OpsanBlog

Twitterers in Warcraft Unite!

Michael Coates - Microsoft Pragmatic Evangelist — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:48:00 GMT

You can now pass attack information, schoolyard taunts and “I’m bored, waiting for the zone to repop” messages on Twitter right out of Warcraft, thanks to TweetCraft.

TweetCraft features:

Send / Receive Tweets in-game.
Upload screenshots using TwitPic.
Support for Auto-Tweets of your achievements (levels, kills, etc.)

Check out the YouTube Video: “TweetCraft – A World of Warcraft Twitter Client”.

Franken REALLY Wins the Senate Seat

Michael Coates - Microsoft Pragmatic Evangelist — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:43:00 GMT

Whoops. Posted “Al Franken Wins Senate Seat” and “From Al Franken's Desk: On the Senate Victory” back in January, then got very, very busy in my new job and didn’t keep track of events: there was a recount.

Several, in fact .. eight months worth and millions of dollars later, Republican Norm Coleman concedes the election.

MSNBC: “Franken: 'So thrilled' at Minn. Senate race win”.

Bing Ringtones, or “BingTones”

Michael Coates - Microsoft Pragmatic Evangelist — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 12:52:00 GMT

Bing is a decision engine: enabling you to do much more than search; you can actually find things you seek.

We just released “BingTones”: Bing-branded ringtones for your mobile phone. They’re pretty clever, fun to answer to and best of all: free!

Have a listen:

Download BingTones for your mobile device.

Michael Jackson Passes

Michael Coates - Microsoft Pragmatic Evangelist — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:57:00 GMT

MSNBC: “Singer Michael Jackson dead at 50”

Microsoft Security Essentials Beta Open

Michael Coates - Microsoft Pragmatic Evangelist — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:52:00 GMT

I posted “Farewell OneCare .. Hello MSE” last week, discussing the replacement for Windows Live OneCare.

Well, we released the beta, but are limiting participation to 75,000, per Mary Jo Foley: “Microsoft Security Essentials beta to be capped at 75,000, kicks off today” .. opened at 0630 Monday.

I didn’t get in .. did you?

Good news for current OneCare subscribers, however: OneCare is auto-renewing for the end of their subscription life, or the end of 2010, whichever comes first, per a forum post on the social Microsoft site. Thanks to Stephen Boots.

Want to get into the beta? Go to the Microsoft Security Essentials site. I hope you’re one of the lucky few to give it a test drive.

When is 3G, like No-G?

Michael Coates - Microsoft Pragmatic Evangelist — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:53:00 GMT

When you have a weak signal, caused by being in the wrong place, electrical interference or a downed nearby tower.

I am an ATT subscriber, and am deliriously happy with the AT&T AirCard I’ve been testing:

Plug-and-play operation (the software to connect is stored on a flash drive in the device).
Immediate access to either Wi-Fi or GSM (cell) with no login (the card identifies itself to the networks).
Reasonable management of Wi-Fi configurations (you know .. those painful WEP and WPA keys).
Cool feature: you can stuff a MicroSD into the device and store connectivity goo (configurations and files) directly on the device).

However .. it doesn’t quite have the stones to say: “I have an incredibly weak signal .. you should stop trying to get to the InterWebs using me”.

I’m certain the bandwidth is (on average) 1.5mbps .. however, if if packet failures (due to connection or interference errors) exist, they must be re-sent:

If half of the packets fail, you’re at an effective download / transfer rate of 750 mbps (not too shabby).
If three-quarters of the packets fail, you’re at an effective download / transfer rate of 375 mbps (decent).
If 90% of the packets fail, you’re at an effective download / transfer rate of 135mbps (reasonable .. back in the stone age, we called this DSL).

So, when is 3G really 3G? Well, it depends:

You have good cell coverage (more ‘bars’).
You’re in a low-traffic area (the more folks who log onto a tower the more folks .. which can include you .. get kicked off).
The algorithm on the wireless card seamlessly reconnects you should you get bumped (on a call, you get dropped .. but for Internet browsing and email synching, Nirvana is only a retry away).

Ready to try it? I was (and am glad). Is it worth the cost? Do the math. Consider:

Hotel rooms that charge $10 (or more) for a 24-hour period of Internet access. Three or four nights, and you’re even.
Coffee shops or wireless providers that charge $30 (less, or more) per month for the service .. then you have to find one of those providers (it’s not impossible, but when in a pinch, delays are significant stressors). Pay for one month .. you’re halfway there.
The inherent security risks of Wi-Fi Roguing (how do you know you didn’t just connect to a hacker-controlled honey pot? Pick up just one virus ..

Last but not least .. most important, actually: productivity losses when you’re offline. Yes: we can all survive when we’re disconnected. We can work offline, or send bits from our mobiles. However, I have encountered enough times where I needed to send something .. having connectivity would just have been easier.

I reference AT&T herein. They were the folks smart enough to loan me the card. With their return policy (read the fine print carefully), an AirCard is worth a try, especially since it’s on their dime. Other carriers provide the same services .. consider the deals .. read the fine print .. you know the drill.

How Much Does a Troubled IT Project Cost?

Michael Coates - Microsoft Pragmatic Evangelist — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:08:00 GMT

Added costs, sure .. but it’s more than dollars. There are also human costs that are hard to estimate:

Wear and tear on your employees; those working on the project, as well as those in the organizations into which the project is upgrading / integrating.
Friction between managers, through escalations, downtime and defects.
Added stress to YOU .. even if you’re not hands on, or in the line of fire.

What happens?

Lack of QC at the project level.
Project management that, well, doesn’t.
Runaway scope (aka ‘feature creep’) or increasing complexity within projects.

What can you do?

Focus on project management: this is critical to completing projects on time and within budget .. it’s important to spot (and early) if things are going wrong.
Stress requirements and collecting use cases collection prior to cutting code.
Engage your integration teams early in the project; ensure that your output reflects the required input for current systems and that your required inputs can be acquired without disrupting existing systems beyond reason.

Yes: I used to do big projects. Now, I just remember the good old days.

Baseline provides us a great look into challenges like these in “The Cost of Troubled IT Projects”.

Cassie and I do the Mezza Dinner Thing ..

Michael Coates - Microsoft Pragmatic Evangelist — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:03:00 GMT

.. while watching Disney the other night.

Tapenade, Hummus, basil, tomatoes, cucumbers, mozzarella, carrots and Ranch (she’s not too keen on Tapenade).

Happy 16th Connor!

Michael Coates - Microsoft Pragmatic Evangelist — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:01:00 GMT

Hide the car keys!

Actually, my challenge is getting him warm to the idea to driving.

Two-for-One Graves

Michael Coates - Microsoft Pragmatic Evangelist — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:13:00 GMT

I don’t know if it’s funnier that it’s obvious that people aren’t dying to be buried in Indianapolis ..

.. or that the undertaker will be the last person to ever let you down ..

.. or that the MSNBC headline is “Dirt cheap: Cemetery sells 2-for-1 graves”.

You decide.

Actually, the GM of the cemetery runs the promotion every year around Memorial Day.

Bing, Under the Hood

Michael Coates - Microsoft Pragmatic Evangelist — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:34:00 GMT

Just read a great (and old) article (I’m slow some weeks) by the Bing team that discusses what’s under the hood. From the article:

Everything in Bing was driven by a focus on truly understanding searchers and their needs. When we looked at how people were using search today, we saw an opportunity to focus on three key trends:

Information overload: With the explosion of digital content on the Web, it is harder than ever to find what you are looking for.
Search failure: Search engines are pretty good at lots of things, but the "Back" button is one of the most popular clicks in search today.
Complex tasks and decision making: People are spending more and more time in search trying to accomplish tasks and make decisions.

The article goes on to describe these in detail, which leads to a deep look into how to get the best information with the least effort.

Then (the geeky part): the science behind Bing. from the article:

In Bing we took a novel approach for organizing our search results. Instead of applying simple classification techniques, we constructed user query and click graphs and used them to build true interaction models that can represent complex user tasks. This has allowed us to adapt from general to intent-specific ranking and to organize results into sets of topics that can be used to help find information, make decisions and complete tasks. We also invested in technologies and algorithms for extracting structure from unstructured data and applying organizational taxonomies. Even though the organization is not nearly as intuitive as one done by a human editorial process, we are able to achieve it in a fully automated way allowing for fast scaling and reacting to changes.

Hey: I said it was geeky. Read the entire article on the Bing Community Blog: “User Needs, Features and the Science behind Bing”.

In an attention-starved world ..

Michael Coates - Microsoft Pragmatic Evangelist — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:09:00 GMT

.. shorten your name by reducing it to one syllable(?).

Case in point: “Windows Live Search” becomes “Bing”. I get this: with Google appearing as a verb in popular culture, it’s easier to “Google it” than it was to “Live Search it”. The branding folks get it.

Now, if for attention starvation or because they sell much more than pizza, Pizza Hut is shortening their name to “the Hut”.

I notice a domain squatter is holding www.hut.com hostage at the moment .. perhaps there are some negotiations in progress. www.thehut.com is taken too.

Note that Yum Brands (the world’s largest restaurant company) also owns the chicken place formerly known as “Kentucky Fried Chicken”.

Yum renamed the chicken franchise to KFC a few years back, and is now adding references to the brand to highlight their grilled offerings (“KGC”). This is all part of their “unthink” marketing campaign that includes a $9.99 bucket of grilled chicken. Not a bad option, actually.

Anyhow, back to shorter and shorter names. MSN Money posts: “Pizza Hut to change its name?”.

More Bing Bits

Michael Coates - Microsoft Pragmatic Evangelist — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:20:00 GMT

I have forever been plagued with finding quick (and relevant) bits of data without slogging through reams of search results.

Bing to the rescue. Some sample search (now ‘found’) terms .. type these in the query box (or click on my samples):

wired:"inside the GPS revolution" finds the link to the article (the name I remembered) and the cover of a recently-read Wired News rag at the gym (yeah: I’m months behind on reading my Entertainment Weekly subscription, too).
Alaska 101 finds the flight status of the flight I am racing to board (if I can negotiate the SV traffic).
Bing translates for you:

How much does that job pay? We partnered with PayScale on this: “developer salary in seattle”.

I am gathering more. Stay tuned.

Coffin Couch: May Resonate with Team Edward

Michael Coates - Microsoft Pragmatic Evangelist — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:02:00 GMT

.. or my oldest-at-home, Connor.

Of course, it might also raise the issue of team selection: do you belong to Team Edward or Team Jacob?

Still lost? Search Bing for context: “Team Edward or Team Jacob”.

Here’s a hint: “Twilight”. Buy the book from Amazon.

I digress. Thanks to BoingBoing for pointing me to an Etsy listing: “Coffin Couch”.

Farewell OneCare .. Hello MSE

Michael Coates - Microsoft Pragmatic Evangelist — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:59:00 GMT

I’m a big fan of OneCare and am lamenting its impending demise this year. I’ve posted my share of OneCare articles over the past few years.

Not to worry, though: functionality provided by OneCare will soon be provided by Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE), code-named “Morro”, and referred to as “Microsoft’s worst-kept secret” by Mary Jo Foley in “More alleged Microsoft Morro screen shots, details leak”.

For free, I might add.

My question (I’ve not seen a feature-by-feature comparison): how much?

Mary Jo snagged an interview and collected some Morro / MSE facts from Allan Packer (GM, Anti-Malware), posted on ZDNet: “Microsoft Security Essentials: What wannabe testers need to know”.

In the news:

I’m a wannabe tester .. pick me! I’ll shake it out.

Coming to an Office Near You .. Office 2010: The Movie

Michael Coates - Microsoft Pragmatic Evangelist — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:10:00 GMT

From the Visionary Creators of Office 2007 and Office 2003 comes “Office 2010: The Movie”.

See the future!

Scaling the “Great Firewall” of China

Michael Coates - Microsoft Pragmatic Evangelist — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:39:00 GMT

China blocked several user-centric web sites, such as YouTube and Twitter .. along with Bing (which may return decision results found to be unacceptable) with their “Great Firewall” (actually called ‘Golden Shield’).

Social Networking scares those who would censure traffic in to (and out of) China .. immediate-response microblogging services (like Twitter) who could effect changes in (or mobilize) large groups of users, and are considered a threat.

BusinessWeek has more, in “Countering China's Internet Censors”.

MySpace Staff Cuts

Michael Coates - Microsoft Pragmatic Evangelist — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:18:00 GMT

With a new CEO, I’m certain some changes weren’t a surprise to anyone. Around 400 jobs were cut or re-deployed.

MySpace CEO Owen Van Natta (formerly of Facebook, by way of Playlist.com) commented about bloat and inefficiencies:

Simply put, our staffing levels were bloated and hindered our ability to be an efficient and nimble team-oriented company…

Some bits from the news:

It’s not the end. They’re a resilient bunch.

MSNBC.COM Named Top News Site

Michael Coates - Microsoft Pragmatic Evangelist — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:52:00 GMT

Kudos to the MSNBC team for being named the top news site for the past twelve months, with record-breaking traffic.

MoneyCentral: “msnbc.com Named America's #1 News Site for 1 Year”

Let the Search Wars Begin!

Michael Coates - Microsoft Pragmatic Evangelist — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:11:00 GMT

PCWorld is the first I’ve seen to post a feature-by-feature review in “Bing versus Google versus Yahoo: Feature Smackdown”.

Now That You’re Binging, Some Tips and Tricks

Michael Coates - Microsoft Pragmatic Evangelist — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 09:12:00 GMT

The other day, I asked “Have you Binged Anything Yet?”, keen for your feedback on what you’ve seen.

I stole some time from my sleep cycles last night to Bing a few things .. Bing is definitely beyond the a list of links that represent most current search results. It behaves much more like enterprise search, providing context that takes into account likely intent, ephemeral data (approximate location and time) and the ability to browse results to sharpen and speed your finding the answers you seek.

The interface is quite interactive, too; hovering over a result with the mouse provides summaries of additional information from which you can select, refining your search by clarifying intent. These drill-and-browse functions help users discover how to search for things they might not otherwise have known known how .. as well as searching for things that are related to what you’re actually seeking, sharpening results and providing opportunities for merchants and advertisers.

Consider this workflow:

In Bing, type “flights from Seattle to Newark”. You will get a list of links and an indicator of pricing history (prices going up, down or holding steady).
Linking to the Travel section of your initial results (or directly via Bing Travel) you can discover information about your destination: hotels, restaurants, weather, and the like.
Also in the Travel section, you’ll have flexibility (provided by Farecast) to select your flight by price and time, providing a one-stop opportunity to negotiate your itinerary.

As you clarify your searches, the ephemeral data provided by time and location lets Bing add reviews, maps, driving directions, local information and much more. Bing does this by employing mash-ups with trusted sites (including well-vetted, user-generated content, Bing Maps and trusted news sources).

The end result: Bing! You get answers you seek quickly, with related content that speeds your decision and provides you with other opportunities to enhance your experience.

Check out some other Bing verticals:

Lots more in the news about Bing:

LiveSide: “Bing, Bing, Bing, Bing” and “Bing Launch Wrap-Up”
Yahoo Finance reports that the co-founder of Apple (Woz) likes Bing in “Woz likes Bing”
All Things Digital: “D7 Interview with Steve Ballmer”
GigaOM: “Bing Helps Overcome Search Shortcomings, Still no Google-Killer” (why do real journalists insist that every product release / brand is a ‘killer’?)
ComScore: “Bing Off to a Good Start in First Week of Search Activity, According to ComScore”

Want to learn more? Join the Bing Community. Want rewards for your searches? Join Club Bing (heh .. that URL is ‘clubbing.com’ .. makes me remember a joke: “this baby seal walks into a club ..”).

Terrible humor aside .. why wait? Go Bing something!

Have you Binged Anything Yet?

Michael Coates - Microsoft Pragmatic Evangelist — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:20:00 GMT

I have .. I don’t get to report on as much as I’d like, these days, though.

There’s a fair bit of intelligence in our new search offering .. the tagline is “When it comes to decisions that matter, Bing and Decide”. Well played, too: Bing offers its own intelligence, augmented by yours, to arrive at the right decisions. While you can start at the ‘root’, there is value in some of the verticals. Here are some samples:

Travel:

Fly from Seattle to Newark (flight deals from major carriers)
Las Vegas Hotel deals (wahoo!)
Flight info Alaska 101 (flight information about a specific flight)

Shopping and Entertainment (note: Bing uses your IP to determine your approximate location):

Sushi Restaurant (local search, including reviews)
Movies (nearby movies, including reviews and references)
Shoe Stores (local stores)

Take the Bing Tour. You’ll see samples therein that give you a hands-on means to test Bing.

The Bing Launch in Seattle

Michael Coates - Microsoft Pragmatic Evangelist — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:25:00 GMT

A quick snap of the pillar of light from the Bing launch in Seattle last week. The big event was held at Seattle Center. Drawn to it like moths, folks drove toward the light on an exceptionally clear night.

Thanks to rajivgoms on Flickr for the image.

Tweet ‘311’ For Non-Emergency ..

Michael Coates - Microsoft Pragmatic Evangelist — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:55:00 GMT

.. however, only in San Francisco, California.

Anyone can send a direct message, anytime you wish to the “sf311” Twitter account to report standard non-emergency city-related sightings: think pot holes, overfilled collection bins, street cleanings .. and those, already supported by the City and County of San Francisco web site.

Umm .. using Twitter vernacular, doesn’t that mean you have to follow 'SF311’ first? Smarter folks will comment (and correct), I’m sure. Please do.

The site reminds you to dial (that would be a cell phone, for you newbies) 911 for a Police, Fire or Health emergency immediately.

Other 311 services? Please visit the “City and County of San Francisco” page for more links and phone numbers.

Susan Boyle and Windows 7

Michael Coates - Microsoft Pragmatic Evangelist — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:11:00 GMT

Very complimentary product / financial write-up, taking great pains to compare us to the fab singer from the “Britain’s Got Talent” show. From the article:

The Scottish woman appeared -- middle-aged, awkwardly dressed, unsure of herself, unattractive by conventional standards -- and expectations of her singing were in line with her appearance. As long as she didn't fall off the stage, the audience would have measured her performance a success.

If she were a stock, you’d like not consider her for an investment at all. However:

Then she opened her mouth. To everyone’s shock, she had a beautiful voice. She became an overnight sensation, and the video of her performance was (on YouTube) more than President Obama’s inauguration.

All analogies break down .. but this line:

Then there's Microsoft. The company’s name doesn’t have the luster it once had. It's seen as middle-aged, overweight, and slow, and many believe that all its creativity retired with Bill Gates.

Let me say (all ghetto-speak): we got stuff going on! Psst .. our stock is cheap.

The article goes on to praise Windows 7 (after referring to Windows Vista in a less-than-kindly light), and has good things to say about Bing, our decision search engine. Office 2010 is already turning heads (I’m even beta testing a piece of it) and I am still a tried-and-true road warrior thanks to Windows Mobile.

Read the MoneyCentral article: “Why Microsoft will Rise Again”.

Maybe we could ask Susan Boyle to belt us out a new “Start Me Up” refrain.