Posts Tagged ‘Steve Ballmer’

While having a conversation on Windows Live Messenger with MJ Foley today, the subject of project Natal came up. If you don’t know what it is, it’s basically a camera and microphone device for your Xbox 360 that will track your movements, gestures, and voice commands all in real-time. If you *do* happen to know what Natal is, then you just read that last sentence for nothing! *ahem*… Anyway, I had a funny thought that came to mind after reading MJ’s latest short about Natal: Basically, since Steve Ballmer has been the primary candidate speaking about Natal at select conferences, I thought of something I hope Microsoft (and Steve) seriously considers when launching Natal… and that is to have Steve give a repeat performance of the following:

… except, the difference for Natal’s launch would be to have a fighting game up on the big screen in the background and see if Ballmer can win simply by Natal “watching” him run around the stage in a frenzy like that. How great would THAT be!? Pretty darn great if I say so myself! And I do. From a marketing standpoint, it would be a great way to have Natal go viral instantly on YouTube, I think. Anyway, please consider doing this, Steve/Microsoft! I think it would pretty much be the most awesome thing ever. The end.

-Stephen Chapman

http://www.msftkitchen.com

I just finished watching a really neat documentary on Bill Gates (from just over a year ago, actually… can’t believe I’d never heard of it ’til recently) and figured some of you might find it interesting as well. The woman interviewing Bill, Fiona Bruce, waited a solid 2 years (and not a day too soon, as it takes place just a week or so before he retired) to finally get this opportunity! Weighing in just shy of the hour mark, this documentary is a good summary of the making of Microsoft, the major issues surrounding the company throughout the years, and the history of the man himself, Bill Gates, in addition to his focus beyond the company once stepping down. There are a few familiar faces throughout this documentary, including Steve Ballmer, Steven Sinofsky, and, of course, Bill Gates.

There are some really great photos of a young Bill Gates, as well as a few great looks at Bill’s passion when sitting in on meetings with groups. Let’s just say he’s not a boss I would want to upset.

Also interviewed are integral figures of Microsoft’s competition from years past. There is one person in particular who seems to still hold Bill accountable for what he deems were ruthless and unfair business practices. Even with Bill Gates pumping some 30+ BILLION dollars into trying to rid the world of malaria and similar diseases, some people have a chip on their shoulder. I suppose that’s understandable to some degree, though. Interestingly enough, there’s not a single mention of Apple, Linux, or any of the head figures from either establishment. All-in-all, if you don’t know much about Bill Gates or the history of Microsoft, this is a great place to start!

Oh, and if you weren’t interested yet, you’ll catch things like this in the documentary:

Enjoy!

-Stephen
http://msftkitchen.com

I don’t know about you, but I enjoy a break from the seriousness (is that even a word!?) and the political correctness of the journalism world, so I decided to quickly crank out a light-hearted post involving a handful of funny Microsoft-centered things. Some of this stuff, you’ve seen, and others, you haven’t. Either way, I hope you enjoy. =)

Maybe it’s just me, but this image from an MVP’s site makes it seem like Windows 7 is just a bit too, uh, excited(?) about UAC…

(From SBS Diva)

For the grammar buffs out there, Microsoft is working diligently on trying to push IE8 to the masses, but if you’re going to quote someone…

From IE8′s Browser Comparison Site

Ballmer gets egged (in quite a lackluster manner, I might add, lol)!

Gates gets pied (a classic)!

Gates showcasing his 1337 chair h4x!

Microsoft’s WE-SYP (WE Share Your Pain) Program:

Feel free to continue the trend by adding your own funny Microsoft-related links you might have via the comments section! And now, I’m off to work…

-Stephen