WOT'S...UH, THE DEAL [Microsoft]?

Having been both a PC and a Mac owner throughout my life as a computer user, I feel comfortable stating that while Microsoft is slipping into the world of redundancy in my life, I feel that it will continue to be a relevant and necessary information systems company in the future (although, they will likely no longer be the pioneers they once were). Let’s get one thing clear (here is my disclaimer): I am not a technologically savvy person and I am basing my opinion solely on my personal preference (as this is an opinion piece after all).

It seems to me that one way to analyze where Microsoft is today is by looking at where it isn’t. Microsoft has a bunch of “enemies,” if you will. The 3 major competitors (apart from itself) that first come to mind are Apple, Google and Oracle. From my perspective, it seems that all these companies managed to fulfill a want in the eye of the consumer, and masked it as a need by comparing it to the inefficiencies of Microsoft. Apple offers design innovation and user-friendly technology. During it’s rebirth, it positioned itself as the computer for the digital artist, making itself the go to system for people in advertising, sales, marketing, film, television, art, music etc. With the right, cutting edge, hip and loyal clientele, the image of the company changed. Mac, the iPod and the iPhone are revolutionary not only for the technology they offer and how they serve as a highway of information (because, at the end of the day, that’s what they really are), but also because they allow the consumer to assume an image by simply owning the product. Similarly, Google has positioned itself as this hip, young, encyclopedic appendix that somehow provides products to its users way before we even realized we wanted them. I use google for everything from email, maps, photos (ha, yes, you can’t see my photos on facebook but you can see them on Picasa…why I seem to trust them more is a mystery), rss reader, work groups, and calendar. When google comes up with their 4Square, I will likely actually try it out as well (I switched from AIM to Gchat seamlessly so the argument that people don’t like switching programs is still yet to conclude in my mind). And, finally, Oracle seems to be the way of the future. I don’t know enough about Oracle and the products but I do know that they are a force with which to be reckoned both in software and in their vision for information storage and, maybe more importantly, information sharing and distribution. With regards to Oracle, cloudware appears to be the thing on which to focus (of course, don’t stare too long…haha, get it? Clouds? Sun? Don’t stare? Not funny? OK…). Clearly a useful tool for businesses, if marketed correctly, cloudware will be what allows us to maximize our autonomy and mobility, reducing friction and increasing efficiency. The key here is how it helps laymen like me (and not just big companies). Like Apple and Google, Oracle will have to make this useful for the people in order to make it succeed and, thus far, it looks to be going in that direction.

Of course, this isn’t about the above 3 competitors. But what do they tell us about why can’t Microsoft keep up? Or, are they keeping up and I’m the idiot who just can’t tell? It’s hard to say from my perspective. It seems to me that Microsoft just isn’t as interesting any more. The value they bring to the market is the same as the value they brought before. Unfortunately, other companies have managed to bring more new value in the last few years, pushing Microsoft from the helm of innovation into a world of predictability. There are the key products upon which we still rely (and will continue to rely for a few more years) but the new products and services they offer are never eye-catching (I’ve never once stopped to look at Bing). I wanted to say that Microsoft lacks interesting innovation, but then I saw this TED talk (because I love all the TED talks) and it has definitely shown me that Microsoft is actually very innovative and just really bad at letting people know:

Blaise Aguera y Arcas demos augmented-reality maps | Video on TED.com

Their inability to communicate their interesting and innovative strides in technology, coupled with the security issues encountered by users has led to a loss of trust in the consumer and, therefore, a shift in loyalty from good ol’ Microsoft to any of the above competitors.

Another interesting project Microsoft is taking on is palm reading. I read in Wired Magazine that Microsoft is shifting into the world of predicting the future by monitoring the actions and habits of individuals. Thus far, this doesn’t seem all that unusual (google and amazon are only two examples that successfully target their market by doing the same thing). Instead of using the information to further sales, however, they will use it to predict the future. Exactly what they plan on doing with the predictions seems a bit unclear. Although, the benefit of such information and statistics is, obviously, extremely useful and a very powerful source to control. It will be interesting to see exactly where this new business approach will lead and what it will do to the Microsoft business model. I have a feeling that Microsoft will stick around, just not as we know it today.

So, Wot’s…uh the deal, Microsoft? Pink Floyd asked this pertinent and ever relevant question on their Obscured by Clouds album in 1972 which I, in turn, would like to pose to Gates. There’s a lot of pressure if you’re the “man on the outside looking in” trying to “turn my land into gold” as you are “growing old,” and you “try to keep up with the turning of the wheel. Mile after mile, stone after stone…you’re on your own.” And can Microsoft maintain their position on the outside? Or do they fall in and become the “man on the inside looking out” shouting “what’s the news and where you been?” since “there’s no wind left in [their] soul and [they’ve] grown old?” Well, I’m pretty sure that the song is not about Microsoft. In my opinion, they were their own competitors and isolated themselves in a way in which now it seems the albatross may be on its way and they are doomed to drown their dinosaur ship. There are lifeboats on board, however. So which one will they take? And will it save them? It’ll be interesting to watch….

What is Foursquare?!

It is no secret that I have a slight dislike for numbers. It may be a dislike based in fear. Or maybe just a dislike built from a relationship with tumultuous history. Or maybe I just love them so much that I hate them because I can’t master something I love that much. Either way, when we were told to look into Foursquare, join it and write about it I had a slight visceral reaction. To be fair, the site never had a chance with me. You put a number in your title and I turn a blind eye. Throw in a mathematical term like “square,” “logarithm” or, I don’t know, “addition,” then you may as well stop wasting your money trying to reach a potential customer like me because you’ve officially been tucked (and chained) away into the Hades of my brain. It’s like when your parents are selectively def to you only I do it with numbers. On top of that, I hate signing up for things online and having yet another account on another website that asks for another log in with another password that has to have another set of random numbers at the end of it and that asks me to type in the stupid random letters in the fishbowl view because, somehow, typing those letters means something. And, hey. Maybe it does. In which case, I welcome enlightenment and will happily include them every time someone tries to read my posts or when my professors need to open my assignments or when anyone opens my emails. Because, if it’s that important, then shouldn’t we all just instigate it?!

(NB – for all non-school readers, the rest of this may prove to be boring…or you may learn something that you feel like posing to your boss as some brilliant outlet for viral marketing or digital distribution or something)

Anyway, I’m digressing. Back to Foursquare. The business model is simple and, thus far, seemingly effective. Launched in 2009, Foursquare claims already to have more than 2 million users. If nothing else, Foursquare is a social networking tool used to disburse and take in information. There are 3 ways to be a Foursquare user: the person posting, the person reading and the company being referenced. As the poster, every time you go to a location and you want your friends to know where you are, you simply mark it on your Foursquare account. On the flipside, if I’m supposed to meet a friend and he says “Starbucks on 82nd Street” but there happen to be 2 Starbucks on 82nd street directly across the street from each other (since one of them is in Barnes and Noble*), then I could log into my Foursquare account and narrow down in which Starbucks he’s waiting. Thankfully, you don’t have to disclose your location to everyone (because, Jose Ramon, like you, I like my privacy too). As is evident by my example, there is the automatic benefit to Starbucks, our 3rd user.

Foursquare makes itself a bit more interesting through this gaming badge thing program that it runs. The way it works is that every time you check in somewhere, you gain points. Eventually, if you check in to a specific type of place enough you will receive a badge. They had a recent issue with their “douchebag badge.” It seems that if you went to Barney’s enough, you ran the risk of getting the douchebag badge. I find this hysterical for two reason: first of all, I actually love Barney’s so it’s funny that I’m on my way to douchebag-dom, and second of all, I love that Foursquare seems to blindly be digging it’s own grave. Or, do they think that all publicity is good publicity? Because, I'm not so sure that I agree. Also, if you check in to the same place more than once, you can be awarded the “mayor” title. Certain restaurants are actually doing mayor specials. Foursquare will even keep tabs on your activities and can draw up stats on your activities and where you check in so you can see your general habits. As of now, apart from being interesting to read about these offers, there is nothing about the badging mayoral system that seems enticing.

The final activity Foursquare offers, and the only one which seems semi-useful to a laymen user, is the navigator type tool that helps you discover the ins and outs of the city which you’re in. If you are on your phone (and that phone happens to have GPS), Foursquare will use the GPS to track where you are and recommend local bars, restaurants, shops around you. It presents you with tips from fellow users about that location. This is where their corporate partnerships mainly come in. They have deals with Zagats, Bravo, Lucky Magazine, and Harvard, to mention a few. Their partnerships allow for greater streaming of information to users and an increase of exposure to clientele for the companies. On top of that, the gps (and even the badging bit) is a passive form of viral advertising, allowing users to think the site is about them even though it’s really about generating profit for the companies. This aspect of the model is definitely worth exploring and dissecting to see how it can be applied in other industries.

Yelp, MyTown, Loopt, and Gowalla, (Google and Facebook are not far behind) all provide similar check-in services. So, who will win? Well, I can’t say but I’m pretty sure it will be whichever site your 14 year old niece/cousin/sister/neighbor and all of her friends prefer. Foursquare has already been referenced on Gossip Girl, giving them a nice step up amongst the tween community on the east coast (GG isn’t so popular out west).

One commendable thing about Foursquare is its success in making itself available to all users, no matter their mac, pc or smart phone preference. Apart from being easy to access by the users (which, interestingly enough, is parallel to their mission for their users to have easy access to each other), the ability to be located on a map visible to your friends, receive badges and become a mayor serve as the 3 major reasons why I wouldn’t join Foursquare. First of all, I don’t want to be found most of the time. Being connected to your network and being able to found by them are very different things. The idea of badges seems dumb to me. Becoming the mayor of a specific location is equally as silly. The main attributes seem to be the user sponsorship of certain locations, the user commentary on those locations and the development of corporate partnerships. The potential of this kind of a site seems to have barely been tapped since, as of now, this online playpen is only populated by the clientele. As soon as the little white rabbit in every company pops up with their clock reminding their corporate headquarters that they’re running quite behind and very late, I’m assuming they will jump in and begin a somewhat ethereal online promoting, cross-marketing, information streaming Wonderland frenzy. I really do envision this like a sandbox in Times Square.

So, am I sold on this site? Honestly, no. Obviously not. Foursquare seems to be scratching the surface of the future. It's a nice tease for what's to come but it seems to be more of an interim-fad geared very well for user #1 & 2 and a good instrument for experimentation for companies trying to figure out how maximize use of the internet and generate profit from it. Although I will not pretend to know what the future will have in stock for us, it won't, in my opinion, be about looking at a screen to see where we are all checking in...since, the screen is kind of what seems to be holding us back a bit. 

I must say, however, that I am very happy to have even looked into Foursquare and had the opportunity to decide that it wasn't for me...it's something I would have never done sans Dans (haha, it rhymes...I know, I'm a dork).  In the end, however, if it had a little more Ferris Bueller and a little less douchey-ness, I would be more driven to explore the site a bit more. Apart from that, however, I’m pretty happy without Foursquare in my life as I wait for the actual next big thing. It’s shocking, I know.

*By the way, the two Starbucks are actually not across the street from each other. One is on 81st and the other is on 82nd street. But you get the point…

INCEPTION TRAILER

I'm sorry but this Inception Trailer looks AMAZING


 And, who doesn't love a dream plot line? I mean, if it goes well then it's amazing and if it goes poorly then you can always just blame the dream plot to be a challenge and at least they gave it a good shot. Not to mention the effects and the cast. Cillian Murphy is by far one of my favorite actors. I would pretty much go see this movie for him and not for anyone else in it.

Sarah Palin says America is a Christian Nation on Bill O'Reilly

I can't believe I just wasted 5 minutes watching this...is this seriously an argument in which Sarah Palin feels like engaging? Clearly she's going full force ahead and making this her niche subject of sorts. If I were she, however, I would watch out. The Free Masons will probably pop up any second arguing that the constitution was, in fact, based on their ideology and not on the bible...I love the history channel. I learn so much from them and then lose all my brain cells after watching the following...

Jon Stewart (and Aasif), I love you

OK, since I'm an idiot and have no clue how to get a video image on to this blog, here is a clip from The Daily Show from this week that I loved:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-april-22-2010/wham-o-moves-to-america

A Poison Tree

I have a new enemy.  Her name is Sallie Mae.  Or maybe it’s not Sallie Mae. Maybe it’s the IE administration.  In the past few months, Sallie Mae and IE have come together in my life and given birth to my loan.  And for the money, I am grateful. Seriously and truly.  But, the road to get it resembled the traffic jam scene in WEEKEND (Godard) and the road to pay it off will surely be arduous.

How deceiving can a name be? Sallie Mae is possibly one of the friendlier names.  For me, just thinking of the name triggers images of southern belles and sipping delicious iced tea on a hot summer day sitting on the porch of their mansion, looking out onto their Terra-esque estate...as they grip the leather handle on their whips while monitoring the slaves toiling away on their property. So, I guess a name is not deceiving so much as our associations are ever-changing if, in this case, Sallie Mae is starting to make me think of the confederate south, white supremacists, and the kkk as they force me to pay back my loan while I'm in school at a whopping rate of 10% which, in my eyes, resembles extortion.

It’s not hard to believe that an organization to whom I would be in debt would be an enemy. It’s also not fair to abhor an organization who lends me money as they are, on the surface, helping me.  Loans are a common evil so it’s not the loan that makes me angry and it’s not the loan itself that is my enemy. So, I guess I should clarify and say that Sallie Mae is an enemy in my life only when seen in relation to IE.  

Which brings us to IE.  Along the same lines, it’s not hard to believe that a student would be frustrated with their school’s administration. I mean, has anyone attended a school where all their administrative deals have gone smoothly? In this case, I am mad at the school for the type of loan they have assigned to American students and on how difficult they make it to get a clear and descriptive answer from anyone in the administrative offices. 

I just spent the past week in Launch classes which have forced us to evaluate ourselves and the world around us, and have given us a small peek into worlds to which we may never have been introduced in the past. One major point that was stressed in our commencement and then hammered home during launch is the idea that we cannot change the world but we can change ourselves and, in doing so, can effect the world (in the long run). So, what they basically said was get over seeing yourself as the person who knows everything and is doing everything the optimal way. Change yourself, adapt, make yourself malleable in a way in which you are yourself and confident in your knowledge but open to expanding your cultural IQ and receiving thoughts and ideas from the world around us, thinking outside the box and implementing your multi-fasceted skills in global business. Even seeing how the classes themselves related to business was, at times, tricky but clearly the point wasn't how does A relate to B.  You would think that the school would at least try to be a reflection of the message they are disseminating or maybe even try to serve as an example of how a good business is run (it is an mba program, after all, and within the top 10 in the world).  I think you see where I'm going with this (n.b. - just imagine the aforementioned traffic jam scene). The professors have been amazing thus far, the executive administrative staff has been nothing but supportive and unbelievably catering to the students.  A few of the other people with whom I've dealt (outside of the student office, b/c they are superb) have left more than just some things to be desired.

So, I’m not going to sit here and complain anymore about this. Instead, I’m going to share a poem I read in high school that slightly resembles how I feel (only the end bit is a bit extreme…just remember this is William Blake and this is poetry so let go a bit as you read):

A Poison Tree

by William Blake

I was angry with my friend;

I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

I was angry with my foe:

I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I waterd it in fears,

Night & morning with my tears:

And I sunned it with smiles,

And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,

Till it bore an apple bright.

And my foe beheld it shine,

And he knew that it was mine.

And into my garden stole.

When the night had veiled the pole;

In the morning glad I see,

My foe outstretchd beneath the tree

On another note, I went to the German supermarket yesterday and found walnuts from Trader Joe's!  This seriously turned my day around yesterday.  For those of you who don't know, Trader Joe's is actually owned by a German company (sorry to burst your bubbles; I liked the idea of their being a trader named Joe somewhere in California too).  Also, classes officially start this week.  Eek!

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Police Station

I encountered the most interesting array of musicians in and on the metro today. 

It’s 7 AM and I’m on my way to the police station to get my ID card.  Although I tried to make an appointment ahead of time to get the card, I was told you need an ID card issued by the state in order to get an ID card, even if you’ve never had an ID card before.  How this makes sense is a mystery.  I don’t think anyone actually sees the logic in this. Instead, I think it’s the Spaniards’ way of forcing an inordinate amount of people to go to the police station and help keep the people at the station employed by giving them a constant flow of too much work to do.  Anyway, back to the metro…

The metro ride started off as all my metro rides start, with my metro card being rejected.  Turns out that everything with a magnetic strip in this country is demagnetized when exposed to a magnet.  So, my Spanish ATM card, my health insurance card and my metro card can no longer be placed in my wallet because they immediately become defunct thanks to the magnets on the flap. So, after reciting my normal seemingly scripted lines to the attendant, I finally am granted a new metro card.  Without further delay, I am back en route through the maze that is the metro station by my flat.  As I go down the first set of escalators, the first few notes of a song I think I recognize start to trickle into my ears.  Very melodic and with quite the orchestral back up, I initially think this performer is about to break out into the Avatar song by Leona Lewis. But then, it takes a sudden turn and I realize that, no no, wrong James Cameron movie.  It’s actually the Celine Dion song from Titanic sung by a raspy and more pastel voice that sounds almost like it belongs in a hotel lounge at 3 AM.  As the escalator approaches the ground, I look up from my book (yes, I walk and read…what?) only to see that it’s a 5’5, north African dude with dreads, in jeans and a tee shirt whose heart is about to go on as he loses all his fear because we’re here.  Hmm, fascinating.  And he has 2 speakers, a cd player and is belting his smoker’s whispers into a microphone.  But, I keep walking because there are still 2 more escalator rides to go and a few more hallways to plow through.

The next downward journey is a bit different.  This time, it’s The Streets of Philadelphia by Bruce Springstein. Ugh, what a tear jerker.  And this guys sounds just like Boss.  Every time I hear the song, I think of Tom Hanks and that amazing loft in which he lived with Antonio Banderas and I want to cry.  Not because of the loft. Obviously. It’s possible they didn’t even live in a loft but I do remember a scene in the film that involves a party at a loft/apartment.  Anyway, reading, at this point, is not happening.  I put away my book and look forward to reaching the bottom so I can see this brilliant vocalist who should be doing Springstein covers all the time.  First I see two greyed sneakers, followed by light blue jeans bunched at the ankles.  His legs are bent. Clearly this dude is sitting…and he’s sitting in what now appears to be a beach chair.  And, we’re getting close to his face and…oh.  What? Hold on.  Yes.  This is happening.  It’s just a white dude sitting in a chair playing a Bruce Springstein cd with a guitar case in front of him and no visible guitar around.  He is making absolutely no effort to pretend to be performing. Apart from highlighting his talent in plugging in his cd player to speakers and being capable of picking a good cd, this guy has brilliantly marketed himself as the most amazing sitter in the subway station with an exceptional ability to resist performing at all costs and still making a few coins here and there.  Why are people giving him money?  I really, truly, have no idea.   I mean, he’s funnier than a lot of stand up comedians I’ve seen and he’s doing nothing so even I would give him money if only for a good inside laugh he provided as I marched deeper into the dungeons of the metro station.

The rest of my journey to the train itself was uninterrupted.  It was a short wait until my train arrived and, at this hour, there are plenty of seats.  I pull out my book, get through another page when suddenly more music pours out of a speaker just like Mr. Dion’s.  Seriously? It’s 7:13.  Is this the magic music hour I had never heard of? This speaker, unlike the last few, is strapped to a luggage pulley thing and is being pulled by a real gem of a woman who is a cross between Olive (Popeye’s girl) and Kristen Schaal (Flight of the Conchords). She is wearing flowery tapered khakis, red sailor shoes and a flower embroidered top with poufy sleeves.  Unlike our first two “musicians,” she is truly belting into her microphone.  And, she is belting Edith Piaf, with no regrets whatsoever.  And, she doesn’t appear to be asking for any money. Because she didn’t stop once and she didn’t have a change cup anywhere.  So, either she actually fancied herself as the reincarnation of Edith Piaf or she was on the search for a record deal in the country with the 2^nd largest pirating problem in the world at 7:15 in the morning.

And you might be asking how this happened all in one day.  That’s a very very good question to which I don’t have an answer.  I just hope I haven’t exhausted the number of interesting encounters allotted to me in my genesis.

Also, I got rejected from the police station so now I have to go back tomorrow. Super.