Digital Living

In The Spirit Of The Olympics ...

Citius, Altius, Fortius.

In the spirit of the Olympics, Singapore Airline will fly its Airbus A380 on one of its three daily flights between Singapore and Beijing in the first week of August.

The flight is intended to meet the higher demand during the 2008 Summer Olympics Games in the Chinese capital. The A380 will operate daily on SQ802 and SQ805 from Saturday, 2 August to Friday, 8 August. The flight will revert to the normal scheduled 777 aircraft after.

• Singapore Airlines is the first in the world to receive and operate (hence: the "earliest" to receive) the world’s largest passenger aircraft, the A380. I guess this is the CITIUS spirit of it.

• Definitely it will be flying in high altitude. Hence ALTIUS ? :-)

• And definitely it is the world's largest passenger aircraft in the world. FORTIUS ?? :-) :-) :-)

Fascinating to see how in modern era, citius, altius, fortius could have different meaning. :-)

Happy Olympic games! :-P

Microsoft Start Defending Vista

Microsoft start defending Vista. They have taken various "route" to make Vista truly "successful":

• Forcing hardware vendor to adopt Vista.
• Terminating Windows XP (as of June 30).
• Allowing people to buy Vista yet downgrade to XP if necessary.

Now, claimed their site:

• They are "humbled" by the fact that millions of users are adopting and VERY HAPPY with Vista.
• They are proud that NY Times raved "Windows Vista is beautiful".

This is exactly the kind of self-narcissism and typical self-lie crazy moves that is so "Ballmerian" by nature.

In the past, Microsoft never have to justify such claim at all. Microsoft products are simply works. Backward compatibility was just simply excellent. Bloated memory and slowness is rare.

I still remember:

• When IBM claimed OS/2 as the "next GUI based OS", Microsoft humbly simply say: "Windows is the GUI for DOS", the "next step" before transition to "OS/2". No arrogance attached.
• When DOS is being upgraded from version to version, Microsoft backward compatibility is always awesomely great. No "self-proclaim" necessary.

But that was the posture of OUR beloved Microsoft in the 80s, and early 90s.

Now, under Ballmer, Microsoft is trying to "pose a picture" that no matter how louzy, slow, photo-copying MacOSX everywhere, and bloated their software was, it is still a defacto standard and a "great" winning product that people (and the industry) will (or must?) consume and "adopt". People will "swallow" it anyway; by "trick" and "force" if necessary.

Microsoft becomes a tricky dinosauric "sales company", start loosing the strategic, competitive, innovative engineering root that makes it a great, competitive, fascinating, loveable "underdog" company in the past.

Intrinsicly, Ballmer is a perhaps "narcissist salesman", Bill Gates is a "budding entrepreneur". The difference in their inner-value system and leadership-style matters:

• Ballmer loves interpreting/justifiying number the way "he like", Gates loves creating a great,  winning product that win programmer's, industry's and market's heart.

• Ballmer is arrogant. Gates is working, supporting, collaborating, dominating (and competing at the same time) with everybody.

Being humble (a.k.a no arrogance) perhaps was one of the greatest "secret sauce" behind Microsoft greatness in the past. Microsoft never claim something in the past, they just passionately and systematically do. And over deliver it each time. As a consequences: People simply love (and truly passionate) working with Microsoft at that time.

These totally change during Ballmer reign and leadership.

There was a time when Microsoft was a really great loveable company. Everybody love building things on Microsoft platform. We understand Microsoft "internal" cause, competitive stand and  attitude as a company towards the growth and longevity of the "young" PC industry. We were passionate about their cause so much, perhaps as much as we understand and passionate about the  internal working of DOS's B800:0000, INT 21, FAT, and Windows WM_ event-driven messages at that time.

As such:

• We all simply truly passionate about the leading-yet-underdog Microsoft at that time. No need to for Microsoft to hopelessly shout "Developer, Developer, Developer ..." (like Ballmer strangely "does" these days), because developers indeed loves Microsoft at that time. We are all unified behind this great "vision" to make PC a truly great machine that contribute and dominates the computing industry.

• No need for Microsoft to do the "stupid, silly ugly, nerve wrecking, embarrassing" Ballmerian-monkey-dance act -- like what happen recently (which shocked and embarrassed everybody that supported and loved Microsoft in the past) as it resembles nothing about what Microsoft value system is all about.

Everybody in the past loves Microsoft for what it does and stands-for (a.k.a innovating the humble, simplicistic yet fascinating and fastly growing PC industry).

No need for stupid, silly, strange, embarrassing "monkey dance" act to "justify" all that. Great product justify itself. Great company speaks with less arrogance. All things are just naturally happen greatly, in a natural, fun, fascinating, "humbler" yet consistently magical way that was "truly Microsoft's".

Now -- under Ballmer -- Microsoft is just another Redmond company. A narcist to its greatest degree. Something we love to fight back.

Book I Don't Want To Read

I recently found a book that I don't want to read: "Microsoft 2.0 -- Microsoft post Gates era".

What's the fun of reading about Microsoft post Gates era? The early indication have shown that after Bill Gates no longer incharge as CEO, Microsoft execution is messed-up, very slow and totally lauzy.

Bill Gates -- in many ways -- is inseparable part of what makes Microsoft a truly dynamic, respectable, fun and exciting company. Under Gates leadership, it becomes a brand, a product and an unbeatable legend that people come to love, respect and admire.

Post gates era, Microsoft just becomes a company. A "nice food potpourri" ... but with no salt.

Firefox Sets A New Guiness-Book World Record As The Most Downloaded New Released Software!

The formal announcement is not yet made, but the official is now preparing to announce Firefox as the most downloaded new-release software on the internet.

We always believe in the power of the people. The magical act of people doing things together.

But the way they do it is really really awesome. How they come up with an idea that makes people around the world do something great and really excellent together is really really awesome.

And -- at the end -- the way they let everybody that is involved to keep a "token-of-rememberance" of such world-scale accomplishment is really really wonderful. Truly wonderful too. This is how they did it:

People around the world. We can create truly magical things together.

Truly awesome!!

ps: I'm waiting for my "banner" too :-) Such would be really really awesome to keep and remember. :-) :-) :-) Once, in a lifetime occassion. :-)

XOXO Laptop Comes With Design Concept That Is NOT So-So

Information start to spreads that XO computer version 2 is in the making. Being called XOXO laptop, it takes a form of a cool tablet, and makes many different chores of children-related-activities more attractive and intuitive to do.

Take a look at the XOXO new design form factor, and the innovative usage possibilities that such new form factor brings:

Pretty cool stuff. The design and the concept is just awesomely wonderful.

I just wonder for these to really happen, the closed-source Windows XP would still fit the bill, or would the fully customizable open-source Linux OS would fit better.

For this to happen, Mr. Negroponte might need to relook at his Windows XP adoption strategy once more. If a wrong choice is made, the XOXO laptop concept might look good in concept, but become total failure in its real implementation.

We'll see how the future goes.

Palm Centro Smartphone: Low End Alternative For Business Mobility?

While Palm positioned Palm Centro as the most affordable smartphone device to allow people to keep in touch through phone, text, email or web, it's potential seem to be beyond just for "fun" stuff.

Looking at the spec, this device seem to have tremendous potential to become the portable "mobile working device" that also -- at the same time -- is the most affordable too.

With a price that is reportedly could be as low as $99.99 (with 2 years data plan -- in the U.S), surely this device is a great bargain. Everybody can now get connected and work anytime anywhere, as long as network and wireless GSM GPRS/EDGE or CDMA 2000 connectivity is available.

Unfortunately it doesn't come with a Wifi (yet). But seems it got alot of great potential to be a superb great device someday in the future, especially if it can keep the simplicity (and intuitiveness) of its Palm OS, and if it can keep the responsive speedy feel of the application performance.

If Palm can also give its OS a modern skin appeal -- so this easy, stable, fast, responsive and simple to use OS and software platform doesn't look very tired, boring, and old, as how it looks today -- then its relevance and popularity might increase back even more. After all, beyond skin look and feel, people do  love speedy response, intuitive - easy to use - interface, workable keyboard, as well as very stable OS.

Let's take a look at the latest Palm screen, and feel again its directness, speed and simplicity that is still uniquely differentiate Palm from its competitor. Then later on let's imagine how would it all feel so great, if a modern skin interface can be applied on top of that!

If such "skin upgrade" can be done, I feel the whole usage and interaction experience would be wonderful and great.

We look forward for a greater future at the Palm camp. After all, they are the one that pioneer the "palm" and mobile computing industry.

If they can get their OS' skin improved to current modern age, and if they can get their device form factor to become as sleek as their "Palm V" once had been, I feel the future at Palm could be as wonderful and as great again as it used to be.

We will see how the future goes. I do really hope they would get their mojo back very very soon -- before everything becomes way way too late.

This TV Has A Browser Built In!

This might be a beginning of something important in the future:

A new generation of TV (from Sharp) now has a browser built-in. The announcement said that this device had a LAN connectivity and a built-in browser, hence at anytime we would like to switch from "viewing" mode to "browsing" mode, we can do that without having to switch to our computer.

I wonder whether this means that with this "Browser TV" we would be able to run YouTube also or not. If we can, then it will be really great. We then can start to experience "personalized TV" on our "everyday TV"!. For example:

• We can turn on our "daily TV" everyday for "normal mass-aired-program", but when stuff start to get boring, we can switch to our own "personalized" TV (for example by turning on YouTube, and other personalized web stuff), and enjoy our own personalized channel broadcast and programming.

• When we saw something interesting about product, or event that is currently happening, we can then turn on the "browser mode" as well, hence we can start to see various related information about that subject -- news, information, pdf, presentation, youtube, blogs, people commentary, etc -- right on the same screen, on our TV!!! Even we can chat with our friends live about that subject (that we saw on TV) and hear their opinions about it ... around the world!!

• May be someday we can also "tag" this TV? For example, when we saw a great program, product or advertisement, we can "tag" that content, store it as a "bookmark" in our browser, and then forward it to our friend as recommendation. We can say: "John, do take a look at this product and program, it looks fun!". Or we can also say: "Have you seen the new spiderman movie, I saw the advertising and video clip recently here". (And then the TV will display the video clip on when people click on the "here" link).

This brings personalized content richness and bi-directional interaction capabilities of the web, with the powerful event trigger capabilities of the "traditional mass TV" together.

• Such will have great influence on how we (consumers) consume media, and how branding, marketing and TV-programming would be done in the future.

• Such also will bring new tremendous power we never seen possible before, and open up totally new possibilities of how we (mass consumer) would see, think, feel, and experience TV in the future.

I guess it's a start of many more great "social interactivity design" and "personalized media consumption" things to come.

What a fascinating possibilities!!

Mac vs Windows -- Which To Take?

There's an article published on the CIO magazine mentioning about "5 reasons to say yes to macs, when your company says no".

While overall, the article highlight fair and argumentative argument about the pros and cons of the Mac vs. Windows machine, it is interesting to hear -- at the end of the article -- the CIO mention that he is more worry about where he is going rather than "the car" (e.g. the machine) he is driving.

While that last statement might sound smart and true, I think in reality it is probably not.

To be able to "travel somewhere" and reach the "destination" one wants to be, some things need to be considered carefully:

• You have to know for sure that the "car" that you are driving are well equipped for the journey that you are going to travel to.

• You have to know that the "car" is safe enough and not often broken down (or overheat -- need additional "RAM", "CPU power", etc) so you can have convenient journey.

• You have to know that the "car" is easy enough to drive -- e.g powersteering built in, meter panel is intuitive to use, etc -- so it makes you easy to navigate and drive its entire functionality.

In the world where things are moving into continuous creation of integrated multimedia content (video, audio, podcast, music, sound), desktop apps integrated with the web (RIA), mobility (iPhone, Android), and where work is increasingly being done connected to the web, DOES Windows (even Vista) have what it takes to take on the journey??

Sometimes now, or even today, the "car" is probably as important as the journey itself. Infact, the car manytimes now determine what journey that we can travel to.

Hence, if the CIO concludes that the journey is more important than the car itself, and "assume" that "any car" can take them "there", then probably it is about time to rethink that back.

Such "obvious idea" that the CIO initially had might not be 100% true.

-arv

This Is How Microsoft & Apple Look And Feel Different (In The Past, Today & "In The 'Near' Future" ??) ...

This is how Microsoft & Apple fans (and consumer) being described "look & feel" different -- in the past:

This is how they are being described "look & feel"  different -- today:

This is how the Apple leader "look & feel different" today (in the eyes of their "old fans" and recent customer)

This is how the Microsoft leader "look & feel different" today (in the eyes of their "old fans" and recent customer)

Aargh! are they really THAT DIFFERENT these days???? :-)

No wonder products and innovation that comes out from each one of them does look (and feel) totally different too today. :-) :-) :-)

Microsoft Buy Yahoo (Attempt 3): The Most "DEVILISTIC" Business Letter Ever Created -- Of The Century!??

Mr. Ballmer on April 5, 2008 send a letter to Yahoo board, mentioning Microsoft attempt to buy Yahoo -- through the "next means necessary". Please click here to read more.

While business letter is a usual thing to create. The MEAN-ness of the letter and the feel of arrogance of how things being communicated -- I feel -- really deserve this to be the UGLIEST BUSINESS LETTER ever created, in the whole century!

Oh, Mr. Ballmer, I think you're the worst thing for Microsoft today. I don't think the internet would be better, if Yahoo is acquired by Microsoft under the leadership of Mr. Ballmer. He's just no Bill Gates at all.

Somewhere in Microsoft great history, there was a story that fascinate us of how Microsoft buy the core of "DOS" from Tim Paterson at that time, and then build a really huge business with it. That was a great business story that we tell each other from generation to generation.

But the whole aura of that transaction was an aura of a tiny, smart, adaptive, fast moving, responsive business doing business with others in the sense of respectable attitude and in the spirit of respecting each other.

This transaction that Microsoft try to do, seem Ballmerian by nature: it's arrogant, it's "nostalgic" with  something that Microsoft has done successfully in the past (when it was tiny and small), but all and all it lost one of the most importance essence: these transactions (under the leadership of Mr. Ballmer) -- I don't know why -- always feel competitive & EVIL-istic, ... while Microsoft's competitiveness and attempt in the past (when they were tiny -- under the leadership of Bill Gates) is always feel to be something that innovative, pure, smart, competitive yes, but at the same time build the market and/or the future for the better.

33 years after it is being founded, under the leadership of Mr. Ballmer today, Microsoft seem really really changing.

What a pity. (And a shame). I wish one day Bill Gates is back.