Larry Larsen

Surface Driven Robot

Larry Larsen — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 13:54:00 GMT

The Microsoft Surface Blog is linking to a Doctoral Thesis Defense that will be streaming live at 1PM eastern today (in 9 minutes) that will preview a system to directly control robots via a Microsoft Surface Computer.

For more details see the Surface Blog, or watch the live stream here.

Outlook Social Connector, Now with Facebook

Larry Larsen — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 14:06:00 GMT

Today we announced the availability of the Facebook and Windows Live Messenger plug-ins for the Outlook Social Connector in Microsoft Office. Outlook users can now connect their Facebook accounts and their Windows Live Messenger accounts to their inboxes, making it possible for people to add Facebook and Windows Live Messenger friends from within Outlook, and view status updates and photos right next to an email.

The Outlook Social Connector is one of the new features standard in Office 2010, and new with this release is support for Office 2003 and Office 2007.

WEI Share: Share your Windows 7 Experience Index

Larry Larsen — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:56:00 GMT

WEI Share ("We Share") is a Coding4Fun code sample that takes your Windows Experience Index score and shares it with the world (anonymously) to an Azure website with a Silverlight front end and lets you post your WEI score to Facebook for bragging rights.

Why would you want to share your WEI score with the world? First, this gives us a place to compare WEI scores across a wide range of hardware and even see how many touch points a multitouch computer may give you. Second, a computer's speed is dependent on the efficiency of the drivers. Sometimes WEI scores go up, sometimes they go down. This will allow you to judge the score that various versions of a driver may give you.

You can run WEI Share at www.WEIShare.net and download the source code at WEIShare.codeplex.com (coming later this week).

Windows Home Server Vail

Larry Larsen — Thu, 20 May 2010 16:25:00 GMT

Recently the Windows Home Server team announced the beta of their next version of Home Server, codenamed Vail. This release tightens up the way you interact with Home Server. Jonas Svensson, Program Manager on Home Server Vail stopped by to show us a peek at this new release. The big features for this release include the ability to stream your media outside of your house, simplified setup, and expanded development tools.

Soon I'll be getting together with the Home Server team to talk about the Vail SDK, so add your questions below that you'd like to have me ask.

Sign up now for the Vail beta at http://connect.microsoft.com/windowshomeserver

Nintex Harnesses Enhanced Features for Developers in SharePoint 2010

Larry Larsen — Tue, 11 May 2010 19:41:00 GMT

Over the past several months, we’ve shared several introductory features about new assets for developers in SharePoint 2010. As Microsoft launches Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 to businesses this week, we now bring you a real-world example of how developers can harness and capitalize upon the enhancements of the new version. This video features an interview with Mike Fitzmaurice, vice president of product technology at Nintex. Through a demo of Nintex solutions in action, Mike provides an overview of how Nintex is working with SharePoint 2010 and leveraging its capabilities. He also provides helpful tips and best practices for developers who are digging into the new, improved platform.

Elevator Music While You Wait

Larry Larsen — Thu, 06 May 2010 06:15:00 GMT

I usually don't go for the kitchy apps, but I have to admit, I have this playing right now. Instant Elevator Music is an application that will play some light elevator music while you wait for files to copy or load. There's something I like about that. Whether it passes JeffSand's 7 Day Rule is TBD.

It works with Windows Explorer while copying or moving files, IE and Firefox for downloads, Microsoft Office and Visual Studio, and several other applications. It runs in the Systray and is easy to turn off with a double click. Settings allow you to choose your own MP3 in case you have a different idea of what elevator music should sound like. It runs on XP and Windows 7, uses .NET Framework and I can confirm it works on 64-bit Win7.

Image: Gregory Szarkiewicz

NAB: Silverlight Enhanced Movies (SLEM)

Larry Larsen — Mon, 03 May 2010 18:20:00 GMT

Currently, you have two choices for watching a movie at home: you can either stream the movie (if available), or you can buy/rent the DVD, which allows you to experience extra features such as commentary. Here at Microsoft, we're trying to create a system that allows you to have the full DVD experience streamed through Silverlight. In this video, Ben Waggoner joins us to tell us more.

NAB: Silverlight in 3D

Larry Larsen — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:43:00 GMT

While at NAB this year, Alex Zambelli showed us 3D streaming with Smooth Streaming. NAB this year was all about 3D and we had several announcements of our own for that. It's only a matter of time until Channel 9 is in 3D. Also announced at NAB this year was IIS Media Services 4.0 support for Smooth Streaming over multicast networks which supports transmuxing for adaptive streaming on iPhones. Apologies for how dark the video is, it was very dark on the floor this year and it looked brighter on the monitor than it does now. :)

New Windows Live Wave 4 Messenger Preview

Larry Larsen — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:42:00 GMT

Today we're previewing the new Windows Live Messenger in Sao Paulo, so I stopped by Dharmesh Mehta's office to get you a look. This new Messenger has some things that we've been waiting for. Fullscreen high definition video chat is here, and for $50 on each side you can now chat in HD. Look for more HD video chats in our Channel 9 Studio with people we couldn't otherwise talk with.

Messenger includes status updates synched across other networks, a coupled yet de-dup'd contact list, social highlights from your favorite people, and apps for Windows Phone and iPhone. Timeframe is in the coming months and will be available from download.live.com. You can find more info at messengerpreview.com.

MSR Mobicast

Larry Larsen — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:41:00 GMT

Developed by a group of people at MSR Cairo, Mobicast is a system that allows users to sync and stream live video from a number of handheld portable devices (e.g., cell phones) and have those streams stitched together on the viewer-end, creating a single, larger image.

We don't get out to Cairo much, but Ayman Kaheel and Motaz El-Saban joined me via LifeCam Cinema to talk about the project and where they hope it will go in the future.

Garibaldi Panorama on Surface

Larry Larsen — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:40:00 GMT

One of the things that I think holds the most promise for Microsoft technologies liek Deep Zoom, Photosynth, and multitouch, is the deep exploration of art and artifacts. It's one thing to read about a place or device, it's another to be able to explore every facet of an object on your own.

Brown University has teamed together with Micrsoft Research and created an application for Microsoft Surface that will be used as the centerpiece in an exhibition on the future of digital scholarship. In this exhibit, a five foot tall, football field-length print can be explored, magnified, annotated, and overlaid with other images and videos. This is an unprecedented way of exploring artifacts and a big step forward for digital curation.

Microsoft HD5000 and HD5001 Webcams

Larry Larsen — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:27:00 GMT

The latest products to come out of Microsoft Hardware's Webcam Lab are the HD5000 and HD5001 webcams. This means that along with the Lifecam Cinema HD, we've now have three webcams available that deliver an HD picture. The 5000 and 5001 are similar cameras with the same HD optics, the difference between the two being that the 5000 is designed for desktops and the 5001 is optimized for laptops with a shorter cord, a carry case, and the ability to spin 360 degrees. Both retail for $50.

Daniel Anguiano from the hardware team joined me to show us the new cams and some of the new features on the 5000 series, and to talk about why Microsoft has so many different webcams.

Windows Touch Pack Now Available

Larry Larsen — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 01:02:00 GMT

One of the more common question we've seen flying around lately is "Where can I download the Touch Pack for Windows 7?" That's been a difficult one because it was created for OEMs and wasn't meant to be a MS Download. That changed tonight, you can now download the Touch Pack from the Microsoft Download Center. The Touch Pack features three games and three apps including the Microsoft Surface Globe, MS Collage, MS Surface Lagoon, MS Blackboard, MS Rebound, and MS Garden Pond.

Ford Sync and Microsoft Hohm Team Up

Larry Larsen — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:40:00 GMT

Ford and Microsoft had a recent announcement where we're teaming up to help people who charge their vehicles to do it when it has the least impact on the grid, and hopefully at a time that saves the user money. Hohm is a Microsoft sponsored program to let people identify where their power is going, compare that to others around them, and a way to determine what changes you can make that results in lower energy use as well as save money on your energy bill. Right now Hohm works using analysis based on characteristics of your home that you feed it, long term the idea is that all of our devices will be part of a smart home system that give you consumption patterns, diagnostics, and control at distance.

Xobni now Office 2010 32/64-bit Compliant

Larry Larsen — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:49:00 GMT

Xobni is an add-in for Microsoft Office that adds an extra column that provides search and social networking context to your inbox. Connecting with LinkedIn and Facebook, Xobni (that's "inbox" spelled backwards in case you missed it) brings in photos to put with emails and some general contact information like title and employer. Xobni also claims to have a email search experience that dynamically displays results while you type.

Most important about this latest refresh of Xobni is that it now works with Office 2010, and it will with with either the 32-bit or the 64-bit install. There is a free version and a plus version that include things like an advanced search and advanced filters. Download Xobni here.

Surface Toolkit for Windows Touch

Larry Larsen — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:37:00 GMT

Today the Microsoft Surface team announced the Surface Toolkit for Windows Touch Beta. This toolkit includes controls, APIs, templates, documentation, and sample code for WPF on Windows Touch applications and a way for developers to prepare for the next version of Microsoft Surface.

Luis Cabrera-Cordon from the Microsoft Surface team joined me to show us some of these controls including a building a Hello World app with ScatterView. More information including where to download the toolkit can be found at www.Surface.com.

Using Your Voice to Paint

Larry Larsen — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 13:56:00 GMT

Susumu Harada is a Ph.D grad in the Computer Science and Engineering department at University of Washington. He invited me over to see a system he built, which allows someone to paint pictures using a voice-controlled mouse. Though the practical applications of this include other uses, drawing is the most intricate application because it involves lots of curves and mouse movements, which don't lend themselves to other methods of accessibility.

The system uses a method of vowel sounds to move the mouse, and discrete constant sounds to click the mouse buttons. You can see more about the technology behind this at the Vocal Joystick Project.

DIY Media Centers with Ceton Tuners

Larry Larsen — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:57:00 GMT

Up until recently if you wanted to have a Media Center that recorded your cable pay channels, you had to buy an certified Windows Media Center. That changed last year when Microsoft opened up the platform allowing any of us to build Media Centers that rely on CableCard. The last mile problem that remained was in finding a tuner that would take a cable card.

Ceton has done just that and are taking pre-orders on a PCIe card that will allow you to record up to 4 HD streams at once. The new card is $399 and is expected to start shipping May 31st. Ed Graczyk stopped by with one of the cards and tells us a little more about it.

Coding 4 DNA

Larry Larsen — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:42:00 GMT

Andrew Phillips holds the title of Scientist with Microsoft Research Cambridge, and he's working on a method of programming that compiles into DNA. Part of this involves a visual programming language called Stochastic Pi Machine, or SPiM. This system models biological processes to help give researchers feedback on how organisms will react to modifications.

The hope is that this can be used to help scientists program for large biological systems using modular components compiled to DNA. Yes, I’m in way over my head here, but I do my best to ask Andrew about the role this will play in medical treatment going forward, what it means to DNA computing, and the ability of back-engineering the genetic code we don’t use now.

Techfest: The Future of Looking Back

Larry Larsen — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:25:00 GMT

Coming out of Microsoft Research Cambridge we have a project that explores how we might view our past through photos and videos that we've collected. But this is more than just photo collecting and digital frames; it's is a look at the value people place on sets of digital data and why they are attached to the digital bits along with a look at the tools we can help create to let people creatively engage with them.

Watch Your Media Center From Anywhere

Larry Larsen — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:46:00 GMT

Now that there are some great options for Cablecard tuners in PC’s, the only obstacle keeping me from enjoying my recorded content is that whole distance-from-my-computer thing. Lifehacker has a great tip about a Windows application called Remote Potato that will let you watch and schedule recordings on your Windows Media Center PC. The interface for the software is Silverlight-based and while I haven’t gotten a chance to install it yet (I’m still at Mix10), apparently it allows you the same functionality remotely as you have locally.

Surface + Dungeons and Dragons = Surfacescapes

Larry Larsen — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:27:00 GMT

I met with the folks from Carnegie Mellon who created the Dungeons and Dragons game on Microsoft Surface called Surfacescapes, which is a double helping of geek. I asked them about some of the challenges they faced, some of the decisions they made (like virtual dice), and where they hope to go with it in the future. If you're a D&D or Surface fan, don't miss it at Penny Arcade on March 26th.

In this game, the DM sits off to the side with a laptop or touch slate while the application tracks combat states and statistics. Best of all you can still use your favorite miniatures on the table!

Techfest 2010: Mobile Surface

Larry Larsen — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:17:00 GMT

Every year at TechFest, Microsoft employees (and a few invited guests) get to take a look at some of the projects out of Microsoft Research. These aren't finished products--you'll see a lot of exposed wires and tape--and in fact, they may never become completed products at all, but each project shows what we're thinking--and maybe where we're going.

This year I met with a team from MSR Asia who have constructed what they hope will eventually be a pico-projector portable computer, and in this project you can see inspiration from Microsoft Surface and Second Light. The possibility I like best about this is the ability to touch your games while still seeing what is there. Additionally, if you use physical controls on apps, such as knobs, you can actually paint labels on the controls themselves.

NASA Pathfinder Innovation Challenge

Larry Larsen — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:22:00 GMT

At the PDC last year, you may have seen that NASA and Microsoft made a number of announcements. New data APIs in Codename Dallas, a Silverlight+ASP.NET MVC 2 site on Azure...but did you realize they also launched a programming competition?

NASA has hundreds of thousands of images from their missions to Mars, and with the Pathfinder Innovation Challenge, they want to enlist your coding skills to help classify them. This is a unique opportunity where you can help NASA and win some great prizes by utilizing your existing .NET skills.

The Pathfinder Innovation Challenge consists of four different “leagues." In the Global Cooperation League, you’ll build casual games, which will allow every day citizens to help classify images in a game environment (similar to the counting craters application that can be found online here: http://beamartian.jpl.nasa.gov/maproom), and you'll do so using Silverlight and NASA's Azure-hosted APIs in codename Dallas. In the Intelligence League, you’ll use the power of the Azure cloud to attempt to solve the same problem by programmatically examining and classifying the images.

Full details for the competition can be found on their website at http://beamartian.jpl.nasa.gov/pic. Details specific to the Global Cooperation League are available at http://beamartian.jpl.nasa.gov/pic/coop-league and details for the Intelligence League can be found at http://beamartian.jpl.nasa.gov/pic/intelligence-league. Also, be sure to check out the intelligence league site for a series of “How Do I?” videos, which demonstrate how to sign up for and use the Codename Dallas API.

In addition to helping mankind and being able to brag that your code was helping NASA, PIC winners will also win amazing prizes, including NASA swag, ZuneHDs, and trips to see the launch of the next Mars Rover.

Making a 3D Model From a Photosynth

Larry Larsen — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:07:00 GMT

There's an interesting video on YouTube from Binary Millenium showing how to make a 3D model out of real objects using Microsoft's Photosynth. It's an interesting idea that while unofficial, may be a big time saver and a lot of fun for many of you.

This will work best if you use a Photosynth that not only has a high rate of 'synthiness' but also tons of points in the point cloud. A point in the point cloud means that a specific feature in two more photos has been identified allowing for Photosynth to some degree determine where in space that point exists. While a good Photosynth might have 100% synthiness, meaning all the pictures were connected, it doesn't necissarily mean there will be lots of points in the point cloud.