Home, with Added Jetlag

We thought we were coming home to chill out in "Cool Britannia". How wrong we were. England is very hot and, allowing for the fact that nobody here has aircon, less comfortable than Florida. Special thanks must go to Manchester Airport for taking over an hour to serve up our luggage, and Airparks Gold, for only having one working bus ("Really funny story" said the man, "The gearbox broke on one, and the other burst a water pipe...") and taking an extra hour to get us to our car.

Sunday Swimming

Today we had our final swim in the hotel pool before sitting in a metal tube for 8 hours. I much preferred the swimming.

Universal Saturday

With the conference over we headed out to Universal Studios for another visit. We went there on Thursday, but we wanted to see it again in daylight. Even though this time we'd have to pay for food.

..we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes....

This picture is in no way faked.

The Simpsons ride (good but nowhere near as good as Spiderman at Adventure Island)

Very Silly Rob

The Channel 9 interview with me is now here. I'd say "enjoy", but, well, you know.......

Final TechEd Sessions

Today I went to my final two sessions at TechEd 2008, which is rather sad. I really love these conferences. I only have to get a whiff of brand new nylon carpet (which they must use loads of) to be transported into a world of name badges, backpacks and session planning.

The first session I went to was by Jonathon Kagle who was doing something rather uncharacteristic for a Microsoft Product Manager. He was lifting the lid on the next version of his product, .NET Micro Framework 3.0, and even inviting comment and discussion. He has put a really good post onto the Micro Framework blog describing what is coming down the tracks, believe me it is good stuff.

One of the great things about the Micro Framework team is that they are staying true to their roots. Some products get kind of bloaty and feature creepy as they get older. Stuff gets added which might be useful in some contexts, but not all, and the whole thing gets larger and more complex as time goes by until it becomes less useful with each release. I'm a bit worried about C# 3.0 in this respect, stuff has been added which I don't really see the need for.

This is not happening with the Micro Framework. Version 2.5 actually has a smaller memory footprint than 2.0, as the team have got better at squeezing quarts into pint pots. At one point Jonathon said that they had actually figured out how to add generics (a very useful but by no means essential part of C# 2.0) to the framework but that this would have added around 17K to the memory footprint of the platform, with no easy way to disable it.

That amazed me for two reasons. The first is that someone managed to get generic support into the runtime in 17K of code, the second is that 17K is a tiny amount of memory. Less than a full stop in this text is taking up on the screen. However, in the context of a platform that needs to be able to fit into 400K or so, it is big deal, at around a 5% increase. So they left it out. The Micro Framework will now fit onto a single chip microprocessor (a single 9mm square chip). Amazing.This platform just gets better and better.

The next session I went to was about Linq, which is also amazing. The reason you go to TechEd is to find out things that you'd never get hold of any other way. Like PasteXmlasLinq. You can find it in amongst the samples provided with Visual Studio 2008. For me it was  C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\Samples\1033\CSharpSamples.zip\LinqSamples\PasteXmlAsLinq.

This does exactly what it says on the tin. it converts a file of XML into the Linq code to produce that XML output. it provides a magical way of taking an existing lump of XML and getting code that will write it. So rather than having to mess around with writing elements and building up the structure the hard way, I can just paste the XML source into Visual Studio had have the code written for me. You have to play with it to believe it. If you have any interest in the use of Xml you should know about Linq. In fact, if you work with data in any way (even if you are not even using a database, just objects) you should know about Linq. Dan Fergus, the MVP who gave the talk did a first rate job of showing the power of Linq, and how you can use it to good effect on a mobile device.

TechEd Party Time

Imagine a theme park where the queues for the rides are around 10 minutes, all the food and drink is free, and there are people wandering around just giving you stuff. I don't have to imagine this (lucky me) because I've been to the TechEd 2008 party. It was at Universal Studios, which was nice because we got to go on the brand new Simpson's ride, which is ace by the way.

Entering the park.

Invasion of the nerds....

The Simpson's ride is quite a big deal, and great fun.

...indeed it does

The end of a perfect evening.

The .NET Micro Framework in Action

Today I went down to the Hands On Lab area at TechEd and had a go at the Micro Framework lab, just to see what it was like. The first exercise was to drive an LCD panel from a Micro Framework device....

Shameless .NET Micro Framework promotion....

Then it was on to building a little burglar alarm controller. Great fun. And the lab section was enormous.

We think our labs are quite large at the university in Hull, but this is just silly....

In fact the conference itself is just plain enormous. This is one part of one part.

If you want to find out more about the .NET Micro Framework, including devices and how to get hold of the development kit you can go to their site on MSDN. They also have a very active blog.

Cool Device Award

This is the coolest thing I've seen at Teched so far (apart from the .NET Micro Framework stuff). It is a fully featured Windows Mobile 6.1 system with GPS, GPRS and all the trimmings. Which you wear on your wrist. Find out more here.

Superb Micro Framework Book

There is already one superb .NET Micro Framework book available (the one wot I helped to write) but now there is another.

Expert .NET Micro Framework by Jens Kuhner is excellent. It is written for those who want to really find out how to use all the features of the framework.

Whereas our book is more of an introduction to the field the Expert book, as the name implies, goes into more detail on the various class libraries and how you can use them. It also has the benefit of having been published a year or so later, and so has more up to date detail on the platforms that are now available. The people "lucky" enough to be at my session yesterday all got a free copy of the book (which really put a spring in their step) and they will find it very useful.

If you are serious about the framework you should get this book. If you are not serous about the framework you should this book and become serious about it.

Sessions and Very Silliness

Well, I did my session. Thanks to everyone who turned up. I enjoyed doing it and it was nice of you to all laugh in the right places. For some reason (perhaps because this was my first "proper" TechEd session (last time it was a lunchtime session) I was a lot more nervous than usual, even to the point where the brain went blank and I forgot that the word for pin is "Pin" when typing in the demo code. Such is life, I did manage to make it work at the end and I hope that everyone who turned up got something out of the talk.

My name in lights, still can't quite believe it

After the talk I went down onto the exhibition floor to catch up with the .NET MicroFramework crew. There seem to be loads more devices and configurations now and it is great to see the platform progress. If you have ever thought "this hardware stuff is too hard" then please remember that in this case the clue is not in the name. Hardware can be easy, and the .NET Micro Framework is a great way to start making code really do stuff. 

Loads of toys!

Then I went on to meet up with Dan Fernandez, who wanted to do a video interview for the famous Channel 9. We spent some time chatting and got on so well that I unbuttoned my serious speakers shirt to to show him the very-silliness of the T shirt beneath. When the video is up on the site I'll post a link so you can revel in my embarrassment.

Checking In for TechEd

Today it was check in time for TechED

What I'm here for

I signed in so early that they were still building the conference. I'm always amazed how quickly and efficiently they can put these events together and take them apart again. They are effectively building a small town in a huge hanger, on brand new carpet. And come the start it will all be there and it will all work. Of course this is not the only conference on here at the moment.

Of course, I could do a session at both.....

Once I'd checked in and had a quick look at my slide deck to make sure that the jokes were still in it I wandered back to the hotel. We are in the same place as last year, the air-conditioner has a wonderful control.

There's something great about having an area labeled the "Comfort Zone".

Next we went out to do some shopping.

In the US the buskers have harps....

From C# to Sea World

I feel terrible about this, but whilst other folk were working in the conference hall myself and number one wife went to Sea World.  (actually, my conscience was clear in that I have got all my slides done and checked in, and my demos all work fine).

Obligatory jumping killer whale shot

Seaworld was excellent. Gave me plenty of chance to play with the new camcorder (this including recording five minutes of "non-video" when I forgot to press the record button...).

There is probably something very interesting and fish related in this picture, but I'm darned if I can find it now...

Experience those penguins...

Back to work tomorrow, my session is at 10:30 in the morning, right after the keynotes. I quite like this, in that it means that I get it over and done with.

Virgin on the Ridiculous

We flew out to Orlando today. We flew with Mr. Branson's favourite airline, which meant going to Manchester Airport to get on the plane, along with 450 other soon to be close friends. Normally I fly from Humberside Airport, which is just down the road and tiny. When you ring them up and ask them what time the plane takes off they ask "What time can you get here?". They don't have a luggage belt, just a chap with a wheelbarrow. Actually I'm being a bit unfair here, they have everything that you get at a proper airport. Last year they even had a delay. I love flying from Humberside, but I also love money, and unfortunately flying from Manchester was much cheaper.

Anyhoo, we got to make a two hour drive to Manchester and queue for a while. I tried to check in on-line, but the system wouldn't let me because all the on-line check-in was full. I wasn't sure what that meant until I got to the airport. The idea of internet check in is that you do all the hard stuff before you just turn up and drop off your luggage. The funny thing was that the queue at the airport for the luggage drop off was about three times the size of the normal one, which I thought was rather funny. Although of course our queue ran at a quarter the speed, which I guess more than levels things out.

The reason for this seemed to be that people were very fussy about where they were going to sit. I think that planes are now so big that they are becoming like cities. You have your east side and your west side, and a very dodgy neighbourhood down at the tail end. During the flight I went up to the galley to get a drink, and saw a rather nasty incident between the Sharks and the Jets which had to be defused by the stewardess lobbing in those little cans of cola (Virgin of course) and a barrage of small bags of pretzels. Down towards the cockpit someone had set up a gated community and where we were sitting several of the seats had been boarded up. In the middle over the wings there were loads of skips outside the seats, each full of last year's furniture.

But I digress. At least I got an aisle seat. Unfortunately it was behind the only person bad mannered enough to tip their seat back. I don't know whey they make the seats recline, because although you get that 75mm of extra space you also have to listen to the crunching of bones and the screams of pain from the person sat behind you. I had to put my legs into the aisle where they were run over by the drinks trolley and every one of the hundred or so small children that were also on the flight. Great stuff.

Eventually, we arrived more or less intact and made the taxi ride to the airport. The hotel is actually quite posh, and I'm really looking forward to the conference. And Disneyland.

Packing for Heat

Heading 'stateside again tomorrow. I've giving a session at TechEd 08 in Orlando, Florida which should be fun. Anybody who is turning up and wants the "Rob Miles Experience" (patent pending) can come along to my Micro Framework talk on Tuesday morning. I'll be giving away copies of my book, and one from someone else.

Marking Heaven

Today I finished marking the exam scripts (bad) and starting taking a look at final year projects (good). I've seen some amazing ones. From a student using cellular automata to make ambient music all the way through to flying around the solar system and looking at the planets.

Wonderful stuff.

Marking Hell

Today (in fact this week) I have been mostly marking.  Got dragged in to invigilate a Japanese examination this morning. I was supposed to just be the reserve, but someone must have failed to turn up (what a surprise) and so it was off to stand over a whole bunch of students writing something their Japanese exam. Which I really couldn't understand at all. Normally I have a look at the exam and think about answering a few questions and putting the answer book in at the end and seeing what happens. With this paper I don't have a chance.

What surprised me was the number of Japanese students there.....

Freezing to Death

Yesterday was nice in Hull (particularly pleasing as it was horrible in the south of England). But today we seem to have got a real blast of cold air from somewhere. It really is quite brisk. And after spending a while yesterday watering all the plants in the garden (not that I put them there) I was a bit cross to wake up after a downpour and find the whole place freezing.

Oh well, at least I'm at work in the bad weather.

Bank Holiday Lego

Spent a big chunk of my Bank Holiday working, but I did find some time for Lego Star Wars. I've enjoyed it so much in the past that when I got a chance to buy the entire saga (all six episodes) on one disk I jumped at it.

If you've not played with the game then where have you been? It is a classic, not least for the quality of the cut scenes which are wonderful. It is also very had to get killed and two player action is a hoot. I have very fond memories of working through "Revenge of the Sith" with number one daughter. Much more fun than the film.

The new game is very much more of the same, but there are some nice tweaks here and there.

...and the Lego Indiana Jones game will be out soon.

Is Amazon Getting Less Useful?

I've bought a new toy. It is a Panasonic HD camcorder that records direct to HDSD memory cards. And it is lovely. Quality is amazing, and because I got the less than newest model (i.e. one that is six months old) the price wasn't too painful either.

I went on to Amazon to price up some memory cards and also a reader (high density cards use an interface that my old card reader doesn't like.

I found this. It looks like a real bargain. Until you find that the price does not include shipping (which is rather high at 4 quid, and even more if it goes for the overnight option - which is what the item seems to default to). Closer inspection reveals that it is, of course, not sold by Amazon themselves, but by a "partner".

I've noticed this more and more on Amazon. I bought a CD from a partner which turned out to be a different disk. Weasel words in the description told me that rather than being the album I thought I was buying it was instead a "special edition" (i.e. knockoff copy) of one of the singles from it. I never got my money back there, and I'm not prepared to risk it on this memory card reader either.

I expect a certain amount of rough and tumble when I buy from ebay, that is part of its charm. But when I go to Amazon I'm looking for quality because I equate it with a shop. I think they are going to be careful if they are not going to be tarnished by the sharp practice of the people they let onto their site. I must admit if there was a "don't show me partner offers" setting for my Amazon account I'd use it right away.

XNA Material from Dev Days 2008

You can download all the material from DevDays 2008 from here. Have fun!