So, we all like to make demands, don't we?  How come WE don't get more Microsoft events HERE?  I have proof that those demands have been heard AND are being met.  Rob Bagby has set up some great MSDN events, all over Colorado.  The link directly below is for the Colorado Springs event, but scroll down for links for more events in Colorado.  And if you've not heard Rob before, you are in for a treat.  Smart guy.  Easy to understand.  Genuinely interested in what he is teaching you.

Did I mention they are FREE to attend!??!

The next logical question:  How do we get one of these to come to us in Montana?  Utah?  To me!??!?!  I presented Rob with that question and he shared that events are in the works all over the area and that if you're not currently on the list, work with him, gather 50 people or so and you'll get your event near you.  Pretty awesome if you ask me.  ([email protected])

MSDN Events Unleashed: Demystifying WPF, Silverlight 2 and Visual Studio 2008 SP1

MSDN Events Unleashed: Demystifying WPF, Silverlight 2 and Visual Studio 2008 SP1

Today’s applications need to do more than simply work.  They need to draw in the user, and provide a differentiated experience. This means moving beyond battleship gray forms boxy UIs and simple HTML forms, and providing a positive user experience.  Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Silverlight 2 provide powerful capabilities to develop compelling user interfaces, on the client and in the browser, respectively. 

At the heart of these rich applications is data.  There are a growing number of choices of technologies available to access data, create database abstraction layers and expose data as services.  Visual Studio 2008 (and .NET Framework 3.5) SP1 include the production release of the ADO.NET Entity Framework, ADO.NET Data Services, as well as some enhancements to the Web Programming model (REST-Friendly) in WCF. 

In these sessions, Rob Bagby will examine the core concepts of WPF and Silverlight such as layout panels, data binding, styles and control templates, and will use them to develop an application UI from the ground up.  Rob will further examine and demystify the options available to you to expose data to your rich applications. 

Colorado Springs – September 30, 2008

Configuresoft, Inc.
7450 Campus Drive
Colorado Springs Colorado 80920

Check-in: 12:30 pm

Start: 1:00 pm

End: 5:00 pm

Register: http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?culture=en-US&EventID=1032386882

Denver – October 1, 2008

Greenwood Plaza 12
8141 E Arapahoe Rd
Englewood Colorado 80112

Check-in: 12:00 pm

Start: 1:00 pm

End: 5:00 pm

Register: http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?culture=en-US&EventID=1032386880

Fort Collins – October 2, 2008

Sunset Event Center
242 Linden Street
Fort Collins Colorado 80524

Check-in: 12:30 pm

Start: 1:00 pm

End: 5:00 pm

Register: http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?culture=en-US&EventID=1032386884

So, I did it.  With the books all out and fairly self-contained, I had some spare time on my hands and with all of Dave's travels coming up, I had more spare time.  So, what to do?  Go to grad school of course!

Tonight was my first class, a basic intro, get your butt ready to work again kinda class.  Good, I needed that.  Assignments that are one step up from wimpy, again, get you in the mind set of school work again. 

Ten students, half men/half women.  Good mix of back grounds and what not.  Instructor/professor/facilitator dude seems like he enjoys his job, and knows a thing or two.

I am back at University of Phoenix and happy with that choice.  I looked around at other programs and just came back to what worked so well before.

I should have my MBA in the fall of next year. 

(slight soapbox warning)

Driving home just now, pouring rain, flash flooding all over the city, Drew and I came upon a wreck that had JUST happened.  We didn't witness it, but were there before the drivers could even get out of their cars.

Two cars.  One t-boned the other.  It was the t-bone-ee's fault (never thought I'd use that word, EVER).

Both drivers very young, I know one was 17 (he told me), other one could not have been more that 20.  The 17 yr old is a senior at the same high school as Drew.  The wreck was not his fault, clearly, no doubt about it, not his fault.

He was trembling something awful, just as you would expect of a kid that is fairly new to driving.  Both his airbags deployed, he was VERY shaken up.  Again, just as you'd expect.  He kept saying he was fine, but worried about his parents' reactions. Just as you'd expect.  I told him I have a teenager and I promise we are all more worried that they are ok in these situations.  Kid first.  Car second.  I told him I'd stay until his family got there.

Three of us stopped to help.  One guy was directing traffic around the wreck.  Another lady was calling 911 and I was moral support for these kids til their families arrived.  20 yr old's family arrived, RAN to him and almost knocked him over hugging him, glad he was ok.

It was after the fire truck and police had arrived before the 17 yr old's mom arrived.

I now understand why he was worried.  She was so un-loving and un-caring.  It was awful.  She was pissed off, never asked him if he was ok or hugged him or anything.  Shame on her!  I almost offered him a place to stay with a loving and caring family since he didn't have one.

So, HUG YOUR CHILDREN MORE, SCOLD THEM LESS,  (yes yelling), ESPECIALLY TEENAGERS THEY WILL BE GONE FROM HOME SOON AND YOU WILL WISH FOR THE DAYS OF HUGS.

How cool will that be???  Sounds too good to be true, eh? 

Not only good for us travelers that forget where they are and don't remember is this country shoes on or shoes off.  Laptop out, camera in?  Anyone waiting in line behind that person that travels once a year and just HAS to bring their computer, because they can and make the line slow down should be happy.

Wanna bet some cash they will all be masculine designs??

Checkpoint-friendly computer bags set for debut - CNN.com

It seems like ages ago when Ani and I first started talking about her wanting to write a book.  It is now out and it is fabulous!  I was fortunate enough to help out by serving as technical editor.

For a very reasonable cost (under $20) you get a great resource on Excel, in an easy to read format, full of loads of extra tidbits.  All very digestible.

Ani, I am so proud of you!

Click below, order the book!

Amazon.com: The IT Girl's Guide to Becoming an Excel Diva: Ani Babaian: Books

Did you go to MIX in Vegas this March?  Did you see the really cool really hyped nbcolympics.com demos?  I am a HUGE Olympics fan and was really psyched for the non-stop 24 hrs of live streaming video and on-demand of everything already played out.

Have you looked at the site?  Sure the Silverlight is still cool.  But it is right now 6am in Beijing and there is all this "live" coverage.  IT IS NOT LIVE PEOPLE.  Phelps was breaking records overnight here in the US but is NBC letting me watch that online?  NOOOOOOOOO, it might mean they lose my viewership in prime time.

Shame on you NBC.

Wow, is it really out?  We have worked on this book for over a year and are all mentally exhausted, but it is done and it is really a great book.  645 pages.  How rewarding!

Dave (Yack, my husband) is the author, but even if I wasn't his wife I'd still say it was a great book, he's the smartest man I know.  He's been part of author teams on other tech books, even the lead author, but this is the first one he penned solo. 

I edited, designed the look/feel of the book and served as publisher.  What a load of work.  I had no idea.  But, I would do it again in a heartbeat (just wait a couple months to ask, k?).

Anyhow, for you, my blog readers, I have a discount.  Click below and enter one of the discount codes below and get $10 off in addition to any specials or promotions on the site now.

For a hard copy of the book use the code julieblog and for the ebook use juliebolgebook.  Each code is good for the first 20 uses and you can only use one per order.

Once you have it, I would love feedback- good and bad- so the next one will be better than the first.

Microsoft CRM 4.0 as a Rapid Development Platform