The PasteBoard

Just had a quick look at this earlier today and it really does make me sick to my stomach. I would also be very curious to find out the percentage of people in Belfast and specifically West Belfast, will get this upgrade.

Very good article on ExtremeTech linking you to a complete and whole twenty (20) free games available to Uncle Tom Cobbly and all.

Ok, I promised an interesting solution to the Hulu problem. Like I said previously, I have tested this and it works. Best is that it is a two platform solution, so it will run in Windows (2000, XP & Vista) and Mac (10.4 & 10.5).

Over the last wee while I have become a bit of a fan of BBC iPlayer. Great for catching up. Well, it appears that one of America's largest broadcasters have been doing the same thing for a while and I have been keeping my eye on it.

Sometimes I really honest to God absolutely fucking hate Microsoft.

I promise, I will be making an ultimate point here in a very soon to come blog post. Take this as a little hors d'oeuvre. Hell, I even spelled that correctly first time around. Me good.

Just a quick follow up to yesterday's post regarding Microsoft and their potential retail plans. I came across this direct quote on AppleInsider. This immediately blew my mind. If this is the sort of vision they are going to bring to their retail venture, then to be honest, heaven help them...

In a press statement, Microsoft COO Kevin Turner said, "We're working hard to transform the PC and Microsoft buying experience at retail by improving the articulation and demonstration of the Microsoft innovation and value proposition so that it's clear, simple and straightforward for consumers everywhere."

Now, someone, please for the love of God tell me, what the hell does that mean?

And just for a bit of craic, I saw this on pcworld.com. Direct link straight after this and if you don't find this remotely funny then you need to take the whole issue less seriously!

10 Ways Microsoft's Retail Stores Will Differ From Apple Stores

1) Instead of Apple's sheer walls of glass, Microsoft's stores will have brushed steel walls dotted with holes -- reminiscent of Windows security.

2) The store will have six different entrances: Starter, Basic, Premium, Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate. While all six doors will lead into the same store, the Ultimate door requires a fee of $100 for no apparent reason.

3) Instead of a "Genius Bar" (as Apple provides) Microsoft will offer an Excuse Bar. It will be staffed by Microsofties trained in the art of evading questions, directing you to complicated and obscure fixes, and explaining it's a problem with the hardware -- not a software bug.

4) The Windows Genuine Advantage team will run storefront security, assuming everybody is a thief until they can prove otherwise.

5) Store hours are undetermined. At any given time the store mysteriously shuts down instantaneously for no apparent reason. (No word yet on what happens to customers inside).

6) Stores will be named Microsoft Live Retail Store with PC Services for Digital Lifestyle Enthusiasts.

7) Fashioned after Microsoft's User Account Control (UAC) in Vista, sales personnel will ask you whether you're positive you want to purchase something at least twice.

8) Xbox 360 section of the store will be organized in a ring -- which will inexplicably go red occasionally.

9) DreamWorks will design a scary in-store theme park ride called "blue screen of death."

10) Store emergency exits will be unlocked at all times so people can get in anytime they want even if the front doors are locked.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/159521/10_ways_microsofts_retail_stores_will_differ_from_apple_stores.html

I've seen this from a few sources such as TUAW, AppleInsider and the Macalope so I thought I would go and do a quick bit of research for a less partisan view so I promptly checked out the blog of Paul Thurrott, a well known Microsoft follower (some call him other names but I won't stoop that low) and not a sausage. Kinda surprised at that so I did the Google thing and came up with some other alternatives. The New York Times and PC Mag seemed likely sources amongst others.

So is this true and more accurately is it a good thing for both Microsoft as a company and us as consumers? Microsoft have two main markets they want to aim at. The general domestic/consumer and the business community which is particularly Microsoft's bread and butter. We here in the BMG have Microsoft products both in server and client forms. So does this have a particular impact on our business if this were to happen?

Nope. Not one bit.

It really is largely irrelevant. So what's the point? That is why I decided to have a wee delve and see what the craic was.

There seems to be a fairly mixed reaction and to be honest some of the opinions left me back to the position I originally started with which was my own initial reaction to it all.

So, first reaction was that this was just another Apple MeMe and to be honest was a bit brassed off at the whole, here we go on the imitation path again. However, I did think about it some more and tried to be a tad more objective than the old knee jerk reaction.

The economy is going down the crapper, of that there is no doubt and while some may doubt the sanity of Microsoft going into this venture at this time I for one welcome it from a purely economic point of view. Shopping Centre Managers particularly across the USA will be breathing a sigh of relief and hoping that Microsoft will fire a store their way. As well as that they will of course be employing people which will pump lots of Redmond's millions into local economies in the form of salaries. There is nothing negative in any of that.

However, Microsoft are not a charity, that much is certain, so they will be doing this purely from the perspective advancing their business. I still foresee problems as well as opportunities.

The opportunities are a way in which Microsoft can give a more positive spin on their product line particularly for domestic consumers. Like I said before, this really is going to be largely irrelevant to the business community. Microsoft really does need to get a positive message to the ordinary man and woman in the street after the perception people now have of Windows Vista. The current message is a negative one whether you think Vista is great or not. Apple have played a part in that but Microsoft have shot themselves so often in the foot over the last number of years the only way they can correct this is by being more proactive about it.

So what is going to be in his store? Why Microsoft products of course! All flavours of Windows but do they do the enterprise server stuff in there as well? Is that sexy enough for a retail store? Microsoft also do other software products with the obvious Microsoft Office springing to mind. Again, is that sexy enough for a retail store? Surely that smacks more of, well I use that in work and I really don't want to be reminded of having to do a spreadsheet. They are also big into the gaming market and have a good range of product even for Macs with the wonderful Age of Empires I enjoy so much. They also produce some hardware the most simple being mice and keyboards but remember they also have Xboxes and all their related devices and games and then their is the Zune. Their own retail experience makes the sell on that more isolated and less comparisons to be had with other products, even those that are supposed to be more Windows friendly.

The other advantage here is that with future consumer orientated products they have a better opportunity to get the message out the door.

That's as far as it goes. The main issue is that is there an inherent impetus that would make you and me go into a Microsoft Store? Microsoft lacks the "cool factor", whatever that is. Are they really going to try and emulate the Apple buying experience to the point of having the Apple Genius in their own Genius Bar equivalent? If so, I seriously pity the poor saps that will have that role.

Hi Mr Guru/Wizard or Whatever, my computer is riddled with viruses and spyware, Windows takes half an hour to start up, I get this really strange pop up every time I start up the computer and something called the system registry seems to require a bit of work, what do you think mate?

Good luck with that.

What hardware are they going to use to show off the Windows ecosystem? Whatever they choose it will annoy all the other hardware manufacturers. There is a no win situation here. Some hardware vendor is going to be annoyed. People don't want to see a word processor in a retail experience, they want the sexy stuff so Microsoft needs to have the sexy stuff in showing how your digital pictures and videos can be used to their best effect. The comparisons with iLife are obvious but I have seen nothing that merges and works together as well in the Windows world.

With Xbox they stand a chance of doing something interesting and in there I think they have the best chance of showing something interesting.

The Zune can get a better leg up but it seriously lacks the same third part economy that the iPod has and that will be the weakest link.

Is Microsoft's Windows Mobile going to blow the opposition away? That is a really big stretch.

Ultimately they have so many difficulties to overcome it really is a daunting task and as it stands now I am not sure that they have the product line that will make it the same standard of success that Apple have made and that is where they are always going to be compared. Will these stores increase profits and bring in new customers.

It is when these stores have been around for at least two years and this sort of information is known will we be able to declare the Microsoft Store a success or not. At best it will keep the status quo and provide the outlets that are so badly disappearing with Circuit City and Best Buy entering hard times or receivership.

Give me a shout about this in a couple of years and let's see how this all pans out.

Look, I'm sorry, but I just can't resist this.



It just appeals to me because as a society we are getting so much more pressure to just do that. Go and buy the latest piece of crap. Be warned, a lot of bad language but as funny as hell.

Courtesy of The Onion.

It's funny how certain web related stories seem to come together to form a trend. I was recently reading about how McColo has been taken out of the spammers equation and that a dramatic drop in spam email and botnet attacks. As far as I am concerned, if there is any hint at all of an ISP providing the means for these sorts of attack then they should be taken down immediately. The US government gets all hot and bothered about Al-Qaeda but do sod all squared on their own doorstep with cyber criminals.

Black Friday madness is no longer just an American thing. The wife is doing her nut today with all the bargains to be had in America's traditional Black Friday sales. If you don't know what that is Google it. Google is your friend.

And now for the last video related post and yet another link to another download. However, this is really good.

One of the main questions people like me in the profession will get is, how do you play that particular piece of video. The problem is that there are lots and lots of ways to encode video using what are called "codecs", the way in which the original video will be compressed to make the file smaller and formatted in a way that will be playable on most players.

I've had the fortune to be involved in a bit of video stuff recently. I was asked to produce a series of films for the Catholic Archdiocese of Armagh and then in work we have been doing a fair bit of stuff with video and enhancing your YouTube channel. All interesting stuff and I really enjoyed making the films as well as doing my own stuff with the family and creating those special moments. Great for sharing with friends and relatives.

My word, doesn't time fly when you're enjoying yourself.

Sometimes when I get exasperated with a Tech problem (see the previous post!) I use my well worn sentence...

I'm getting seriously pissed off with this.

There are lots and lots of rumours flying around about the impending Apple announcement today. There is only one that really interests me.

I got all excited and I shouldn't have bothered. Saw a headline today that seemed to suggest that Adobe had actually released their upgrade to CS4. It is not being released until October. Apparently Adobe are doing a webinar? May have missed that but I will check it out and if there is anything of interest I will post.

I've been a bad blogger. I'm still trying to get used to this having to post nonsense. When are Google going to create the new iBlogger software that does all this for you automatically without any effort?