Tag: Microsoft

Getting to know Microsoft's new CEO, Satya Nadella

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Everyone, say hello to Satya Nadella. He has just been named the new CEO of Microsoft. Only the third CEO in company history, Nadella has been with Microsoft for 22 years.

He is well known for his role on the enterprise end of the spectrum. Particularly, over the last quarter-decade, he has been responsible for a lot of what makes Azure a great cloud platform. He is credited with making sure the infrastructure, including the ability to run Windows Server, SQL Server, and Visual Studio within the cloud. His educational background is at The University of Chicago, where he attended the Booth School of Business. While at Microsoft, he was a Senior VP in MBS (focusing on Dynamics and Office Small Business), then the President of the Server & Tools business, which is when he was making his big cloud push.

This should give us a clear idea of what Nadella going to focus on. Does this mean he will jettison other divisions like Windows Phone and Xbox? Doubtful. But we will very likely see more cloud integration and dependence on making the Xbox a “service” rather than simply a gaming or entertainment platform. Software as a Service (SaaS) and the ability to charge monthly fees for products like Windows and Office have been a long time goal for Microsoft, generating a steady stream of revenue. As much as the consumer may not like it, the entire industry has been trying to go this way for years. We can expect to see a push in this direction, as I expect Nadella will dive in more quickly than his predecessors, who were dipping their toes in.

If you really want to get to know Satya Nadella, learn about him from his MSDN blogs of years past.

ZUNE Tip of a Lifetime: Zune Pass info needs to be refreshed solved! (KB946369)

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I like to do the Xbox Tip of the Week on Sundays, but this time I feel obligated to let everyone know of a little Zune tip I have for you. I know, they’re not extremely popular, but my sister has one and she recently let her Zune Pass lapse. After she renewed, she was receiving the Your Zune Pass info needs to be refreshed error message, even though she had synchronized her Zune.

Microsoft used to have a support article about this in their Knowledge Base, but if you try to visit http://support.microsoft.com/kb/946369 there is no page there anymore. It’s like Microsoft wants to disavow knowledge of the Zune’s existence. Well, I used a little Archive.org-fu and dug up the original contents of the page. Deeper in this article, you’ll find some of the contents of the original Knowledge Base article, with multiple tips for fixing this and similar issues. Continue reading “ZUNE Tip of a Lifetime: Zune Pass info needs to be refreshed solved! (KB946369)”

New Artwork on 12+1 Live & 1600 Point Cards coming soon!

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Today, Gamestop confirmed Grand Theft Auto IV Lost and Damned expansion would be available February 17th. They also verified it would be $20. What else is $20? 1600 Microsoft points.

Thus, the no brainer 1600 point card showcasing the artwork for GTA IV’s Lost and Damned expansion.

Also, celebrating Halo Wars, some more 12+1 Xbox Live subscription cards will be coming out with some quaint Halo Wars art. Be on the lookout for some killer looking Spartans coming to a store near you!

The King of Kong: A new record may be set at Microsoft's Conference!

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At this very moment I am watching the final minutes of the movie “The King of Kong, A Fistful of Quarters.” I have heard good things about this movie for several months. I have seen ads on TV, reviews on websites, and now the movie has even been placed on the Xbox Live Video Marketplace. Major Nelson even mentioned it in a podcast a few weeks ago.

Why is this important? What does this have to do with the Xbox 360? Twenty four hours from now, at Microsoft’s MIX08 Conference, in Las Vegas, Steve Wiebe (one of the guys in the movie) will be attempting to set yet another world record. Rather than attending a multi day venue, he intends to attempt this new record in a four hour period. That gives him, technically, less time than 2 play-throughs of Donkey Kong would take.

The following information (and the picture above) is from the Twin Galaxies website:

Steve Wiebe Attempts Donkey Kong Record
Walter Day to referee High-Score Attempt at Microsoft’s MIX08 in Las Vegas
3/4/2008
March 3, 2008 — Las Vegas, NV — Noted Donkey Kong competitor, Steve Wiebe, of Redmond, Washington, rolls up his sleeves at The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas on the night of March 5th and tries to make history by taking back the highly-coveted Donkey Kong Crown.

Right now, Steve and the equally-as-famous Billy Mitchell, are running neck-and-neck on the high-score circuit, with Billy currently in the lead with 1,050,200 points to Steve’s 1,049,100 points. With only 1,100 points separating them, Steve poses a serious threat to take back the world title.

And, in the referee’s outfit, performing Master of Ceremonies duties, is Walter Day, Twin Galaxies’ Chief Evangelist, who will monitor Steve’s record-breaking attempt while ensuring that the strictest Twin Galaxies Tournament Settings are enforced.

The event takes place during Microsoft’s TAO NIGHTCLUB PARTY from 6:00pm to10:00pm in The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino. Hosted by Microsoft, the high-score challenge is one of the cultural highlights of this year’s MIX08 gathering, an annual techological smorgasbord titled MIX08: THE NEXT WEB NOW.

The Mix08 conference will also play host to a one of a kind Rock Band tournament this weekend. But, really, who cares when there’s a world record at stake!?

To step back a bit, I have heard people think that this movie is good, and others that think it’s horrible. Maybe it’ll just make you feel good that you have a little more substance to your life. Maybe it will make you question the motives of men retiring at age 30, without a girlfriend, so that they can spend time playing 1980’s arcade games, maybe it’ll make you wonder how Billy Mitchell fits in those jeans, or if Steve Wiebe really should wear a purple shirt when he teaches junior high science classes… who knows. But the thing I want to make you think right now is… maybe I should go watch this! Screenings at MIX08, downloadable on Xbox Live Video Marketplace, and generally just something every true gamer should see just once. Get to it!