Microsoft Virtual Academy is a free access training portal site from Microsoft, that is focused on helping those in IT to easily learn about Microsoft technologies. It consist of several courses you can study at your own pace. The courses are worth a determined amount of points depending on their depth level. The MVA site in turn works on a points based system and scoreboard as way of encouragement and as way to rank you in the site.
Bronze: 0 to 370 points.
Silver: 371 to 699 points.
Gold: 700 to 999 points.
Platinum: 1000 points or more.
Beyond the points and scoreboard within the MVA community. Finishing courses and getting points get anyone enrolled in the MVA discounts for Microsoft Certifications and access to special Microsoft promotions related to Microsoft technologies with courses on the MVA.
The Microsoft Virtual Academy is free for anyone wanting to enroll in, the only thing needed is a Live ID and being interested in a specific course.
The Microsoft Virtual Academy site in itself is very well laid out and as something worth of pointing out, it happens to sport a Metro UI-UX styled design. Something that looks to be spreading over all Microsoft web properties now. And I must say it works very well to make things fluid and pleasant.
For further questions about the MVA, the site got a fairly clear F.A.Q page you can take a look at.
Microsoft Virtual Academy results in a very interesting hybrid of e-learning portal and promotional vehicle from Microsoft as its main function beyond promoting Microsoft Tech is to help as a easier to follow and use learning aid for those interested in Microsoft Certifications. But that thanks to it being well balanced, works pretty well.
Separated by less than a month from the release of Flash 10.2, A new Adobe AIR update is now out and while it is not a major release by itself, it is what should have also been released with Adobe AIR 2.5. In fact Adobe AIR 2.6 got released broken in several releases; From the release of AIR 2.6 for Android that was released in advance of both the Desktop SDK and Runtime of Adobe AIR 2.6, and of course the actual update for currently installed Adobe AIR runtimes that just went live last week.
The reason for the advanced release of AIR 2.6 for Android had all to do with Adobe’s strategic partnership with Google, as Adobe needed and more than likely was demanded for this release AIR to spice up Google’s own release of Android 3.0 A.K.A Honeycomb and Android 3.0 based slates like the Motorola XOOM. This way AIR for Android could then fully support the Content Viewer for Android and Adobe’s new Digital Publishing Suite.
Adobe AIR 2.6 is all about pushing forward the dream of Adobe to go Multiscreen and do so with good performance. Reason why I guess all that it is in AIR 2.6 could not had been released with AIR 2.6 as Flash 10.2 advancements were integral to realizing this.
With AIR 2.6, Adobe goes back to truly supporting iOS in the SDK, and they are going back on iOS with a vengeance, as they are now offering a end to end solution akin to what Novell’s MonoTouch does for iOS. Giving Flash, Flex and WebStack devs the comfort of developing in the way they know they are faster with. Leaving it to the AIR for iOS solution to integrate the developed code as a native iOS App via the “new” AIR Developer Tool instead of the OS X Packager for iPhone; Native iOS apps with the RIAness of Adobe but without sacrificing performance anymore.
So AIR 2.6 starts truly delivering Adobe AIR as a MultiScreen solution. In the same way you can say Microsoft is working on making Silverlight run everywhere. AIR 2.6 actually puts Adobe once again completely in the lead, by making it possible to deliver RIA apps that run in the Desktop (Win, OS X, Linux), the Web (Via the Flash plugin) and in two mobile platforms (Android and iOS) with two different form factors. And with the additional promise of AIR being able to deliver Apps to two extra Mobile platforms sooner than later. Starting with The Playbook from RIM and potentially following with HP WebOS later on. You could also wonder why am not also counting Adobe AIR for TV’s. And the simple reason for that, is because it is not truly there yet. But just like in the case of The Playbook, that should soon change.
Take advantage of new features in iOS 4 like multitasking, retina display for higher screen resolutions up to 960x640, and front and back camera support. Capture audio with the microphone and build applications with an integrated development process when packaging to the IPA format.
Conveniently debug your applications on an Android device through a USB connection with no Wi-Fi setup required. Android USB drivers for Microsoft® Windows® are now included with the Adobe AIR software development kit (SDK).
Maximize graphics rendering performance for Android and iOS by taking advantage of the device's graphics hardware acceleration.
Display web links inside an application (for example, your Facebook application) to quickly access web content without having to leave your application. No need to switch to your web browser.
Simplify the development of multiscreen applications when soft keyboards automatically appear when required. Desktop applications originally designed for physical keyboards are more easily optimized for mobile devices when you don't have to modify the content or application to display the soft keyboard.
Is in a sense what Adobe AIR 2.6 brings now, An Adobe that shows they are playing to win by bringing their best RIA game into fruition, in as many screens and platforms they can manage. Making the plight for the RIA a dead serious statement on why Runtimes and Plugins are here to stay and got a solid place in the future.
But if words are not enough, here is a video showing what AIR 2.6 brings and the potential of what Adobe AIR 3.0 could then mean in the future.
Before there were proper browser add-ons, there were Bookmarklets. These allow you to perform a function you would usually use a browser extension or userscript for. And they are named bookmarklets, because they can be saved in the same way as a simple bookmark, while at the same time they are not bookmarks at all. In order to use them you need to click them in the same way you would click any other bookmark. Usually best to access them from the favorites bar or Bookmarks toolbar in your preferred browser for a improved convenience.
Marklets is a simple bookmarklet search engine and index, from where you can search for all kinds of these smart bookmarks, as the marklets site aptly calls them.
Right now there are 99 bookmarklets, but the number should be able able to grow well beyond that as anyone can add a bookmarklet to the site or rank the existing ones. Site is well structured, while sparsely designed in order to make the ads in the site a bit more effective from what I can gather. Not really a bother just a make the site a bit uneven.
So what kind of functions can you get by using bookmarklets? Anything from a one click link capture twitter share to a one click website element remover for a easier website screenshot capture, etc, etc.
Bookmarklets are a good way to not having to install unnecessary browser-addons and easy to use and share because they will work in pretty much any browser. Marklets makes for a easier way to get them.
Technorati Tags: marklets,marklets.com,bookmarklets,smart bookmarks,bookmarklets search engine.
Burst Linking is a concept that always attracted my attention from the times it was only possible via a desktop tool running in Windows 95 (circa 1997 . Now the concept is being used along with Shorturl sharing as a web app, which makes this old concept fresh once again.
Brief.ly is a great free burst linking online tool, that allows you to share multiple links in a single shorturl link. Going also beyond what other similar online tools did by giving you a better landing page for your pack of links with free analytics and even multiple shorturl providers for you to choose from.
Previously, I had posted about BridgeURL, which was to my knowledge (at the time I posted on it) the best online burst linker tool around. With only a really big flaw: the shorturl it gave you linked to a website viewer first instead of linking to a landing page with the pack of links you had shared. Which struck me as odd as it goes against the purpose of burst linking.
Brief.ly don’t does that and gets it right by giving you several shorturl providers to choose from and linking you first to a landing page with the pack of links you shared as it should be! Secondary to that come the iframe based website viewers, they also give you and even the need of you having to be registered to the service. You don’t have to be registered to use brief.ly. But if you do register, they give you some simple analytics for the links you are sharing as an extra. You can join brief.ly by registering a account or by logging in with Facebook. The choice is put at your discretion. I personally recommend registering an account. It is a really great online tool for sharing multiple links in one go, the best one yet.
Taken from the Ireland Windows 7 Theme, here I bring you 17 Desktop Backgrounds (wallpapers) of Ireland plus 22 custom system sounds made for that theme you can also use if you want.
Then you just select the sounds you want to change one by one, match accordingly to the file names of the .Wav files included in the zip file linker in this very post. That should give you the same “Celtic” sounds scheme that is added automatically in Windows 7, but in your Windows XP installation.
In the case you want to revert to the default sound scheme, just go back to the Sound Tab in the Sounds and Audio Device Properties Window and select the default sound scheme under the sound scheme selector, then click apply. Easy.
Then you just select the sounds you want to change one by one, match accordingly to the file names of the .Wav files included in the zip file linked in this very post. That should give you the same “Celtic” sounds scheme that is added automatically in Windows 7, but in your Windows Vista installation.
In the case you want to revert to the default sound scheme, just go back to the Sound Tab in the Sound Window and select the default sound scheme under the sound scheme selector, then click apply. Easy.
While it was mainly a coincidence, what better day to post a Windows 7 Theme focused on Ireland than in Saint Patrick’s Day right? Right.
This way you can easily extend your thoughts of the contemplatively beautiful Ireland from a day to a week. And as the official theme write up says, why would you not if it is all so pretty and nice?
This Windows 7 Theme comes with a green tint (of course), 17 desktop backgrounds, but more importantly 22 custom sounds for the OS with an awesome Irish folklore music touch to them apply called Celtic. Simply a very well conceived Windows 7 Theme. Above the average for sure. I wonder if it was put up by someone actually Irish, certainly hope so and if not, lets pretend it was to make it feel even more authentic.
Some websites and blogs offer intentionally only cut-up feeds in order to make to you click to their sites and make you leave the confines of your favorite feed reader. A practice I personally dislike and disagree as you can easily check from Appatic’s own feed. For that reason I want to offer all of you that happen to agree with me a way to convert cut-up/truncated/limited feeds into full feeds.
Full Text RSS Feed Builder is a free online service that does exactly what its self-explanatory name implies. It allows you to input any cut-up/limited/truncated feed that only offers a little part of a blog post instead of the full content, and convert into a Full Text RSS Feed.
Once you have converted your truncated/limited/cut-up feed, you get a instant preview of how your converted feed will read along with the link for it. Fast & Easy.
This is not the first time I tell you about a service like this, before I had posted about WizardRSS and FullFeeds. But Full Text RSS Feed Builder just seems a better option right now. WizardRSS was recently updated but not upgraded. And FullFeeds looks to be now down all the time, maybe even for good. For those reasons I thought that Full Text RSS Feed Builder was worth a post of its own since it resulted better and multiples choices are always good even if for the same kind of services. Check it as it well worth a bookmark if you are a feed reader user.
Previously, FilesBoox was a File Search Engine based on FilesPump. But looks like it faced either some pressure or a change of heart and now the service has reinvented itself by jumping in the mirror, while at the same time conserving its name and domain.
FilesBoox is a quick file sharing and hosting online service. With it you can share any kind of file of any size for quick online delivery. There is no leaderboard of recently shared files or anything like that, so you can either share the file publicly or privately. It is at your own discretion.
Just load the site and you will see a Browse Files button. Click it and a Windows Explorer dialog will pop up, select the file you want to share and then click Open.
After you click Open, you will instantly see a upload progress bar that will show you the name of the file you are sharing, its data weight and the % uploaded. If you need to cancel, just click the red x button to abort the upload.
Once your file has finished uploading, a window frame will appear showing the Direct Download Link for the file you have just share along with a HTML and Forum code with that link for quick copy-pasting use. Finally, it will also show you a remove link in case you need or want to have the file erased. Now you got what you need to share your file.
FilesBoox makes for a good uncomplicated online file sharer and temporary file host.
Given the ease of use and size of the usable site. FilesBoox also makes for a good candidate to be used as a SSB app, if you want to consider that option, I recommend you to use Bubbles for that end.
It was back in 2009 with the release of IE8 that Microsoft first started to publicly declare the need for the world of letting go of IE6. From then to now things have only got more and more direct and since last week, the breaking point has finally been reached. Now Microsoft is not just saying it and supporting others declarations for the phase out of IE6. They have decided to put up a site for that goal, and that goal only.
TheIE6CountDown.com is a educational and promotional site that calls for the phase out of IE6 educating with the numbers of the current IE6 usage around the world and the basic info on why not use IE6. It is also a promotional vehicle for the close to be released IE9 in the case of Vista and 7 users or as a Microsoft sanctioned upgrade path to IE8 for those still using XP as their main Windows OS installation.
As of Feb 2011, approximately 12% of the connected world is still using IE6 as the main browser. The goal of Microsoft is to make that 12% a 1% as soon as possible. Something not as hard to do when it comes to common users, meaning those not accessing the internet from workstation. From the detailed stats screenshot below combined with the profiled one above, It is clear that the average percentage of IE6 usage around the world if not counting China, South Korea and India (the top 3 countries using IE6) is already at 5-6%. So the goal of only a 1% of usage is reachable from that perspective, even if I see 3% on average as the most realistic figure for 2011. But counting everyone in, then I would put the reachable target for 2011 at 9% and maybe maybe 7% if things go extremely well.
With all this said, it will be a good thing if you want to collaborate and check out on the site to know how you can accelerate the IE6 phase out.
Ok, this one is pretty much only for those that either got a little kid (7yrs old or less) or happen to like and hunt for WPF based (.NET fans) apps. In my case I got a little nephew constantly around and I do like to hunt for .NET based apps, so since I had both reasons, I decided to post about this little App.
FlashCards.Show is a ClickOnce enabled, WPF based educational kids game app focused in flashcard styled games designed by IdentityMine. Made for Microsoft to be used as a fleshed out illustrative example of a App that went from being a WPF desktop app to a Silverlight based one for WP7 and how the same app can be faithfully transitioned to different mediums. But since it was so fleshed out, I decided that it should not just be used by those doing tech demos at Microsoft, but by anyone that would want it.
FlashCards.Show comes with 3 different Card Deck classes: Alphabet, Animals and Flowers. In turn each Card Deck class got 3 different kinds of game: Leaning, Matching and Memory.
The learning games will show a card a time and if clicked, the card will turn showing the name of what the card is showing. Plus to that it will also show a play button with the audio of the correct pronunciation of the name of what was shown by that card.
The matching games will show a wall of shown cards separated by demonstrative cards and name cards. Matching a demonstrative card to the name card will make both disappear and that will be marked as a correct match.
The memory games will show a wall of unshown cards. Clicking or touching one card will show either a demonstrative or name card for 5 seconds and will turn around if left untouched or if a match is not made with another card. A memory match should then consist of a demonstrative card and a name card. If the match is made, both cards will disappear and that will be considered a correct match.
A simple, well designed and free educational game app for kids easy to enjoy. Only drawback about it is that you truly wish it had a lot more card decks and more games. But given the price and the easy 3 clicks install, there is really no much to complain about. App works in XP, Vista and 7.