I just got back from Windows Connections and had an excellent time. The weather in Orlando was close to perfect. They had the highest turnout ever at a Connections conference, which is a good indication for the tech industry. I got to meet many interesting people, including several that I'm working with on various projects.  One person that I'm not working with (yet) is Sean Deuby, who I enjoyed being around even though he is a little bit scary :-)

My AD Hacks session was a hit.  The room was packed and I barely had enough time to get everything in.  My second session on AD Security Best Practices also seemed to go over well, but it is hard to know for sure until I see the speaker evals. I know one thing, I much prefer talking about hacks than best practices. I've posted both slide decks here.

Over the last couple of years, I've considered getting an MBA or engineering graduate degree or possibly both. Fortunately, I came across the MIT SDM program, which combines the two into a single degree focused on systems engineering and product development. The program is the result of a joint partnership between the Sloan Business School and the School of Engineering. Every year, SDM accepts only ~50 mid-career professionals into their program. After an extensive application and interview process, I've been informed that I was accepted into their 2005 class! One of the nice things about the SDM degree is it offers a part-time commuter option that will let me take 2-3 classes on-campus while still working full-time. In fact, that is the point of the program: to educate people that have several years of work experience so they can apply what they learn immediately. I'm excited about taking classes MIT and look forward to getting started in January.

I just got back from the Web 2.0 conference and had a blast.  The best way to describe the conference is FOO Camp for CEOs/CTOs/CIOs/COOs/VCs. Tons of industry luminaries were there and gave interesting talks on a variety of topics. Jeremy Zawodny blogged every session. My favorite session was by Larry Lessig on the "Remix Culture."  He gave one of the best presentations I've ever seen. Smart, engaging, thought-provoking, and fast-paced only begin to describe it.

After a 3+ year innovation hiatus, it seems as if the web industry is ready to take the web to the next level (i.e., web 2.0). There was a buzz at the conference and with all of the new company and product announcements, I'm sure we'll see more in the coming months.