When I originally started writing this post I had just arrived in Seattle, now as I go to post it I am already on my return journey… this summit has been THAT packed full of good content, good people, good drink.
Of course, it would not be a Nick Whittome trip extravaganza without some screw up… this time it was nothing to do with the journey itself, but more to do with my complete lack of being able to deal with timezones.
About a month or so ago, I sent out an invite to people that I consider friends that are either in, or near, Seattle. This invite was to the SBS MVP “Welcome Party” that we hold every summit. The invites went out to the likes of Microsoft ACES team members, MVP’s, friends… well, you get it… At the party, I was mildly disappointed to only see a couple of the people I invited out of the 15 or so that the mail went to. The next day I caught a couple of them on instant messenger and asked why they did not arrive. It turns out that my invite was sent from outlook in my timezone…. hence the day before! Doh…. (slaps forehead). So, to those that I invited, and turned up… I am so sorry!
I met the guys from wegotserved.co.uk whom are new Windows Home Server MVP’s. Terry (A marketing God… or so he told me) and Andy Edney are really great guys.. you should check out the site and get on the WHS bandwagon. I will follow up with a post on some cool new WHS news soon myself as well, they are doing some great stuff on that team!
I skipped some of the open sessions on the first day to pop over to see Adrian Woods (AKA Torgo3000) as he may not have been around on the day I put aside to go over and see the Games Studio guys. (As it turned out, he was… but anyway). He brought me out for lunch in what can only be described as a scary Vietnamese food experience….. At one point we heard a dog howl and then yelp…. Sounded like it came from the kitchen… 
LOL! Not what you want to hear. Apart from the usual banter, the important fact of this meeting is that Adrian gave me his unedited video of IK animation techniques for gates in FSX, which I am going to edit and get posted once and for all. Finally some of you scenery designers will start implementing better gate systems in your scenery.
More soon….