You can now download a gadget to display the latest posts to The Region.

In this video, I demonstrate how to start writing your first Silverlight game. I show how to create a dramatic space scene, add a soundtrack, and associate movement with the mouse wheel. This is the first part of a two-part series.

[watch the video]
[download the code]

One of my favorite highlights of the MVP Summit is when the top executives get on stage and allow anyone in the audience to ask any kind of question.

Think about that for a moment.

I have worked for a "Fortune 500" company in the past where the CEO sat on stage and took pre-screened questions from his employees - questions he had time to reflect on before answering. 

This is not the case at the MVP Summits.  This year, Ray Ozzie and Steve Ballmer were open to answering questions from the vast sea of MVPs.  Keep in mind, we are not Microsoft employees, and we are keenly aware of "challenges" Microsoft faces in multiple dimensions. That said, any one of us could simply stand in line before one of four microphones in the audience and ask a question or "provide feedback".

A good number of questions this year centered around SharePoint and Groove. 

The final question in Steve Ballmer's session was from a first-year MVP.  His question was not about the future of any technology.  He did not ask about whether an existing technology would continue to be supported.  He did not complain about an issue he had with Microsoft.  He simply wanted to know if the CEO of Microsoft slept well at night.  Steve did not hesitate with his reply.  With a big smile, Steve replied (in part): "I sleep good... real good... I get 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night".

When a company follows through with the claim "#1 Service & Support", it is rare.  In many cases, companies don't follow through with minimal expectations.

It is nice to have a business relationship with a hosting company that does a great job with customer service.  I am about to do some radical changes to my personal web site (www.palermo4.com) which I have hosted at www.OrcsWeb.com.  I needed some infrastucture support, and I needed the work done urgently.  Through the administration interface, I was able to do quite a bit.  But when I ran into a technical difficulty, I needed quick answers from the ORCS Web support, that is exactly what I got.

A special thanks to Peter Viola for his quick response time!