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Microsoft Promotions Turn Up in USPS Offices
Several readers, like this Anonymous Coward, have written with links to a letter from Cliff Crouch on macintouch.com. "I stumbled across this letter submitted to a web site I frequent. Apparently Microsoft has promotional displays with free WindowsXP promotional software in U.S. Post Offices."
News for nerds: Signage in a post office. Yeah...
Stuff that matters: MS advertising in post offices. Indeed, the world will never be the same.
This just in from the Associated Press:
The USPS has advertisements up in (gasp!) the Post Office! Ads will promote the various stamps offered by the federal business, as well as provide people with ideas for valuable services that they may have not known about prior to seeing the ads.
Really... what is the big deal here, and WHY is this news? Moreover, what if it was Linux, the God of Slashdot, that made an appearance in the Post Office? I bet the article would read something like "LINUX STORMS THE POSTAL SERVICE - OPEN SOURCE ON THE RISE! PRAISE LINUS AND GNU!"
Please.... give me a break. The FUD is out of control.
Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains.
With my luck with moderators I will prob end up with -500 notfunnygoburninhell for this, but what the hell, I think it is a great mental picture
Well, okay maybe it's not hell yet, but I'll know I'm in hell when the Johova's Witnesses start going door to door and handing out MS CD-ROM's.
The post office is crawling with viruses these days.
The difference between Canada and the USA is that in Canada healthcare is a right and gun ownership is a privilege.
First anthrax in the mail and now XP CD's. The terrorists must be stopped!
The CDs are free. Take them all.
Once you have a few hundred of them, you can gather them together with the myriad AOL CDs in your drawer and enjoy a nice day of CD Craft Fun as suggested here, here and here.
Good luck.
-Rothfuss
Man, the "devious" flag just raised on this one. Maybe I can grab all the CD's, bring them home and burn new ones, chock full'of nice little additions...viruses, bugs, flaws; then put them back, shrinkwrapped and ready to go. "Hello, Microsoft? I just installed this XP promo and every time I boot up it invokes the name of Satan". Or, "sweet jesus, what's with all the penguins on my screen!?". Hey, maybe something as simple as a new office assistant that offers advice every 15 seconds.
And for the smartasses...yes, new bugs over the ones already on there. I guess this would work with those AOL promo's too...but since no one would ever install those (as they already have 500) it wouldn't be as fulfilling.
The best one was a diskette (in the early days) that was distributed with a magnet order.
- - - - - - - - - - -
I am a programmer. I am paid to produce syntax not grammar. Deal with it.
Soon to come for US Postal Service:
- Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer special edition collectable stamps. Special $1.50 versions: their eyes follow you around the room.
- Windows 3.1 commemorative phone cards ("Relive the special magic of that release with every call you make!")
- Collector's Edition Outlook Virus Stamps. 24 special full-color postage stamps illustrating your favorite Outlook-spread viruses. Collect 'em all!
- Special "Blue Screen of Death" postcards. Nothing but white hex numbers on a field of blue, and you can't write on them. $5.00 for a set of 20.
I'm looking forward to the "Great Operating Systems of the 20th Century" stamp series sponsored by Microsoft.
There will be stamps celebrating such great operating systems as
Windows 3
Windows 3.1
Windows 3.11
Windows NT 3.5
Windows NT 3.51
Windows NT 4.0
Windows 95
Windows 98
and
Windows 2000
Then of course there will be a variety of service packs for the 1 cent stamps.
-Rothfuss
PR release:
Microsoft announced today the acquisition of the United Postal Service. "It's a great innovation, that we know our customers will enjoy. Instead of being hassled by paper communication, our MSN and Hotmail service will provide all means of communication for the people of the US in a safe and secure way." said Microsoft's co-founder Bill Gates.
While many questions have risen regarding the ethical and legal considerations, Microsoft was confident of the acceptance of their new program. With a surprise backer in the federal government, Microsofts program received considerable support from a Mr. DCS1000. Security considerations also came into play with the recent anthrax scares.
The program launches tomorrow, with the initial transfer of all US citizens to the new MS PassportPlus for national identification (Win95/NT/98/2000/XP compatible). A new email activation program will also initiate, offering enhanced security against terrorist hackers sendign unauthorized digital signals.
"You pay for a stamp to send mail"
And the post office loses money on it.
"You pay for a box to receive mail"
Or receive all your mail at a friends house.
"You subsidize spammy junk mail catalogs because companies get favorable bulk mail rates"
Companies get favorable bulk rates because bulk prebarcoded mail is easier to process. I don't think you "subsidize" it.
"And now you have to veiw adds while you stand in line or check your box"
OK, I hate ads too. But you're already bitching about your stamp costs. How do you want them to make enough money to continue their operations? I barely ever go into a post office--if it bothers you that much, you could probably avoid it too.
Usually when you see posters on post offices, they feature people who steal valuable resources from citizens or cause them irreperable harm. Usually these people are regarded as being extremely dangerous and should be avoided at all costs
I'd say that adequately pegs XP.
"This trial is brought to you by windows xp(tm)...eXPerience the difference!"
there's more than one way to do me.
Visions of an XP urinal puck danced through my head.... shudder...
+++ UGUCAUCGUAUUUCU
Speaking of this, back when AOL gave out their software on 1.44MB floppy disks, they had a form online where you could request a free kit.
I set up a script to request several hundred kits, and they actually sent them to me. A month or two later they put a little notice about "limit 5 kits per month".
It was too bad, I really liked getting free High Density floppies.
I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer special edition collectable stamps
And if they did issue such a stamp some people would have a problem getting them to stick as they would spit on the wrong side.
Just goes to show what ruthless monopolists they are.
Microsoft isn't so nice, either.
Maybe it's just because I'm drunk, but I think the USPS are a bunch of filthy whores already anway... The damn change-of-address cards come with 25 advertisements, and the first thing they do with your new address is send it out to all the local spammers anyway... The USPS will do anything to keep from laying off excess employees, which is a bit noble if you think of it that way... Now stay away from my wife! No, I'm just kidding, you're my best friend... really, I mean that... just kidding about that... G'night people!
People shape laws. Not the other way around.
USPS had a great idea. People are always complaing about their services. So now when they enter in on of those postoffices they will have someone else to blame.
.-))
------I can please only one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow isn't looking good either.------