Comments on: the blue monster celebrates two years without being killed

By: John Dumbrille

John Dumbrille — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:40:12 +0000

Um Jason, I think Hugh’s trying to influence Microsoft culture for the better. Of course MS is fcked, big deal. So is the economy. The point is — now what?

By: Jason Sieckmann

Jason Sieckmann — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 01:44:32 +0000

Umm, this is going to make me seem like a jerk. This whole thing is a vaguery about an ad scheme to promote a giant company. Rather than trying to come up with some sort of inter-company philosophy, why didn’t anybody just ask where the negative press on Microsoft comes from?
Perhaps it’s the fact that Windows, every single version of Windows that I have ever owned, has had some bizarre error and crashed.
…or gotten a virus…
It’s weird that Apple doesn’t seem to get major outbreaks of viruses on their systems, isn’t it? That’s not something that perception can control. Microsoft laid off record numbers of it’s employment force during the 90’s. I’ve seen studies suggesting that over 50% of hackers in the world have at one time or another worked on a large Windows platform or directly for Microsoft.
So, why come up with this monster thing; which really, to people not washed in your culture, makes us roll our eyes. You know that scene in Fight Club, where the guy is talking about efficiency and his corn flour blue icon? THAT’S how this looks to other people. Just so you know.
This is definitely why I went into business for myself. Because, at what point can you look your boss in the eye, and tell him: “this isn’t okay. You’re screwing up.” –you can’t, and that’s not an accident. Large corporations pick and choose what rallies employees around one banner to increase production. Of course, it’s only the full brain-washed that ever fall for it.
What’s this campaign cost? Imagine, if that money, time, and effort were spent on designing a version of Windows that doesn’t crash after the first time downloads a virus.
It may justify the budgets of advertisers to be self-promoting, but it does nothing for faith in your products. I buy Mac; which is ironic considering that even THEY aren’t THAT good. They are just so much better than Windows, that I have no reason to go back and rely on crappy third party hardware manufacturers and an OS that works when it feels like working.
You don’t seriously take pride in collectivism, do you?

By: Liz

Liz — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 15:49:37 +0000

Didn’t know anything about this phenomenon until I saw this blog post. How great to be able to influence a corporation in such a positive way, I don’t care who they are. Any impetus for self-reflection gets bonus points from me. Kudos!

By: fear public speaking

fear public speaking — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 23:49:54 +0000

thank you

By: bonnieL

bonnieL — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 23:12:32 +0000

Victor P, just checked out your blog.
I furiously disagree with your reply to Hugh above.
Victor wrote: “Although I’m a nobody.…”
You’re wrong, wrong, wrong! So there!
bonnieL

By: Engago Team

Engago Team — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 22:25:12 +0000

Blue Monster or not.
The Empire (Microsoft) will strike again even if they have to change their business model from retail or prepackaged with computers to in the cloud.
Microsoft is capable of changing their business model and to re-invent themselves, just like Apple, IBM, Philips, Samsung, Sony.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:33:01 +0000

Happy Birthday Blue Monster and how appropriate that its anniversary is pretty much right on Halloween!!! Blue Monster has inspired me throughout my work on Microsoft and I hope that i too will continue to try to “change the world ( for better! ) or go home”. hope to have more microsofty discussions soon Hugh!

By: Laura

Laura — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:52:32 +0000

Thanks for this post Hugh. I like that you aren’t following established “rules” for personal branding. I think that doing so waters down a personal brand. It’s counter productive, since a personal brand is an expression of your personality — whether people like it or not. That’s the whole point.

By: Victor Paredes

Victor Paredes — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 01:06:27 +0000

Although I’m a nobody, I had this up in my cubicle for a long time at my previous job. I removed the Microsoft portion, as you can imagine. It helped to keep me driven and focused on my goals.
Thanks, Hugh!

By: K A P I T E L

K A P I T E L — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:02:01 +0000

I just love this. The void gets better and better.
Point 3. Yeah yeah!
As far as I‘m concerned Microsoft have got the MONSTER and little else! I have to comment on Jame Senior‘s insert though; thus…
The monster in a way makes more sense to me than semantics like mesh, office, 2010, framework and WPF. Why dont they really use it, really throw it around a little? Bill isn‘t a great advert for anything but bad footwear.
I always wondered, W.T.F. does extensibility really mean? I know what its supposed to mean but it‘s genuine b*ll*cks, like suggesting dinosaurs are future proof.
In a way this technical puffery and jargon is not much different from adwank brand speak really — it‘s just an attempt to sound hip; verisimilar to car names but more obscure a & harder to decipher.
How about some simplicity amidst all this complexity, some communication, some real talk, some real language?
Yes, the geek shall in inherit the earth but the fact is we are all geeks now in a sense but just not that geeky.
To muso‘s, designers, and creatives this language means nothing, we need to know that it does what we want not what it says on the box because the box is covered in B.S.. I have to use a Mac because I dont trust the language of microsoft — it sounds great for accounting and that is all.
But the monster, what a guy!
He must be a drummer.
Dont kill the badass outlaw inside you who needs to paint in the TX mountains. The west wasn‘t won on salad, nor the war through compromise…

By: bonnieL

bonnieL — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 22:58:04 +0000

Happy Birthday Blue Monster — these days, two years is like a lifetime. And thanks for David’s post Hugh -
*Blue Monster shows us that no matter how big or small the company that the world is a bigger place.*
best,
bonnieL

By: Ken

Ken — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:23:21 +0000

It’s so funny, who the hell cares whether they care for Microsoft!
What I love about your work is the commentary through your sketches. It’s not like you declared your undying love for Microsoft and said everyone else sucks.
You just pointed out the “elephant” in the room in regards to what is perceived to be the problem at Microsoft.
Love or hate em’, we can all learn from them and what your gleaning from them too.