Have you seen all the videos posted? Thanks to the Twitter feed (addictive), the folks over in HR posted a link to the latest videos now available on the Windows site:
Tags: Bill Gates, Microsoft, Vista, Windows.
While on Twitter this evening, whilst still reading and responding to the feedback mail from my post on my recent customer experience at Best Buy and the Apple Store (apparently I hit a nerve), I noticed a tweet from Steve Clayton’s blog on the new Jerry Seinfeld / Bill Gates commercial. Here you go, as I found the original already posted on YouTube:
Ina is taking a poll on her blog: "Microsoft launched its new Vista ads on television with Jerry Seinfeld. What do you think?"
Tags: Bill Gates, Microsoft, Vista, Windows.
[ed: fixed link]
Another day, another big retailer disappointment.
Minutes after receiving an email yesterday from Best Buy customer service, apologizing about my most recent negative experience at the store chain, I received an email congratulating me for being selected to join the Best Buy Reward Zone program "at our most elite membership level – Premier Black."
Premier Black is a pilot in select areas that rewards our best customers for shopping at Best Buy stores.
OK, interesting. Best Buy actually read my last mail and perhaps even learned of my poor Labour Day Best Buy Customer Experience…
Your Premier Black Concierge can make your shopping experience even better by finding answers to your product questions, locating out-of-stock products, giving you
special access to the store and more.
So I clicked on the big button to "locate your Premier Black Concierge" (a relation to Serious Black by any chance?), and I hit an error message. It appeared that the marketing firm Best Buy selected had not implemented the correct links, and the security certificate was invalid.
Well, after attempting to access the site it turns out I wasn’t the only one: The Consumerist web site reports that many other customers erroneously received congratulatory emails…
"Not that it’s any big surprise, but Best Buy has now gotten around to taking back that "elite" status that they accidentally gave all of their Rewards Zone members yesterday. We knew that 45 day return policy was too good to be true…"
In addition to the same form email that everyone else received, I found this one sent 30 minutes earlier from Ayelen with Best Buy Customer Care.
The Best Buy. Reward Zone. program is always innovating so that our program is even better for our members. Yesterday, you may have inadvertently and inaccurately received the below message during an initial email testing process. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience or confusion. You continue to maintain your current membership status. If you are eligible for the Reward Zone program Premier Black test that will run in a limited number of select markets, we will notify you by a separate email. If you have any questions about this or the Reward Zone program, please visit www.MyRewardZone.com or contact our Customer Service Center at 1-888-237-8289.
I am very sorry for any inconvenience this may caused you. I hope you have a great day!
Not a worry.
Turns out the Premier Black level is reserved for customers who have spent $2,500 in the last year at Best Buy. Listen, I don’t have anything against Best Buy – they run clean, well-lighted, fully stocked stores, ones that have been the point of origin for many electronics and software that I’ve brought home (much to the dismay of my wife and glee of our two boys). And I agree with Consumerist commenter DarrenO that Best Buy does get "a bad rap" over several things, but the Premier Black customer loyalty programme may not be a blemish. The program could ultimately be a real benefit to customers, and I do appreciate Best Buy’s 30 day price match guarantee and no hassle refunds.
But DarrenO does note…
"Now, if you need to go into the store and have an employee explain to you what product is best for you then it’s a whole new game and very hit and miss."
Quite. My point: don’t promise better customer service to elite customers while many customers may still have problems "finding answers to your product questions…"
Unless, of course, Best Buy meant to generate all this coverage…
Tags: Apple, Microsoft, Vista, Windows, Best Buy, retail, whack, Customer Service.
Yes, yes, as I twittered away this evening, installing the IE8 beta and working on how I was going to upset someone’s applecart tomorrow morning (thanks, Amy, and apologies in advance), I read that the Adam Savage of Mythbusters recently explained at a conference why they decided not to air an episode of the show which noted that one could easily hack Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, as noted here on CNET…
That’s why, reported the Consumerist blog, at a recent conference–it’s not clear which one–Mythbusters co-host Adam Savage was asked why the show hasn’t tackled the technology behind the security limitations of RFID.
Note: Discovery Channel provided me with a statement from Savage Wednesday. You can read about it here.
C’mon… you’d expect that kind of stuff IMHO from Adam, but never from Jamie. 😉
Well, here’s a post on RFID Momentum (Microsoft Manufacturing & Resources Blog) — from July 29, 2008: "I asked Greg Walker, a Supply Chain Specialist on our US Manufacturing team to guest blog with me on this topic. RFID Momentum is building and we wanted to jump in and share some perspectives from Microsoft."
And here are a few more interesting things I’ve cleared from the reading pile…
Brad Anderson on Virtualization and X-Plat Support (Nexus SC: The System Center Team Blog) — SAVE — "A few weeks back, I had a chance to sit down with Brad Anderson, GM of Microsoft’s Management and Services Division (the folks who build System Center). We talked for a handful of minutes about virtualization, Ops Manager x-plat extensions, and some strategic developments and perspectives on what’s coming in the near future. Money quote: "I think it’s kind of ironic that our major competitor in the area of virtualization is not heterogeneous … and Microsoft is."
Microsoft: We’re not "cool enough" for Mac OS X – The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) — SAVE — If you thought the new Get a Mac ads were spot-on or funny, then you will definitely get a kick out of this. On Microsoft’s Photosynth website, they admit something that we’ve known for years: They’re not cool enough to run on Macs. "Unfortunately, we’re not cool enough to run on your OS yet. We really wish we had a version of Photosynth that worked cross platform, but for now it only runs on Windows. Trust us, as soon as we have a Mac version ready, it will be up and available on our site," reads the website.
Intuit is playing the web services game that Microsoft is talking (The Open Road blog – CNET News) SAVE — August 23, 2008 1:19 PM – Matt Asay "really liked this post by Larry Dignan over at ZDNet. Though I believe Microsoft is showing less of its web services hand than it is holding, Larry brings up a good point: Microsoft has been talking about a connected desktop-plus-web world for many years, while Intuit has been quietly demonstrating how it’s done…"
monitter: real time, live twitter monitor — SAVE — popular with 490 people saving this one – "Simple. It’s a twitter monitor, it lets you "monitter" the twitter world for a set of 3 keywords and watch what people are saying. Cool huh?"
Architects Rule! : Forrester: The Mobile Architecture Imperative — "The past eight years have shown little business adoption of mobile applications beyond wireless email and a few key applications. As a result, firms have been able to limp along without comprehensive mobile architectures. No longer. Today, the imperative for defining a holistic mobile architecture is red hot. As IT reacts to a chaotic increase in device types, wireless networks, and demand for mobile apps, firms report that providing more mobility support to information workers, task workers, and now customers ranks at the top of their 2008 priorities. Enterprise architecture professionals must assess which applications these mobile users want and the attributes of that use…"
Australia switches to Mac – Mac – Macworld UK — SAVE — Australians flock to the Mac platform, by Jonny Evans, 21 Aug, 2008 "Australian users are switching to the Mac at a faster rate than anywhere else in the world, a report claims. The Courier-Mail cites research figures from Gartner which show Mac sales grew 52 per cent in Australia in the second quarter – nearly six times the rate of the PC industry overall. "Apple’s share of the Australian computer market in the second quarter of 2008 was 5.3 per cent, according to Gartner, up from 3.8 per cent a year ago. Rival research firm IDC puts the present figure as high as 6.2 per cent, the report claims."
Terry Zink’s Anti-spam Blog : Strengths and weaknesses — Terry says that "From time to time, I like to reflect upon my own personal strengths and weaknesses. I may be a spam fighter, but I’m also a professional working within Microsoft and I want grow my entire asset base of skills, not just in spam analysis. You know how on interview coaching, they say to you "If you’re ever asked one of your weaknesses, give one of your strengths that if overdone, could be a weakness"? For example, you could say "Sometimes I work too hard" which is overdoing dedication to the job. It’s kind of a way of weaseling out of the question."
Free Download To Help You and Your Customers Save Energy and Carbon Emissions (Reaching Out to Microsoft Partners in Australia) — "I installed the Edison PC Power Management application today. It’s a great piece of software we are officially endorsing and it provides a consumer-friendly interface to help the users decide how much power saving they want to do – but it also tells you in environmental language…"
Thomas Cheah – the Speaker Idol winner (MSDN Malaysia blog) — "The experience in Speaker Idol competition at TechEd SEA 2008 was great. It reminds me of those debating competitions that I participated when I was in high school. Presentation skills are something that will go a long way in your career. Most people have no problems giving presentation, but not many can see how well they are presenting. Speaker Idol is a good testing ground for this. With the 10 minutes time limit, it requires you to focus on giving the most captivate presentation that is within the attention spans of most audiences. Most people tend to be long winded and afraid to miss out every single detail in the presentation. This risks losing the audience attention before the core message is presented."
OneNote Videos on TeacherTube (Thoughts and Information from Alfred Thompson) — "Mike Tholfsen, the OneNote Ninja, found some time to record and upload a bunch of videos about OneNote to Teacher Tube. The video he did on the OneNote 2007 Toolkit for Teachers is included in the collection. Mike is promising a bunch more that are specifically targeted at education users including teachers and students."
Adrian Ford on XPS et cetera : Automatically Opening XPS files from MXDW — MXDW – the Microsoft XPS Document Writer – includes the ability to open XPS files that are created. To enable this, you’ll need to dig into the preferences dialog where you’ll find the following on the XPS Documents tab:
//steve clayton: geek in disguise : The Fall of Google, the Rebirth of Microsoft and the Changing Face of Apple and Linux — Steve says that "I usually try to re-title my posts from the originator but on this occasion I felt the title of a recent post had to stay. "There is a whole load of commentary in Rob’s post that is of course music to my ears, and on Apple in particular he was joined this week by a hard hitting post from Michael Arrington. What really caught my eye in Rob’s post was this part where he talks about Microsoft Equipt…"
MIS Laboratory – Teaching Resources for Information Systems Faculty : Microphone on Facebook: Converse with Microsoft — Randy says that "The Microsoft educational community has launched a new application on Facebook called "Microphone". Microphone is a Facebook application (http://apps.facebook.com/microphone) that links the Facebook community directly with experts and enthusiasts from Microsoft Corporation. Since it is a Facebook application, members of Microphone will be kept current on all things Microsoft relating to new products, training and workshops, conferences, technology careers, research, and the Digital Lifestyle."
Architects Rule! : Heros will always ruin your it organization —Philippe says that "Working in an IT organization can be challenging. There are exhausting late night emergencies and deadlines, unpredictable technical complexities as well as executive management commonly suffering from extreme ADD. "As this leads to countless hours away from family, friends and your own precious solitude, you find those few who stand out willing to sacrifice everything to accomplish success."
The Web and Microsoft : Photosynth really can be practical — 22 August 08 04:14 PM (klevereblog) "When something like Photosynth is released you begin to wonder what are the practical use cases. I found this "synth" on the site today that really shows the power of Photosynth. It essentially is photo tour of the Art Gallery of South Wales. Not only do you get a 360 view of the room, you also are able to zoom in closely and see the artwork on the walls. There are several similar situations where this could be used. Real Agents would love something like this. I think the real power in something like Photosynth would be potential for social scenarios. I know there has been talk before where individuals would be able to combine their pictures into a single "synth".
Edward Tufte: Books – The Visual Display of Quantitative Information SAVE — 309 people have saved this one — "The classic book on statistical graphics, charts, tables. Theory and practice in the design of data graphics, 250 illustrations of the best (and a few of the worst) statistical graphics, with detailed analysis of how to display data for precise, effective, quick analysis. Design of the high-resolution displays, small multiples. Editing and improving graphics. The data-ink ratio. Time-series, relational graphics, data maps, multivariate designs. Detection of graphical deception: design variation vs. data variation. Sources of deception. Aesthetics and data graphical displays."
Test The Nation: CBC daily facts on Canada — CBC offers this web page with new quick facts on Canada published "almost daily!"
Goals: Musician Ryan Adams’ Success Secret — "Ryan Adams is one of the most prolific musicians in modern music. In the last eight years he averaged a release of one full studio album per year. In one year alone, he released three albums! Since 2000, he has contributed to dozens of other albums and movie soundtracks. One night I stumbled on one of his televised performances, which involved a question and answer session with the audience afterwards. One fan asked how he could write and release so many songs. His answer summed up his work philosophy, one we should all adopt if we want to be successful with our personal goals."
Telephony: Build Your Own PBX with Asterisk — 168 people have saved this one — "If you’ve ever wanted more control over incoming phone calls at home or at the office, setting up a PBX system could be the solution… (A PBX or "Private Branch Exchange" is like a miniature phone company/switch in your own office/house. The PBX is responsible for making sure calls are routed properly.) Geek.com’s John Rogers has a tutorial for you."
Featured Download: Virtual Volumes View Indexes Backup CDs and DVDs — 50 saved this post — Windows/Mac/Linux (All platforms): "Having an automated, secure, off-site backup solution is a great idea, but for many folks, burning their data and system files to CD and DVD is just more manageable. Free indexing app Virtual Volumes View (VVV) helps you keep track of exactly which file is located on which of those numbered DVDs. Once you’ve let VVV take a look at each of your discs, it can show you them in a physical view (each disc and its contents), a virtual view (one giant file system), or let you simply search through files, including MP3 metadata, to find that certain folder or file you need to restore. The app helps you make sense of large folders you have to break up into multiple discs…"
Microsoft Update Product Team Blog : New Product Families – Windows 7 — Yesterday a new product category for Windows 7 Client was published to Windows Update and was made available to WSUS (another one for Windows 7 Server should be appearing soon as well). As with all of our other new product categories, this is for Microsoft teams who are publishing Windows 7 beta drivers/updates in the near future. In the future, we’ll try to let you know about new categories ahead of time.
NMEDIAPC.com – the leading Home Theater PC components — MediaPC’s " new generation of HTPC 1000 Series. The outstanding features include: Support ATX power supply & Micro ATX motherboard" 4 X 3.5" internal bays for media data Easy upfront access digital connection interfaces (behind door) e-SATA; HD Audio; SDHC 2.0 Card Reader; USB 2.0; IEEE 1394 Support full height & length PCI cards"
Tags: articles, what I read, Microsoft, blogs (082208)
A quick post over lunch as I cover some of what has been on my reading list, including a List of Official Microsoft Team and Microsoft Blogs: “The directory below contains a listing of the official Microsoft Team Blogs and essential web feeds organised by category. There are currently 148 blogs listed in the directory below. On BlogMS a summary will be published weekly (each Monday) and monthly providing you a single article with a listing of all the latest announcements. You can then browse through this article saving you valuable time and effort. When you identify articles of interest you will be able to click on the article link, and it will take you directly to the blog.”
For my seven year old Guitar Hero rocker, this post on how a Guitar Hero DS hack lets you shred on a full-size guitar – Engadget — Like many others, Eric Ruckman found that the DS controller add-on for Guitar Hero: On Tour left a bit to be desired but, unlike most folks, he didn’t just go back to playing on his console of choice — he actually went all out and pieced together a full-size rig out of a PS2 Guitar Hero controller. As you can see above, that includes a special housing for the DS itself (it’s still used for strumming), and even a built-in FM transmitter with its own screen, which lets him pump the audio through his home sound system. Still not impressed? Head on past the break to see it in action.
Are “instant on” notebooks the future? | Hardware 2.0 | ZDNet.com — Dell has previewed a new instant on technology that allows users to carry out basic tasks on their notebooks without having to boot up into Windows. Is this the future for notebooks?
MediaPost Publications – Kodak Goes Live At Olympics – 08/18/2008 — See http://PluggedIn.Kodak.com and http://1000words.kodak.com/ WOMMA reports that “In an online effort to bring the Beijing games closer to fans, this Olympic sponsor is looking for the humanized “Kodak moments” at the games, instead of just focusing on medals and wins. Kodak’s on-site blogger and photographer Jenny Cisney is doing her blogger duties with the help of only a digital camera (Kodak, of course) and a PC laptop, offering an in-the-trenches look at how easy it is to blog these classic moments. Kodak has no plans to use the images Jenny posts in their advertising and marketing, but does drive traffic to its online store via the blog, and is selecting one “Kodak Image of the Day” to be broadcast via a variety of media.”
HealthBlog : Microsoft Research: How we watch the computer, how it watches us — “At least once each year I trek on over to visit my colleagues at Microsoft Research. It’s actually not much of a trek. The group’s headquarters are really just a few blocks from my own office on the Microsoft campus. I was especially looking forward to this year’s visit since I hadn’t yet had an opportunity to see MSR’s new building. The group moved into sparkling new facilities back in November. The building hosts a four-story atrium with dazzling open spaces, state of the art conference rooms, and a soothing Northwest decor. It’s the perfect place to think and collaborate.”
Google Privacy Practices Worse Than ISP Snooping, AT&T Charges (Georgeo Pulikkathara’s Blog) — Georgeo writes “Still think security and privacy are no big deal for developers to worry about? Well then take a look at what AT&T testified to in front of the United States Congress early last week. AT&T write below… “And if Google does combine its third-party cookie information, with user’s search histories, with Gmail summaries, and with Google Analytics data, among other data sources, they would be a proper domestic intelligence agency.”
One Louder : I know where they hide the good stuff — Good stuff #1: Smoked Sea Salt: Heather “bought this at the PCC (for you locals), though the company has a website. I have a little bit of a salt fixation. I keep a tray of assorted salts on the counter and this is the one I reach for the most. It is exactly what you think it is, only it’s better. Last night, I made beer butt chicken with it. My favorite use is on whole wheat past with pesto, chicken and roasted tomatoes.The granules are small but they add a little crunch to whatever you put them on. The best part is that aside from salt, they taste of smoked-ness; not that nasty fake smoke flavor.”
VolkerW’s WebLog : Favorite Posts of Week 33 — Volker’s collection of favorite blog posts from last week in no particular order. 1. Technical Books for Multi-Core Software Developers on the Intel (r) Software Network. A great collection of books on multithreaded application development and parallel programming. 2. Nuts and Bolts of Multithreaded Programming. 3. Top 10 Usability Highs Of Mac OS on Smashing Magazine. Juul Coolen 4. What is Cloud Computing, Anyway? by Irving Wladawsky-Berger on his personal blog. 5. How to Survive the Multicore Software Revolution (or at Least Survive the Hype). A free eBook from Cilk Arts.
Martin Woodward: Creating a TFS 2008 with SP1 Slipstreamed ISO image — By Martin Woodward on August 12, 2008 2:06 PM — Now that TFS 2008 SP1 is here, time to create a version of the TFS installer media that just contains the bits with SP1 applied. This is essential for installations targeting SQL Server 2008, but also makes the installation process onto Windows Server 2008 much easier and any installation faster (otherwise you have to install TFS 2008, then apply the service pack). Note that this is only required for new TFS installations – if you already have TFS installed then you are best of simply running the excellent service pack installer and it will do the business. Hopefully in a few weeks Microsoft will make a TFS 2008 with SP1 ISO image available, but in the meantime I thought I would write up the process of creating your own as I did mine.
US ISV Developer Evangelism Team : Big Picture of the Cloud Platform Described – Consultant David Chappell has released a Microsoft-sponsored paper that provides a glimpse into the view for enterprises in the cloud platforms. The paper describes what the cloud platform is saying, “this kind of platform lets developers write applications that run in the cloud, or use services provided from the cloud, or both.” It provides the context for Microsoft Software Plus Sevices (S+S) by explaining the rationale for what an operating system provides: a foundation, infrastructure services, and application services. And how a cloud platform applications compare with on-premises applications. He explains how the two application types work in concert with each other.
Ali Mazaheri : SharePoint 2007 Customer Evidence Update – Here is a great video on how TVGuide is leveraging MOSS 2007 enterprise features for its Online Video Guide (One of the MOSS projects that truly yours was involved along with a team of great folks here in U.S and India!): Media Company’s Fast, Relevant Internet Video Search Drives Business TV Guide took advantage of the growing interest in online video content by creating a new service for end-users to search primarily professionally produced video content through a video guide at www.video.tvguide.com. It chose Enterprise Search, an integrated part of Microsoft® Office SharePoint® Server 2007 that delivers fast, accurate results and a pleasant browsing experience to drive customer loyalty…
Featured Windows Download: Anti-Malware Toolkit Builds a Quick Computer Cleaning Toolbox (12 people tagged this as interesting) — Windows only: Free application Anti-Malware Tookit automatically downloads popular anti-malware applications to your computer. In essence the application is a specialized downloader that retrieves the latest and greatest releases of popular anti-malware apps like CCleaner, Spybot S&D, and Hijack This. You can selectively choose which apps you want downloaded and which you don’t, so you can stick to the tried-and-true options and avoid the ones you’re not sure of—perfect for when you’ve left your PC rescue kit at home and are working tech support for the family.
Torvalds: Fed up with the ‘security circus’ – Network World — Creator of the Linux kernel explains why he finds security people to be so anathema, By Ellen Messmer , Network World , 08/14/2008 “Linus Torvalds, creator of the Linux kernel, says he’s fed up with what he sees as a “security circus” surrounding software vulnerabilities and how they’re hyped by security people. “Torvalds explained his position in an e-mail exchange with Network World this week. He also expanded on critical comments he made last month that caused a stir in the IT industry.”
Music File-Sharing Decision To Have Broad Impact – WSJ.com – If New Trial Is Granted, Copyright Violations May Be Harder to Prove, By SARAH MCBRIDE, August 15, 2008; Page B4 “A coming federal-court decision holds consequences for the Recording Industry Association of America and the thousands of people it is suing over shared music files. “Last year, a jury in federal district court in Duluth, Minn., found Jammie Thomas liable for copyright infringement based on songs the RIAA said it found in her computer. Ms. Thomas was told to pay up, to the tune of $222,000. “But the judge in the case, Michael Davis, says his instructions to the jury might have been wrong.”
Switched On: Rethinking the living room PC – Engadget — Even as Microsoft continues to support broadcasting standards around the world to bolster Media Center’s support for broadcast television, the future of noisy, black 17-inch-wide boxes sharing a cramped cabinet with your stereo receiver remains in jeopardy. Indeed, the future of the living room PC may be sitting in your lap. When Microsoft announced the Media Center edition of Windows XP, it was in some ways the desktop counterpart to the Tablet PC mutation. Whereas the Tablet PC was envisioned as a new form factor for notebooks, Media Center held the promise of transforming the desktop into its own new form factor. Indeed, in one of Bil Gates’s final CES keynotes promoting innovative PC designs, he didn’t mention desktops…
Mike Swanson’s Blog : Windows Presentation Foundation Tools and Controls (182 people have tagged this one) – “Instead of writing individual blog posts for each WPF tool or control that I become aware of, I thought I’d create a single page that I can keep up-to-date. Over time, I hope that this becomes a useful reference for WPF developers and designers. This page is not intended to link to all WPF applications; I will only include software that can be used to help build applications for the Windows Presentation Foundation. These lists are in no particular order. If you’re aware of a tool or control that I don’t have listed here, please contact me via e-mail and send a one- or two-sentence description along with a link.”
Work-Life Balance: How to Get a Life and Do Your Job – BusinessWeek readers make it seem possible. Here’s how some have succeeded in a balancing act Edited by Michelle Conlin, August 14, 2008, 5:00PM EST “There is a species of knowledge worker that seems transcendentally competent when it comes to finessing work-life balance. These are the people of the tidy desks and tidy homes. The work-life super class. They don’t skulk in late like the rest of us. They don’t wear rumpled clothes, miss deadlines, or weaken before the vending machine. Are these people for real? Is work-life balance achievable? We asked our readers. Some responders groaned that, owing to a hypercompetitive workplace and the race for status, the answer was no. But more disagreed, having found ways to make their lives less chaotic when it comes to juggling what often feels like two full-time jobs. Sanity actually exists, they say. Hallelujah!”
Digital TV: Rough on Rabbit Ears – What to expect when the analog signal goes dead on Feb. 17—and how to get ready by Stephen H. Wildstrom, August 13, 2008, 5:45PM EST “You’ve probably heard that over-the-air television as the U.S. has known it for the last 60 years is going to die next Feb. 17. The industry has been running portentous ads to let everyone know that the complete transition to digital is at hand. But it still hasn’t informed people of just what it means and what they must do to prepare. The great majority of American households get their signals via cable or satellite. New or old, their televisions will work fine after Feb. 17. I suspect, however, that many houses are like mine. Though cable is my primary source of TV service, I have a couple of old sets—one to fend off boredom while using an elliptical training machine, the other a tiny black-and-white set in the kitchen…”
3M’s Seven Pillars of Innovation — MAY 10, 2006 By Michael Arndt — It may be 104 years old, but the company churns out cutting-edge products like a brash new startup. Here are the secrets of its success. “So how does an old company stay so inventive? Larry Wendling, vice-president of 3M’s corporate research labs at its St. Paul (Minn.) campus, thinks he knows. In fact, Wendling, an engineer who joined 3M right out of graduate school in 1977, has boiled it down to a seven-point list. You might call it “The Seven Habits of Highly Innovative Corporations.”
Where Customers Go to Praise (or Bash) You – There are a dozen or so Web sites that review local businesses across the country. Take a look, and read what people say behind your back by Ricky McRoskey August 15, 2008, 11:38AM EST “In a 2007 study of over 2,000 Internet users by online analytical firm comScore (SCOR), 24% of respondents said they looked at an online review before making an offline service purchase in the three months prior to being surveyed. The study showed that local review sites are attracting new visitors at a rate four times as high as the rate at which overall Internet use is growing. It also found that more than three-quarters of respondents call online reviews “influential” in their purchase decision process.”
Are You Being a Jerk? Again? (BusinessWeek) – If you are, it may be because you’re following a bad leader By Robert I. Sutton, Aug 14, 2008 A salient theme of my book, The No Asshole Rule, is that although some people act badly wherever they go, all of us are capable of turning into demeaning creeps under the wrong conditions. That is why I urge people (and try to remind myself) to avoid situations that turn them into jerks.
India: R&D Stronghold (BusinessWeek) – With giants like Cisco and GE driving demand and staffed more by skilled expats, India’s offshore R&D centers are booming, despite spiraling wages by Pete Engardio
BetaNews | Latest AOL acquisition could pair SocialThing with AIM — By Scott M. Fulton, III, BetaNews August 15, 2008, 12:36 PM In a move which could end up meaning either everything or nothing, the developers of a “lifestreaming” application have agreed to be acquired by a company whose track record with acquisitions hasn’t always been pretty.
BetaNews | Internet firms admit to tracking users’ behavior for advertising — By Ed Oswald, BetaNews August 12, 2008, 5:41 PM Responses to a congressional inquiry into targeted online advertising indicate that some companies were indeed tracking their users without first asking their consent. In letters to the House Energy and Commerce Committee released Monday, several companies admitted to the practice. Altogether, some 33 companies were queried last August 1 about their position and actions surrounding targeted advertising.
BetaNews | Google ‘feels your pain’ after the latest Gmail outage — By Tim Conneally, BetaNews August 12, 2008, 11:50 AM Yesterday, many Gmail users found themselves unable to access their mailboxes, as Gmail returned a “Temporary Error (502).” Google later posted an apology in the official Gmail Blog that gave a clue as to how big the outage was. “We don’t usually post about problems like this in our blog, but we wanted to make an exception in this case since so many people were impacted,” Gmail Product Manager Todd Jackson posted. About 20 million users visit Gmail daily, and there are more than 100 million accounts in total.
BetaNews | Cablevision DVR ruling bumps Internet Radio decision to September — By Scott M. Fulton, III, BetaNews August 11, 2008, 1:33 PM Last week, an appeals court determined that Cablevision wasn’t liable for copyright infringement if their customers chose they programs it recorded. Could that ruling present a new loophole for Internet streaming radio?
Tags: articles, what I read, Microsoft, blogs (082108)