Kurt Shintaku's Blog: Entertainment

HUMOR: Corporate IT Haikus

Thu, 08 Jun 2006 00:25:37 GMT

The boss is coming!
He's checking on the project
All must look busy

What can I blame now?
Evil Computer Spirits
That will buy some time

The code will not run
I check the code, recompile
Sigh, it still crashes

I am a bad tech
No matter what the complaint
I blame Microsoft

My job is a sham
I don't know what I'm doing
But they still pay me

I am sorry sir
Our program is full of bugs
Get the new version

What did I do wrong?
Was it something I said wrong?
I hate layoff blues

I hate this project
Maybe I can delay this
Until quitting time

Bonuses are not!
Stock options vest in four years?
I'll be gone by then...

[originally taken many years ago from Punkie's Computer Haiku site... may it rest in peace]

NEWS: "I wish I was Bill Gates for a day"

Mon, 05 Dec 2005 22:49:11 GMT

About 2 weeks ago, Microsoft and Bill Gates were able to grant an 11 year olds wish of “being Bill Gates/CEO for a day” through the NBC television show, Three Wishes. As part of Microsoft’s granting of the wish, we partnered with Lenovo to provide his school (Simi Elementary School in California) with a brand new computer lab -- complete with Windows XP, Office 2003 with Learning Essentials, OneNote 2003, Microsoft Student 2006 and Encarta 2006. Plus, our PA team will be onsite January 27th to help educate the principal, teachers and students on their new Microsoft software.

The episode, which taped the day before Thanksgiving, is being aired this Friday, December 9th at 9 p.m. EST. The segment will illustrate the boy’s time at the Redmond campus, his meeting with Bill Gates, and various activities related to the launch of Xbox 360

HUMOR: Our lost XBox360 advertisement

Thu, 01 Dec 2005 11:40:42 GMT

I've posted the TV ad that the marketing guys censored. Apparently it was leaked through MSN Video so I don't think it's any big deal posting it to my blog. This ad was probably viewed as being too "violent" but I have to say that this is really representative of the immersion you feel when you play games on XBox Live.

http://www.evilkoala.org/media/xboxstandoff.wmv

NEWS: More on Microsoft's "Apprentice" episode

Wed, 30 Nov 2005 21:27:58 GMT

Even if you haven’t been paying close attention this season to NBC’s The Apprentice, you should watch the upcoming episode on Thursday, Dec. 1st and see Microsoft Office Live Meeting in action.

Here’s more detailed information on how to catch the show.

The Apprentice
On your local NBC station
Thursday, December 1st
9:00 PM Eastern/Pacific (8:00 pm Central/Mountain)

See how Live Meeting helps people to work together with colleagues, customers, and business partners no matter where they are located, and meet business challenges with powerful online collaboration tools.

And that’s not all... tune in for a Live Meeting webcast event on Dec. 9th to hear Donald Trump and The Apprentice insiders talking about their favorite moments…and what it will take for the winning candidate to get hired by the Trump organization or a Live Meeting web seminar on Dec. 16th with the winner of Season 4 as announced in the finale on Dec. 15th.

What it Takes to Win: LIVE with Donald Trump
December 9, 2005 --9:30 AM Pacific/ 11:30AM Central/ 12:30 PM Eastern
Speakers: Donald Trump and Apprentice Insiders
Register: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=47857&cbClass=7903&signupkey=4379

And:

You're Hired: Live with Donald's New Apprentice!
December 16, 2005 - 12:30 PM Pacific/ 2:30PM Central/ 3:30PM Eastern
Speakers: The NEW Apprentice, The Trump Organization
Register: http://livemeeting.viewcentral.com/events/cust/single_event.aspx?cid=placeware&pid=2&lid=16&cbClass=7595&signupkey=4346

NEWS: Microsoft technologies on the Apprentice

Mon, 28 Nov 2005 19:31:35 GMT

Say what you want about it: We have to advertise just like any other company.

Thursday, we will be featured on NBC’s “The Apprentice” as part of our cross promotion with the show to establish awareness of LiveMeeting & Live Communications Server solutions. Dustin Grosse and Janice Kapner of Microsoft’s Real Time Communications Marketing team will have cameo appearances on the show to select the episode’s winning team.

Some of you may know that a couple years ago, I considered leaving my position for another one that would have made me responsible for Microsoft's product placement in Los Angeles Entertainment community. The idea was that our products - Smartphones, Pocket PCs, Tablet PCs, XBoxes, Windows, and other software were to be in the background... or even highlighted on prime time television shows.

For example: If you watch really carefully, you'll notice that the Kiefer Sutherland TV hit, "24" has a tremendous amount of Microsoft technology in it. From Pocket PC's to Tablet PCs, they seem to find ways to use MS technology in every episode. If you look at NBC's "West Wing", you'll see that they use Windows-based computers prominently displaying the "Start" button along with Windows Mobile PDAs and Tablet PCs around the White House. (After all - while the cast of Will & Grace might all use iMacs and iPods, what President would ever be caught using a Macintosh? <grin>)

In my travels, I've met the Product Placement guy for Apple incidentally - he's EXCEPTIONALLY well paid, but lives in a little 1st floor condo in West LA. It turns out that Apple doesn't have an internal group to do this in the same way that we do. They hire outside consultants to do the placement and the advertising and they through a lot and I mean a LOT of money at it. At last check, I heard, Apple's placement and advertising budget was 15x the size of Microsoft's... which is why you see all those TV commercials and billboard ads all over the place.

Well, that's the position. I ended up not applying for it, even though the position seemed designed for me, because I'd made a commitment to my account executive that I'd stick around as long as he was on the same accounts.

COMMENTARY: How do I get an XBox360?

Fri, 25 Nov 2005 00:01:36 GMT

There's been a lot of lame rumors going around recently about what Microsoft's doing to get more XBox's out there in distribution. I myself have gone to eBay for 2 consoles and paid a healthy premium - but I accept that there's a cost to getting an in-demand item. That's supply and demand.

I'm not going to sit here and 'hate' on the 'scalpers'. They provide a legitimate service and that's what capitalism's all about. I personally waited in line with these folks (I was unable to procure one at the Mojave Desert launch... long story) and for 10 hours, we all stood in line in front of BestBuy waiting to get our hands on a XBox360... hoping that the unit we got was a Premium pack with a Hard Drive.

There are however two things I'd like to clear up about this whole 'shortage':

1) BE PATIENT: It's a long ways until Christmas. Microsoft has new shipments of XBox's going to the major stores EVERY WEEK. You'll notice that the price of XBox360 units on eBay have gone down from $1,500 to around $800. This drop will continue as more and more units are available in the distribution channel every week. In fact, all you need to do is call your local store in the evenings to see if they're going to get any the next day (or call them in the morning to see if they're expecting any midday)... and then just show up.

This is the single easiest way we can 'trump' scalping: Simply make the units available at varying intervals every week so that other people - normal consumers - have a shot at getting the inventory just as any other scalper does. It makes it so that scalpers aren't the only one's holding the goods: There's ALWAYS an alternative, and that's to simply wait a little and constantly check back with your local Best Buy or Circuit City.

2) THERE'S NO HOLD BACK: The conspiracy theorists abound around this topic however, rest assured that we're not synthetically holding back consoles to heighten the hype around the launch. I assure you - there's no need. Logic dictates that this is clearly the "hot item" of the holiday season and there's no need to aggrevate people any more than necessary. We know that all people want to do is buy our product. We're chruning 'em out as fast as we can.

And if you really want to get down to brass tacks, our goal is to sell GAMES - not consoles. We need the consoles in people's hands as a platform to sell games. We make a rumored $8-$9 per 3rd party game and a bit more for our first party games. We lose a considerable amount of money on the consoles but without the consoles out there, we can't sell the games. We NEED as many consoles out there as possible and as soon as possible to make up the difference otherwise this whole "razors for razorblades" model falls apart.

But let's face it: People hate us not matter what we do. We could have enough consoles for everyone and the press would conclude that the product "is a dud" because people aren't fist fighting in the aisles for an XBox360. We could come out with the cure for cancer and there's be some guy with a Macintosh yelling about how "we could have released it sooner" or that "we're trying to monopolize the market on cancer cures".

RELEASE: XBox360... details.

Mon, 21 Nov 2005 18:59:41 GMT

If you want to get one of the 1st XBOX 360s (we will only ship 1M units in the US at launch) Here is how:

Option #1:

Go to Zero Hour in the Palmdale desert and buy it there … one allocated to every attendee (if you were invited to go and have a pass).

Option #2:

If you preordered form EB Games or Gamestop and received confirmation, you are set and should get it shipped to you, or pick it up at the EB games celebration event @ Universal City Walk.

Option #3:

If you absolutely want to guarantee getting one at this juncture… and don’t mind dropping a $129 premium you can go to your Best Buy and sign up for the Geek Squad to come to your home and install your unit (that’s what the $129 is for… but it guarantees you will get a unit since you prepay for it and the service)

Otherwise wait in line for a Best Buy to open at 9:00 a.m. on the 22nd to get your unit. Allocations differ by Best Buy, and just to give you an idea of “the limitations” my local Best Buy in West LA is only getting 78 units total and I don’t know if all of them are the premium edition

Costa Mesa will have 120 of the $399 Xbox. Fountain Valley will have about 60. Tustin will have 40. Fullerton will have about 60.

This is the Xbox360 locator: http://xbox.clambert.org

Other sites to note:

There will be 18 Xbox 360 exclusive titles @ launch: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/xbox360launchgames.htm
Here is a list of the existing XBOX games you can play : http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/backwardcompatibilitygameslist.htm
Q&A on backward compatibility: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/backwardcompatibilityqa.htm

HUMOR: Bill Gates & Master Chief

Fri, 26 Aug 2005 19:55:09 GMT

If you don't know what this is, don't worry about it and just ignore this post. Otherwise, enjoy this photo we took internally of Master Chief and Bill Gates.

Hollywood... here we come!

NEWS: Pre-order XBox360 at EBGames

Wed, 24 Aug 2005 21:32:48 GMT

XBox360 is pre-orderable at EBGames at this URL:

http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/categories/systems/xbox360/default.asp?site=NLF0823

In other news, Halo - the Movie has had some recent "movement":

NEWS: Halo2 Cheaters!

Sat, 02 Jul 2005 17:49:05 GMT

This is a blog entry just to some of my friends that have asked about this ever mission critical business topic:

Xbox Halo 2 Cheating: How do we stop it?

http://www.bungie.net/News/TopStory.aspx?story=cheatz&p=3800195

(There is a autoupdate coming around the week of July 11th that will eliminate a lot of the cheating.)

NEW: "Windows Game Advisor"

Sat, 02 Jul 2005 06:00:19 GMT

Hmm. I find it interesting that I learn about things within our company that no one ever bothered telling me... and I'm an employee! How is the rest of the world supposed to hear about this stuff?!?

Microsoft Windows Game Advisor

This site lists all the latest games out there and helps people make sure they have the technical capability to play said games.

"Put more fun in your life with the new Windows Game Advisor. Get demos, trailers, updates, and other game information. You can even see if your computer running Windows has the hardware you need to play a game before you buy it."

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/games/gameadvisor/default.mspx

XBOX360: Original XBox game discs WILL run on XBox360!

Fri, 20 May 2005 10:05:00 GMT

No, you do not need to recompile your Xbox games.
<this is a blog quote directly from Major Nelson, a major figure within our XBox Live Product Group>

Ok, let’s stop this right now. There is some serious wrong information floating around, so I need to clear this up. I grabbed my favorite PR dudes, and they are saying what I was telling a few of you in email:

“We’re not sure where this came from, and is incorrect. At launch, Xbox 360 will be backward compatible with the top Xbox games. Our goal is to have every Xbox game work on Xbox 360. You will NOT need to purchase a new ‘version’ — your original games will work on Xbox 360.”

Case closed. Now, let’s get back to that Killzone demo discussion.

http://www.majornelson.com/2005/05/19/no-you-do-not-need-to-recompile-your-xbox-games/

Star Wars Episode III rendered on Windows 64 bit

Sat, 12 Mar 2005 01:49:04 GMT

I hate trackback-ing to The Inquirer, bastion of inaccurate journalism that it is, but this is a relevant article and somewhat fun so, oh, what the hell.

-------------------------------

Star Wars Episode III rendered on Windows 64 bit

CeBIT 2005 Rendered on Beta

MICROSOFT said that famous upcoming Star Wars Episode III, Revenge of the sith was rendered on beta version in Windows 64 bit.

This means this operating system like a desirable option even in its beta stage was good enough to render a state of the art movie. The company called Jak Movies decided to go for Windows 64 bit since it was faster to render under 64 bit windows.

More at: http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=21761

Halo: The Movie

Tue, 08 Feb 2005 02:06:18 GMT

Look's like we're in the movie business. Or at least the Movie Rights licensing business.

Halo, Hollywood
Microsoft readies vidgame for first pic
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117917399?categoryid=10&cs=1

By CLAUDE BRODESSER, BEN FRITZ

Bestselling vidgame franchise "Halo" has taken its first major step toward the bigscreen, but without the studio system that has ruined so many of its brethren.
Microsoft has quietly put the finishing touches on a million-dollar deal to hire Alex Garland, writer of Danny Boyle's post-apocalyptic thriller "28 Days Later" and Gen X travel novel "The Beach," to adapt the games into one movie.

Garland's screenplay will then be offered to studios as a complete "turnkey" script and rights package.

This strategy, insiders say, is the handiwork of ex-Columbia Pictures prexy Peter Schlessel, who ankled the studio to become a producer just over a two years ago. He is expected to serve as a producer in some capacity on the "Halo" film.

Deal was confirmed by Creative Artists Agency, which reps both Microsoft's game division and Garland.

Made Xbox

The "Halo" franchise is one of the most popular in vidgame history, having sold over 12.8 million units and grossed approximately $600 million since its 2001 debut. Last year, "Halo 2" sold 6.4 million copies and was the second-bestselling vidgame of the year. "Halo" is largely credited with making Xbox the hottest game console among hard-core gamers who love its intense multiplayer action.

Speculation about whether and how "Halo" would make its way onto movie screens has been flying around Hollywood and the vidgame world for years. As nearly every producer in town expressed interest in the title, it became clear that Microsoft wasn't interested in licensing it out of fear that a poorly received adaptation similar to "Final Fantasy" or "Super Mario Bros." could hurt the lucrative franchise.

Instead, those inquiring about a license found out that Microsoft decided it would develop its own script and shop it to studios once satisfied (Daily Variety, Dec. 22).

That's a highly unusual move for a tech company such as Microsoft, which has published videogames but has never before gone into the business of producing films.

Japanese precedent

The strategy is not quite unique, though. Japanese vidgame giant Square Enix plowed $140 million into a film version of its "Final Fantasy" games that turned out to be a major flop. (Col's Schlessel presided over the studio's distribbing of "Final," but the studio had nothing to do with its creative development.)

Perhaps learning from that experience, Microsoft isn't expected to be involved beyond script development and consultation on the production along with its developer subsidiary Bungie, which produces the "Halo" games.

It's unclear what kind of a deal Microsoft will seek once a script is completed, but given the intense interest in Hollywood and popularity of the franchise amongst young males, it's likely to be quite lucrative, including significant gross points.

'Master' player

"Halo" will present Garland with an adaptation challenge. It's one of the richest narratives in the vidgame world, developed over both games and three novels that extend the storyline. Plot concerns a warrior soldier known only as "Master Chief" battling a group of alien religious zealots who believe one of their most sacred artifacts is located on Earth.

But the characterization is spare. Little is known about "Master Chief."

Deal appears to have been kept largely under wraps, even within Microsoft's corporate bureaucracy. When asked for comment on Garland's hire, a rep would only say that the company does not yet have any "official movie announcements."