Satisfy Me

Winners from the Windows 7 72-Hour Film Festival

mthree — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:37:11 GMT

Of interest are the top films from the Windows 7 72-Hour Film Festival, held in Seattle last month.

"Seattle-based filmmakers were given 72 hours to create a 30 second to 2 minute film celebrating the launch of Microsoft's new Windows 7. Genres were picked from a hat (a different genre for each team) and the following elements were required in each film: "Windows 7" mentioned as a prop; a character named "CIO Wiggins", and the line of dialog "The guys in IT are going to like this".

You can view all the results here and enjoy some excellent scripting, including the line in this video: "remember… must not build Building 7…" (which any Microsoftie will appreciate ;).

Tags: articles, what I read, twitter, Microsoft, Windows 7.

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From Windows 7 to working with product groups customer satisfaction

mthree — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:47:23 GMT

A little more than three years ago as I noted here, I joined the Windows division working in COSD for Jon DeVaan with the rest of his management team (as I initially noted here) to work on Windows 7. I've certainly enjoyed the run in Windows, this being my second stint: I joined the engineering program management group when I first moved to Redmond back in 2003. More details are on the blog if you must know.

A couple of months ago as we discussed new roles, one of the positions that interested me was in returning to a corporate role in the company. In my new capacity, I'll work with product groups across the company to improve satisfaction with our customers and partners. These customer-focus efforts are some of key tenets of our work that we refer to inside Microsoft (in both the product groups and SMSG) as the Customer and Partner Experience (CPE).

This has been an area I truly enjoy, and one that Kevin Turner, our COO sponsors across our sales and marketing groups in close partnership with our product group sponsor Stephen Elop, the president of the Microsoft Business Division (aka, MBD, home of Office, SharePoint, Exchange, OCS, Dynamics and many other products).

With this move comes a move from my office in the Windows division and later this week across campus to my new home. Sad to leave Windows but excited to move to this new role on the heels of one of the most successful product launches the company has seen in some time.

So over the next few days will be busy as I move offices, shed parts of my old position and move on to my new role. I want to thank my friends in Windows for a wonderful time in the division and I look forward to working with them in a broad capacity.

What this means for folks reading this blog should be a broad view of the work we're doing across the company to improve customer satisfaction from the perspective of our product teams, and perhaps a few insights as I learn even more about my new surroundings in MBD.

And yes, that includes finding a new parking strategy on days I drive: the commute stays the same.

Tags: announcements, Office, Microsoft, Windows 7.

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Gizmodo offers a look at several Windows 7 Launch Parties

mthree — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:30:25 GMT

Did you have a Windows 7 Launch Party? Gizmodo offers a gallery of photos from several different Windows 7 launch parties although most/all are uncredited with original owners/URLs.

This one is certainly my favourite (is it yours?):

Note to self: need to post more details of our own launch event.

Tags: articles, what I read, twitter, Microsoft, Windows 7.

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Microsoft Giving Campaign: a couple of auction items generating interest arrived today (on Windows 7 GA-Day)

mthree — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:58:00 GMT

Today really is a great day.

Not only have we arrived at the launch of Windows 7 today, I also received in today's mail Adam Koford's LOL Cats "Extra Leafy Edition" and the truly limited edition of the popular TechFlash Geek's Guide to Seattle poster (as seen at http://bit.ly/PAYOM).

Very cool – thanks, guys!

Now Microsofties: bid high!

Tags: articles, what I read, twitter, Microsoft, Windows 7, Giving Campaign.

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Windows 7 available today, Kylie gets a new PC and other musings from GA-Day

mthree — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:24:40 GMT

Welcome to Windows 7 Release!

OK, now you have your copy of Microsoft Windows 7. First, check that your PC will run it with Upgrade Advisor http://bit.ly/rP24L. And if you've got questions about Windows 7, look thru the posts from community experts on the Microsoft Answers site about Windows 7 (in 11 languages!) at http://bit.ly/ZbSp6

There was an awesome Kylie moment from the Windows 7 Launch today. She got a new Windows 7 mini notebook from none other that Steve Ballmer: Steve gave her very own pink Windows 7 laptop: http://bit.ly/fXY1D (we <3 Kylie!). (Head nod to Mark Relph for the link, who I expect has interesting friends on his flights this week ;) For your own new Windows 7 PC, check out the "7 days of Windows 7 savings" (quantities are limited and the program ends October 28, 2009) http://bit.ly/2C1a8o

I had fully intended today to attend the festivities on main campus at 5AM, and there was only one thing that could keep me from B37 and the NASDAQ opening this morning did: kids. Perhaps a remote feed to the house would've helped. Here's a clip of the folks and friends in Building 37 today with Chris Liddell, our CFO, celebrates Windows 7 launch by ringing the NASDAQ opening bell remotely.

You can also check out the new social media "hub" to see what people are saying about Windows 7! http://bit.ly/2Xl3xi via @brandonleblanc. And here's a direct link to the new social media "hub" to see what people are saying about Windows 7 http://bit.ly/3kw0uE.

Here are a few top stories from Microsoft Presspass:

Microsoft Simplifies the PC With Windows 7, Oct. 22, 2009

New Retail Stores Connect Consumers With the Best of Microsoft, Oct. 22, 2009

Here are a few interesting Tweets from today (you can also find more in my twitter feed here).

@MicrosoftStore: Microsoft fans take over the Scottsdale mall. http://post.ly/9jqt Long line, now people are wait outside the mall!

Dell's Adamo XPS is an AMAZING ultra thin laptop. It's sure to be on my Xmas list! More @ http://bit.ly/xSAfE. I saw from @dancosta that Dell Offers Sneak Peek of Adamo XPS. "I wouldn't call it a hands-on, but I did touch it." http://bit.ly/2z8pvc #pcmlt More info & links on the new ultra thin & very sexy Dell Adamo XPS via Bing http://bit.ly/xSAfE

@LanceUlanoff Steve Ballmer: "95 out of 100 times, when people get to choose a PC, they choose a Windows PC" #win7 #QOTD

@LanceUlanoff Hands On with Amazon Kindle for the PC http://bit.ly/2B29Wf Nice app; smart idea for multi-touch systems.

Check out the new social media "hub" to see what people are saying about Windows 7! http://bit.ly/2Xl3xi via @brandonleblanc

How to find Windows 7 Freebies: See "Where to Get Giveaways" by @PCWorld's JR Raphael http://bit.ly/1EvctI

Reading Stuart Elliot's article in the New York Times on "The Billion Designers of Windows 7" http://bit.ly/Uu7a

As noted here, the venerable BBC News looks at the launch of Windows 7 w/ Microsoft's Leila Martine http://bit.ly/1AUzE2

Wonder how did we got to Windows 7? AP offers this analysis of Vista + 1 = 7. No, you didn't miss 5 & 6 http://bit.ly/44AbXv

All Black number 7 Richie McCaw helps Microsoft launch Windows 7 in Auckland's Queen Elizabeth Square http://bit.ly/3UrTqz

I get lots of mail RE autographed Windows 7 PC & Zune for the Microsoft Giving Campaign http://bit.ly/3pLubD

@engadget noted that Windows 7 Media Center upgraded Netflix "Watch Instantly" interface now available http://bit.ly/2kbRSa

From MSSpringboard, Podcast: Migrating Windows XP to Windows 7 Using Windows Easy Transfer and USMT http://bit.ly/2WZOxt

One more item for the Microsoft Giving Campaign: Adam Koford's (aka @apelad) LOL Cats "Extra Leafy Edition" http://bit.ly/1WdEDF

Tags: articles, what I read, twitter, Microsoft, Windows 7.

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One more item for the Microsoft Giving Campaign: Adam Koford's LOL Cats "Extra Leafy Edition"

mthree — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:04:02 GMT

More than almost any item on the blog save my articles on daylight saving time and more recently the arrival of my Windows 7 Party Pack is the interest in the items I provided to benefit the Microsoft Giving Campaign this year. I received more email this week on these posts than any other post this month.

Another great item offer in the auction is a very special edition of Adam Koford's book “The Laugh-Out-Loud Cats Sell Out” (http://bit.ly/ItoWC), a hilarious and charming mash-up of LOLcats (those ubiquitous online photos of cats, captioned humorously and ungrammatically), and here’s your chance to get a one-of-a-kind offering from the artist. (More at http://www.adamkoford.com/ and on Twitter via @apelad)

With all the talk of Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate Offer, Koford has graciously donated an "ultimate, extra leafy edition": a signed copy of the book for the Microsoft Giving Campaign, complete with a unique drawing inside, and other drawings hidden throughout. “The Laugh-Out-Loud Cats Sell Out” presents the very best of Koford's online archives, alongside 30 new comics produced exclusively for this collection.

In addition to Koford's original drawing inside the book (pictured here, a recently posted comic) there are 20 more leaves hidden throughout this extra-special edition of the book.

Very cool.

Tags: articles, what I read, twitter, Microsoft, Windows 7, Giving Campaign.

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Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 Deliver Beta 2 in Final Stretch to March 22 Launch

mthree — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:59:58 GMT

As Mary-Jo Foley reported and (as noted on twitter) just announced on Microsoft PressPass, Dave Mendlen discusses availability of Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 Beta 2, the March 22, 2010, launch date, and the simplified product lineup for Visual Studio 2010, including the Ultimate Offer.

"Microsoft Corp. today announced the immediate availability of Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Beta 2 and Microsoft .NET Framework 4 Beta 2 to MSDN subscribers; general availability will follow on Oct. 21. The company also outlined a simplified product lineup and pricing options for Visual Studio 2010 as well as new benefits for MSDN subscribers, including the Ultimate Offer, available to all active MSDN Premium subscribers at the official product launch on March 22, 2010.

Ultimate Offer?

"With the Ultimate Offer, active MSDN Premium subscribers will be transitioned to a higher-level Visual Studio 2010 with MSDN subscription at launch. This provides access to an unprecedented amount of resources, including test and development rights for Microsoft server software (including Windows Server 2008 R2 and Microsoft SQL Server 2008), Microsoft Office, and premium Visual Studio tools.

“The 2010 wave is not only about innovation but about helping our customers get significantly more for their investments,” said Dave Mendlen, senior director of developer marketing at Microsoft. “The Ultimate Offer and new MSDN subscriber benefits combine to give developers access to high-quality tools, training and community support while at the same time providing organizations with an immensely better value for their money.”

As Scott Hanselman noted in his blog today...

"You may notice a few things in the new Splash Screen above. There's a new Visual Studio logo that goes nicely as well as a new logo for MSDN. You probably heard that we launched a new MSDN this weekend and today we add the new logo and background. This new MSDN is the beginning of a more agile, community focused MSDN and you should expect to see and hear of cool stuff coming from the team, often, in the months to come. Of note will be the new MSDN Lightweight view, soon to be the default view for the library.

"In the coming weeks I'll dig into more details on the these new things and how they work together:

Visual Studio 2010 and .NET 4

Windows 7

Microsoft Developer Network

"Enjoy! Also, be sure to check out Soma's blog post and go get Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 Beta 2 as soon as you can!"

For more information on the new packaging, licensing, and pricing of Visual Studio 2010 and MSDN, visit http://microsoft.com/visuastudio.

If you're interested in downloading Beta 2, visit http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx for the latest details.

Tags: Microsoft, Visual Studio, VS2010, Beta, MSDN, developer, development tools.

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Your questions: "How did you collect cool items for the Microsoft Giving Campaign Auction?" I just asked.

mthree — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:48:00 GMT

As I noted, one of my favourite items is the Samsung NC20 mini notebook PC with Windows 7, autographed by the Windows 7 management team, including Jon DeVaan and Steven Sinofsky. (Full disclosure: I am expecting one or two more signatures that, due to space issues, may appear on the not pictured top bezel.) Lots of interest in this item… I'm wondering, would it be bad for me to bid on my own auction? Doesn't eBay frown on that practice? At least it would be obvious to folks given FTEs may see who has the high bid.

As you may know, the Microsoft Giving Campaign generates an incredible amount of donations to benefit charities around the world (more info on the Campaign @ http://bit.ly/1ajgA0.) The auction is open only to Microsoft employees, and after folks saying how cool these pieces are, the bulk of the questions were on "where do I bid on these items?"

Sorry, you can't. ;(

I think that it's a great idea. We haven't opened up such a broad auction like this for many reasons, especially when you consider the number of items that really only have significance to people working in the company. Ina Fried of CNET covered this in her article referencing the Campaign "Microsoft shutterbugs shoot for a cause" this week. (Yes, even I have an eye on a parking spot in my new building, even with the threat of an executive level CLM. More on that move post Windows 7 GA.)

We have adopted the concept to benefit charities in the past, like this memorable one featuring an Xbox 360 autographed by Bill gates and a custom Halo Zune signed by J Allard. (See photo at left of this blast from the past, back in 2007.)

This is something we should reprise.

The next popular question was how I was able to get these items together.

Simple: I asked.

It was a privilege having these folks sign the PC and the Zune. Each year – and frankly, throughout the year – employees at Microsoft are not only dedicated at their jobs (more than the anonymous quotes in Fortune's article, How Microsoft got its cool back, would have you believe…), they are dedicated to their giving and support of charities and causes that are their interest. Last year's Employee Giving Campaign netted charitable organizations nearly US$40 million in cash (when you consider employee donations and the generous corporate matching). So getting these was relatively easy. And the thoughtful donations from great folks outside the company was almost as easy: these folks were more than happy to support a worthy cause.

The only think I regret: not getting more signatures on both Microsoft items. In our group in Windows, if I had been a little more on the ball, I'd have had the larger management group sign items in Ship Room at the our RTM engineering milestone, as everyone was in a signing mood. (The teams autographed FPP packages of Windows 7.) Sorry, I was "asleep at the switch" (inside joke).

BTW, a note on the new-in-the-box, never used, limited edition Pink Zune 30, courtesy of my wife. Signed by several folks at the company, this was my Christmas gift to her. Sitting on a shelf in our home, frankly we felt to uncomfortable to use the Zune. So, we both thought that it would do more good converted into a donation that would add to the United Way of King County's coffers.

Perhaps this Zune will become the Giving Campaign Auction equivalent of the proverbial holiday fruit cake, and we'll see the successful buyer list the item in next year's auction.

Next year? I'll work on getting something nice items from the Office 2010 team. ;)

Tags: articles, what I read, twitter, Microsoft, Windows 7, Giving Campaign.

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A couple of choice items benefitting the Microsoft Giving Campaign this year

mthree — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:54:35 GMT

As I noted in my post yesterday, this year's Microsoft Giving Campaign activities kicked off this month. In addition to the items I mentioned in my previous post, I also posted a couple of special items. (If you don't know about our campaign, see this link for more info: http://bit.ly/1ajgA0.) Although this is only open to Microsoft employees, I wanted to thank many of the folks who have been kind enough to provide some interesting items. (I checked with our auction and PR team to ensure I could mention the items here. ;)

One of my favourite items is my Samsung NC20 mini notebook PC with Windows 7, autographed by the Windows 7 management team, including Jon DeVaan and Steven Sinofsky. This is an awesome portable, and combines the small size (11.5" x 8.5" x 1.2") and light weight (3.3 pounds) of a mini notebook with an excellent screen. The 1,280 x 800 resolution makes you feel like you're using a full-size notebook, compared to the cramped 1,024x576 or 1,024x600 of typical small notebooks.

The keyboard is also large and comfortable to type on, with the same key spacing as full-size notebooks. The PC has 2GB of memory, a 160GB hard drive, slip case, charger, and two batteries (standard 6-cell unit for 5-6 hours and a 9-cell for 7-9.5 hours) battery, making this perfect for extended time away from sockets.

My thanks to our management team for taking the time to sign this computer!

Also up for auction is this new-in-the-box, never used, limited edition Pink Zune 30, courtesy of my wife (this was her original Zune, but she preferred a smaller 4GB Zune).

I purchased it at the initial release of the model and then obtained autographs from Robbie Bach, Steve Kaneko, J Allard and Bill Gates.

In all, the donations raised from the sale of these items will go to a good cause.

Tags: articles, what I read, twitter, Microsoft, Windows 7, Giving Campaign.

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Wonder what's up at the Microsoft Giving Campaign? Here's a look at few auction items generating interest

mthree — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 01:17:04 GMT

As I noted here, this year's Microsoft Giving Campaign activities kicked off recently. In support of the charity auction we run, I posted a few items of interest. (If you don't know about our campaign, see this link for more info: http://bit.ly/1ajgA0.) Although this event and the items are only open to Microsoft employees, I wanted to highlight some of the items I've listed and thank the folks kind enough to provide them. (I went ahead and checked with our auction and PR teams to ensure I could discuss them here ;) Please note that I don't personally benefit from the listing of any of these items; funds will benefit the local United Way and other charities.

Award-winning technology journalist and author Ed Bott graciously offered to provide a personally inscribed and signed copy of his new book, “Windows 7 Inside Out” to the winner of one of this auction. The new 1056-page book also includes a CD with a fully searchable eBook, downloadable gadgets and other tools for customizing Windows 7. I may just bid on this item myself.

Internationally renowned artist Natasha Wescoat has graciously agreed to donate a signed original painting, to be created and personally inscribed for the high bidder. Natasha's passion for community and social media has helped propel her work onto a global scale via her presence on social media sites like Twitter (@natasha) and her blog, http://NatashasArtCandy.com.

Natasha's art graces over 1,000 private and corporate collections worldwide, garnering a devoted following that has enabled her to work with television shows (Extreme Makeover Home Edition) and movies (Marley and Me). A new transplant to Seattle, it's nice that Natasha has offered this custom piece and I'm sure that it will garner a lot of attention.

The good folks over at TechFlash and Kroll Map Co. have kindly provided a local geek treasure: a truly limited edition of the popular TechFlash Geek's Guide to Seattle poster (http://bit.ly/PAYOM), autographed by the TechFlash team. Measuring 36 by 28 inches, the popular poster was redesigned for our Giving Campaign auction as a one-of-a-kind piece to show more of the map surface on much bigger scale.

The poster highlights some interesting locations, including some well-known sites but also many of the region's most interesting tech locations and hidden gems, ranging from the former rental house where Jeff Bezos started Amazon to an extremely cool, little-known communications technology museum south of the city. (Many thanks to Todd Bishop at TechFlash and Kroll for this donation.)

Prolific Seattle artist David Hoang (on Twitter @DavidHoang) has graciously donated his talent to create a custom, one-of-a-kind Hand Drawn Avatar to the high bidder for use as a social media (or other) "avatar" on Twitter and other services. David explores the foundations of popular culture, de-contextualization, re-contextualization and convergence. In a world of "instant-uploads" and automatic avatar creations, David takes a step back and spends 20-30 minutes on a high quality drawing for the user. David also records the experience and presents the final YouTube video as a music video: see an example of the finished work at http://bit.ly/P3Q7E.

Tomorrow I'll post details on a couple of items that should appeal to the techie in all of us (I know I think they're quite cool ;).

Tags: articles, what I read, twitter, Microsoft, Windows 7, Giving Campaign.

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Who's tweeting what on Twitter? A few of my favourite recent tweets

mthree — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 03:14:39 GMT

Here are a few of my recent favourite tweets from others on Twitter.

A quick post between discussions: a few of my recent favourites tweets on Twitter (you can find more and assorted links on my twitter feed):

screwdriver 1 in every 66 computers browsing web running Windows 7 and it hasn't even released yet!! - http://bit.ly/HrK7B

Microsoft_Xbox Protect yourself and your XBL account. Here are tips for Account Security on Xbox Live: http://bit.ly/14lAEv

nickmackechnie shares this re-Tweet (aka RT) from RT @EverythingMS: "Microsoft Partners earn $8.70 for every $1.00 Microsoft earns – IDC study released -- http://bit.ly/7tneq"

arstechnica Google tells employee: you can no longer be a Microsoft MVP - http://arst.ch/8j0

chrispirillo Microsoft warns about advance fee fraud and lottery scams. http://bit.ly/EL17Z [Common sense to fight common scams.]

LanceUlanoff How Microsoft Will Lift Us Out Of the IT-Spending Dumps http://bit.ly/3vcjv Me: @johnbiggs may b right. Get ready 4 an IT upgrade explosion

LanceUlanoff RT @mike_elgan: Here's a nice vision of multi-touch on Windows 7. http://bit.ly/k8Xwt Me: And people wonder what they'll do with multi-touch

windowsblog Free Windows 7 Seminar with Mark Russinovich (and Friends): Have you ever wondered how Windows 7 resumes from s.. http://bit.ly/YpyZ8

AmandaSena Interesting chart-shows more women use social media than men http://bit.ly/fHIAV

MSSpringboard Use Windows 7 to Manage Windows Server 2008 R2 Servers http://bit.ly/p9igp

MSSpringboard Good read about User Account Control Data Redirection: http://bit.ly/TuKtM

MSSpringboard Learn how to get the most out of your Windows Home Server’s capabilities: http://bit.ly/KAxsn

engadget HP Mini 311 reviewed with earnest, ION-enhanced affection http://bit.ly/3jCVb9

inafried Macs and PCs found shacking up. NPD finds more households have Macs, but lots of those homes also have a Windows PC. http://bit.ly/17MPAv

nytimes AT&T Reverses Policy on iPhone Internet Calls http://bit.ly/QVwTc

wmexperts A chat with Microsoft about Windows Mobile 6.5 http://bit.ly/7IjRd

maryjofoley Why MS claims it isn't discouraged even though it has 246 apps in its Mobile store (vs. 85K for Apple): http://bit.ly/1cFmZA

mitchellashley Today's blog post: Going Mobile - The Dawn of the "micro app" http://bit.ly/Rlr1N

Also from mitchell: RT@HuntHenning: Microsoft considering making Zune services available to Apple users http://bit.ly/39DpxZ

shanselman blogged: How to Collaborate with Remote Employees with Office Communicator 2007 R2: Our business admini.. http://bit.ly/b92SQ

slashdot Fans Come Together To Complete Star Wars Uncut http://bit.ly/We1iQ

SteveCase Why Consumers Like New Products With a Familiar Ring http://bit.ly/3WFupo

SteveCase The Power of Time Off – a TED talk video: http://bit.ly/3fQ9qI via @brainpicker

mayhemstudios RT @cloud79: NPD: Mac owners are bigger gadget nerds than PC owners http://bit.ly/nJ0aI

scottlum New Blog Post: The Local Economic Benefits of the Global Software Business - Microsoft VP Pamela Passman http://bit.ly/IfP6B

parislemon Google: A Web Browser Is Not A Computer, Not A Search Engine, And Not A Ham Sandwich http://ff.im/-9kKYQ

ForbesTech Must-Have Skills For IT Leaders [Article by Arun Manansingh] http://cptlst.com/qnh9

Carnage4Life How secretive is Apple? See http://j.mp/33fu7Y and http://bit.ly/jdnqH (read part about Purple 2)

mrelph RT @k_sasha: Nice. Canada listed fourth for quality of life by most recent UN study. I feel better already :-) http://bit.ly/UDYDM

mrelph New blog post: http://tinyurl.com/ya2r4nd - The Canadian Crew Shows Off Cool Windows 7 Hardware…

mrelph New blog post: http://tinyurl.com/ybyo9ld - Compatibility & Ecosystem Momentum For Windows 7

nytimesbits The I Can Has Cheezburger empire--that's the word the blog post uses, empire--has a new name to reflect its lolcat http://bit.ly/16KKW4

nytimesbits Spending on Online Advertising Continues to Fall http://bit.ly/kssw2

jesseluna RT @simonmainwaring: WIRED: Clive Thompson on How the Real-Time Web Is Leaving Google Behind. Interesting. http://bit.ly/oYZcn

JohnAByrne BW's Rob Hof's latest blog post: "Google's Scott Huffman: Many More Search Features Coming" http://bit.ly/3yhkx4

TimDraper Recommended Reading: The Way of the VC: Having Top Venture Capitalists on Your Board: http://tinyurl.com/wayoft.. http://bit.ly/1PysAA

CNETNews Is cloud computing the Hotel California of tech? http://bit.ly/11fkZN

CNETNews Why CIOs are saying no to Macs http://bit.ly/4FXHfT

GuyKawasaki 12 things I don't see at most conferences http://om.ly/JPsO

Microsoft Corp travel $ cut? LifeCams+Office Comms Server 2007 R2=F2F solution; enterprise multipack now avail http://bit.ly/3MnG8o ^SL

MicrosoftStore Microsoft Store Italy (http://bit.ly/qSbt0) and Australia (http://bit.ly/XE2gr) have opened!

tysoncrosbie Asperger syndrome in the office: How I deal with sensory integration dysfunction http://bit.ly/PPzqt #reader

And I'll leave today with these:

apelad Forward thinking always comes back to haunt me.

Carnage4Life loves when people who seem incapable of doing their jobs want to do mine as well. Twice the fail at half the price

Tags: articles, what I read, twitter, social media, social networking.

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Twitter: it's more than people talking about themselves (well, maybe not ;). It's a real resource.

mthree — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:46:54 GMT

Parking @ #BrickCon: $7. Coffee outside: $4 The line to get in the door? Endless, but worth it...

Interesting think about Twitter. It's a social network that's more than just a bunch of people talking about themselves, as Pam Baker noted in her article in TechNewsWorld…

"To its detractors, Twitter is little more than a pipeline through which bores and narcissists flush their short, uninteresting brain droppings."

Hmmm… perhaps.

I side more with Darren Rowse's views on the benefits of Twitter (he's the gent behind ProBlogger): it's useful as a tool for networking and as a virtual water cooler.

In this case, overhearing what Frank was up to over the weekend answered a question we'd had at home the week prior: as it's fall again, when the heck is that darned Lego expo?

As I noted on twitter this weekend, thanks to tweets from @frankarr, we were made of the Lego BrickCon down at the Seattle Centre. To us, this was an example of valuable information casually "overheard" in the Twitterverse from an individual I follow (in this case, usually more for the humour than the timely what-to-do-around-town information).

And without Twitter, we might've missed it.

Increasingly, Twitter is one of the initial stops I make in the morning after reading the news online, checking mail and my RSS fees. Sometimes whilst doing my email, with Twitter scrolling merrily along in the background. Several news providers tweet quite often and pulling up their list of recent tweets gives a quick view into what's what.

Back to BrickCon.

More importantly, our boys, Max and CJ were able to get their hands on the last Spacetroopers (aka Halo) figures from the good folks at Brickforge.

Of course, the real fun was when CJ was reminded that BrickCon was held at the same location as the Halo 3 ODST launch event. To which CJ asked: "Can I wear my costume again ?"

Tags: articles, what I read, twitter

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The Microsoft Giving Campaign kicks off!

mthree — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 05:16:29 GMT

For those FTEs who read this blog, a quick note to let you know that I have posted a few items of interest on this year's Microsoft Giving Campaign auction. (If you don't know about our campaign, see this link for more info: http://bit.ly/1ajgA0.)

A couple of very choice items will be posted this week that you will not want to miss. Unfortunately, I am unable to discuss them here.

But, I can say that geeks will love 2145 and 2197, and art lovers will enjoy 2159. A few new items will be added this week, so keep watching.

My Windows 7 Party Pack Arrives

mthree — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 03:52:33 GMT

As I noted earlier today on Twitter before my important afternoon meetings, my Windows 7 house party pack arrived.

The package may've been a little rough, but the contents are all intact, including the copy of Windows 7 Ultimate Signature Edition, various party favours and decorations and instructions on how to throw a successful house party. (We're throwing ours to friends with kids to look at the family safety features and home applications, along with plenty of pop and pizza, 'though I'd love to show some of the more advanced management features.)

Of all the items in the box I had to ask: why a deck of Windows 7 playing cards? (That's the little blue package in the centre of the second picture.)

Of interest: a Caribbean resident has a set of photos detailing their Windows 7 party pack unboxing here with some additional details…

"The goodies are actually very nice, especially the Windows 7 tote bags, perfect for the Cayman Islands for the beach! Also included were Windows 7 branded napkins, a puzzle pack; the pieces come together to form a wallpaper image from Windows 7. There was also a pack of Windows 7 playing cards, a colour poster and of course the piece de resistance, a FULL copy of Windows 7 Ultimate Edition (Steve Ballmer Signature Edition). What I was not expecting though was the Anytime Upgrade to Ultimate Signature 64 bit edition. A nice bonus!"

Tags: articles, what I read, twitter, blogs, Windows 7.

Clubhouse Tags: Clubhouse, Windows 7, Challenge-Windows 7

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Free download: Microsoft Security Essentials suite available now

mthree — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 07:16:19 GMT

Now available (US and Canada) is the new Microsoft Security Essentials suite, available for free, providing protection from viruses, spyware, and other malicious software for your PCs at home. Just installed the release version on my home PCs today. (Security Essentials will replace Windows Live OneCare, as I noted here this summer.)

Microsoft Security Essentials is a free* download from Microsoft that is simple to install, easy to use, and always kept up to date so you can be assured your PC is protected by the latest technology. It’s easy to tell if your PC is secure — when you’re green, you’re good. It’s that simple.

Find information, definitions, and analyses of all the latest threats that Microsoft Security Essentials can help protect you against in the Microsoft Malware Protection Center.

Tags: articles, blogs, Windows 7, security, OneCare.

Clubhouse Tags: Clubhouse, how-to, Windows 7, download, OneCare, Security

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