Kurt Shintaku's Blog

Farhan Thawar, PM for Windows Live Services in Canada did a series of videos that among other things, answers some rather interesting questions that some people may have wondered about.

• What is the strategy behind Windows Live Services?
• How advertising fits into software licensing in the future 
• Futures in Live Services
• Competitors:  How does Microsoft view Google
• Where’s Ray Ozzie?

The videos primarily focus on interviews between Farhan Thawar & Microsoft Corporate VP of Live Services, Blake Irving. 

This is a 3 part video series:

http://images.soapbox.msn.com/flash/soapbox1_1.swf
Video: Windows Live Series – Chat and demo with Blake Irving

http://images.soapbox.msn.com/flash/soapbox1_1.swf
Video: Windows Live Series – Chat with Blake Irving 2 of 3

http://images.soapbox.msn.com/flash/soapbox1_1.swf
Video: Windows Live Series – Chat with Blake Irving 2 of 3

Description taken from the web site:

"For a hobby that revolves around dead people, genealogy is remarkably popular: it’s the fastest growing scene in North America. And a perfect study for Vertigo’s next Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) reference application for Microsoft.

Our designers employed every trick in the WPF book– styles, resources, templates, data binding, animation, transforms– to present an innovative visualization of the classic family tree, freeing our developers to concentrate on behind-the-scenes features like XPS, P/Invoke wrapper for Windows Vista common dialogs, and ClickOnce for WPF."

A couple comments:

1)  1.63MB!  This is once again, a tiny WPF-based application at only 1.63MB in download size for Windows Vista, demonstrating once again, how application libraries are built directly into the operating system making WPF applications slim and optimal by taking advantage of the native services and functions within the OS.

2)  DRAG & DROP PHOTOS:  I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the developers designed drag & drop correctly:  All you have to do to bring in a photo into the program is drag and drop it onto the "blank" photo frame for an individual and you’re finished.

3)  XML & GEDCOM EXPORT:  Geek moment here, but all data is saved in XML making it very easy to read into other applications.  And what’s more, it will also export into GEDCOM format so that it can be read & displayed in basically any other geneology software.

4)  SAVE TO XPS:  Want to send your family tree to someone else to see?  Create a read-only XPS document out of it and have them view the content the way itwas meant to be viewed.

5)  BEAUTIFUL!:   This is just a gorgeous program.  The graphics are extremely scalable, the visuals and animations are smooth an appealing, and the overall program design is just so well done.  Good job, Vertigo.  Folks, if this doesn’t demonstrate to you how Windows Vista is simply an awesome platform for next generation applications, I don’t know what will. 

——————–

FREE DOWNLOAD:  http://www.vertigo.com/familyshow.aspx

(This isn’t the only application by Vertigo that leverages .NET and the Windows Presentation Foundation.  Check out there other creations at http://www.vertigo.com/lab.aspx)

Wow.  This is a 82 minute video by Mike Gannotti on how to use Sharepoint Server 2007 to create a very comprenhensive portal for internal corporate training for end users.  Here are some of the topics he covers:

• Live training classes from broadcasts directly from within the portal
• Promotional facilities to advertise classes
• Registration for classes & Add class to calendar
• Provide content descriptions online
• Creating FAQ areas so that ongoing Q&A is gathered & consolidated
• Provide searching for Q&A & training
• Post videos online for "How-to" tasks
• Training library with Live Training Archives

http://images.soapbox.msn.com/flash/soapbox1_1.swf
Video: Creating A Training Portal With SharePoint 2007

Last week, Microsoft hosted the 11th annual CEO Summit with 111 Chief Executive Officers from our largest customers including:

• Jeff Bezos, CEO Amazon.com
• Meg Whitman, CEO eBay.com
• Michael Dell, CEO Dell
• Jim Sinegal, CEO Costco
• Bill Green, CEO Accenture
• A.G. Lafley, CEO Proctor & Gamble

And yes, proudly one of my customers was one of them.  You know who you are.

Here’s the official web sites around the CEO Summit:

• http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/315917_ceosummit17.html
• http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003708540_ceosummit16.html?syndication=rss
• http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/32065/118/
• http://www.istartedsomething.com/

 In the tradition of our self-depricating videos like the one showing how Microsoft would package the iPod…
… introducing the the "oPhone".

http://images.soapbox.msn.com/flash/soapbox1_1.swf
Video: Microsoft’s oPhone

Recently, I had a blog of mine on Windows Live Space go "down".  (Obviously not this one, being that you’re reading it right now)  The only thing that it would show on the home page of the Windows Live Spaces blog was, "Space Not Available" and nothing else.  So I had the lovely experience of trying to figure out how to get a resolution to the issue as an end-user.

Strangely, there are no links on the Windows Live Spaces pages itself for support.  (Something I sent feedback on.  Why wouldn’t they want to make it easy for John Q. Public to get support on a site if something’s gone wrong?)  Anyway, I had to dig around because if you look on any of the http://spaces.live.com pages or any of the http://account.live.com pages… there’s no mention of support.  The only thing you see is Feedback. 

And I’m not looking to provide Feedback:  I’m looking for HELP.

I finally found it.  I randomly typed in http://support.live.com/ and lo-and-behold, there’s a place for Windows Live Spaces support on this page – providing email-based support.  (You have to be logged into your Windows Live ID to get support, which leads me to wonder what happens if you need support on logging into your Windows Live ID…)  I was happy that support existed however, my only question then is, why is it so difficult for even me, a seasoned Microsoft employee, to find out how to get tech support for one of our more popular services?

Needless to say, this is not the experience that I would wish our customers would have.  Consider this to be my crusade for the next few weeks until there is a Support link available on every Windows Live Spaces page, leading to here.

While searching for ‘support’ to fix a problem with one of my many Windows Live Spaces, I discovered something interesting:

Did you know that if you have a Windows Live ID, you’re probably receiving SPAM "promotional offers" from Windows Live or MSN?  This includes "promotional" emails, postal advertisements, and telemarketing calls if you have a phone number configured to your account.  I don’t ever recall "authorizing" these "promotional emails" but I could be wrong.  It’s been 12 years since I first got this "MSN/Passport/Hotmail/WindowsLive" account.  (It’s gone through so many permutations!)

It turns out that there is a "Marketing Preferences" web page that you can configure so that these "offers" don’t get sent to you.  All you have to do is:

1. Sign into your Windows Live ID. (http://login.live.com)
2. Go to https://account.live.com/MarketingPreferences.aspx
3. Check the following checkboxes:
1. Do not send promotional offers from Windows Live or MSN to my e-mail address
2. Do not send promotional offers from Windows Live or MSN to my billing address
3. Do not call me with promotional offers from Windows Live or MSN
4. Press "Save" button.

That’s it.  You should be "spam free" from MSN at least after about 10 days.

(Oh, by the way – if you loathe postal junk mail, consider checking out http://www.greendimes.com to subscribe to their services and stop paper-based advertisements and random catalogs from being delivered to your home postal address.  They’ll not only enable you to save paper, but also plant a tree every month, in your name!  How nice!)

There are a ton of courses published for Windows Mobile via our eLearning solutions site.  You can take any of the following courses online for a small fee to learn about how to deploy, manage, or plan for Windows Mobile infrastructures.

Learning Plan for Exam 70-540
Exam 70- 540: Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 – Application Development qualifies you as a Microsoft Certified Technical Specialist (MCTS) on Windows Mobile …

Collection 5139: Designing, Implementing, and Managing a Microsoft Windows Mobile Infrastructure
In this online learning collection composed of 6 courses, you gain the knowledge and skills to design, implement, and manage a Windows Mobile infrastructu…
$191.99

Collection 5150: Developing Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 Applications Using Microsoft Visual Studio 2005
This collection teaches Visual Studio 2005 developers how to develop and maintain Windows Mobile 5.0 applications with Microsoft Visual Studio 2005.
$191.99

Course 5140: Planning Microsoft Windows Mobile Infrastructure
In this online learning course, you plan a Windows Mobile infrastructure. You identify server hardware and software requirements, consider enterprise data…
$39.99

Course 5141: Configuring Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 for Microsoft Windows Mobile Devices
In this online learning course, you configure Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 for Microsoft Windows Mobile Devices including securing mobile access, using …
$39.99

Course 5142: Managing and Configuring Microsoft Windows Mobile Applications and Devices
In this online learning course, you manage files, systems, and applications on Microsoft Windows Mobile devices. You design a CSP file to provision featur…
$39.99

Course 5143: Configuring Microsoft Windows Mobile Device Network Connectivity
In this online learning course, you configure VPN Client and Proxy connections, Wi-Fi connections, cellular and Bluetooth connectivity for Windows Mobile…
$39.99

Course 5144: Managing Synchronization Options for Microsoft Windows Mobile Devices
In this online learning course, you deploy ActiveSync by using Group Policy and configure Direct Push and OTA synchronization for Windows Mobile devices. …
$39.99

Course 5145: Managing Enterprise Security for Microsoft Windows Mobile Devices
In this online learning course, you configure security settings and local security for Windows Mobile devices. In addition, you monitor mobile devices usi…
$39.99

Course 5151: Designing and Developing a Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 User Interface
This 2-hour course teaches experienced Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 developers how to design and develop the user interface for Windows Mobile 5.0 applica…
$39.99

Course 5152: Managing Device Data by Using Microsoft SQL Server Mobile
This 2-hour course teaches experienced Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 developers how to access data using Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition within …
$39.99

Course 5153: Managing Enterprise Data by Using Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server Mobile
This 2-hour course teaches experienced Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 developers how to maintain Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition databases and ho…
$39.99

Course 5154: Developing Connection Capabilities in Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0–Based Applications
This 2-hour course teaches experienced Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 developers how to incorporate remote communications within their Windows Mobile 5.0 ap…
$39.99

Course 5155: Implementing Interoperability and Platform Features in Windows Mobile 5.0–Based Applications
This 2-hour course teaches experienced Microsft Visual Studio 2005 developers how to utilize interoperability and platform features within their Windows M…
$39.99

Course 5156: Optimizing, Packaging, and Deploying Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0–Based Applications
This 2-hour course teaches experienced Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 developers how to deploy and maintain their Windows Mobile 5.0 applications.
$39.99

UPDATE 9/4/2008:
Well, it looks like Verizon Business Conferencing is taking the .NET code and repurposing it as a web client/ASP.NET solution.  They are decommissioning the .NET 1.1 thick client version in October 2008.  Use that if you want to monitor your conference calls now since they are no longer distributing the .NET version.
https://wbbc.mci.com/wbbcLogin/servlet/WBBCLogin

—————

ORIGINAL POST:
If your company uses MCI Conference calling a.k.a Verizon Business Conferencing (and I know one of my customers does), you should know that there is a Meeting Moderator console that you can download and install on your PC.

It works on both Windows XP as well as Windows Vista and it will connect to MCI/Verizon from behind your corporate firewall but what’s really interesting is that it’s now written in .NET Framework 1.1 instead of Java.

Verizon/MCI’s Instant Meeting Web Moderator for concall administrators 

So without learning any dial pad commands and codes, you can manage a conference call from your desktop:

• Mute everyone – especially if a participant puts the concall "on hold" forcing everyone to listen to "hold music"
• Disable the recorded name playback so that there’s no interruptions when people join the call
• Dial out to a particular person if you need them on the call
• Record a conference – for review later on
• Identify "which line is talking" at a given moment through the GUI

And of course it’s free to MCI/Verizon Business concall users.

DOWNLOAD:  https://wbbc.mci.com/wbbcLogin/imwm_imwminstall.jsp 
HELP:  http://wbbc.mci.com/imwm/dotnet/Help/imwmNativeHelp.htm

If you use Virtual PC 2007 you know that the virtual hard drive files (.VHDs) can grow to extremely large sizes.  Part of this is because the .VHD files dynamically expand when software is installed in the .VHD however after the installation, the original setup files are deleted and no longer take up space in the .VHD, however the .VHD does not correspondingly dynamically shrink in size.  Once a .VHD file expands – it doesn’t shrink. 

EXAMPLE:  If the installation of a product like Microsoft Office uses 500MB to expand it’s setup files and consumes 340MB in the Program Files directory the .VHD file expands accordingly.  When the 500MB of setup files are subsequently deleted after the installation has completed, the .VHD file doesn’t shrink accordingly.

Normally, people don’t care about file size bloat that much however when you’re using Virtual PC .VHDs you may be talking about 3-4GB of wasted storage or more.  So the question is, "How do I shrink the size of a .VHD when I know it’s inflated unnecessarily?" 

Here’s how to do it:

1. Clear out the machine of filler
   I recommend installing CCLEANER.EXE from http://ccleaner.com which deletes all temporary files from the Windows installation, Internet Explorer cache, the Recycle Bin, and any number of other "garbage"/"temp" directories in the VPC.
2. Disable hibernation
   If you have hiberation turned on, there’s a colossal sized file called hiberfil.sys in the root of the .VHD.  Go into Power options in Control Panel and disable hiberation to get rid of this file.
3. Capture the Virtual Disk Precompactor .ISO
   In the menu of Virtual PC windows for your machine, capture the Virtual Disk Precompactor .ISO file which is located at:
   c:program filesmicrosoft virtual pcvirtual machine additionsvirtual disk precompactor.iso
4. Run the Precompactor
   Go to My Computer and double click on the mounted disk.  It will begin to run the precompactor software which will essentially zero out all the free space on the disk, making it available for elimination from the file by the Virtual Disk Wizard, which we will use later.  This process may take upwards of 15 minutes
5. Shutdown the Virtual PC
6. Run the VPC2007 Virtual Disk Wizard
   From the Virtual PC console, click File-Virtual Disk Wizard and "Edit an existing virtual disk".  It will ask you to identify the .VHD file to reduce in size – select it.
7. Compact the .VHD
   Select the "Compact" option then select "Replacing the original file".  This will take a few minutes.

When this process finishes, you should have a .VHD file with a much smaller size.