Today Microsoft announced the RTM of Web Platform Installer and Web App Gallery. We also introduce WebsiteSpark. To explain what this means, exactly, VP of the .NET platform and web technologies, Scott Guthrie, tells all. Here's a hint: 

WebsiteSpark is a new global program, designed by Microsoft to help small professional Web development and design service companies succeed, by providing new business opportunities through connections with global partners and customers, support and training, and software tools – at no upfront cost.
OK. So, free tools and support for small web dev companies? Very cool! Explain...
Tune in.

Meet Agent A the ringmaster and leader of Guerilla LA. Agent A has no name. He is your neighbor your co-worker. He’s part of your clan he is sitting next to you on the train and he might just be you. In this awesome episode of Mindshare we show how agent A is stoping and breaking social norms by bringing improve anywhere to the Los Angeles Scene. This new form of fun where you might see 30 people in a store break into dance and start a riot is fun and exciting. This is a great episiode and should not be missed check it out.

Have you ever wanted to control a ball with your brain? Maybe using the force? Then this video is right for you. Andrea Montes demonstrates a revolution in toy expierences that allow you to use the force to bring toys to the next level. Its a trully fun and incredible sight.

Have you ever wondered what foods would make my blood presure go down. Maybe wondered what food would sober you up the fastest? How about the best foods to seduce a lover. In this great video with Dr. La Pum we find out just that and much more. Including how chocolate effects the brain Check it out.

Ever thought it was not fair that men could walk around topless all day and women didn’t have the same right? Well in the most provocative episode of mindshare Lara takes us down the path of why women have this right and what she is doing to make it more natural for society to view women in all there beauty topless. I truly eye opening show..

In this presentation Michael Woods Presents the Artisan future and how Moore’s law will bring the art back to the medieval times. What you might say that is ridicules after all mores law states “roughly” the number of computer processors will double every year. How is that going to make art go back to the middle ages? Watch this great video to find out.

This week Bytes by MSDN and TechZulu’s Geoffrey Emery Interviews Jim Wilt. Jim Wilt focuses his deep experience and seasoned problem solving skills toward helping his customers architect the best possible solutions to succeed with their thorniest problems related to aligning their strategic business goals with technology.

With a degree in Physics/Computer Science/Mathematics from Central Michigan University, he has been awarded for his development of operating systems to real-time machine control and CAD solutions in aerospace to business solutions utilizing advanced Microsoft technologies.
He is now tenured in strategy and innovation consulting and advocates aligning business strategies with technological solutions using smart client, portal, and integration technologies in his principal role as Chief Software Architect and Partner at Metrics Reporting, Inc.
Having a passion for the advancement of higher education, Jim participates on an advisory boards at Central Michigan University, the Microsoft Certified Architect review board, and is a member of the International Association of Software Architects Architecture Training Council. He is also a 2006 CMU Distinguished Alumni award recipient.

Jim is a regular speaker at SharePoint user groups, IASA events, Microsoft SAF, TechReady, & TechEd as well as Channel 9 broadcasts.

Stuff Jim recommends you check out this summer:

• Azure
• Gartner
• Harvard Business Review
• Office Live
• Lewis Curtis’s Blog
• Hot, Flat, and Crowded by Thomas Friedman
• Channel 9
• YouTube

Check out what Jim has to say about cloud computing, Office Live, and why he watches YouTube.

This second dose of Bytes by MSDN and TechZulu’s interviews Brian Noyes.  Brian Noyes is Chief Architect of IDesign, a Microsoft Regional Director, MVP, author, and speaker. Brian speaks at many conferences worldwide, including Microsoft TechEd, DevConnections, VSLive!, DevTeach, and others. He is the author of Developing Applications with Windows Workflow Foundation, Smart Client Deployment with ClickOnce, Data Binding with Windows Forms 2.0, and frequent articles in major magazines. Brian got started programming as a hobby while flying F-14 Tomcats in the US Navy, later turning it into his second career. You can contact Brian through his blog at http://briannoyes.net.

Stuff Brian recommends you check out this summer:

• Silverlight
• Smart Client Technology
• WPF
• Entity Framework
• Dependency Injection
• The Region.com
• .NET Rocks
• Scott Hanselman’s podcasts

Check out the resources that Brian thinks can teach you the most and find out what he thinks about smart client technology.

This week Bytes By MSDN and TechZulu Geoffrey Emery Interviews Kate Gregory.  She is the Microsoft Regional Director for Toronto, a Visual C++ MVP, the author of over a dozen programming books, and a technical speaker. In 1986, she founded Gregory Consulting with her partner, Brian. Based in rural Ontario, Gregory Consulting provides consulting and development services throughout North America, specializing in software development with leading-edge technologies, integration projects, and technology transfer. They also provide training, mentoring, and technical writing services. Her current specialties include C++ programming, native-managed interop, migration to managed code, and Windows 7 development.

Check out Kate's take on Agile Development, the blogs she follows, what she's doing around Windows 7, and which Star Trek character she'd be.

Stuff Kate recommends you check out this summer:

• Windows 7
• Build A Better App
• Windows API Code Pack for Microsoft .NET Framework
• Code Gallery
• Code Plex
• The Region
• C++
• C++ Team Blog
• Windows Team Blog
• .NET Rocks!
• Channel 9
• Agile Development
• Kate's Blog

To get Kate's interview, and other's from this series on the go in any format you want just head over to the Bytes by MSDN site.

This week Bytes by MSDN and TechZulu bring to you Tim Huckaby. Tim Huckaby is currently focused on RIA & Rich Client Technologies like WPF, VSTO, Surface, Silverlight and Windows 7 Touch. He has been called a “Pioneer of the Smart Client Revolution” by the press.

Tim has been awarded multiple times for the highest rated Keynote and technical presentations for Microsoft and numerous other technology conferences around the world by Microsoft Corporation. Tim has done presentations on Microsoft Technologies at technology events all over the world and is consistently rated in the top 10% of all speakers at these events. Tim has done keynote demos for numerous Microsoft executives including Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer.

Tim founded InterKnowlogy, experts in Microsoft .NET and Microsoft Platforms, in 1999 and has 25+ years experience including serving on a Microsoft product team as a development lead on an architecture team. Tim is a Microsoft Regional Director, an MVP and serves on multiple Microsoft councils and boards.

Stuff Tim recommends you check out this summer:

• Touch Based Computing
• Surface
• Windows Presentation Foundation
• Windows 7 Touch Development
• Tim’s Twitter Handle: timhuckaby
• Scott Guthrie’s Blog
• Jono Wells’s Blog
• Jono’s Twitter Handle: onojw
• Billy Hollis
• Code Plex
• Tim Sneath’s Blog
• Tim Huckaby’s Blog

Don't forget to take Tim With you:

Video Downloads
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Audio Downloads
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Geoffrey Emery interviews Clemens Vasters. Clemens Vasters is a Senior Program Manager at the Microsoft Connected Systems Division.  Clemens specialty is in enterprise software analyst and architect with focus on Microsoft .NET technologies.

Stuff Clemens recommends you check out this summer:

• .NET Service Bus
• Azure Services Platform
• F#
• Clemens’s Blog
• Techmeme
• Idesign
• Pluralsight
• Aaron Skonnard’s Blog
• Thinktecture
• White Papers on .NET Service Bus
• .NET Services Twitter Handle: dotnetservices
• Clemens’ Twitter Handle: clemensv

Don't forget to take Clemens Vasters with you:

Video Downloads
WMV (Zip) | WMV | iPod | MP4 | 3GP | Zune | PSP

Audio Downloads

This week Bytes by MSDN and TechZulu bring to you Stephen Forte.  Stephen Forte is the Chief Strategy Officer of Telerik, a leading vendor in .NET components. He sits on the board of several start-ups including Triton Works and is also a certified scrum master. Prior he was the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and co-founder of Corzen, Inc, a New York based provider of online market research data for Wall Street Firms. Corzen was acquired by Wanted Technologies (TXV: WAN) in 2007. Stephen is also the Microsoft Regional Director for the NY Metro region and speaks regularly at industry conferences around the world. He has written several books on application and database development including Programming SQL Server 2008 (MS Press). Prior to Corzen, Stephen served as the CTO of Zagat Survey in New York City and also was co-founder of the New York based software consulting firm The Aurora Development Group. He currently an MVP, INETA speaker and is the co-moderator and founder of the NYC .NET Developer User Group. Stephen has an MBA from the City University of New York.

Stuff Stephen recommends you check out this summer:

• .NET RIA Services
• OSLO – DSL Capabilities
• Web Installer Stack
• MVC Framework
• Roger Jennings’ Blog
• Stephen’s Blog
• Stanford University’s Entrepreneurship Corner
• RESTful .NET by Jon Flanders
• The Complete Game by Ron Darling
• Windows Virtual PC
• Business Intelligence

Check out what Stephen has to say about the coolest technology he's run across lately and who he reads for technology information.

This weeks Byte from MSDN and TechZulu Geoffrey Emery interviews Billy Hollis.  Billy brings some great resources on WPF and Silverlight and his list of favorite technical resources, which blogs he reads, and why he's hesitant to tell you about them!

About Billy
Billy Hollis authored many of the earliest books on .NET, and has been working with WPF and Silverlight for over three years. He is a regular speaker at conferences such as Tech·Ed, PDC, VSLive, and DevConnections, and his two sessions at Tech·Ed 2009 were both rated in the top twenty sessions for the conference overall. He has a consulting practice in Nashville, TN, focusing on healthcare applications, advanced rule-driven architectures, and advanced user interface prototyping and development. He also offers introductory and advanced training classes on WPF and Silverlight. He is the author of a forthcoming book on WPF.

Stuff Billy recommends you check out this summer:

• WPF videos
• Silverlight videos
• LINQ
• Azure
• Jesse Liberty's Silverlight Blog
• Beatrice Costa on Silverlight and WPF
• A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink
• .NET Rocks TV
• Developers Intro to XAML – Part 1
• Developers Intro to XAML – Part 2
• MSDN Blogs
• Billy's blog: http://www.dotnetmasters.com/

While at teched09 I was lucky enough to interview a bunch of really awesome people. The first of which is Scott Hanselman.

Come see what Scott has to say about who he follows on Twitter, the blogs he reads and why eBooks are like fruit roll ups. Stuff Scott Recommends you check out this summer Hulu.com + PlayOn Scott’s new book: Professional ASP.NET MVC 1.0 Scott’s Twitter Handle: @shanselman The Kindle, Zune Pass The Morning Brew Elijah Manor on Twitter This American Life Podcast Blogs Scott Reads: Geeks With Blogs Los Techies Code Better Scott’s blog Coding Horror

Stuff Scott recommends you check out this summer:

• Hulu.com + PlayOn
• Scott's new book: Professional ASP.NET MVC 1.0
• Scott's Twitter Handle: shanselman
• The Kindle
• Zune Pass
• The Morning Brew
• Elijah Manor on Twitter
• This American Life Podcast
• Geeks With Blogs
• Los Techies
• Code Better
• Scott's blog
• Coding Horror

Windows Azure has continued adding features since the last major update at MIX.

Additional features and SDK updates will continue to roll out in the coming weeks and months.

Cool New Feature #1:  Geo-Location support

Starting in May, a new option was added to the portal to support geo-locating your code and data.  In order to use this most effectively, the idea of an ‘Affinity Group’ was created.  This allows you to associate various services under an umbrella label for the location.

Geo-Location is an important aspect of “Web 2.0” applications.

Read more about this feature here and see a complete provisioning walk-through.

Cool New Feature #2:  Storage API updates

Last Thursday (5/28), new features were released to the cloud for Windows Azure storage.  The long awaited batch transaction capability for tables as well as a new blob copying capability were released.

Additionally, the GetBlockList API was updated to return both committed and uncommitted blocks in blob storage.

Also new versioning mechanism has been added.

New features will be versioned by a new header (“x-ms-version”).

This mechanism is in place to prevent breaking changes from impacting existing clients in the future.  It is recommended that you start including this header in all authenticated API calls.

Rounding out these updates were some changes to how property names are stored in table storage as well as the size for Partition and Row keys.  Unicode chars and up to 1K key sizes are now supported, respectively.  Finally, the timeout values for various storage operations were updated as well.

Please note:  There currently is no SDK support for these new storage features.

At this point, you need to use the samples provided on Steve Marx’s blog.  A later SDK update will add these features officially.

Windows Azure SDK Update

The May CTP SDK update has been released to the download center.  While this release does NOT support the new storage features, it does add a few new capabilities that will be of interest to the Visual Studio 2010 beta testers.

· Support for Visual Studio 2010 Beta 1 (templates, local dev fabric, etc.)

· Updated support for Visual Studio 2008 – you can now configure settings through the UI instead of munging XML files.

· Improved reliability of the local dev fabric for debugging

· Enhanced robustness and stability (aka bug fixes).

Download the Windows Azure Tools for Visual Studio (includes both SDK and tools).

New Windows Azure Applications and Demos

Windows Azure Management Tool (MMC)

The Windows Azure Management Tool was created to manage your storage accounts in Windows Azure. Developed as a managed MMC, the tool allows you to create and manage both blobs and queues. Easily create and manage containers, blobs, and permissions. Add and remove queues, inspect or add messages or empty queues as well.

Bid Now Sample

Bid Now is an online auction site designed to demonstrate how you can build highly scalable consumer applications.  This sample is built using Windows Azure and uses Windows Azure Storage. Auctions are processed using Windows Azure Queues and Worker Roles. Authentication is provided via Live Id.

PHP SDK for Windows Azure

As part of Microsoft’s commitment to Interoperability, this open source project is an effort bridge PHP developers to Windows Azure. PHPAzure is an open source project to provide software development kit for Windows Azure and Windows Azure Storage – Blobs, Tables & Queues

Relevant Blog Postings

http://blog.smarx.com/posts/sample-code-for-new-windows-azure-blob-features

http://blogs.msdn.com/jnak/archive/2009/05/28/may-ctp-of-the-windows-azure-tools-and-sdk-now-supports-visual-studio-2010-beta-1.aspx

http://blogs.msdn.com/jnak/archive/2009/04/30/windows-azure-geo-location-is-live.aspx

http://dunnry.com/blog/CreateAndDeployYourWindowsAzureServiceIn5Steps.aspx