Turmoil on the Homefront!
When I started this blog a little over a year ago, I decided that I wasn't going to post any "personal" stuff about things going on in my life, but at this time I feel it necessarry to reach-out to the many friends I have on the Net for their help.

We (meaning My Family) are in desperate times - here's a quick synopsis of what is going on:

1) Back and Leg condition not getting any better and slightly worsening; The Sciatica caused by the severe damage to the Sciatic Nerve servicing my left leg is not getting any better, and I'm now getting some pronounced weakness in my left leg...we went shopping for Michelle's Birthday cake, and I actually had to sit down from just walking from the car to the bakery. I'm now using a TENS unit to electrically stimulate the nerve and try to block the persistent pain, and the results are mixed at best.

2) Business has dropped-off significantly, and we are many, many months behind on our mortgage - consequently, we have sold the house and are looking for some kind of rental that will fit all of us and provide a clean-air environment for Grant so that he won't have any more complications for his Cystic Fibrosis.

We have placed a PayPal Donate button on my Web Site - if you feel so inclined to help us with a charitable donation, please do so!

--Scott
- posted by Scott @ 1:24 PM

 
The most excellent people at MSDN"s Channel 9 are having a contest: The winner gets a pass and airfare & accomodations at this years Professional Developer's Conference (PDC). Their requirement is that you post the reasons why you want to attent the PDC...so....here we go!

I've been a staunch supporter of Microsoft in a wide variety of forums and ways - from Slashdot to NeoWin. My support of Microsoft runs deep for a variety of reasons, but mainly it's due to the fact that I actually used to work there.

My first exposure to working with Microsoft was a beta tester for Randy Thatcher on the MACH10 Accellerator Card and the first iteration of MS-PAINT, way back in 1983. From there we fast-forward to 1987, where I was a beta tester for MS-Project 1.0 while I was a Project Manager for a company building a Medium-Density Fiberboard (MDF) plant in Nelson, New Zealand.

Moving even more forward, I actually worked at Microsoft as a Software Test Engineer contractor under Ken Gregg and S. Somasegar in the Kernel, API & Test group of the Windows NT 3.1 DevTeam. From there, I worked as STE Contractor for Microsoft Consulting on the GEC Marconi Information Systems project to put seat-back video systems in the Boeing 777.
Continuing on, I worked under Rob Michnick and Judy Schneider as a member of the Forum & Content Managment Team form MSN 1.0 - and since then have been a vocal supporter of Microsoft products in any way possible that I can. As a thank-you and nod for my support of Microsoft Products I was also invited to attend the Windows XP Professional x64 Launch (as noted in my previous entry) - needless to say that my relationship with Microsoft is a long one, to be sure.

If I were selected to attend the 2005 PDC, I would include as much content as humanly possible, including photos and video as allowed by Microsoft (of course) and specifically the good folks at Channel 9. My focus would be on Longhorn development and feature-set, as well as anything additionally related to Windows x64. My up-and-coming site, http://www.kindorf.net/, would be a prime spot to host this look inside the PCD and get what I believe would be vital info out to the masses concerning the future of Microsoft Products, Developer offerings and critical info concerning the future of Computing.

Although I'm sure that there are others there that are at least as deserving as I am to win this contest, I feel that my experience wth Microsoft and Microsoft products uniquely qualifies me to attend the 2005 PDC.

With that in mind...





Enjoy!

--ScottKin
- posted by Scott @ 4:11 AM