I was in Seattle this week for the Windows in Higher Education Conference (WinHiEd for short). I’ve only been the conference once before back in 2007. The conference schedule wasn’t consistent in later years and when it was held, it shifted to be in the spring, a little too close to TechEd to justify attending both. Because my TechEd registration is free this year, courtesy of being a TechEd 2011 VIP winner, I decided to give WinHiEd another try.

There were approximately 70 attendees this year, down from the 100 or so that were there in 2007. Hopefully they can increase the attendance next year. More attendees means more opportunities for peer presentations. The goal has been for presentations to be split evenly between Microsoft and peers. This year, things were skewed more towards Microsoft. Before you ask whether I gave a presentation, the answer is no,and the main reason is we’re not doing anything that I think anyone would find interesting. Right now, my time is pretty much spent just keeping things running. Maybe someday there will be resources and time to actually work on new and cool things, but that day is not yet here. Sigh…

We hit a rough patch the first morning after our keynote about Windows 8. Someone tweeted a picture of one of the Samsung tablets we had a chance to look at after the session. Some things were also said about Windows To Go. Apparently these both ran afoul of the NDA we signed so there was hand-slapping for a few minutes. Now, I understand and respect an NDA. However there were a few things the organizers could have done to prevent this from happening:

1. When you’re having everyone sign the NDA, call out just what it is we’re signing. It felt like we were being herded through the registration and I’m not sure everyone understood just what it was we were signing.
2. Since not all of the sessions are covered by NDA (the peer presentations for one), if a session is going to be covered by the NDA, make an announcement beforehand.
3. If a session is covering a product that had already been released, call out during the presentation if something protected is going to be mentioned.

I’m still trying to figure out exactly what we were told about Windows to Go that isn’t already public. The only feature I remember seeing on Monday during the presentation was talked about Build and there’s a video of the Microsoft session form that conference on YouTube. Similarly, if you’re doing a demo on Server 2012 Build 8250, the publicly available beta release, it is kind of hard to call that confidential information. Just saying…

I won’t list all the different sessions. You can see the agenda on the conference web site.  I especially enjoyed the session by Sean Riordan from Stanford about using Azure with HPC.  I hadn’t ever though much about Azure or HPC, but after hearing Sean’s presentation, I have a few ideas for some things I’d like to try with one of our faculty that might give him access to more computational power than we can provide and could help us get rid of several workstations he has in our computer room. Food for thought anyway.

There were several good PowerShell both from Microsoft and people from several schools. PowerShell is one of those things that I know I need to get more proficient at, but competing priorities usually leaves this area on the backburner.  At the very least, I’ll be able to get copies of some great scripts other people have created and adapt for use in my environment.  The session on PowerShell 3.0 was great and really benefited from the enthusiasm of the presenters, Hemant Mahawar and Refaat Issa. Much of the session focuses on the changes to the ISE for v3.  You can find out more about the changes to ISE in PowerShell 3.0 on the TechNet web site. The addition of Intellisense and other editor enhancements really lend themselves to folks trying to become more proficient in PowerShell. I’m looking forward to making better use of this tool.

Another great session was Buck Woody’s on “SQL Azure, Big Data, and moving to the cloud.” I’ve seen Buck online, mostly on Twitter, but never had the opportunity to hear him present in person.  Now I’m not really a SQL guy, but this was a great session.  It felt more like a college lecture, which isn’t surprising because Buck teaches at University of Washington. If you ever have a chance to see Buck, go do it.  You’ll be glad you did. You can find his website at http://buckwoody.com We tried to get the hashtag #lovemesomebuck trending but getting something to trend apparently takes more than two of us tweeting.

Overall I found the conference to be useful, but it won’t be a replacement for TechEd for me.  Someone during a feedback session indicated that he would be more likely to attend this conference than TechEd again. I had a hard time rationalizing that with my experience at the two conferences. But that’s the great things about all of these different technical venues, there’s something for everyone.  I might be more inclined to make this a regular stop if it were scheduled with more time between it and TechEd and if attendance was high enough to provide sufficient peer content. We’ll see what happens next year.

No, I haven’t packed my suitcase yet for Microsoft TechEd 2012 in Orlando.  We’re still several weeks away.  I did pack all of my conference bags from previous TechEd’s however, and shipped them to Renton, Washington.

Last week I received an email from Brandy Pepper (yes, “The” Brandy Pepper), asking if I’d be willing to lend my collection of bags for a display showcasing 20 years of TechEd bags, a Bag Museum if you will.  Of course I said yes.  MY only regret was that I only had bags going back to 2007. A few years back I gave away my bags from 2003-2006.  They were piling up in my office, and I foolishly decided to let them go. Of course I regretted it the next day, but it was too late. I’ll never make that mistake again.

A tweet also went out last week from @TechEd_NA as they worked to fill in the gaps.

Do you have #msTechEd bags from 1993, 1995-2003, and/or 2006? Lend them to us for the on-site TechEd bag showcase!

— TechEd NorthAmerica(@TechEd_NA) April 13, 2012

I saw a tweet from someone the other day who thought they had a bag from the first year, 1993, so hopefully we will have an entire history of every year onsite.

So Monday morning I packed the bags for shipping.  I photographed each bag as it was packed, so here is a sort of “reverse-unboxing” of the bags. You can click on each photo to see the full-size photo.

The first bag into the box is TechEd 2007. We were in Orlando this year. Typical backpack style

Next bag is TechEd 2008. We were back in Orlando. Another backpack, although a bit more rounded, and sponsors were added to the front. I never liked the zippers on the front. Just saying. This was the year of the split conference, one for IT Pros and one for Developers. While I thought it was a good idea at the time, like the zippers, I no longer think it was a good idea. Split conference means a divided #TheKrewe, and that just won’t do.

My favorite bag…  TechEd 2009. We were in Los Angeles that year. The sponsors stay front and center again. I’ve always liked the messenger bags. The backpacks work great at the conference, especially if you’re trying to cram swag into them (who, me?), but the messenger bag is the style will keep using after the conference. Looks and works great.

TechEd 2010 went back to the backpack.  We were in New Orleans that year, and it will always be one of my favorite conferences. Met some special people at this one. This ranks high up on my list of conference bags. I really liked the colors and the somewhat unusual design on the front.

And last but not least, the 2011 bag. The conference was in Atlanta last year.  While this conference was one of the best years ever for me at TechEd, the bag is not my favorite. It gets high marks for capacity, but it is very drab looking and I didn’t like the snap. Functional for the conference, but it isn’t one I’ve ever used again.

So there you have it, five years of TechEd history. Makes you want to see all 20 bags now, doesn’t it? I know I’m looking forward to it. I can only imagine what they gave out that first year in Orlando. We’ll just have to wait and see. 53 days and counting…

Photos from the third day of my trip to New Orleans are now online. A sample of the set is listed below. You can see the photos either at Flickr or Facebook (assuming we’re friends on FB).

My last day in New Orleans… It is always sad to leave, especially when there were still people to see, food to eat, things to do.

After breakfast, I headed to the FQ and rode the Algiers Ferry across the river and back. I wanted to take the Gretna Ferry for a longer trip and to see more of the river, but for whatever reason it was out of service. So that’ll have to wait until next time.

Afterwards I met up with Claudia at Cochon Butcher for lunch, and then she dropped me off at the airport. It was time to go home.

Photos from the third day of my trip to New Orleans are now online. A sample of the set is listed below. You can see the photos either at Flickr or Facebook (assuming we’re friends on FB).

Monday was my last full day in New Orleans, so I made the most of it. After breakfast at the soda shop, I met up with my friend Claudia and he rmom and we went on two tours. The first was of St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 with Save Our Cemeteries. The second was Tour Treme with French Quarter Phantoms. The cemetery tour was very interesting and my first visit to one of the above-ground cemeteries New Orleans is famous for. The Treme tour was equally interesting and a good overview of the history of the neighborhood and the history of music, slaves, and civil rights in the city.

That night, I met up with Rex Dingler and had a chance to catch up with him. We started out at Bellocq at my hotel and wound up at Capdeville by way of Cochon (too busy). The burger at Capdeville was fantastic, so I’ll definitely be back to try some other things off the menu.

Spring is here so that means it is time for Friday Fish Fry.  My dad and I often will meet for lunch at an American Legion in Overland.  Really wish they would add onion rings to the menu though as an alternative to those bland crinkle cut fries. #FirstWorldProblems

Disney Vinylmation with a Polynesian theme.

If he could sing, Shaggy might be saying “I ain’t got nobody…” Get it? Nobody, no body. I’m here all week.

We visited the Mammoths and Mastodons exhibit at the Missouri History Museum. After touring the exhibit, I came face to face with a model of a Giant Short-faced Bear in the main lobby. OK, maybe not exactly face-to-face. I stand just about 6ft, so that gives you some idea of how large these animals were. If you ever ran into one of these, odds are this is one of the last views you’d ever have of this fine fearsome fellow.

Photos from the second day of my trip to New Orleans are now online. A sample of the set is listed below. You can see the photos either at Flickr or Facebook (assuming we’re friends on FB).

Sunday was my first full day in New Orleans. I headed over to Stanley in the French Quarter for breakfast, then walked around the French Quarter, down Frenchmen, and over to Washington Square Park. Later that afternoon I stopped by the Road Food Fest for lunch and met up with Claudia Perez, one of my friends in The Krewe from TechEd.  She was visiting with her mom for the weekend, just like I was. We headed over to the casino where Claudia and I caught up at Starbucks while her mom tried her luck at the slots. After a late dinner at Mother’s, we headed back to our hotels.

If you’ve seen Toy Story 3, you probably recognize Mr. Pricklepants, thespian extraordinaire as well as stylish hedgehog.  Seriously, who else could pull off that pair of Lederhosen?  Mr. Pricklepants has taken up residence on my desk and from time to time has something to say, usually motivational, in the form of a Post-It note.