.

http://www.microsoft.com/events/series/msdnvs2008.aspx?tab=podcasts

Microsoft Sync Framework Webcast Follow-up

I hope you enjoyed my overview of the Microsoft Sync Framework!  Here are the informational links, if you didn't get a chance to copy them:

Microsoft Sync Framework: http://msdn.microsoft.com/sync
Microsoft Sync Framework Forum: http://forums.microsoft.com/sync
Microsoft Sync on Code Gallery (download Contacts demo): http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/sync
MSF at Mix '08: http://sessions.visitmix.com (search for Sync Framework)

Questions about the Sync Framework

Q:  Is it possible to do all this with Visual Studio 2008 Standard Edition?
A:  Yes, it's part of Visual Studio 2008.

Q:  Can SQLCE and SQL Express co-exist on the same client machine?
A:  Yes.

Q:  When does Microsoft Sync Framework RTM?
A:  RTM is targeted for Q3 of 2008.

Use Microsoft Surface to buy a phone...

This coming Thursday, AT&T will unveil Microsoft Surface devices in some of their major stores, including in New York City.  If you happen to be in the metro area, stop by the AT&T store on Madison Avenue or Park Avenue.  Here's how you can expect AT&T to use Microsoft Surface:

•	Learn. Customers can review features of a particular mobile device by simply placing it on the display. Surface will recognize the device and provide a graphical overview of its capabilities. Customers will be able to place two devices side by side on the unit and easily compare their features.
•	Explore. Customers view interactive coverage maps at the national, state, local or street level, using simple touch and hand movement to scale and move the maps, determining their coverage area.
•	Customize. In the future, customers will be able to drag and drop ring tones, graphics, video and more by “grabbing” content with their hands from a menu on the display and “dropping” it into the phone.

AT&T's Surface Page: http://www.att.com/surface
Microsoft's Surface Site: http://www.microsoft.com/surface
Press Release about the event: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/apr08/04-01SurfaceRetailPR.mspx

See it in action! http://gizmodo.com/380860/multi+grope-interacting-with-microsoft-surface-at-the-att-store

Heroes Happen Here Demos and Decks

If you've attended one of the launch events or didn't get a chance to attend, no worries!  You can rewatch the session by going to http://www.microsoft.com/virtualevents and also download the slides.  If you want to get your fingers busy coding up some of the demos, you can download the Hands-On-Labs at http://heroes.labmanuals.virtualwide.com.  Enjoy!

Webcast on Microsoft Sync Framework

Next Friday at 1pm EST, I'll be presenting a webcast overviewing the Microsoft Sync Framework.  You can register here:

http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032374510&Culture=en-US. 

 

Here's the webcast abstract:

The Microsoft Sync Framework is a comprehensive synchronization platform, enabling collaboration and offline scenarios for applications, services, and devices with support for any data type, any data store, any transfer protocol, and network topology. In this webcast, we give an overview of the Microsoft Sync Framework and describe its key components that enable any data store to exchange information. We examine the built-in synchronization providers, Sync Services for ADO.NET, Sync Services for File Systems, and Sync Services for FeedSync, in addition to explaining how to implement custom synchronization providers for custom data sources. Lastly, we take a look at an example of using the Microsoft Sync Framework along with the new Microsoft SQL Server Data Services to provide synchronization capabilities across multiple applications, like Microsoft Office Access and Outlook.

Hope to see you there!

 

Webcast has been rescheduled for Thursday, April 17th at 1pm EST.  Click on the link above to register.

My Un-American Misconceptions...

One fantastic benefits of my job is that I get to travel all over this great country.  Unfortunately, I don't always take advantage of that fact.  Most times I only see my hotel and the venue where I'm presenting.  I don't take the opportunity to actually visit the place.  Some examples of my travel faux pas are:

• Presenting in Buffalo and not seeing Niagara Falls.
• Presenting in Toronto and not seeing the CN Tower
• Presenting in New York and not seeing Central Park or the Empire State Building (this one's the worst as I go to New York ALL THE TIME)
• I'm sure there are many more that are escaping me right now...

Fortunately, I had to opportunity to rectify this situation slightly.  Last week I went to Arizona for vacation and visited the Grand Canyon and this week while in Washington, DC for the launch event, I actually saw the White House.  Now, I've been to DC many times (remember this one?), but this is the first time I've taken the time to see the White House.  As many of you know, I didn't grow up in the U.S., I grew up in Guam and Australia (ok, Guam is technically a U.S. Territory, but whatever).  And I have to say, my knowledge of U.S. landmarks really stinks.  I really thought that the Grand Canyon was just a HUGE hole in the ground in the middle of a desert.  It's NOT.  It's altitude is between 7000 and 8000 feet, so you have to drive through mountains to get there!  That blew my mind.  Being so high also means it was COLD and SNOWY.  I definitely didn't expect that.  As for my misconceptions regarding the White House, it's a lot smaller than I thought!  And a lot whiter.  I mean, really bright white.  I guess that's why it's the White House not the Eggshell Mansion.  Anyway, I stand corrected.  I feel better now that I've seen these two amazing symbols of what America stands for.

How to receive proper notification about events...

  As an MSDN Events veteran (hey, 2 years makes me a veteran, so there), I've noticed that there is one question that comes up time and time again:

Why didn't I know about this event?

It's usually followed with clarifying statements such as:

• - I subscribe to the MSDN Flash, I should know.
• - I've been to events before, I should have known.
• - My co-worker knew, but I didn't.
• - I get notified of events in <insert location here> but not where I live.
• - I was notified of the TechNet/TS2 event, but not the MSDN Event.
• - I drove all the way from <insert far away land here>, but I didn't know you were in <insert hometown here> last month!
• - Etc, blather, blah.

In all cases, the answer is simple: Manage Your Profile.  Microsoft really does care about your privacy and will not email or contact you unless you explicitly give us permission, which you can set up or change at any time in your profile.

If you've registered online for any Microsoft event in the past - a live or on-demand webcast, live in-person event, launch event, etc - you've seen a page like this:

(click image to enlarge)

If you click the button, you get prompted for your Windows Live ID:

Simply manage the profile associated with this Live ID to receive the information you want!  At the bottom of every Microsoft.com property is a link that says Manage Your Profile:

That link will take you to the Profile Center.  The Profile Center is where you can manage your subscriptions, edit your contact preferences and set your technology preferences.  It's these settings that Microsoft uses to contact you based on your interests, location and whether you want to be contacted or not.  So set them accordingly, as in the screenshots below:

   

 

I hope that helps!  Now you never have to miss an event again!

Silverlight + Ice Cube = Awesomeness

If you've never heard of South by Southwest it is a huge and awesome music, film and arts festival held in Austin every year.  In the past couple of years it had also turned a little bit techy.  This year is no exception: Microsoft has partnered with UVNTV.com to cybercast a live performance by Ice Cube.  It is the first concert to be broadcasted live using Microsoft Silverlight.  How cool is that?  UVNTV.com is a site launched earlier this year (co-created by Ice Cube and DJ Pooh) as the first online real-time streaming television network, all based on Microsoft Silverlight!

 The concert is at 9pm EST this Saturday, March 15th.  To register, visit: http://home.uvntv.com/events/view/event/sxsw_ice_cube

I've been Twitter-fied.

I've joined the ranks of nerds everywhere and succumbed to the pressure (especially from Glen Gordon) to join Twitter.  I don't really *get* it yet, how is it more than a tool to stalk other and allow yourself to be stalked?

So.... stalk away:  http://www.twitter.com/lindsayrutter 

Who came up with calling it XNA, anyway?

Yesterday, I had the great opportunity to speak at Stevens Institute of Technology about XNA, what it is and how it makes game programming fun and easy.  I just talked through the framework and went through the steps of building up a simple pong game, which Dan Waters wrote.  Here are links to everything I spoke about:

• Dan's post about XNAPong where you can download the source code and slides: http://blogs.msdn.com/dawate/pages/let-s-make-a-game-with-xna.aspx (he must have esp because he saved me of telling you about a compile error, check out his March 12 post)
• Microsoft's XNA page:  http://www.microsoft.com/xna
• The Official XNA community site: http://www.xna.com/ (the Creator's Club section is creators.xna.com where you can find tutorials on the Creator's Club)
• Third-party XNA sites:
• http://www.xnamentor.com/ (Nick Landry's site where you can download some tutorials and an awesome Space Invaders example)
• http://www.xnadevelopment.com/

And CONGRATULATIONS to the Stevens team that has made it to the second round of the Imagine Cup using XNA!  (Look at the Leaderboard for Game Development for the team named SITdown Games)

I really enjoy talking about XNA and seeing the light bulbs go off over people's heads when they realize the possibilities.  Please don't hesitate to email me if you have questions about XNA, and PLEASE tell me about any projects and games you create!

The Code Trip

My fellow DEs on the West Coast have launched The Code Trip - http://www.thecodetrip.com.  Fresh and energized from Mix '08, they directly hopped on a decked out bus and are touring the west region.  Visit their site to see where they are headed, read the travel log, hear more about the code they're writing, and see pictures of their shenanigans.  If you're on the west coast, stop by an event - but be sure not to stand too close, they probably won't smell too good after living on a bus in such close quarters.

 

Mix '08 Videos Online

Go to www.visitmix.com to view some videos and keynotes from Mix '08 which took place in Las Vegas last week.  I wasn't able to attend, due to the aforementioned launch events, but I heard it was a blast.  There was a lot of exciting announcements made around Silverlight 2.  My favorite part of Mix (so far) is the Guy Kawasaki and Steve Ballmer keynote.  Hilarious.  If you don't know who Guy Kawasaki is, he is kind of like the "father of evangelism."  Enjoy!

Launch Event #2 down, 9 to go...

It was quite a memorable experience today in Harrisburg.  Due to an email typo, we had people show up for the event at 7am...they were 6 hours early!  That just means they got to sit in on the other tracks, so hopefully they got MORE information than what they were expecting. :)  I had the last session of the day and though the last demo didn't function as expected (I kept losing my db connection for some odd reason, so it wouldn't run), I had some great questions and keen interest in WCF/WF and the Microsoft Sync Framework.  This was my first launch session with this content, but I find it to be really good stuff, and for future events (see previous entries) I will DEFINITELY be incorporating more on the Sync Framework into my session - now that I can talk more publicly about it.  On Tuesday in New York I presented a different session, which was fun because it was the first dev session of the day and got people excited for what was coming up!

A lot of you guys who came to these events have asked for the slides and code, and I've asked if it will be posted to the Launch site.  If it isn't, I'll get permission to post it here.  Until then, visit the site and experience the Virtual Event to see it all again.  I'll keep you posted.

New blog forthcoming...

My New Year's resolution for 2008 was to actually start blogging consistently.  I was planning to launch my new blog today - coinciding with the first Visual Studio 2008 launch event.  However, when I was trying to port over the new skin and content, I can't get it to look right!  I have to figure out what's wrong, so until I do I'll post new content, at least.  Stay tuned!