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Embedded Muse 36 Copyright 1999 TGG August 24, 1999
You may redistribute this newsletter for noncommercial purposes. For commercial use contact jack@ganssle.com.
EDITOR: Jack Ganssle, jack@ganssle.com
CONTENTS:
- Editor’s Notes
- Virus warning
- Optimists, Pessimists and Engineers
- Microsoft To Sell Ad Space In Error Messages
- About The Embedded Muse
Editor’s Notes
Thanks to the many Embedded Muse readers who inquired about the state of this e-newsletter. The Muse took a sabbatical while I was off sailing for the last couple of months.
Mark your calendars for the upcoming Embedded Systems Conferences in California and Holland. San Jose hosts the biggest of all embedded shows September 26-30.
I’ll be at both shows and look forward to meeting many of you there.
Virus Warning
There is a new virus going around, called "work." If you receive any sort of "work" at all, whether via email, Internet or simply handed to you by a colleague...DO NOT OPEN IT!
This has been circulating around for months and those who have been tempted to open "work" or even look at "work" have found that their social life is deleted and their brain ceases to function properly.
If you do encounter "work" via email or are faced with any "work" at all, then to purge the virus, send an email to your boss with the words "I've had enough work... I'm off to the pub." If you receive "work" in paper-document form, simply lift the document and drag the "work" to your garbage can. Put on your hat and coat and skip to the nearest bar with two friends and order three pints of Guinness.
After repeating this action 14 times, you will find that "work" will no longer be of any relevance to you and that "Scooby Doo" is still the greatest cartoon ever!
Send this message to everyone in your address book. If you do NOT have anyone in your address book, then I'm afraid the "work" virus has already corrupted your life.
Optimists, Pessimists and Engineers
To the optimist, the glass is half full.
To the pessimist, the glass is half empty.
To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
Microsoft To Sell Ad Space In Error Messages
Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) announced that it is selling advertising space in the error messages that appear in Windows. Acknowledging for the first time that the average user of their operating system encounters error messages at least several times a day, Microsoft is trying to take financial advantage of the unavoidable opportunity to make an ad impression.
"We estimate that throughout the world at any given moment several million people are getting a 'General Protection Fault' or 'Illegal Operation’ warning. We will be able to generate significant revenue by including a short advertising message along with it," said Microsoft marketing director Nathan Mirror. He also mentioned that Microsoft is intending to add banner ads into its Blue Screen of Death in the near future.
The Justice Department immediately indicated that they intend to investigate whether Microsoft is gaining an unfair advantage in reaching the public with this advertising by virtue of its semi-monopolistic control over error messages.