Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Bye Bye PopFly

PopFly has been one of the most cool products by Microsoft.. Now popfly is closing down.. I am not sure why :(
I loved popfly a lot although I haven't built many things using it, only tried some stuff and also built a simple mashup that I hosted here on the blog .. However, a lot of people has used it to build very powerful solutions, and there was a whole competition in Imagine Cup for popfly mashups..
Popfly was one of the things that first caught my attention more than a year ago at the Microsoft Student Festival .. I really thought it was an amazing tool.. I hope that one day they'll revive it..

Bye Bye PopFly.. :(

Friday, July 10, 2009

How Imagine Cup Inspired Me..


Imagine Cup is a competition that is different than any other one..

I am so lucky that I have had an opportunity to attend Imagine Cup world wide finals this year in Egypt, July 2009. It is indeed the most spectacular event I've ever been to, but I believe its success is not because of us MSPs, but because of all those great students who inspire the world with their ability to change it, with their ambitions and motivation!

Apart from all the fun and joy I've had, I've been so much inspired by the Imagine Cup experience. The people I've met from everywhere inspired me and made me feel I need to work harder in order to achieve my dreams.. I really do.. I also feel that I have the ability to change the world as much as they did. I have more faith now and confidence in me. I believe in myself and my abilities more than any time before...Two people (Roger Lawrence and Yaroslav Tretyakov) told me that I have great skills, thanks to them, they gave me so much support and confidence..

Thanks to Imagine Cup, I feel like I'm a new person... I can honestly say that the people I've met at Imagine Cup, the technologies I've seen, everything changed my life to the extreme...

Thanks to all my new friends from all over the world: competitors, judges, MSPs, Microsoft staff, everyone.. Thanks to God for giving me such a great time..

Hope you are inspired, hope I'll be able to change the world and spread the inspiration...

And finally, I took a vow to do anything just to be in Imagine Cup Poland 2010... See you all there!!

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Imagine Cup Egypt 2009

This year, Cairo is hosting the finals of the number one technology competition worldwide which is Imagine Cup. It is organized by Microsoft.. more than 400 students from around 70 countries are competing in the finals.. and around 1000 attendees as total including press people, judges, Microsoft Student Partners worldwide, volunteers and ME of course :D :D

This year, being a Microsoft Student partner is not the same as every year. For those who don’t know, a Microsoft student partner is a student who is a link between Microsoft and his university: to hold activities, help in organizing events, distribute free software through the Microsoft free software programmes. However, our main job this year was publicizing imagine cup and encouraging more people to register and compete at the various competitions.
We had lots of fun and lots of great events before hosting the imagine cup finals… we had a booth at my university that collected over 1400 registrants and many people have competed in the various competitions…

To all the people I've shared the Imagine Cup World Wide finals with :

I have been waiting for this event for a very long time, and I've been writing sometimes on the Imagine Cup forum for the IT challenge and made some friends there... So I just wanna tell you that we are so proud of hosting it..We hope it shows that we can do something really good !

But we’re actually just trying to be ourselves, and share with you a time that you can enjoy!

I just wanted to tell you that these couple of days have been some of the most tiring in my life, yet I have spent a time so enjoyable and memorable I will never forget…

I have met people from all over the world and made friends with people I only thought I can see them on TV. We talked, laughed shared, and enjoyed!

My main happiness now is because you are happy and because I am able to be part of an experience I hope you will enjoy and remember for the rest of your lives!

I hope you will always feel that Imagine Cup in Egypt was much different and unique than any other imagine cup world wide finals in any other place.

So, since it’s a time for everyone to enjoy what he/she loves, and because I enjoy writing as much as I enjoy technology, I’ve written a poem about imagine cup, that I hope you will like!


Imagine cup is certainly full of fun,
Where teams compete, race and run,
Where the impossible can be true,
On the hands of people like you!

Work, learn, enjoy and win!
Be determined deep within,
Spread the imagine cup spirit,
Let everyone around you feel it!

Change the world, yes you will!
If you have the innovation and skill…
Create, express and learn,
And win everything in return…

A wonderful experience worldwide,
That will fill you with real pride,
Represent yourself, your country,
Meet friends; a real cool variety!

Imagine cup is not just a contest,
It’s a chance to show you’re the best,
A time you can use to know more,
All about the technologies you adore…

The world is within your hands,
Innovate, create and make plans,
The future is ahead, hold it,
And never to failure submit!


Thank you!