Here is where I am and what I am doing this week...

5/17/2004 10:52:14 PM UTC    Comments [17] 

   I have sepnd quite some time lately working with the Smartphone (and Pocket PC) APIs, including TAPI, MAPI, POOM, Sim Manager, and gaming. I'll be posting code samples shortly (I will post my full code samples and utilities after TechEd - I want the demos to be shown for the first time at my TechEd session DEVC31 "Writing Smartphone Applications with .Net Compact Framework and Telephony and Messaging APIs", so if you are at TechEd, come and see it first hand).

   Also coming up, 2 papers on Mobility and on "Contract First Approach to Web Services"...

   I will be hibernating for the whole week, finishing all my work (tons of decks and demos for all the upcoming events) and papers... Then you can expect quite a few technical blog entries...

5/16/2004 5:56:11 PM UTC    Comments [16] 

  I will never understand the heat that surrounds whatever relates to Football (Soccer is not the game's name, not matter what North Americans may think). I understand even less how the World Cup came to become a state issue.

  Moroccans have spent a long time dreaming of becoming a developed country  once they get a chance to organize the Cup... Wich is quite ridiculus, once one looks at the Moroccan bid. It is true that big events can help focus efforts to attain what would be unattainable otherwise, but what can be done through the World Cup, can be done through  a variety of other events... Some of which would even be better, because they would finance some of the investment needed.

   So, congratulation South Africa. You deserve it...

5/16/2004 3:44:16 PM UTC    Comments [13] 

    A couple of weeks ago, I was having a discussion with Ingo Rammer while driving from Marrakech back to Casablanca. We pretty much agreed that the applications have to implement the business process, and that it means, most of the time, to think about how the process is implemented with paper and people. At some point, we started talking synchronous vs. asynchronous execution. My immediate remark was that, if processes were meant to be all done synchronously, there would never have been any copy machines at offices... think about it...

5/6/2004 7:19:35 PM UTC    Comments [9] 

   The Imagine Cup is organized for the first time in Morocco this year, and the finals will be on Saturday May 8th.

   The event is taking place at the INPT in Rabat (Institut National des Postes et Télécommunications). I will do a keynote on future technologies...

   I think it will be fun being on the jury (if I make it, for I have a chance to spend some time with my daughter this week end)...

5/6/2004 3:38:06 PM UTC    Comments [11] 

   This year, there will be a great number of RDs at the various TechEds all around the world. At TechEd US (San Diego), at least 40 of us will be present. While you'll find RDs among the speakers, the Cabaña subject matter experts, in the Birds of a feather sessions, and many other activities, you may also encounter them anywhere in the convention center and at the parties.

   What are RDs? We are about 130 independent developers, architects, trainers, consultants and other professionals from all around the world, very informed about Microsoft technologies (usually also about other thecnologies as well). We usually can give you informed opinions, based on real world experience and balaced views about Microsoft technologies.

   Look for the logo (see above), for not only you probably will get good advice and answers to your questions, but this year, there will also be some surprises...

5/5/2004 11:34:57 AM UTC    Comments [0] 

   This year at TechEd, there is an interesting new addition : The Cabañas at the Community Lounge. The idea is to cut the distance between attendees and speakers/experts. Here are a few intersting happenings :

• Meet the Technologist sessions : These are pretty much breakout sessions, but they are more attendee friendly in that they are smaller, and allowing more interaction with the speakers. They range from Chalk Talks to fully preped presentations with demos, in small open Cabañas. Attendees (At most, 30 per session) will have the oportunity to ask questions as the speaker is covering his topic, which, I am sure, will give those sessions a much more intimate atmosphere.
• There will be no speaker lounge at TechEd, and speakers are supposed to simply hung out at the Community Lounge. That will let the attendees find the speakers much more easily and interact much more easily
• There will be a concierge to help attendees find experts that can answer their questions. Many experts both from Microsoft and from the industry will be present in the Community Lounge at specified times, so that attendees can find them easily and discuss their subjects of interest with them.

    If you attend TechEd, don't miss the Community Lounge, it will be a fun and informative experience.

    I will be giving a Meet the Technologist session on "Writing .Net Compact Framework application that use the Telephony and Messaging APIs". If you are interested in mobile device development, come to the session and I will be glad to discuss any questions you may have. I will also be present at the community Lounge pretty much every day.

5/3/2004 4:35:08 PM UTC    Comments [2] 

Hurray for Goksin and his newly invented Just in Time Speaking:

Nairobi airport 12:20PM airplane lands. 1:15PM, grabbing the cab outside of the airport. 1:55 arriving at the Safari Park Hotel. 2:00PM speaking at the Kenya DevDays... What a great guy.

Update : I forgot to add that this comes after Stephen Forte and Patrick Hynds invented JIT Travel (they call it speed travel) last January in Egypt...

4/24/2004 11:42:48 PM UTC    Comments [16]