You might think Microsoft’s TechEd conference is nothing but IT geeks hanging around and talking about new Windows features, but there’s a lot more going on. Team Lifehacker has been in New Orelans for TechEd North America 2013; here are some of the odder happenings from the event.
Brad Anderson can stay ludicrously still
MS server and tools head honcho Brad Anderson has clearly been to more “how to pay attention” classes than we have. Check out this video of him during the initial press conference; he’s on the right, and he doesn’t move the entire time. Colour us impressed.
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People love the Surface . . . if it’s cheap enough
TechEd attendees were able to snap up a Surface RT for $99 and a Surface Pro for $399, and the offer was so popular some queued for more than three hours to score one (or both). OK, so some of them promptly put them on sale on eBay, but we’ll try not to focus on that.
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No-one checked the map of Australia
Look, we’re very happy that Microsoft is planning to open a pair of Azure data centres in Australia and that this was mentioned in the opening keynote. But given that the centres are already announced as being in NSW and Victoria, showing a map with them apparently in the Northern Territory was a little odd.
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Touch apps and alien sex
We love a strange analogy, and this one from developer and consultant Bruce Hollis delivers: ““Going to the modern apps era is different. It’s as if you wake up one morning and you’re married to a reptilian alien. You don’t even what sex it is.” Aliens aside, he had lots of helpful advice.
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Microsoft knows slow boot times suck
All those years you were complaining about how slowly your machine boots, someone was paying attention. Microsoft now mandates SSDs for all staff computers, in large part because they boot so quickly and everyone feels more productive.
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Visit Lifehacker’s World of Servers Newsroom for all the latest news from TechEd North America 2013. And don’t forget: TechEd is coming to Australia in September. Click here for more information.