Go Embedded, Nagpur - Rocking and Happening


So i really did go to Nagpur for the "Go Embedded". Once on the stage i could see the full house (i am told there were almost 600 people, mostly students). I guess the full house was attributable to the reputation that Yashavant and Asang enjoy as educators in the region. I am told on the dias that attendees have also come from neighbouring states of Orissa and Andhra. I am genuinely impressed.
We start with a bouque for me and a gift (Oh wow!) Next is the traditional lamp lighting in honour of goddess Saraswati (the goddess of knowledge).
This is followed by a joint session by Asang and Yashavant. It is very interesting to see the way the presentation is structured to make it more lively and entertaining. It is spread with little anectodes and little jokes. On the stage they demo several cool demos - Building an MP3 player, directX Game (Mario look alike), Bluetooth connectivity between phone and laptop and a sample device driver. The presentations were not cursory. They had the same technical clarity of concepts that we all like Yashavant for in "Let Us C".
After several minutes of being on the edge of the seat, it occured to me that I can too showcase a little MP3 player in .NET without a single piece of code. So i whip out my laptop and build one :) the point being, you can sometimes do the job (read build MP3 player) with less effort if you are willing to explore (read .NET).
I see a bunch of 600 winners in front of me and i tried hard to explain to them the way they can integrate with the technologists worldwide (both professional and student). The presentation focussed on community avenues that are available for Embedded Microsoft technologies. I describe each one of them in detail and even do a little simple OUtlook Express demo for configuring newsgroups. (It amazes me the relative ignorance that newsgroups have in relation to other modes of community participation. This is in stark contrast to US where newsgroups are the primary mode of conversation over Internet.) I do a little demo shocasing the relative ease of .NET CF and the little effort it takes to build an application to send out SMS programmatically using Win Mobile 5.0 and .NET CF 2.0.
After i spend almost 40 mins talking about the community and community avenues, I tell Nagpur about the two cool contests that are being held for Embedded technologies and meant for students.
You can download the presentation that i made at the event here.
Post the presentation, i get a few people wanting to clarify about the topics discussed during the presentation.
It is time for lunch and we quickly get to Tuli International (with Yashavant and Asang). The time at Tuli is spent discussing talking about what we can do better to improve Microsoft embedded technology adoption in the country. We also come up with the idea that we can share the recording of the presentation made by Yashavant and Asang as an on-demand webcast. One of the major issue highlighted by Asang is non-availability of eBox in India due to which one can't really experience Win CE to the degree one would like to. I am not sure what the reason is but would really like to know.
Also, comes the great news that Yashavant and Asang might be exploring an opportunity to publish another book together :)
One thing is for sure. With the presentation, the message of Microsoft Embedded technology is spread wide in Central India. With the Win CE kits in hands of attendee one can be sure that it is going to reach to more than just the 600 attendees as it is shared out and Win CE experienced.
For me the experience in Nagpur has been of utmost satisfaction and renewed faith that people are still interested in technology and Microsoft technolgies are the preferred way to fo the technology way.
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Comments

Saurabh.K said…
Hey Abhishek...
Thanks for coming to Nagpur... It was nice to see u here... Well I always use to think were is the MICROSOFT BUZZ going arround... yah! today it gave me emence satisfaction seeing someone so eminent from Microsoft visiting Nagpur...
Well keep comming ..... So u did that mp3 player in 5 lines of code huh ! gretttta job man.... Hope that u keep visiting Nagpur... Nice place to be... Saurabh.. saurabh.kapale@gmail.com
Saurabh.K said…
Hey Microsoft Gizzmo... Abhishek...
A commented story abt passion of a lady name ROSE....


The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around
when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.
She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose.

I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?" I laughed and
enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze. Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked. She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a!
Couple of kids..."

"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be
taking on this challenge at her age. "I always dreamed of having a college
education and now I'm getting one!" she told me. After class we walked to
the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day, for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine", as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.


At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet.
I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.

Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know."

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are
dead and don't even know it!

There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are
nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one
productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years
old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn
eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or
ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change.
Have no regrets.

The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for
things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with
regrets." She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose." She
challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily
lives.

At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those
years ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.

GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.

We make a Living by what we get; we make a Life by what we give...
Catch up da dreams.. Passion is living.. and make it rocking.. :D

Saurabh...
saurabhkapale.blogspot.com
Anonymous said…
Hi Abhishek,

You are right about unawareness about newsreaders and other such things in Nagpur in particular and India in general.

Here people don't blog, don't use groups/forums or other communities, use orkut but don't know about LinkedIn.

So its not surprising that Nagpur does not have many MVPs, if I am not wrong there are only a few, Yashwant Kanetkar being one I guess.

I think companies should encourage their employees to participate in communities and try to become an MVP.
I could not download the presentation which you gave in Nagpur.

Can you please send it to me on
shabbir@abdeali.org

Thanks and regards

Shabbir Poonawala
www.abdeali.org

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