Entries for Laura Foy

Happy Thanksgiving!

Laura — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:18:00 GMT

Thanksgiving is ALWAYS my favorite time of year! Friends, family and food! Oh- and football :) It's a time to reflect on what you are thankful for...obviously there are so many things to be thankful for. Here's mine.

Register now for the MSDN Developer Conference!

Laura — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:34:00 GMT

Did you miss the PDC? Can't get enough of the big brain in the jar? Or perhaps you simply want to re-live good times? Well, now you can! The MSDN Developer Conference is kicking off an 11 city tour- We’re bringing the PDC to you! For just $99 you’ll get the best of the PDC in your own backyard and hear all of the exciting announcements around the Azure Services Platform and Windows 7. Other sessions include the latest developments in .NET, Silverlight, Surface, Parallel Programming, Live Mesh, and more. So don't miss out- REGISTER NOW!

Meet the Windows Gurus!

Laura — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:44:00 GMT

The Windows Guru program was designed to improve the customer experience at retail stores by giving consumers a trusted advisor to help them evaluate their options when shopping for a computer. They are highly trained experts who are there to answer your questions and teach you a little about some of the capabilites of Windows that you might not have known. Who couldn't use a little expert knowledge when making such an investment? I'll tell you...I wish car dealerships had Gurus!

World Of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King- Launches TODAY!

Laura — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:19:00 GMT

Blood Elves, Paladins, Gnomes and Sorcerors all gathered last night for the long awaited release of World Of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. The game hits store shelves today but the party was at GameStop last night in San Francisco. All the WOW'ers came out for face painting, dance contests, giveaways and some good old fashioned comraderie. I joined in the fun and sported my best chain mail attire- take a look!

Call of Duty: World at War- Launches TODAY!

Laura — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:54:00 GMT

Happy Veterans Day! A fitting gift for this holiday is the release of the latest addition to the Call of Duty franchise. Call of Duty: World at War has just arrived on store shelves TODAY so I stopped by their launch event in San Francisco last night to check it out for you and it was a madhouse. Marines, giveaways, celebrities, music- and of course- the game. Here's a taste of how TreyArch and Gamestop throw a party.

Wired goes GREEN

Laura — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 22:27:00 GMT

It is an absolute fact that technology can help create a better environment. Minds all over the globe are at work right now creating unique ways to help save the planet and go green. I found a few very interesting new ways at Wired Magazine's NextFest. From high-tech solar panels, to plastic made from fruits to better tracing of your own carbon footprint. The world is going green- here are a few ways you can too.

WomenBuild... inspiring career paths in technology

Laura — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:41:00 GMT

Last week at PDC I made it a point to swing by the WomenBuild networking event. The idea was to give groups of individuals (not necessarily solely women) LEGO® Bricks to build with as part of the LEGO® Serious Play Program (LSP). The goal was to incorporate the hands on process with the creative mind and....PLAY. It's always inspiring and astounding to see what happens when great minds gather and open conversation takes place amongst the worlds greatest developers and aspiring developers. It almost made me want to be a developer...Check out their FaceBook page and join me!
Please REGISTER for the MSDN Developer Conference coming to a city near you for more experiences with WomenBuild!
If you are interested in participating in the Women in Technology events at the MSDN Developer Conference – (men are welcome!!) – please use the RSVP code: MDCWIT

Halloween...be afraid...be very, very afraid.

Laura — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 23:12:00 GMT

What are your Halloween traditions? See if they can compare to the SCARY people we found...

Guitar Hero World Tour: The Launch Event!

Laura — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 20:37:00 GMT

After much anticipation the time has finally come. Guitar Hero World Tour has hit store shelves and here's a glimpse of their launch event.

The future of energy efficient mobility

Laura — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:43:00 GMT

Energy efficient personal mobility is something that we all should be concerned with. We all need to get around and we all need to do our part to save the environment. That's why "Going Green" was such a huge theme at this year's Wired Magazine's NextFest. The Toyota booth took up nearly 1/4 of the show floor as they showed off multiple vehicles and even let attendees ride the I-Real. So, exactly how efficient are these futuristic rides? Watch this clip to find out and then check out this clip for more info on how you can help!

Remote Gaming: Play YOUR Xbox from anywhere in the world!

Laura — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:51:00 GMT

Imagine...you are on a trip to Yawnsville, USA and you find yourself bored in your hotel room. Wouldn't it be GREAT if you just had your 360 with you and you could finish that level in Dead Space? Well, Vircion is going to make that possible. With their new product called Sero- you can tap into your console at home and access all your media and games with just a regular internet connection. You'll be able to finish that game you were playing and even jump into an online game and play with friends. No matter where you go- your 360 won't be far :)

Gigs in Gaming: Part II

Laura — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:29:00 GMT

Every gamers dream is to eventually work in the gaming industry. Wouldn't it be great to help concept and build the games you get to play? Well, if that's your goal then getting a college degree in game design is a step in the right direction. Bellevue University is one of the schools that offer this program. The great thing about Bellevue is that if you don't feel like picking up and moving to Nashville, Tennessee- you don't have to! Bellevue University’s Bachelor of Science in Gaming and Simulation degree is a professional-level degree completion program offered completely online. Watch this clip for more details on gigs in gaming.

Gigs in Gaming: Part I

Laura — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:11:00 GMT

The gaming industry is so vast and diverse, and people are always asking what is the best way to get their foot in the door. There are tons of positions you'd never think of and a few that should pop into mind immediately. The obvious method would be : you want a job in gaming? Then make games! Hero Engine is offering one of the most sophisticated and complete development tools for building an amazing online experience. Bioware has even selected Hero Engine as the tool to build their next MMO. Check out what they're offering and see if this could work for you. And check back for more ways to get Gigs in Gaming.

Microsoft's Holiday Preview - Windows Vista Powered PC's and Accessories

Laura — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:36:00 GMT

This Holiday season is certain to be merry considering all the great new products being offered to you from Microsoft Hardware, Vista powered machines and Games for Windows. Check out some of the sexy new Dell laptops, BlueTrack mice and of course...some great games for Windows like Fallout 3 and Lego Batman.

Also-make sure to check out what you can expect from Windows Mobile and Xbox 360.

Microsoft's Holiday Preview - Windows Mobile

Laura — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:01:00 GMT

Call Santa because the Holidays are on their way - and call him from your Windows Mobile Phone. In this episode of our Holiday Preview Guide we check out the sexy new phones coming your way like the HTC Diamond, the HTC Touch Dual and the Samsung BlackJack II. There's plenty of reason to celebrate and if you need more- take at episode 1 of our Holiday Guide on the Xbox 360.

Microsoft Unveils World’s Most Advanced Tracking Technology

Laura — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:04:00 GMT

Microsoft Hardware has been impressing Channel 10 for years now, and today they continued that tradition. This morning Microsoft unveiled the world's most advanced tracking technology, Microsoft BlueTrack Technology, which allows us to take our mice anywhere and work with more success than ever before. Mouse on the carpet? Fine! How about that granite counter-top? No problem! Hardwood floors?? Bring it on. Take a peek at this interview and see just how BlueTrack Technology works.

CrowdFire: A celebration of live music and living archive

Laura — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:39:00 GMT

I love the experience and energy of being in a crowd of fellow music fans. It's something that in the past I'd say "Oh, you have to be there"- but now there is a way to enjoy the madness virtually. CrowdFire just launched this past week at San Francisco's OutsideLands Music and Arts Festival. CrowdFire is a platform to share, upload, mix and view photo's and videos from large events. Presented by Microsoft and fully integrated with Silverlight- this is the future for being at the Rock show...when you just can't be.

Microsoft Research: A look at tomorrow's health solutions today - part II

Laura — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:15:00 GMT

In this special two-part video edition of House Calls for Healthcare Professionals, Bill Crounse, MD, visits with researchers at Microsoft Research. Each program reviews three promising areas of research that may one day lead to solutions with a direct or indirect application to health and healthcare. Viewers will gain insight to advanced ideas and technologies now in the labs at Microsoft Research long before they find their way into future products, solutions, or applications.

HIV Research, Visualization

One of the enduring challenges in HIV vaccine design is the remarkable rate of viral mutation and adaptation, which limits the immune system’s ability to mount a lasting, effective response. The HIV group at Microsoft Research is developing models of evolution that allow researchers to identify and visualize the complex, yet encouragingly consistent, patterns of adaptation that suggest novel vaccine strategies.

http://research.microsoft.com/research/eScience/

•David Heckerman, M.D. Ph.D.

Senior Directior, eScience Research Group

•Jonathan Carlson

Researcher

DynaVis Data Visualization

DynaVis is an information visualization toolkit that provides several extensions to business (or perhaps even clinical) charting, including animated transitions between data and between different views of data. The animated transitions help users stay in context when complex changes occur, making it easier for them to perform their tasks.

http://csdl2.computer.org/persagen/DLAbsToc.jsp?resourcePath=/dl/trans/tg/&toc=comp/trans/tg/2007/06/v6toc.xml&DOI=10.1109/TVCG.2007.70539

http://research.microsoft.com/vibe/projects/dynavis.aspx

•George Robertson, Ph.D.

Principal Researcher

Muscle-Computer Interface

Microsoft researcher Desney Tan and his team are working to create interfaces called muscle-computer interfaces, or MuCIs. that sense gestural input directly from muscle activity. This research may one day lead to new modalities for computer screen navigation and data input.

http://research.microsoft.com/cue/MuCI/.

http://research.microsoft.com/~desney
http://research.microsoft.com/cue

•Scott Saponas

Intern

PhotoSynth- Learn how to do it

Laura — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 18:48:00 GMT

We all love taking digital photos but with Photosynth you can take them to the next level.

I'm sure you've all heard of this amazing new application that allows you to digitally stitch your pics together to create new 3D panoramic environments. In this piece you'll learn exactly how to make the most of Microsoft's new toy for photogs and then check out this video to see the behind the scenes action of how it was made.

And then go here for a bit of it's history.

Microsoft Research: A look at tomorrow’s health solutions today: Part I

Laura — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:23:00 GMT

A special thanks to Dr. Eric Horvitz, MSR Area Manager, for his assistance in the production of this program.

Part 1

Situated Interaction

The Situated Interaction project at Microsoft Research aims to enable a new generation of interactive systems that can reason about their surroundings and embed interaction deeply into the natural flow of everyday tasks, activities, and collaborations. As an initial sample challenge in this space, researchers are currently developing a situated conversational agent that can act as a Microsoft front-desk receptionist (for example, make shuttle reservations, register visitors, and provide campus information). The system integrates a large number of artificial intelligence technologies—such as speech recognition and language understanding, face detection and tracking, intention recognition, engagement, and behavioral modeling—in a conversational framework that allows it to engage in mixed-initiative, natural language interaction with one participant or multiple participants.

http://msrweb/adapt/SituatedInteraction

•Dan Bohus, Ph.D.

Researcher

Gaze Tracking

Eye-tracking technology can be used to understand how people interact with information—for instance, search results and Web pages and perform other information processing tasks. This information can then be used to design new ways of interacting with computers in which the machine recognizes what people look at and better understands what they pay attention to in order to respond accordingly.

http://research.microsoft.com/~cutrell/

Cutrell, E., and Z. Guan. 2007. “What are you looking for? An eye-tracking study of information usage in Web search.” In Proceedings of CHI'07, Human Factors in Computing Systems (San Jose, CA), ACM Press, 407-416.

Guan, Z., and E. Cutrell. 2007. “An eye-tracking study of the effect of target rank on Web search.” In Proceedings of CHI'07, Human Factors in Computing Systems (San Jose, CA), ACM Press, 417-420.

•Ed Cutrell, Ph.D.

Researcher

Big Top

“FourBySix” is a large, 4-foot by 6-foot (standing height) surface computer that Microsoft researchers recently prototyped to explore productivity scenarios and applications involving small groups of users meeting face to face. For example, one use would be to support groups of designers who are combining and reviewing images, allowing them to sketch new designs in a collaborative setting.

•Andy Wilson, Ph.D.

Researcher

Wii on PC

Laura — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:43:00 GMT

The Microsoft Research Summit showed off some amazing new technology and also some REALLY fun games. The experts at the University of Central Florida have created multiple ways to incorporate the motion sensing device used with Nintendo's Wii, on the PC. Take a look at all the games...

08:08:08 08/08/08

Laura — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:56:00 GMT

On the eighth of August two thousand and eight, when the clock is exactly eight seconds past eight minutes past eight o'clock, the time will read 08:08:08 08/08/08. We want to invite you to take a photograph at this precise moment. The moment will of course occur twice in each time zone, once in the morning and once at night- which means you will get two opportunities to photograph the moment as it flies by you.

Then send your photograph/s to Capture The Moment.

Next-Gen News Gathering Technology from Troll Systems

Laura — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:04:00 GMT

I love remote controls! I love cameras! Therefore, I loved meeting with Troll Systems. Now all in HD, these sealed and pressurized units are built strong to hold up against any storm or fly attached to the bottom of a helicopter. The device is then controlled remotely from your office or studio to give you a spy-tech, birds-eye, top secret view of anywhere in the world. Love it.

Sphere multi-touch computing

Laura — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Just when you thought the Surface was the coolest thing since sliced bread... enter the Sphere! This product is still in proto-type mode but even at this stage, you can't help but be impressed. At the Microsoft Research Faculty Summit I grabbed some one on one time with Hrvoje Benko, the lead on this project and found out all the details. It's just so cool, enjoy.

Disney Innoventions Dream Home

Laura — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:13:00 GMT

What could possibly make the happiest place on Earth even happier? A collaboration with Microsoft! The Disney Innoventions Dream Home just opened at Disnleyland in Anaheim, CA. and it's and it's a peek into your home of the future while also showing off some really cool technologies we have available to us today. They've pimped out this home with all your favorite Microsoft toys like Zune, Surface, Windows Media Center and, of course, a few Xbox 360's. Then, they added a few extra touches to really make us all get excited about the future. I went behind the scenes to bring you the 411.