Magnetic curtain

I think this is pretty cool.

See more shots here.

Microsoft's second ad is out, and it's better

 The second ad in the Seinfeld/Gates/Windows campaign launched last night and hit the intertubes shortly after. I must say I like this one better. It's funnier and ties in better (although still loosely) to the actual product they're promoting. Check the ads out here.

Note: It looks like Microsoft is using Flash to run the ads instead of Silverlight, despite the "Get Silverlight" link next to the video. See below.

Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld aren't gay

Boy oh boy. People sure are reading a lot into Microsoft's new ad. I've heard everything from the phallic nature of the churro and the implication of two men shoe shopping with leather references to outcast minorities.

It's not a typical commercial. It's 90 seconds and doesn't mention the product until the last four seconds. The rest of it is filled with...nothing. And that's the point. Kind of.

What was Seinfeld all about? It was a show about nothing. Bill Gates is shopping at the "Quality shoes at discount prices store" not as some allegory to say that a Windows machine is less expensive than the Mac, but because it's funny that the richest man in the world is shopping for shoes at a discount store in the mall.

It's also funny that Jerry, also very wealthy, knows exactly which kind of shoes are available and their different qualities.

When Jerry is sizing Bill's feet and asks if what he's feeling is Bill's toe, Bill responds. "No. It's pleather." It's a joke. Get it? It actually sounds like something my sister in-law would say. Bonus: Bill isn't even buying real leather shoes.

I don't think the Hispanic folks who are looking in the store window are a symbol of the outcast people in third world countries who don't even recognize these famous, rich people shopping inside. I think it was a random clip to stick in to break up the shots in the shoe store.

I don't think Bill holding up his platinum membership card to the shoe store to earn "big top points" is symbolic of how Microsoft rewards its customers. I think it was a chance to work a joke in, as well as a more subtle bonus joke: the picture on the card is Gates' mug shot when he was arrested for speeding in New Mexico.

I understand, to a certain extent, why people are digging so deep to find meaning in the commercial because it doesn't talk about Windows at all. But the homo-erotic and/or Microsoft/discount shoe store symbolism people are trying to establish is simply ridiculous.

By itself, the ad doesn't work, no matter how deep you look at it. The additional spots in the campaign will shed some light on the direction they're taking and will tie it all together. In the meantime, take it for what it is: a quirky, somewhat entertaining spot.

Google is getting creepy

So as if Google didn't know enough about you, it now has the capability of recognizing faces in your Picasa albums. (For those of you who don't know what Picasa is, it's Google's version of Flickr, which is a popular online photo storage and sharing service.)

Draw a little box around a face and Google will analyze all your photos and find the ones that person is also in. You can then label all those pictures for easy reference later. So, for example, I'd highlight my mom's face in one image and Google finds the rest of the pictures I've taken of my mom. I label them all "Mom" and even link the picture to my contacts in Gmail.

So, yeah. Google now has pictures and contact information for everyone in your photo albums.

What are your thoughts on this?

Generation gap

My parents watch 22 minutes of the evening news to get to the weather forecast.

I open my laptop and hit "F12".

Just an observation.

Support the The Fake Diddy Private Jet Fuel Fund

That's it. It's officially gone too far. Diddy had to retire his private jet and fly on a commercial airline. Via CNN:

"I'm actually flying commercial.... This is really happening, proof gas prices are too high. Tell whoever the next president is we need to bring gas prices down."

I feel you Diddy, and I'm on it. I'm going to write a very strongly worded letter to the next president informing him that he needs to bring down gas prices so you can get back to flying in your private jet.

Seriously, having to fly first class when you're used to flying private is an outrage, especially for a person of your stature who is doing so much good in the world by promoting good values and lifting people's spirits.

And because of that, I've decided to set up a special fund called The Fake Diddy Private Jet Fuel Fund. All donations made to the fund may find their way to Diddy to ensure this travesty concerning his travel arrangements is ended as soon as possible. I know you have many other worthy organizations asking for your time and money, but please consider the following: starving kids in Africa don't know any different, whereas Diddy knows what he's missing out on. So, please, click the "donate" link below and give as much as you can.

SUPPORT THE CAUSE

Images courtesy of here and here.

The breastfeeders are back

They're back. And this time they've set up shop for good. The library is the new home of the Breastfeeding Cafe. I didn't spend too much time looking in the "cafe" for obvious reasons, although I did notice there are a few Lay-Z-Boys in there.

I guess the idea behind the place is that those who want to breastfeed their kids can have a place to do so. Kind of like the Mother's Room in our church buildings.

Of course, the chairs in the Mother's Rooms aren't facing big glass doors which open to a public walkway.

I'm half tempted to walk in and innocently ask for an Italian soda and a croissant, but I don't know how well that would go over.

So you ladies out there... would you use a facility like the Breastfeeding Cafe? Let me know in the comments.