As this week has been very busy I haven’t had time to write up a full blog post about some of the fun things I’m working on, but instead I thought I’d throw out a listing of some technologies I’m currently working on or watching.

• Windows 7 Beta (build 7000) – I have this installed as my primary OS on my home desktop.  Loving the slick interface and list of new features that keep getting announced.  My only gripes so far are that the included build of IE8 is beta and can’t be upgraded to RTM, and that I need to get used to doing certain things under “Run as Administrator”.  Looking forward to the RC being released next week to the public, at least so I hear.
• PowerShell 2.0 CTP 1.3 – I’ve been following PowerShell for awhile now and it is a tool that really intrigues me.  A few years ago I was writing shell scripts in Unix land to support some Oracle systems at my then employer.  I then moved onto AutoIt which is an excellent Windows automation tool.  Now though I am very excited about PowerShell.  Not only does it allow scripting of normally mundane tasks, but it also is able to process .Net objects such as elements available through the SharePoint API.  As you can see from my previous post I like to push tools to see what they are capable of.  PowerShell 2.0 RTM is schedule to launch with Windows 7 and it’s my personal opinion that we’ll be seeing a greater emphasis on PowerShell in the coming product releases.
• SharePoint 2010 – Until recently SharePoint 14.  This is a no-brainer for anyone who working with SharePoint currently.  I hear that this will be a prominent discussion piece at SharePoint Conference 2009.  Here’s hoping I can get time off and make it to this conference.
• Visual Studio Extensions for Windows SharePoint Services 1.2 – OK, Microsoft could really use to shorten this title up, and they have by renaming it Visual Studio 2010.  In case you haven’t seen, Visual Studio 2010 is meant to include the proper SharePoint development tools that should’ve existed back when SharePoint 2007 was released.  For now though my personal choices are between VSeWSS 1.2 and WSPBuilder, but I’ve had more use with the former so I tend to know it a little better.
• Sysinternals Suite – Hopefully I don’t need to be the first to let many people know about this set of tools, but if this is your first hearing about Sysinternals you owe yourself as a technology person to check them out.  I use Process Explorer, AutoRuns, and a few other tools almost daily.
• Windows Live Programs – I was apprehensive about downloading these programs for some reason, but I’m quickly starting to love some of the offerings.  I’m using Live Writer for my blog and Sky Drive (no download required) for sharing documents and other files.  I’ll start exploring the other programs as I have time.
• TweetDeck – I’m using Twitter more and more lately and beginning to experiment with different clients.  Digsby was my favorite until I started getting overwhelmed by followers/followees.  TweetDeck is suiting me well currently, but I’ve heard good things about Blu as well.
• Digsby – Best IM / social networking client I’ve ever used.  It combines my Facebook, LinkedIn, Gmail, GChat, AIM, and until recently Twitter accounts.  Can’t even imagine going back to having 6 separate applications or windows open to manage them all.

Well that turned into a much longer post than expected.  Feel free to leave feedback about any new tools, products, or applications you are using that you think should be shared.  I love to check out new technology as much as I can and share the word.