The minds behind Microsoft's Tafiti search app

On August 21, Microsoft took the wraps off Tafiti, a new experimental search app that mashed up Live Search with a Silverlight front-end. But who developed this sample app?

Marc Mercuri, Microsoft Architect Evangelist, is one of the names behind Tafiti. Mercuri seems to be good at developing interesting proof-of-concept apps. A couple of years back, he developed an application called InfoCenter, or Information Center. Like Tafiti, InfoCenter was also a sample application meant to showcase how developers might use new Microsoft technologies. InfoCenter used Windows Communication FOundation (WCF), Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and the WIndows RSS platform as the base for a souped-up feed-reader/podcatcher app.

Another interesting development partner in the Tafiti effort: Jackson Fish Market. Jackson Fish, a Seattle-based design firm, employs a few former Microsoft design experts, including Hillel Cooperman and Jenny Lam.