frankarr - an aussie microsoft blogger

Is it that time of the year?

frankarr — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT

It only seems like yesterday that I wrote my XLV post -- I’m celebrating another birthday today.

Today I’m XLVI

As happened last year, I’ve received best wishes from my friends via email,tweets, re-tweets, facebook and these started the day before, due to my down under crew.

Thank you to all who left me a note – I will get back to each and everyone of you!

Now some information about my age: It is a Wedderburn-Etherington number, an enneagonal number and a centered triangular number. It is the sum of the totient function for the first twelve integers. 46 is the largest even integer that can't be expressed as a sum of two abundant numbers. It is the 13th semiprime. It is the atomic number of palladium, the number of human chromosomes and the (decimal) value of the ASCII code for the period (full stop), as well as the code for international direct dial phone calls to Sweden.

This year, I am away from home, but I do get to celebrate my birthday at PDC09, with thousands of fellow geeks. There’s even a geekfest in the evening (which I’m thinking is surprise birthday party for me – how cool could that be!!!!!).

As I look ahead, I’m see a what others did at age 46:

Ben Franklin conducted kite experiments, and discovered lightning is an electrical discharge.
Scottish surgeon, James Baird, discovered hypnosis.
Jack Nicklaus became oldest man ever to win golf's Masters.
Alfred Eisenstaedt took his photo of a sailor sweeping up a girl in a kiss during the V-J day celebration in Times Square.
Theodore Roosevelt was elected to a full term as President in 1904.
John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963.

and can wonder what lies ahead for me…

Technorati Tags: Frank Arrigo,PDC09,XLVI

Fill up yer brain @ pdc09

frankarr — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:43:27 GMT

I’m in LA this week for the Professional Developers Conference – for me it’s a time to catch up with friends from all over the world, connect with customers and partners again, and as Steve Clayton says, “It’s also a time to fill my brain with tech talk”.

Oh, and speaking of filling brains and big heads, the hilight so far has been spotting david lempher’s big head on a poster

Technorati Tags: PDC09,davidlem

What are folks looking for?

frankarr — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:45:38 GMT

It’s been a while (11 months actually) since I looked at the search keywords that keep bringing people to my blog.

It’s funny. I haven’t posted much at all during this year (infact 12 posts September 2009 (3), August 2009 (1), July 2009 (1), June 2009 (1), May 2009 (2), April 2009 (1), March 2009 (1), January 2009 (2) before today), yet I keep getting a steady stream of visitors to the blog.

So, what are those popular terms that keep bring people back to my blog posts?

powerpuff girls
windows 7 user agent
frank arrigo
msexpense
user agent windows 7
wpf rss reader
mathletics games for kids
power puff girls
silverlight tetris
all work and no fun
open source erp .net
c# erp
http_user_agent windows 7
tetris silverlight
frankarr
chumby upnp
useragent windows 7
powerpuff girls pictures
optus quota
dilbert gadget
frank arrigo blog
lol cat
new emoticons
microsoft voice commander headset
optus gadget
outlook twitter plugin
all work no fun
optus usage gadget
30 messenger emoticons
microsoft empower promotion code
open source .net erp
windows 7 user agent string
windows 7 useragent
.net erp open source
mambo loud shirts

Yup, there’s a definite theme going on here…..

Technorati Tags: Frank Arrigo,Blogging,Keywords

Wanna see my Last 200 tweets??

frankarr — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:55:28 GMT

I’ve installed a new Windows Live Writer Plugin which Inserts Tweets Into Your Blog Post. It’s pretty cool. Kudos to the author Tod Birdsall, aka @tod1d

So, thanks to this new plugin, here’s my last 200 tweets

@markjbrown where u chilling? spitfire?
if anyone is looking for me, im at the spitfire #tr9
@coatsy @NickHodge @orco - you can find us at spitfire #tr9
@gannotti come to the spitfire
last day of #tr9. ftw!!!
@jldavid stone the crows!
@coatsy up on stage competing to win somw swag #tr9
@coatsy name 5 sodas - coke, pepsi, diet pepsi, big pepsi - wtf? fail!! #tr9
RT @pbarone: RT @EverythingMS: MS Australia Recognises Its First Visually Impaired MVP: http://tr.im/uS54 Simply amazing!
going on a journey into the Cloud with bobmu and a few thousand other folks #tr9
@mkleef something about home made beef sausages?
farewell #tr9 attendees and former team mates @nigelwatson, @coatsy, @nickhodge, @jeffa36. thx for the aussie treats - nom nom nom
catching up on news with the fam..
@directv when do we get bbc america hd??
taking bricey to see g-force. gotta love talking animal action movies
@davidlem sorry to wake you up at 1250pm!
getting stuff done before i go on vacation later this week
Just secured a safe house in Washington, D.C.. #spymaster http://bit.ly/playspy
RT @anandiyer: [blog] Foursquare natively on Windows (Mobile) Phone? You betcha! http://tr.im/uHR1
RT @Microsoft: How to port iPhone apps to Win Mobile: @gripwire ports Amplitude app http://bit.ly/uaRzK @wmdev ^SL
Aussie's lightning photo becomes the face of Bing http://bit.ly/eGxOz #bing
i prefer @delic8genius' http://blindsearch.fejus.com/ over http://www.bing-vs-google.com/ however that green navbar is quite fetching ......
RT @TechFlash: Microsoft Research's SkyFinder searches the horizon by keyword http://bit.ly/18cpWd
Check this video out -- "Weird Al" Yankovic - CNR http://bit.ly/2Or16P
Beware Exploding iPods http://bit.ly/NYadc
@coatsy - safe travels back home.
RT @stkildafc: "The Saints prepare to face the Hawks for the annual Blue Ribbon Cup. Read all about it here: http://ping.fm/BsECx"
RT @IE: Do you suffer from G.R.I.P.E.S. Watch to find out more about a cure. http://bit.ly/RXvEP ^JT #IEdon8
what the? ok, who stole the seattle sun?? anyone? anyone?
New blog post: http://tinyurl.com/nhot97 - PDC09 – What are you waiting for???
@davidlem has she coded up a cloudapp yet???
huzzah! ouit of office for my summer vacation. ftw!
RT @stkildafc: St Kilda 10.14.74 d. Hawthorn 7.7.49 - that's 19 in a row Sainters!
farewell @setantaus - you stop showing afl so i stop you!. http://bit.ly/kJ90c
@ESPN360 now showing 3 live afl games a week after @SetantaUS ends coverage. hope to see some upcoming saints games soon!
I just deposited money into my Swiss bank account. #spymaster http://bit.ly/playspy
getting an eye exam. first time in 2+ years
had pupils dilated. can barely see, let alone tweet
eyes tested yesterday. hearing to be tested tomorrow. what else needs to be looked at?
@simchabe @GerdaDurin - in need of a full 45000km service.
beginning the feast of @billyarr with pancakes. he is 16 today
I just deposited money into my Swiss bank account. #spymaster http://bit.ly/playspy
yesterday we feasted. today we visit dr clint the dentist
RT @m3sweatt: "Lots of positive feedback re Aussie school students that were the first WW to use Microsoft's #Windows 7 http://bit.ly/B0ltj"
building my schedule for #bumbershoot http://sched.bumbershoot.org/frankarr
RT @TechFlash: Grand Tour of the Zune HD, with glimpses of Bing and browser http://bit.ly/rNEFc
I just deposited money into my Swiss bank account. #spymaster http://bit.ly/playspy
rain rain go away. i need some sun while im on vacation
RT @TechFlash: Can Windows 7 make PCs green? http://bit.ly/IKoA9
2 year anniversary of the arrigo family coming to america. where have those 24 months gone?.
introducing the little ones ro Dick's Drive-In
RT @KING5Seattle: RT@Warren_Chris Tomorrow more sunshine and much warmer for Seattle. Highs back in the 70s!
trying to convince the little arrigos to go see ponyo with me. surprised i have to work so hard
frostology
@Frostology we made the trip for an assorted dozen. mmm red velvet doughnut and smokey bacon maple bar
http://twitpic.com/e63ek - @frostology - a boxload of yumminess
http://twitpic.com/ebqyl - emma got some glasses
RT @ranggrol: Ponyo: A Role Model for Kids with Autism? - http://bit.ly/6nVG9
@kurtsoft happy 18th.
taking @billyarr to his driving test. today's the day he *could* get his driving license
http://tinyurl.com/lf4qfz - @billyarr waitng his turn at the DOL
http://twitpic.com/ehi6x - @billyarr waitng his turn at the DOL
@billyarr SUCESS. passed his driving test!!! another 16yo is on the road
http://twitpic.com/eiis5 - @cupcakeroyale for @kurtsoft turning 18 & @billyarr getting his drivers license
@rarrigo gets published - MyBook. FaceSpace, … Next! http://business.theage.com.au/business/mybook-facespace-x2026-next-20090819-eqnq.html
Mmmm the wood butcher from zeeks - Fresh tomato sauce. mozzarella, pepperoni, mushroom, green pepper, red onion & italian sausage
RT @stkildafc: With Geelong's loss last night, the Saints are now guaranteed to win the McClelland Trophy as 2009 Minor Premiers!
RT @davewiner: My #blogpostfriday post (Scripting News). http://tr.im/wQIZ
watching comedians of @chelsealately - tonight it's @MCDONALDHEATHER, @JohnCaparulo & @whitneycummings.
Listen to my #Bumbershoot Festival playlist! http://bit.ly/dWkNz
I just deposited money into my Swiss bank account. #spymaster http://bit.ly/playspy
RT @pepsi: "For those of you watching #madmen.... Check out Patio Soda: http://bit.ly/kmLUa"
RT @SunnyInSeattle: "It's no longer sunny in Seattle. :( http://tr.im/sunnyinseattle"
RT @rfarasat: "mad men yourself @ http://www.amctv.com/originals/madmen/madmenyourself/"
RT @smh_news: "Sport: Ponting: We were very very bad http://bit.ly/2tZRsk"
back in b24
Tweethead is my social mojo. What's yours? Find out at http://bit.ly/knowmojo
@sched the timezone seems wrong when i export my ical from http://sched.bumbershoot.org/frankarr - things seem off by 7hours - any thoughts?
@raybrad follow @SunnyInSeattle who tweet when it is ;)
Wondering what should be the new #OztourismSlogan? http://bit.ly/47LGA
RT @jonoabroad: Australia: You can eat the coat of arms. #OzTourismSlogan
RT @lordfolland: Australia- the only place in the world who still use girt. #OzTourismSlogan #AusTag
Check out "Ringtone" at http://current.com/items/90750468.htm #weirdal
getting myself a franky poken http://bit.ly/INGh9 -- do you poken? http://bit.ly/Ix0W8
Support #softie, add a #twibbon to your avatar now! - http://twibbon.com/join/softie
Support I'm running Windows 7, add a #twibbon to your avatar now! - http://bit.ly/CAcgK
on hold with Bellevue Auto Rebuild - http://www.bellevueautorebuild.com/ - my car had better be ready!!
JOY! my car has been repaired and i can collect it, despite my incompetent insurance company
RT @scottlum: Microsoft Corp VP Scott Guthrie to kick off Seattle Startup Weekend for entrepreneurs http://bit.ly/qhosB
w00t!!! RT @KIRO7Seattle: Summer is not over yet! @StevensonRebeca says tom. you'll need sunglasses! Sunny & warm w/ highs in upper 80s
RT @longzheng: "IKEA switches to Verdana font. Internet goes beserk http://bit.ly/1EM7j"
Save a kWh--power down your computers tonight. Sign up at http://bit.ly/81Wkl! #powerITdown!
RT @KING5Seattle: Cougar killing farm animals & pets on Olympic Peninsula: http://bit.ly/eX5Q6
RT @KIRO7Seattle: Don't forget today is free car wash day at Brown Bear until 8 p.m. http://www.brownbear.com/
@amyrc you could go for a nasty sandwich from bldg 25
RT @nicfill: WiTricity: http://bit.ly/15Uaxw
RT @ch9: Countdown to PDC09: Hard Hat Challenges Are Back! (Sort of) http://bit.ly/4C73UF
RT @alfredtwo: Popfly Game Engine Code on Codeplex http://bit.ly/gZ50t
omg i lost my keys. .... w00t - someone found them.
got an email from #fitbit overnight. things are still delayed. watching for updates on the blog http://blog.fitbit.com/
RT @longzheng: cool windows 7 app that adjusts monitor backlight using ordinary webcam as sensor http://bit.ly/aTKAo
@michaelcoates M&Ms? anniversary today? how many years?? i had 18lbs outside my office recently http://bit.ly/4B2Mep
making plans to visit Burgermaster http://bit.ly/32BRUd for a friday family feast #fff
@dfberry #swredmond http://startupweekend.com/about
@dfberry #swredmond better - http://is.gd/2EPYk
@jldavid you sound surprised? it really the perfect meal. besides how else can i get my family fed effectively while my wife is offline?
freshman, sophmore, junior, senior - oh my! I have 2 of 'em this year
tonight we got @monk_usa, @Psych_USA, then @thesoup. we <3 fridays!
RT @bizspark: "Follow the BizSpark Startup Week end with #SWRedmond"
Watching Australian Rules Football: Melbourne vs. St. Kilda on @ESPN360
RT @stkildafc: "St Kilda 17.12.114 defeated Melbourne 10.7.67 - get set for September Saints!"
@tdrbakery getting your yummy donuts
RT @TDRBakery: "New sandwich starting today...Duroc Ham, Herb Butter & Arugula...simple yet, perfect." YUM eating one right now
taking Moira to local orthopedic surgeon to work out wtf is wrong with her know. MRI scheduled for later today
taking Moira to orthopedic surgeon to work out wtf is wrong with her *knee* - i think it's prepatellar bursitis. MRI scheduled for today
It's time for me to Gadfly! (The Silverlight OOB Twitter client) http://bit.ly/1aqIZ3
http://pic.gd/45c654 my franky poken arrived. time for me to @poken
gone 2 look for a car for @billyarr - http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/ctd/1344569800.html. need top haggle since it's the end of the month
Maybe next year?? - Beard & Mustache World 2009 Championships http://is.gd/2Lkqj
http://twitpic.com/g3cqe - brice happy to be going back to school?
http://twitpic.com/g3fi7 - something BIG blocking my way out this morning
@orco now we can high four! #poken
@gleeks A Long Wait Stirs Enthusiasm for Fox Show 'Glee' http://bit.ly/nHG6V
prepping for panel session at MIC summit over at the commons. does this gig have a hashtag?
@simchabe MIC == Microsoft Innovation Center
@manvfood does the Doughman Challenge! @AdamRichman eats and runs
RT @prsangie: http://doughman.pratt.duke.edu/
Preview: St Kilda v Collingwood http://www.afl.com.au/news/blogarticle/tabid/8123/newsid/84041/default.aspx ... carn the saints! @stkildafc
It's time for me to Gadfly! (The Silverlight OOB Twitter client) http://bit.ly/1aqIZ3
http://twitpic.com/gc82t - bing s the water that we drink
RT @Anyware: Get out your #3D glasses! Jennifer and I do our #PDC09 Countdown show in three dimensions: http://bit.ly/3JRUWb #microsoft
RT @jldavid: Seth Meyers to emcee Microsoft Company Meeting at Safeco: http://is.gd/2QVAD
Looking forward to #Bumbershoot - Katy Perry, BEP, All-American Rejects, Iglu & Hartly, Franz Ferdinand, Modest Mouse and @azizansari
#bumbershoot - the queues arent as bad as last year. maybe the rain has frightened off the fans?
http://twitpic.com/glsqy - main stage at #bumbershoot. @katyperry on soon
http://twitpic.com/glsr1 - 200909051233_007
RT @StarbucksLive: If you have a registered Starbucks Card, stop by the Starbucks Stage for a free coffee from the Clover ... 1-7pm. #bu ...
Sun is coming out a bit at #bumbershoot
RT @StarbucksLive: Free cell phone charging near the Starbucks stage. #Bumbershoot http://twitpic.com/gmjw5
saw a plane flying over #bumbershoot pulling a sign that reads "oldskl txtn" - made me think of @davidlem for some reason
All American Rejects and @KatyPerry put on a good show and i wasnt the oldest in the crowd. #Bumbershoot
http://twitpic.com/gnm91 - #bumbershoot - front row at iglu & hartly
http://twitpic.com/gnn1p - @starbuckslive - be seen you tweets show up here #bumbershoot
http://twitpic.com/gnn6j - @billyarr on the tweet screen #bumbershoot
@seattleweekly @katyperry rocked memorial stadium with giant strawberries and a cherry chapstick #bumbershoot
RT @timpfarr: "Ew, Eric Hutchinson (@erichutchinson) has a nasty sweat stain on his back... and it's shaped like a triangle... #bumbershoot"
RT @lockhartliz: "Thinks its quite entertaining to watch her tweets show up on the screens in the starbucks garden @ #bumbershoot."
RT @howiecohen: "The story behind the "OLDSKL TXTN" aerial #bumbershoot banner http://bit.ly/14JYB7"
@the_tony ill be watching the saints live thx to @espn360. so excited for @stkildafc
leaving #bumbershoot to get back in time for the footy on @espn360 - saints v magpies. carn the saints @stkildafc
@stkildafc ill be following from seattle,wa in the us. carn the saints!
Half time: Saints by 10pts over Pies http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/84281/default.aspx #afl #saints @stkildafc
@hlnr of course I am a saints man and i will hug my woman after the game!!
w00t - St Kilda 12.8.80 d. Collingwood 7.10.52. #afl #saints
Saints into prelim with 28-point win over Pies http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/84281/default.aspx #afl #saints
it's bucketing down at #bumbershoot. it is wet wet wet
heading down to the mainstage for Cold War Kids & Yeah Yeah Yeah's at #Bumbershoot. i can see some blue skies too
RT @BumbershootNews: The weather gods have smiled upon us! It quit raining about half an hour ago, so come on down to #Bumbershoot!
http://twitpic.com/gr7l7 - cold war kids bring out the sun #bumbershoot
http://twitpic.com/grgbi - spot the giant eyeball #bumbershoot
Yeah for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs! and for the sun to come out #bumbershoot
http://twitpic.com/gruo7 - giant eyeballs launched into the crowd #bumbershoot
tine for a bit of improvised shakespeare #bumbershoot
The Improvised Shakespeare Company #bumbershoot
#bumbershoot day 3 - bep, franz ferdinand, modest mouse and a whole lot more
RT @_blamb_: The lines for passes to Modest Mouse and Franz Ferdinand are HUGE! #Bumbershoot
Front row seat for Wyatt Cenac a Eugene Mirman. i hope i dont get picked on today
#bumbershoot - Front row seat for Wyatt Cenac a Eugene Mirman. i hope i dont get picked on today
RT @portroids: Waiting for the Wyatt Cenac / Eugene Mirman show to start at the Initiman Theater at #Bumbershoot . See you there!!
http://twitpic.com/gwf6f - #bumbershoot - crowd goes crazy for @bep
RT @AnnekaGerhardt: In the nosebleeds of Memorial wondering what's up with Fergie's dress. Cutouts? #Bumbershoot #BlackEyedPeas
http://twitpic.com/gwmyz - #bumbershoot - @bep gotta get that boom boom boom
Taking advantage of @starbuckslive phone charging station and free coffee #bumbershoot
#Bumbershoot. Saw Black Eyed Peas earlier (@bep), seeing Franz Ferdinand & Modest Mouse tonight w/ @billyarr
http://twitpic.com/gxirc - franz ferdinand take to the stage #bumbershoot
RT @popmusiccritic: Blue and red balloons are flying over the #Bumbershoot crowd before Modest Mouse takes the stage.
@anandiyer , here's my card: http://twtmycard.com/frankarr - frankarr #twtmycard
New blog post: http://tinyurl.com/nbf66q - 9/9/9 = C9 revolution time?
lol. my bank is on twitter (hello @FirstTechCU) & facebook http://www.facebook.com/firsttechcreditunion
brought home beatles rockband. kids have disappeared. weird
gonna be drinking some koolaid today
i binged myself doesnt sound as dirty as i googled myself - @sethmeyers21
Ohai demo person - remember to pump up the fonts in your demo so the people in the stadium can see wtf you are doing. kthxbye
@shanselman bravo. thank you for zooming the screen during your demo
can haz afl silverlight? RT @timheuer: reminder NFL Sunday Night Football tonight 5:30PM PST via Silverlight http://snfextra.nbcsports.com
surrounded by fog
w00t @trophycupcakes opening on the eastside
enoying some sunday morning pancakes with the fam
http://twitpic.com/hmloj - @throphycupcakes have lots of cupcakes on display
http://twitpic.com/hmn4h - @trophycupcakes have lots of cupcakes on display
http://twitpic.com/hmqlu - 12 of the best from @trophycupcakes. now which one to eat first?
http://twitpic.com/hmrxr - @trophycupcake red velvet won
ohh - My new Zune HD (Platinum) is out for delivery - will be arriving soon!!!
Going home to play with new Zune HD - so excitedj
tweeting from my zune hd
@LucasMoffitt, @orinthomas, @csharpzealot - i'm sorry my dowunder friends, but the Zune HD is just teh awesome.
still playing with my Zune HD. now I cant keep my hands off it. adding music, pics, vids apps and games. synching seems to be faster
@luisdans no bluetooth.
http://twitpic.com/hwlgu - my zune hd platinum
New blog post: http://tinyurl.com/qta22a - My latest gadget – Zune HD Platinum

Follow me on Twitter

Technorati Tags: Twitter,Windows Live Writer,WLW

My latest gadget – Zune HD Platinum

frankarr — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:02:39 GMT

Yes, I’m one of the ones who pre-ordered a Zune HD and got it delivered on the day of release.

It’s thin.

It’s light.

It syncs fast.

It has a browser.

It has installable apps.

The desktop client software is pretty cool too – a bunch of improvements and a bunch of new features

So yes, I’m a pretty happy Zune user so far.

All it’s missing is a radio stack and it would be a perfect converged device. Looking forward to seeing what the team is cooking up next!

My only problem is wrestling with my kids to use it.

But don’t take my word for it – have a read what Gizmodo has to say Zune HD Review: The PMP, Evolved

Technorati Tags: Zune HD

9/9/9 = C9 revolution time?

frankarr — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:24:13 GMT

PDC09 – What are you waiting for???

frankarr — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 01:23:25 GMT

I love the PDC. It’s one of the things I really look forward to, as the PDC has been the epicenter of Microsoft’s developer platforms and technology!!

PDC09 registration is now open! The team is offering a $500 USD discount to customers and partners that register by September 15.

It all happens Nov 17 – 19 2009 with Pre conference Workshops – Nov 16 at the Los Angeles Convention Center

This year the team has produced some nice blog bling, so help yourself

I’m off to try and weasel my way onto the planning team

Technorati Tags: PDC,PDC09

Design

frankarr — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 21:20:20 GMT

I’m still getting used to summer in the middle of the year. To me summer is associated with the end of the calendar year, with Christmas, with New Year celebrations, playing in the pool and lots of Cricket.

The other thing I’m struggling with is the long break the kids get from school. They have almost 3 months off. That’s just insane! On a related point, there’s a whole chapter on this topic of summer vacation in Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers, but I digress……

I spent a week in Ireland with my family recently. It was a chance for Moira to retrace her family roots, and for me to get “off the grid” and spend some quality time with my kids.

We wandered around castles, got lost in a maze, explored really old buildings, became vikings for an afternoon, visited pubs, discovered a dolman and basically chillaxed. The surprising thing is that in every town we stopped in, from Stephen's Green in Dublin to The Workhouse Square at MacDonagh Junction in Kilkenny and lots of places in between, we were able to find free Wi-Fi. Even where we stayed at Croan Cottages in Dunnamaggan!

I’ve got another trip coming up to “Hotlanta” for our annual MGX gathering. It will be great to catch up with folks from all over the world, including my old Aussie team!

This will be my 4th trip to Atlanta and following my recent Ireland adventures, I’m kinda inspired to go visit the Georgia Guidestones which were featured in a recent Wired article American Stonehenge: Monumental Instructions for the Post-Apocalypse or I could just go to The Varsity for an M.K. Dog and Strings.

Now, I’m sure you’re wondering what the title has to do with this post. It’s a clue for those playing a game - DPE/MGX Hint: What does the “D” in STEM-D Stand for?

Technorati Tags: Ireland,Atlanta,MGX

I swallowed what?

frankarr — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:57:00 GMT

This is a pretty embarrassing story, but I feel I need to document it and help others avoid making the same mistake I did.

It all happened a few weeks back. I’m having lunch, talking with folks, and fiddling with a can of drink. You know what they say about idle hands. Well on this occasion *my* idle hands snapped the ring pull and it fell into the can. I didn’t really notice, and a little while later, I took a big gulp of my beverage.

Well, guess what - I swallowed the ring pull that had been floating in my drink.

I noticed that I had swallowed *something*, but it didn’t really register right away.

During the afternoon, I felt an irritation in my throat. But, I dismissed it.

By the end of the day, my wife was certain that this thing was STUCK in my throat.

Memories of Brice and his whistle still fresh in our minds, Ooops - he did it again, Whistle Update, & The Xray!! we set off for Overlake Hospital Medical Center.

Where we waited.

And waited.

After a few hours, I was taken the x-ray, and the search began!.

They didn’t find anything lodged in my throat.

Phew!

Then to be sure, they followed the path, as illustrated on the famous GI Metro t-shirt, which I happen to have.

Still no sign of the pesky little thing.

So, I was discharged from hospital with the diagnosis of “esophegeal abrasion”, told to take some pain killers and that it would “pass” in a few days.

Later I discovered the following from the Foreign Body Ingestions Answer Sheet

Aluminum, unlike most swallowed metallic foreign bodies we encounter, is poorly radiopaque. Small aluminum objects do not always show up on radiographs. Although swallowed objects may lead to persistent symptoms from esophageal abrasions, we cannot rule out a small aluminum esophageal foreign body here. Although a CT scan might show it, using a hand-held metal detector is a simple way to find aluminum foreign bodies, since they generate a strong signal

Yikes! Aluminum is poorly radiopaque -- Is that thing still in me??

Time will tell!

Technorati Tags: Frank Arrigo,Esophegeal Abrasion,Hospital

dix-huit ans aujourd'hui = 18 pounds!

frankarr — Wed, 20 May 2009 18:12:00 GMT

1991 was a big year for me.

I got married.

I bought a house.

My first child was born

AND

I joined Microsoft on May 20, 1991

Today marks my 18th year anniversary at Microsoft.

They say 18 is the age of maturity, and Wikipedia lists some great age 18 milestones! I wont list them here, but you can guess where I’m going….

One fact about 18 which I really love is that 18, aside from 0, is the only number that equals twice the sum of its decimal digits – cool huh?.

Today I am following in the Microsoft tradition which dictates that I bring in a pound of M&Ms for each year that I’ve been an employee.

Yes, that’s a lot of M&M’s!! (over 8KG for you metric folks)

As I have done for the past few years (17, 16. 15, 14, 13), time to reflect a bit on my time at Microsoft. Yes, I still love the job.

The resume hasn’t changed that much over the year, apart from a title adjustment

May 1991	Sep 1993	Microsoft Canberra, working as a Systems Engineer
Sep 1993	Aug 1994	Microsoft Corp, @ Executive Briefing Center
Aug 1994	Oct 1995	Microsoft Corp, in the Advanced Technology Group, working on Interactive TV
Nov 1995	May 1997	Microsoft Australia, MSN Technical Director
Jun 1997	Jun 1999	ninemsn CTO
Jun 1999	May 2001	Microsoft Region, Digital Media dude
May 2001	Aug 2007	Microsoft Australia, Developer & Platform Evangelism (DPE)
Aug 2007	Current	Microsoft Corp, Director – DPE Field Community & Readiness

I’m leading a team of great guys and we are focusing on helping the DPE folks around the world, who do the real work, day in and day out. I do miss the customer interaction bit, getting up on stage, doing the press interviews.

My guys are on twitter (as am I, @frankarr) so why not follow the exploits of @orco & @jldavid too !!

Ok, time to share those M&Ms

Technorati Tags: Frank Arrigo

Sydney May23rd - "Windows Presentation Foundation" Community Workshop and Bushfire Appeal

frankarr — Thu, 07 May 2009 04:46:58 GMT

My old team back in Australia continues to do *great* stuff.

One of the cool things they have been doing is the WPF Community Workshop and Bushfire Appeal.

A workshop will be held in Sydney on May 23rd, and it looks like there’s still space available.

Sounds like a wonderful opportunity to learn stuff and help a good cause by raising close to $23,000 for the Red Cross "Victorian Bushfire Appeal 2009".

Kudos to you, dglover!

Technorati Tags: Community,Sydney,WPF

Footy + IE8 makes a tasty webslice

frankarr — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 03:49:00 GMT

I love my footy. Anyone that knows me, knows this to be true.

One of the sites I go to all the time is FinalSiren, it’s lightweight and has the info I want to see.

This week, I was emailing the webmaster of the site and I suggested he add a webslice.

Hey, how about doing an ie8 webslice for the current results?????

http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2008/03/06/activities-and-webslices-in-internet-explorer-8.aspx

To enable a WebSlice on your site, just add HTML annotations to your webpage. A WebSlice uses a combination of the hAtom Microformat and the WebSlice format.

<div class="hslice" id="Results">

<p class="entry-title"><h2>Round 2 Results</h2></p>

.......

</div>

The spec is here - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc304073(VS.85).aspx

it would be SOOOO cool ;)

Well a few days later he replied and let me know that he had done not just one, but two!!

Chris – love your work!

And if you want to do the same, check out these awesome screencasts by our favorite delicategenius

Screencast: IE8 WebSlices in 3 mniutes

Screencast: IE8 Accelerators in 3 minutes

Screencast: IE8 Visual Search Providers with suggestions in 3 minutes

Technorati Tags: IE8,webslice,AFL,FinalSiren

Celebrate Pi Day!

frankarr — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 19:29:09 GMT

I’ve been posting about Pi day for a while : Hey - It's Pi Day & Happy Pi Day

Now, everyone is getting into the act – even the US Congress had something to say about it

There is even the official Pi Day site.

All I can say, is that I like Pi and I have the tshirt to prove it

Technorati Tags: Pi,Pi Day

GP Blessed and Anointed!

frankarr — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 02:31:34 GMT

Coatsy wrote about Gianpaolo (or as we like to call him, GP) heading downunder back in December - The King is Dead! – Long Live the King!, as did GP himself Crikey... I am moving to Australia. There was even a press release, Gianpaolo Carraro takes up reins of Microsoft’s Developer and Platform Evangelism division

So, I had to laugh when I read this in the Australian IT section today

MICROSOFT has blessed Gianpaolo Carraro and anointed him as its new lead for the platform and developer evangelism group in Australia.

He will be engaging with Australian software developers and will also oversee Microsoft's industry development initiatives, which are designed to nurture innovation in Australia and help in the development and growth of the local IT sector. Carraro was previously a senior director of platform architecture at Microsoft's US headquarters in Redmond, Washington.

Blessed and anointed. LOL.

GP – All the best in your new job. The Aussie team is made up of a great bunch of hard working folks and the local Aussie software industry is full of super smart folks, which I am sure you will get to meet them all over time.

Just don’t stop the blogging!!!

Technorati Tags: Gianpaolo Carraro,DPE,Microsoft Australia

The One about the Snowmobile and the Collapsed Lung

frankarr — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:21:20 GMT

We went to Whistler, BC for a little winter Christmas getaway recently. The plan was to get up there Sunday Dec 21 and return home Friday Dec 26.

Whistler is a short drive from Seattle, so we headed off on a little road trip. We had been meaning to make the trip up I-5 for a while.

We had left behind a snowy Seattle which was experiencing it’s own Snowpocalypse.

In Whistler, we wanted to experience the whole winter wonderland thing, so the kids had ski lessons

and they even got to make gingerbread houses.

I wanted to get in on the fun, so we made plans to go out on a snowmobile tour, run by Outdoor Adventures.

Seemed like a good idea at the time.

On the morning of December 24th, Emma, Billy and I headed down to the pickup point. It was to be a 2 hour round trip.

We were driving up to the starting point on a trail on Cougar Mountain, Whistler’s 3rd mountain, where we were introduced to the vehicles and given the instructions on how to drive.

Following the safety talk, we were off – there was even a photographer handy to capture these brave explorer.

After about 30 minutes driving along the trail, we stopped to rest. We had made it to the top of Cougar Mountain, so we took a moment to enjoy the lovely scene.

As we were getting ready to head back down the trail, our guide said that there had been a lot of snow overnight, and that the path was steep and slippery. He recommended we take it slow down the trail. Hand on the brake.

Then we started the descent.

Well. He wasn’t kidding.

I was coming down the mountain extra cautiously. So cautiously I got stuck in the snow. I gave my vehicle a bit of throttle to get moving again.

The next few minutes are a bit fuzzy – what I remember was that I overshot a tight left hand corner, and crashed into an embankment. I was then flung over the top of the snowmobile and *flew* into the trees. I landed with a thud on my left hand side, slid down a bit and was stopped by something which my right shoulder hit. The next thing I know I’m staring straight up into the sky and people are yelling at me not to move.

Let’s reference the official “Snowmobile Tour Incident Report” for what happened next.

As I was transported by toboggan to the Cougar Mountain Snowmobile Base, I felt every rock, every bump on that ride.

Once the ambulance got us to the Whistler Emergency Medical Clinic, there was a quick triage as the doctors poked and prodded me.

They discovered the pain in my chest was a Pneumothorax, or collapsed lung. That explains why it hurt so much when I tried to breath!

The medical team moved quickly and inserted a chest tube to deal with the most serious of my injuries, Everything else would have to wait.

Following the procedure, I was transferred to another hospital, located in the little town of Squamish, an hour from Whistler.

So, after another ambulance ride, I find myself in the Squamish General Hospital on Christmas Eve.

All night i was thinking that I was the father who ruined Christmas for his four children!

On Christmas Day, my family made the trip down the hill, and they were happy to see me.

My other injuries were just some bumps an bruises. No broken bones. No lacerations. No major damage

On Dec 28 the chest tube came out and 7 days later, I had the stitches removed.

I was in hospital all up from Dec 24 to Dec 29. Every day I would have a series of x-rays to check how my lungs were doing.

We made the trip back home on Dec 29. We had stayed a few days longer than we had planned and the kids were all looking forward to get back home.

While in hospital, I didn’t have access to the internet, but I could send SMS, so I sent a simple message to Twitter

This little message was also pushed to my facebook status and the number of comments I got from friends was staggering. Thank you all for kind thoughts and words.

So, here I am, a little under two weeks from the accident and I am starting to feel a bit better. It’s going to take time for the bruises to go away, and for the little pains to go, but I am thankful that I didn’t have more serious injuries. While in hospital I saw folks come in with broken arms, broken legs and spinal damage. And let’s not forget about those snowmobilers in Fernie B.C.

I got a few bumps and bruises. I’ll be ok.

Technorati Tags: Frank Arrigo,Snowmoibile,Accident,Whister,Collapsed Lung