If Microsoft sponsored a cycling team:

If Microsoft sponsored a cycling team:
1. Team rules would require everyone to ride the same size frame.
2. Occasionally, the entire team would just stop on the side of the
road in the middle of a race for no reason. Fans would just accept
this as normal.
3. The team’s radios would be computerized, but you'd need to
install 64 Meg of RAM, a new sound card, a game card, a new video
driver, and a CD drive in the team helmets to get it to play.
4. The team’s bike computers would read 30 mph even though they
are only doing 20 mph.
5. The STI/Ergopower shifting on team bikes would be replaced with a
mouse.
6. When a rider launched an attack, an announcement in his earpiece
would say "Are you sure?". If a rider was getting dropped, an
announcement in his earpiece would say "Abort, Retry, Fail?"
7. For no reason whatsoever, each rider would crash twice a day.
8. The new 2004 team will be presented in 2005.

In article , Tony
wrote:

If Microsoft sponsored a cycling team:
1. Team rules would require everyone to ride the same size frame.
2. Occasionally, the entire team would just stop on the side of the
road in the middle of a race for no reason. Fans would just accept
this as normal.
3. The team’s radios would be computerized, but you'd need to
install 64 Meg of RAM, a new sound card, a game card, a new video
driver, and a CD drive in the team helmets to get it to play.
4. The team’s bike computers would read 30 mph even though they
are only doing 20 mph.
5. The STI/Ergopower shifting on team bikes would be replaced with a
mouse.
6. When a rider launched an attack, an announcement in his earpiece
would say "Are you sure?". If a rider was getting dropped, an
announcement in his earpiece would say "Abort, Retry, Fail?"
7. For no reason whatsoever, each rider would crash twice a day.
8. The new 2004 team will be presented in 2005.

Now let's be fair. According to Microsoft only 5% of windows machines
crash 3 or more time per day. No word from Microsoft about what % crash
onle 1 or 2 times per day.

The Mircosoft team woldn't attack until that Apple sponsored team did
and then the Mircosoft team would just copy the Apple team. If another
team started to threaten the Microsoft team then Microsoft would just
buy out the other team

"Tony" wrote in message
m...
If Microsoft sponsored a cycling team:
1. ETC.

Are these getting...tired?

As someone who spent ten years at Microsoft I have heard them all by now.
As long as Bill Gates is around I can not see MS sponsoring a team. He does
a great job of eliminating distractions and focusing on top priorities.

I remember when Steve Ballmer expressed an interest in purchasing the
Seattle Sonics. Bill thought that it would be a distraction from the
running the company and Steve agreed with him.

"Nick Burns" wrote in message
m...

"Tony" wrote in message
m...
If Microsoft sponsored a cycling team:
1. ETC.

Are these getting...tired?

"RWM" wrote in message
I remember when Steve Ballmer expressed an interest in purchasing the
Seattle Sonics. Bill thought that it would be a distraction from the
running the company and Steve agreed with him.


If there was any way they thought that the discipline or something would
inspire their employees, then maybe it would be different. They probably
look at what it did for Novel. It is not like MS needs more brand
recognition and the image of cycling is not great right now either. I just
don't see how it would help them. If he did it out of love of the sport, he
would do it anoymously, through a broker like...Thom Weisel?

Just kidding.

MS does sponsor the velodrome in Redmond and the regional cyclo-cross
series. As far as I know Bill, and Steve, have lots of passions but they do
not include cycling. They both put a high priory on their families.

When evaluating MS it is best to look at it as a big company made up of lots
of small companies. It is truly amazing how great a job they do of forcing
responsibility down to appropriate level.


"Nick Burns" wrote in message
m...

"RWM" wrote in message
I remember when Steve Ballmer expressed an interest in purchasing the
Seattle Sonics. Bill thought that it would be a distraction from the
running the company and Steve agreed with him.


If there was any way they thought that the discipline or something would
inspire their employees, then maybe it would be different. They probably
look at what it did for Novel. It is not like MS needs more brand
recognition and the image of cycling is not great right now either. I just
don't see how it would help them. If he did it out of love of the sport,
he
would do it anoymously, through a broker like...Thom Weisel?

Just kidding.

http://geekjerseys.com/vendors/ms/msJerseyShort.htm




On 9/24/03 9:03 AM, in article
, "Tony"
wrote:

If Microsoft sponsored a cycling team:
1. Team rules would require everyone to ride the same size frame.
2. Occasionally, the entire team would just stop on the side of the
road in the middle of a race for no reason. Fans would just accept
this as normal.
3. The team’s radios would be computerized, but you'd need to
install 64 Meg of RAM, a new sound card, a game card, a new video
driver, and a CD drive in the team helmets to get it to play.
4. The team’s bike computers would read 30 mph even though they
are only doing 20 mph.
5. The STI/Ergopower shifting on team bikes would be replaced with a
mouse.
6. When a rider launched an attack, an announcement in his earpiece
would say "Are you sure?". If a rider was getting dropped, an
announcement in his earpiece would say "Abort, Retry, Fail?"
7. For no reason whatsoever, each rider would crash twice a day.
8. The new 2004 team will be presented in 2005.

From: "RWM"

It is truly amazing how great a job they {Gates, Ballmer, Microsoft] do of
forcing
responsibility down to appropriate level.

Yeah, as long as you consider "the consumer" to be appropriate. --TP

In article , says...
As someone who spent ten years at Microsoft I have heard them all by now.
As long as Bill Gates is around I can not see MS sponsoring a team. He does
a great job of eliminating distractions and focusing on top priorities.

So it is his idea to give us the blue screen of death twice a day?
It has obviously been his priority since windows is so good at it.
-----------------
Alex __O
_-\,_
(_)/ (_)

In article ,
ospam says...


From: "RWM"

It is truly amazing how great a job they {Gates, Ballmer, Microsoft] do of
forcing
responsibility down to appropriate level.

Yeah, as long as you consider "the consumer" to be appropriate. --TP

They are. The consumer is responsible for spending lots of money
on MS products on a regular basis.
-----------------
Alex __O
_-\,_
(_)/ (_)