Crap, why didn't I think of that?

via Gil

could we have your money... please?

I guess Microsoft thinks that MSN is something people would pay for - even if they already have an ISP.

With such outstanding features as "Conquer your phobias", "Avoid a hellish commute", and "OK to haggle with doc?" I know I would... sign me up for a subscription today!

This looks like Bill's crass attempt at getting back some of the lunch money he had taken from him in grammar school and high school.

Japanese PC Error Messages

In Japan, they have replaced the impersonal and unhelpful Microsoft error messages with their own Japanese Haiku poetry, each only 17 syllables, five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, five in the third ...

Stay the patient course. Of little worth is your ire. The network is down.

via My Brother Neal

Thanks, Bill!

Xbox (Microsoft's answer to PS2), was of course one of the "hot" gifts this season. Lisa's brother (and house 8 frequenter; Hi Jim!) Jim got one from his brother, Arn, for Christmas. I don't know about the other titles for this system, but Halo is a pretty damn cool game.

However, in yet another of its now patented "Screw You Mindless Consumer!"^TM moves, Microsoft requires you to purchase a silly little adapter and a remote to play DVDs on the darned thing. WHAT?!?

According to Microsoft:
TheXbox DVD Movie Playback Kit is a quick way to expand the functionality of the best gaming machine around! Xbox requires this kit to enable DVD movie playback. Simply plug in the infrared receiver to a controller port and use the remote control designed for DVD movie playback. No messy cables or confusing game controllers to deal with!

Well thank Kee-rist for that! What on EARTH would the mere recreational, or even serious, gamer do if they had to contend with "messy cables" or "confusing controllers" to play a movie. (Have you seen the Xbox controller? They're willing to admit that their controller is "confusing" in order to sell you more crap.) A much better solution is obvious: You part with $30 to buy an infrared doohickey and an otherwise useless remote just so you can have the $300 machine do what it's already capable of.

Suddenly Everything Sucks

Hah!

via Scripting News

Windows RG

Introducing Widows RG -- Real Good edition. A nice mockery of the microsoft windows operating system.

The Death of TCP/IP

This is the second article I've read warning of the dangers of raw TCP/IP sockets in the upcoming release of Windows XP. (Yes, I know, not very sexy...)

Even more disturbing than the thought of a near constant barrage of Windows Outlook viruses (or more importantly, the result of idiots that open them) is Cringely's conspiracy theories behind why Micro$oft would allow such access. Guh.

via Mr. Barrett

Much Ado About Smart Tags

Chris Kaminski provides the most complete and well documented report on Smart Tags to date. After reading this, there is no doubt in my mind that this is most definitely a case of technology gone horribly wrong.

There's already something devised to provide your audience with context, further information and assistance. It's called a hyperlink. Beyond that, there are companies, products and methods for providing these same things outside of a web environment. With Smart Tags, Microsoft is attempting to implement a 30 pound sledgehammer solution to a "problem" (read: "another opportunity to incorporate their smug asses into everyone's life.") I'm fairly certain they'll get away with it, too. And then they will have added yet another layer of complexity onto an already daunting (for many people) and very powerful communication technology, without bothering to really ask anyone.

Fuckers.