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Strange Bedfellows (3/10/99)
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We don't know how many of you are aware of this, but it's an established fact that 83% of the world's Internet-enabled population doesn't get its recommended daily allowance of irony. We consider this to be a shocking situation, given how simple it is to get the vital irony one needs to remain a well-balanced and critical member of the online community. Therefore, as a public service to our faithful viewers, we thought we'd point out a New York Times story which provides an average adult with a full day's supply of the critical mind-nutrient.
It seems that, even as they are fighting this big ol' antitrust lawsuit tooth and nail, Microsoft is simultaneously trying to enlist the help of the very same Department of Justice that's trying to bust them for anticompetitive business practices. Apparently Microsoft has been trying to break into the e-commerce travel scene with their "MSN Expedia" site, and together with a bunch of other online travel agents, they feel that the nation's airlines are illegally squelching competition in the area of online ticket sales. Sure, it's a completely different set of issues than those that figure in the "Redmond Justice" trial, but we still find the whole thing ironic... Especially since Microsoft is specifically trying to enlist the help of Joel Klein, the head of the DoJ's antitrust division-- and the very guy who "masterminded the lawsuit against Microsoft."
Irony deficiency in adolescents and adults has been linked to such various and diverse symptoms as a tendency to believe anything one reads, the inability to recognize obvious sarcasm without relying on the crutch of "smileys," and the eventual attitude that "AOL is actually pretty cool after all." So while you're busy cursing Microsoft for secretly implanting trackable ID numbers in your Office documents and releasing software as clunky as that Windows operating system you have to use at work, make sure you're simultaneously thanking them for being such a rich source of the dietary irony you need each day to stay net-healthy. Heck, that's some irony right there. See how easy it is to get your daily dose, if you try?
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SceneLink (1394)
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 3/10/99 episode: March 10, 1999: Is the controversy over, now that Freeplay confirms that they are in talks with Apple to include wind-up power sources in future portable Macs? Meanwhile, Mac OS X Server is indeed golden, and it may not cost nearly as much as people expect, and Microsoft buddies up to the Department of Justice in an ironic attempt to bust the airlines for antitrust violations...
Other scenes from that episode: 1392: To Crank or Not To Crank (3/10/99) So here we are, in 1999, looking at an Apple that's the healthiest its been in a decade: we've got these killer consumer-level iMacs that have captured the hearts and minds of the press and the wallets of the public; we've got new translucent professional systems that truly raise the bar for both performance and ease of use; Mac OS X Server is due to ship any day now, as a viable enterprise-quality server platform; QuickTime 4 is nearing completion and is poised to revolutionize the way media is served via the Internet with its new streaming capabilities and open-source approach to server development; and FireWire is heating up and positioning Apple as quite possibly one of the industry leaders as the whole computer landscape morphs and blurs the line between computers and more "pedestrian" consumer electronics... 1393: How Cheap It Is (3/10/99) Well, whaddaya know-- given the sheer volume of Mac news outlets reporting the fact, we just have to believe the fact that Mac OS X Server has indeed finally reached "golden master" status. That means it's done and ready for duplication, so we figure it'll actually be available for sale within a couple of weeks on the outside...
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
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