Author Archives: halbryan

Twin Tales of Customer Service

Posted on November 18, 2011 by halbryan

Customer service, like every country ever written about in a junior high school social studies paper, is a land of contrasts. Here are two brief examples I’ve encountered recently, one great, the other…the opposite of that. The Anti-GreatA couple of … Continue reading →

Posted in Egocentric | 4 Comments

Catching up by cheating: latest videos

Posted on August 29, 2009 by halbryan

For those that haven’t found these elsewhere, here’s a few videos I’ve posted over the last several weeks. First, a clip called “Welcome to Cornell”, showing my first crack at a PT-26, the appetizer before an amazing ham dinner at … Continue reading →

Posted in Egocentric, Fly-y | Leave a comment

Rebooting a Franchise

Posted on June 2, 2009 by halbryan

It worked for Batman. It worked for Apollo and Starbuck. James Bond did it, and so did Kirk, Spock, and Optimus Prime. Even G.I. Joe and the fascist space lizards of V are going to give it a shot. And … Continue reading →

Posted in Egocentric | 15 Comments

AVSIM Hacked

Posted on May 12, 2009 by halbryan

I just received this stunning, disturbing press release from the CEO and Publisher of AVSIM.com. I’m publishing it here not only to reach my direct audience, but to ensure that it is picked up on MSDN as well. My thoughts … Continue reading →

Posted in Flight Sim Centric | 4 Comments

Good Music, Good Business

Posted on April 18, 2009 by halbryan

Or, why I love the Internet, Vol. MCXXI … A few months ago, I found myself completely entranced by a video of a young woman on the Internet. While this sort of thing is not  uncommon amongst broadband-connected men of … Continue reading →

Posted in Egocentric | 1 Comment

Hal P. Bryan, Super Genius

Posted on April 1, 2009 by halbryan

My business cards, both my last cards from Microsoft and my current "between jobs" variant, read "Hal P. Bryan, Super Genius." When presented with one of these, most people get a good laugh out of my particular brand of mildly … Continue reading →

Posted in Egocentric | 5 Comments

Dear Apple – My Music Player Has Been Talking to Me Since 2003

Posted on March 26, 2009 by halbryan

And it listens, too. And usually understands.  Usually. Even before I left Microsoft, I was never an angry Apple-basher. Any grumbling I did about them was usually motivated by a slightly begrudging envy about how intuitive their products are and … Continue reading →

Posted in Egocentric | 13 Comments

XMSFT

Posted on March 24, 2009 by halbryan

I’m unemployed for the first time in 12 years. My group, the Microsoft studio responsible for Flight Simulator, Train Simulator, and ESP, was closed in January. My severance package included 60 days’ paid leave with recruiting support to find a … Continue reading →

Posted in Egocentric | 5 Comments

Australia – Before and After

Posted on March 6, 2009 by halbryan

More proof that the smartest thing we (Microsoft) ever did while building the Flight Simulator series was to build it as a platform, enabling third-party developers to build things like this. Or at least do our best to stay out … Continue reading →

Posted in Flight Sim Centric | 1 Comment

Just Call Me Roger Windsock

Posted on February 11, 2009 by halbryan

The latest ephemeral film added to my personal collection is this classic from the U.S. Air Force about an obsessive airport kid. Animated by the well-respected Gene Deitch,  in a Chuck-Jones-meets-Quisp-Cereal sort of style, the film is a love letter … Continue reading →

Posted in Fly-y | 2 Comments