So true...

http://blogs.msdn.com/steverowe/archive/2007/05/23/right-wrong-and-software-design.aspx

The technology code named Astoria is a technology that enables applications to expose data as a data service that can be consumed by web clients within corporate networks and across the internet. The Astoria data service is reachable over regular HTTP requests, and standard HTTP verbs such as GET, POST, PUT and DELETE are used to perform operations against the service. The use of web-friendly technologies make Astoria ideal as a data back-end for AJAX-style applications, Rich Interactive Applications and other applications that need to operate against data that lives across the web.

http://blogs.msdn.com/davbosch/archive/2007/05/10/project-code-name-astoria.aspx

Project Codename “Jasper”, aka Dynamic ADO.NET is a set of extensions to the ADO.NET Entity Framework designed to enable iterative (repeated loops) and agile development of powerful, real world data driven applications. Built atop the ADO.NET Entity Framework, Jasper supports rich queries and complex mapping, and allows users to interface by naming controls according to their models without worrying about binding code.

I did the beta in february. Results are out and I passed it.

The following list includes the topic areas covered on this exam. The percentage indicates the portion of the exam that addresses a particular skill.

http://blogs.msdn.com/bharry/archive/2007/03/26/microsoft-acquires-teamplain.aspx

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/teamsystem/bb407307.aspx

Most recently, a group of Avanade and Accenture colleagues collaborated to publish their expertise on the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) in their book, Pro WCF: Practical Microsoft SOA Implementation, released this January. The work explains WCF from an SOA perspective, and illustrates the importance of WCF to web service development and architecture. The development of the book was a truly collaborative effort that included:

§  Avanade UK Senior Solution Architect Amit Bahree http://desigeek.com/weblog/amit

§  Avanade US Solution Architect Shawn Cicoria http://www.cicoria.com/cs1/blogs/cedarlogic

§  Avanade Netherlands Senior Principal Consultant Dennis Mulder www.dennismulder.net

§  Avanade Australia Solution Architect Chris Peiris http://www.chrispeiris.com/

The authors of Pro WCF: Practical Microsoft SOA Application will conduct two webcasts with Microsoft. The first, scheduled for April 10 at 2 p.m. PST, is targeted at the technical audience. The second, scheduled for April 11 at 2 p.m. PST, is meant for CTOs and the tech-savvy business audience. Both are open to the public.

§  To register for the technical webcast, go to http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=6440184, click the Registration link, and an email with further instructions will be mailed to you.

§  To register for the CTO webcast, go to http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=6455035, click the Registration link, and an email with further instructions will be mailed to you.

Note: A Microsoft Windows Live ID account is required to view all Microsoft webcasts. If you do not have an account you can set one up now at login.live.com.

If you work with VSTS and haven't seen this, check it out now: http://www.codeplex.com/VSTSGuidance

Must read, know and understand for anyone leading others:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situational_leadership_theory

"If you want seamless integration between systems implemented on disparate technologies, if you want to plug legacy systems in an SOA environment, if you want to have composite applications based on multiple services, if you want dynamic discovery and binding capabilities, if you want true interoperability, in short if you want to resolve all of your integration nightmares, then ladies and gentlemen I give you the ENTERPRISE SILVER BULLET (ESB).

The ESB is a magical and nebulous piece of software that plugs itself in the middle of your enterprise with neat bidirectional arrows going to boxes labeled ‘mainframe systems’, ‘Java Systems’, ‘.NET systems’ and ‘other legacy assets’, it is all you will ever need to reduce costs, increase your time to market and optimize your IT operations etc. etc. and etc. "

Where did you hear this before....

Read about the real story and the context of the above quote: http://blogs.msdn.com/mohammadakif/default.aspx