Coming to the Center for Non-Profits @ St. Mary’s, for the second year in a row, is the fabulous Northwest Arkansas TechFest!

For those new to TechFest, it is a technical conference with a primary focus to provide training/teaching sessions that are immediately beneficial to the broadest range of IT professionals in their day-to-day jobs. They accomplish this with numerous national and international speakers delivering 75 minute sessions across 10 separate tracks. Even though TechFest is a free event, the organizers ask that you support the community and PLEASE bring TWO CANS or TWO BUCKS. All canned food will be donated to the NWA Food Bank and all proceeds will be donated to the The Jones Center.

NWA TechFest is organized again this year by former MVP, current Microsoft Employee and founder of Tulsa TechFest David Walker. The event is always outstanding with amazing content from the areas best speakers. I’ll be there too, presenting in the Silverlight track on Windows Phone 7 Performance Tips and SketchFlow.

If you think you have the right stuff and want to present at NWA TechFest, submit your talk today!.

For more details, visit the NWA TechFest website.

Starting in March 2011, we’re rolling out a series of 12 Web Camps in the Central US. Microsoft’s Web Camps are events designed to teach you all about building websites using ASP.NET MVC, WebMatrix, OData and more. We’ve held Web Camps all around the world over the past few years, but we’re taking them to the next level this year with more of one- and two-day events in Central Region, and one just might be near you.

If you’re near Austin, TX or Chicago, IL, you’ll want to join us for a special two-day Web Camp. We’ll cover ASP.NET MVC in-depth on day one and help you get hands-on on day two, facilitating smaller groups through labs, live-coding exercises, or even collaborating on your apps! If you can’t make a two-day event, never fear! We have a series of one-day camps in March, April, May and June throughout the region.

Join Clark Sell and Brandon Satrom for a special WebMatrix and ASP.NET MVC Web Camp you don’t want to miss. No matter your expertise in web development, these Web Camps are the perfect opportunity to get hands-on experience and ‘unleash your coding genius’.

Our interactive sessions will:

• Introduce ASP.NET MVC, ASP.NET Web Pages and WebMatrix; discuss possible uses of these
• Explore new features of ASP.NET MVC 3
• Take a dive deep into jQuery
• Facilitate an in-depth discussion on when to migrate ASP.NET WebPages applications to ASP.NET MVC
• Discuss configuration and deployment of web applications.

This event is a unique opportunity, partnering classroom learning with hands-on-labs, and leveraging experts to help you build new and exciting websites.

1-Day Event Agenda:

Two-Day Event Agenda

Locations (Space is limited, so sign up now):

All of the above registration links can be found in this link bundle as well: http://bit.ly/bundles/csell/5.  Of course balloons on a map are cool too:

Space is limited so sign up now.

Windows Azure Boot Camp is a two day deep dive class to get you up to speed on developing for Windows Azure. The class includes a trainer with deep, real world experience with Azure, as well as a series of labs so you can practice what you just learned.

Agenda

1. Intro to Cloud Computing and Azure
2. Web Roles
3. Messages and Queues
4. Using Azure Tables
5. Using BLOB Storage
6. Worker Roles
7. Diagnostics and Service Management
8. SQL Azure
9. Connecting with AppFabric
10. Cloud Computing Scenarios
11. Available Resources

What do I need to bring?

During the boot camp you will have opportunities to practice what you learn with labs. Having all of your software ready will make it easier to dive into the yummy goodness of exploring the labs. The lab files package will be given to you during the event .If you want to have everything loaded into a virtual PC that would be even better

In order to run these labs you will need to bring:

• Power strip or extension cord
• A computer or laptop:
  • Operating Systems Supported: Windows 7; Windows Server 2008; Windows Server 2008 R2; Windows Vista Service Pack 1; Windows Vista Service Pack 2
  • Microsoft Visual Studio 2010
  • SQL Server 2005 Express Edition (or above)
  • Install the SDK and Tools

Windows Azure Boot Camp Schedule

• Cleveland, OH – January 19, 2011 at 8:30am EDT
• Austin, TX – January 19, 2011 at 8:30am CDT
• Waukesha, WI – January 25, 2011 at 8:30am CDT
• Cincinnati, OH – January 25, 2011 at 8:30am EDT
• Chattanooga, TN – February 1, 2011 at 8:30am EDT
• Tulsa, OK – February 8, 2011 at 8:30am CDT
• Columbus, OH – February 8, 2011 at 8:30am EDT
• Grand Rapids, MI – February 15, 2011 at 8:30am EDT
• Dallas, TX – February 16, 2011 at 8:30am CDT
• Little Rock, AR – February 23, 2011 at 8:30am CDT
• Chicago, IL – February 23, 2011 at 8:30am CDT
• Minneapolis, MN – March 9, 2011 at 8:30am CDT
• Indianapolis, IN – March 9, 2011 at 8:30am CDT
• Houston, TX – March 16, 2011 at 8:30am CDT
• Memphis, TN – March 23, 2011 at 8:30am CDT
• Overland Park, KS – March 30, 2011 at 8:30am CDT
• Nashville, TN – April 6, 2011 at 8:30am CDT
• Southfield, MI – April 13, 2011 at 8:30am EDT
• Downers Grove, IL – April 20, 2011 at 8:30am CDT
• Des Moines, IA – April 26, 2011 at 8:30am CDT
• St. Louis, MO – May 4, 2011 at 8:30am CDT
• Bloomington, MN – May 9, 2011 at 8:30am CDT

If you can’t make it to the in-person events, there are a number of online resources to help with your Azure studies:

• Introduction to Cloud Computing and Windows Azure – originally aired November 29, 2010
• Windows Azure and Web Roles – scheduled for December 6, 2010 at 11am PDT
• Worker Roles – scheduled for December 13, 2010 at 11am PDT
• Working with Messaging and Queues – scheduled for January 3, 2011 at 11am PDT
• Using Windows Azure Tables – scheduled for January 10, 2011 at 11am PDT
• Diving into BLOB Storage – scheduled for January 17, 2011 at 11am PDT
• Diagnostics and Service Management – scheduled for January 24, 2011 at 11am PDT
• SQL Azure – scheduled for January 31, 2011 at 11am PDT
• Connecting with AppFabric – scheduled for February 7, 2011 at 11am PDT
• Cloud Computing Scenarios – scheduled for February 14, 2011 at 11am PDT

Hey everyone – if you’re planning to attend the WP7 Bootcamp event in Little Rock on Wednesday, the venue has changed!  Please make a note of the new location:

University of Arkansas at Little Rock
2801  S. University Avenue
Little Rock, AR 72204
Room: Reynolds College of Business Room 108

Start Dreaming. Start Building.

There has been a tremendous amount of buzz and excitement in the developer community as we get ready to launch Windows Phone 7. There have been over 300,000+ downloads of the Windows Phone 7 developer tools as developers are eager to take advantage of this next wave of computing. To help you along the way, my team is sponsoring a number of *free* Windows Phone 7 Boot Camp training events across the area. The purpose of these boot camps is to provide guidance around building apps and games that target Windows Phone 7 and lead  you down the path to start earning money in the Windows Marketplace.

Training and Hands-on Labs

Throughout the day, we’ll dive deep into the Windows Phone developer tools along with the services and components that allow you to light up your apps on Windows Phone 7. Bring your laptop! In the afternoon, we’ve set aside time for people to walk through various hands-on labs and give them an opportunity to get their hands dirty with the tools. We’ll have experts on hand to answer your questions as well.

Prerequisites for the Hands-on Labs

Unfortunately training machines will not be provided. You are welcome to bring your own machine with WiFi capability. To prepare for the labs, please download the Windows Phone Developer Tools and Windows Phone 7 Training Kit prior to the event. (Note: please check the system requirements on the Windows Phone Developer Tools download page)

App Testing – Bring your XAP!

Have you been working hard over the past few months building the next Angry Birds or the next great Social App? Bring your XAP (or your source code) and we’ll provide an opportunity for you to test it on a real device!

Windows Phone 7 Boot Camp Agenda

8:00 am – 8:30: Registration Opens

8:30 – 12:00pm:

• Overview of the Windows Phone 7 Platform
• An In-Depth View of Building Applications for Windows Phone 7 with Microsoft Silverlight
• WP7 + Data

12:00 – 12:30pm: Lunch

12:30 – 2:30pm:

• Building Games for Windows Phone 7 with XNA
• Making Money with the Windows Marketplace

2:30pm – 5:00pm:

• Hands-on Labs and App testing

Sign me up!

The event is FREE – to register, all you need to do is click on a link representing one of our cities below:

My colleagues over on the East Coast are running a series of Windows Phone training events as well. Check them out!

• Glen Gordon – Windows Phone 7 developers – free training and app building workshops!
• Joe Healy – Windows Phone Garage East Coast Tour – Fall 2010

(Thanks to Dave Bost for letting me copy some of his content for this post)

Saturday, October 23, 2010 – http://nwacodecamp.org

In the fine tradition of other great CodeCamp events across the world, the Northwest Arkansas developer community has announced their next CodeCamp, scheduled for October 23rd at the Tyson World Headquarters in Springdale, AR.  The event is free to attend, and there are several great tracks being planned including software development, project management, IT professional and more!

CALL FOR SPEAKERS IS NOW OPEN!

If you are passionate about a topic you feel the Northwest Arkansas technical community would be interested in, please submit it at http://nwacodecamp.org. The cutoff for speaker registration is October 1, 2010 or when all sessions are filled. Speakers interested in presenting must register on the site and fill out the information for your presentation. We will have many certified professionals presenting at this event, but we are especially looking for local talent.

Topic ideas:

1) .NET 4 and related technologies (themed)
2) Current .NET development topics
3) Non .NET technologies (yes, these are accepted!)
4) UI Design and business related topics

Code camps are volunteer driven events that are free for attendees. As such, speakers are expected to provide for their own travel arrangements. If you are affiliated with an organization that would like to sponsor Northwest Arkansas Code Camp 2010, please contact jay@jaysmith.us.

I’ve submitted 2 sessions – hope to see you there!

Are you ready to gain access to the latest tools, turning your hobby into a source of revenue, or expand your network?

Stop dreaming. Start building. Join us for a new series of Windows Phone 7 Bootcamps where you can get an inside track on how to be part of the next step of Microsoft’s mobile strategy and get hands-on training for building Silverlight-based applications.  These free, live learning sessions explore the latest tools, discuss tips and technologies, and provide access to Windows Phone 7 experts.

ATTEND these special events and learn about:

• the Windows Phone 7 platform
• building Silverlight Applications for Windows Phone 7
• submitting your application to the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace

Take advantage of this opportunity to explore with a Hands-on Lab where you can leverage the Windows Phone 7 Experts and your peers as you build your Windows Phone 7 Application.

Events run from 8am–5pm

Seating for the live event is limited, so register today.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, you might not know that the Northwest Arkansas area hosts an AMAZING developer community that has become exceptionally active over the last 2-3 years. Along with this week’s NWA TechFest, This weekend will host their first (and hopefully frequent) CodeJam.  The CodeJam is designed to help the local developer community develop web applications for their upcoming events, which include NWA GiveCamp and the NWA CommunityCamp.  If you’re interested in helping them build out these applications to support their upcoming events, head over to Jay’s blog and get all the details as well as the link to register:

http://jaysmith.us/post/Code-Jam-1-July-11th-2010-1200-PM-to-.aspx

The time has come to add another fine event to the TechFest family – Northwest Arkansas TechFest 2010

Scheduled for Thursday, July 8th at the Center for Nonprofits in Rogers, Arkansas, NWA TechFest is a community-organized, community-staffed technical conference with a primary focus on providing training/teaching sessions that are immediately beneficial to the broadest range of developers and IT professionals in their day-to-day jobs. They accomplish this with numerous national and international speakers delivering 75 minute sessions on topics that range from Architecture, Development, IT Pro, Project Management and more!

As a proud member of the TechFest family, NWA TechFest asks only that each attendee bring 2 cans of food to be donated to the NWA Food Bank or 2 bucks to be donated to the Jones Center.

REGISTER NOW

Zain Naboulsi, John Weston and I, along with 25 of our closest friends, will be presenting sessions across the 8 different tracks. I myself will be delivering 2 sessions at NWA TechFest – one on building Silverlight Applications for Windows Phone 7, and one on the SketchFlow features in Expression Blend 4.

Follow these links to stay connected to what’s going on with NWA TechFest 2010!

Did you get to attend MIX 2010?  If so, I know you found it to be full of great information about our latest and greatest web technologies, and gave you some great insight into where some of our tools and technologies are headed.

But what if you didn�t get to go?  You could navigate your way through 141+ hours of content on the http://live.vistmix.com web site and try to pull out some of the more important nuggets (and I think you ultimately should) but that would take at least 90 hours (presuming you watch all the video on 1.5 speed in Windows Media Player having downloaded all the content the weekend before you started watching).

Another option is to attend a ugMIX event in your area.  Popular all across Microsoft�s Central Region, ugMIX is a highlight-reel of the top stories to come from MIX 2010 focusing on the key messages for developers.  Each district, and potentially each speaker, is doing something different, but all of us agree that MIX was a really important conference this year and one you should definitely catch up on.

For my part, I�ve just completed 2 of my 4 currently scheduled ugMIX talks, one at the Dallas ASP.NET user group and one at the Fort Worth .NET User Group.  I�ll be in Tulsa on Monday to bring MIX to them, and if you�re interested, we can make arrangements for me to bring it to you (see note at bottom of post).

Here�s the outline of what my version of ugMIX showcases:

• OData � a uniform way for sharing your data across organizational boundaries, the OData is your data over REST.  We�ll show what OData is, how you use it, and write some code to consume it.
• Windows Phone 7 Series � A new phone, designed for a life in motion. Calling all Silverlight developers – we�ll look at the phone design, specs and philosophy while writing some code using the free development environment (which includes a FREE express version of the Blend 4 Beta with Windows Phone 7 Series support)!
• Silverlight 4 � Overview of what�s new in the Silverlight 4 RC and show some cool code demos of those new features in action.
• Internet Explorer 9 Platform Preview � interested in where IE9 is heading? I�ll show you the IE9 Platform Preview, released at MIX 2010, as we discuss the team�s plans for supporting HTML5, CSS3, in-line SVG graphics and hardware-acceleration in the browser.

I�ve shared a copy of my slide deck if you want to get a head start, but I can�t share all my demos at this time, unfortunately�  I can provide other links, though, to help you get started on this amazing new platform!

• My ugMIX deck
• Mix Session List
• OData.org
• Download Silverlight 4 RC and Silverlight Developer Tools RC
• Download the Windows Phone 7 Series developer tools preview
• Expression Blend 4 Beta
• Expression Blend 4 Beta SDK for Windows Phone

I look forward to seeing you at the next ugMIX!

Note: this offer good only in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, UK, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Japan.