Calling all Citizen Scientists!

Citizen Scientist

Note from a reader about DirectX 12 on XBox

To find out about the mysteries of DX12, scan the following: First check out the MVA about Build:...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 05/21/2015

Windows 10: Looking good with build 10122!

If you are developer or want to be a developer get over to: https://bit.ly/win10devconf And sign up...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 05/21/2015

Azure, Raspberry Pi connecting them at low cost

If you haven’t checked it out, and I am for sure, check out the Connect the dots site, if you have a...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 05/20/2015

Now you have graduated, so what?

Soft degree graduate, technology needs you! Yep, initially you won’t get paid as well as the CS...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 05/13/2015

Machine Learning on Azure, how is it different?

Ho hum, machine learning, the very basis of that thing we call computer science and computing...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 05/11/2015

Windows 10, TouchDevelop and App Studio

Ok, these are not Universal Apps if you feel a need to be one of the beautiful persons who use...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 05/08/2015

Windows 10: Setting the Developer Mode

(NOTE: UPDATE ON SETTING DEVELOPER MODE, to set developer mode see the...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 05/06/2015

Azure and Visual Studio: Changes to the Server Explorer appearance

Overview As long term users of Visual Studio one learns that the documentation doesn’t always...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 05/05/2015

Windows 10 Raspberry Pi 2+: UC Merced Graduate Students talk about their experience!

  If you are getting started with IOT, check out the Microsoft Virtual Academy at:...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 05/04/2015

Windows 10 on Raspberry Pi at UC Merced!

On Saturday I did a great event on the campus of UC Merced, a great bunch of students who have fun...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 05/04/2015

Windows 10 for IOT is finally released!

This just in: Windows for IOT is now available,. Oh boy a new sparkling object to distract me! Go...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 05/01/2015

Windows 10, Apple and Visual Studio Code, whaaattt? Works on everything, just like Touchdevelop

Well not exactly like TouchDevelop, but pretty similar.  This is big, really big!  Ok, for...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 04/30/2015

Windows 10 and Edge aka Spartan, Running some unofficial speed tests not recognized by Microsoft

Yay, finally got out of the 10041 Windows 10 version without throwing my machine out the window...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 04/29/2015

Windows 10: Unable to update from 10041

Uggh. Got stuck at 10041 on WIndows 10, didn’t really notice it seemed to be working ok, but then...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 04/29/2015

Using Windows 10 with Machine Learning

Creating and working with Windows 10 is a big deal. Using Machine Learning is also a big deal and...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 04/27/2015

Windows 10, Redis and NoSQL

If you want to get started with Redis, a form of NoSQL as you begin to adapt to WIndows check out...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 04/25/2015

Azure and Windows 10

Wow, getting started with Azure, not an easy task. Now there is Windows 10. And Windows 10 on...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 04/24/2015

Azure: Critical comments about MVAs when learning about VMs Part 1

Critical Comments about the MVAs The Microsoft Virtual Academy courses are a great way to get up to...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 04/23/2015

Windows 10: How to get started!

Windows 10 development, Microsoft says this is the last time you will need to modify your design...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 04/21/2015

Getting started with Window 10 development

Windows 10, works on everything, but you don’t need it to work on everything, you need it to work on...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 04/14/2015

Error in Fixit Demo: Cannot get Azure subscription ID and thumbprint, urghh

In case you are working through the excellent book: “Building Cloud Apps with Microsoft Azure”, this...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 04/10/2015

Error ID: 40650, Cannot move or create server. Subscription will exceed server quota.

Yep, you look at this and ask yourself, why?  You search the web for a solution.  Nothing...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 04/09/2015

Salesforce and Microsoft! What the HECK is going on

What’s next, lions and lambs laying together?  Is this the end of the world?  Nope,...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 04/03/2015

Azure: QuickStarts, Get started with designing cloud based apps

If you want to prove to yourself that an MSDN subscription is worth the money, then there is no...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 04/02/2015

IOT: Windows 10 for Embedded IOT

If you are reading this much after 2/9/2015 or so, it is out of date. Windows 10 for Embedded IOT....

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 02/03/2015

IOT: Raspberry Pi 2 and Windows 10

You may have read about it at the Raspberry Pi 2 product, which for $35 US 2015 is a pretty good...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 02/02/2015

Cloud: Adding a messagebox to your Powershell

In case you have a long acting action, you might want to have a message sent to you or a messagebox...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 01/28/2015

Getting started with Azure, Don’t Panic

The Microsoft Cloud is AWESOME! But how do you get started in figuring out how to get started. This...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 01/28/2015

IOT: The chips in your inexpensive Radio Controlled Car, TX2/RX2

The TX2/RX2 chip provided in the Radio Controlled Cars appears to be the winner when it comes to...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 01/06/2015

IOT: Connect the dots by MS Open Tech, gets your UNO connected to the cloud!

Hot off the presses, email actually, somewhat warm actually… The Windows group has put together a...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 12/30/2014

IOT: Using junk to build your Internet of Things thing

When I read many of the IOT articles there always seems to be the assumption that you will be able...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 12/29/2014

Security: 5 URL’s that I found for K-12 programs from undercover agencies

Security is a big deal right now, likely there will be money for research, training and high schools...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 12/20/2014

IOT: TouchDevelop Generates Arduino Code

For IOT, having a nice design tool chain is a great benefit.  Sure you can crank out C/C++...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 12/19/2014

IOT: C++ is pretty important, but getting your first VC++ app working is also important, here is how

For IOT, C++ and C are the thing to learn. Javascript, yep. HTM. C# yep, for the same reason you...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 12/16/2014

IOT: Misread of the Visual Micro on how to set library folder location

Well, Visual Micro does indeed give solid instructions on how to set-up their excellent product, but...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 12/15/2014

IOT: Frameworks and Board Support Packages

With the Intel Edison, Texas Instruments LaunchPads, or Arduinos, you use a language framework like...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 12/02/2014

IOT: Build your own boards! FAB fabulously!

Yep, prototypes are fine, you build that flashy pumpkin, modified that shooting toy, built that...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 11/06/2014

Pumpkinduino Part 4: The final hardware and software put together

Previous Post: Pumpkinduino Part 3 Ok, I procrastinated, got distracted, then got sick with one of...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 10/31/2014

Charles Petzold is moving to Xamarin, a cross platform design tool company, build once and use many...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 10/16/2014

Office Design: Office 365 API Tools

This has been out since 8/4/2014, but my friend Jeremy Foster (see https://codefoster.com) ...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 10/16/2014

Windows 10: Getting started

I just loaded Windows 10 on my system, using the Microsoft corporation process rather than the iso...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 10/15/2014

Game design: Let’s stop the objectification of women in games

Let’s face, for a number of years, video games were designed by men for men, which means in the...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 10/15/2014

IOT: Lowering your software design’s power consumption (part 2)

Previous Blog Like security, quality, process, design power consumption for software designers is...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 10/06/2014

IOT: Managing your Embedded Systems and Mobile Devices

Ok, you followed Bret Stateham’s excellent blog on the Galileo, Spark.io and other devices. ...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 09/30/2014

Game: Recent update to DirectX Tool Kit (or native XNA)

Just noticed that the DirectX Tool Kit has a recent update as of Sept 5, 2014, which some call...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 09/30/2014

IOT: Texas Instruments FRAM Microcontroller or System on Chip

Sometimes you wonder if a company is just gone.  Texas Instruments is one of those companies I...

Author: Surf4Fun Date: 09/29/2014

<Previous Next>