Nathan's Occasional Blog

BlackBerry Cool » Users lukewarm on Microsoft push e-mail

Okay so here we have a highly respected user community blog, BlackBerry Cool, commenting on Microsoft’s recent slate of announcements regarding support for real-time push email.  Quite relevent to BBCool’s scope of discussion.  What tick’s me off is that the post is an agregeious example of marketing spin.  They give a brief overview of the situation, and then interview a couple CIO who have ~500 BlackBerry devices out in the field.  And here’s the kicker quote for the article…

“We can’t justify a total change in architecture just for remote mail,” he said.

For someone like me who skims through hundreds of RSS items every morning, that quote sticks out … and fortunately it made me re-read the article.  Turns out there’s a damn good reason for that quote…

Emcor Group, a construction and building services company in Norwalk, Connecticut, has about 500 RIM users and deploys Lotus Notes and Lotus Domino server to 9,000 users, so Direct Push from Microsoft holds no interest, said Emcor CIO Joe Puglisi.

Great.  So we’re comparing apples and oranges – and the conclusion of the article (as reflected in the title) is essentially that while apples are nice, for people who make orange juice they really won’t work.

At least it’s better than BBHub’s constant updates on RIM’s stock price (how is that news– or blog-worthy on a daily basis?).  Or their blog posts about what someone said in a user support forum.

“Well, thank you and good morning. Happy Valentine’s Day. (Laughter.) I’m really glad to be here at RSA. My other invitation was to go quail hunting with Dick Cheney. (Laughter, applause.) I’m feeling very safe right now.”

Bink.nu | Bill Gates Keynote at RSA 2006 “Microsoft’s Security Vision and Strategy”

When BillG comes off as the funny guy, you know it’s going to be a good speach.  🙂

Windows Mobile Team Blog : Where did 240 come from?

This is the power of blogging … I was really upset when I learned the Treo 700w had a less-stellar screen resolution (240×240) than the older generation Palm-based Treo 650.  Now it all makes sense and I completely agree with, and understand Microsoft (and by proxy Palm’s) decision.  And I won’t feel bad about using a Treo 700w if/when I get my hands on one; because quite honestly, I wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of using a dumb-downed screen.  I was thinking of waiting until something came out in the Windows Mobile world with 320×320.

I’m still waiting for Verizon to release the “push pack” for the device before I get a demo from our corporate rep, but that is now the last hurdle for me.  Thanks Mike Calligaro!

Behind the Times?:

Podcasting is hot. Everyone is into it. I wonder how long it will be until Microsoft comes up with tools to let PC users join in. Microsoft is trying to shed it’s slow-as-molasses big company image with advertising campaigns. It’s not working. Now Apple has introduced Photocasting, and where is Microsoft on that? Vodcasts, podcasts, and photocasts are now swirling around the globe and Microsoft doesn’t seem to notice. I don’t understand how they can still be in the game if they don’t pay attention to trends.
[continues…]

[Via The Unofficial Microsoft Weblog]

Okay, so even I don’t know WTF “photocasting” is.  Is this author referring to something like Flickr, or Smugmug (the service Alicea and I use)?  That’s what I’m gonig to assume this guy is talking about.

In which case … SO WHAT?  Does Microsoft have to play in every space that Apple does just to be vindicated?  Who says?  Where’s the business value in competing with a specialized online community portal that’s already doing a great job?  MS (traditionally – you can debate with MSN) isn’t about community, it’s about tools.  Besides, I’d rather see MS leverage existing portals/communities rather than build them.  Why do you think Google and Yahoo have been gobbling up Blogger, Flickr, etc.?

“Don’t pay attention to the trends?”  I’d say MS made the best play ever in acquiring, nurturing, and growing a service/community: Hotmail.

Here are some numbers: over 200 million Hotmail users versus perhaps 1 million Mac.com users.  [Note: MS makes Hotmail usage numbers available on their press page, where as Apple pretty much hides that kind of info].  Here’s an interesting excerpt from the article where I finally found the mac.com numbers:

“The other .Mac components … work nicely together, but don’t offer a rich online experience compared to what Yahoo is doing with social media and tagging or companies like 37signals are doing with Web applications.  Of course, software not somehow tied into the Macintosh platform isn’t of great interest to Apple.”

Yes, I used that headline to get eyeballs.  🙂  So I decided to check my hotmail account this afternoon and saw that I got a response from the Windows Live Mail Beta team.  Unfortunately I didn’t get accepted (yet), but the reason they give is really weird.  “Windows Live Mail beta isn’t available where [I] live.”

I mean, I know I live in the Cascade foothills about 25 miles east of Seattle, but does that really mean that I live in a location not supported by a global email platform?  Does Snoqualmie, WA have some sort of localized language for Hotmail that I’m not aware of?  Heh – and all these years I’ve been using US English!  🙂

If you’re in the Seattle area and are in the market for a new Honda I highly recommend Honda Auto Center of Bellevue.  We purchased a 2005 Accord Coupe from this dealer last fall and were impressed by the organization at every turn.  The service department rocks too – we got assigned to Jason Diaz.  Awesome!

Today I had the unfortunate pleaseure of needing to buy a new tire ASAP.  😦  I had to go pick up our daughter from daycare early because she’s got a little bit of a cold.  Then I also needed to stop by the Redmond Comcast office to get a digital converter for work.  When I pulled out of the Comcast lot I heard a thunk thunk thunk from a tire.  CRAP!  Just what I need, a sick kid in a sick car.

I got out and found a huge bolt sticking straight into the right-front tire.  At least it wasn’t flat (yet) and I wasn’t about to try to pull it out.  I’d guess it was a good 3/8” diameter shaft, and that was going to go flat quick.  So much for taking Kaitlyn home to let Alicea keep working.

I looked in my phone and found Jason’s number (I don’t have the main service line in my address book for some dumb reason).  I called Jason and he (luckily) was in and answered right away.  He remembered me and asked how he could help.  I explained the situation and he quickly identified they had a tire in stock and that they could squeeze me in right away.  Awesome!

Alicea showed up to the dealership just a few minutes after me and whisked Kaitlyn off to home and bed – boy does she need it.  I settled in to the waiting area and what to my wondering eyes does appear?  A little sign advertising free WiFi here!

Honda of Bellevue, you’ve got our business.

Update: Not only did the shop service my car quickly (and washed the outside … and vacuumed the inside) but they didn’t make me buy a new tire!  The tech was able to patch it – that’s right, a patch for a bolt.  Not a nail; a bolt.  I was prepared to buy a tire, and they knew that.  Most places I know would have sold me that tire.  So I went home having spent $55 instead of $190.  Sweet!

Chirac threatens nuclear weapons against ‘terrorist’ states (AFP):

AFP – President Jacques Chirac for the first time raised the threat of a nuclear strike on any state that launches “terrorist” attacks against France.

[Via Yahoo! News: Top Stories]

Just what we need.  Iran pissed off France and now France is saying that if there are any terrorist events aimed at them they’re bringing out the nukes?  Shit, and I thought the US used questionable foreign policy.

It is interesting, though, with this whole Iran thing of late to see England, France, and Germany taking the lead in pissing off Islamic states.  I don’t want to comment on the merits of their decisions, but at least the world can get ticked off at them instead of us for once.

Maybe we should sever diplomatic ties to more countries around the world so we can’t get involved!  Isolationism returns and the US is safer!

Yeah, I didn’t think that was going to happen.  🙂

“Our main consulting strategy is to convince clients that we do stuff they can’t do themselves, and that we deserve lots of money for it. The best way to do this is to always look good, and always sound like we know something you don’t. Because we do.”

Huh Corp – We do stuff

I used to work for a consulting firm, and this website pretty much sums it up!  🙂

Evolution Not Completely True?:

Yesterday I claimed in this blog “I will prove to you beyond all doubt that the theory of evolution is not completely true.”

About a third of you are reading this and thinking “Oh crap, not this boring topic again!” Another third are thinking “What stupid argument is this nut bag going to drag out now? We’ve seen it all.” And the remaining third are thinking “Let’s see how much trouble he can stir up with people who don’t realize he’s yanking their chains.”

I will put my argument in simple bullet points so that you may more easily follow.

1. Evolution is defined as the change in species over time. (Roughly speaking)

2. Einstein proved that time does not pass for an observer who is moving at the speed of light. It’s not just the observer’s perception; it’s his objective reality.

3. Therefore, evolution does not exist for an observer moving at the speed of light.

4. Although no people move at the speed of light, there is nothing special about our perspective except that it is ours.

5. Evolution is not true for all potential observers and therefore it is not completely true.

6. If something is not true for all observers, it is only a point of view.

My own definition of science is that it’s the search for what is useful. Evolution seems highly useful in terms of how we conceive the whole of biology, geology and whatnot. I’m all for it on the basis of usefulness. I’m even willing to call it a “fact” as we commonly use that term.

But I’d have to side with Einstein and say it’s not completely true.

[Update: Is it relevant to my point that no human can travel at the speed of light? Photons travel at the speed of light, and from their perspective there is no evolution.]

[Via The Dilbert Blog]

Stores paint ads on roofs for satellite map services.

Wow, this is pretty interesting.  Whoever thought of that is one smart marketing cookie.  I would imagine this will only work for big companies (cost) with a recognisable & simple logo that can be easily applied to a roof, and who’s retail roofs are big.  WalMart could paint their big smiley logo … just make sure you put the eyes on the north side since that’s the perspective these services use.  But I don’t think Home Depot could do it because their logo is all text.

BUT, what’s you’re ROI from that ad?  I mean that had to cost quite a bit to paint the roof of a whole Target store, including the roof-mounted equipment (air conditioners, etc.).  Is it worth it?

It is when you get picked up in the blogosphere!  And I’ll bet CNN and MSNBC pick this up as one of their fluff stories; they just report on whatever bloggers pick up these days anyway.  Sad.  Go be journalists.