Microsoft Innovation Day Material

I'm just collecting here as much as I can of the material of the sessions presented on MS Innovation day (last April 22 nd), I'll be updating the list whenever I can:

• Marwan Tarek (EgySUG) - JQuery & SharePoint:
• http://www.sharepointblogs.com/marwantarek/archive/2009/04/23/innovation-day-brief.aspx
• http://cid-c1a57db9e93baf80.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/MS%20Innovation%20day%20April%202009

• Remon Zakaria (DNW) - Oslo: http://blogs.dashsoft.com/Remon/Default/09-04-24/Logging_your_expenses_using_Oslo_SDK.aspx
• Mostafa Siraj (Cutting-Edge) - CSRF: http://allaboutapplicationsecurity.blogspot.com/2009/04/csrf-session-at-microsoft-innovation.html

Updated: Twitter Common Friends

Earlier I've posted (read it here or here) about the a tiny application that gets two twitter users common friends. I wanted since then to put it online someway without hosting it.. It's not worth the headache. So, today, I've found a couple of twitter blocks on popfly & used them to re-write the application (yes, I've written a couple of little tiny lines of code.. but I'm not even sure what language was that, probably js, lol) Now it is more accessible for me & faster than the desktop version.. Also it has more data about the common friends (including a link to their twitter profile) Here's the embedded version I've shared on popfly, you can also access it here: http://www.popfly.com/users/SMN/Twitter%20Common%20Friends
UPDATE 20090608: Recently, after the above mash-up crashed (coz the block I'm using to consume twitter crashed) @Koraem tweeted about this app, which is more advanced than my mash-up.. Here it's http://twtrfrnd.com/ & it seems like they are intending to add more features later :)

Testing SyntaxHighlighter

XmlSerializer oXmlSerializer = new XmlSerializer oXmlSerializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(users));

users oUsers1 = (users)oXmlSerializer.Deserialize(
                     XmlReader.Create(@"http://twitter.com/statuses/friends/"+textBox1.Text+".xml"));

Check it yourself, here:
http://alexgorbatchev.com/wiki/SyntaxHighlighter

Twitter Common Friends

For the past couple of months, A lot of people (who I don't know) have been following my twitter.. Mostly they don't look like anybody I know, not even Egyptians, & I'm not that popular anyway.. I'm ok with people following me anyway.. My twitter is public, & I'm not planning to change that.. But sometimes I need to know if these are real people who are in my twitter "social network" or just some sort of zombies or bots..

I've just created a small app to act like "common friends" in Facebook so I can find out whether I really know them or not.. Actually a couple of these followers are really interesting people & I'm following them now.. The app finds common people you're follwoing.. not common followers, the followers all is almost the same it just need authentacation..

The application depend on a single twitter API which takes the user name as a parameter & returns an xml (or JSON) file of their freinds for eg these are my friends xml file:

http://twitter.com/statuses/friends/mshady.xml

I used the "XML schema definition" tool (Xsd.exe) to generate the class to use the xml nodes directly as nodes rather than querying the XML document.. I'm such a lazy coder.. I know :D..

Once the xml is deserialised into the users datatype like this:

XmlSerializer oXmlSerializer = new XmlSerializer oXmlSerializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(users));

users oUsers1 = (users)oXmlSerializer.Deserialize(
                  XmlReader.Create(@"http://twitter.com/statuses/friends/"+textBox1.Text+".xml"));

All you need to do is to find the intersection set between the two list/sets.. & display them The source code & binaries are available here: http://cid-570d40f05cc0dc13.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Sample%20Code/TwitterTest.rar

dotNetWork.org April09 gathering

First thing to say, please don't mix this event with Microsoft Innovation day organized by MSFT jointly with almost every Egyptian UGs.. I'll be blogging about that later..

This month we are a bit earlier than usual (or should I say we are late for last month gathering? :D).. The gathering will be on April 18th (next Saturday)..

Concerning the venue, this gathering we will try a new thing, we will hold it at Fridays, City Stars.. This is a bit limiting so this time our maximum count of attendees will be around 60.. Also there's a special-priced menu for DNW.. So if (only if) you're interested & your schedule is free next Saturday from 10:00-13:00.. Please register..

So to know if you're interested The speakers are

Hossam Kamel
Senior Software Engineer - ESRI, Northeast Africa

Mohamed Samir
Technical Lead - Timeline Interactive, Inc.

Concerning the agenda:

10:15 - 11:15	Testing automation using VSTS 2008 (for Dev & QC): Lots of demos for both developers & testers..So Testing Engineers, please join us!!	Hosam Kamel
11:45 - 12:45	"CellFactor®: Psychokinetic Wars", challenges and achievements: CellFactor is first-person multiplayer shooter game, developed for PS3 and XBOX 360 by a mostly-Egyptian team.	Mohamed Samir

Btw, Guys, just to make sure it won't be understood wrong (again) Attendees will be paying for their own meals.. DNW is only organising the event :)

For more info, updates, registration http://dnkapril-emailinvite.eventbrite.com/ You can, Also, find the menu there :D

There's also a Facebook event but registration only counts on through eventbrite.. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=68200144013

Other helpful links:

Yahoo!Group:
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/dotnetworkorg/

Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/netWorkorg/13135685545

Facebook Group:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2409268236

PS: I'll update the post with the poster as soon as it's ready.. isA

EgySUG Launch

Egypt SharePoint user group real launch (after a couple of sessions with DNW) is expected to be next Thursday, isA.. It will be featuring Joel Oleson. The session title is "10 Steps to Successful Deployments".. For more info, check the UG calendar..

Concerning the time & place:

18:30-21:00 @ Microsoft-Egypt, Smart Village..

Transportation will be available from in front of Masbiro mall beside Ramses Hilton, Abdel Moneim Raid Square starting from 17:15-17:30..

Attendance is free as usual.. but registration is needed here

For any further inquiries call Ebeid Soliman: 010 5064 838


PS. : Sorry for the late notice


UPDATE: There's a small meeting to be held along with the event for the preparation for a BizTalk user group, isA.. If you're interested, look for Tamer Fathy, Ebeid Soliman, or me on the event.

Blogging, status massages, & twitter!!

Since a long time ago (a decade!?); probably since I knew the internet, specially IM, I always liked status massages. It was my way to push away what's on my chest. I didn't really say everything on my mind straight out. Usually I'd say it in a cunning way so that only those who'd (care to) take the time to think about its meaning would get it. That's people who really care.

Yet, not all my friends are on my IM (Google talk, MSN, etc.. ) & not all the people on my IM are really my friends. Also, IM is "instant" :D.. So, probably, you should reply "instantly" when you're prompted, "if" you're around.. That's why I'm usually "appearing" idle/away, all the time on almost every IM client I've ever used.

Later, I was introduced to blogging (running my own site wasn't really my cup of coffee.. It was a way-too high maintenance for me).. Again blogging was (& still is) more of sharing my thoughts; Speaking/Writing it "loud".. But usually I write on my blog with the mindset of "It should be a real big thing to write about.. You should have much to say to write.. It should be like an article or something".. Actually my series of posts under the tag "Quote of the moment" is my compromise between IM & blogging..

The same is for the song lyrics, that I sometimes post on my blog.. It's just away of sharing a piece of my mind.. Usually it's related to my current mode or -on some few times- just something I read about & like to share with my friends (most of these are on my Google Reader shared items now :D).. Actually sometimes I share stuff just to remind myself (& other people implicitly) of it later.. Specially technical stuff..

Now, I'm also using twitter.. It really more like IM status message.. But this time it's not instant.. So you can reply later.. Or not reply at all.. You can allow as much people as you want to follow your status message without being annoyed with lots of in coming messages that you have to reply to..

Another thing I like about twittering that it's starting to be like a public chat room with a lot of my friends (& people who has interests similar to mine) now :D.. Actually it allow people to know what's on my mind.. Even people at work..

Generally, I find all of them a healthy way to get relieved.. Some sort of a psychic therapy :D