As many of you know, MacBU celebrated our own 10 year anniversary earlier this year. As you may also be aware, we're also celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the Apple "Think Different" advertising campaign which debuted September 28, 1997.

You know when you've stumbled into MacBU territory at Microsoft because of all the Think Different posters on the walls. We've really got quite a collection, including Alfred Hitchcock, Maria Callas, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, Amelia Earhart, Richard Feynman, and many others. Many of these framed originals greet us every day, and some have become like old friends - a welcome part of our daily experience.

We recently surveyed MacBU team members for their thoughts about the various Think Different campaign posters that we share. Here are some of our responses.

Albert Einstein

• A patent clerk defining space and time, that's "Thinking Different"
• He really thought outside of the box and didn't care what others thought about his ideas.
• Who better than Einstein to represent Thinking Different -- he changed the face of science with thought experiments and equations rolling through his consciousness. He's also cuddly.

Mohandas Gandhi

• How can one not be inspired by Gandhi? I don't know what to say about him that won't sound trite, but I'll try anyway. When I look at a picture of him, and think about what he accomplished and equally important how he accomplished it, I'm inspired and moved.
• Gandhi didn't just verbalize or write about his different way of life, he lived it. That's something very different indeed. He's life inspires me.
• Making revolution against tyranny is hardly a new idea. But to lead a revolution with non-violence showed that Gandhi could Think Different and by doing so, change the destiny of nations.
• This poster welcomes me every morning I walk into the building. The simple and quiet way Gandhi is reading/writing his thoughts, being focused -- tunes me in for the rest of the day.

Pablo Picasso

• There are some many great "Think Different" posters, but I like the Picasso one for the way he has impacted the Art world. There have been a variety of art styles, but Picasso really had a pretty different way of approaching art.

Lucy & Desi

• They set such a new trend in comedy and entertainment that lead in a positive way to more fun and enjoyment as other comedians followed that lead. Very creative, revolutionary, enjoyable.

Jackie Robinson

• It's the rock solid handshake. No doubt in my mind, no matter what's happening on the field or off, those two are teammates. Considering the social climate of that time and place, that really is thinking different.

Jim Henson & Kermit

• Jim Henson completely re-defined puppetry as people knew it and changed it from something just to amuse small children into an entertainment form that was enjoyable for all ages.
• Jim Henson was a modern genius in the field of looking at things from the 'wrong' angle. His earliest attempts at entertainment came in the form of hostile and aggressive advertising. His work with the Muppets over the years has tackled social issues in manners that could be termed subversive. But everything was always done with a smile of innocence and honesty. The poster for Think Different is one of the rare pictures of Jim with his alter ego, Kermit. The voice that challenged racism, "It's not easy being green." There is timelessness to the photo that reminds us all that any answer can be the right one.

And finally, a small homage to the last 10 years of thinking different and many more years to come.