If you can’t tell what is happening in the above photo, you won’t be alone. Today, at the opening keynote at the 2010 MVP Summit, the audience of nearly 1,400 Microsoft MVPs, from over 70 countries, got to see one of Seattle’s most famous traditions, the Pike Place Fish Market fish toss on stage. Microsoft brought in four “fishmongers” who first ran through the audience, tossing salmon back and forth, and when they reached the stage, a Microsoft MVP volunteer (far left), came onto the stage to toss fish with the professionals. The MVP must have had experience, as he didn’t drop the fish, and he tossed it back with the confidence of a professional fishmonger.

Tuesday, the first day of the 2010 MVP Summit, featured many optional side sessions, keynote addresses, and a formal reception. The next two days, MVPs will be visiting the Microsoft campus to have in-depth meetings with the many Microsoft product teams, and Friday, the last day of the event, will end up with final keynote presentations, along with some additional side sessions.

If you want to keep up on the event, check out the MVP FaceBook page or MVP Twitter feed.

SQL Server MVP Deep Dives, a new book written by 53 SQL Server MVPs, is now available as an eBook, and will be available in paperback in November.

The book, which is edited by Paul Nielson, Kalen Delaney, Greg Low, Adam Machanic, Paul S. Randal, and Kimberly L. Tripp, includes 59 chapters divided into five sections:

• Database Design and Architecture
• Database Development
• Database Administration
• Performance Tuning and Optimization
• BI Development

All of the SQL Server MVPs donated their time to write and edit the book, and all royalties will be donated to the  War Child International charity.

If you will be attending the PASS Community Summit this November, you will be able to purchase a copy of the book there, and even get it signed by many of the authors. I wrote two chapters for the book, and will be at the summit to sign your copy, if you are interested.

Microsoft has recently unveiled their newly updated, public MVP website, that does a great job of explaining exactly what a Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) is, along with lots if interesting tidbits about the program, such as the fact the MVPs live in 90 different countries, speak nearly 40 languages, and collectively answer more than 10 million questions a year in public forums about Microsoft technology.

The website is divided into four sections:

• About MVP: Explains what the program is all about.
• Find an MVP: Lists all of the MVPs in the world by specialty, allowing companies, or anyone else, to find out who is an MVP. If you are an employer, you will want to check out this section.
• Becoming an MVP: There is a lot of mystic about how to become an MVP, and some of those questions are answered here. But more importantly, there is a link in which you can nominate someone else, or yourself, to become an MVP.
• Press: While this sections is designed for the media, it actually includes a lot of news and information about the MVP program that is worth reading through.

If you have been thinking about becoming an MVP, this is one of the first places you should start your journey.