19 Apr 11 Bing!
It’s a rare thing to catch me promoting a Microsoft product. Not that I’m a Microsoft hater, it’s just they don’t have anything that usually appeals to me. I have used Windows 7 in the past, and I’ve no complaints, but I don’t have any of their other software at all.
Anyway, the purpose of this short note is really to point out that although Google 411 may have closed down, there’s a decent alternative from Microsoft at 1-800-BING-411. Like the former Google service it’s free to use, and the Bing 411 service also gives you driving directions.
It’s free in the US, although you can call it from anywhere in the world, subject to International call rates.
Tags: 411, driving directions, google, microsoft, microsoft hater, microsoft product, nan, photo credit
26 Feb 11 Sheepish
Once upon a time there was a shepherd looking after his sheep on the side of a deserted road. Suddenly a brand new Porsche screeches to a halt. The driver, a man dressed in an Armani suit, Cerutti shoes, Ray-Ban sunglasses, TAG-Heuer wrist-watch, and a Pierre Cardin tie gets out and asks the shepherd, ‘If I can tell you how many sheep you have, will you give me one of them?’
The young man parks the car, connects his laptop to the mobile-fax, enters a NASA Website, scans the ground using his GPS, opens a database and 60 Excel tables filled with algorithms and pivot tables. He then prints out a 150-page report on his high-tech mini-printer, turns to the shepherd and says, ”You have exactly 1,586 sheep.’
The shepherd cheers, ‘That’s correct, you can have your sheep.’
The young man takes one of the animals from the flock and puts it in the back of his Porsche.
The shepherd looks at him and asks, ‘If I guess your profession, will you return my animal to me?’
The young man answers, ‘Yes, why not?’
The shepherd says, ‘You are an auditor.’
‘How did you know?’ asks the young man.
‘Very simple,’ answers the shepherd. ‘Firstly, you came here without being wanted. Secondly, you charged me a fee to tell me something I already knew. Thirdly, you don’t understand anything about my business….. Now can I have my dog back?’
photo credit: PedalFreak
Tags: armani suit, cheers, flock, gps, laptop, man answers, mini printer, mobile fax, nasa, nasa website, photo credit, pierre cardin, pivot tables, porsche, profession, ray ban sunglasses, sheep, tag heuer, wrist watch, young man
