Editor's Blog: Windows Invades Roman's Neighborhood

INSIDER RESOURCES

Special Sponsored Section

The video player requires Flash 8 Player or later. Please download the latest Flash Player.

FEATURE
100 Snow Leopard Tips, Tricks, and Features

FEATURE
OS X Browser Speed Wars: May the Fastest App Win

FEATURE
The Complete iTunes History -- SoundJam MP to iTunes 9

FEATURE
iTunes 9 Tips and Tricks - Solve the Mysteries of the New iTunes

TOP STORIES

news

Editor's Blog: Windows Invades Roman's Neighborhood

Posted 02/13/2007 at 3:44:56pm | by Roman Loyola

Last Sunday, I was walking home from a trip to the store, when I noticed this billboard, just a half block from my house. I’m not sure how long it’s been up there. It’s probably been there since the launch of Windows Vista in late January.

Beauty is also in the eye of the beholder.

The first thing that struck me about the billboard was the slogan: “Beautiful on the inside, too.” Does that mean that the underlying source code is reminiscent of Jackson Pollock’s drip period? I’ve never associated beautiful with any Microsoft product (or any operating system, for that matter, including Mac OS X. That's not a knock on anything; I just don't think of operating systems as beautiful).

I live in San Francisco’s Sunnyside district, a residential area a good distance south of downtown SF. Which leads me to the second thing that struck me about the Vista billboard: its location. It’s on a busy street, but it's in a location where you can see it only if you're stopped at the light, or you're walking by. I can’t imagine it has any impact. However, the billboard is located three blocks from an elementary school. Is Microsoft trying to influence today’s youth? Probably not, but you never know.

COMMENTS: 11

TAGS:

COMMENTS

weak. very weak. very
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2007-02-13 20:19

weak. very weak. very very... weak.

Login or register to post comments

Sunnyside
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 2007-02-14 10:33

I checked out your link to Sunnyside and realized that's where my daughter and her family live. She's lived there for 2-3 years, and I never knew exactly what the neighborhood was (I thought it was the Outer Mission). Thanks for the tip.

I'll try to ignore the sign.

Login or register to post comments

Not Surprising
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 2007-02-14 10:39

BTW, everyone who buys billboard space gets an approximately traffic count per day plus a listing of what's in the area - it would not surprise me that MS bought it for that reason - the wording is clear even a 4-year old understands the concept of beautiful is good - even without a real understanding of all that's involved.

Login or register to post comments

RE: Not Surprising
Submitted by rloyola on Thu, 2007-02-15 16:57

The billboard is on the wall of a small pizza joint/apartment building, and I asked the restaurant owner if he knew anything about it, because I'm interested in what deemed my neighborhood a good location for such a billboard. But he didn't. It's something the building owner is involved in, and the owner doesn't live in the neighborhood.

Thanks for the info!

Login or register to post comments

Microsft can only lie, it's all they know.
Submitted by GooGooEyes (not verified) on Wed, 2007-02-14 17:32

I just saw the actual Zune market share number and it reminded me of an interview where Balmer said they are very happy with the Zune market share and recently also him saying they were very happy with the uptake of Vista. Both as we all ACTUALLY KNOW have been abysmal. The Zune market share was 0.00152 so just about one tenth of one percent. Balmer's claim (LIE) on TV for the Zune was 25% then 20% almost in the same breath. So Balmers claim was 164 time the truth. Just like Gates claim that OS-X is being breached and owned by a new threat every single day. It was first shown in March 1998 so there should be around 3250 ways to break in an own a Mac totally yet not one single Mac person amongst the tens of millions of owners has ever had this happen and there has never been a single breach executed in the wild on any one of these computers. Obviously they only exist in the Microsoft Reality Deception Zone.

This level of lying has to have a new name like quantum liar, the pathological liar label just doesn't do justice to Gates and Balmer or any of the fear based Microsoft shills and apologists.

Login or register to post comments

Wow. Why is everybody so
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 2007-02-14 20:40

Wow. Why is everybody so upset? Who cares? Let Roman blog. The whole article just points out how pathetic Microsoft is. They don't even know where to place a good advertisment. On another note, I really like the new Vista ads, you know the "wow" ones. Microsoft is right, but they forgot to finish the sentence. It should read "Wow, this sucks."

Login or register to post comments

billboard
Submitted by frogblast (not verified) on Thu, 2007-02-15 12:34

I'm disappointed no one has yet taken a spray paint can and fixed that billboard. It's just begging . . .

Login or register to post comments

Visual Pollution or is it Vista Pollution?
Submitted by Wondering (not verified) on Thu, 2007-02-15 18:00

I'm still trying to figure out what's beautiful about the outside - I suppose the inside could be as equally beautiful as the outside. Its good to see Microsoft's ad agency having the same sense of quality as Microsoft. Wow! - very compelling - well worth the $500 million.

Login or register to post comments

All Microsoft has ever done, all they know how to do, is lie!
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 2007-02-16 18:55

I just saw the actual Zune market share number and it reminded me of an interview where Balmer said they are very happy with the Zune market share and recently also him saying they were very happy with the uptake of Vista. Both as we all ACTUALLY KNOW have been abysmal. The Zune market share was 0.00152 so just about one tenth of one percent. Balmer's claim (LIE) on TV for the Zune was 25% then 20% almost in the same breath. So Balmers claim was 164 time the truth. Just like Gates claim that OS-X is being breached and owned by a new threat every single day. It was first shown in March 1998 so there should be around 3250 ways to break in an own a Mac totally yet not one single Mac person amongst the tens of millions of owners has ever had this happen and there has never been a single breach executed in the wild on any one of these computers. Obviously they only exist in the Microsoft Reality Deception Zone.

This level of lying has to have a new name like quantum liar, the pathological liar label just doesn't do justice to Gates and Balmer or any of the fear based Microsoft shills and apologists.

Login or register to post comments

Your right!
Submitted by Ted Turner (not verified) on Fri, 2007-02-16 19:02

Microsoft's Gates and Balmer keep talking about Apple lying yet everything Microsoft point to as Apple lies are facts that anyone can look up for themselves. These asses are living in a fantasy land.

Login or register to post comments

One OS is beautiful.
Submitted by What is Windows? (not verified) on Tue, 2007-03-13 14:54

I'm no Mac user, but how could OS-X not be beautiful? It's curvy, colourful, and anti-aliased like hell. Why can't I find a nice anti-aliased woman, please tell?!

Login or register to post comments