We know you've been waiting. Perhaps you attended MIX06, but you weren't able to view three simultaneous sessions (an advanced conference technique one hones after years and years of TechEds and PDCs). Or, maybe you didn't make it to the event because we filled up before your boss approved your travel. Whatever the reason, you can now view all 52 sessions—including Bill's keynote—online . And, just like hitting the jackpot in Vegas, we're hosting all of this for anyone to access for free. Make sure you tell your friends.

We've upgraded our post-conference experience, and because you asked, we made it easy to download each session for offline viewing. You can also grab the PowerPoint presentations to show to your staff or local user group. And although you can show the slide decks around the family dinner table, we don't recommend it.

So, when you're ready, clear your calendar and dive in .

Tag: MIX06 

The MIX team at Microsoft is going through withdrawals.  First we were in denial; some of us refused to leave Vegas for days.  Then there was anger.  “How "%$@^##& dare you not expect me to work 18 hours a day on MIX?”  Next came bargaining.  “Oh, please, please let me keep working on MIX, if you do I promise to be your wingman at TAO for life.”  Then we were depressed.  What's the point of getting out of bed in the morning if you don't have Marc Canter asking you for APIs?  And now . . . we are starting to accept that MIX is over, it was a blast, it was a success and it's officially part of our history.  But hope springs eternal; we've already had our first meeting to talk about the next MIX.  YAY! 

But seriously, thanks to everyone who attended, spoke at, worked on, wrote and talked about MIX.  Not only did we have a ball, but from what we are hearing in the community you did too.  We tried really hard to make this a different conference, something you wouldn't expect from Microsoft, and we think/hope/believe we took a few baby steps in the right direction.  We learned a ton, just a mountain of new experiences and opinions were shared with us at the conference, and we think we can do even better next time.  And we hope you join us for the next ride we take. 

In the meantime, you can watch the keynotes (Bill Gates, Dean Hachamovitch, and Joe Belfiore) on Virtual MIX and the sessions will be streamed in about 3 weeks.  The slide decks and some of the Sandbox materials are posted at https://content.mix06.com/content/sessions.aspx.  We'll also try to keep Virtual MIX up to date as new content is made available so we can keep the conversation going.

Thanks to each and every one of you for making MIX a success.

Viva MIX! 

Well, the fat lady is about to sing.  Thank you for joining us at the inaugural MIX event.  We hope you had an interesting, informative, educational, worthwhile and fun time with us here in Vegas.  We are reading your session evals, checking out the blogs and talking to you about how we can do better next time (and there will be a next time).  We hope you keep the conversation going with us even after today, and that you've made new business connections and new friends that you'll keep talking with as well.  You can keep up with post-MIX news at Virtual MIX where the sessions will be streamed in ~4 weeks.  Join us today at the MIX Chat for a final wrap up and group hug (kidding!).  A huge thank you is extended on behalf of the entire Microsoft team who worked on MIX, and we hope to see you at the next one!

Tag: MIX06  

Wowed by the WPF-based Vista demos you saw during the MIX keynotes and general sessions?  Check out the Vista Partner Showcase in the Sandbox and see demos from REZN8, Avenue A | Razorfish, Fluid, iBloks, NASCAR, AMG, Car & Driver, The North Face and other “Origami” applications!

Ever talk to a Bot before?  Now's your chance! Add "" to your contact list in Windows Live or MSN Messenger.  The MIX06 bot can tell you about sessions, speakers, schedules at MIX06 (type "sessions Wednesday").  And, when you're ready for some fun, the MIX06 bot can help you find a restaurant, show, or a great local golf course (type " outside activities").  The MIX06 Bot is built using Messenger Bots, Activities, Virtual Earth, and the MSN Spaces blogging API. 

MIX06 is the first time we've created a conference bot (better late than never!).  The bot is very much a work in progress, but we wanted to share it with you… there is a feedback page so you can tell us about your experience using the MIX06 Bot and what you'd like to see future conference bots do.

Tag: MIX06  

The keynotes are available now on Virtual MIX and the rest of the sessions will be streamed in about 4 weeks.  Check back here for updates on content over the next month.   

Tag: MIX06  

Today I continued to roam the halls of Mix06 today and was fortunate enough to run into 4 more attendees willing to go on The Mix06 Buzzcast Show on Channel9.

The podcasts can be found at http://channel9.msdn.com/shows/The_MIX06_Buzzcast

My guests included two developers who have been working with WPF, and three attendees who were interested in Atlas, WPF and connecting with the full mix of attendees.

Here's a complete list:

MIX06 - Buzzcast #28 - Onsite at MIX06 with Jose Chajon
MIX06 - Buzzcast #27 - Onsite at MIX06 - Robert Molnar and Aurthur Haddad
MIX06 - Buzzcast #26 - Onsite at MIX06 with Andrew and Paul from RESN8
MIX06 - Buzzcast #25 - Onsite at MIX06 - Rolf from iBloks

MIX06

What?  A free hosted website.

Who?  Each MIX attendee gets their own.

Where?  Anywhere! From your laptop or at the CommNet via Internet Alley.

When?  Now, but it will also be available for 6 months after the conference.

Why?  Why not!  Be a part of the experiment.  The Sandbox is a virtual playground for you to play with the technologies we are talking about at MIX (check out the “Atlas” content up there now).  It's not Microsoft specific, you can use any platform or any products you like – this is your play land. 

How?  At check-in each attendee got a private code.  Go to http://mixsandbox.com/, log-in and generate your website.

Sandbox in the Sky:  it's a state of mind!

Wednesday, March 22, 12:45 pm – 2:45 pm, Delfino/Lando rooms on the 4th floor.  Grab something to eat and talk one-on-one with MIX speakers, staff, and your fellow attendees.  Topics include the following, plus more tables will also be available for ad-hoc and Birds of a Feather (BOF) discussions:

DELFINO ROOM
Technologies:

“Atlas”
InfoCard
Office 2007
Windows Live
Windows Presentation Foundation

Partners:

AvenueA/Razorfish
Conversagent
Fluid
Frog Design
Schematic

LANDO ROOM
Technologies:

ASP.NET
Expression Suite
Internet Explorer 7
Windows Communication Foundation
Windows Media Center
Windows Vista Sidebar

Partners:
AKQA
Amazon.com
EBay
MySpace
Rezn8
Yahoo

As I roamed the halls of Mix06 today I was fortunate enough to run into 6 attendees willing to go on The Mix06 Buzzcast Show on Channel9.

The podcasts can be found at http://channel9.msdn.com/shows/The_MIX06_Buzzcast

My guests included Tim O'Reilly who interviewed Bill Gates this morning as well as two of the people who asked questions during the keynote session, Marc Canter and Micahel Scherotter.

Here's a complete list:

I was sitting in Dean Hachamovitch's keynote rehearsal and got a preview of a cool IE7 RSS demo featuring the MIX blog, so thought I would write a short post to say hi to the MIXers who are sitting in the audience (OK, stop reading this and start listening to Dean again).  For those who aren't here with us in Sin City you can watch the keynotes live or on demand at Virtual MIX.

p.s.  Andrew Sirotnik of Fluid has the coolest job title – I want that gig!

Tag: MIX06 

If you're not able to attend MIX, check out Virtual MIX, http://blog.mix06.com/virtualmix, to see and hear all the action happening at MIX06. Virtual MIX will offer a deeper look into the range of Web technologies from Microsoft including videos of partner and customer participants, audio, photos and more!  You can also subscribe to the RSS feed to have it delivered to you.

I'm Michael Lehman, producer of the Mix06 Buzzcast and I'd like to say hello and welcome to the continuing MIX06 Buzzcast, brought to you for the first time today from beautiful Las Vegas.  The Buzzcast series can be found at: http://channel9.msdn.com/shows/The_MIX06_Buzzcast

We've all arrived at the Venetian hotel and the demo gods are hard at work running through the keynote demos, setting up the sandbox room and, most importantly, getting the XBOX 360's running!

To get to the conference hall, you have to come from your room, travel through the casino or through the Grand Canal shopping area.While it's a bit cloudy outside, inside the Venetian hotel it's always blue skies with wisps of white clouds.  Once at the conference center, at registration you'll get a very nice hard cover notebook, a set of "bits" DVDs and your badge.

While you're here at MIX I'll be coming around the next three days and inviting many of you to do a podcast and get your thoughts on Channel9.  If you want to get on the buzzcast and you don't see me, go to my blog at http://blogs.msdn.com/mglehman, click on the word EMAIL in the upper left-hand corner and drop me a line.  I'll be checking frequently throughout the day.  I'll also be podcasting, if possible, at the attendee party at the TAO club on Monday night, sound levels permitting.

As I write this blog post I'm on the plane to Vegas, so there's no turning back now . . . MIX here we come!  I can't wait to meet many of you at the event, share a special MIX cocktail at TAO on Monday night, watch as you get interactive in the Sandbox, take a load off with you while we play Xbox 360 in the lounges, rap at the MIX chat on Wednesday, and most important just talk to you about the first MIX conference and get your feedback and thoughts.  Since MIX filled up so quickly, we will broadcast all of the keynotes on the web for those who can't attend in person.  We will stream live the Bill Gates and Dean Hachamovitch sessions on Monday and Joe Belfiore's talk on Tuesday.  Other MIX content will be made available on the web shortly after the event.  Registration opens at 4pm on Sunday, so be sure to sign-in early to avoid standing in line on Monday morning.  Ciao Jennifer!

There were a wide range of comments on the entries.  Below is a sample and does not include every comment.  In addition, not all the judges provided comments so it is not possible to derive the top picks from what is included. 

In my personal opinion, the main lesson to take away from this is that even experts have different tastes.  This is true of art, food and, apparently, web design as well.

72 Hour Conversation: Cool Mix06 logo and elements.
Along Came a Spider: Spider, background has seams, close but needs more work to make it look perfect.
Bliss06: A gratuitous Windows app. I like it! But doesn't work as a Web site.
Blizzard: Simple, elegant, easy on my eyes without being hard to read.
Comix:  Points for consistent artistic style and the only appropriate use of Comic Sans MS I think I've ever seen.
Elvis Gates:  Elvis. Not well executed on Firefox. Big impact on first visit, though.
Godzilla Attacks: Godzilla, Legos. Well done. Not likely to get used in commercial site, though.
Horizontal Approach:  Cool sunglasses guy. Cool image, but doesn't get to the top of my list.
LimeMix:  Clever, fun, great color palette and images. The design set it apart from the rest. A great interpretation of what Mix in Vegas means to many people even if it thematically off from the show.
March 12: Kittens and flowers. Who doesn't like those? Not well executed on Firefox.
Mix'86: Clever, cool, retro – the bad monitor effect really impressed me. I felt the WordStar keyboard shortcuts coming back alive in my brain…
Mix2Point0: balance of positive first impression and easy to come back and live in. I know some will say it wasn't out of the box enough; they should read http://www.tomwolfe.com/Bauhaus.html :)
Mixed Directions:  Who knew brown and blue could live together so well? Great color work and attention to detail on this one.
Mixmax Tree:   The creativity and aesthetics impressed me
MyVista Mix06: The overall design direction is incredibly cohesive, even with such a wide color palette. The subdued primary colors work so nicely. Outstanding.
No Wires:  Globe, round balls and weird shapes. I like it, well executed.
Nothing Fancy:  Simple and to the point. The default text sizing was too small for my eyes.
Observer 1906: Great idea... I think a retro newspaper look is a great direction.
Retro Vegas: Best job capturing the essence of Vegas from within QuickTabs.
Serenity: Surreal weird shapes, good use of type.
Tangerine: Orange with bubbles. Interesting theme.
TMix: Simple, understated, and pretty. I was surprised at the low ratings from the community.
Vegas Lights: Crazy orange overdose, but it works so well. Great typography, good contrast, and just the right amount of focal blur. This is a very well thought-out design, executed superbly. One complaint? The sponsor logos overlapping the 'Mixed Up' text.
Wall of Mix: Great visual treatment and clever. Strong first impression.