Microsoft expands IT training for active-duty US service members, ‘Halo 5: Guardians’ breaks records – Weekend Reading: Nov. 6 edition

It was a good week for Master Chief, and for U.S. service members seeking to master IT skills to help them transition from military to civilian life. Let’s get to it!

The Microsoft Software & Systems Academy (MSSA) is expanding from three locations to nine, and will be servicing 12 military installations. The MSSA program uses a service member’s time prior to transitioning out of the service to train him or her in specialized technology management areas like server cloud/database, business intelligence and software development. After successfully completing the program, participants have an interview for a full-time job at Microsoft or one of its hiring partners. “On this Veterans Day 2015, it’s the responsibility of the IT industry to honor those who have served with more than an artillery salute and a brief word of thanks,” says Chris Cortez, vice president of Military Affairs at Microsoft, and retired U.S. Marine Corps major general. “We are compelled to set an example of what it can look like to dig in with our transitioning service members as they prepare to cross the bridge to the civilian world.”

YouTube Video

A week after launching worldwide, “Halo 5: Guardians” broke records as biggest Halo launch ever and the fastest-selling Xbox One exclusive game to-date, with more than $400 million in global sales of “Halo 5: Guardians” games and hardware. The “Halo 5: Live” launch celebration also earned a Guinness World Records title for the most-watched video game launch broadcast, with more than 330,000 unique streams on the evening of the broadcast.

Halo 5: Guardians, launch, New York City

In China, millions of people are carrying on casual conversations with a Microsoft technology called XiaoIce. Hsiao-Wuen Hon, corporate vice president in charge of Microsoft Research Asia, sees XiaoIce as an example of the vast potential that artificial intelligence holds — not to replace human tasks and experiences, but rather to augment them, writes Allison Linn. Hon recently joined some of the world’s leading computer scientists at the 21st Century Computing Conference in Beijing, an annual meeting of researchers and computer science students, to discuss some emerging trends.

MSR, China, AI, artificial intelligence

Microsoft and Red Hat announced a partnership that will help customers embrace hybrid cloud computing by providing greater choice and flexibility deploying Red Hat solutions on Microsoft Azure. Also announced: Microsoft acquired Mobile Data Labs, creator of the popular MileIQ app, which takes advantage of sensors in modern mobile devices to automatically and contextually capture, log and calculate business miles, allowing users to confidently claim tax deductions. The acquisition is the latest example of Microsoft’s ambition to reinvent productivity and business process in a mobile-first, cloud-first world, says Rajesh Jha, corporate vice president for Outlook and Office 365.

MileIQ

We got to know some pretty cool people doing really cool things. Among them: The team members of Loop who created the Arrow and Next Lock Screen apps through the Microsoft Garage. We also were introduced to Scott McBride, a Navy vet whose internship at Microsoft led to a full-time job; he’s now a business program manager for Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise group. McBride will be helping Microsoft recruit new hires this fall.

Microsoft Garage, Loop Team, apps
Microsoft Loop team photographed in their new workspace, under construction in Bellevue, Washington. (Photography by Scott Eklund/Red Box Pictures)

A game with a deceptively simple, one-word title, “Prune,” is the App of the Week. In it, you give life to a forgotten landscape, and uncover a story that’s hidden deep beneath the soil. You’ll cultivate a sapling into a full-grown tree, and watch it evolve in an elegant but sparse environment. It’s up to you to bring the tree toward the sunlight, or shield it from the dangers of a hostile world. You can install “Prune” for $3.99 from the Windows Store.

Prune, games, Windows
“Prune”

This week on the Microsoft Instagram channel, we met Thavius Beck. Beyond being a musician, Thavius is a performer, producer and teacher. He uses his Surface Book to spread his love of music and perform in completely new ways.

Instagram, Surface Book

Thanks for reading! Have a good weekend, and we’ll see you back here next Friday!

Posted by Suzanne Choney
Microsoft News Center Staff

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