News from the Apple's iTunes Music Store: the one billionth iTunes song was purchased and downloaded this week. And I like how Apple recognized the lucky downloader of the tune: Apple will establish a scholarship to Juilliard School of Music in the winner...

Paul English's IVR Cheat Sheet is a great resource for getting to a live person when you're seemingly stuck in an automated operator call system. "IVR" means interactive voice response, those core of those automated systems that handle inbound and outbound...

I was talking to friends at the office this week about the effort to equip senators with their own iPods (as nadyne notes in her blog). (I wonder what Maria Cantwell has on her player.) And why just an iPod? I'd heartily recommend another inexpensive...

Eytan blogged that Microsoft.com Search is now powered by MSN Search. This means that when you go to http://www.microsoft.com/ and look at the search bar in the upper right, MSN Search technology is used to search the site. As he notes, the prognosis...

If you are a Microsoft hardware partner, you may already know that registration is now open for WinHEC 2006 , May 23-25, 2006, in Seattle. The theme this year is "Advancing The Platform," and with Windows Vista launching later this year, this will be...

When I find a great book I either send people a review and link to the book. Sometimes I've gone as far as to buy a copy and ciculate it around to people I think would find it of interest. This is one I'm buying in bulk. SATISFACTION: How Every...

Bill Gates' live kenote webcast is on now, straight from the RSA conference in San Jose. (This and other webcasts from him can be found here .) Steve Ballmer's webcast keynote from the 3GSM conference in Barcelona is available on line now. I wasn't...

So even if I can't be in Barcelona for 3GSM, I have resolved to read the PR feeds. From the Microsoft 3GSM Virtual Pressroom today Microsoft announced that there will soon be Windows Mobile-Based Smartphones running on low-cost processors. In this...

Seth Godin has a note today about the the ideabook... Not easily available in the US. Worth the hassle: theideabook.org . (tip, press on the "English" button in the bottom right hand corner). You can even download a few sample pages from the...

From the "it's just silly enough to include as a Friday afternoon posting" files, I saw this pop up on MSN today . English as a Second Language Our correspondent can get by in several languages, but that has been of little use in Torino. Rule...

I received a mail asking me what I do for Microsoft in my "work with our product groups on their efforts to improve satisfaction with our customers and partners." I work in the Engineering Excellence group at Microsoft, the group that provides training...

Happy birthday this week: the famed Telecommunications Act of 1996 became law this week ten years ago on February 7, 1996. To celebrate, take a look at the good coverage on the Senate Commerce Committee Hearing on Net Neutrality from Jeff Pulver's...

First, on MBS and Reviews... It's review season at Microsoft and I spent the last two days with our MBS team, specifically the people dedicated to improving customer and partner satisfaction. (OK, a caveat here: really, just about everyone in the MBS...

From the "it's just wierd enough to include as a Friday afternoon posting" files, this was sent to me on IM... Spacesuit floats off to become a satellite - Space News - MSNBC.com CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A worn-out spacesuit, stuffed with trash...

See this article on the Windows Vista Testing Schedule on the Microsoft Watch site, as it looks at how Microsoft will leverage Community Technology Preview builds to get a broad perspective and customer feedback from testers on Windows Vista. Tags...