Currently in Japan working with the team on final Imagine Cup preparation.  It's hot and muggy here, and I'm told that it will get hotter in August.  Despite the fact, everyone here is extremely well dressed.  I think a large portion of suits made in the world probably find their way to Japan at some point...

One of the invitationals that I'm really looking forward to seeing is the Short Film Invitational.  We started the Short Film invitational last year, and saw some impressive work.  In looking at the finalsts this year I'm even more impressed!

Shreyas talks about the Short Film Invitational and what the finalist teams will be doing on site.

Finally, here's Justin introducing JTB, Japan Travel Bureau, who will be helping us in Japan, and most likely the first people student finalists will meet when they arrive at the airport in Narita.

Today we announced more details about Office Designer invitational, a new competition this year.  The announcement is in the ODI hub, and here Shreyas talks about ODI in Sankeien Garden, one of the places we will visit while in Yokohama.

Now for the little surprise: we managed to confirm Joel and Benji Madden from the band Good Charlotte to come to Yokohama and give a special acoustic performance (like Unplugged style) for the attendees of Imagine Cup.  Good Charlotte is a pretty cool band, they performed at Live 8 and are currently on a world tour, so we were really happy that Joel and Benji could take time out of their busy schedule to hang out with us.

Also, we confirmed Nolan Bushnell as a keynote speaker.  Nolan founded Atari in the early seventies, and with Pong forever revolutionized video games as we know them.  The theme of his keynote will be about dissolving boundaries.

We also confirmed the first Japanese astronaut onboard a space shuttle, Mamoru Mori, to speak at the Awards Ceremony.  He will be talking about the realization of dreams.

I think this will make the Awards Ceremony even more exciting than it already is.  I can't wait to see what happens!

Like last year, a group of us on the Imagine Cup 2005 team took a tour of Japan to see the facilities and to scope out the sites.  We took the opportunity to make some videos that show where we'll be, and over the next few weeks we'll post the videos to give context to the competition as well as the city of Yokohama.

Here are the first 2 clips.

Justin introduces the City of Yokohama and the hotel where the competition will take place
Shreyas talks about the Software Design Invitational in Sankeien Garden

Enjoy!

It's here and this year's even busier than last year!  With around 3 weeks left to go my whole team is gearing up to deliver a great experience in Yokohama.  This is why you haven't seen us quite as active blogging on theSpoke.

I'm the chair of the Software Design Invitational this year, and I'm so looking forward to actually seeing the applications this year.  We will have students from 38 countries competing in SDI at this year's finals, and a very distinguished panel of judges.  I can't wait to see it all happen!

Finally, we're talking to a very cool, special musical guest.  Once we have them confirmed, I will let you know who they are.

Early last week my father checked into the hospital after falling very ill, so I had to unexpectedly cut my India trip short to come back to the States.  I'm sorry to those of you who were expecting to meet me in Bangalore and Mumbai.

My father is still in the hospital recovering.  He had a serious infection which compromised his immune system to a dangerous state.  He's just starting to gain his energy back, and the past few days I've seen his condition stabilize and the doctor declared him "out of danger" 2 days ago.  Even though it's only been 1 week, when I compare where I was 1 week ago when I made my last blog entry vs. today, it really brings home the fact that life can change suddenly.

Overall I had a great trip to India, and I plan to go back soon.  I had the pleasure of meeting the President of India, as well as a few notable professors.  I got to spend time with the India academic team, which was really great.  My next trip will focus more on Southern India, and I hope I'll be able to spend time in the places I didn't get to go this time.

The trip back to the States ended up being a very frustrating experience.  I was already worried about my father, and the last minute changes to my flights added to the stress.  My flight on Air Canada from New Delhi to Toronto was delayed without explanation for almost 2 hours.  Once I got to Toronto, I had to go through both the Canadian customs and the US customs, which made me miss my connection from Toronto to San Francisco.  The next direct flight was 6 hours later, so I had to be re-routed: Toronto to Denver, and then wait in Denver for an available Denver to San Francisco flight.  It's a good thing I didn't check any luggage, because I'm not sure I would have gotten them on the other end given the number of changes.  In all, I spent nearly 30 hours in planes and airports from when I arrived at the New Delhi airport to my arrival at the San Francisco airport.

After I landed, I headed straight to the hospital.  Mom and dad were both glad to see me, and even though dad was connected to a bunch of tubes, he did his best to let me know he was going to be all right.  Over the next few days, mom and I saw his condition improve then worsen then improve again.  I have a newfound appreciation for doctors, nurses, the advances in medicine, as well as insights into hospitals and how things work.

I also learned how fragile life can be.  And how when the chips are down, it's your family and friends who carry you through.  And how things suddenly become so simple when there's an emergency.  

But most of all, I learned that the time you spend with people is the most precious gift you can give someone.

After sitting in airports and on planes for 24 continuous hours, I managed to land in New Delhi, India from San Francisco Friday evening here.  A few firsts on this trip.

1 I have never travelled this many hours
2 I have never flown via Amsterdam
3 I have never flown KLM
4 I have never been to India

So you can imagine my excitement when I finally got here.  Thus far I've been here for 33 hours and all that flying and waiting have been absolutely worth it!

Yesterday Ashwani Sharma from our India academic team showed me around.  India is so full of life it was inspiring to see.  I think there's an explosion of colors and sound everywhere you go, whether it's the city or the countryside.  The wardrobe here are also vibrant.  And of course the food is full of spices -- but I really appreciated the fact that the food is natural spices.  I had the best Indian meal ever for lunch yesterday, where the flavors just exploded in my mouth.  It made all previous Indian food experiences in the States seem so tame in comparison.  In particular, the black daal, the buttered chicken in tomato gravy, and the tandoori chicken were just outstanding.  My stomach just grumbled as I type that!

I am here in India to give a talk at the Academic Summit, meet with press, work with the team on their plans, and also to meet with faculty and students.  I am very much looking forward to the trip!

Here are a few pictures I took from yesterday.

Here, a few street peddlers have tamed monkeys and bears to pose roadside with people.  I admit I was scared to be so close to a bear!



Then here's the colorful wardrobe of a couple I took outside of a reststop/restaurant...


Here's the beautiful Taj Mahal -- one of the 7 wonders of the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site...



And finally, one of the most sacred animals in India, the cow.  I found it cool that they roam the streets next to cars and mopeds and pedestrians!



I've been to many different populous places in the world, and India has much of the same rhythm and livelihood to it that I've observed in other places.  I can understand how bewildering it could be (for example, just the way traffic moves) to people who've never experienced this before, but there are all these unwritten rules that people just seem to know.  Although with respect to traffic I have to say that since Indians drive on the left side of the road (as opposed to the right in the States) that threw me off a bit.  But I'm so glad that I am here and am enjoying myself quite a bit.

Looking forward to the next great meal!

I am currently in Hamburg.  I have been on the road for 1 week and have 2 more weeks to go.  On this trip I am travelling all over Germany to gain a better understanding of the German educational system.  It's very complex and I've already learned so much in my week in Munich.  I will be going to Hannover for CeBIT as well, and other German cities including Berlin, Neuss, and Karlsruhe.

Germany is experiencing a cold winter.  When I arrived last week there were no clouds in the sky for many days.  While Ash (my business manager who's on this trip with me) and I waited for the train to take us to and from the office, I tried to visualize myself sitting on a beach.

Below is a picture of Ash on the train platform.  Note how clear the sky is!

I've changed my avatar.  If you want to know why, check out Mario's blog.

We can all make a difference!

I discovered Keane this weekend.  Actually, as I was flying back from Singapore I heard one of their songs on the plane (Somewhere only we know), and then followed up with a sample hearing in the store.  I really like them a lot.  They're an UK band, and I guess have been around for about 1 year.  I bought their CD this weekend and have been listening to it.  I think they're going to be big like Coldplay and Damien Rice.

I also watched the season premiere of 24 last night.  While I am looking forward to another 2 hours tonight, I was bummed that I couldn't keep watching (like I did with seasons 1 & 2 because I had the DVDs).

Finally, it snowed in Seattle yesterday.  By noon most of the snow had melted in the city but I guess out in the burbs where it's colder there was still snow on the ground this morning.  Since Howard just wrote an entry on what he misses about Seattle -- I wonder if he misses the snow from Singapore...?  We certainly miss him here.

I have a newfound appreciation for broadband.  My parents' place in Taiwan just had dial-up and it was hard to do anything on the web, including hotmail!

The effects of the tsunami in SE Asia are just horrible.  On my taxi ride in from the Singapore airport last night that was all the driver talked about.  My heart goes out to the region.  I think in catastrophes like this there are initially a lot of support from the international community, but the longer term re-development and support are what will rebuild families, communities and nations.  We need to continue to support the region long after the initial pledges have been given.

I'll be in SG for a few days before heading back to Redmond.  Hopefully, I'll have the opportunity to see everyone on the team here, although not everyone's back from holiday yet.

I hope despite what happened, everyone was able to spend quality time with friends and families.  I wish everyone a fantastic 2005, and may you all stay safe and healthy.

I just celebrated my birthday...  actually, I spent a good part of my birthday on a plane flying from Seattle to Tokyo, and by the time I landed my birthday was almost over.  But I did treat myself to a cheesecake on the plane!

I am in Japan en route to Taiwan where I will be spending the holidays.  I met with our Japan academic team the last few days to go over the Imagine Cup 2005 finals.  The team is revved up to welcome everyone... we went through the details of the Awards Ceremony yesterday.  It is amazing how even though Brazil seems like yesterday, we are already in the midst of heavy planning for the finals in August... and pretty soon we will begin the planning for Imagine Cup 2006!

I love Japan.  This time I spent in Time Square in Shin-ju-ku, and the entire square is lit up with beautiful holiday lights in blue and white colors.  I used to live in New York City, which is known for the festive holiday lights... but I would have to say that Japan's decoration rivals New York.

Last night I went to Misono for Kobe beef.  Oh each bite was like eating a stick of butter.  I will probably have to work out extra hard to shed the fat but it was worth every bite!

I am currently in Narita, waiting to get on a flight to Taiwan.  I am looking forward to seeing my relatives and spending the holidays with them!

Well... I hope everyone has a fantastic break!

I borrowed an HP TabletPC the other day and finally got it set up for use on the Microsoft network and have been playing with it for a few hours.  It's pretty neat!

I think the ink recognition isn't bad, although when I wrote thespoke.net it thought +hesp0e.net.  I think it's because my handwriting is so bad that the TPC didn't get my writing the first time.  I am having a fun time writing emails to people; seems like the smiley faces are more expressive, as are my notes of congratulations!

The other thing that was interesting: I was at first reluctant to put my hand on the screen for fear of smudging it...  But I got over that pretty quickly.

The Tablet has come a long ways.  I think the battery life is better now, also.  I might have to go get one...

In the most recent issue of Rolling Stone, the top 500 songs of all time were listed.  I can't do all 500 but I can show you the top 11.  What do you think?

11.  My Generation (The Who)
10.  What I'd Say (Ray Charles)
9.    Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)
8.    Hey Jude (The Beatles)
7.    Johnny B, Goode (Chuck Berry)
6.    Good Vibrations (The Beach Boys)
5.    Respect (Aretha Franklin)
4.    What's Going On (Marvin Gaye)
3.    Imagine (John Lennon)
2.    (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (The Rolling Stones)
1.    Like a Rolling Stone (Bob Dylan)

I thought specifically the note about Imagine was very cool, since the Imagine Cup was named after the song Imagine.  Apparently, John Lennon woke up one morning in 1971 and sat at his piano and composed Imagine, "twenty-two lines of graceful, plain-spoken faith in the power of a world, united in imagination and purpose to repair and change itself."

I've been back from vacation for 2 days, and I'm adjusting to a few things that seemed normal just 2 weeks ago.

For one, I feel like people who I work with at Microsoft are powered by a Pentium chip, whereas my processor is a 386.  It's a testament to how smart people are at Microsoft; in some of the meetings I have been in the last couple of days I've had to really focus to understand ideas that seem so complex now!

Another thing is that -- Seattle doesn't get a lot of sun in the winter, and for that matter, the days are just super short!  As I look out my office now, I would have no idea whether it's 9AM, 12PM or 4PM if I didn't have a clock (it's 11:30AM).  The perpetual grayness during the winter is kind of a shock to the system given I just came from sun, surf, sand.

Traffic is actually... irritating!  I can't believe I sit in traffic for up to 2 hours a day commuting between Seattle (where I live) and Redmond (where Microsoft is)!

But I am remarkably relaxed right now.  I think my team wonders why I have a silly grin/smile most of the day.  Hakuna matata to that.

I'm looking forward to my next vacation -- coming up in a few weeks.  I'm going to spend the holidays with my parents.  They are currently visiting Taiwan, and I'm excited to go see them as well as relatives.

In the meantime, I think I might go get a wave machine for my office.  I miss the sound of the ocean crashing outside my non-existent balcony...

Thanksgiving marks theSpoke's 1 year birthday.  Happy birthday to theSpoke!

In celebration, theSpoke logo has changed (if you haven't noticed).

On behalf of team Microsoft, a big thanks for your community participations, suggestions, and support.

We have lots in store for year 2!  And I know it will be even better than year 1 because of you.

Thanks!