Ian Hameroff : Miscellaneous

Day 1 – The Trip to Amsterdam

ianhamer — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:26:53 GMT

The morning after watching a really exciting, albeit frustrating nil-nil result, Sounders FC MLS playoff match at Qwest Field, I boarded a Northwest Airlines flight bound for Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.

This is the first of many stages of travel I’ll embark on over the next two weeks. And, instead of using the “written word” to describe the experience, here’s a short video I pieced together using my Flip Mino HD and Windows Live Movie Maker:

Since editing this video, I have had a nap and showered off the 9+ hours of air travel. Now, it’s time to do a little exploring around the city, and try and link up with my fellow Bus Tour Crew.

Stay tune for more!

-- hama

Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Switch On Your Internet…

ianhamer — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:53:48 GMT

What a long post title to basically share a link to a recent video I recorded with Microsoft U.K.’s very own Eileen Brown (leading IT Pro evangelist, and social media expert) about our recent unveiling of Exchange 2010:

This video was shot just minutes after spending nearly seven hours presenting and facilitating the Exchange sessions, with fellow Redmond Exchange team’er Ed Banti, at the Reading, U.K. edition of INTERACT 2009.

Eileen even has a blog about that: Interact 2009 and Exchange 2010

Well, enjoy the video.

And, don’t forget to check out all the Exchange 2010 resources (and the beta download) available at microsoft.com/exchange/2010.

-- hama

Now Available on Twitter...Watch Out Web 2.0!

ianhamer — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 01:42:00 GMT

Well...in keeping with the spirit of my long blogosphere absences, I'm back (once again) to let you know that I'm now rightsizing my blogging to micro-blog levels.

That's right, I've gone off and started Twitting.

Or, is it Tweeting.

Ugh.

Nevertheless, I welcome you to follow not just my random acts of blogging on this TechNet blog, but also learn fun facts about such nonesense as "I'm at Qwest Field, having a few beers in the club before first kick. Go Sounders!", or more aligned with my work in the Exchange product management team, "Just spent part of the morning playing with MS Mail 3.5 with ankbomb". (NOTE: "ankbomb" is a fellow product manager, focused on our voice mail workload made possible by Exchange)

So, go ahead and follow me at twitter.com/hameroff.

-- hama

PS: Oh, yeah. I'm off to the U.K. tonight for this year's installment of INTERACT, INTERACT2009 (if you were following me on Twitter, you'd already know that by now <g>).

Come and Get Your EWS On....Mac

ianhamer — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 22:01:09 GMT

My friends and colleagues over at the MacBU have shipped a beta of Entourage that features new support for EWS (a/k/a Exchange Web Services). This replaces the previous WebDAV approach used in both previously releases of Entourage and Exchange Server.

More details here for IT Pros:

Entourage for Exchange Web Services

Also, check out my bud Mike's blog posting up on the "The Office for Mac Team Blog":

Entourage for Exchange Web Services Beta is Live!

Good stuff, if you ask me (that is, someone who does not use a Mac or Entourage, but digs EWS).

-- hama

More UC Than You Can Shake an E-mail At...

ianhamer — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 02:39:40 GMT

Hey, our Microsoft Unified Communications blog is on fire as of late. After a longer hiatus than I took with this blog, the UC team (of which I'm a member of) is blogging like gangbusters.

Check it out:

Unified Communications Group Team Blog

-- hama

Okay, Time for Our Take

ianhamer — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:38:26 GMT

Not that I want to turn a TechNet blog into a battleground Lotus vs. Exchange tit-for-tat, but in furtherance to my posting on Friday (re: Notes momentum meets Gartner reality) here's a link to a good Q&A with David Scult on the very subject of Exchange Mo':

Making Sense of the Messaging and Collaboration Market

It's short and sweet, and support with some third-party commentary too.

You can't help but feel good when we get to say things like:

"More than 10 million users are making the switch from Lotus Notes and Domino to Exchange and SharePoint, including more than two million in the last six months alone."

-- hama

Setting the Record Straight(er)

ianhamer — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 21:06:22 GMT

Lot's of great buzz around the messaging space with the run up to IBM's Lotusphere. Lotusphere is kicking off on Sunday.

Here's a neat Computerworld article about where the PR "rubber" meets the Gartner analyst "road":

"Au contraire: Exchange's lead over Notes actually 'getting bigger and bigger,' says Gartner"

"While IBM argued today that its Lotus Notes collaboration software was turning the tide against the market leader, Microsoft Corp.'s Exchange, a Gartner Inc. analyst said that's not the case.

"I don't believe that in either revenue or user seat share, that IBM is closing the gap [with Microsoft]," Tom Austin, a Gartner analyst, told Computerworld today. "The gap is getting bigger and bigger."

IBM did not immediately respond to a request for comment."

-- hama

The Audacity of Mobile E-mail

ianhamer — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:53:06 GMT

As both an ol' security guy, and now a nearly seasoned e-mail server guy (okay, it's been one calendar year since I moved over to the Exchange team), I really dig this whole discussion around the future of President-elect Obama's BlackBerry.

He is, much like many CrackMobileE-mailers (like myself with my growing collection of WinMo devices), a self-confessed mobile e-mail junkie.

However, national security concerns, etc. demand something more than an off-the-shelf device for the "E-mailer-in-Chief" to be issuing important orders (like righting the American economy) or taking care of other important things (such as getting a playoff system in place of NCAA football's crappy BCS system).

Look, I'm a big fan of the soon to be 44th president, but I'd have to admit I wouldn't want to be seen with Mr. Obama while he is carrying this "organizationally approved" smart phone:

More details:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10141398-38.html?tag=pop

By comparison, I am loving my HTC Touch HD. I do miss having 3G data rates, but I love the longer battery life and the screen. The virtual keyboard is way more functional than the iPhone's (even on the small screened HTC Touch Diamond I have), and the screen kids ass. We still need to work on our touch (lower-case 't' and no pun intended), but it is a very fun and functional device for me. It has officially earned the title of 'Best Windows Mobile Phone I've Owned", unseating the Touch Diamond.

-- hama

blog:reloaded

ianhamer — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:48:37 GMT

Can you believe that I have not tended to my blog for nearly 8 months?

Wait.

Don't answer that!

Why?

Well, it is pretty easy to tell that by noticing that my last post was in March.

Moving on.

As I mentioned back in...er..January, I've been over in the Exchange Product Management team for the whole of 2008. It's been a great time, and I've learned a ton about product planning.

Yup.

I've been spending 2008 helping drive the next releases of Exchange. While I can't go into details about what's to come (at least not yet), it's a really exciting time for this space.

Heck, we just took the "beta" wrapping off Exchange Online on Monday, and we've been having a great time helping students benefit from Exchange-powered e-mail through our Live@EDU efforts.

All the while, I spent a good deal of time on the road meeting with customers across the U.S., and the world (including Germany, China, and Japan), seeking to learn more about how IT Pros are using Exchange and what they think of ideas we have for the future. What a blast that has been.

So, what happened to the blog?

Two words: "My Bad".

It's been super (FYI:"super" is one of the most overused words/phrases/modifiers at Microsoft) busy doing all of this stuff.

Nevertheless, I hope to get back on the bloggin' horse and fill you in on not just my past travels, but some other neat things. For example, I've become quite the WinMo gadget freak over the year. I plan on sharing some of my thoughts on that, and things not necessarily related to work.

Anyhow, time to go and have lunch with an old CA colleague of mine. He, like me, moved on years back, but we're both doing our thing out here in the soggy PacWest:

Stay tuned!

--hama

Happy New Job...er...Year!

ianhamer — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 02:56:30 GMT

What?

Yes, the rumors* you heard are true.

I've decided to usher in the year 2008, by leaving the group working on a major product named after this new year (i.e. Windows Server 2008) and join the Unified Communications team! Specifically, I am now a Senior (non-AARP member) Technical Product Manager focused on Exchange Server.

"Hey, what does a networking and security hack know about email servers?" you ask.

Great question.

But the good news is, I'm learning a lot in the few short days I've been in seat and expect to learn a heck of lot more in this role.

As such, I'll start shifting this blog to focus more on my new UC/Exchange world view, but fret not. I'll leave all those great (YMMV) posts on WS08 networking and network security stuff. I will also start filling you in a bit more on what it is I'm actually doing as I get ramped up from both the holiday break and the job transition.

All in all, this new role is a great opportunity for me to stretch my technical product management skills (that's mad skillz, or at least slightly ill tempered skillz) in a new technology space. I'm still loosely connected with the ol' Windows Server 2008 launch team gang, and hope to swing down to L.A. for the premier event in February. I've also made sure to seed little bits of my networking product management meddling in a few places that will soon come to light (in and around the launch window for WS08), so stay tuned for that!

Anyhow, happy 2008 to all of you!

I hope that those of you who have read my blog in the past for networking stuff (that's the official, technical description) will stick around and save yourself a good front row seat for all my UC and Exchange Server mumblings!

* If you did hear any rumors, that pretty neat!

Help Free Your Buddy This Thanksgiving! (Cool Game)

ianhamer — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 23:19:23 GMT

Some US leaders may choose to pardon a turkey as their way of "giving thanks" ahead of the once yearly food feast known as Thanksgiving. Well, as mere citizens we may not be able to flex such presidential powers ourselves, but you can have some fun helping to Free Your Buddy before the turkey and stuffing is served!

This is a pretty neat on-line game we've posted: http://www.freeyourbuddy.com.

It's worth noting I just spent a good 20 minutes playing this thing...an excellent use of the workday right before the US Holiday of Thanksgiving!

-- hama

Now You Can Receive Me In Stereo!

ianhamer — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 23:20:59 GMT

As an FYI, I'm now also blogging on the recently launched Forefront Team Blog on another part of the TechNet blog-o-sphere-o-rama. I posted one that's very relevant to the networking and network security themes of this blog, and thought it would be worth a quasi-cost post plug here:

Happy Birthday Windows Networking!

Enjoy!

- hama

Fun with Singapore Lift...er...Elevator Security

ianhamer — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 10:23:23 GMT

It is my last full day in South East Asia, and I'm working from the Microsoft Singapore office down on Marina Boulevard. There's a great view from the cube I'm squatting in during my two day stay. From the 19th floor, I can just about see the famous Singapore Merlion statue located down at Marina Bay.

What is is?

Well, the Merlion is half lion, half fish, and half water fountain, making it a 100% (+/- 50%) tourist attraction.

I had wandered by it last year during the extremely short day I spent here en route to Seattle from TechEd SEA 2006. However, last time I witnessed this landmark from the waters of the Singapore River, since I was taking the Singapore Duck cruise to pack in as much sightseeing on that one 3/4 day last year.

This time around, Sunday to be exact, I walk through the little plaza and down to the promenade, and took several photos of the Merlion up close. Adding this 19 story view from the MS Singapore office, I believe I've completed a Merlion hat trick by seeing the thing from land, sea, and "air" (okay the last one is a bit of stretch).

Here's a phone from where I'm sitting (note this is from my Treo's camera, going through a thick plate glass window):

The red circle is meant to point out the blurry white bit that is the top of the of the Merlion. For those planning to visit this part of Singapore, you'd be happy to note that there is a Starbucks right in that long building across the waterfront and a short walk after the Merlion park.

The yellow circle (that's yellow) is around the famous DHL Balloon ride. It's more famous because I read in the local newspaper that it's future (at least in its current location) is in jeopardy. It happen to be floating upwards when I snap this photo, and I wanted to provide context -- this is not an UFO (technically).

Okay.

On to the point of my blog: Elevator security.

In my travels, it's not uncommon for the hotels I stay in to have some kind of "insert your room key to access your floor" security control in their elevators. This includes the hotel I stayed in Kuala Lumpur (next to the KLCC), and the hotel I'm in Singapore.

Normally, you need to insert your card into the slot marked "Insert Room Key Here" and then you can select your floor. In 99% of the case, one can only select one floor per card insertion, which seems a reasonably smart approach.

Not so at my hotel!

Once you've "authenticated" yourself (or at least your room key) to the elevator panel, you can select all the floors you wish! So, if I was someone looking to "rob" the place, I could just wait in the lobby (perhaps pretend to keep missing the lift when one arrives while I'm still solo), follow someone else in, and wait for them to authenticate and select away. I might even keep a shinny white plastic card in my hand to make it appear that I have my room key.

The above photo is of the aforementioned elevator panel. As you can see, I'm moments away from going to the 13th floor. We don't seem to have those around in the US.

So, this is really a good example of a half thought out security scheme. Yes, these key card elevator authentications won't stop someone from getting in. It's a hotel, not Fort Knox. However, it seems to have fallen short. Why not tweak the system to require one card swipe per floor button.

Nevertheless, I've been keeping my eyes open for anyone who maybe following my tips. At least I know you're reading my blog <grin>.

--hama

Post Script: One funny thing happen to me at the dinner buffet at this very same hotel. It was one heck of buffet. I mean, it never seemed to end.

In fact, just when I thought I had sampled items from all the available choices, somebody would walk past with new options previously unseen.

This was a multi-room buffet!

Moving on.

Roast duck was one of the options you could sample, and I was very eager to give it a try.

Once the chef sliced off a portion of the duck, I asked him which of the three sauces in front of me was the correct pairing with the duck.

He pointed to one and said "that one."

Cool.

I asked him immediately, "what kind of sauce is this?"

He responded without batting an eyelash, "duck sauce."

Tech·Ed 2007 - Day 2: Opening Day

ianhamer — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 19:23:00 GMT

So. I started my day out battling a non-late night out based headache ("yeah, right Hameroff" -- no, seriously, I hit the hay around 10:30p) and then confused by the TechEd 2007 shuttle buses. I'll explain the latter more.

At 9:30a-ish, I stood in front of my hotel for the #2 shuttle bus to arrive. My new friend -- who I call "the dude sitting in the beach chair outside the front door of the hotel on his cell phone and half reading a novel of some sorts" -- let me know that the next bus was moments away.

First, the #9 when by and about 5 minutes later my bus arrived. We made one more stop at the hotel adjacent to mine, and then (I assumed) we were off to the convention center. Well, we continued past the South O.C.C.C. (where TechEd is based), confusing most on the bus. I thought that we were going to take a different entrance than we did on Sunday, but that theory was shot dead as we sat in the left hand turning lane, waiting for the light to change so we could turn into the West building of the O.C.C.C. Just as I was about to leap up and say, "hey, wrong building dude!" we pulled up to a sign outside of the West building that read "TechEd 2007 Keynote -- Hall D."

Even with this obvious clue, just about everyone got off the bus. Two of us asked the driver if he was going to South building next, and we stayed on for the rest of the right.

Exciting, eh?

Today's edition of the show was a great way to start off TechEd '07. The booth had some decent traffic through the day (with the normal ups and downs in crowd sizes). Our expert booth staff spoke with customers and partners about our network solutions, and even took time out to reach expo floor characters like Sean Siler did in the picture below:

We also had a visit from Ron Beekelaar (MVP and creator of our Server and Domain Isolation demo), and we chatted about the next generation of the demo kit to include Windows Vista and eventually Windows Server 2008.

Rodrigo, our MVP booth staffer, was a bit surprised by the limited knowledge of the power of Server and Domain Isolation. But, it's great that we have this new demo to increase awareness.

Okay, time to head out the Contemporary Hotel on the Disney World campus for dinner with the crew. More to come tomorrow!

-- hama

TechEd 2007 Security Track Goes On-line

ianhamer — Wed, 30 May 2007 02:20:55 GMT

Guess what?

TechEd 2007 is next week!

Yup.

And, to help make your TechEd experience even better, my pals over in the Trustworthy Computing Group have launched a brand new "TechEd Security Track 2007" site off of Microsoft.com. Check it out at: http://www.microsoft.com/security/teched/default.mspx

What's neat is you can listen to me blather on about the BillG keynote at WinHEC, the recent NAP/TNC announcement, and a preview of what to expect at TechEd from the networking and network security folks (like me). Check out my little "In Their Own Words" podcast...I'm the one right between Ali Parker and Mike Howard.

Back here at the Redmond Ranch we're prepping all systems for TechEd and also enjoying 74+ degree weather. And yes, the sky is sunny and the clouds are far and few between. What a day!

Anyhow, I hope to see you at the big show next week! You can find us in the Yellow TLC in the security section.

If the opportunity to meet me isn't thrilling enough, perhaps having a chance to rap with one of our leading network security MVPs, Rodrigo Immaginario from Brazil, is the deal maker. Rodrigo has extensive experience with our Server and Domain Isolation solution, and is working to deploy Network Access Protection (NAP). He's also worked with the full range of new networking functionality in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.

-- hama