Launch!

Yesterday, I attended a Microsoft Launch event. It was basically a product demonstration for the new version of Windows (Windows Vista) and for the new version of Office (Office Professional 2007). The series I attended was for developers, so it was full of "You can make programs that do this!" things. Pretty cool stuff, really. But you know my stories aren't going to be about the technology. My stories are about the event itself. :)

Walking down the hallway toward the large conference rooms, there was a projector sitting near one wall. It was projecting promotional Microsoft images on the opposite wall. Now, picture this in your mind... a projector firing images across the hallway that we're walking down. Therefore, as you walk down the hallway, you block the images. And if you glanced in the wrong direction, you were also blinded.

Once I signed in, I got a bracelet to wear. It looked just like one of those Lance Armstrong "Livestrong" bracelets. It said "Microsoft" instead of Livestrong, of course. This was how they identified who could get into the conference rooms.

As it happened, the overwhelming majority of the developers in attendance were male. When it was time for a break, there was a mighty stampede toward the restrooms. The ladies room door never saw more than one or two at a time going in or out. The men's room had a lengthy line. One guy quipped, "Now I know what my wife feels like!"

There's a joke there. I'll just let you use your imagination. ;)