Yesterday I realized that the very first thing I do when I get my WIRED magazine in the mail, even before I look at the cover, is flip to the back page which always has a picture-story. It’s written by a bunch of different people and is titled FOUND:Artifacts from the future.
Instead of butchering the idea with words I have included the picture of the particular article that this blog is going to be about.
How extremely clever it was! “Vulcan blood!” I thought. There is no doubt; you know what colour that it. But then upon closer inspection, you see - yeah, there….right under ‘clockwork orange‘, peeking out. Yes, you see it! “iPod white” reads the crayon.
Please, someone out there steal this idea. It doesn’t have to be iPod, it just has to be clever. Some big, PR-marketing-ad kind of person, figure out something cool and go to Crayola. I mean, its great becuase your target audience is going to be kids. They’re impressionable right?
I could see McDonald’s doing something like this. Or a cigarette company.
It’s amazing how many commercials I still see even though I don’t have cable. sidenote: Don’t gasp b/c I don’t have cable; I watch my tv, just not by using a tv.
Anyway, that’s not the point. I was sent this commercial, I don’t think it is actually on cable but it should be. And although I tend to slam Microsoft (in both my virtual and real lives) I want to remain objective and show alternative views of related topics. To that, I leave you this video:
A school district in California decides to abandon Microsoft and makes an amazing switch to Microsoft’s biggest enemy: SUSE Linux. (sidenote: Microsoft has been threatening to sue SUSE Linux over intellectual property rights).
Basically, this article explains that the upgrade to Windows Vista, which is already very expensive, would mean that the school districts would also have to upgrade their hardware.
COST: over $100, 000 USD + $100 per license
Instead, the director of technology and information services, Heather Carver, chose the open source road - Novell SUSE Linux - a surprisingly smooth switch and a much better support system.
COST: $2500/school and FREE license.
The best argument Carver explains, which is really the clinching key message, is that:
“The kids think Linux is cool because it’s new, but what they’re really doing is stepping into the 21st century.”
