Global Nerdy

This article originally appeared in the Coffee and Code blog.

We’re Not Slackers, We’re Coffee Achievers

In response to John Bristowe’s announcement of the first Calgary Coffee and Code, we got this comment from a reader named Cameron:

How do all of you people have the day off. 9am to 4pm on a weekday? Gen-Y is in full effect.

Gen Y? Technically, we’re Gen Xers, since we were both born between 1960 and  1980. If I’m not mistaken, John is a “Nintendo Wave” Xer, since he was born in the 70s and I’m an “Atari Wave” Xer, having been born in 1967.

In response to Cameron’s comment, I couldn’t resist doctoring a graphic from the website for the animated series Slacker Cats:

(Come to think of, they sort of look like us. The hair colour’s the same.)

But seriously: John and I (as well as a number of other people in Microsoft Canada’s Developer & Platform Evangelism team) are officially classified by Microsoft as mobile workers. All the computers assigned to us are laptops, our internet and mobile phones are subsidized and our workplaces are wherever we happen to be working at the time: our home offices, Microsoft or on the road. It’s not for everyone, but if you have the discipline to handle the freedom, it can be a pretty nice way to work.

Coffee and Code was created to make us more accessible and give Microsoft a more human “face” by taking advantage of our flexible working arrangements. By working out of places like cafes, we’re making it quite easy for you to find us and join us in a conversation about whatever interests you, whether it’s Microsoft tools and technologies, the state of the industry or any other topic. It also makes for the perfect setting for us to help build local tech communities by gathering developers, IT pros, architects and other techies together. And finally, we’re patronizing “third place” businesses – those essential social places that are neither home nor the office – that are vital to the general community.

If a Coffee and Code attracts a large enough crowd, I find that I don’t get much programming, writing or administrative work done. That’s okay, because I’m getting another kind of work done: talking with local software developers, answering their questions, making note of their needs and suggestions and exchanging ideas. In short, I’m making connections with them, and that’s a major pillar of the Developer Evangelist position. If I’m not doing that, I’m not doing my job.

Where We’ll Be

If you’re in Calgary, you’ll want to head to Kawa Espresso Bar, where John Bristowe will be hosting the event from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.. You’ll find more details about his Coffee and Code event in this entry.

If you’re in Toronto, your Coffee and Code event will be hosted by Yours Truly at the spacious upstairs “Red Velvet Lounge” of the Starbucks at Yonge and Davisville from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.. You’ll find more details about it in this entry.

Since both events overlap perfectly, both locations are wifi equipped and both John and I have laptops with integrated cameras, I’m going to try videoconferencing with him, making this another Coffee and Code first. If you’re in eithe rof our neighbourhoods, please drop by!

This article originally appeared in Canadian Developer Connection.

Next week marks the beginning of EnergizeIT, Microsoft’s cross-Canada tour where we’ll be talking about some of the new tools and technologies that are coming soon. We’ll be hosting all kinds of things, including:

• User Group Connection: The Future of the Platform: We’ll show you the upcoming versions of our operating systems, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, some of their features, all with this question in mind: “How is this going to make my life easier?”
• EnergizeIT: From the Client to the Cloud: We’ll show you Microsoft’s “Software + Services” vision, which combines the power and richness of local software with the global reach of internet services to get the best of both worlds.
• Architecting Flexibility:  A session for architects covering Microsoft’s “Software + Services” vision and showing the infrastructure possibilities that come from choosing from on-premises, cloud computing and hybrid models.
• Windows 7 Installfest: See Windows 7 in action, see the new features and improved user interface and get the Windows 7 beta (which we’ve been running on our machines for the past little while) installed on your computer!

We’ll be sending out people from all branches of the Evangelism team: Developer Evangelists like me, as well as the IT Pro and Architect Evangelists. Unlike previous EnergizeIT events, which were held just in Toronto, we’re going to 18 major cities across Canada over the next six weeks to make sure that we reach as many Canadian developers, IT pros, architects and techies as we can, as up-close-and-personal as we can.

Best of all, it costs nothing to attend an EnergizeIT session. That’s right, it’s free! Space is limited, so you’ll have to register if you want to attend – you can do that at the EnergizeIT site.

In addition to our organized sessions, we’ll be holding Coffee and Code events in the cities we’re visiting. If you’re not familiar with Coffee and Code, it’s an informal gathering where we spend the day working out of a cafe with wifi, where you can come right up to us, join us for a coffee and talk to us, ask questions and get to know us as “your people on the inside” at Microsoft. Keep an eye on this blog or the Coffee and Code blog to find out when we’ll be hosting them in your town.

Here’s a list of the cities where we’ll be doing EnergizeIT. Please note that some of the events are completely booked – make sure you check the EnergizeIT site to see if there’s still space at the event nearest you.

I myself will be at the Kitchener, London, Mississauga and Toronto events, with Windows 7 in one hand and the accordion in the other. Hope to see you there!