If Microsoft sponsored a cycling team:

[Tony]

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.

 

[Casey Kerrigan]

In article <[email protected]>, Tony <[email protected]> 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

 

[Nick Burns]

"Tony" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> If Microsoft sponsored a cycling team:
> 1. ETC.

Are these getting...tired?

 

[Anonymous]

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" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Tony" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> > If Microsoft sponsored a cycling team:
> > 1. ETC.
>
> Are these getting...tired?

 

[Nick Burns]

> 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.

 

[Anonymous]

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" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>

> > 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.

 

[Steve]

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

On 9/24/03 9:03 AM, in article [email protected], "Tony"
<[email protected]> 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.

 

[Alex Rodriguez]

>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 _-\<,_ (_)/ (_)

 

[What If Club]

What distractions???? They just need to pay ,money, all headaches will be handled by director
sportiff!!!


wrote:

>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" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>>
>> "Tony" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>> > If Microsoft sponsored a cycling team:
>> > 1. ETC.
>>
>> Are these getting...tired?
>>
>

 

[Jeff Jones]

news:[email protected]...
> 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.
>
http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/?id=2003/mar03/capo/stage2/dscf0998

Jeff

 

[Nick Burns]

"Jeff Jones" <jeff@cyclingnews-punt-com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>

> news:[email protected]...
> > 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.
> >
> http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/?id=2003/mar03/capo/stage2/dscf0998
>
> Jeff
>
>

HAH! Thanks Jeff.

 

[Kurgan Gringion]

news:[email protected]...
> 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.

Like improving the security and quality of the software?

> 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.

Wow!

That's what I call making a truly tough decision.

 

[K. J. Papai]

Casey Kerrigan <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<240920030912508326%[email protected]>...
> In article <[email protected]>, Tony <[email protected]> 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.

I work every day on two PCs, both running Windows XP. It is VERY RARE they ever crash (once/month
MAYBE?). These PCs are heavily used by a roughshod developer (me).

What would a team sponsored by Apple look like? Or Sun? Or Oracle? Or even IBM?

Would the Apple team be too laid back and artsy to even care about the race?

> 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

The Apple team first copied the Xerox team though.

-Ken

 

[Casey Kerrigan]

In article <[email protected]>, K. J. Papai <[email protected]> wrote:

> Casey Kerrigan <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:<240920030912508326%[email protected]>...
> > In article <[email protected]>, Tony <[email protected]> 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.
>
> I work every day on two PCs, both running Windows XP. It is VERY RARE they ever crash (once/month
> MAYBE?). These PCs are heavily used by a roughshod developer (me).

Hey Bill Gates himself provided the information that 5% of Windows systems crash 3 or more time
per day. I've had one system crash in 16 months and my computer is working 24/7 on the SETI
@home program

>
> What would a team sponsored by Apple look like? Or Sun? Or Oracle? Or even IBM?
>
> Would the Apple team be too laid back and artsy to even care about the race?

The Apple team woule promise to be on the starting line a 8 and then not show up till 10 or 11. when
they did finally show up they would blow everyone away with their style and seemless intergration.

>
> > 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
>
> The Apple team first copied the Xerox team though.
Apple paid for some source code from Xerox in the form of Apple stock. Kind of like paying off
another team to work for your team leader.

Remember that Team Micorsoft is always having to slow down and patch (security) holes and deal with
worms and other such nasty items.

8 days and counting till the shipping date for my dual G5

 

[Mike Iglesias]

In article <[email protected]>,

>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.

Security and writing secure code must not be a "top priority"...

--
Mike Iglesias Email: [email protected] University of California, Irvine phone: 949-824-6926
Network & Academic Computing Services FAX: 949-824-2069

 

[Anonymous]

Jeff Jones wrote:
>> http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/?id=2003/mar03/capo/stage2/dscf0998

Nick Burns wrote:
> HAH! Thanks Jeff.

Beleive it or not, they ride Raleigh bikes (http://www.raleigh.co.za), although the frame they ride
(RC9000) is locally designed and manufactured in the east.

Unlike another SA team Barloworld (http://www.teambarloworld.com), they prefer big a big fish in a
small pond and don't compete in Europe.