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News, Information and resources for Managed DirectX and XNA Framework.Get it while its hot XNA Game Studio 2.The Microsoft guys recorded this talk so everyone can check it out.An interesting bit of XNA Game Studio news from the XBL launch in India last week.Now I have no reason to think that this is related to XNA Game Studio but what a perfect application for the technology.For some reason The Zman wasn't invited to fly to Australia for these talks.Glenn Wilson is trying to set up some events for Melbourne and Sydney and would love to get in touch with you....As part of the XNA track at DevTeach Vancouver there is a competition with cash prizes.Seems like Dave Mitchell, marketing director for the XNA team, and Charles Cox, whose title is Developer Educator I believe, will be travelling through Europe at the end of November extolling the many virtues of XNA GS 2.Charles has the full schedule up on his web site now so I will just refer you to that instead of repeating it here.PM by ZmanXNA Framework and other .Jim is the guy responsible for IronPython and is now an architect for dynamic languages.You can read about Jims's talk on eWeek.IronPython or other languages will run on the 360 any time soon.Not that this stops you from using the XNA assemblies on Windows if you want but it does kind of defeat some of the purpose of XNA GSE if you don't also target the 360.Of course you will have to work around the content pipeline too.Net being the most used .Net language but not corresponding support from Microsoft and also notes that the VB MVPs were told that XNA was "too hard for VB programmers".In the case of other languages I can assure you all that to the best of my knowledge there is no conspiracy in the XNA team.Adding test passes and templates for other languages is just out of scope for the number of hours they have.Maybe we would never have the XNA framework...Shirt store up and running so now you too can look this good and support him now that he has quit his job just to make Dead Samuri the coolest XBLA game ever!UMPC devices are man enough to run all XNA apps but its looks like the closest XNA is going to get to a mobile platform for a while.Nick gets a trip to Vegas and I get Minneapolis !DevTeach Vancouver which has an entire track devoted to gaming and the XNA Framework.Speakers include myself, Shawn Hargreaves and Pat McGee (XNA author).November will be a very busy month for me as I will be flying out to Minneapolis to speak at their first meeting on November 15th.So if you are in the area then get yourself there as I know Chris has scored lots of swag!AM by ZmanHelp test XNA GS v2.Since its under NDA I will not be able to give you feedback but I can make sure MS see any issues or bugs which might mean the beta is in better shape when it comes out.Given the extra supply on hand, the only way to match these numbers, let alone best them, is to have bitterly cold weather, something that right now is not in the forecast.This broad market correction has led to a sharp, albeit unwarranted decline in the gassy stocks of the XNG, which are far more insulated from anything but the more serious industrial economic downturns than the oilier names in the energy patch.Special Section: Price Thoughts Meet Recession Thoughts.Many people are not used to looking at demand or supply of natural gas in the U.The chart above represents all the categories of gas demand and as you would expect demand is highest in the winters when demand for home and commercial property space heating soars.Note that a series of increasingly mild winters retarded gas consumption and this helped to create a series of higher peak gas storage levels seen here.Process gases were substituted for more expensive methane when possible and weaker, margin wracked industries like Paper in some cases were able to entirely do without or greatly supplement their gas their once high gas burdens.Finally, while the chemicals complex is the greatest portion of the U.Finally, Electrical demand is rising.As coal and nuclear capacity are stretched to the limit of their capacities the call for incremental generation increasingly goes to natural gas.And many of the big gas producers are looking for double digit volume growth in 2008.Canada volumes as their production wanes.So far, this decline has not materialized but as activity continues to fall and demand in Canada continues to rise volumes flowing south must slow.Bcfgpd will do to you without cold weather).Tough Comps On The Horizon.Up until this week, the recent deterioration of the gas storage overhang has been made possibly by a combination of chilly air and easy comparisons relative to last year.However, next week, we enter a period of more difficult comparisons to last year when just about now it was starting to get cold.This was the first week in six that the XOI has underperformed the broader indexes.The XOI contains a mix of majors and large cap independents and these stocks have for the most part experienced upward estimate revisions due to higher than anticipated 4Q oil prices.In fact this past quarter was the biggest surprise in terms of actuals to estimates in recent memory.Check into fixing that here.The range for a crude draw down is very wide with Dow Jones looking for a draw of 0.So here we have it, 8 straight weeks of plummeting inventories (another 6.Starbucks Latte which is only making you fat, not your wallet.My Number: 180 Bcf withdrawal.Imports fell a full Bcfgpd to 9.Nothing specific, just one sell led to another and oil fell out of bed.Kind of like the broad markets.Kizomba C Project Off Angola On Stream.Initial production 100,000 bopd, 200,000 plateau.Angolan production has been on a tear and as of September, production stood at 1.EIA Inventory Review
Where We Stand Now:
CRUDE OIL: Huge, Much Bigger Than Expected Drawdown of 6.Quite simply it was crude demanded by refineries to make product.The highest level in almost six months and probably only sustainable for another 3 to 4 weeks if that long.Imports remain within normal limits for this time of year.Oil Stocks Continue To Fall.GASOLINE: Numbers here made little sense as production was up but so was demand week to week.According to the Mastercard SpendingPulse report, gasoline demand was off again last week.Imports Dropped 131,000 Bpd last week.Maybe the data here is screwy.Production and demand for distillates as a whole remains at record levels.Moreover the recent cold had to sharply erode home tanks but this has not shown up in the data yet.Yesterday we had some pretty nice rates out of (RDC).ATW) with an impressive series of contracts for one of its rigs.Housekeeping Item: The Transportation Multiple update has been bumped to tomorrow.This morning crude is trading off slightly with a strong dollar, continued recession fears and a January warm up in the States.China and India but also by the Middle East whose consumption has risen immensely.When you take that into account, 100 dollars is not necessarily very high.OPEC could do little to increase production from current levels even if the group agreed to another production hike at its next week meeting on Feb.This morning gas is off a dime with the warming temps.Last week turned out to be much colder than expected.HDDs at 225 for the week, up strongly from a previously expected 205.YoY deficit in storage by about 100 Bcf.Stocks We Care About Today
(HK) Completes Monster Horizontal Elm Grove Well.Hz wells they will drill here this year.Ends
Analyst Watch: (VMC) upgraded from sell to neutral at UBS.This
is a fan site and has no connection to Tom Zenk.Intro : Oil failure day.April crude is resting on my target.Bcf in line with Street estimates (way above my 90).We have 1,516 Bcf in storage an average March will get you to 1,380 ish Bcf at the end of the month, vs 5 year average trough storage of 1,025 Bcf.EIA and we were apples to oranges and I think their methodology is less than perfect for comparing YoY storage but whatever.No action taken in adjusting production quotas.Thanks to El Diablo for his continued quest for the truth.Toronto refinery is back up on schedule with prior guidance.All of these combined should pressure gasoline and oil prices today.Expiry combined with March Madness should lead to a very dull day after the first few hours.Too much good roundball on the tube.Ends
Analyst Watch: nada
This is the end of zmann.ZEB is moving to a hosted site which offers greater storage (my charts are taking up an unbelievable amount of space) and more flexibility.In fact oil trailed around in lockstep after the DJI most of the day which seems normal for an important sector in a choppy until you look at that same chart for the last year.The expectation is that a big HO draw today means a big gas draw tomorrow.After receiving a lot of gasoline imports earlier in the season, gasoline stocks are relatively low in Europe and refinery maintenance has begun there as well, just as other parts of the world see an increasing need for gasoline.As a result, the arbitrage for shipping marginal gasoline supplies from Europe to the United States diminished considerably, further limiting imports.Demand actually fell slightly from a week ago but remains elevated for this time of year.With Price Action Like That Inventories Must Be Very Low.However, the data they keep up with is phenomenal.Briefly, they expect the OPEC surplus to increase in 2007 and 2008 to 2.Comment: Who do these guys work for?Does that look steadily lower, especially given the season?Solve any of the three problems and the crushing weight of above average gasoline inventories brings prices toppling down.This is worth close monitoring since a reversal here could quickly lead to a reversal in gasoline prices.The relatively low levels of gasoline production and the reduced imports with three months left until the beginning of the U.The funny thing was that those headlines were from March of 2006!Even the accompanying stories could have been complete cut and pastes.Felt The Sting Of Falling Commodity Prices Yet?The refiners for one which are touted daily as the best buys on the planet despite the huge run the group has experienced since the beginning of the year.The rest of my put picks from Monday have performed pretty well.The damage has been worse where you would expect it to be: the higher cost producers.Ends
OPEC Meeting Watch: No one expects them to do anything.Ministers from Qatar and Algeria have repeatedly commented over the last couple of days that no no further production cuts are necessary.OPEC Watch: Waiting and Watching.Natural Gas: Warm Weather Melts Gas Prices.This position will ultimately become a source of support for gas prices when traders begin covering (probably all at once when they see the first tropical wave coming off the West African coast that looks like it have any chance of organizing into a storm).As the refining industry snafus sort themselves out and OPEC prepares to meet in Vienna oil is starting to retreat.The Week Ahead: Last week the stocks failed to track the commodities lower.SGY and EPL which continue to break down after failing to get hitched last year.Check with Phil at PSW for options plays on these names.Ends
I posted a mostly financial Addendum to the END report this weekend.Getting closer to state owned oil companies or further away from the Democrats in the nick of time?Opec Watch: Opec meets Thursday.No word on damage although the Russian thing looked pretty epic for a time.Summary: Moving in the right direction folks!Bcf below the year ago figure.Funny how that looks like the broader market.That seems pretty odd given high storage levels.None of this is really new but it lays out the bull perspective pretty well.EIA data gives you a first look at the entirety of the preceding year.Rig count data courtesy Baker Hughes
Other Supply: EIA Still Says LNG Volumes About Skyrocket.According to the EIA: EIA expects total liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports to increase from their 2006 level of 580 Bcf to 770 Bcf in 2007.LNG import projections remain strong for 2008 as well, expanding by 39 percent to exceed the 1 Tcf mark.Volumes Headed North Of The Border Keep Rising.Bcfgpd drop in net imports from Canada as production falls and oil sands projects and domestic demand keep more volumes north of the border.And Exports To Mexico Have Plateaued At 1.Bcfgpd (Pemex really needs to get on the ball!Annual Gas Demand (Bcfgpd)
Meanwhile, annual US demand has been falling.Industry is the biggest consumer of gas).Bearish in the near term but leaning towards the other B word longer term .Ends:
Gas Inventory Review: The EIA Pulls A Fast One!The EIA included a 12 Bcf adjustment in the numbers.So the real number for yesterday is 90+ a balancing adjustment of 12 Bcf so I still missed but not as bad as I thought.Mr Hackett left Devon to run Anadarko.Management also contains seasoned professionals from APC and Seagull so the team is strong and has lots of offshore experience.Company estimates discovery fault block one yields 10 mmcfgpd net (1,666 boepd) by mid 2008.Additional 2 FBs could boost production by an incremental net 2,000+ boepd by 2010.WI, the well encountered a liquids rich gas column that tested 17.The company operates a test of the Balgownie Prospect set to spud 2Q07.This should spud during May 2007 and take about 35 days to reach TD.On a net basis it probably adds about 3,000 Boepd.It pretty much tells the story out through 2010.See how it creeps up over time.Theme: Andreas09 by Andreas Viklund.If you can get your family to the front of the line by getting someone old or over weight a rascal scooter then do it.However thankfully it appears to have taken pity on me.Going down stairs is slightly painful though which is tough on the Disney buses.QUITE better and I need to stop running on it for a while.The sit down was enough to get my foot recovered and hobble back to the bus for the hotel.Fingers crossed that all will be well on Tuesday and I can enjoy more of Disney world.Today there was 18,000 people entered though I often wonder how many people have dropped out since my little group had 5 entries between us and only 2 at the start line for various reasons.At 3am its already a little warmer than I like to run a race in so I am thinking that its going to be another day of cold showers at the water stops.If I feel good later I will try to catch up.Woody is VERY excited that it says Andy on my shirt as you can imagine!As we leave the magic kingdom I hit the half way point at almost a perfect pace.But the fatigue continues and I notice my legs are starting to feel heavy and as I pass mile 14 and 15 I notice my pace is dropping.Thankfully the water stops are very frequent so I get to cool off and have lots of walk breaks.BioFreeze and liberally rub it in places that it may not have been designed to go.My average pace is over 11 minute miles now but I convince myself I will run the last 1.Eventually I hear the gospel choir who were just before the finish line at the half marathon.Apparently its over 80 as I finish and the heat alone means a slower time.Well today I learned that the 3rd medal is not free by any stretch of the imagination.Well I know those of you on the west coast are probably not even out of bed and some of us have already run a half marathon!!!Maybe they were very nervous about the race eh?There are 16,500 people running the half so we had little chance of meeting our other friend but after a quick toilet stop there he was right in front of us.The force is strong with us today!My race tactic was to run at10:30 pace as much as possible and if I felt tired slow down toward the end and aim for 2:20 to 2:30 finish time.My average pace is right on 10:30 and I feel a little tired but nothing like usual.Its mile 11 now and I have plenty of energy.Those just running one day are picking it up now and its VERY hard not to go with them.Of course now its back to the hotel room for yet another ice bath (my second of 4 this weekend) and now all I have to do is rest and eat and get up at 3am again tomorrow.Everything feels pretty good so the start should be nice.We will see where the fatigue kicks in though.Well I just got out of 15 minutes in a bath with actual ice in it!You could actually still see the ice floating as I took over (no there is no room in the ice tub for 2!So now we are just sitting around waiting to see how long it takes us to get tired.We have to get up at 3am so no matter how you look at it there is not a lot of sleep tonight.The really crazy part is that at 6am on Sunday (yes the day after!Friday that should give me the extra 0.TV and thinking that it would be cool to do it but never did I ever imagine I would be fit enough to run a half marathon let alone 2 races back to back.You are more than friends, but not quite lovers!British dialog for their game.Its a rail based shooting game where various big bugs and spiders attack you.Mostly a standard game but as you play I noticed that if they both managed to shoot the same thing a little heart appeared.Jason burned through his points by proving to me that you CAN win on those claw games!About time I blogged about something other than running or ranting!As long as you keep your talks refreshed with new material you can even reuse the talks at most conferences.For XNA Game Studio its much harder to find a slot.XNA GS as a business tool is pushing things a bit far.WPF now available on XP and Vista you have to point people there first.But for most business apps that need 3d its perfectly adequate.VS08 sessions instead because that was valuable to their jobs.The deadline for Tech*Ed talks was December 31st so I took a gamble and proposed some XNA sessions with a slant that I hope will interest the non game developers.Net applicationsThere are several Microsoft APIs for presenting graphics.For most applications taking the simplest development approach is often enough to give the performance that you want.However for solutions where the graphical output is on the critical performance path or the output needs to be of a specific quality the choice can make the difference between selling your application or not.Most of the talk will concentrate on Windows Forms solutions but Silverlight will be discussed for web presentation and Xbox 360 solutions with the XNA Framework which is suitable for rolling booth demos.With the release of XNA Game Studio 2.Concepts and MathWith the release of WPF 3d graphics are becoming more in demand than ever but moving from a 2d to a 3d mindset is a large leap for developers.Suddenly your high school math seems so far away.What are these transformations and why do you have to worry about different coordinate systems.Learn the basic concepts of 3d from the exciting world of video games.So I rented a couple of movies.SuperBad and The Simpsons movie.Maybe hold off the movies for a few more years eh?Computer folk are not the most popular people in Seattle right now.New Year fireworks had to be set off using a manual process when the computer controlling it failed.Personally I thought the failed fireworks were quite funny...Food Network as well as an interest in odd foods.So J and I decided to make one.We had a 20lb turkey a 6lb duck and a 4lb chicken.Even without their bones I reckon we ended up with over 20lb of final product most of which is now in my freezer.The turkey was the easiest of the bunch not very fiddly and you leave the leg and wing bones in for final shape.Assembly was pretty easy up until the final stage.You layer stuffing and meat from the outside in and then you reshape the birds from the inside out.The chicken and duck went pretty easy but getting the turkey wrapped around the other 2 was a lot of work.The meat was insanely moist though...December the 30th The Zman turned 40...In fact you now have to be 52.My family had sent embarrassing things like baby photos and school reports for the caches and of course the final treasure was our favourite local pub where all my friends and a cake were awaiting me.Comcast holding the medal is Blockbuster.Some good christmas songs to get me in the mood and they are very funny when they speak between numbers.Personally I blame the ever rising ticket prices at live events.Firstly you need to know that the Canadian Brass is a very different kind of concert.But for some reason the trailer trash sitting behind us decided that the couple on the end of our row was being a little too boisterous.When the couple returned the ushers had a quiet word and they immediately tried to apologise for these supposed offences.After some inspection in the mirror and 10 minutes aiming the reflection of a pair of tweezers in the wrong place (can you go to a special school to learn how to do tweezers in a mirror?This is why I will never be Scoble!So to all you guys younger than me this is what you have got to look forward to.You see the last few smooth places on your body?The ones that you are sure have no hair follicles in them?In music, 2007 was a very good year.Lightning In A Bottle (feat.Lightning In A Bottle (feat.Hop Moses (Big Daddy Kane) admonished a people with just one choice.The ever tossing coin, rippling in duality, as the Rap generation hops and skips between both, teetering on the edge of Terminator X like chaos.He rides
with the bump, hides behind the funk, and sells Dope out the trunk.As the hits grow, take it in slow, but keep your mind open for a
ride unheard before."Visit other CNET Networks sites: Select SiteBNETCHOWCNET.I've disabled the ability to link to these
pictures from other sites.
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