Redmond and Reading

<== Redmond Town Center

So, I said I would be going to Redmond, and it was great! It was about 62° F all week, and only rained a little. The people I met were very friendly, and I had a good time. Everyone made me feel very welcome.

New Friends ==>

I made several new friends while I was there (some of the pictures didn't turn out so well - I am still learning how to use this new camera). I look forward to working with them!

After a week there, I was then scheduled to go to Microsoft UK for my orientation (or NEO as its called internally). This was very informative, and I have to say, Microsoft has the most amazingly comprehensive orientation and career planning systems I have ever seen (or even heard of).


<== Thames Valley Park

I am actually still in Reading right now, and it's delightful. I am very much looking forward to my move, which I think we are planning for July now. It's funny; I was running around with my hosting manager on Monday, and in the hall, lo and behold, who do I see? A GOON!! He graciously invited me to his pad where I enjoyed dinner with YET another Goon and his family! They were incredibly gracious, and I appreciated the hospitality.

Goons are everywhere ==>

Soon I'll be heading back to the states for the final push to move the fam to Reading. I am more pumped than ever!!

Vista and Bluetooth Headsets

I had trouble getting my Motoroloa H375 working with my IBM Lenovo X61 Tablet (which has a dual core 64 bit Centrino Pro CPU and I have Vista Enterprise 64bit installed). I did a lot of research, and saw a lot of work-arounds, and here is what worked for me:

The problem: I could pair my laptop with my bluetooth headset, but Vista would demand drivers for the H375 on each reboot. The headset did not show up as an available audio device, and was categorically pissing me off.

1. I downloaded the Lenovo System Update utility which updated my Bluetooth drivers for the integrated BT in the Lenovo ("ThinkPad Bluetooth with Enhanced Data Rate")

2. I then Googled "widcomm vista 6" per Dave's suggestion on this page (bluetooth 2.0 + vista x32)

3. I extracted the driver archive and went into the "Win64" directory and ran "Inst.exe"

4. I was then notified that new drivers had been installed, which included a stereo audio gateway, and a hands-free profile

5. I was also prompted by Skype that two Bluetooth services were trying to use it, and I had to permit this in the events in the main Skype interface (Just click on each link you see at the top, and select the "Permit" checkbox)

6. At first I was getting no love, but I picked up the headset, and pressed the "Talk" button, and I got a System Tray notification that a BlueTooth device was trying to pair with my laptop, and I was prompted for the code. I put in "0000", and my H375 was available in my Skype profile to be used as Speakers and Mic. A quick test call was 100% successful!!

7. I also noticed there were a LOT more tabs in the Bluetooth profile tool (Audio, Dial-up, PIM Interfaces, & Share)

(*Note: don't forget to check "Control Skype(TM) calls using a hands-free device" option in the Audio tab - this was selected by default for me, but I had seen this caution in another FAQ somewhere.)

No go forth and play WoW and chat without disturbing the people in the hotel room next door (despite the fact they kept you up all night the night before with their bafoonery).

Off to Redmond

So, my official start date with Microsoft is tomorrow. I am really looking forward to this change, and we are excited about moving to the UK. I am flying to Seattle tonight to meet some of the team. A new adventure has begun...