Windows 7 Details To Leak Steadily
Microsoft is better at priming the pump than an old Oklahoma farmer. In this
case, the company wants you to think of Microsoft when you think of next-generation
operating systems -- and that means getting you excited about Windows 7, the
follow-on to Vista.
To keep you all amped, Microsoft has a new
Windows 7 blog. So far, there's only one
post, this one explaining what the blog is all about.
Microsoft is very clear that it wants to control the message, rather than having
us journalists do that job. It also promises to make it a two-way street, allowing
IT to tell Microsoft what to put (and not put) in the new OS.
What should Microsoft do to make Windows 7 shine? Send your advice to [email protected].
Microsoft File Format Approved
The Microsoft OOXML (Open Office XML) file format is now
an official standard.
As I recall, Microsoft proposed this format in response to the movement to
make the Open Office file format the main way to share documents. While I was
fine with the Open Office approach, any common file format is a step in the
right direction.
What about you -- which format would you rather see as a standard? And is file
interoperability already moving in the right direction? Answers welcome in any
format at [email protected].
Iraq 'Three Kings' Scam
If you have a spam filter that's as full of holes as mine (in its defense, I
put my e-mail address out there every day so folks like you can write me at
[email protected]), you get
lots of scams from Nigeria and other places who all need your help in moving
millions of dollars out of whatever country they come from.
The last one I got had my blood boiling for two reasons: First, it lacked originality.
Second, it besmirched the reputation of our fine men and women stationed in
Iraq. The e-mail was from an Army private. He and his buddy came across $18
million that just happened to be laying around in Tikrit.
Now they need my help getting it out.
Last week, I watched the movie Three Kings with my son, and I'm wondering
if Pvt. Taylor and his co-conspirator Sgt. Buff saw the same flick. The scam
sounds like it was lifted directly from the plot of the movie, only the gold
that George Clooney, Marky Mark and Ice Cube found is replaced by cold, hard
cash.
One of these Iraq scams was traced back to Australia, and this
little trick has been circulating for several months.
About the Author
Doug Barney is editor in chief of Redmond magazine and the VP, editorial director of Redmond Media Group.