So I am sitting here at TechColumbus watching the Unpanel at CloudCampColumbus.  Everyone here has a very good perspective on cloud and the problems and benefits.  The list of unpanel topics reads like a collection of general questions about cloud.

• Auto scaling
• Server huggers
• Hybrid Clouds
• Encryption
• Security
• Compliance
• The business case
• Disaster recovery
•  Scalability Planning

 I think we just about covered it.   We are picking sessions now.

• Intro to cloud
• Architecture for the cloud
• What and When to move to the Cloud
• Examples of cloud apps
• Enterprise Utilities
• Clous OS Security
• Cloud Storage
• App and Data Cloud Concerns

Proof that the unconference idea works?  Who knows.  Decided on the Architecture group, and now am sitting with a bunch of people smarting than me.  Bummer.

So anyway, there is some meta comversation revolving around cloud computing that I have yet to completely master, but I think I am getting the idea.  People are wrapping th ebig providers around themselves.  For instance, ShareThis, who is talking right now, is an EC2 partner, and they just resell the service.  They don't really make or provide anything at all.  It is an ISP reseller.

This begs the question - is this just hosting.  That's all it is.  Noone is really using this for anything significant yet, at least not at this level.  Right now, they are just providing site hosting for applications that go viral.

So what is the highest level of cloud?  What can be done with this other than scalability?  Funny, they are talking about the same scaling problems that everyone has now - caching, bad code, weak queries.  Cloud won't help there!  What is it REALLY for?

That meta question brought a lot of interesting answers.  Brian Prince brought up the reality of disposable computing.  I thought that was a good point - you can treat the computing resoruces as temporary assets.  Where does that lead us?  No answer yet.

I was honored to be asked late last year to write Windows Server Licensing 2008 for Dummies as a joint project with Wiley and Microsoft.  This is a custom book – an eighty-six page minibook specifically for Microsoft to give to customers working on licensing Windows Server 2008.  I finished it in March, and finally got a few copies.  If you want a copy, you have to ask you local Microsoftie!

Anyway. the book came out very well.  The people in the licensing office are so very knowledgeable and easy to work with; the project was a complete joy for me.  What’s more, I think it really is a win for the average IT manager – the book is readable, easy to understand and accurate.  Licensing is foreign to many people, but with a few basic points in mind, you really can keep legal and save yourself some money!

I think the custom book concept is a real win for Microsoft too – they get a great, well known format for not much more cost than it takes to develop and print all of those whitepapers that no one ever reads.  People actually real dummies books, you know what I mean? 

Anyway, they gave them out at TechEd, and I think there will be more at PDC when the time comes.  Drop by the Windows Server book and snag a copy in November.

After uploading the basic services to Azure early this morning, I felt the need to finish, and actually set up some kind of data storage for the system.  After all, the services are only useful if the data is actually accessible, and eventually I plan to resubmit this as my certified app for POINT's ISV certification.  So I squandered one of my two storage service keys to Sharp's database in the cloud.

At first blush, this seems straightforward.  I logged into the Azure dashboard at https://lx.azure.microsoft.com and provisioned a new storage services account.  This required only a unique name and a description.  In exchange, Azure provided me with three endpoints:

• the blob services;
• the queing services; and,
• the table services.

OK, right now I need tables.  I am essentially going to move the simple 4 table schema for Sharp into the cloud for this first version - we'll look at sophisticated use of property bags and whatnot at a later date.  I have my primary access key; time to move to Visual Studio.

I decided that I wanted a simple Rye/Wheat blend for the end of summer, so I constructed this fairly simple recipe.  I think I might have underhopped it, especially considering the Rye character which at first take seems to demans a little more upfront bitterness.  We will have to see though - I put it down in primary on Sunday.

I'm also looking for a name for it - apparently they were all of of Creativity at the homebrew shop.  Thoughts?

Wheat/Rye

I’m pleased and proud to announce that I’ll be migrating the fantastic C# 2008 for Dummies book by Steve Davis and Chuck Sphar to an All In One format for the release of C# 4.0 and VS 2010.  All of the goodness in the 2008 Dummies book, plus the bonus chapters on the site will be in the all-in-one.  Alongside, there will be tons of new information on Windows and Web programming, new features and fun stuff.  There will be nine (!) books in one cover for this all in one, including:

• Book 1: Basics of C# Programming
• Book 2: Object Oriented C#
• Book 3: Designing for C#
• Book 4: A tour of Visual Studio
• Book 5: Windows Programming (Winforms and WPF)
• Book 6: Web Programming
• Book 7: Service Oriented Development (ASMX and WCF)
• Book 8: Neat Stuff (Robotics, Graphics, AI and Compilers!)
• Book 9: C# 4.0 New Features

The book will be available everywhere right around the release of Visual Studio 2010 in late fall or early winter. 

I have set up a number of conglomeration sites in the last week, which I thought I would share with the interested.  One relates to books, one to articles, and one to speaking.

The first is FiledBy, at http://www.filedby.com/author/bill_sempf/.  It is a managed site with books of mine that are still in print.  Neat concept, and I look forward to using it.

The second is SpeakerSite.  Set up by my friend Artie Isaac, it is a conglomeration of a lot of speakers on different topics.  My site is http://www.speakersite.com/profile/BillSempf and I have posted a video to my recent cloud computing presentation.  After my C#4.0 presentation Tuesday, I'll post a video to that too.

The third is Ulitzer.  This one is pretty cool.  Back in 2000 -2001 timeframe, I wrote a number of articles for Sys-Con media.  After I started my contract with MSDN I kinda dropped off their map, but I didn't lose touch with the people involved.  Now, it turns out they are a big power in publishing for cloud computing, along with their other assets.  Anyway, they have these customizable author sites, and mine is http://williamasempf.ulitzer.com/.  I'll be adding articles and linking up this blog to it shortly.

Anyway, I usually just write about technology, and this is not specifically VB technology, but it is cool use of the media so I thought I would share.