For whatever reason, I've decided it's time to do away with my anonymity. A few people have guess some things about me, and a few have asked questions. I'm at a point where I don't feel I need to hide who I am and it will be easier for me to respond occasionally with more disclosure.
My name is Ted Eckert and I'm a engineer at Microsoft. Specifically, I'm responsible for the safety certification and energy certification of Microsoft's consumer products. Why is my desktop covered in Surface products? I get the UL Listing and CB reports for them. The same goes for Surface Hub, HoloLens and Xbox. I also get ENERGY STAR certifications for Surface and I handle the European energy regulations for Xbox. Yes, my job requires me to play Xbox to test how much power it consumes while gaming. (I play Forza Horizon games specifically for this testing, but that's a personal preference.)
When everybody was trying to get an Xbox Series X, I had a lab full of them. I've got piles of consoles going back to the 2008 Xbox 360 sitting around, along with controllers and accessories. While many people wonder what the future holds for VR, I get to play with HoloLens regularly. I'm the guy who did the safety certification for that as well.
Do you want to know what's coming for Surface or Xbox? Too bad; I can't and won't talk about it. I like my job and I'm not going to lose it by disclosing confidential information.
Do you want to complain about Windows? Go right ahead. I work on hardware and not software, and whatever you hate about the software isn't my fault.
I'm not going to jump into conversations where people complain about Microsoft products. I work for the company and any response I make is biased. Do you prefer Apple products? It's not my place to say your are wrong. I know there are people here who prefer Linux and that is fine too. I'm not going to push Edge or Bing on anybody who doesn't want them. (If you have a Windows computer, Microsoft is probably already sending you more than enough reminders that they want you to use them.) Do you like the PlayStation over Xbox? That's fine too. Sure, There is nothing wrong with Nintendo either. I've got a lot of friends at Sony Interactive Entertainment and Nintendo and competition is good for everyone. Do you want to make jokes about the Zune? Go ahead. The Zune HD was one of my first programs after I was hired by Microsoft. I'll own up to that if you want to make it the butt of your jokes. I did not work on the KIN phone though, and that was probably the biggest product and marketing failure I've seen since I've been at Microsoft. I did get to work on the original Surface which wasn't a great success.
It's not all work and no play. My avocation is distance running. I'm a member of the Marathon Maniacs, and I've run 115 marathons and ultras so far. I prefer trail runs over pavement. That's partly because I don't want to get hit by a car again and partly because I enjoy being in the forest and mountains. I'm in a neighborhood on the outskirts of Seattle, and I regularly jog from my front door to the peak of Tiger Mountain and back. It's ended up being hiking up hill and jogging down as I've gotten older. Now that I'm in my mid-50s, it's hard jogging 2500 vertical feet over a 3 mile trail. I live in the eastern suburbs of Seattle off I-90, so I spend a lot of time on the trails between Seattle and Snoqualmie pass. I've probably been up most of the peaks that overlook the highway.
I think the only other Oppo I've met is @AestheticsInMotion who once delivered a package to my door. That was years ago, before he moved up in the world of delivery.
Ask me any questions you want about Microsoft, product safety, energy efficiency, or distance running.
