Microsoft laughs off Apple legal request to kill TV ads

Apple is a company known for good design -- meaning also that appearances matter beyond just the products. Apple's legal department may have done something that appears simply laughable. Even if untrue, it's a helluva good story -- and a Microsoft executive tells it. Well.

apple has a reputation for issuing legal take-down notices. The practice is a byproduct of the company's penchant for secrecy. Many Websites posting leaked Apple product pics have felt the burning ire of Apple lawyers. Today, at Microsoft's annual partner conference, COO Kevin Turner described receiving what could be characterized as the ultimate take-down notice.

"Two weeks ago we got a call from the Apple legal department saying, hey -- this is a true story -- saying, 'Hey, you need to stop running those ads, we lowered our prices.' They took like $100 off or something. It was the greatest single phone call in the history that I've ever taken in business."

"I did cartwheels down the hallway. At first I said, 'Is this a joke? Who are you?' Not understanding what an opportunity. And so we're just going to keep running them and running them and running them."

In June, Apple introduced 13-inch MacBook Pros for $100 less than the MacBooks they replaced and cut $300 off 15-inch and 17-inch laptops. Assuming the story is factual as told, Apple legal actually has a point about the price comparisons in most "Laptop Hunters" commercials. That said, the prices were correct when Microsoft first aired the ads.

Is there a little tit for tat going on here? Of course. I had noticed that in recent weeks Microsoft started airing older Laptop Hunters commercials more frequently, after a hiatus. I didn't make the connection until today that these same commercials also call out the higher Mac notebook prices.

Is that unfair? In marketing there is no love between competitors. Just war. Microsoft took the marketing two-by-four to Apple's head. Whack. Whack. That's what effective marketing is for.

It's no wonder Kevin Turner cartwheeled around the office. For nearly three years prior to Laptop Hunters, Apple dominated PC purchasing messaging with "Get a Mac" commercials, which brilliantly use two people -- Mac and PC -- to simply communicate complex ideas about computer buying. KT told Microsoft partners about reactions a year ago:

"Gosh, when I went home for the holidays, brothers, sisters, cousins -- hey, hope you don't have anything to do with marketing over there at Microsoft. What are you guys going to do about those Apple ads?"

Apple and Microsoft are both readying new operating systems for autumn release. I expect Microsoft to all but literally cover the planet in advertising. According to KT:

"When we put Windows 7 in there, which we've got coming out in October, what an incredible opportunity for us to fight back. And it feels really good to be on the offensive here. And we know we've got plenty of work to do. We don't have it all figured out."

Laptop Hunters commercials have proved to be a surprisingly effective response to Apple marketing. "I'm a PC" ads were OK and "The Rookies" spots were much better. The Laptop Hunters series is the big home run. The commercials have improved perceptions about Microsoft and Windows PCs. The company stated so during its earnings call three months ago. By the way, the Bing commercials are even better -- some of best tech ever run on TV.

I suspect Apple's sensitivity is more than about Laptop Hunters. Microsoft has played up value by highlighting what it calls the "Apple Tax" -- the price premium paid for Macs compared to Windows PCs. In fairness to Apple, that premium is in the market under $999, which is the entry price to join the iMac, MacBook Pro or Mac Pro clubs.

Microsoft plans to expand the "Tax" concept. Apple is one target. VMware is another. Kevin Turner told Microsoft partners: "Just like we did with Apple...we're going to get this virtualization tax, the VMware tax out there and start driving people crazy with the value proposition."

Given the econolypse, Microsoft has picked a good time to reemphasize value in its marketing.

Brazilian Senate hit by scandals

Politicians as a class are hardly the most admired group of people in Brazilian society, but even using a fairly low benchmark the last few months have done little to enhance their standing.

The focus of recent attention and scandals has been the upper house of the Brazilian Congress, the Senate, home to just 81 politicians representing all parts of this vast country.

At the heart of what is only the latest of many controversies has been the revelation of more than 600 "secret acts" which were signed over recent years and which were not officially approved by the Senate.

These previously undisclosed measures included providing jobs for family members and friends of senators, as well as paying extra hours and giving pay rises to members of staff.

Some of those hired never turned up to do the work for which they were employed. The federal police have now been asked to carry out an investigation, and the "secret acts" have been annulled. >>Read More

Pakistan, India agree on resumption of peace talks

SHARM-EL-SHEIKH: A crucial meeting between leaders of Pakistan and India ended here Thursday on a positive note, with both sides agreeing that dialogue was the only way forward. Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh who met here at the Red Sea resort on the sidelines of the 15th NAM summit, where more than 50 heads of state from the developing world are gathered for the two-day summit, agreed to carry on their talks. Talking to reporters after the meeting that lasted around three hours; including delegation level and exclusive one-on-one talks, Prime Minister Gilani said Pakistan also raised the issue of threats in Balochistan and other areas. Prime Minister Gilani said Pakistan has said that all core issues need to be discussed and the composite dialogue should not be bracketed with terrorism. “Action on terrorism should not be linked to the composite dialogue process and these should not be bracketed.” He said both the leaders have recognized that “dialogue is the only way forward” and agreed that the foreign secretaries should meet as often as necessary and report to the two foreign ministers who will be meeting on the sidelines of the forthcoming UN General Assembly. A Joint statement issued at the end of the talks termed the meeting “cordial and constructive” and said the two leaders considered entire gamut of relations and agreed that terrorism was the main threat to both the countries. “The leaders affirmed their resolve to fight terrorism and to cooperate with each other to this end.” Prime Minister Singh reiterated the need to bring the perpetrators of Mumbai attack to justice. Prime Minister Gilani assured that Pakistan would do everything in its power in this regard. He said Pakistan has provided an updated status dossier on the investigation of the Mumbai attacks and had sought additional information and evidence in this regard. Prime Minister Singh said the dossier was being reviewed. “Both the leaders agreed that the two countries will share real time, credible and actionable information on any future terrorist threats,” the statement said. “Prime Minister Gilani mentioned that Pakistan has some information on threats in Balochistan and other areas,” the statement said. Prime Minister Singh said India was ready to discuss all issues with Pakistan including all outstanding issues. Prime Minister Singh reiterated India’s interest in a stable, democratic Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The joint statement said; “Both leaders agreed that the real challenge is development and the elimination of poverty. Both leaders resolved to eliminate those factors which prevent our countries from realizing their full potential.” Pakistan and India agreed to work to create an atmosphere of mutual trust and confidence and reaffirmed their intention to promote regional cooperation. The talks on the sidelines of the 15th NAM summit are being held in a bid to resume the stalled peace process, meant to resolve their long-standing disputes. Earlier Prime Minister Manmohan Singh received Prime Minister Gilani when he arrived at the venue. The two leaders warmly shook hands and had a photo-op before starting the talks at Maritim Jolie Ville Resort. The talks were held amidst hopes that the peace process might be reinvigorated to bring stability to the region. The two leaders were supported by delegations including Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira, Education Minister Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani and Minister for Science and Technology Azam Khan Swati, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Nawabzada Malik Amad Khan, PML-N MNA Ms Anusha Rehman and Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir. The Indian delegation included Foreign Minister SM Krishna, Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon, National Security Adviser MK Narayanan and Special Secretary Vivek Katju. Gilani and Manmohan last met in August 2008 on the sidelines of 15th SAARC summit in Colombo and agreed to resolve all outstanding issues and promoting the confidence building measures. The two countries have so far held four rounds of the Composite Dialogue beginning in early 2004 and has seen its share of ups and downs. The fifth round stalled only after a few meetings following the terrorist attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul in July and the Mumbai attacks in November 2008. The two sides managed to break the ice after a meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on June 17 as they met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Yekaterinburg in Russia.

Michael Jackson Tribute Continued

Yesterday, I shared with you most of Paul Teroux's tribute article to Mr. Jackson. Well, today I'm going to give you the rest of the meat! An interview with Michael Jackson himself!

An Interview With Michael Jackson

My phone rang and I heard: "This is Michael Jackson." The voice was breathy, unbroken, boyish – tentative, yet tremulously eager and helpful, not the voice of a 40-year-old. In contrast to this lilting sound, its substance was denser, like a blind child giving you explicit directions in darkness.

Paul:"How would you describe Elizabeth?".

Michael:"She's a warm cuddly blanket that I love to snuggle up to and cover myself with. I can confide in her and trust her. In my business, you can't trust anyone."

Paul:"Why is that?"

Michael:"Because you don't know who's your friend. Because you're so popular, and there's so many people around you. You're isolated, too. Becoming successful means that you become a prisoner. You can't go out and do normal things. People are always looking at what you're doing."

Paul:"Have you had that experience?"

Michael:"Oh, lots of times. They try to see what you're reading, and all the things you're buying. They want to know everything. There are always paparazzi downstairs. They invade my privacy. They twist reality. They're my nightmare. Elizabeth is someone who loves me – really loves me."

Paul:"I suggested to her that she was Wendy and you're Peter."

Michael:"But Elizabeth is also like a mother–And more than that. She's a friend. She's Mother Teresa, Princess Diana, the Queen of England and Wendy. We have great picnics. It's so wonderful to be with her. I can really relax with her, because we've lived the same life and experienced the same thing."

Paul:"Which is?"

Michael:"The great tragedy of childhood stars. We like the same things. Circuses. Amusement parks. Animals."

(And there was their shared fame and isolation.)

"It makes people do strange things. A lot of our famous luminaries become intoxicated because of it – they can't handle it. And your adrenaline is at the zenith of the universe after a concert–you can't sleep. It's maybe two in the morning and you're wide awake. After coming off stage, you're floating."

Paul:"How do you handle that?"

Michael:"I watch cartoons. I love cartoons. I play video games. Sometimes I read."

Paul:"You mean you read books?"

Michael:"Yeah. I love to read short stories and everything."

Paul:"Any in particular?"

Michael:"Somerset Maugham," he said quickly, and then, pausing at each name: "Whitman. Hemingway. Twain."

Paul:"What about those video games?"

Michael:"I love X-Man. Pinball. Jurassic Park. The martial arts ones–Mortal Combat."

Paul:"I played some of the video games at Neverland," "There was an amazing one called Beast Buster."

Michael:"Oh, yeah, that's great. I pick each game. That one's maybe too violent, though. I usually take some with me on tour."

Paul:"How do you manage that? The video game machines are pretty big, aren't they?"

Michael:"Oh, we travel with two cargo planes."

Paul:"Have you written any songs with Elizabeth in mind?"

Michael:"Childhood".

Paul:"Is that the one with the line, 'Has anyone seen my childhood?'"

Michael:"Yes. It goes…"(and he liltingly recited "Before you judge me, try...", and then sang the rest).

Paul:"Didn't I hear that playing on your merry-go-round at Neverland?"

Delightedly, he said, "Yes! Yes!"

He went on about childhood, how, like Elizabeth, as a child star he used to support his family.

Michael:"I was a child supporting my family. My father took the money. Some of the money was put aside for me, but a lot of the money was put back into the entire family. I was just working the whole time."

Paul:"So you didn't have a childhood, then–You lost it. If you had it to do again how would you change things?"

Michael:"Even though I missed out on a lot, I wouldn't change anything."

Paul:"I can hear your little kids in the background"The gurgling had become insistent, like a plug-hole in a flood). "If they wanted to be performers and lead the life you led, what would you say?"

Michael:"They can do whatever they want to do. If they want to do that, it's okay."

Paul:"How will you raise them differently from the way you were raised?"

Michael:"With more fun. More love. Not so isolated."

Paul:"Elizabeth says she finds it painful to look back on her life. Do you find it hard to do that?"

Michael:"No, not when it's pertaining to an overview of your life rather than any particular moment."

(This oblique and somewhat bookish form of expression was a surprise to me–Another Michael Jackson surprise. He had made me pause with "intoxicated" and "zenith of the universe", too. I said: "I'm not too sure what you mean by 'overview'."

Michael:"Like childhood. I can look at that. The arc of my childhood."

Paul:"But there's some moment in childhood when you feel particularly vulnerable. Did you feel that? Elizabeth said that she felt she was owned by the studio."

Michael:"Sometimes really late at night we'd have to go out–It might be three in the morning – to do a show. My father forced us. He would get us up. I was seven or eight. Some of these were clubs or private parties at people's houses. We'd have to perform." This was in Chicago, New York, Indiana, Philadelphia, he added – all over the country. "I'd be sleeping and I'd hear my father. 'Get up! There's a show!' "

Paul:"But when you were on stage, didn't you get a kind of thrill?"

Michael:"Yes. I loved being on stage. I loved doing the shows."

Paul:"What about the other side of the business–If someone came up after the show, did you feel awkward?"

Michael:"I didn't like it. I've never liked people-contact. Even to this day, after a show, I hate it, meeting people. It makes me shy. I don't know what to say."

Paul:"But you did that Oprah interview, right?

Michael:"With Oprah it was tough. Because it was on TV – on TV, it's out of my realm. I know that everyone is looking and judging. It's so hard."

Paul:"Is this a recent feeling–That you're under scrutiny?"

Michael:"No," he said firmly, "I have always felt that way."

Paul:"Even when you were seven or eight?"

Michael:"I'm not happy doing it."

Paul:"Which I suppose is why talking to Elizabeth over a period of two or three months on the phone would be the perfect way to get acquainted. Or doing what we're doing right now."

Michael:"Yes."

Conclusion

At some point Michael's use of the phrase "lost childhood" prompted me to quote the line from George William Russell, "In the lost boyhood of Judas / Christ was betrayed", and I heard "Wow" at the other end of the line. He asked me to explain what that meant, and when I did, he urged me to elaborate. What sort of a childhood did Judas have? What had happened to him? Where had he lived? Who had he known?

I told him that Judas had red hair, that he was the treasurer of the Apostles, that he might have been Sicarii–A member of a radical Jewish group, that he might not have died by hanging himself but somehow exploded, all his guts flying.

Twenty more minutes of Biblical apocrypha with Michael Jackson, on the lost childhood of Judas, and then the whisper again.

"Wow."

--------------

source : The U.K. Telegraph!

Get Traffic From a Web Directory

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Social bookmarking sites in Pakitan

Sometime I think I should make one social bookmarking portal where everyone can unite and where everyone can share their thoughts , but I don't know how to setup things . Blogging is my hobby but I don't have enough idea's about other stuffs . I am inspired from social bookmarking site of Pakitan which is made by someone pakistani , it was my ambition but it's completed by someone else . Whoever is the creator I was in need of such portal and I found one where I can find all the related content from pakistan . It's really nice to see pakistan making progress in the fields of websites and IT - though IT is the main backbone behind all this and I hope one day it will be proudy to say , no place is better than pakistan !