What does Hayden Panettiere have in common with SQL Server?
"What does Hayden Panettiere have in common with SQL Server?" might seem like a bizarre title for a first-post, but I'm going somewhere with it, so bear with me. (Let's just hope it's not the principal's office or the unemployment line.)
For any attorneys who may be reading this, the Official Answer™ is "Absolutely nothing!" For everyone else, you know which hit NBC show we're not supposed to talk about in relation to the HHH launch activities, so I'll label it the TV Show That Shall Remain Nameless™ (which is a lot longer than its actual name).
Anyway, the TV Show That Shall Remain Nameless™ had a cool tag line for the first season that would make a great tie-in for SQL Server 2008, with just a little twist, especially if you're in the Saving the World™ business. (Even those guys over in the NSA and ECHELON may qualify. ;-) But since we can't use that tagline for fear of being sued, I'll talk about the kind of heroes that are more near and dear to my heart than spoiled little starlets who think saving the whales is more important than saving people... Whoops! I digressed. It was still a fun TV show.
If you've been following the Heroes happen {here} launch events (and more importantly the nifty comic), you'll know that we [Microsoft] care more about the Every Day Hero™ (I really hope that's not actually trademarked -- I've been using those ALT+0153s for humor value) than we do about unkillable sports team encourager-type persons or other random folks with mutant powers. [Frankly, there's not enough of them to make up a decent target market, and we're pretty sure that mutants don't use Windows. -ed.]
The Real Heroes™ that we care about are YOU. (I'd normally say Y'ALL, but I don't live in Texas anymore.) It's the everyday geek that gets the job done that we care about the most. Whether you're a developer or a DBA. An architect or a codeslinger. An application designer or a test monkey. We love you! Deep down inside that cubicle or network operations center, you're what makes business run! I love you even more when you make business run on SQL Server.
Which brings me to the real point of this blog. To celebrate YOU. To talk about the stuff you do to make your SQL Server projects successful. To chat up the cool earth-shaking projects that you built on the coolest database on the planet. And to give you a chance to win a Windows Home Server. (I've got one, I love it! Except on Leap Day™. Heh.)
I'm going to seek out and blog about those SQL Heroes™ like you, whether they're helping to search for a cure to autism or helping to search for silly hikers who get caught in (not quite unexpected) winter snow storms. If it runs on SQL Server, I want to know about it. So, share, ya' hear?
Now, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is take the Hero in You™ (more humorous trademarks, I hope) to the next level and give something back to the SQL Server community. Take an application or a tool that you've already written the code for (or better yet, build a shiny new widget!) and put it in CodePlex where everyone can share the love, fill out the contest survey and get in the running. The Official Contest Rules™ have all the details. If you have any questions, I'll be right here (more or less).
I can't wait to see what radical apps you dream up for SQL Server 2008! I look forward to seeing your submissions rolling in Monday morning.
The contest has almost started...
