You need to read this blog by my pal Richard Campbell. There are some strange things afoot in the Java and Open Source Community.

http://www.campbellassociates.ca/blog/PermaLink.aspx?guid=be972f31-02e4-47f5-919a-faa5c7211b60 

Here is a quote from the blog to whet your appetite: “How badly derailed is the EJB 3 development path given the implied manipulation of the working groups?”

Well we win one. After a few years of Microsoft hiring away RDs (Chris Selles, etc), today we stole one from them. Rob Howard was made an RD today. As of 6/1/04 Rob is no longer a Microsoft employee and we snagged him as an RD!  Rob is fulfilling a career goal and has started his own company, Telligent Systems based in Dallas, Texas.

Welcome Rob. This doesn't suck.

I leave on Friday for Alaska to climb some mountains.

Tech*Ed 2004 is over. :(

I am home and am intstalling all of goodies while sporting my new tee shirts. Got some cool stuff.

The last day saw an arguement over the MVP program vs the RD program. Since I am a member of both, I am going to think about this some and post something up here. I will offend people, not sure who but stay tuned.

Blogs. Sessions. Fellow speakers. Parties. Emails from the office. Drinks at the MSDN Party.

Not too much fun. TechED 2004 rocks.

Our session called From Interoperability to Migration: SQL Server and Linux Databases Working Together which was in Cabana 08 went awesome today. We showed a SQL Server linked Server connecting to an Oracle 10g database running under Red Hat. Enough said.

For all of you that attended, not sure how to get the 2 8gb VPC images to you just yet, but we will find a way. Stay tuned.

I signed many RD Bingo cards. Good luck to everyone.

Day 1 of TechEd is going well.  

You need to play Regional Director Bingo. Get your bingo cards at the RD booth at 49-50. You can also play the Apprentice .NET game for a chance to be Bill Gates’ apprentice (al la Donald Trump). Well maybe not Bill’s but you will get lots of prizes, etc.

Went to my session room at the Cabana area and well there are only about 30 chairs, so come early tomorrow, we have almost 100 people registered for the talk tomorrow on Linux and SQL Server.  

Arrived last night and already got drunk with Clemens, Malek, Kathleen and Richard. I have never seen Richard drunk before!!

At JFK International Airport ready to leave for Tech*ED. It is amazing just how many RDs will be there, it is annually the largest gathering of RDs at any given time.

I am looking forward to the keynotes, my session and several other sessions, including Clemens’ talk where he actually uses SQL Server in transactions and stuff like that. I guess if the Berlin Wall can fall, Clemens can use SQL Sever. :)

Riding out there on the plane with Bill Zack, my Yukon book co-author and co-moderator of the NYC .NET Developers Users Group.

If you have never been to TechED before, one note, this year is sold out (11,000 people!) and just get to everything EARLY to avoid the lines. Also pay close attention to the parties, they are fun too. Remember the social interaction is why we come here. Get out and talk your latest project’s architecture with a complete stranger from Minnesota who you meet on the bus going to the attendee party. That is where the real action is at TechEd. I remember last year on the subway in Barcelona at TechED Europe, there was a 4 way conversation between 4 complete strangers (but we all had the red teched bag) about transactions and error handling and where the business logic goes. I don’t even remember the guys names and I am sure that they don’t remember me (besides being a silly American) but it was the best technical talk of the conference!