In the wake of the New York Times Reader, which I really really love, I had the idea to build a WPF “reader” app for Pwop podcasts. Of course, one could expect to be able to search for shows, listen to them, download them (using BitTorrent or HTTP), manage feeds, and search the transcripts.

But, we could do much more. How about linking to the blog so we can engage in post-publish conversation? Chat? Perhaps we bring back the live feed (which we’ve been thinking of doing anyway), publish the live schedule, and incorporate a chat window and streaming audio listener?

Do any of these things make sense? Do you have another idea? What would you like to see in such an app? We’d like to know!

As some of my readers know, I’m a bit more closely tied to Microsoft than many of us. I’m an MSDN Regional Director. That means I am recognized as an influential person in Microsoft Developerland. But it’s not a paid position, and we are encouraged to speak our minds and be critical of Microsoft when criticism is warranted. It was with that spirit that I took to Windows Vista some 2.5 years ago. I began running beta versions on old machines and in Virtual PC images, and sometimes I was impressed, but most of the time it was laden with driver headaches and bugs and things that you’d expect from beta software.

Then a couple weeks ago I decided to take the plunge and install Vista on my somewhat new-ish Dell XPS Gen 2 laptop. Instead of upgrading, I bought a new hard drive for it and installed Vista Ultimate from scratch. No driver  issues. No bugs. Nothing to complain about. In fact, my laptop runs faster now than it did with XP. Perhaps that’s just because of the Windows Slowdown Factor we have come to expect. This is one of the things Vista claims to fix by moving more frequently used files closer to the front of the disk.

Anyway, there are lots of articles saying increased UX (User eXperience – the most obvious of Vista’s features) is not enough to move them to Vista. Some complain about the fact that they have to get new hardware, and don’t think it’s worth upgrading.

Yeah, I can understand that. Nobody likes to feel forced to go buy something new just to be able to write the same old word docs and surf the same old web, etc.  This was pretty much my attitude going into Windows Vista. I thought, “when I’m done installing, I’ll have no more utility than before, and I’ll have wasted a lot of time with the installation.”

Then I started using it.

Say what you want about Macs and even some Linux shells having this kind of sex appeal long before Vista, but I am a Windows user. That’s what I know. I’m not about to change platforms and start learning how to write mac code when I have the best software development tools under the sun in my back pocket. I was nominated to be a Regional Director because I love the tools, I use them, and I help others understand how to use them more effectively. I find this new User Experience simply wonderful.

If you think of the Aero UI system, which is what makes the Vista User Interface so sexy, as extra CPU cycles that don’t do anything REAL, then you’ve missed the point.

User Experience is everything. It makes the difference between doing your work because you HAVE to, and because you WANT to. These are just subtle things, the transparent window borders, the growing and shrinking of windows when they come in and out of focus, the glowing aura around selected buttons. These little things add up to removing the noise around simple tasks and adding a little delight to your day. You don’t even think about it, but after using Vista for 2 weeks, XP seems like Windows 3.1. Does anyone who remembers 3.1 want to go back to using it? Why not?

Now, I’ve not exactly been the golden boy of Vista when it comes to praise. In fact, I’ve poked a little fun at Microsoft here and there. I co-wrote and recorded with Ted Pattison the Windows Vista Song, and I’ve recently talked about the different versions of Vista on Mondays. The truth of it is, I like a good laugh. When I’m done laughing I open up my laptop and get to work.

Mark Dunn on Streams in .NET

Mark Dunn is back on DNRTV and he's screaming about streaming this time. Getting to know and loves streams in .Net is fundamental. Mark walks us through doing basic file I/O and delves into some advanced topics like using network, memory and buffered streams. You'll also get to see using compression and encryption streams. Mark's demos make this all look easy...well heh it is easy! And you can download the code and stream to your hearts content.

http://dnrtv.com/default.aspx?showID=53

<OpenID/>

Scott and Carl talk about the Microsoft/OpenID collaboration.

http://hanselminutes.com/default.aspx?showID=65

Jesse Liberty and Alex Horovitz talk about their experiences researching and writing their book, Programming .NET 3.0 from O'Reilly, as well as their ideas on the future of programming.

http://dotnetrocks.com/default.aspx?showID=216

I Said the Wrong Thing Again, Didn't I?

Geoff is out sick, Karen joins Carl, Richard, and Mark for the first show of 2007. Karen is in need of laugh therapy after dealing with the loss of her mother. Mark crosses the line over and over and over again. Carl considers the different versions of Vista, and Richard brings forth the most eclectic array of ah... .devices... ever assembled on Mondays. Enjoy!

My Father, My Transvestite Hero

"I have a receipt for the tires," I said. The cop just stared at me. He was probably thinking about how when someone decides to embark upon a life of crime, he should be at least the slightest bit prepared.

Paul Sheriff on Providers in .NET

Our friend Paul Sheriff speaks to us from Sunny California about Providers in .NET. Paul shows us how to build and use your own providers and gives some examples of common yet powerful provider models that come with .NET.

http://dnrtv.com/default.aspx?showID=52

<Bruce Payette - Powershell/>

In this episode Scott gets the skinny on Powershell with Bruce Payette, one of the founding members of the Windows PowerShell team, co-designer of the PowerShell language and the principal author of the PowerShell language implementation.

http://hanselminutes.com/default.aspx?showID=64

Brian Mohr and Emily Johnson share stories from their recent 30-day ski and camping adventure in Chilean Patagonia’s River Baker Valley, plans for a skiyakking trip to East Greenland, and the key to planning – spontaneity! You’ll also learn their tips for making a living sharing their outdoor adventures through writing and photography. They’ll get you excited to explore - the exotic and the woods out back.

http://bluepizza.ems.com/default.aspx?showID=10

This is an amazing story. Cancer could be a thing of the past if they get through clinical trials. However, since nobody can make money on it, nobody wants to pony up money for trials. Perhaps the Gates Foundation or some big insurance companies would be interested in supporting it.

Here's the story from the University of Southern Mississippi

Here's the story in NewScientist Magazine

Here's an article from Stanford about DCA (Dichloroacetate)

Here's the Wikipedia article about DCA

Let's get the word out. Tell everyone you know.

Allan Hirt discusses the details of providing high availability with SQL Server 2005, and the things developers need to know in order to make their applications compatable. He discusses clustering, transaction log shipping, mirroring, and more.

http://dotnetrocks.com/default.aspx?showID=215