Well, you won't technically see me at MIX08 this year. But you will see some very cool top-secret stuff Vertigo created in the keynote.

MIX is by far my favorite Microsoft conference after attending the '06 and '07 iterations. And not just because this year they have a Rock Band competition* and a screening of The King of Kong with star Steve Wiebe. Oh, and did I mention the exclusive MIX party at the Tao nightclub? These things certainly don't hurt.

What I love about Mix is that it ...

• is relatively small and intimate, at around 2,000 attendees.
• seamlessly merges software engineering and design.
• includes a lot of non-Microsoft folks, even those that are traditionally hostile to Microsoft, so there's plenty of perspective.

And it's in Las Vegas. Although I find gambling dreadfully boring (hey, maybe that's another reason why I never got into World of Warcraft), there's always something fun to do.

If you work in the Microsoft stack, and any of that sounds even vaguely interesting -- sign up for next year's MIX when you can. You won't be disappointed. In fact, I guarantee satisfaction. If you attend MIX and don't thoroughly enjoy the experience, then I dare say there's something wrong with you.

A team at Vertigo has been working at breakneck pace over the last two months to build something extra-special that will be shown in the MIX keynote. Of course I can't talk about it until the actual keynote Wednesday morning, but I will give you this one hint: it invokes the power of rock. Details will be available on Vertigo's MIX page in time with the keynote.

Our fearless leader, Scott Stanfield, will also be delivering a blacklisted MIX session on Friday, which expands on what we're showing in the keynote. Be sure to mark this one on your calendar if you're in attendance.

I've been specifically told "it'll be epic; wear your pampers." Duly noted.

* Which Vertigo is totally going to win. You read it here first.