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Markus on Development and PublishingThis is Markus Egger's professional blog, which covers topics such as development, publishing, and business in general. As the publisher of CoDe and CoDe Focus magazines, and as the President and Chief Software Architect of EPS Software Corp., Markus shares his insights and opinions on this blog.
Markus on Development and Publishing
This is Markus Egger's professional blog, which covers topics such as development, publishing, and business in general. As the publisher of CoDe and CoDe Focus magazines, and as the President and Chief Software Architect of EPS Software Corp., Markus shares his insights and opinions on this blog.
Sunday, September 13, 2015My Houston TechFest 2015 SlidesHouston TechFest 2015 has been another great event. Kudos to the organizers!I was part of "The Business of Software" Panel, and I presented 3 sessions: Microsoft Edge Compatibility, Intro to JavaScript for non-JS Developers, and Introducing the Windows Universal App Platform. You can download my slides for all these sessions here.Also, the Windows 10 Continuum Video I showed during the Universal App session, can be found on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oi1B9fjVs4Enjoy!Posted @ 6:32 AM by Markus Egger (firstname.lastname@example.com) - Comments (1460)
Sunday, September 13, 2015My Houston TechFest 2015 Slides
Houston TechFest 2015 has been another great event. Kudos to the organizers!
I was part of "The Business of Software" Panel, and I presented 3 sessions: Microsoft Edge Compatibility, Intro to JavaScript for non-JS Developers, and Introducing the Windows Universal App Platform. You can download my slides for all these sessions here.
Also, the Windows 10 Continuum Video I showed during the Universal App session, can be found on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oi1B9fjVs4
Sunday, September 09, 2012My Houston TechFest 2012 Session Materials (Win8)
Houston TechFest 2012 is in the books! Great event at Reliant Park/Center. Much nicer venue than the prior years, and lots of people showed up. Congrats to the organizers!
I did two sessions. Basically a part 1 and part 2 for Windows 8 development (WinRT/Metro). This can basically be seen as part of our "Road to Windows 8" and "State of .NET" series of events. You can download both slide decks as well as all the examples (including the Xiine example) now. Here is the download link.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012Spring 2012 State of .NET Events – The Road to Windows 8
I am getting ready for our upcoming series of State of .NET events, which will take us/me to Philly, New York, and Boston.
As always, these events are completely free of charge. Each is an afternoon loaded with information about .NET in general and also about Windows 8 development. I am hoping you will find the content valuable regardless of whether you are looking to do Windows 8 development (now or in the future) or whether you are just looking for general .NET information.
You can find more information and sign up at www.StateOfDotNet.com.
Here is some more information from the official statement about this series of events:
Join Markus Egger and CODE Magazine for an afternoon of free .NET and Windows 8 developer know-how!
The industry is in a state of flux. What does that mean for your software projects today and tomorrow? Will your skills be outdated? Will your current investment become obsolete? What should you focus on right now? And what will become important a year or two down the road? Will there be .NET in the future? And what other technologies do you need to learn?
This free event attempts to answer these questions and more, by taking an unbiased look at current and future development with .NET and other relevant Microsoft technologies. This includes Visual Studio 2010 technologies as well as an in-depth look at what is coming in the next version of Visual Studio ("VS11") and Windows 8.
Join Markus Egger, Microsoft RD and one of the longest running MVPs, for an afternoon of free information. CODE Magazine and EPS Software are in a unique position to share information based on real world experience in projects that are either our own or one of the many projects we get to see in our role as mentors, trainers and consultants, as well as feedback we receive from CODE Magazine readers. This is NOT marketing hype! We will tell you which information you should invest time and money in, and which ones to avoid.
Topics Include:
Windows 8
Metro" Development
The impact of Windows 8 on today's development effort
The future of C# and VB
The future of HTML and JavaScript
The future of C++
Visual Studio 11
WPF, Silverlight, and other XAML technologies today and tomorrow
Architecture to serve the needs of modern applications
The need for SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) today and tomorrow
HTML 5, CSS3, and JavaScript
ASP.NET MVC, Razor and jQuery
"Visual Studio Async"
Windows Phone 7 and other mobile devices
and more!
Attendees of this free event will come away with a clear understanding of which technologies to use for various technical challenges. Questions? Please e-mail email@example.com or call 832-717-4445 x13. For additional information, please visit www.codemag.com/stateofdotnet.
Note: This event is co-hosted by EPS Software Corp. and Microsoft Corporation. EPS is responsible for all content presented at this event.
Join Markus Egger and CODE Magazine for an afternoon of free .NET and Windows 8 developer know-how!
The industry is in a state of flux. What does that mean for your software projects today and tomorrow? Will your skills be outdated? Will your current investment become obsolete? What should you focus on right now? And what will become important a year or two down the road? Will there be .NET in the future? And what other technologies do you need to learn?
This free event attempts to answer these questions and more, by taking an unbiased look at current and future development with .NET and other relevant Microsoft technologies. This includes Visual Studio 2010 technologies as well as an in-depth look at what is coming in the next version of Visual Studio ("VS11") and Windows 8.
Join Markus Egger, Microsoft RD and one of the longest running MVPs, for an afternoon of free information. CODE Magazine and EPS Software are in a unique position to share information based on real world experience in projects that are either our own or one of the many projects we get to see in our role as mentors, trainers and consultants, as well as feedback we receive from CODE Magazine readers. This is NOT marketing hype! We will tell you which information you should invest time and money in, and which ones to avoid.
Topics Include:
Attendees of this free event will come away with a clear understanding of which technologies to use for various technical challenges. Questions? Please e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com or call 832-717-4445 x13. For additional information, please visit www.codemag.com/stateofdotnet.
Note: This event is co-hosted by EPS Software Corp. and Microsoft Corporation. EPS is responsible for all content presented at this event.
Friday, March 30, 2012DevConncetions 2012 Session Notes and Slides
I have just uploaded my slide decks from my 2 DevConnections presentations:
You can download them by clicking here.
Also, check out the "XAML Dialect Comparer" tool I used in my sessions, which you can get from CodePlex: http://xamldialects.codeplex.com
In addition, check out CODE Framework at http://codemag.com/framework or http://codeframework.codeplex.com
You may also be interested in the upcoming free State of .NET events, which are free one-afternoon events loaded with information. More here: www.StateOfDotNet.com
And not to forget, check out some of our upcoming training classes which also cover a lot of this stuff. Details on http://codemag.com/training. In particular, the Windows 8 Development class, the SOA class, the various WPF classes, and the CODE Framework class may be of interest to you.
Thursday, October 20, 2011Session Materials for Houston TechFest 2011
Houston TechFest 2011 is in the books, and it was a fun event with around 1000 people. Congrats to the organizers!
If you are interested in the PowerPoint slides for the event, here is a link. This includes slides for:
Also, related to these topics, I have been referring to a several different articles and code samples throughout my talks. Here are links to those:
Also, if you are interested in downloading the free (and open source) version of our CODE Framework, check out Codeplex: http://codeframework.codeplex.com
Also related (and some people asked about this) are some of the training classes we have scheduled. You can generally find information about our upcoming training classes at www.codemag.com/training. In particular, the following classes are related to the topics discussed at TechFest 2011:
Note that all our training events can also be booked on-site and even customized for your needs, in addition to standard locations and online participation.
Hint: Ping Christopher (firstname.lastname@example.com) and tell him you went to my TechFest session and sweet-talk him into a discount ;-)
We have several State of .NET events coming up (these are our free, one-afternoon-long, info-loaded presentations about current .NET topics, which currently includes a lot of Windows 8 but also other stuff). General information can be found at www.StateOfDotNet.com. If you came to my TechFest sessions, you are probably most interested in our Texas events:
Friday, June 10, 2011Session Materials for the Spring 2011 State of .NET Events
For those of you who have attended our State of .NET Events in the Spring of 2011 (or for those of you who would have liked to but couldn't), here are download links for the session materials:
Also, check out 2 articles I wrote for CODE Magazine:
In addition, here are links to some of the live sites that were demonstrated:
During the presentation, I also kept referring to a recording of last Fall's State of .NET events. Here is a link to that:
Friday, June 10, 2011Session Materials from DevTeach Montreal 2011
It's conferences galore these days! I also just presented at DevTeach 2011 in Montreal as well as State of .NET Montreal. I will blog about State of .NET separately (and also visit www.StateOfDotNet.com), but here are my session materials and examples for DevTeach:
Friday, June 10, 2011Session Materials from DevConnections Germany 2011 (Karlsruhe)
I just returned from DevConnections 2011 in Karlsruhe, Germany. I presented on a variety of different things:
Here is a list of the materials I am able to share on my blog:
Friday, May 06, 2011More Free State of .NET Events Coming Up!
We are getting close to 3 more State of .NET events, where we will provide some beefy information around various .NET technologies and techniques for free. The events take an afternoon. They are geared towards both developers and IT decision makers. And as always, we are aiming to provide some serious information without any marketing fluff.
You can sign up for free and get all the details at at www.codemag.com/training.
Here is some of the official information pasted into this post:
Brought to you by Microsoft, CODE Training & EPS Software, this free afternoon event presents an unbiased look at the current and future development with .NET. Join Markus Egger, for an afternoon of free and independent information about current Microsoft development technologies! What is the state of .NET today? Which of the many .NET technologies have gained traction? Which ones can you ignore for now? What other Microsoft technologies should you include in your development efforts? This event is completely free of charge and is designed for developers as well as IT decision makers. Specific prior knowledge is not required. Attendees of this event will come away with a clear understanding of which technologies to use for various technical challenges.
This is NOT Microsoft marketing hype - this is based on our real-world development experience with various technologies.
Topics will include:
Wednesday, March 30, 2011Slide Decks and Examples for DevConnections 2011 Orlando
Here is a link to download my examples and slides for my presentations at DevConnections 2011 in Orlando.
This includes the following talks:
Also, I kept referring to 2 articles in my WPF/SL productivity talks here are the links to those:
Wednesday, March 16, 2011Code PaLOUsa Samples
I recently presented at the Code PaLOUsa conference on super-productive WPF and Silverlight work. You can find the slide decks for my 2 sessions here:
You can also download the samples from here:
Furthermore, there are my articles (published in CODE Magazine) explaining the same general topics as I addressed in my sessions, but they also go into a lot more detail:
Tuesday, February 08, 2011Windows Phone Developer Tools January 2011 Update Available Now
Microsoft just published the January 2011 Update for the Windows Phone Developer Tools. I have just started working with the new version, so I can't claim a huge amount of experience, but it seems to be a good update and one that every developer should be using.
Here is what Microsoft says about the update:
February 7, 2011Windows Phone Developer Tools January 2011 Update Available NowWe are happy to announce the immediate availability of the Windows Phone Developer Tools January 2011 Update. The January Update is comprised of two installation files; it includes updated reference assemblies, a new version of the Windows Phone OS emulator image and several minor bug fixes in addition to those previously released as part of the October 2010 Update.
The January Update provides updated Silverlight controls that enable copy and paste functionality. At this time this is limited to TextBox controls, as well as controls derived from the TextBox class. It is important to note that most applications already published will automatically receive the benefits of copy and paste when customers update their devices with the upcoming Windows Phone 7 OS update. However, you may need to recompile your apps to improve user experience if you are using a Map or TextBox control within a Panorama or Pivot control.
Despite not being recommended, some apps today allow users to interact with Silverlight TextBox controls within other controls such as Panorama and Pivots. In these cases, once Windows Phone 7 devices receive the update, customers may unintentionally change panes when trying to copy text. You can avoid this problem by downloading the January Update, recompiling, and resubmitting your applications to App Hub using the updated Pivot and Panorama controls.
Download the updated Windows Phone Developer Tools and read the installation instructions on the Download Center page.
Tuesday, February 08, 2011Registration for Mix 11 (Las Vegas) is now open!
You can now register for Microsoft's Mix 11 conference, which will be held in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay resort from April 11-14th 2011. If you register by February 11, you qualify for an early bird discount.
I personally always find Mix to be one of the most enjoyable Microsoft conferences. (And the fact that it is at the Mandalay Bay resort this year, is a nice bonus). Mix has always been Microsoft's "Web and UI" conference, which focuses mostly on all things web (HTML, ASP.NET, HTML5, CSS3,…) and of course the rich web technologies, especially Silverlight. Maybe even some WPF. And with IE9 coming, and Silverlight 5 pending true announcement, it should be an interesting event.
I am planning to go. I already have a very full conference schedule this Spring, but I think this one is important enough to make it happen.
Thursday, January 13, 2011WebMatrix Released to Web
Microsoft is releasing the new WebMatrix IDE to the web at CodeMash (www.codemash.com) today. For all the details and downloads, visit http://web.ms/enter or www.Microsoft.com/web/webmatrix.
WebMatrix is an interesting project/product, IMO. It aims to make web development much easier on the Microsoft platform. Web development is not just the domain of experts anymore who builds large and complex web applications and web sites. Instead, there are many things on the web that can be created by anyone. Besides, not every web project done by a professional needs to be made complex and difficult. These are the scenarios Web Matrix aims for. It is not a tool for every need (and neither is any other tool, for that matter), but it serves a very specific purpose.
I often like to look at the development landscape as a whole, and you can imagine it on a graph that plots difficulty/freedom (2 things that are often closely related) and flexibility and supported deployment scenarios on the two axis. Kinda like this:
Now this is not meant to be a scientific chart, and I am sure lots of people have opinions as to why certain bubbles should be in a slightly different place on the chart, and those people are probably right. But that is not the point of this chart. The point is the overall idea it communicates. For instance, if you take Access, it is a tool that gives you a lot less control than tools like Visual Studio. Obviously, you will not build XNA apps in Access for instance. Access has a defined purpose. It also has well defined deployment scenarios. You are not deploying an Access app to an iPhone for instance. And all that is OK. It doesn't make Access a lesser product. It just defines it's target differently. So most places on this diagram are just as desirable as others (except perhaps the top/left… although even there are good reasons to be there, such as if you want to do iPad development).
Tools like Visual Studio .NET and Java are in the top/right corner. Awesome flexibility in both freedom/sophistication and supported deployment scenarios. That is great for a lot of things. But here's the thing. Until recently, Microsoft did not have anything for the bottom/right area of the chart: Scenarios that fit an 80% or 90% need (such as the typical web site/app) that are easy and super-productive to use at the expense of control over every tiny detail.
WebMatrix (and also LightSwitch) fit neatly into that part of the chart (with exact positions up to personal preference). And better yet: If you need the flexibility to combine the easy of these tools with the power of Visual Studio, you can! And thus you are easily elevated further up in the chart. It is the best of both worlds!
So check out WebMatrix! It is an easy and productive web development tool for the masses. It supports the usual Microsoft technologies. It also supports tons of open source offerings and other frameworks and technologies, from PHP to Wordpress to Joomla, DotNetNuke, Umbraco, and others.
Thursday, January 06, 2011Thinking about 3D TVs
3D TVs are cool in a way. Or at least, they are supposed to be. A recent discussion on the Puck Podcast got me thinking a bit more about this technology. But frankly, I can't really get excited about them, and I certainly won't be buying any any time soon. Here's why:
The theory of 3D TVs is pretty awesome. Clearly, a 3D picture is much more exciting than a 2D picture. And I get that for a wide range of things, the theoretic experience is awesome. On the Puck Podcast, the technology was discussed in relation to sporting events. Seeing a hockey game (or most other sport for that matter) in 3D is pretty cool in concept. Ideas like putting a 3D camera into the hockey goal to see how quickly the puck travels and all that is certainly something I can get excited about. And beyond that, watching movies like Avatar in 3D is obviously an experience people crave.
But the problem is that all these awesome visions of how 3D should and could be, really aren't brought to live with today's approach to 3D TVs.
First of all, it starts with the problem of the glasses. You have to wear glasses that are heavy and awkward. And while you are wearing these glasses, you are not doing anything else either. You have to be 100% committed to watching TV. I hardly ever do that. Most of the time, I work while I watch a hockey game, or I eat something, or I browse through a magazine during the commercial break. Not with 3D glasses on you aren't!
And of course, this works the other way too: I often end up yelling "did you see this goal?!?" and people come running to see the replay of the goal (or I rewind my TiVo to show them the goal again, but I would need a different DVR to do so, and I am not aware of a lot of good ones that do this at this point… but I may not be completely up to date here…). But without their glasses, they won't be doing that, will they? Like I said: 3D TVs are an all or nothing proposition.
Note also that due to how the glasses work, every other light source in the room appears to flicker. It is an extremely distracting effect that you will not notice when you check out a 3D TV in a store or at a friend's house, but you will certainly notice it a few days after you bought your own 3D TV. So you better keep your eyes glued to the TV at all times.
I have heard people say to them glasses are not a problem, because they already wear glasses. Oh yeah? So you will be wearing 2 sets of glasses at once now?!? That's going to be a great experience. Not! I guess you could wear contacts, but I am not even sure how that really works since the distance to the 3D glasses is so short (maybe someone can comment on this post to enlighten us on the success level with 3D glasses and contact lenses). And just because you are used to wearing glasses doesn't mean you are used to wearing huge and heavy glasses like the 3D ones are. And they are not especially shaped or sized to your head either. So the experience of wearing 3D glasses is certainly going to be much worse than wearing regular glasses.
Not to mention the price of the glasses! At about $150 each, your main expense for your new TV will likely not be the TV but the glasses, unless you always watch by yourself. If you are planning a Super Bowl party with 10 of your best friends, get ready to shell out $1,500 just for the glasses. And then how thrilled are you going to be to have a bunch of drunk dudes wearing $1,500 worth of high teach gear?!?
I also heard people refer to public places that might show events in 3D. "Surely, there must be a sports bar that has the 3D sets" people say. Well, while I do not doubt that there will be some sports bars that are going to use exactly that as their main selling point, I doubt there will be many. These sports bars will be "concept bars" that cost a buttload to equip. Not just will they have to buy the 3D TVs, but they will also have to buy a few hundred sets of goggles. Granted, they will probably get a discount, but still, it is a huge expense. And again: How happy would you be to give these goggles to your patrons? A bunch of drunk people who tend to drop stuff and walk all over it and scratch them, and dip them into the beer, and so forth. You will have to buy new glasses on an ongoing basis. I just do not see that happen as a widespread thing. Not to mention that it might be extremely tempting for a lot of people to slip these glasses into their pocket on the way out. So the bar would also have to invest in a good security system (or perhaps tether you to a wall… a nice experience that would be!). Besides, I wonder what it would be like to be in a room with 20 3D TVs all showing 3D content that appears to be overlapping in the room ahead of you. I have never experienced this, but I would imagine it would be extremely odd.
But the glasses aren't the only problem really. When people think of 3D TVs, they are thinking of the experience they had in an iMax 3D theater. You sit in your stationary chair in a fixed position, and you watch the amazing imagery with stuff popping out of the screen, seemingly hovering right in front of you. And surely, that is the experience we expect at home.
Well, the reality is, it isn't like that at home. For one, most 3D TVs create an image that doesn't so much "pop out" of the screen, but the illusion generally is one of there being "a tunnel into the screen" or a "falling in" effect. And besides, most people's brains are smart enough to figure out (after a few hours) that the illusion really just is an illusion, and that things are not quite right. The image then look "a bit odd" and although you can't quite put your finger on it, the image quality really isn't what you'd expect it to be either. It just all seems a bit "wobbly" (which may also be why people may be getting headaches watching 3D TVs). So while 3D TVs generally create a very high quality image (like all modern HDTVs, really…), that is not necessarily the subjective impression you get when watching them.
Also, while in a theater, you are entirely stationary in your seat, with little room to move, this is not the case in a home setup. I tend to move around a bit, even while I am on my couch. And often of course, I may move in and our of the room to get something or I move to a different seat or shift into a different position laying down. I really do not know anyone who sits as stationary at home as they do in a movie theater. Just give it a try: Sit there without moving much for an hour or two and see how realistic and fun that is!
So what is the problem with moving around anyway? Well, the thing is that 3D TVs of course do not create a 3D scene. They just show a picture that is shot stereoscopic (with 2 cameras, basically, that are slightly off, just like your 2 eyes create 2 pictures that are slightly off) from a fixed point (one could really say our current technology is 2.5D). This works as long as the viewer doesn't move and assumes to be at the position the camera is. But here's the problem: Let's say you are looking at a box straight on. What would you expect to see when you move to the left? Correct! You would expect to see the left side of the box. But that doesn't work with 3D TV. Instead, you can move as far to the left as you want and you still see the box straight on. This creates an effect that is contrary to how three-dimensional environments work in the real world, and it appears as if your TV moved the picture deliberately, anticipating your every move, in an attempt to outwit or annoy you. I find this effect to be at the very least annoying and at worst to be disorienting and nausea inducing. And it certainly destroys the 3D effect.
So in short: To enjoy a 3D TV, you need to be 100% committed to setting yourself up exactly the way you need to be to get a good 3D illusion. You also need to be committed to paying a lot of money. And you need to expect to either get headaches (for some people) or at least have a much more exhausting TV viewing experience (for the rest of us) that will not allow you to watch 3D TVs are leisurely and long as you do a regular TV. But on the upside, you will probably get a more muscular neck from wearing the heavy glasses. Keeping your head perfectly still will more likely result in stiffness and soreness than muscle growth though.
But aren't there 3D TVs without glasses? Yes, there are some announcements around that (just Google for it). But while these TVs have the advantage that they do not require glasses, they also only work if the viewer sits in just the perfect position. So no Super Bowl party there, unless you all want to sit on each other's laps. Besides, many of the other problems still apply or are even made worse (like the need to be stationary and the odd movement effect). Also, from what I can tell, this gets us back into territory with picture quality that is not very good, and the overall viewing experience is not very good (yet?).
So I am not going for it! I think the concept is cool, and I think at some point, we may be able to achieve 3D viewing that really turns the vision we all love into a reality. But the point is: We are not there yet. Yes, I love the idea of seeing the puck being shot at me from within the goal and me seeing that at a high level of quality and comfort. But alas, that is not yet available. And we are a long way off, because the current approach will not get us there, unfortunately. But once the day comes where we overcome these limitations, I am going to be among the first to buy!
Currently, 3D - at least to me - is a specialty technology that is best experienced in a movie theater.
Friday, December 24, 2010Comparing e-Readers (Kindle, Sony Reader, iPad/iPhone,...)
I love reading. I am a publisher. I am a programmer. Reason enough for me to love e-Readers. In fact, with our own Xiine reading and publishing platform (www.Xiine.com) I have been involved in writing e-Readers starting at the very early days. As a result, I have had ample opportunity to compare various e-Reading approaches and software as well as hardware. Here is my personal opinion on the subject:
Let me come out with it right away: I think the Kindle platform is by far the best offering. Unlike all competitors, it is not just a single device or a single application, but it is a soup to nuts solution the integrates everything from reading on various devices to buying books, and so forth. But the Kindle has its downsides too. From proprietary file formats to poor support internationally. So let's take a look at the most important devices and platforms:
Amazon's Kindle is both a hardware device and a software system that drives it. The main Kindle device currently is the "Kindle 3", which is now available with a cell connection ("3G" as lots of people call it, although it doesn't seem that the actual speed is 3G) and a WiFi connection (the model with WiFi only is less expensive selling for an inexpensive $139 at the time I write this - Christmas 2010). Amazon also sells the larger Kindle DX, which was originally conceived for better magazine and newspaper reading and such, but for most reading purposes, the smaller Kindle is the way to go. It is far less expensive and it is simply a more convenient form factor. And I also recommend the one with the cell connection. It is awesome. It is always there and ready to use. No configuration. No extra cost. It just works. Compared to the hassles with some of the other readers (like trying to get a Sony Reader to recognize a WiFi network), this alone is reason enough to pick the Kindle.
The Kindle hardware is great. The device is light and the size is perfect. The buttons on the device used to flip pages are conveniently located. The built-in keyboard is crappy, but you will not need it much, so it serves its purpose. It uses an e-Ink screen, which may look unappealing when you just check the device out at first, but it is actually awesome in real reading-mode. The fact that it doesn't act as an active light source is great too. The Kindle screen only reflects light, which means that it reflects just enough light at just about all lighting conditions. You will be pleased reading the Kindle screen in low-light conditions under a warm light source and you will also be happy with it on a beach in glaring sunlight. This fact alone sells me on the device.
There are other nice aspects about the hardware too. The device isn't super-fast (and you will not use it to browse the Internet, even though is has limited abilities on that front), but it is fast enough so you never worry about speed. And the battery life is awesome. It simply is a non factor. I charge mine once every few weeks. The latest devices have a 1-month battery life. I guess mine gets pretty close to that too. I am not totally sure. I just charge mine on occasion (perhaps every 2-3 weeks) and do not worry about it much. Another one of those worry-free hardware aspects is the always-available cell connection (even International on the latest devices) which is included free of charge (note that international charges may apply). This means that you can get new content anywhere any time, without having to worry about finding a wireless hotspot or needing a monthly data plan and contract.
One of the most important aspects of the Kindle however is the software side and the soup-to-nuts approach Amazon is taking. You can buy new content directly from your Kindle device and its integration of the Amazon.com shopping experience. It is quick and painless the way you'd expect it from Amazon (and much better than anything competitors provide). Or, you can shop on Amazon.com's regular web site and have the purchases delivered to your device from there. In fact, Amazon always remembers what you already bought. You can remove titles from your device and add it back later. Amazon acts as your "bookshelf in the cloud". And this integration goes further. You can have multiple devices and shuffle books around. When you read a book on once device, you can pick up another device and it will know how far you read. Why would you want multiple devices? Well, you probably won't have multiple Kindle devices, but you probably have a phone or slate and Amazon has clients for those. It is a very common scenario for me to read on the Kindle, then go somewhere and I pick up my iPhone, launch the Kindle app, and continue reading just where I left off. Amazon's pervasive support for the Kindle reader on just about all devices (from iPhone to iPad to Android phones, PCs, Mac, Windows Phone, and more) is another feature that makes the overall setup vastly more appealing than any of the competitive offerings.
It is important to realize that the Kindle uses a different file format from most e-Readers. Amazon purchased MobiPocket a while back, and that is the file format used by the Kindle platform (although with a different file extension). That means that the Kindle can use all files that come directly from the Kindle store as well as MobiPocket files you copy to the Kindle manually. In addition, the Kindle has some ability around showing PDFs and other formats like Word documents. However, to make this happen on the common Kindle devices, Amazon converts these files for you, or at least attempts to do so. Having this non-standard file format also means that if Amazon ever decides to abandon the Kindle, or if you ever decide you want a different e-Reader, you are pretty much out of luck and your entire e-Library is useless at that point.
In general, it should be noted that file formats like PDF and Word are not great file formats for e-Readers. Especially PDF is exceptionally crappy, because PDF is a page-oriented format. In other words: It defines what a page is like. And if that page is slightly bigger than the screen of the e-Reader, then you have yourself one crappy reading experience, as it isn't reliably possible to re-format the document on the fly. (And a PDF's pages are almost always larger than e-Readers can show, with perhaps the exception of the Kindle DX). So regardless of which e-Reader you have, PDF may sometimes save your bacon, but by and large, you want to avoid these files like the plague.
Here is one more dirty secret you may not know about the Kindle: If you copy files over either through a Kindle cable, or by sending it to your Amazon.com Kindle email address which then forwards it to your device (possibly converted and almost certainly for a fee) than that is a very different ball of wax than the standard Kindle content is. When you do this sort of stuff, you can only read the document on your Kindle device and not on your phone or iPad or PC. And even if you have more than one Kindle device, the different devices aren't aware of what is going on on other devices. So if you email a MobiPocket file to your Kindle, don't expect it to show up on your iPhone. And don't expect your Kindle DX to know how far you read on your regular Kindle. There is no integration there. I am not sure why. To me, it removes a large part of the appeal of the Kindle. And no third party software (like Calibre) will fix that for you. If you want to deal with your own files, then you simply do not get many of the Kindle benefits. (Note: If you are outside the US, this is especially disappointing, since you will practically always deal with your own files… see below).
A lot of people also ask me about the actual reading experience on the Kindle and how I like the screen. Like I mention above, the e-Ink screen is awesome for extended reading sessions under just about any lighting condition (not to mention the low battery consumption). Of course the one lighting condition the Kindle does not do well at is complete darkness, since it doesn't have a display that emits any light at all. So you need some sort of external light source. Personally, I have a book-light I clip to the device, which works very well for me. This is the setup I would recommend for all e-Readers that are based on e-Ink technology (like the Kindle and the Sony Reader, among others). Using a book light, I get a very comfortable reading experience. I have also tried to read on my iPad in an otherwise dark room. Of course the iPad has the advantage that you can see the display in the dark, but it is so glaring (regardless of the settings) that it does not result in a nice reading experience in a really dark room in my opinion.
One other aspect about Kindle that I want to go out of my way to point out is their customer service. Normally, when I have to deal with customer service, I am just about ready to kill myself. But when you call Kindle customer service, someone picks up the phone right away. I had 2 broken Kindles so far (on one, a piece of the plastic broke off, on the other, I had a faulty screen that made outside reading a pain). On both occasions, not a lot of questions were asked. Amazon simply overnighted me another Kindle while I still held on to mine. They also included a return-box for the broken one so I could ship the problematic device back after receiving the new one. Quick, painless, and completely hassle free. It is by far the best customer service experience I had this millennium.
So there is a lot of good stuff there and very little downside. One other aspect shall not go unnoticed however: If you are outside the US, the Kindle probably is not for you. Although Amazon offers the Kindle internationally these days, there simply isn't much available around it. You can buy the Kindle in Germany, but you can only get English books (by and large). It is basically a US offering sold in other countries. If you expect to read the latest novel in your native language, you are out of luck. This is completely puzzling to me. After all, Amazon has a strong presence in a number of countries, and I thought for sure that Christmas 2010 would be when Kindle really hits internationally. But apparently not so. The only option you have is to get books from somewhere else and then somehow convert them over to MobiPocket format. Some apps (like Calibre) can help you with that, but as mentioned above, when you do this sort of stuff, a large number of Kindle's unique features go away.
So bottom line: If you are in the US, the Kindle is the way to go. Otherwise, not so much.
The Sony Reader is a slick device. Nicely designed. I would argue it looks better than the Kindle. It uses the same screen technology (e-Ink) and thus exhibits many of the same characteristics. The screen is bigger however, since the Sony Reader does not have a hardware keyboard. Instead, it has a touch-screen that shows a soft keyboard whenever it makes sense.
So in theory, that should all be more appealing. Personally however, I am neutral about the whole setup. I guess the bigger screen is nicer, but I never found myself wishing for the Kindle screen to be bigger. It just seems to flow well while reading. And while in theory, the bigger screen is nice, the Kindle is also easier to hold because you simply have more space to put your fingers. Plus, the next/previous page buttons are much more conveniently located on the Kindle. The Sony Reader may look better, but the Kindle works better in that respect. Of course on modern versions of the Sony Reader, you will find yourself using the touch screen to flip pages, and that seems to work reasonably well, although I find I am more prone to accidently flip pages.
So all in all, I like the form factors about equal. You will certainly look hipper on the subway holding a Sony Reader than a Kindle though.
There is one hardware aspect where the Sony Reader is clearly lagging behind the Kindle and that is battery life. While with the Kindle, you may not have to worry about the battery for a month, with the Sony Reader you will find yourself routinely plugging the device in. With the Kindle, I would easily go on a trip without even bringing a charger, while with the Sony Reader, that might just ruin your vacation. You will also find yourself actively managing your power. You will manually turn the reader on and off, while the Kindle you simply put down like a real book without doing anything special at all.
What's nice about the Sony Reader is that it uses the standard ePub format for its books. This means that you can buy your books anywhere you want and move them to whatever other device you want later if you decide to get something else. (Well, except for a Kindle that is). In fact, most people seem to buy books from other vendors and just put them on their Sony Reader, rather than going through the Sony store. (Note: I have had great difficulty connecting to the Sony Store, especially internationally, so I never used the Sony Store much… and in general, getting a Sony Reader to recognize a WiFi network is often more trouble than it is worth).
Being able to just deal with ePub files also has the advantage that you can manage your library in a device independent fashion, and you can use tools such as Calibre to help you do so. Amazon really needs to provide something similar for the Kindle, because as libraries grow, managing Kindle libraries is getting to be just about impossible. And while you can use Calibre with Kindle devices, it doesn't integrate into the overall Amazon system, so it is not very helpful.
Of course the Sony Reader does not have the same overall infrastructure and system in place the Kindle does. So it is generally a one-device affair with no cross-device support. There is no Sony Reader software for the iPhone for instance, so you will only read on the reader device. Of course you could copy your ePub files to your iPhone or iPad and read it with any ePub compatible software (such as Apple's own iBooks for instance), but there is no integration. For instance, iBooks will not know what book you read last on the Sony Reader and how far you got.
Note that the Sony Reader comes in different sizes and configurations. The "Sony Reader Touch Edition" is what I would consider the standard Sony Reader I recommend in general. There also is a "Sony Reader Pocket Edition", which is smaller and can easily be slipped into a pocket. I would consider that more of a "companion" or "specialty" version of the device. As is the "Sony Reader Daily Edition" which is a larger version that is meant to emulate newspapers. Is is not as big as the Kindle DX, but still, not the device I would want to carry around all the time.
All in all, the Sony Reader is a slick device but if can't compete with Amazon's integrated offering in the US. But if you live outside the US, or if you want more of an open standard than Amazon provides, then the Sony Reader is a good choice.
Apple is also joining the e-Reader craze with their new iBooks offering. This way, you can read books on devices such as the iPhone and the iPad using the iBooks software and you can buy titles through iTunes.
There are a number of pros and cons here. Buying through iTunes is nice if you like Apple. And you are getting books in ePub format, so you get a generic offering and you can use the files on other devices. It might be the best way to buy ePub files. On the other hand, the software used is somewhat simplistic. Your devices are independent and do not integrate the same way the Kindle does, resulting in a lesser experience for people with multiple devices. Plus, there is no over-the-air sync. So if you read on your iPad and you put that down and open the same book on your iPhone, you will not be taken back to your last book and the last page automatically. Bummer! And a great missed opportunity. What were they thinking?!?
As far as the form factor goes: I like the iPhone and the iPad for some things. Certainly, on the go, the iPhone is nice because you can just pull it out of your pocket and start reading (if you have the same book synced to your device, that is). The iPad provides a nice large screen reading experience, and you can flip through pages much more quickly than on a Kindle or Sony Reader (or any other e-Reader, really). Plus, the screen is in color of course, and since it emits light, you can read in bad lighting conditions without the need of a book-light or something like that. (Although in total darkness, I find the screen to glaring to read for hours and hours). I really enjoy the experience for tech books.
The problem with devices like the iPad is that it is more a computer than an e-Reader. That means it is heavier. Holding the iPad for hours while reading a novel is not fun. Plus, the battery dies after a few hours. And of course, the active screen is not nearly as good outdoors and in sunlight as e-Ink. Apple may have one of the best active displays, but the reflective displays simply are more suitable in outdoor conditions.
Personally, I read the occasional iBook when I can't get a certain title in a Kindle store. I also read PDFs on the Kindle, which works quite well through iBooks (in part due to the relatively large screen of the iPad). Mostly however, I use the Kindle software on the iPad and iPhone. You get the same experience as with iBooks (including color display and such) and in addition, you get the integration with the Kindle devices and other Kindle software.
I do not have a lot of experiences with other e-Readers. There are quite a few using similar technology as the Kindle and the Sony Reader. Barnes & Noble's Nook for instance seems to be quite appealing to some people, but I hear it is slow (especially during startup… the Kindle's ability to put it down and pick it back up much like a real book is very appealing to me). Many have short battery durations. Most do not have the advanced software infrastructure of the Sony Reader, and none can match the Kindle. I am sure there must be some devices out there that read ePub files that their owners are crazy about, but I simply do not have enough experience with them to recommend one. Personally, I tend to think that sticking with one of the bigger brands is the safest bet at this point.
I use mainly the Kindle and I read my Kindle books on an actual Kindle device, on my iPhone, my iPad, and my PC. I love reading novels on the device and perhaps get a few extra pages in on the iPhone while I am waiting in line somewhere. Then, I go right back to my Kindle device and it sits right on the page I left off on the iPhone. Awesome! For tech books, I like reading them on the iPad, but using the Kindle app, rather than Apple's own iBooks. If I can't get a book in the Kindle store however (doesn't happen often, but it does on occasion), I buy ePub files through iTunes and read them in the iBooks app. I also tend to read PDF eBooks through the iBooks app on the iPad.
All of this only applies for US readers though. I have given e-Readers as presents to people in Europe, and I would recommend the Sony Reader for that. I generally recommend the regular size Sony Reader, not the tiny one, unless you really need something you can slip into your jacket pocket.
Thursday, December 02, 2010Taking Screen Shots of Windows Phone 7 Panorama Apps
I recently encountered an issue with taking screen shots of Windows Phone 7 apps that quite stumped me (and required help from my Microsoft friend Jared Bienz… thanks!): I needed to take a screen shot of a Windows Phone 7 Panorama app (which happened to be a very first version of our CODE Magazine Windows Phone 7 application). What I tried to accomplish was a panorama shot that showed all the panels of the panorama like Microsoft often shows it in promos like this one:
So when I needed to create a similar screen shot myself, my first thought was "I will simply launch the app in the emulator, take a screen shot, then slide to the right, take another screenshot,… and then stich the individual images together". Unfortunately, this does not work as such, because the panel doesn't just slide left and right. Instead, it performs "parallax scrolling", which means that different parts of the panorama scroll at different speeds. The title ("people" in the example above) scrolls slower than the main content for instance. This provides a very nice visual effect, but it also means that individual images don't just line up when you take screen shots individually and then stitch things together. Bummer.
As it turns out (and by that I mean "as Jared figured out"), the whole panorama actually uses some sub elements (namely PanningTitleLayer and PanningBackgroundLayer) which inherit from PanningLayer. PanningLayer has a property called PanRate, which defines at what rate each individual panel scrolls. In theory, we could just set these properties to 1 and thus have everything scroll at the same speed and could take individual screen shots and stitch them together. Unfortunately, things aren't quite that simple, since that particular property is a protected read-only property. Hmpf!
To get around this, we can subclass the two panning layers and override the property like so:
public class NoParalaxTitleLayer : PanningTitleLayer{ protected override double PanRate { get { return 1d; } }}public class NoParalaxBackgroundLayer : PanningBackgroundLayer{ protected override double PanRate { get { return 1d; } }}
Now we have elements that would scroll properly if they were only used somewhere, which they are not. To fix that, we have to create our own style and template for panorama controls:
<Style x:Key="NonParalaxPanorama" TargetType="controls:Panorama"> <Setter Property="Template"> <Setter.Value> <ControlTemplate TargetType="controls:Panorama"> <Grid> <Grid.RowDefinitions> <RowDefinition Height="Auto"/> <RowDefinition Height="*"/> </Grid.RowDefinitions> <local:NoParalaxBackgroundLayer x:Name="BackgroundLayer" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Grid.RowSpan="2"> <Border x:Name="background" Background="{TemplateBinding Background}" CacheMode="BitmapCache"/> </local:NoParalaxBackgroundLayer> <local:NoParalaxTitleLayer x:Name="TitleLayer" CacheMode="BitmapCache" ContentTemplate="{TemplateBinding TitleTemplate}" Content="{TemplateBinding Title}" FontSize="187" FontFamily="{StaticResource PhoneFontFamilyLight}" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="10,-76,0,9" Grid.Row="0"/> <controlsPrimitives:PanningLayer x:Name="ItemsLayer" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Grid.Row="1"> <ItemsPresenter x:Name="items"/> </controlsPrimitives:PanningLayer> </Grid> </ControlTemplate> </Setter.Value> </Setter></Style>
Now, all that is left is to tell the used panorama to use the newly created style:
<controls:Panorama Title="CODE Magazine" Style="{StaticResource NonParalaxPanorama}">
What is cool about this is that although it was a bit of a pain to create this, we now have a style we can easily assign and remove. This way, we can create our application as always but quickly disable parallax scrolling whenever we want to take screen shots. To take the screen shot, simply launch the app in the emulator, then take a screen shot of the initial view. Then, pan right and take another screen shot. Copy/stitch the screen shots together in any graphics program (they will now align properly) and continue with the next panel until you run out of panels (or room… it may not make sense to do more than 4 or 5 even if your app has more panels, since the resulting screen shot is somewhat odd if you have too many panels).
Here is a screen shot of a very early version of the CODE Magazine Windows Mobile 7 application:
Note: Click on the above image for a zoomed version.
Oh, and one more thing: You may notice that when you run your app in the emulator, you see performance numbers on the right side of the display. These are very annoying when you want to take screen shots. I just blogged about how to get rid of these here.
Thursday, December 02, 2010Hiding/Showing Windows Phone 7 Emulator Performance Count Numbers
When you run your application in the Windows Phone 7 emulator, you are likely to see performance counters down the right side of the emulator display:
It may be a bit difficult to see it in this image, so here is a version zoomed in on those numbers:
These numbers are very useful, since they give you interesting performance information. However, at times you may not want them. In particular, I find them problematic when I need to take screen shots of my app in the emulator. So the question is: How do you turn them off?
To answer that question, let's first examine why they are showing up in the first place. As it turns out, these numbers are added by the debugger. So whenever you start an app in debug mode, these numbers show up. Since most people simply hit F5 in Visual Studio to start a debug session, they see these numbers most of the time. However, if you simply launch the app without the debugger attached (by hitting CTRL+F5 for instance), the numbers are gone:
Another option is to launch your app in debug mode, then hit the Windows symbol (the middle hardware button) to go back to the home screen. Since the phone is not multi-tasked, this shuts down the app, which forces the debugger to detach. If you then click the icon of your app again to go back into your app, you are running without the debugger and thus the numbers are gone in this scenario as well. This particular option is more likely to happen by accident though :-)
There you have it! Perf numbers are gone and you are ready to take your pristine screen shots.
Note: I actually needed this when I took a panomara screen shot of the CODE Magazine Windows Phone 7 app. Taking panorama screen shots is a whole different problem in itself. I blogged about it here.
Friday, November 12, 2010The Presenter's Fallacy: Lack of Context
The other night, I read a mildly interesting article in one of my all-time-favorite "just for fun" programming magazines (Game Developer Magazine). It talked about the lack of context in many games. What made the whole thing very interesting to me is that they illustrated the example with something that is just as applicable for technical presentations, and it happens to be one of my pet peeves: Too many presenters explain things in great detail in ways that can be followed by just about anyone in the room, yet still, attendees have no concept about what the heck the presenter is talking about, since no context was ever given. The best explanation is no good if people do not understand what it is you are trying to explain!
The article used an interesting paragraph to showcase what happens when there is a lack of context. Here is that paragraph:
"The procedure is actually quite simple. First, you arrange things into different groups. Of course, one pile may be sufficient depending on how much there is to do. If you have to go somewhere else due to lack of facilities, then that is the next step. Otherwise, you are pretty well set. It is important not to overdo things; that is, it is better to do too few things at once than too many. In the short run, this may not seem important, but complications can easily arise. A mistake can be expensive as well. At first, the whole procedure will seem complicated. Soon, however, it will just become another facet of life."
"The procedure is actually quite simple. First, you arrange things into different groups. Of course, one pile may be sufficient depending on how much there is to do. If you have to go somewhere else due to lack of facilities, then that is the next step. Otherwise, you are pretty well set. It is important not to overdo things; that is, it is better to do too few things at once than too many. In the short run, this may not seem important, but complications can easily arise. A mistake can be expensive as well. At first, the whole procedure will seem complicated. Soon, however, it will just become another facet of life."
There you have it! Quite simple to understand, isn't it? It is clear and concise English language. A good English speaker should have little trouble making sense of this and walk away enriched and enlightened. (And if you aren't, go and read that same paragraph one more time right now!). Still doesn't make much sense?
Well, of course it doesn't. While it may all be normal and simple English language, the above paragraph doesn't teach you anything at all unless you know what it is about. So let me set the stage and provide the context: Today's presentation is about how to clean your clothes. Let's call it "Bachelor's Laundry 101". Now, go and read the above paragraph again. I'll wait.
As you can see, it now all makes a lot more sense, and it really is quite simple. And the same thing applies for any kind of presentation or communicative situation (and really a lot of other things too). I can't begin to tell you how many sessions I attend where the speaker doesn't seem to understand this simple aspect. Another area where I encounter this a lot is during requirement analysis. A customer will explain to me in great detail how things are to work, but it is like pulling teeth to get to what the heck he is even talking about.
Example: I can explain in great detail how the new C# "await" keyword works and how the compiler internally handles it and re-arranges code and all that. But it will be completely meaningless to anyone unless I previously explain why the heck anyone would want to use "await" and what it does and what problem it solves. Seems trivial, but more often than not, the speaker forgets to mention little details like that. And when that is forgotten, it will take you half the session to deduce the context from the explanation. Once you have that, you can back-track and try to figure out how the explanation applies, and by the time you have done that, the speaker has moved on into more complex areas and you are lost. You feel that "the talk was over my head" when it probably shouldn't have been. (Ironically, the speaker my sound clear and coherent and may demand great admiration from the audience, because he clearly understands things that people feel are too difficult to understand for them. Not so!).
So there you have it: If speakers (and other people) would just learn to add context, we could comprehend things more easily and at a more rapid pace!
Friday, November 05, 2010The whole Silverlight Brouhaha after PDC
A week has passed since PDC 2010. That is a week since we've had quite a Silverlight (and by implication, WPF) brouhaha, brought on by a statement made by Bob Muglia in an interview with Mary-Jo Foley, that was a mixture of unfortunate wording and being taken out of context (not by Mary-Jo, but by many others). Since then, things have calmed down a little as Microsoft has clarified a number of things and people have done some logical thinking. So with some distance, let's take a look at the situation:
The original interview that contains the statement of Bob Muglia can be found here:http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/microsoft-our-strategy-with-silverlight-has-shifted/7834
In short, Bob Muglia referred to Microsoft's effort around Silverlight and Windows Phone 7, as that was one of the big focus areas of PDC 2010. Bob referred to the strategy having shifted and how Silverlight is now an important platform for the phone. The way this was taken by the community was "our Silverlight strategy has shifted from the web to the phone". This is rather unfortunate, as this is not what it was meant to say. If Bob would have simply changed one word, and instead of "shifted" would have said "expanded", everything would have been much clearer. A message that is really very positive ("Silverlight has just gotten more important by also making it the main technology for Windows Phone 7") all of a sudden became troublesome in the eyes of many who took it as a shift away from Silverlight's original strategy.
Of course what made matters worse is that Silverlight itself (or a future version of Silverlight) was not a focus of PDC 2010. Furthermore, HTML5 was a focus of PDC 2010 as Microsoft talked a lot about Internet Explorer 9 (HTML5 support is one of its major features) and Microsoft also for the first time publicly stated HTML5 was an important strategy (not a big surprise to any of the insiders... after all, it's not like HTML4 wasn't a big focus for Microsoft, so why think HTML5 all of a sudden wouldn't be important?).
Of course there was a bit of a further PR mishap that happened at PDC: PDC has always been a future oriented event that covered just about all significant Microsoft development technologies of the time. This PDC however, was different. (My personal impression even is that this was planned as some other event – perhaps focused entirely on Azure? – which was then re-branded as a PDC). It focused on a few key areas only (Windows Azure, Windows Phone 7, and Internet Explorer 9). And it was very much focused on the "here and now". All in all, this PDC really didn't have much in common with what most people think of when they think of a "real PDC". All of this was known ahead of time (especially "insiders" were in the loop, and I assume people who signed up to be on-site in Redmond knew too), but it was not communicated to the extent it probably should have been. Well, hindsight is 20:20. But if this would have been understood by more people, it would have made it clearer why Silverlight "5" (or whatever the next version might be called) was not discussed at PDC and that that in itself is not reason for any conspiracy theories. (Personally, I think it might have been worth considering a different name for this event, but there are pros and cons of course).
So long story short: The future of Silverlight is bright and there is no reason for concern. Silverlight is a great environment to develop rich applications that go beyond of the things you can do in HTML (5 or otherwise). WPF is an even richer environment and has its place as well (and the next version is in the works). None of that has changed. And of course, HTML(5) has its place as well. HTML is the most generic cross-platform UI environment (which is important in times where companies like Apple refuse to do anything but HTML except for their completely proprietary technologies, with no desire to allow companies like Adobe or Microsoft to put their technologies on their platforms). HTML's strength is a bit more on document centric things, although it can also be used for many typical UIs. But HTML isn't Silverlight when it comes to rich experiences (no, not even HTML5 is… watch my recent WPF/SL productivity and styling video (here) and tell me how you'd build the same thing in HTML5 productively). Each technology has its place. And obviously, neither the move from HTML4 to HTML5 nor the Silverlight support for Windows Phone invalidates or changes that.
Why do I know all this, you might wonder? Am I just making this up?
Well, for one, networks like the MVP and RD communities have been ablaze with emails and discussions regarding the issue (with Microsoft being in the discussion). Clearly, no group (including Microsoft) has an interest in having anyone declare Silverlight to be unsupported. And that is good. Seeing that Microsoft puts great effort into damage control tells all of us that they want to make it clear that Silverlight is an important strategy. That in itself is an important message.
I also know what Scott Guthrie said at the keynote at DevConnections earlier this week (and after PDC). He re-stated that Silverlight (on the web as well as otherwise) is a key technology for Microsoft. He also stated that the Silverlight team is currently larger than it has ever been (a surprising statement, not in its core content, but because Microsoft practically never makes statements about team sizes).
In addition, statements have been issued by Steve Ballmer and Bub Muglia, clarifying what they had really meant to say and what Microsoft's position on Silverlight really is. Here are the links to these statements:
So there you have it! Time to move on and build some Silverlight apps! This has been needlessly disruptive already. I have used Silverlight as strategic technology in several of my companies, and I will continue to do so. And I will sleep better for it.
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text:
Priced Under 10k for Sale in Tucson, AZ
Browse Precision Toyota of Tucson's vast inventory below.
2 Matching Vehicles Found
*Pricing information for 12/12/2019. If you are an Arizona resident and intend to register your vehicle in Arizona, 9.10% city / state / county transaction privilege tax on the vehicle's selling price equals $910.
*Pricing information for 12/12/2019. If you are an Arizona resident and intend to register your vehicle in Arizona, 9.10% city / state / county transaction privilege tax on the vehicle's selling price equals $819.
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Based on model year EPA mileage ratings. Use for comparison purposes only. Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.
Toyota Certified Used Vehicle Campaign:
Advertised Annual Percentage Rates (APR) for 72-84 months available to eligible customers who finance a TCUV vehicle through dealership financing. On approved credit. Price plus tax, title, license, added options, and $487 doc fee. Offers applied to MSRP/retail price, not advertising/internet price. Cannot be combined with any other offers or incentives. Excludes College Grad, Military discounts. "President's Award for CustomerFirst" designation based on Toyota Motor North America reporting. Offer expires at 8:30 p.m. on final day of current month.
Limited to vehicles in stock. Offers cannot be combined. Dealer retains all rebates, customer cash, and incentives provided by manufacturer, all are subject to change without notice; varies by model. Incentives listed are combination of dealer discount, manufacturer rebates, and program incentives. Prices do not include any added dealer equipment or services; Vehicle Protection Package includes window film, door edge guards, and door cup guards for $499. All prices and offers plus tax, title, license, added accessories, and $487 doc fee. Negative equity on trades can affect savings credit and down payment. On approved credit. Monthly payments are only estimates through Toyota Financial Services derived from the vehicle price with a month term, % interest, and % down payment; $16.67 per $1000 borrowed. ToyotaCare covers normal factory scheduled maintenance for 2 years or 25,000 miles, whichever comes first; 24-hour roadside assistance is also included for 2 years and unlimited miles; see Toyota dealer for details and exclusions; valid only in the continental U.S. and Alaska. To receive internet price, must submit online price request or present webpage screenshot at time of visit. Largest selection claim based on new Toyota inventory stock at Southern Arizona Toyota dealers. #1 Toyota dealer in Tucson based on 2018 retail sales figures from TMS. Top-selling Tucson-area dealer claim based on 2008-2018 total retail sales figures for the Tucson New Car Dealers' Association.
While great effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information on this site, errors do occur so please verify with a customer service representative by emailing, calling 520-795-5565, or visiting us at the dealership.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Who here recognizes any of the Coke bottles in that rack? We should all be familiar with the far-right one, which has been in production since 1916, but do you recognize the other three, which were on shelves from 1899?
The far-left "Hutchison" is my favorite, which was their first-ever glass bottle created in 1899. Coca-Cola has reissued the bottle for its 125th anniversary, alongside the limited edition rack which has all four bottles in it.
At £2 ($3.25), the Hutchison bottles aren't too badly priced, but you'd have to be a real Coke fan to spend £40 ($65) on the wooden collectors' case. [Selfridges via CreativeBoom]


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Model #BGB-3845
|List Price:
|Our Price:
|$310.00 New
General Description
We're committed to exceeding your expectations:
- Found it for less? We'll match the price
- 25-Year or Limited Lifetime Warranty
Our customers come first — we guarantee it!
These large, 4' x 6' whiteboards are a great solution for large offices, conference rooms, or anywhere else where large-scale visibility is important. Ideal for board meetings, briefings, conferences and more.
Add an upscale, modern look to your business or school with Visionary Magnetic Glass Whiteboards from BestRite. These glossy white whiteboards offer you a top-quality whiteboard with a borderless, seamless design. Surface and coloration are specially engineered for ideal optical qualities - good depth of field, good contrast and ambient light toleration make it comfortable for the eye to view. Compatible with any dry/wet-erase marker or grease pen, these whiteboards erase easily with no ghosting or staining. Includes mounting devices, marker tray, 4 magnets, 2 markers and 1 eraser cloth.
- Manufacturer:
MooreCo (BR)
Best-Rite's top-quality products include whiteboards, music boards, easels, bulletin boards and more. With state-of-the-art workmanship, Best-Rite has established a solid reputation for quality and reliability.
- Width:
- 72 in.
- Height:
- 48 in.
- Weight:
- 77 lbs.
- Green
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- Resists Ghosting:
Ghosting occurs on some surfaces due to an accumulation of dry erase marker after several erasures are made.
- Warranty:
- Limited Lifetime
- Certified Green
- Contemporary Look: The seamless design and glossy white surfaces of these whiteboards create an upscale, contemporary look.
- Clean-Erase: Erases cleanly with no ghosting or staining.
- Great Viewing Quality: Provides good depth of field, good contrast and ambient light toleration, making it comfortable for the eye to look at, for a great viewing experience.
- Compatible: Works with any dry/wet-erase marker or grease pen.
- All-Inclusive: Includes mounting devices, accessory tray, 4 magnets, 2 markers and 1 eraser cloth.
- Customizable: Place your logo or emblem on the board (100-piece minimum) - call for more details.
- Lifetime Coverage: Our Limited Lifetime Warranty guarantees many years of use and enjoyment.
Product ships from factory within 3 business days or less.
Indoor air quality certified for children and schools
We're committed to exceeding your expectations:
- Found it for less? We'll match the price
- 15-Year or Limited Lifetime Warranty
Our customers come first — we guarantee it!
Shipping & Assembly
- Ships Via:
- Common Carrier
- Leaves Factory In:
- Approximately 3 days
- Assembly:
- Required
- Average Assembly Time:
- 30 minutes
Visionary Magnetic Glass Whiteboard
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Product Family
This product is a part of Visionary Magnetic Glass Whiteboards by Bestrite
There are 4 products in the family


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Alabama hunter captures 1,011.5-pound 'monster' alligator
Lindsay Deutsch
USA TODAY Network
Mandy Stokes and her crew captured the largest alligator ever legally killed in Alabama on Aug. 15, catching a monster gator that measured 15 feet long and weighed in at 1,011.5 pounds, reports Al.com.
They wrangled the alligator out of the Alabama River and brought it to a check-in station at a local state park, according to AP. It was so big that it broke the machine used to hoist it.
According to Al.com, the Thomaston, Ala., hunting crew fought the gator for more than five hours and even tried to shoot it — which just made it mad.
In addition to Mandy Stokes, the crew includes Stokes' husband, John, brother-in-law Kevin Jenkins and his kids, Savannah, 16 and Parker, 14.
Follow @lindsdee on Twitter
More stories you may enjoy


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When is FHSU's application for admission deadline?
FHSU does not have a deadline for applying for admission. There is however a $30 application fee, and the application will not be processed until it is paid. You can send a check made payable to FHSU, send your credit card information in with the application, or call your payment in to the Registrar's Office at 785.628.4222.
When does FHSU's Housing Contract Become Available Online?
Early January! You can access it by going to www.fhsu.edu/reslife and following the instructions. There you can print, fax in, or follow the instructions on their TigerTracks web portal to reserve their room and meal plan.
When is FHSU's Financial Aid Deadline?
FHSU does not have a Financial Aid deadline. The application becomes available after January 1st. For more information, visit www.fhsu.edu/finaid. The Free Application for Federal Student Assistance (FAFSA) has a priority deadline of March 15th. A student must me admitted to FHSU in order for a financial aid application to be processed.
When is FHSU's Scholarship Deadline?
FHSU gives nearly $3 million per year in scholarships to their students. Priority deadline for these is December 15, and final deadline is February 15th. You can check out what scholarships are available for your student at www.fhsu.edu/finaid.
When Does Your Student Get Assigned a Roommate?
Roommates will be assigned and you will be notified in early summer. Make sure your student is checking their FHSU email because that's how they will be notified. For more information on TigerTracks and FHSU Mail, please visit https://tigertracks.fhsu.edu/.
What is TigerTracks and FHSU Mail?
TigerTracks is your students' one-stop shop for personalized access to campus web services. Features include TigerTracks Webmail (FHSU email), Blackboard, Transcript, Grades, Semester Schedule, Announcements, Advisor Information and much more! FHSU Mail is your student's campus email. It will appear as: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Keeping Your Student Healthy
FHSU's Student Health Center has nurses and doctors on staff and offers a variety of services at a minimal cost. Office hours are Mon.-Thurs. 8am-4pm and Fri. 9am-4pm and appointments may also be made by calling 785.628.4293. For more specific information, go to www.fhsu.edu/studenthealth.
Campus Safety
FHSU Campus Police patrols the University campus, Sternberg Museum of Natural History, FHSU Foundation property, the University Farm, the Pavilion, parking lots and residence halls 24 hours/day, 365 days/year and employs nine full-time, armed, state-certified police officers and one unarmed security officer. Their services include escorts, jump starts, vehicle unlocks (if located on campus), small amounts of fuel, air bubble, direct cell phone access after office hours and kiosk phones located throughout campus. Additional information can be found at http://www.fhsu.edu/police.
Additional Services
FHSU students are provided with numerous counseling services through the Kelly Center. It provides Personal Counseling Services for guiding personal growth, Academic Success Programs for enhancing academic skills, Testing Services for administering national exams, and the Drug and Alcohol Wellness Network for preventing and treating alcohol and drug abuse. Additional information can be found at http://www.fhsu.edu/kellycenter/.
Computer Information
FHSU requires all students to bring a mobile computing device (laptop, tablet or netbook). This is because we offer free wireless internet campus-wide, including in the residential halls, academic buildings and even the Quad! FHSU recommends tablet laptops because of the extra capabilities included with the swivel screen and stylus pen. Students also have the opportunity to receive free software downloads that connects their laptops to their professor's laptops! Additional information can be found at http://www.fhsu.edu/tigertech .
FHSU Career and Internship Opportunities
FHSU Career Services offers many free services to students, faculty and staff, and alumni. Some of these services include career fairs throughout the year, mock interviews, resume building, and job opportunity searches. Students can create a profile and receive updates on upcoming events and interviews on campus. Additional information can be found at www.fhsu.edu/career/.
Student Parking
Students purchase their parking permits from the University Police office in Custer Hall at the beginning of each school year. On-campus parking permits are $13 and are allowed to park in Zone 2, which is primarily around the residential halls. Please see www.fhsu.edu/police for a complete map and more information on parking.
Interested in Athletics?
FHSU offers eight men's and eight women's athletics. An easy way to get your students information directly to the coach is to submit the Prospective Player Profile, found on www.fhsuathletics.com. It's a simple form that gets the coach your information and know you're interested.


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Previous: [Massdrop] Massdrop x Peak to Plateau Yakino Wool Accessories: Available Now
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Get 2 standard 2D movie tickets for $12 when you purchase them online at Golden Village on 12 December with DBS PayLah! To enjoy the promotion, simply select the ticket price "$6.00 – 12.12 PayLah! – 2 for $12" and the DBS PayLah payment mode, before you proceed to the payment page.
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To celebrate Crystal Jade Golden Palace making into the World's 50 Best Discovery series, they are giving 50% off for the first 50 walk-in-customers on 12.12.2019 at all Crystal Jade outlets (except Crystal Jade GO and Crystal Jade My Bread)!
For Crystal Jade Palace, Crystal Jade Golden Palace, Crystal Jade Dining IN & Crystal Jade Pavilion: Get 50% off Individual Set Menus (min 2. to dine).
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Bite into bits of joy with 1-for-1 Sausage McMuffin® with Egg from 11 to 13 Dec. It's time for A Merry McDonald's with delicious deals and more when you download the McDonald's app.


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Preston was put on a nine-hour security alert on one of the busiest shopping days of the year - because of a crude device containing an asthma inhaler and a firelighter.
A bomb disposal team raced to the Fishergate Centre after the incendiary went off in a toilet yesterday morning.
Flames were extinguished by a member of the public and no-one was hurt. But later police revealed the device was nothing more than an asthma inhaler, a firelighter, matches and toilet paper.
Officers have released CCTV footage of a man they would like to speak to about the incident. He is seen walking up an escalator in the nearby St George's Shopping Centre 40 minutes before the device went off.
The man was wearing a dark jacket, dark gloves, jeans and a dark woolen hat. He was carrying a plastic bag.
Specialist ordnance disposal officers, who made a 50-mile dash from their base in Chester under police escort, deployed a remote controlled robot called Cutlass to search the Fishergate complex.
Police who cordoned the building off, later revealed they believed the device had been planted deliberately with the intention of endangering life.
The alarm was raised just after 9am yesterday when the device ignited and was quickly extinguished by a member of the public. Centre staff ordered a full evacuation while police threw a tight security cordon around the building next to the city's railway station. Roads were closed and traffic diverted.
DCI Jill Johnston said: "We are keen to speak to the man in this CCTV as we believe he could have information which could assist us.
"We are treating this as a criminal investigation and while the motivation for this incident remains unclear at this stage, we believe this device has been left there deliberately and did have the potential to cause serious injury if it had exploded.
"I would appeal to anyone who recognises this man, or who has any other information which could assist, to get in touch with us."
Officers examined CCTV footage in the centre and in other stores around Fishergate and later released pictures of the man.
Keith Mitchell, Fishergate Centre manager, said: "The safety of our customers, colleagues and staff is paramount and staff carried out our evacuation procedure calmly and efficiently."
We are liaising with the police and working with them to get the shopping centre reopened and back to normal as soon as possible."
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UPDATE: Bomb disposal squad enters Fishergate Shopping Centre after 'suspicious device goes off'
UPDATE: Shoppers evacuated in Preston city centre after a 'suspicious device goes off'


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Swedish artist Sandra "psychosandra" Holmbom pulls off some pretty remarkable optical illusions with makeup, but holy crap does this one take the cake — with an eldritch emphasis on "optical."
This right here is registering at Pale Man levels of weird. If you need us, we'll be over here drowning ourselves in eye-bleach.
[Sandra Holbom via Laughing Squid]


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24.06.2013 21:49:47
Beach volley legend Loiola still as passionate as ever
Umag, Croatia, June 22, 2013 – Brazil's José Loiola was one of the most colourful beach volleyball players of the past decade. Passion was his tradema... More...
23.06.2013 23:23:39
Brazil and Poland claim gold at U21 World Championships in Umag
Umag, Croatia, June 23, 2013 – Brazil and Poland are the new U21 world champions. In the men's final of the FIVB Junior World Championships in Umag Gu... More...
23.06.2013 23:02:11
Gold for Brazil after a spectacular men's final in Umag
Umag, Croatia, June 23, 2013 – Brazil and Canada got people jumping up and down in their seats at the U21 World Championship final in Umag. Both teams... More...
23.06.2013 15:22:44
Canada and Brazil meet again in the men's final in Umag
Umag, Croatia, June 23, 2013 – In a rematch of the pool play on Friday Canada's Grant O'Gorman and Aaron Nusbaum will meet Gustavo Carvalhaes and Alli... More...
23.06.2013 13:30:52
Germany and Poland in Umag U21 women's final
Umag, Croatia, June 23, 2013 – Germany's Anika Krebs and Jelena Wlk take on Katarzyna Kociolek and Jagoda Gruszscynska in the women's final of the U21... More...
23.06.2013 00:29:18
Two Polish teams in final fours at U21 in Umag
Umag, Croatia, June 22, 2013 – Poland claimed a spot in both the men's and women's final four of the U21 World Championships in Umag.
... More...
23.06.2013 00:01:15
Poland's Kosiak and Rudol take revenge for friends
Umag, Croatia, June 22, 2013 – With lots of support from friends and family Poland's Maciej Kosiak and Maciej Rudol were the last ones to reach the se... More...
22.06.2013 23:08:16
Canada's O'Gorman and Nusbaum in final four on familiar territory
Umag, Croatia, June 22, 2013 – Two years ago they won bronze at the Youth World Championships in Umag, and this time Canada's Grant O'Gorman and Aaron... More...
22.06.2013 22:41:21
Poland knocks out reigning U21 world champion to reach semifinals
Umag, Croatia, June 22, 2013 – Poland's Katarzyna Kociolek and Jagoda Gruszscynska knocked out reigning world champion Nina Betschart and her partner ... More...
22.06.2013 20:45:41
Hard work finally pays off for Spain's Soria
Umag, Croatia, June 22, 2013 – Paula Soria Gutierrez and Raquel Brun Forcadell did not have a very good start at the U21 World Champions in Umag. The ... More...


text: MOHABBATEIN is a battle between two men who have opposing beliefs. Raj Aryan (Shahrukh Khan) supports love and would go to any extent for it. Narayan Shankar (Amitabh Bachchan) heads India's most prestigious educational institute, stands for fear and believes that love leads to pain and weakness. It is also the love stories of 3 young couples who realize what will finally triumph, love or fear.


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Police Blotter for July 5
Oneida City Police
Thursday, July 4
Amanda J Smith 19, of Earl Avenue, Oneida was charged with disorderly conduct. She is scheduled to appear in court July 19.
Mary J Coonrod 18, of Madison Street, Oneida was charged on with second-degree criminal contempt after allegedly violating a court order. She is scheduled to appear in court July 12.
Michael S Mason, 17, of Sherman Street, Oneida, and a 14-year-old, were charged with third-degree unauthorized use of a motor vehicle after allegedly taking and using a motor vehicle belonging to another without their permission. The 14-year-old was also charged with driving while intoxicated. Mason is schedule to appear in City Court July 12. The 14-year-old will answer the charges at the Madison County Probation Department.
New York State Police:
Thursday, July 4: Edward W. Morris, 55, of Vienna, was charged with driving while intoxicated and operation of a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content of .08 percent.
Thursday, July 4: Jordy D. Page, 26, of Sherburne, was charged with second-degree aggravated harassment.
Wednesday, July 3: Andrew Yasenovsky, 28, of Holland Patent, was arrested for second-degree burglary that occurred June 19 in Ava.
Wednesday, July 3 : Reginald R. Thomas, 39, of Utica, was charged with first-degree sexual abuse.
Wednesday, July 3: Charles J. Caughey, 65, or Whitesboro, was charged with driving while intoxicated and operation of a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content of .08 percent.
Wednesday, July 3: A nine-year-old from Morrisvile was charged with first-degree sexual abuse.


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Kim Kardashian has reunited with Kanye West after being held at gunpoint during a robbery attack in Paris on Sunday.
The reality star flew into Teterboro airport in New Jersey Monday to meet up with her husband following what's been a terrifying 12 hours. She was joined by Kris Jenner, Corey Gamble and lots of security as she reunited with her husband, and E! News has learned the pair was headed to their New York City apartment.
Friends La La Anthony and Jonathan Cheban were also seen walking into the Tribeca building, where media were camped out all day.
U.S. & World
Kardashian West was gagged and bound at her hands and feet, then handcuffed and held at gunpoint by two armed masked men dressed as police officers, her rep confirmed to E! News Sunday.
A source told E! Kardashian West was terrified she was going to be killed. "She begged for them to let her live and [said] she has babies at home. Then they wrapped her mouth in tape and put her in the bathtub." Scared and alone, Kardashian feared the worst. "She thought they were for sure going to kill her," the source said.
The 35-year-old "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" star was "badly shaken but physically unharmed," her rep added.
Kardashian West was in the city for Paris Fashion Week.
The French Interior Ministry said five men threatened a concierge with a weapon, handcuffed him and forced him to open Kardashian West's private apartment. Per "Today" show, the Paris Prosecutor's office confirmed two of the men gained entry to her room. One of Kardashian West's rings, worth an estimated $4.49 million, as well as a jewelry box, worth an estimated $5.6 million, were stolen.
A source told E! News Kardashian West was "really shaken up" by the incident. Her children, North West and Saint West, were not in the room.
According to NBC 4 New York, the five men escaped on bikes. They are still at large.
All the Kardashians' Paris Fashion Week Looks
Kardashian West has not spoken publicly about what transpired.
After the men left with "all her jewelry," Kardashian West "broke out of her bindings and got out," the source told E! News. Later, after speaking with Parisian police, the reality star boarded a plane. Kardashian West's sister, supermodel Kendall Jenner, left Paris separately Monday.
Before news of the robbery became public, Kardashian West's husband, Kanye West cut his set short during the Meadows Festival in Queens, New York. West said he had a "family emergency."
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo condemned the attack on Kardashian via Twitter Monday, saying she's always welcome in Paris. "This very rare act occurred in a private space and does not in any way call into question the work of the police and the security of the public space," she said.
On Sunday, E! News reached out to Kardashian West's mother, Kris Jenner, who said she "will be OK."
(E! and NBC are both members of the NBCUniversal family.)


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STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) Freshman Phil Forte scored a career-high 26 points in his first game since switching jersey numbers, Markel Brown added 24 points and Oklahoma State rallied from 13 points down to rout West Virginia 80-66 on Saturday.
Forte, wearing No. 13, hit three 3-pointers as the Cowboys (13-5, 3-3 Big 12) wiped away their big deficit with a 19-3 burst to finish the first half, then connected on two more during an 11-4 run early in the second half that put OSU in command. Oklahoma State's lead stretched to 15 after an electrifying stretch that featured a three-point play off of a tip-in by Michael Cobbins, a steal and run-out slam by Marcus Smart and then Cobbins' two-handed dunk.
The Mountaineers (9-10, 2-4) never got closer than 11 over the final 10 minutes.
Eron Harris scored 17 points to lead West Virginia and Deniz Kilicli had 12 points before fouling out.


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Vouchers submitted by new Johnson County Assessor Cindy Rogers to be reimbursed for travel and related expenses to take part in assessor's training in Florida came under scrutiny at the Johnson County Commissioner's meeting on Tuesday.
Commissioner Delbert Eitel did not feel the County should pay for the trip for the class because it wasn't approved beforehand. Commissioner John Gibbs said Rogers and himself had been told she needed to be certified before she took office in January or she would not be qualified under state statute to assess property in Johnson County. Commissioner Smokey Wildeman added he had been told the same thing.
There were other questions regarding personal items that the commissioners thought should not be reimbursed by the county, and that there were receipts missing from the voucher Rogers submitted, which are required by the State Auditor to accompany any voucher for reimbursement.
A citizen at the meeting told the commissioners she understood it was not necessary to travel to Florida for the classes, as they were offered by the Department of Revenue in Cheyenne. She also said the certification for the class in Florida was only temporary. The commissioners said they would look into the matter.
Eitel voted against approving the voucher, while Gibbs voted to approve the voucher with the amendment that no personal items or those items without receipts should not be paid.
With the commission split, Wildeman voted with Gibbs to approve the reimbursement, with the amendments.


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text: This course concentrates on developing mastery of pre-calculus and introductory calculus skills and techniques. Pre-calculus topics include: solving equations and inequalities; algebraic, trigonometric, logarithmic and exponential functions and their properties. Calculus topics include: rates of change and tangents; differentiation of algebraic, trigonometric, exponential and logarithmic functions; integration; and techniques of integration.


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A great tradition continues this July 4th at Nathan's Famous Frankfurters on Coney Island in New York City, as the 94th International Hot Dog Eating Contest -- the Super Bowl of competive overeating -- takes place Saturday. And American Joey Chestnut comes in again as the favorite, with his rival Kobayashi ready to end Chestnut's two-year championship reign.
Chestnut broke the world record at the 2007 Hot Dog Eating Contest, inhaling 66 hot dogs in twelve minutes and snuffing out Kobayashi's seven-year reign as champion. Last year Chestnut won again in a thriller, the first "overtime eatoff" result in the 93-year history of this iconic event.
"Gas is approaching $5 a gallon, tomatoes are unsafe to eat, but the Mustard Yellow Belt is on American soil," said Richard Shea, President of Major League Eating after the 2008 contest, in a quote that I guess maybe made sense this time one year ago. "Joey Chestnut is an agent of change."
Richard Shea, President of Major League Eating? The MLE? So what's your collective bargaining agreement look like, MLE?
And heck yes Vegas is laying odds and taking wagers on this event. Bodog currently has Chestnut as the oh-so-slight favorite, with 20-to-31 on odds. Kobayashi is just behind at 21-to20 against, with Tim "Eater X" Janus also in the mix at 23-to-2 against. The field of other eaters offers 13-to-1 odds.
Tim "Eater X" Janus competes in these things wearing Ultimate Warrior-style face paint. This "sport" just gets awesomer and awesomer the more you learn about it.
This is no gimme for Joey "Jaws" Chestnut, despite his winning the last two consecutive Nathan's contests. Kobayashi won their most recent face-to-face competition, a P'zone eating contest to see who could eat the most of the bizarre Pizza Hut concoctions. But this Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest is the mother of all annual eating events, and whomever wins is regarded for that year as the greatest eater on earth.
The event will be broadcast live nationally on ESPN and online at ESPN360, the morning of Saturday July 4. There is even a 90-minute pre-game broadcast.
But if you're watching in high-definition, you probably want to make sure you're not trying to eat breakfast while you're watching this sort of thing.
Joe Kukura is a freelance writer who has finally found a professional sport he could be good at.