I saw this little posting by Darren and it reminded me of several stories.  One was the "mobile expert" around Denver this year and the other is the types of mails I sometimes get.  I have had mails that say things like:

• My computer is not working, can you fix it for me
• I am having problems with Outlook
• Apple won't support iTunes on Vista, but I want to use it, so can you fix it for me?

and my favourite

• I am having a problem where by people can't e-mail me back...... what e-mail address did they give....

What is really so funny about many of these is that they leave no contact details.  Just their name.  Now, even if I was able to fix their problems (and sometimes I can), without contact details it makes my life much harder to truly resolve the problems.

Am I responsible for Windows Mobile Software?

Today Gareth and I were walking along 16th Mall Street after having had some breakfast and I was wearing my Windows Mobile cap, as you do in Downtown Denver. I guy randomly stopped me and asked me if I worked for Microsoft and I said yes (although what I should’ve said was I work “with” Microsoft and not “for” them)!! He then prceeded to show me his phone and said “Windows Mobile software sucks” and so I explained to him that I personally didn’t write the software. As we walked away he continued by saying that I should get someone in Microsoft to fix it -”of course I’ll get someone right on it and get back to you on it” was my reply!!

 Office Rocker! : We're Microsoft, we know everything

No we don't.  But that doesn't stop people thinking we are the guys who control the Internet and can bend the IT time and space.  Always a pleasure to chat with Jason earlier today as I waited to do my presentation on Office futures.  It can be hard to present on the future of technology not just because we are talking about closely guarded secrets and its not because we can't plan, we do - no it's mainly just made harder because we don't actually own a frickin crystal ball.

Jason's story about the customer who lost it with him because he didn't have a 10 year plan for the future of the mobile industry amused me today.  As I said to him, you know its bad enough that anyone should get cross when we can't deliver beyond impossible, but maybe it's consoling to think that people's confidence in us is so high that intelligent execs believe we do know the future of the universe and are just being mean about sharing it.

My own anecdote was about when a precocious high school student guessed my alias (rather than search for it on the web) and started IM'ing me.  Now, being the affable chap I am (after my morning latte - don't try before) I do tend to happily chat to strangers who IM me out of the blue.  However, I do have work to do so after a few days the stalker behavior was getting slightly annoying.  So during yet another slightly banal convo I did some research.  An unusual surname of the stalker gave me where he lives, his school and his last terms results in maths and english.  Revealing this knowledge freaked out the stalker a bit, "how do you know that?" he says.  "Well, we're Microsoft, we know everything" I said.  No more was ever heard from him.. If only it was true :-)

ttfn

David