Comments on: At CES, Gates tells what a geek wants

The Vegas extravaganza has a lot to offer even the world's richest man. Plus: XP's legacy to computing.

[Dachi]

MS Robotics Studio is interesting

I think a combination of wireless technologies and robotics studio should lead to some interesting household products.

Instead of just having LCD panels around the house wirelessly networked, simple robotics allow for richer interaction with them.

Windows Home Server is probably intended more as a content delivery system for audio/video, but it could also be used to communicate with simple robotic products wirelessly so that they can offload processing to reduce costs.

Take the Roomba for instance, instead of a generic algorithm to decide where to vacuum, it could use a cheap laser range finder to feed numbers back to a central server that can use the measurements to create maps of the rooms and calculate the robots position in the house.

The server could then use more complicated algorithms to determine where the robot needs to vacuum and sent it simplified instructions.

Ditto for a toy like Robosapien, with offloaded processing it could have speech and facial recognition.

There are tons of possibilities for something like this that I nobody has thought of yet, but with sumulation lowering entry costs to design robotics, and the ability to form a tech savvy community around a platform like this, I think it is as interesting as anything else being showcased at CES this year.

[jabbotts]

but why Microsoft?

But why Microsoft? They do have the robot-lego programming kit but I'd rather something with full transparency and freedom. I don't see Microsoft, by patent or intentions, being less restrictive.

I'll fully admit that I'm biased though after many years of running up against Microsoft's intentional limitations and lock-in strategies.

[microshizzle]

gee k......

i wonder how the bill gates foundation thing is going while he's busy promoting microshizzle =)

[garrywdm]

gates envy

At least he's not faking documents to fatten his pay cheque. Instead Gates employs people to give his money away

[jabbotts]

not worth discussion

I'm guessing that the foundation is more than two people and that they have a management structure in place reporting in regularily while he continues is exit from Microsoft's day to day as per schedual.

It's really not worth discussion though unless your just looking for things to complain about; and I'd be the first to be making noise if there was something to complain about.

Besides, consider the potential good he can do. Even if he did nothing more than walk around throwing money at problems; that alone would make a noticable difference on a global scale. We all hate him and company because of the application of a highly trained strategic mind applied to business. If he applies that same focus, determination and strategic analysis to really solving problems without demanding that every solution be patented under the Microsoft brand then there's a huge potential for good to be done.

If he's just looking for new early-entry markets to brand and exploit then we have a different situation entirely.

Proove us wrong Bill; do some real humanitarian good without employing Microsoft products.

[garrywdm]

Go Robo Studio

The studio is brilliant. Well done MS. Thinking ahead in leaps and bounds

[onesoftware]

Vista #1

A question was asked on C/net, ?What will you say when you see the new Windows Vista?? It just popped into my head, that thought, and I laughed so hard tears fell in my hilarity.



Could you please tell Mr. Gates my thought? I think it would make a fabulous slogan for his New Windows Vista.



This is the Image and thought I saw in my head. A man standing there with a computer case lopsided on his head and him looking out the slot where the cd player is. The slot is larger. You can see his eyes. He is dressed in leather. There is a patch over the left corner of the computer case, an eye patch, a big one, a square one. It has 2 black shoe strings on it and wrapped around the computer box. The computer boxes? lights are blinking on and off. The case is worn and damaged banged up. The man?s legs are spread apart standing like a macho man. He has black boots, black leather pants, black leather vest. It really should be Mr. Gates, but if he can?t do it, a body builder will do as second choice. Then the man pulls his hand from his vest and says with a big full grin, ?ASTA LA VISTA ?BA-----BY,? as he shows the new Product. The sound of the New Vista is heard from the computer monitor. Miraculously the monitor kicks the man out of the computer box. The computer is not blinking or making clunky noises. Isn?t that phrase ?ASTA LA VISTA BABY?? funny? The monitor(it sees, you know)snaps in the ultimate Vista Cd and walla. ALl sounds normal... mmm mmm good! YES, MR. GATES!
I want a free computer also loaded with it all!
Thankyou. Taking my pretty bow and curtsy. ha ha

Well I sure had a good laughed, since it is the greatest of them all and so promising.

Have a good day.



Heidi Bujak

[alek_nedic]

There is a patch

http://www.analogstereo.com/volvo_v70_owners_manual.htm

[enscorp]

Mr Gates, Please contact me.

Mr. Gates,

With all due respect to your success and vision I ask that you contact me regarding the next "Bleeding Edge" communications technology. I have at least one engineer of MS products (C#, ASP.NET, etc..) who can help us deliver a working prototype fairly quickly. Please deliver any information possible on a serious submission for business partnership consideration to [e-mail]

Sincerely,

R. Frey
Enterprise Network Solutions
D.B.A. (3N5)