Moustafa Khalil's Blog!

2005-12-25T18:31:00.000-08:00

Red Sea

API Usability Lab Video

2005-12-05T01:41:00.000-08:00

Part of the usability studies we conduct at Microsoft is to bring people from the community to use our products and observe them. This is a great process to enhance the usability of the products. The usability studies are not limited to UI portions of the technology, in fact we do some API usability studies as well. Watch the Windows Workflow Foundation API Usability Lab Video here. I had the pleasure of being one of the usability study observers of this great v1.0 technology.

Touring the Windows Workflow Foundation Team Offices

2005-12-05T01:35:00.000-08:00

Watch a lot of people working on Windows Workflow Foundation in this channel 9 video. I'll appear briefly in minute 45 of this video. Enjoy!

Workflow Monitor Tool Demo: A preview of Beta2 Tracking features

2005-11-21T00:37:00.000-08:00

I recorded a channel 9 screencast to show the updated Workflow Monitor sample planned for Windows Workflow Foundation Beta 2 based on enhanced Tracking functionalities. Check it out here.

Burglers, why are you rude?

2005-10-19T01:06:00.000-07:00

I woke up on Sunday 10/6 to find the steering wheel column of my car completely busted. Someone tried to steal my vehicle and for some reason they left it when they were almost there. When I called the towing company to tow my car to the shop for repairs, they guy was able to turn the ignition on and drive it -without keys- in less than 3 seconds! I have no idea why the thieves left the car. The police came and they took a fingerprint off the rearview mirror. Dust, brush and cool police stuff, nothing near CSI and Hollywood movies but was exciting to see.

Buglers, you can't chicken when you’re that close, next time take the whole thing. Its just rude to leave it busted for me to deal with. Let's see whose fingerprint is that on the rear view mirror.

Roz Belaban

2005-10-19T00:49:00.000-07:00

Roz Belaban (rice with milk) is one of the best dessert dishes ever. Best roz belaban places:

Saber in Ibrahimia, Alexandria. Amazing. They have branches all over Egypt, not matter which one you go to, you always get exactly 2 nuts in your dish! Ziad Okeil and I used to enjoy Saber a lot, no less than 2 dishes each per visit.

El-Sa'an in Ibrahimia, Alexandria. This was right by the Faculty of Engineering, it was cheap (like 50 piasters per cup) and it was great. Enjoying El-Sa'an's dishes with my colleagues and friends Sherif Salah, Hamdi Hamada, and Waleed Labeeb was a great memorable experience in college.

There is no roz belaban in Seattle. I made some a couple of years ago, not close to Saber's, or El-Sa'an's!

Windows Workflow Foundation APIs Usability Study

2005-10-17T11:27:00.000-07:00

Over a course of 10 days, October 3rd on, programmers came to Microsoft to test drive the WF APIs and help us determine how usable our APIs are. We also recorded a video with one of the participants, Nancy Perry Lincolin, Steven Clark, James Conard, and Dennis Pilarinos. Check www.WindowsWorkflow.net for the video. Check www.microsoft.com/usability for more information on Microsoft usability research and to see how you can help Microsoft ship great easy to use software.

Business Process Workflow and Integration Conference

2005-10-17T11:00:00.000-07:00

During the week of October 3rd we had a Business Process Workflow and Integration Conference here in Microsoft's main campus, Redmond. I staffed the Windows Workflow Foundation cabana and the Hands On Labs. I had the pleasure of meeting a lot of partners, some I already met in PDC05 and Windows Workflow Foundattion TAP Kick Off events. It was great to see so many excited partners and programming community get their hands on Windows Workflow Foundation bits and talk to us about their scenarios and applications where WF will play a big role. Click here for more information about the conference.

Te Salute…Mourad

2005-09-22T19:43:00.000-07:00

Mourad Abousaif left Seattle and his friends in the Northwest back to Egypt on 9/20. Te Salute, Don Mourad...

Windows Workflow Foundation Announced at PDC 2005

2005-09-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

We announced Windows Workflow Foundation (WWF) at the PDC 05 last week in Los Angeles. WWF was announced in Eric Rudder's key note, we had 6 breakout sessions, WWF was mentioned in other presentations as well. We had 12 hands on labs and a busy track lounge and “Ask the Experts” night. The feedback we got was great and people are excited with the technology. All in all, it was a great launch.

Me, Program Manager, Windows Workflow Foundation

2005-08-24T00:09:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday 8/18/05, I accepted an offer for a Technical Program Manager position within the Windows Workflow Foundation team. I should fully transition to my new role by mid September. This career move and the discipline change is what I wanted for a while and I am really excited about it.

Kitsilano!

2005-08-14T23:57:00.000-07:00

So, Karim Ratib and Rasha Rashad are in Vancouver for a trip. I went to visit on the 13th weekend. Those guys are dope just like the pope! We hanged out in Kitsilano, went to the Burnaby Blues and Roots festival, and went to the Capilano suspended bridge up in BC, walked downtown and in Kitsilano. I only spent one night there, the ride across the borders was fun and seeing Karim and Rasha was great. Well, I am back now to Seattle...

Montana trip

2005-08-14T23:52:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I went to Montana this summer to visit the Rawlings. It was a fun trip. Took off from Seattle 8/4/05 @ 6 pm. I spent the night in a camp ground in Coeur D'Alene, ID. Went into the camp ground a little bit after midnight and had to setup my tent. The next day I went through St. Regis, MT, through Paradise, into Plains and Elmo and Flathead Lake all the way to Kalispell and finally Whitefish. It was a relaxing trip. We float the north fork of Flathead river, we went up to Big Mt. and to Glacier Park. Hanging out with Souheir, John, Shareen, TJ, Tamir, Dunken, and Matilda was fun. I cooked Mosakaa for dinner the day and it was OKey or so I was told :) It was super warm on the way back. I stopped for Cheeseburger in Paradise (Jimmy Buffet!:)) and Ice Cream in Idaho. I later stopped @ Columbia River in Vantage and jumped into the river. The ride was fun....

A birth of a blogger on a sunny afternoon in Seattle

2005-05-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

I decided to create a blog and write my first post on this beautiful sunny sunday afternoon. Hello all!

The aftermath of the US presidential elections

2004-11-10T00:11:00.000-08:00

My letter on the US presidential elections published in the Seattle Weekly and the UW Daily. Both papers did a little bit of editing thou...

Seattle Weekly: http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/printme.php3?eid=58309

One can argue that the economy is in a temporary recession and by continuing the conservatives' policy it will soar, and that Kerry was not the best deal. Yet, with all the civil rights abuse facts and cases, wrong international decisions, unjustified war, and conflicts with allies, Bush still got the popular vote. I think this is a clear message to the world and to the immigrants that the majority of the people agree with the Bush administration's various unjustified policies.

Moustafa Khalil
Seattle

The Daily of the University of Washington:
http://thedaily.washington.edu/opinion.lasso?-database=DailyWebSQL&-table=Articles&-response=opinionpage.lasso&-keyField=__Record_ID__&-keyValue=10702&-search

One can argue that the economy is in a temporary recession and by continuing the conservative's policy it will soar, and that Sen. John Kerry was not the best deal. Yet, with all the civil rights abuse facts and cases, wrong international decisions, unjustified war, conflicts with allies and with President Bush insisting and defining some of his wrong-doings, he still got the popular vote. I think this is a clear message to the world that the majority of the people agree with the Bush administration's various unjustified policies.

Moustafa Khalil
Alumnus, '04,
M.S. information management