A Geek Dad’s Log

The other day I was alerted about this iPod touch ad on IGN.com.

Today I discovered a version of it that ran on wired.com

Both are essentially the same ads playing around with the elements of each website. Cute. Reminds me of the old Get a Mac ad on the New York Times website.

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Seen at Jl. Asia Afrika

Sent from my mobile

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So last night I was asked to come to a Microsoft event. What's a Mac geek like me doing at a Microsoft event? Because like it or not Microsoft is part of the Mac world. Ya. Mac is a PC too. You see now you can run Mac OS X and Windows on a Mac so in a way Mac is like the only computer you'll ever need… wait… that sounded familiar.

Anyway, odd that I'd make an appearance at a Microsoft event? Not so much because after all I'd soak up anything to do with tech and the Internet and Windows Live is mostly about the internet. Microsoft was launching its new Windows Live service that to me looks like a direct competitor to Facebook, which is strange because Microsoft is a Facebook investor. Then again it's probably not so strange considering it's Microsoft. They even look identical with identical services.

The invitation said the show was to run from 17:30 to 19:00. My friend and I got to the place just before 5:30 to do the registration and we were the first to arrive. Entering the show floor we saw dancers still practicing their routines on stage and staff still doing all sorts of checking.

While punctuality was never expected at any public event in Indonesia, we never expected to be forced to wait without any kind of sustenance for 2 hours right through dinner time. Not even a measly snack yet they handed us Coke. Freakin soda on empty stomach.

At 7 pm, the host was still practicing his lines and asking for suggestions from his colleagues. We spoke to the PR agency that handle Microsoft Advertising that we were clearly unhappy with the situation more so because not a single person offered an explanation as to what the hell was going on. They extended all sorts of apologies but we were having none of it. They clearly did not appreciate people's time so why should we extend our courtesy to them? They told us the event should start around 7:50p.m. I was disgusted. We left.

Their excuse was that it was an after hours event because they did not want to intrude into people's work hour. Well blow me down, somebody should tell Yahoo! that because Yahoo! Purple Hour went 12 hours from 9 am to 9 pm on a weekday. They had a 3 hour press event in the morning, one hour break followed by 4 hours of presentation for the media and advertising agencies and social gathering until 9 pm and everyone had a good time.

This was an event to draw media and agencies to persuade clients to make the move to online space, exactly like Yahoo! Purple Hour. This was a work-related presentation event, there's no reason not to hold it in the middle of the day, not after hours when people just got out of work barging through traffic and apparently through rain as well. The location was extremely traffic unfriendly, at Crown Plaza Hotel next to Plaza Semanggi. The busiest traffic spot after hours.

         

Click here to download:

Windows_Live.zip (1198 KB)

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