Last Thursday, Microsoft released a new type of ad—”I’m a PC”. There are rumors that the commercial was made on a Mac, but that fact (or not) is negligible. The point of the commercial is not to promote Microsoft or denounce Apple. It is to show that PC users are more than the frumpy, bespectacled office man shown in the “Mac vs. PC” ads by Apple. This is not a hit on the Mac OS. This is a hit on Mac culture.
I like this ad. The message is clear. It’s not overdone. I like that it’s positive. There is no Mac-bashing—while there is the Windows-bashing in the Mac ads. But what I especially like and admire—and appreciate—is how Microsoft is reclaiming its image. Microsoft dominates the market, but has had little interest in its branding. It’s interesting—and refreshing—to see Microsoft finally taking control now.
Last week was fabulous, and then hectic. After my trip to Boston, I realised that I had forgotten to enter some very important appointments into my calendar (which means that I will have missed two), my copy of Adobe Web Premium CS3 had stopped working (which is disastrous since I regularly use Photoshop, Flash, and Illustrator), and I had spilled malt alcohol on my wireless keyboard (which means no more desktop until a new one).
After losing it in front of Byrnes, I sent a few e-mails, reinstalled a few programs, and stared loathingly at my malfunctioning keyboard. Byrnes is kind enough to check Best Buy for a wireless keyboard (with laser mouse). If the model I want is there, he’ll be sending it overnight. But until then, I will be—still—a silent presence on the Internet.
Google Health launches. Google Health is an Internet service that lets you manage your medical records online, and educate yourself about health issues relevant to your health profile. I’m divided between “This is really cool!” and “This is such a bad idea.”
Computer predicts brain activity with 70% accuracy. Again, I’m divided. This is really, really cool because it reveals a little more how our brains organise knowledge. But then again, I don’t want probes reading my mind quite yet (or at all).
Amber Ying is a figment of the Internet. In real life, she is an undergraduate student of biology and chemistry at Colby-Sawyer College. Amber likes kittens, postmodern American literature, public policy, and cheesecake. She dislikes eggplants, parking tickets, and cobblestone streets.
