The organizers of ‘thatConference’, including Clark Sell and Scott Seely, today launched the new thatConference website and newsletter. Head on over to thatConference.com and register for the newsletter to receive any upcoming announcements for thatConference including when registration opens up as well as when the agenda is finalized. What is thatConference?

thatConference is your “Summer Camp for Geeks”. Held at the Kalahari Resort in the beautiful Wisconsin Dells, it’s your last chance to get away before summer slips away. Spend three days with a thousand of your fellow campers, geeking out on everything Cloud, Web and Mobile.

Your camp counselors are the best survivalists in the industry, and will make sure you leave with the skills you need. With over 125 sessions to choose from, your head may overheat, so cool off in one of the many nearby pools. Unlike your usual technology conference, you will be camping at the best waterpark in the region. Not happy with all the content we crammed under the tent? Feel free to join our open spaces and tailor your conference experience.

In this weeks MSDN Flash newsletter, I had a chance to interview Midwest community leader, Scott Seely, on his recent recognition as a Microsoft Regional Director. Check it out.

I’m happy to announce the next Chicago Code Camp will be taking place on May 1st at IIT Campus in (where else?) Chicago. I threw out the challenge to the planning committee to make this event stand out on the map of Code Camps taking place all over the world. It’s an event for the whole technology community in and around Chicago. To make this event GREAT, we want *YOU*. We want you to speak. We want you to participate. We want you to engage. Share your ideas. Share your interests. Share your passion. Code Camps are all about sharing and learning amongst your peers.

Call for Speakers

The Call for Speakers has gone out. If you would like to share your passion, submit a talk or two (or more). We would like to have a diverse set of technologies addressed on the camp’s agenda. Including areas such as .NET, Java, Ruby, PERL, Python, ActionScript, Flash, iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, Web, Mobile, etc., etc., etc.

Before submitting your session, be sure to read the Code Camp Manifesto and pay particular attention to the part about “No Fluff only Code”.

Although we’d like to accept all submissions, the logistics and size of venue keeps us from doing so. The planning committee will work to make sure they have a balanced agenda covering the depth of technologies that makes for the best Code Camp possible. This is also reliant, of course, on people submitting a range of topic ideas.

Submit your session ideas now!

Steven Murawski sent me a note today that he is starting a new user group in the greater Milwaukee area with a focus on PowerShell.

About PowerShell Script Club

1. You Always Talk About Script club
2. You Always Talk About Script Club
3. If Someone asks for Help, And You Can Help, You Help
4. Two People Help One Person at One Time
5. One Module Per Person Per Night
6. All Scripts, All PowerShell
7. Scripts will be as short as they can be
8. If This is your First time at Script Club, You Have to Script

I’m a total noob when it comes to PowerShell. I think I’ll need to make a trip up to visit Script Club to learn more. The interesting things is that the meetings are taking place in a municipal courtroom in the Greenfield Law Enforcement center. This club is so dangerous, they need court supervision!

You can find all the details on the group and their upcoming meeting on Steven’s blog.

Tomorrow I’ll be speaking at the Madison Code Camp (MadCamp) where we’re dedicating a whole track to our recent New Efficiency launch events (one of which I participated in Chicago just the other day). In the morning, Kevin Remde will walk the IT Pro set through the new management features in Windows 7, as well as the new enhancements in Windows Server 2008 R2 and what’s coming ahead in Exchange Server 2010.

In the afternoon, I will walk developers through the paces of how to light up their applications on Windows 7 by taking advantage of features such as the Ribbon platform, the Taskbar, Jump Lists, Libraries as well as underlying platform additions such as the new Sensor and Location Platform and Multitouch.

This isn’t all that’s going on at MadCamp but there will be two additional tracks with more great content for IT Pros and Developers alike.

We dug deep into our budget and pulled out some great giveaways including the opportunity to win one of the following:

• Dell Mini 10 Netbook with a copy of Windows 7
• Zune HD
• Games, Books, Peripherals, etc.

I hope you can join us!

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