Size still matters
Just got back from breakfast with Dave Winer. Dave hasn't been listening to the Gillmor Gang for a while now, but I piqued his interest by disclosing that in the latest, recorded yesterday, he is mentioned. At the end.
Actually he is mentioned earlier as well. The conversation, with Jon Udell, Dan Farber, Dana Gardner, and Mike Vizard but not the wedding-occupied Doc Searls, is focused on Scoble's "dissection" of my last post on Microsoft's condition. Like Dave, you'll have to listen to the show for how it all turns out, but let's just say I'm still smiling at the end. The meds are tuned up pretty well this week. Unfortunately, it's a gorgeous day out here in Pacifica, so it may wait til tomorrow to release the show.
Monday Farber and I will be at Salesforce's Dreamforce conference, which keeps growing in size and apparent momentum. I might have made the effort to go to the PDC, but Wagged made no effort to lure me there, so they must know something I don't. I was scheduled to go to the last one, but bailed at the last moment only to see Microsoft take everything back that they said there over the next six months. This time will be different. They will take none of it back. Remember: it's not about Microsoft anymore, or at least unless they turn the Big Corner.
Steve Jobs did his level-setting in sly mode this year. No matter how much Bill shows, the bar has been set--by how little Steve did. Like the great magician that he is, the closeup of the jeans pocket with the real message hiding in plain sight was a wonder to behold. My wife and I saw The Aristocrats last night, a wonderful lesson in how to set up a punchline. George Carlin, Robin Williams, Paul Reiser, especially that guy from TV, you know... America's Funniest Staged Videos, all smoked in grand electric style by Gilbert Gottfried, the comedian's comedian, at a September 14th Friar's Roast in the aftermath of the attacks. The lesson of the movie--it's the journey not the destination.
Jobs got us to look at the wrong pocket. Then he pulled the rabbit out. The wrong pocket was the iPhone, you say? Well, maybe, but without that pitch, would you have laughed so much at the Nano? Everyone of you who files into Bill's keynote Tuesday morning knows intuitively that there's nothing up Bill's sleeve.
Bill is making iPhones--different sizes, colors, shapes, but same DRM. You can get anything you want--except for Alice. Whoops, dead end. Why would Steve make an iPhone? Oh wait, he didn't. The Motorola guy did, sucked the Cingular guy into the game. Hmmm. Stop, hey, what's that sound? Everybody look what's going 'round...EV-DO, that's what. EV-DO plus WiFi, says Om--the Last Train to Clarksville for the carriers. Can you hear the switching sounds? As Russ found out, just call forward it until the smoke clears Q1 06.
It's the setup, not the punchlne, Steve reminds us. Blah blah podcasts, iPhone, Mini, Mighty, Nano nanoo. Stick around for the joke Robin Williams tells at the end of the credits. Carlin's analysis. A brilliant fork by Martin Mull. "I'll take death." Don't worry, that's not the punchline.