About Simon Wood

Lecturer in medical education, lapsed mathematician, Doctor Who fan and garden railway builder. See simonwood.info for more...

6 thoughts on “Ummm…

  1. I watched that one a couple of times and, if the message is, “Microsoft people put their shows on just like everyone else” or “Someday (but not today!) they plan to make PCs easy to use” they might have succeeded. Although, why they’d want to convey those particular messages, I cannot fathom.

    These remind me a lot of the Jerry Seinfeld/Superman American Express commericlals, which were equally pointless – but then, that’s always been Seinfeld’s trademark – except in that case, there’s the obvious disconnect between Superman and his awesome, god-like powers and having a spot of trouble getting his lattè done right at Starbucks.

    Perhaps I’m too steeped in the computer industry, but does anyone really think Bill Gates is a god-like creature? Or, are they, by association with the Superman commercials trying to elevate Bill Gates up to Steve Jobs’ level as technology demi-god?

    Further question: Has Seinfeld ever has an original idea?

  2. I watched that one a couple of times and, if the message is, “Microsoft people put their shows on just like everyone else” or “Someday (but not today!) they plan to make PCs easy to use” they might have succeeded. Although, why they’d want to convey those particular messages, I cannot fathom.

    These remind me a lot of the Jerry Seinfeld/Superman American Express commericlals, which were equally pointless – but then, that’s always been Seinfeld’s trademark – except in that case, there’s the obvious disconnect between Superman and his awesome, god-like powers and having a spot of trouble getting his lattè done right at Starbucks.

    Perhaps I’m too steeped in the computer industry, but does anyone really think Bill Gates is a god-like creature? Or, are they, by association with the Superman commercials trying to elevate Bill Gates up to Steve Jobs’ level as technology demi-god?

    Further question: Has Seinfeld ever has an original idea?

  3. Shows or shoes? Either way, I can’t see why I’d want to know that MS people put them on. Planning to make PCs easy to use I get, but I don’t see how the discount shoe business has anything to do with that.

    Now, I’ve been off to find the American Express adverts and they do at least seem to feature the product their advertising, though the style is certainly similar. Is the MS ad a pastiche of the American Express ad, with Gates as Superman? Or is this just Seinfeld (I’m not really familiar with Jerry Seinfeld and never saw his sitcom). Is this why I (still) just don’t get it?

  4. Shows or shoes? Either way, I can’t see why I’d want to know that MS people put them on. Planning to make PCs easy to use I get, but I don’t see how the discount shoe business has anything to do with that.

    Now, I’ve been off to find the American Express adverts and they do at least seem to feature the product their advertising, though the style is certainly similar. Is the MS ad a pastiche of the American Express ad, with Gates as Superman? Or is this just Seinfeld (I’m not really familiar with Jerry Seinfeld and never saw his sitcom). Is this why I (still) just don’t get it?

  5. That’s the third time today I’ve mistyped “shoes” as “shows”…

    At the risk of getting beat up by fans of the shoe… er, show, I never could find much of worth in Seinfeld. (The show, not the man) It was very much like these ads, People in ordinary situations, doing things that are mildly amusing, occasionally with some wry commentary, but not often enough.

    It was on the air for 10 years, and won some awards, so somebody liked it.

  6. That’s the third time today I’ve mistyped “shoes” as “shows”…

    At the risk of getting beat up by fans of the shoe… er, show, I never could find much of worth in Seinfeld. (The show, not the man) It was very much like these ads, People in ordinary situations, doing things that are mildly amusing, occasionally with some wry commentary, but not often enough.

    It was on the air for 10 years, and won some awards, so somebody liked it.

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