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For all the talk about building cars that are more connected, what concerns Windows Embedded Automotive more than anything else is making them safer. It’s really all that experience designer David Walker focuses on. Before coming to Microsoft, David was a captain for Air Canada, and the airline...

One of the more noteworthy accomplishments of the Windows Embedded Automotive team has been the ability to match its software development process to the development and manufacturing cycles of the auto industry. The fact that cars and trucks can run for as long as they do is in no small part due to the...

One thing we’re never in short supply of around here is unsung heroes—individuals or teams who are doing some pretty amazing things that you've rarely or never heard of. Perhaps one of the most prolific groups that falls in this category is the Windows Embedded Business Group, which creates...

A friend just posted this video on Facebook and I had to share here – this is why I love this industry. Code can (and does) change the world. Please share this high and wide and send people to code.org

David Rothschild isn’t what I’d consider your typical economist. He has a certain affinity for bowties and enjoys working with data, but similarities with the stereotype pretty much end there. In graduate school, he found himself drawn away from the weighty issues of GDP and the trade deficit...

Alex Kipman is no stranger to awards – in fact last time I wrote about our GM of Xbox it was to acknowledge him receiving Microsoft’s highest technical honor, the Technical Recognition Award for Outstanding Technical Leadership . He’ll need to make room on his office shelf for the...

Every year, more than 9 million people contract tuberculosis (TB), an airborne, infectious disease that primarily attacks the lungs. When left untreated, it has a 66 percent fatality rate. It’s a grim reminder that while TB may be on the periphery for many of us, for many others it’s a harsh...

This is a guest post by my colleague Rob Wolf - a Senior Marketing Communications Manager who manages the social media properties for the Microsoft brand on Facebook , Twitter , and YouTube . As readers of this blog know, we are often inspired by the ways industries outside of technology tell their...

Microsoft’s dedication to hiring the brightest minds in the field is embodied in today’s announcement that Dr. Jeannette Wing will be the new Vice President, Head of Microsoft Research (MSR) International. Dr. Wing is a leading figure in computer science research, particularly in formal...

One of the first things you’ll notice about Kate Tsoukalas is the zest she has for what she does. As a tester on the browser user experience team of Windows Phone, Kate sees herself as being an advocate for the end user. And it’s clear she gets an immense amount of gratification from combining...

Following our post yesterday regarding Microsoft’s participation at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing I thought it would be interesting to profile a few of the Microsoft women attending the event. First up is Lili Cheng who was the subject of a great profile in the Seattle Times...

Later this week the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing conference kicks off in Baltimore, Maryland. The event is focused on bringing the research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront. This year's theme is “Are We There Yet?” and no doubt will focus on the...

We have more young people on the planet than ever before, yet they are experiencing a rate of unemployment that is double that of the rest of the population - in some countries youth unemployment has reached 50%. If that's not shocking enough, consider that more than 100 million young people around the...

While in Toronto this week for WPC, I had the chance to talk with some of our partners about the amazing stuff they’re doing with things such as Windows 8 and the Kinect for Windows SDK . Meanwhile, a group of around 350 students in Sydney were showing off some of the amazing things they’ve...

You have probably all seen one of those cool RSA animations of a talk but perhaps not seen one based on a talk by a Microsoft guy. Almost a year ago we profiled Manuel Lima on this blog, senior user experience design lead for Bing, who works out of our New York City office. Ironically I ran in to him...

I’ve been fortunate enough to spend a good amount of time with Alex Kipman over the last two years. I enjoyed a career highlight lunch with him and two luminaries from Hollywood last year – he had them in raptures with his view of where technology would take the storytelling art form. ...

Microsoft Research (MSR) earlier today announced the creation of its newest lab, located in New York City, adding to the existing twelve labs across four continents. Jennifer Chayes, who leads the New England lab , will also head up this new Manhattan-based group that will host 15 world class researchers...

Last August I posted about Building four on our main campus here in Redmond undergoing a serious refresh - now one of the teams who lives there has done the same with their website. Office Labs are the team behind the future vision videos you may also have seen on this blog but that’s just a...

Meet Donald Brinkman, polymath, poet, gaming geek and the mastermind behind Project Epiphyte , a plan to “overwhelm the world with a green plague of creativity in the form of millions of epiphytes.” Donald seems a bit cagey on what Project Epiphyte is all about and how long it’s been...

I was going to start by saying that Steve comes from an unusual background as a Microsoft researcher but as I travel around the company, and around Microsoft Research (MSR), it’s clear that there is no such thing as an unusual background. Steve's first degree was gained in Computer Science with...

When you talk to Rane Johnson-Stempson , it’s not too long before you hear her talk about “bold” goals and “big, burly” challenges. Words and concepts like these seem to be an integral part of how she takes on the world and what drives her to come to work each day. The...

Wow, where do I start with James Mickens ? Describing his “dojo,” his penchant for impersonations of English school kids and English rock bands or his membership in two bands, that both have a lineup of one musician? I can safely say that Mickens is one of the funniest people I’ve...

What do phase transitions, online advertising rates, human genetics, and children’s use of Facebook have in common? They’re all about networks, and standing at the center is Jennifer Tour Chayes, managing director and distinguished scientist of Microsoft Research New England, located in the...

During last year we ran two successful “ People Weeks ” here on Next at Microsoft where we dedicate the entire week to focusing on employees at Microsoft. They are after all what makes Microsoft tick. People Week 2 focused on the design community and the first People Week was a real mix from...

In yesterday’s post I gave a virtual tour of Microsoft’s Redmond HQ and noted that we form opinions about people by the places they inhabit. As cool as many of those places are, unquestionably the most fun aspect of my job for the last 18 months has been meeting some of the people building...