This week I get to hang out with lots of smart people. Monday through Thursday is the Microsoft MVP Global Summit, and the ALT.NET Open Spaces, Seattle runs from Friday through Sunday.

One aspect of these events that I really like is the lack of name-dropping. It's just plain dangerous with so many "elites" walking about. I can imagine that the potential for an embarrassing faux pas is pretty high.

Fanboy Geek: "I was talking to Martin Fowler the other day and he said..."

Martin: "Hi, I'm Martin Fowler. Who the heck are you?"

Today is April Fool's Day—the day when many of us celebrate just how gullible we really are. Celebrants enjoy the day by spoofing co-workers and engaging in fun hoaxes and practical jokes.

Over the years, I've personally been the target of many an April Fool's prank. Considering today's date, I'm not sure what to make of the following email that I received this morning. Am I the target of yet another joke?

Congratulations! We are pleased to present you with the 2008 Microsoft® MVP Award! The MVP Award is our way to say thank you for promoting the spirit of community and improving people’s lives and the industry’s success every day. We appreciate your extraordinary efforts in Visual C# technical communities during the past year.

I suppose it's possible that Microsoft has a thoroughly sick sense of humor, and this is just an elaborate hoax. On the other hand, it could be that Microsoft has absolutely no sense of humor and doesn't realize that today isn't the most optimal day to be sending out congratulatory emails.

I feel that I have to give this email two responses:

1. If this is real, I am completely humbled to be a recipient of the MVP Award this year. Blogging, speaking and educating are activities that I find very rewarding, and it's flattering to be recognized for them.
2. If this is just an elaborate joke, I'm thoroughly disgusted and saddened by the juvenile attempt at humor. People have feelings, ya' know!

How hard is it to send these emails on March 31st or April 2nd? That would clear up a lot of confusion.

P.S. I know it's real. Thanks Microsoft! I am truly honored. No joke.

Yesterday, I attended the Microsoft Detroit Launch Event and the Geek Dinner that immediately followed. (Important thanks go to Microsoft for graciously picking up our food tab at the Geek Dinner.)

What a blast! It was exciting to visit with old friends and meet new people. Here are a few shout-outs:

• James Bender: Night elves are totally lame. You need to re-roll on WoW dude. Really, I'm kidding. Let's get together on Dalaran sometime.
• Amanda DaPanda: I feel so bad that I wasn't following you on Twitter. The issue has been corrected. Let's talk some more about F#. Do you have a blog?
• Michael Eaton: Someday you'll make it to a Metallica show.
• Keith Elder: Awesome Geek Dinner! Thanks for setting this up. Also, thank you for suggesting that I use Windows Live Writer. I am a changed man.
• Jason Follas: Thanks for driving, hanging out and being such an all-around amazing guy.
• Steven Harman: Your T-shirt was fantastic, and our discussion about Ruby was illuminating.
• Nate Hoellein: It was good talking F# with you again.
• Jim Holmes: Still nursing the wounds of your defeat at DevConnections, eh? As always, it was a joy to see you.
• Josh Holmes: Your advice was a blessing. It was wonderful to slow down and spend a little time together.
• Ryan and Joel Lanciaux: It was cool finally meeting you guys in person. It's amazing that our lives have so many connections.
• Michael Letterle (the artist formerly known as Michael.NET): I really do like your new handle and blog theme.
• Jeff McWherter: Sorry for my huge faux paux! I'll make it up to you.
• David Redding: It was a horrible feeling to realize that you are actually five years younger than me.
• Chris Woodruff: Where the heck were you? You were missed.
• Jay Wren: I keep forgetting that you're easily the funniest person I know.

While at CodeMash, I sat down with my good friend Chris Woodruff for a casual podcast interview discussing life, code, being a Microsoft MVP, DevExpress and the CodeMash conference.

CodeMash 2008 Interview with Dustin Campbell

NOTE: This interview is not technical and gets a little off-topic at the end.

In addition, there are several other CodeMash interviews, including:

• Microsoft Regional Director, C# MVP and Jedi Master Bill Wagner
• Sara Ford, CodePlex PM and author of the ultra-popular Visual Studio 2008 Tip of the Day blog series
  

While at CodeMash, I had the opportunity to sit down with Scott Hanselman and record an episode for his renowned podcast, Hanselminutes. As a follower of the podcast, I was thoroughly flattered to be included among his guest list. The show turned out well, but the experience was definitely nerve-wracking. Here are some tips in case you ever end up in the hot seat across from Scott:

1. Learn to hold and speak into a microphone. This is critical. During the recording, I kept drifting from the mic, which required editing in post-production.
2. Be prepared to be disarmed by the interviewer's eloquence. Scott is a very well-spoken guy with a lot of experience. Don't be surprised when he pulls the perfect metaphor out of thin air.
3. Be aware of your medium. When recording audio, be careful using words to explain a concept that might be better expressed with a visual diagram. Remember: it's a warning sign if you start "talking with your hands."

Scott and I talked about some of the features that make F# such an exciting language. We tried to keep it short on academia so that it would be appealing to any developer. The idea was to start small with some bite-sized concepts. Check it out!

Starting Small with F# with Dustin Campbell

Last night, I had the pleasure of presenting my Functional C# talk to the West Michigan .NET User Group. It was truly a joy. The group is sharp, attentive and engaging. In addition, their venue is very cool. WMNUG meets at the Watermark Country Club in Grand Rapids, MI, where they get gourmet pizzas delivered to them (no fast-food pizza for these guys!) and have access to a cash bar. Needless to say, the presentation became a bit more "spontaneous" as I consumed my fill of a wonderful brown ale. Thanks to my good friend Chris Woodruff for supplying me with the beer.

Speakers: If you're looking for a great place to present, this is it.

My good friend, and fellow language lover, Jay Wren was recently interviewed for Code to Live. Jay has a very sharp mind and scary technical chops. He the sort of programmer who tosses around phrases like "Inversion of Control" in normal conversation. On Code to Live, he talks with Josh Holmes about the Boo programming language. Check out the interview here.

I'm giving some talks in the Ohio/Michigan area over the next week.

• Thursday, Oct. 18th, Greater Lansing User Group .net: "Functional C#"
• Saturday, Oct. 20th, Day of .NET: "Building Extensible Applications Using the System.AddIn Namespace"
• Tuesday, Oct. 23rd, Northwest Ohio .NET Users Group: "Functional C#"

If you're in the area, stop by. We'll enjoy a frosty beverage afterwards.

I had the priviledge to attend Bill Wagner's "C# 3.0: Think More, Type Less" talk last night at the Greater Lansing User Group .net. As usual, Bill explained each of the new features coming in C# 3.0 with the ease of a true Jedi Master. If you have an opportunity to see this talk, I highly recommend it.

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending Jason Follas' "Exploit the XML Capabilities of SQL Server 2005" talk at the Northwest Ohio .NET Users Group (NWNUG). I have a good understanding of XML and the System.Xml namespace, but I have to admit that I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to SQL Server. It just isn't something that I encounter in my day-to-day work. However, Jason really connected some dots for me. If you have an opportunity to attend this talk, I recommend it.

..for the Day of .NET is coming.

Day of .NET is a FREE .NET-only conference that is held annually in the Spring. This year's "Nerdo de Mayo" was such a big success that a decision was made to hold the conference bi-annually. Another Day of .NET is scheduled for October 20th in Ann Arbor, Michigan. If you live in Northwest Ohio, Northeast Indiana, Southern Michigan, or Hattiesburg, Mississippi, you should plan on attending. The content is always of the highest quality.

If you are planning on being there, help spread the word in the blogosphere with a delightfully EV-IL badge.