Bill Gates Returns (almost)

Bill Gates is returning to Microsoft - albeit in an advisory mode, or... something like that.  When I heard that all I could do was wonder what took him so long.  Face it, 2013 was not a banner year for the corporation, in fact it seemed as though every month or so someone with Executive Status was shooting themselves in the foot.  I'm sure Mr. Gates was not at all pleased.  Take Windows.  That's his baby.  He was responsible for an operating system which was unbelievably popular because it worked well.  Windows 8 was loathed by many, including me.  It had been pre-installed on a newly purchased laptop.  I wrote about it back then.  Why someone would create an OS designed more for touch screens then anything else was something I just could not comprehend.  You can use a tablet to view reports, verify information, and send email... oh, and putz around on, but you can't use it for data entry.  Try writing a report on one and you'll realize how time expensive it is.  Windows 8 was so unpopular they tried to do an update and they cursed us with 8.1, which turns out to be just as crappy.  I'd heard it was turning so many Lenovo tablets into expensive paperweights they stopped installing it. I don't know who the pudding brains were who thought Windows 8 and 8.1 were good ideas, but I do suspect they are now working in the mail room.

Almost back in the saddle again

Then there was the Xbox One, which was going down like the Titanic until Microsoft started caving in.  This was really a WTF moment in history.  They forgot that the Xbox was designed for video games.  What Microsoft did, in fact, was drop a shit bomb on gamers and try to turn the Xbox into a "Media Center."  They did this because they made too many assumptions about the Kinect.  You see, they sold a shit load, and as a result some jelly brain at Microsoft thought just about every family room in America had a Kinect attached to an Xbox.  What this jelly brain didn't realize was that he was, in actuality, having a brain fart.  You see, a lot of those Kinects they sold were in kid's bedrooms.  I'm not a kid and I bought one, not so I could do the Zumba, but rather to yell commands while playing Skyrim and Mass Effect 3.  The issues kept rolling out and Microsoft started backpedaling because they had no other choice and that made them look dumb as bricks.

I think Bill Gates is coming back, even in a limited capacity, because in 2013 Microsoft failed in a big way.  They failed to understand the needs of their customer base, and not just their needs, often their basic requirements.  To be a successful corporation in today's world you need to fulfill your customer's expectations.  You need to keep your base happy, because they will turn on you in the blink of an eye and the whole world will know how much they disapprove.

Microsoft, vampires extraordinaire

There's a lot of what I call hubba bubba going on right now about the NSA and its information gathering techniques.  Some groups are shrieking "No. No. No."  Others are more willowy saying "this is what it takes to keep the country safe."  Many are trying to find out as much about Edward Snowden as possible, curious as to why such an unimposing figure might attempt to raise himself to such a level of notoriety.  Too many do not understand by pointing the finger at the Federal Government he has taken it off of the real culprits.  All of the media giants have released statements noting all of the times the NSA has gone to them asking for data.  Wait a minute.  If the Government is spying on American citizens, why does it need to go to Apple, and Yahoo, and Verizon, and Comcast, and Microsoft to get information.  Surely the all powerful government would have that data clenched tightly in its palms.  But that doesn't seem to be the case, does it?  What Edward Snowden did was demonize the NSA  and turn the media giants into victims: poor Apple, poor Yahoo, pure bullshit.  Think about who truly is gathering information about you and your loved ones every time you text or email.  Just think, Edward Snowden might be nothing more then a dupe, a foil, a red herring in the mystery of intelligence gathering.

A dork in the tunnel of information

Who is the real culprit?  The media giants, they are the real players in this game.  If you have bundled your Internet, Cable and Phone service through Verizon, think of all of the data you are supplying to them daily. The same is true with Comcast.  Right now Microsoft is trying to burrow its way into private lives like no other entity in history with the Xbox One.  Just think, it comes with a Kinect, you know, that little device with a built in camera and microphone.  Sure, they have tried to temper fears saying you can pause the Kinect if you want, but how many are going to remember to do that?  Supposedly, when the console is turned off, it's only listening for the command, "xbox on."  So, how many three year-olds are going to walk into a room and say those words without Mommy or Daddy knowing.  Think about it, Microsoft is really trying to be Big Brother.  You know what they say about vampires?  They can't come into your house unless you invite them in.  Guess who's out to suck the blood of your privacy?