Sorry, I still dont get it...

[gary]

Heres the latest Microsoft Ad... cant wait for the tag line

gBWPf1BWtkw

clearly made and edited on a PC;D

[Ben]

Marginally better, but still RIDICULOUS!

[gary]

Marginally better

You think so?

[Ben]

Could hardly have been worse than that shoe business!!

[gtappend]

Is Microsoft sponsoring Comic Relief this year? ;D

[guapo]

Is Microsoft sponsoring Comic Relief this year? ;D

well they are supposed to be giving Seinfeld $10million so I guess at least one comic is laughing... all the way to the bank

[richardksa]

Theatre of the absurd in the best Ionescu tradition. It reminds me of Gurney Slade from British TV in the 60s. Or some of the NF Wilson or early Tom Stoppard short plays. It obviously doesn't have to make sense - it has all you guys talking about it.
I think with BG standing down from the day to day running of microsoft the ad company have realised he is still their public face. So by running these short films, (you can't call them advertisemnets), they are keeping him in the public eye.

[ValenciaSon]

I guess when your new OS fails to be embraced despite dominant market penetration, yadda, yadda...

[gary]

So did Estragon and Vladimir wait in vain - is Gates Godot?

[guapo]

... It obviously doesn't have to make sense - it has all you guys talking about it.


good point. This has got extensive coverage from tech news sites, bloggers etc. and as we all know there is no such thing as bad publicity...

[ValenciaSon]

Ask yourself what was the tv show Seinfeld about?

[felipe]

Makes perfect sense to me-but then I am Australian.

[gtappend]

cant wait for the tag line



"I'm a PC"

apparently... (http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2226457/microsoft-cancels-seinfeld-ads)

[greytop]

The company said that it would be ending the campaign in favour of two new advertising strategies designed to tout the benefits of Windows Vista and strike back at Apple's 'Get a Mac' campaign.

and these guys get paid for thinking that up!

[ValenciaSon]

It turns out, after spending $30 million, Microsoft may not use the ads after all because they don't seem to convey the message clearly. At my job, we upgraded to Office 2007 (if you want to call that an upgrade). If Microsoft really wants to convey a message of quality or desirability, perhaps they wouldn't try to pass along an office suite with programs that are all flash and little substance. Has anybody used this version? Simple procedures to perform are less so because the user interface is so glitzy and cluttered, it approaches counter-intuitive. They could learn a thing or two from Apple. When it was announced at work we were going to the 2007 version of Office, someone asked if we were going to Vista, and the quick response was "no, absolutely not". Maybe Seinfeld is not the solution to Microsoft's woes.

[richardksa]

The only part of Office 2007 I have used is Powerpoint while trying to make a presentation of my girlfriend's holiday photos. It is not at all user friendly. I went back to my own computer and used PP 2003 which is really very intuitive. If the rest of Office 2007 is like the PowerPoint part, I despair.

[gary]

The only part of Office 2007 I have used is Powerpoint while trying to make a presentation of my girlfriend's holiday photos. It is not at all user friendly. I went back to my own computer and used PP 2003 which is really very intuitive. If the rest of Office 2007 is like the PowerPoint part, I despair.

Same experience on the Mac - The BEST feature of poweropint was that you could make a prsentation then elect to save it as a movie. This facility was there in Offoce 2008 mac (numbers are different for mac) but sound was lost so it was a waste of time - I have deinstalled 2008 and gone back to 2004.

The other thing is that when you draw a line - any line - the default is blue with a dropshadow - a real pain having to go into the guts of Office and edit the template. Youre right VS the Screenshot on the box looks good but using it's a pain

Tinkering for the sake of it....

[Beckett]

It turns out, after spending $30 million, Microsoft may not use the ads after all because they don't seem to convey the message clearly.

And what was the message? To go shoe shopping with Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates? :D To pay a washed-up sitcom star from 10 years ago $10 million to make silly faces and pal around with Bill Gates? :p What on earth were they thinking in Redmond, Washington when they signed off on this ad campaign. :confused:


At my job, we upgraded to Office 2007 (if you want to call that an upgrade). If Microsoft really wants to convey a message of quality or desirability, perhaps they wouldn't try to pass along an office suite with programs that are all flash and little substance. Has anybody used this version? Simple procedures to perform are less so because the user interface is so glitzy and cluttered, it approaches counter-intuitive. They could learn a thing or two from Apple. When it was announced at work we were going to the 2007 version of Office, someone asked if we were going to Vista, and the quick response was "no, absolutely not". Maybe Seinfeld is not the solution to Microsoft's woes.

What is it with Microsoft? Do they actually use their own products in their own corporation? Sure doesn't seem like it. I can't imagine any of their top executives tolerating such crappy performance. I can't understand how Microsoft keeps stumbling over something that is its core product -- computer software.

[Palmerito]

Microsoft has announced that they are pulling the ads off the air.

[felipe]

I think that they were trying to be ironic and ended up laying it on with a trowel in a very American way.

It's like the news item about the first American to discover irony. The London Times sent a reporter to the US to ask him how it happened. The reporter was at the guy's house and the guy says that he was in London on Waterloo Bridge watching the pin stripe brigade going to work It was cold and wet and windy that day. One of them brushes past him and says, "Beautiful day what?"

The American guy exclaims,"Are you yanking my chain dude? It's cold, it's wet, it's.... Oh! I get it! That must be irony!"

The reporter asks the guy does he use his new found knowledge of irony regularly. "Why sure!", he replies. "Just the other day I was cooking some steaks on the BBQ for some guests. I got distracted and when I returned to the hotplate the steaks were all burned. I turned to my guests and said,'Beautiful day what!'".

[Beckett]

I think that they were trying to be ironic and ended up laying it on with a trowel in a very American way.


Sorry, mate. Scratch that...it would be more accurate to say "in a very MICROSOFT way."

[ValenciaSon]

I think that they were trying to be ironic and ended up laying it on with a trowel in a very American way.

It's like the news item about the first American to discover irony. The London Times sent a reporter to the US to ask him how it happened. The reporter was at the guy's house and the guy says that he was in London on Waterloo Bridge watching the pin stripe brigade going to work It was cold and wet and windy that day. One of them brushes past him and says, "Beautiful day what?"

The American guy exclaims,"Are you yanking my chain dude? It's cold, it's wet, it's.... Oh! I get it! That must be irony!"

The reporter asks the guy does he use his new found knowledge of irony regularly. "Why sure!", he replies. "Just the other day I was cooking some steaks on the BBQ for some guests. I got distracted and when I returned to the hotplate the steaks were all burned. I turned to my guests and said,'Beautiful day what!'".Well if someone from Tasmania says it, it must be true.

[deecree]

I think that they were trying to be ironic and ended up laying it on with a trowel in a very American way.

It's like the news item about the first American to discover irony. The London Times sent a reporter to the US to ask him how it happened. The reporter was at the guy's house and the guy says that he was in London on Waterloo Bridge watching the pin stripe brigade going to work It was cold and wet and windy that day. One of them brushes past him and says, "Beautiful day what?"

The American guy exclaims,"Are you yanking my chain dude? It's cold, it's wet, it's.... Oh! I get it! That must be irony!"

The reporter asks the guy does he use his new found knowledge of irony regularly. "Why sure!", he replies. "Just the other day I was cooking some steaks on the BBQ for some guests. I got distracted and when I returned to the hotplate the steaks were all burned. I turned to my guests and said,'Beautiful day what!'".

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA

[DiabloScott]

It's like the news item about the first American to discover irony.

I don't mind being poked fun of a little. But I find it ironic that the Brits and Aussies and Kiwis all like making jokes about Americans not understanding irony when in fact the stereotype is just not true.

Maybe you're confusing us with Canadians :)

I do think perhaps we don't find irony as funny as you others do, so when we don't laugh at the jokes you may wrongly infer that we didn't get it.

[gary]

Irony that is synonymous with sarcasm is easy peasy - irony that results from circumstances is the hard one to get.

To quote Alanis Morisette..yes I know she's Canadian, it is NOT ironic that it rains on your wedding day, its unfortunate, however it would be ironic if she was marrying a weather man and he had forecast sunshine.

With regard to Americans and irony - the American I know best and sank several beers with at the GME certainly got it...


American shows like Frasier, Friends and Back to You are full of wonderful irony so obviously somebody gets it!!

I have known other European nationalities that never get the hang of Brits saying the opposite of what they actually mean.

[Beckett]

Yeah, sure, Americans really don't get irony. That must be why the Daily Show, the Colbert Report and David Letterman are such ratings disasters. :rolleyes:

[Acosta]

Sorry, mate. Scratch that...it would be more accurate to say "in a very MICROSOFT way."


I had a friend of mine who used to work there. At some point he reach the decision that MS might now be for him but the final straw / indicator for him was , as follows; Note MS has a notorious group think culture.

He was in the company cafeteria complex for lunch, where they were giving out a free kool-aide drink. And he refused saying it wasn't for him. Then someone behind in line kept saying "He buddy, drink the kool-aid", several times.

At point he thought it would be a good idea to leave MS

[Beckett]

He was in the company cafeteria complex for lunch, where they were giving out a free Kool-Aid drink. And he refused saying it wasn't for him. Then someone behind in line kept saying "Hey buddy, drink the Kool-Aid", several times.


;D;D

[richardksa]

Yeah, sure, Americans really don't get irony. That must be why the Daily Show, the Colbert Report and David Letterman are such ratings disasters. :rolleyes:
But that is satire. Not quite the same thing as Irony. There is nothing ironic about our leaders doing something stupid and then having the p*ss taken out of them. And the daily show does lay it on with a trowel. Irony is more subtle.

[ValenciaSon]

But that is satire. Not quite the same thing as Irony. There is nothing ironic about our leaders doing something stupid and then having the p*ss taken out of them. And the daily show does lay it on with a trowel. Irony is more subtle.Well here (http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2007/feb/10/comedy.television) is one of your own disputing the notion that we Americans are lacking the irony gene.

[DiabloScott]

Well here (http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2007/feb/10/comedy.television) is one of your own disputing the notion that we Americans are lacking the irony gene.

Here's more irony: for years, Americans made fun of British beer - it was warm and flat. That was almost irony because in fact British beer had so many styles and flavors and wonderful attributes that it put American Standard Lager to shame. In other words, the joke was on us because we were just wrong (see the parallel?) but we had a good laugh anyway.


But then (thankfully) the craft brewing craze caught on and now we make beers in the British style that are far superiour to the best offerings from the UK. Now that's situational irony.

I hope this post doesn't come across as sarcasm.

[richardksa]

But then (thankfully) the craft brewing craze caught on and now we make beers in the British style that are far superiour to the best offerings from the UK. Now that's situational irony.
That's neither irony or sacasm. That's wishful thinking.

[gary]

I hope this post doesn't come across as sarcasm.

No, forgive me, t comes over as bollox. and what you actually described isnt irony even if it were true. (one for the subjunctive spotters!)

[DiabloScott]

Well here (http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2007/feb/10/comedy.television) is one of your own disputing the notion that we Americans are lacking the irony gene.

Thanks! That Simon Pegg dude writes pretty good for a Brit... what's he doing with a two bit rag like the Guardian?

[richardksa]

I know this isn't the joke thread, but it struck me as apt:
After the Britain Beer Festival, in London, all the brewery presidents decided to go out for a beer.
The guy from Corona sits down and says, "Hey Senor, I would like the world's best beer, a Corona." The bartender dusts off a bottle from the shelf and gives it to him. The guy from Budweiser says, "I'd like the best beer in the world, give me 'The King Of Beers', a Budweiser." The bartender gives him one. The guy from Coors says, "I'd like the only beer made with Rocky Mountain spring water, give me a Coors." He gets it.
The guy from Theakstons sits down and says, "Give me a Coke." The bartender is a little taken aback, but gives him what he ordered. The other brewery presidents look over at him and ask "Why aren't you drinking a your own brew?" and the Theakstons chairman replies, "Well, I figured if you guys aren't drinking beer, neither would I."

[ValenciaSon]

While I would categorize most mainstream American beers as feline renal by-product, there are many interesting microbrews in the US that are exceptional by any standard. I would love to take my favorite group of Spanish-learning Brits to the Brickskeller (http://www.lovethebeer.com/brickskeller.html) in Washington DC to not only have a great time but asuage your concerns that we ain't slummin it here.:cool:

[richardksa]

I would love to take my favorite group of Spanish-learning Brits to the Brickskeller (http://www.lovethebeer.com/brickskeller.html) in Washington DC to not only have a great time but asuage your concerns that we ain't slummin it here.:cool:
Any place that sells Adnams and Sam Smith is fine by me. But I notice they also sell Schlitz, the beer that made Milwaukee infamous. A good selection though!:)

[mysalsa]

Well, their ads still suck. However, Steve Ballmer remains confident about Windows: http://www.macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/18595/

[greytop]

On the other hand DailyMac seems to think he's wrong!

MacDailyNews Take: Such a fundamental lack of understanding of major markets in which his company competes should be appalling to not only shareholders, but... uh, we mean: May Ballmer remain Microsoft's CEO for as long as it takes!

[mysalsa]

Yeah, Apple shareholders seem to be pretty happy about Ballmer's "performance" at Microsoft. ;D