Category: Conferences and Training

Just announced, there will be a Professional Developers Conference (PDC) this year after all.  And, for the first time, it will be on Microsoft’s campus in Redmond. The PDC has always provided direct access to the people behind the technologies, but this year we’re upping the ante by providing access to the places, too. For the first time ever, our most influential customers will converge on the Microsoft Campus in Redmond for the PDC, this October 28 – 29, 2010. We’re opening the doors to our buildings and labs, and providing unprecedented access to Microsoft’s leaders and engineering teams on…

The Birds-of-a-Feather (BOF) volunteer organizing team is now accepting proposals from discussion leaders for BOF sessions at Tech-Ed 2010 in New Orleans June 7-10.  BOF sessions are community-led open discussions on any technology related topic.  No code, no slides, just discussion. You don't have to be an expert on the topic, just passionate or knowledgeable enough to lead a discussion. There will also be a session moderator to help keep the discussion flowing smoothly. To submit a proposal visit http://northamerica.msteched.com/Birds-of-a-Feather.  The deadline for proposal is Monday, April 5th. (Note: proposals are reviewed in the order submitted so the sooner the…

Today concludes my run of talks (at least for the next few weeks :-) that I’ve been giving over the past few weeks so I thought I’d post the PowerPoint decks in case anyone might find some use from them.  With that said… An Introduction to Silverlight 3 – presented at the Farm Credit Services of America internal User Group. VSTS – What’s in it for me? – presented at the Omaha Team System User Group,  Dubuque, IA .NET User Group, and Tulsa TechFest. Team Foundation Build 2008 – Automating the Build Process – presented at Tulsa TechFest. Using Team…

Today was the second and final day of the 2009 Heartland Developers Conference.  I was able to stick around through all the sessions today so I was able to take in a lot more content than yesterday.  Much like yesterday, I found the non-technical sessions the most interesting – which seems to be a little counter-intuitive for a developers conference. Here’s a quick run down on some of the sessions I attended today: Smithying in the 21st Century - Neal Ford – This keynote was a discussion about predicting the future and how to ensure you don’t go the way…

This year marks the sixth year for the Heartland Developers Conference.  This is a great technology conference that has only gotten better with each year (Joe always does a great job!).  In previous years, the HDC has been primarily focused on Microsoft-related technologies.  This year, that focus is gone in favor of a more platform-neutral event.  For example, this year’s conference includes not only .NET-based technologies, but also topics covering Adobe, Ruby, Apple (e.g. iPhone), etc.  As always, the event is backed up with a great representation of top-quality speakers from all across the country. Although I had to leave…

One of my favorite things about technology is having the opportunity to speak about technology.  For whatever reason, it always seems like this time of year always keeps me busy.  Here is a list of speaking engagements I’m scheduled for over the next few months: October 21st – presenting on Silverlight 3 at an internal user group within Farm Credit Services of America (my employer) November 3rd – presenting on VSTS 2010 – What’s in it for me? at the Dubuque, IA .NET User Group.  I gave this presentation for the Omaha Team System User Group last month and am…

Microsoft MVPs from all around the world have began their descent on Seattle.  Tomorrow starts the 2009 Microsoft MVP Global Summit which will run from March 1st thru March 4th.  Having been a Microsoft MVP (for Team System) for only a few months, this is my first Summit and I am happy that I am able to attend.  I am not completely sure what to expect but what I hope to get out of it is the opportunity to meet a lot of other software professionals with a passion for technology and learning.  Based on my conversation with the first…