26 June 2012

Windows Cloud Day: Windows Azure Conference





Websites
Virtual Machines
Cloud Services
Big Data
Media
Windows Azure opening talks - Scott Guthrie Blog
Nord.js - Mark Rendell
iOS Devices with Azure - Chris Risner
Provision and Customise Azure Virtual Machines - Michael Washam
Social Gaming - Nate Totten
Windows Azure Storage and Service Bus - Scott Klein
Android Device with Azure - Chris Risner
Java Applications with Azure - Satish Nikram
Team Foundation Server use of Azure components - Richard Fennel
Building PHP Applications on Windows Azure - Cory Fowler
Tracks at the presentation 
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/windowsazure/
http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/
http://robinosborne.co.uk/2012/06/23/ukwaug-ms-cloud-day-windows-azure-spring-release/

13 June 2012

The Big Blue: My Mini Guide to Lake Garda



Something curious happened the moment I stepped off the plane. Arriving in Verona on a hot Friday afternoon. In that very moment, it was as if the heat had suddenly melted all my cares away. I was ready to spend 5 days in Italy. With only a GCSE Italian to rely on I was determined to fully immerse myself in the culture.

Anyone that knows me or those that have traveled with me know, that I am a planner, and I will plan the whole trip in detail. From how I will get there to downloading local street maps on my iPhone, getting around; the best, cheapest, quickest ways to see the cities I visit including what not to miss out on. I suppose this is what traditional tourism tells us; seeing the standard city sites like landmarks and artworks as if the only things worth seeing. So this trip to Italy, I decided to do things differently. That of minimal planning. I wanted a more sensory and deeper travel experience, so there was no downloading of any maps or extensive research about the best places to eat, drink or museums around town. I was not going to slavishly follow a travel itinerary to the letter.