The Windows Phone 7 Land Rush

Windows Phone 7 is about to hit the streets, and there is a lot of buzz being generated. My first impression of the phones are so-so. Nothing to write home about. The device is simple, and according to Steve Balmer's keynote address at PDC2010, Microsoft wanted to put the most important features front and center on the main screen.

Microsoft is late to the mobile party as it were. Apple owns a commanding lead in the smart phone arena, with Android and BlackBerry having large user bases. But Windows hasn't had a game competing device or OS until now. If Microsoft does this right, and doesn't strong arm developers as much as Apple does, the Windows Phone 7 app store could be the piece that makes this phone a winner.

Application Stores like iTunes, have given Apple the leverage it needs to remain strong and keep their lead. With over the top developer agreements, and total control over the hardware and software, they also control the experience. Microsoft owns the OS, but is allowing other manufactures to build the devices, which isn't necessarily and bad thing, but could be one reason it only achieves mediocre success. If I could wave a magic wand and command the Mobile division at Microsoft, that's what I would do. Users may kick and scream, but taking a queue from Apple, so what. The experience is second to none.

The application space for the Windows Phone 7 could be a land rush. And with the shear number of developers who write software for the Windows platform, and so have a good understanding of the language used to write applications for WP7, I would expect see the volume of apps built and sold in the WP7 store to dwarf that of Apples iTunes App Store. I could be wrong, but the numbers are in Microsoft's favor.

Microsoft is definitely muscling in on the mobile and cloud space. With the introduction of the Azure platform, and the WP7, Microsoft is finally starting to embrace anywhere computing as it's lead platform.

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Twitter Launches A Client For Windows Phone 7

Twitter released a version of their mobile device client for Windows Phone 7. This version of the client uses a platform and design they call Metro. This application also lets you view your Twitter data through Pivots, described as pages.

From the Twitter blog:

We dug into the platform with a development partner, IdentityMine, who helped us get started creating our application. We used an open source REST API library, Tweet Sharp, as the foundation for our app, and IdentityMine will release some significant improvements back into open source for everyone to use.

Wow, releasing this application back into the community as open source. That will let developers take the code and create their own versions, based off the work Twitter and IdentityMine have already done. Nice to see them ahead of the curve.

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Help Me Support And Raise Awareness Of Mens Health Issues

This Movember I’ve decided to donate my face to raising awareness about cancers that affect men.  My commitment is the growth of a moustache for the entire month of Movember, which I know will generate conversation, controversy and laughter.

I’m doing this because:

• 1 in 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer in his lifetime


• 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime

This is a cause that I feel passionately about and I’m asking you to support my efforts by making a donation to support the great work of the Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG.  To help, you can either:

1. Click this link: http://bit.ly/aQ3j1d and donate online using your credit card or PayPal account


2. Write a check payable to Movember, referencing my name or Registration Number 708368 and mailing it to: Movember, PO Box 2726, Venice, CA 90294-2726

The money raised will help make a tangible difference to the lives of others, through the world’s most promising prostate cancer research and LIVESTRONG’s programs that support young adults and their families battling and surviving cancer.

For more details on how the funds raised from previous campaigns have been used and the impact Movember is having please visit http://us.movemberfoundation.com/research-and-programs/.

Thank you.

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Getting Your RPG Freak On

Recently Ethan Gisdorf wrote and interesting post on TOR.com about Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks. It's a great post that brings back a lot of memories. At the end of the post he asks a great question:

12. That random guy who introduced you to Tolkien or D&D

How did you first hear about fantasy books? Who gave you your first taste of role-playing games? Who led you into the Mines of Moria—those scary, thrilling dungeons of the teenage mind? In my case, it was my next door neighbor, a kid named JP, who taught me how to play D&D and inculcate a taste for slaying orcs and eating frozen pizza. I would later learn we all need an escape hatch, a place to blow off steam, and an arena to kill the baddie. We emerge into the light of day, victorious, and laden with treasure and, best of all, tales to tell.

For me, it was a Librarian at the Kearns Library. For some reason, the Librarian handed me a box with a new game in it, Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, 1st Edition, Starter Edition. In side were two books, some paper and some die. I was excited, mainly because it didn't cost me anything.

I spent the next few weeks reading all the books, and trying to get all the information I could about this awesome new game. Remember, in 1980, we didn't have the Internet to get information. And quiet honestly, I don't remember how we managed to make the game work. But thank goodness for the starter kit, which had a lot all the rules and examples to follow.

I spent the next several years playing D&D with my neighbors EB and WA. Eventually we started buying, painting and playing with miniatures, and ended up live role playing, before LARPing had even been thought of. We created swords out of 2x4's, wrapped in towels or carpet to help reduce the pain of a blow. We wore helmets, and shoulder pads, and what ever else we could think of to keep from killing ourselves.

We all moved on, but I'll never forget the fun times we had exploring the underworld that was Dungeons & Dragons.

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Utah Open Source Conference 2010 Wrap-Up

This year's Utah Open Source Conference was a great event. I'm still amazed this conference can pull off three days, but it some how does just that. I'll admit that on the third day, I'm pretty tired, and my brain is in information overload.

Clint Savage (@herlo) and crew have done an excellent job brining Open Source into the spotlight at least once a year. The conference is open to anyone, and I would really like to see more Enterprises that use Open Source get involved, and I think more Enterprises should send the staff to learn about Open Source alternatives to commercial software. There are a number of OSS products that are just as good if not better than their commercial counterpart. Everything from Office alternatives (OpenOffice.org), to network administration tools, intrusion detection, and photo management.

What is really exceptional is all of the content presented by folks who use the software, and in some cases, wrote the software. You have a mix of industry experts, and passionate users, sharing their experiences, and giving attendees the inside scoop.

I volunteered this year, and helped various presenters with their room needs. It never fails to amaze me the support this conference gets. Look for it next year, and get involved.

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