Zachariah Young

Main Presentation
Title: ugPDC: Best of PDC Tour
Description:
Join Developer Evangelist Chris Koenig for a whirlwind tour of the major announcements from PDC ’09. We’ll look at the changes and improvements to Windows Azure, new features introduced in Silverlight 4.0, and Visual Studio 2010/.NET 4.0.
Presenter:
Chris Koenig is a Developer Evangelist with Microsoft, based in Dallas, TX. Prior to joining Microsoft, Chris worked as a Senior Architect on the Architecture Strategy Team for The Capital Group in San Antonio, and as an Architect, Developer and Development Team Lead for the global solution provider Avanade. As a consultant, Chris worked with a variety of clients from many vertical markets, ISVs and other solution providers on enterprise-class Windows and web-based applications. Today, Chris focuses on building, growing, and enhancing the developer communities in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas. Chris is a devoted husband and father of four awesome children who keep him very busy. In his spare time, Chris serves as Scoutmaster for his oldest son's Troop, and Committee Chair for his youngest sons' Pack. Chris also enjoys travelling, cooking, camping and playing guitar.
When:
5:30 PM - 6:00 PM - Welcome and News, Sign-in and Food
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM – Main Presentation
7:30 PM – 8:00 PM – Closing and Prize give-a-ways
Where:
The Jones Center
922 East Emma Avenue
Springdale, AR 72764
Room 130 (Generations Room)

Topic
I will present an introduction to NHibernate and Fluent NHibernate. This introduction will not only discuss NHibernate in isolation but show its usage embedded in a realistic yet simple WPF application. All aspects of how to setup, run and extend such an application will be discussed. An important focus will be put on the differences between testing and running the application. 

Bio
After receiving my Ph.D. of Physics at the Federal Institute of Technologies in Zurich, Switzerland, I worked for some time in building physics, and subsequently moved to behavioral science. Among other things, I was involved in training expert examiners of different industries in how to write and take exams that are fair and really test the relevant aspects of their profession.
In 1996, I started as an independent consultant, mentor, trainer and developer. In 2001, a partner and I founded a small software company. We have been writing customer specific software for all kinds of industries as well as for the government.
Since March 2009, I have been working as a senior software architect for TOPAZ Technologies in Austin, TX. I moved to Austin in October 2009.

I have been working on the .NET platform in my professional work since 2000. I am the author of the NHibernate FAQ blog and am a member of "Los Techies". I have also published several articles on DotNetSlackers about NHibernate and Fluent NHibernate.

What is VAN?

Virtual ALT.NET (VAN) is the online gathering place of the ALT.NET community. Through conversations, presentations, pair programming and programming dojo’s, we strive to improve, explore, and challenge the way we create software. Using net conferencing technology such as Skype and LiveMeeting, we hold regular meetings, open to anyone, usually taking the form of a presentation or an Open Space Technology-style conversation.

Please see the Calendar to find a VAN group that meets at a time
convenient to you, and feel welcome to join a meeting. Past sessions can be found on the Recording page.

To stay informed about VAN activities, you can subscribe to the Virtual ALT.NET (VAN) Google Group and follow the Virtual ALT.NET blog.

Times below are Central Standard Time
Start Time: Wed, November 18, 2009 8:00 PM UTC/GMT -6 hours
End Time: Wed, November 18, 2009 10:00 PM UTC/GMT -6 hours
Attendee URL: http://www.virtualaltnet.com/van

Topic
I will present an introduction to NHibernate and Fluent NHibernate. This introduction will not only discuss NHibernate in isolation but show its usage embedded in a realistic yet simple WPF application. All aspects of how to setup, run and extend such an application will be discussed. An important focus will be put on the differences between testing and running the application. 

Bio
After receiving my Ph.D. of Physics at the Federal Institute of Technologies in Zurich, Switzerland, I worked for some time in building physics, and subsequently moved to behavioral science. Among other things, I was involved in training expert examiners of different industries in how to write and take exams that are fair and really test the relevant aspects of their profession.
In 1996, I started as an independent consultant, mentor, trainer and developer. In 2001, a partner and I founded a small software company. We have been writing customer specific software for all kinds of industries as well as for the government.
Since March 2009, I have been working as a senior software architect for TOPAZ Technologies in Austin, TX. I moved to Austin in October 2009.

I have been working on the .NET platform in my professional work since 2000. I am the author of the NHibernate FAQ blog and am a member of "Los Techies". I have also published several articles on DotNetSlackers about NHibernate and Fluent NHibernate.

Times below are Central Standard Time
Start Time: Wed, November 11, 2009 8:00 PM UTC/GMT -6 hours
End Time: Wed, November 11, 2009 10:00 PM UTC/GMT -6 hours
Attendee URL: http://www.virtualaltnet.com/van

Topic
I will present an introduction to NHibernate and Fluent NHibernate. This introduction will not only discuss NHibernate in isolation but show its usage embedded in a realistic yet simple WPF application. All aspects of how to setup, run and extend such an application will be discussed. An important focus will be put on the differences between testing and running the application. 

Bio
After receiving my Ph.D. of Physics at the Federal Institute of Technologies in Zurich, Switzerland, I worked for some time in building physics, and subsequently moved to behavioral science. Among other things, I was involved in training expert examiners of different industries in how to write and take exams that are fair and really test the relevant aspects of their profession.
In 1996, I started as an independent consultant, mentor, trainer and developer. In 2001, a partner and I founded a small software company. We have been writing customer specific software for all kinds of industries as well as for the government.
Since March 2009, I have been working as a senior software architect for TOPAZ Technologies in Austin, TX. I moved to Austin in October 2009.

I have been working on the .NET platform in my professional work since 2000. I am the author of the NHibernate FAQ blog and am a member of "Los Techies". I have also published several articles on DotNetSlackers about NHibernate and Fluent NHibernate.

Times below are Central Standard Time
Start Time: Wed, November 11, 2009 8:00 PM UTC/GMT -6 hours
End Time: Wed, November 11, 2009 10:00 PM UTC/GMT -6 hours
Attendee URL: http://www.virtualaltnet.com/van

Well I going to Tulsa TechFest tomorrow.  Below are these sessions I plan on attending.  I hope to see everyone there.

Developing Your First Azure Service

Developer's Overview of SQL Azure

Loosen Your Domain with Message-Driven Architecture

Windows Workflow in .NET 4.0

Tulsa TechFest
Friday, Nov 6, 2009 at OSU – Tulsa
8:00 AM – 6:30 PM
Keynote by Joe Fletcher – UX lead for Microsoft Surface team
13 Tracks – 65 Sessions of top developer, architect, designer and IT pro content
FREE event – just bring 2 cans of food for the Eastern Oklahoma Food Bank or $2 for the Family and Children’s Services of Tulsa

Billy McCafferty will join us once again on the heels of releasing
Service Pack 1 for S#arp Architecture version 1. He will spend some time reviewing feature improvements, changes and add more context tot he framework where time was not permitted in the first meeting. If you have any specific questions you would like addressed during the evening please let the thread begin...

Time and location of the meetings Times below are Central Daylight Time
Start Time: Nov 4, Each week 8:00 PM UTC/GMT -5 hours
End Time: Nov 4, Each week 10:00 PM UTC/GMT -5 hours

Attendee URL: http://www.virtualaltnet.com/van

Topic

A three way conversation with the main collaborators who created NH Profiler. This tool enables developers to gain a deeper insight into profiling their applications communication from NHibernate(.Net) and Hibernate(Java) through to the database.

Who they are

Ayende Rahien contributed efforts on the back-end development.

Chris Bennage and Rob Eisenberg contributed their efforts to the front-end.

Time and location of the meetings

Times below are Central Daylight Time
Start Time: Oct 21 and 28, Each week 8:00 PM UTC/GMT -5 hours
End Time: Oct 21 and 28, Each week 10:00 PM UTC/GMT -5 hours
Attendee URL: Attend the meeting (Live Meeting)

Just some sample code of passing a action lambda expression into a method.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;

namespace Func
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            string[] weekDays = {"Sun", 
                                    "Sat", 
                                    "Mon", 
                                    "Tue", 
                                    "Wed", 
                                    "Thu", 
                                    "Fri"};
            
            Display3(weekDays, s => Console.WriteLine(s + "hello"));
            Console.ReadLine();

        }

        private static void Display3<T>(T[] name, Action<T> action)
        {
            foreach (T s in name)
            {
                action(s);
            }
        }

    }
}

An Evening with Dona Bailey (Creator of Centipede) will be held in Harrison, AR, on Tuesday, November 3rd.  There's no cost, but you have to register to attend in order to win any prizes.

A lot of us grew up during the 70's and 80's, so this is going to be huge...
Dona Bailey, the designer and programmer of the video game Centipede, is coming to the Ozarks DNUG in Harrison, AR, on Tuesday, November 3rd. She will give a presentation on 3D Modeling and take questions about her days at Atari.
Here are links to a few articles about Dona...
Dona's Wikipedia Entry
An Interview with Dona
Dona at the Women in Games International Summit
Designing a game that impacted the whole world, using Assembly language and the 6502 processor...I'm amazed and can't wait to hear Dona's stories!

3D Modeling by Dona Bailey

Dona Bailey will give a 3D modeling demo, outline the elements for learning 3D modeling, and speak about the benefits of manipulating 3D space. Making 3D models improves spatial literacy, which is an essential 21st-century literacy. Until recently software packages for 3D modeling were prohibitively expensive, and thus available for only the privileged. Open source 3D modeling software is now accessible for anyone who is interested.
Bailey will also be glad to answer any questions about her work at Atari in Sunnyvale, CA, and the 1981 arcade game, Centipede.

Dona Bailey Bio
Dona Bailey grew up in Arkansas, then moved to California and New York before returning to Arkansas to be closer to family. During her years in California and New York, she worked as a computer programmer, systems analyst, database analyst, and academic data researcher. Since returning to Arkansas, Bailey has taught multimedia courses at the college level, and she is now a faculty member in the department of Rhetoric and Writing at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR). Bailey teaches writing courses that incorporate digital tools and new literacy elements.
Schedule

6:00 PM - 6:45 PM Social Networking
6:45 PM - 7:00 PM Prizes

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Presentation: "3D Modeling" by Dona Bailey
8:00 PM - 8:30 PM After Meeting Wrap-Up 

To register...

http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=141461

You do want to register so you're eligible to win a prize.  There's no guarantees, but we're looking into giving away a vintage Centipede arcade game.  An Atari Flashback 2 and other gaming prizes are also possible.  You won't know for sure what we're giving away unless you come, and you can't win unless you register.

The Mobile Development Symposium with Dan Fergus will be held in Harrison, AR, on Friday, October 16th.  There's no cost, but you have to register to attend in order to win any prizes. 

To register...

http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=141458

"I Need a Sword" by Dan Fergus
Writing mobile device applications with the Compact Framework may sometimes make you want to take a sword to your system out of pure frustration. The basics are easy but as always, the dirt is in the details (I was never very good at those little sayings). I do know how you can move beyond those simple windowed looking applications to cleaner more advanced looking applications. We will look at the basics because even the best of us need a refresher once in a while.
Once everyone is up to speed we will take our sword to the code and cut up something useful and interesting. We will cover some of the advanced graphics available, thought not always directly, in the compact framework. Not to belittle a good application but to an end user, speed and looks are often more important than functionality. Too many mobile apps have none of the above. This session will also give you an opportunity to look at the new Mobile 6.5 OS (Sorry, no Mobile 7. If I can’t see it, neither can you). As always we will have time to discuss and ask questions and perhaps even touch on your favorite topic instead of mine. My favorite is data and getting it from here to there and back again. It shouldn’t be this hard. But it can be. So sheath your sword, come by and learn about writing mobile apps with the .Net Compact Framework.
Dan Fergus Bio

Dan Fergus is a Device Application Development MVP, trainer, and the co-author of The Definitive Guide to the .NET Compact Framework by Apress. Dan has also written many articles, print and online, is a frequent speaker at conferences and user groups, and is a contributing editor for Visual Studio Magazine. Dan has worked on device applications ranging from medical patient tracking to delivery truck systems to applications for the professional sports industry.

Schedule

6:00 PM - 6:15 PM Social Networking

6:15 PM - 6:45 PM "Lightning" Presentations:  Quick Mobile Development Tips

6:45 PM - 7:00 PM Prizes 
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Main Presentation: "I Need a Sword" by Dan Fergus
8:00 PM - 8:30 PM After Meeting Wrap-Up

For prizes, we will be giving away Resco Mobile Toolkit, Infragistics, ReSharper, CodeSmith, books and more.

About Ozarks .NET User Group

The Ozarks DNUG is made up of software professionals in Harrison, Arkansas, and surrounding areas who are interested in gaining technical knowledge and making contact with like-minded professionals.