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And it continues - Scoble manages to go *lower* by trashing Microsoft MVPs

So far I've gotten mostly positive responses about telling Scoble that he was wrong to have slammed Microsoft in the way he did. It feels as though I'm not the only one getting fed up with the way this guy goes about trying to get more inbound links.

Tonight, I went through the comments of the post in question, trying to get a feeling for where most people stood. I didn't read the comments before - I simply responded to the post. I was so pissed off that I didn't wait.

What I found was that things just got stranger and stranger. It's to the point that I can't make much sense of him.

And, yeah, I realize that this is going to make it look like I'm trying to conduct a Scoble Attack-a-thon, but, seriously, I don't feel good knowing that this guy is recognized by many members of the media to be representative of geeks.

It's been a long time since I've written several tech related posts in a row. I want to get my site away from that - post some comics and other crap - but I can't do that until I get some of this off my chest.

While I found many comments from Scoble and his readers that seemed totally insane to me, I had to stop at comment 163 because, despite the stiff competition, it somehow managed to stand out above the others:

What gets online is reality to most people. It’s what bloggers have to work with. I have lots of MVPs who read me. If my facts are wrong, I’m sure they’ll point it out (and, you seem to be the first, which is totally shocking to tell the truth — it’s almost like the group agrees that they were cheerleading).

I wonder how the various Microsoft MVPs feel about being lumped together as "cheerleaders" simply because Scoble has decided that their silence makes them complicit.

Robert - didn't it occur to you that a possible reason the MVPs were quiet is that they have better things to do than read your blog? I know you've been quoted in Time, and I think that's awesome, but tons of people are quoted in Time in each issue. There have been plenty of issues. There have been plenty of quotes, and most of them will be forgotten. Being quoted in Time (or any other publication) is not a metric by which we should be expected to judge the value of your opinions.

I was on a shitty reality show on A&E. Does that make me more of an authority on anything? Not really.

But, here you are, in one paragraph, managing to offend even further. Before, you went after Microsoft. Now it's the MVPs. Either that, or you're trying to piss some people off. If that's the case, it's working.

What in the hell do you mean by "What gets online is reality to most people"?

Half the people on this planet have never used a phone, let alone get online (to say nothing of the extent to which you are unknown to the rest of the world).

OK. I realize I'm not just angry, but I'm starting to sound angry as well. That's not cool, but people need to understand how to read your tabloid blog.

Very quick lesson in critical thinking: That Scoble appears to be confident in his claims is not a reason to believe those claims.

It doesn't take long to debunk this garbage.

Next, we have "I have lots of MVPs who read me."

What does that mean? How much is "lots"? How many MVPs come in a "lots"?

Another quick lesson in critical thinking: For every vague claim made by Scoble, there's a corollary. For example, a corollary of "I have lots of MVPs who read me" might be "There are lots of MVPs who don't read me." It's important to note how these two claims compliment each other. Very simply, the word "lots" is so equivocal that it can be taken to represent any portion of a whole.

Finally, we have the last sentence, which I found the most insulting: "If my facts are wrong, I’m sure they’ll point it out (and, you seem to be the first, which is totally shocking to tell the truth — it’s almost like the group agrees that they were cheerleading)."

Where to begin? For one, I love the statement, "If my facts are wrong..."

If they're wrong, then they aren't facts.

Then we have this incredibly egotistical assumption: "...I'm sure they'll point it out..."

Are we supposed to think that, because you're sure they'll point it out, it's true?

What makes you so sure? Even if every single comment for that post came from a different MVP, there would still be "lots" left over who didn't comment. If that had happened, your "facts" still wouldn't have been anything more than circumstantial.

Lastly, and best of all, "...and, you seem to be the first, which is totally shocking to tell the truth - it's almost like the group agrees that they were cheerleading..."

W.T.F.

Did you read that, MVPs (I'm sure there are "lots" who read me)? You've all become cheerleaders simply by not reading Scoble's blog.

There was much more content similar to this. The guy is making outlandish claims based on inference based on a lack of information from which to infer. I don't think it gets any sleazier.

This is the guy who was quoted by Time. This is the guy who thinks he represents you.

Think about that.

Published Monday, March 19, 2007 9:29 PM by Rory

Filed Under: ,

Comments

 

rick said:

Mon ami,

I smell something rather distinct. Like the time I left a controlling resistor out of a timing circuit...only worse. Smells of attention seeking marketing to me. Methinks it is the 'other ego' seeking the changing tide, but who am I to say?

I only read one side of things like this and I think that anal orifices only get attention when they aren't working properly -- except for those other times. Scoble has had his moment. And he has never come close to representing anything of me.

I'm hoping for more from you. More you from you, I mean. Real friendship doesn't end, but it changes. Changed but still there.
March 19, 2007 10:44 PM
 

kettch said:

I really don't think that this is a problem that is limited to Scoble. There are some "A list" bloggers who produce some great content, but most of them just echo each other. It's a big contest, the one with the most google juice wins. For many bloggers it has become more than a contest, and they are believing their own hype. I think that it is this very attitude that (hopefully) will result in the collapse of the blog ecosystem.

The reason why I want this to happen is that bloggers have far too much influence. The influence of bloggers started because a few well written blogs attracted the attention of the masses. Oddly enough, Scoble's was probably one of those. However, as blogging gained momentum, less worthy content was able to sponge off of the success of the better blogs. Also, some of the good blogs started to just drift along, riding the coattails of their own success. Now we are at a point where anybody who can get a few links is looked upon as an authority. Look at the FUD that is flying around about Vista, for example. How much of that stuff is true, and how much is a few uninformed people writing their own opinions?

These types of bloggers are trolls on a spectacular scale. If the blogging community collapses on itself, then the truly worthy content will hopefully survive. Who might make up this group? Most likely it will be people who blog because they like the outlet, and don't care as much about the fame. There will be people who care about their subject, and want to edjucate and entertain.

I hope my vague and incoherent prognostications fall on deaf ears. It will be much more entertaining that way.
March 19, 2007 10:58 PM
 

Robert Scoble said:

Another ScobleSpanking! Can we go for four? I'll be back tomorrow night to see.
March 19, 2007 11:18 PM
 

Jason Olson said:

I'm sorry, I've been holding this back for all day to see where this goes and to see what else Scoble says (to at least give him the benefit of the doubt). However, after all that, I can see that nothing is going to change. So here's my opinion:

News Flash Just In!!!! Scoble is the Jack Thompson of blogging. That is all...
March 20, 2007 12:22 AM
 

Chris Hanson said:

It really bugs me how Scoble is seen as somehow representative of geeks by the mainstream media.  Because, you know, he's not a geek.  He's a geek hanger-on -- a dork, if you will.  He couldn't code his way out of a wet paper bag, but he really, really enjoys hanging out with people who do, especially if he gets the chance to talk for them.

Sure there are all kinds of geeks, but the one thing I see in all of us is an intense creative drive.  I don't really see that in Scoble, I see an attention-seeking drive.  Would he be making podcasts if nobody watched or listened to them?  I doubt it.  But us geeks create because we NEED to create.

That comes through very clearly on your part, Rory, and it's one of the reasons your podcasts are so great.  I couldn't imagine Robert creating anything like them, especially if he wasn't certain anybody would even find them worth listening to.  Besides, creating something with production values rivaling "This American Life" would require editing...
March 20, 2007 1:27 AM
 

Mendelt Siebenga said:

Scoble still seems to be living in that wonderfull world before 2002 where everyone was trying to break open the market with groundbreaking and wonderfull ideas and worry about making money later....
Google, Microsoft (and everyone else who didn't go belly up in the crash that followed) know that that's not a sustainable way of doing business. Sometimes it works but most of the time it doesn't. You're better of trying out small ideas. Looking very hard at what people do with your stuff and improving your ideas. and repeat. (seems like a lot of hard work)
That's what google is doing to maintain their market share on the internet. And that's what microsoft is doing to gain market share.

Both are doing a good job and I'm really curious to see what happens next. Google is ahead in search/advertising and Microsoft is ahead with messenger, internet-mail (gmail vs hotmail/livemail? .... yeah right...) and they've got a winner with subscription based online services with xbox-live.

But most importantly they're both trying out new stuff all the time and looking to see what people do with that. (and copying each other.. terraserver -> google earth -> msn-maps )

Scoble only seems to look at where Google is ahead.

By the way.. when are we going to see a microsoft or google version of ebay/paypal? There's money to be made there :)
March 20, 2007 3:34 AM
 

Massif said:

OK, if I was bored of the debate before, I'm really bored of it now.

Fortunately it appears Scoble's bored of it too, so we may get a little piece and quiet.

I appreciate this behaviour of his annoys you Rory, and you've pointed it out now. Nothing further can be gained by getting yourself more het up about this...

In the words of a great moron: "And that is all I have to say about that."
March 20, 2007 4:04 AM
 

Ernst Kuschke (C# MVP) said:

Dude, if it wasn't for your blog linking to Scoble's, I would never have known about his slamming of MS and MVP's - I don't read him, and I don't know of MVP's who do.
March 20, 2007 6:02 AM
 

Jake Good said:

Isn't it funny how we haven't seen a good argument or response back from Scoble yet?

So far all he has done is gone through each comment one by one or even a few statements... and has followed a simple formula...

Someone says: Robert, this is what is wrong with what you said...
Robert says: Well, so I've made love to 1,000 egg plants in my tech career. How many have you stuck your finger in?

In all honesty, I used to read Scoble... just as I used to read Slashdot and Joel on Software. And since, they have been too ego filled to even swallow what little morsel of information they might hold.

Rory, keep up what you're best at... being humorous and writing very well...

Robert, keep up what you're best at... whatever that is...

Let's just get back to making a better world, multiple 1s and 0s at a time.
Jake
March 20, 2007 7:38 AM
 

Jake Good said:

And Rory... are we still on for a beer or fifty in May (RailsConf, Portland, You were going to be down for a birthday)? We played email-tag a month or so back about it...

Jake
March 20, 2007 7:40 AM
 

Ross said:

I agree with Massif that you shouldn't get wound up by him, I know it is hard but I am sure Jamie on C9 will cheer you up.

http://channel9.msdn.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=292990#292990
March 20, 2007 8:30 AM
 

dddddddddddddddddd said:

I think an internal MS group conspired to bring down Scoble, or to discredit him. I think that this is a coordinated effort. Microsoft does everything on purpose, and you're not holding back your slants. I bet you are the pawns in a larger chess game to finally make Scoble insignificant despite his pulpit at the podcasting startup. The same way Paul Allen was chased out of the company, I bet the board conjured this scenario up, and Rory and Charles are merely the implantation of their plans.
March 20, 2007 8:46 AM
 

Ian said:

is 'ddd duh....ddd' actually Scoble? Or is it Rory trolling his own comments.

I mean I *guess* Ray or Bill or Steve could have called Rory up and asked him to dish out a ScobleSpanking, but it seems more likely that Rory got fed up with what Robert was writing and decided to write about that himself. And then Robert responded without his usual 'oops, sorry,forget I said those things, nothing to see (I've got my pageviews already), move along' cop out and it escalated into the slapfest we have now.

Course, what with Micro$oft being the evil empire I'm sure there must be a group in there somewhere who's a cost center with the charter of 'destroy Scoble. Or assimilate him. Or something'. If not, why not damn it?

I better give Mary J Foley a call too - they probably have her on their target list.

Damn those borg. Maybe Picard will come through some time-hole (ask Hawkins) and save us from the evil M$ drones.
And I bet the time-hole will be generated by Linux, not that crappy Vista stuff because who knows what direction the Microsft time-hole generator 2.0 would head? Probably borg-space, thats where my friends. Next stop implant land.
Also, knowing Picard he'd want the time-hole pink, not the standard blue/white and he's too cheap to pay for a binary patch of the time-hole creating routines so he'd HAVE to use a nicely flexible OS like Linux. Obviously. God Micro$oft sucks.

I may have veered off course there somewhere. There might be an analogy there too..
March 20, 2007 9:04 AM
 

Scott said:

Scoble keeps talking about how the MVP's are cheerleading MS but I don't think he actually READS their blogs. Here's a few links just from the Codebetter.com site. Does it sound like they are cheerleading MS? It sounds to me like they gave their feedback directly to the teams and gave it respectfully.

http://codebetter.com/blogs/jeremy.miller/archive/2007/03/15/More-from-the-MVP-Summit_3A00_--Go-forth-and-see-the-world_2100_.aspx
http://codebetter.com/blogs/jeremy.miller/archive/2007/03/19/MVP-Summit-Recapped_3A00_-Linq-for-Entities_2C00_-MonoRail_2C00_-and-Shameless-Name-Dropping.aspx

http://codebetter.com/blogs/scott.bellware/archive/2007/03/20/160380.aspx
http://codebetter.com/blogs/scott.bellware/archive/2007/03/20/160383.aspx

http://codebetter.com/blogs/jeffrey.palermo/archive/2007/03/15/Linq-to-Entities_3A00_--Microsoft_2700_s-first-go-at-O_2F00_R-Mapping-_2800_they-need-our-feedback-now_21002900_-_2D00_-level-300.aspx

http://codebetter.com/blogs/sam.gentile/archive/2007/03/15/All-I-Can-Say-is-a-Big-Amen_2100_.aspx
http://codebetter.com/blogs/sam.gentile/archive/2007/03/17/New-and-Notable-149.aspx

That's just the response at one aggregate site. Of some well-respected MVP's. Is Scoble saying that Sam Gentile is just a MS cheerleader? A patsy?

Hopefully, all the links won't get this dumped as spam. ;)
March 20, 2007 9:06 AM
 

dddddddddddddddddd said:

"Course, what with Micro$oft being the evil empire I'm sure there must be a group in there somewhere who's a cost center with the charter of 'destroy Scoble. Or assimilate him. Or something'. If not, why not damn it? "

Look at Channel9, look at the open letter Charles wrote to Scoble. Why didn't he send email? Charles isn't the "open letter" type of poster. Bill Gates how ever is very much the open letter type of person as demonstrated in his homebrew club publication. I don't doubt that this was coordinated, strategized and premeditated. I'm not saying Bill specifically told Charles or anybody else to post that open letter. I am sure this was conceived at a lower level than Bill Gates. Perhaps VPs and managers.
March 20, 2007 9:18 AM
 

Dave said:

Foxbar, your paranoia is starting to get creepy. Why would "the man" arrange for a poster on a forum to put out an open letter? Wouldn't it have been much, much easier to simply contact him privately and sort it out, doing it through someone is a lot more complicated and adds more uncertainty to the equation. Besides, who do you think is the intended target for C9?
March 20, 2007 9:37 AM
 

Zer0Mass said:

You know I have a sudden desire to find where Scoble is filming next and give him something to edit out, like my naked pale hairy butt.
March 20, 2007 9:47 AM
 

sk said:

"Scoble only seems to look at where Google is ahead. "

Scoble somehow ignores Google's missteps and focuses entirely on its competitors such as Yahoo!, Ask, and Microsoft. If you read his blog, after a while you start getting the impression that Google is the model of perfection in the tech field, whereas Microsoft, Ask, and Yahoo! are run by jerks who can't get anything right. He claims he doesn't always bash Microsoft, which is true, because if he did he'd be stupid - he'd have absolutely no (0) credibility left.

Regarding the credibility of MVPs, here's Paul Thurrott on his internet nexus blog:

"It will come as no surprise for you to discover that when I was slipstreamed into the program a few years back, I ran into immediate trouble because I refused to drink the Kool-Aid and stop criticizing the company publicly and leaking details about future products, even though none of that information ever came from the MVP program, which I constantly ignored. We split less than amicably."

Funny!
March 20, 2007 10:23 AM
 

BenM said:

Kudos to you, Rory. I stopped reading Scoble long ago.
March 20, 2007 10:28 AM
 

Blue said:

Rory, Rory, Rory. I think we've got your point now and you're wasting too much time and talent (your writing) on that guy. It's not worth it, please go over it. Will your next move be calling the police and having him arrested? (Sorry, but I'm thinking of a particular episode of your life here... ;)

Looking forward to your next post! ;)
March 20, 2007 12:37 PM
 

Blue said:

I meant "get" over it. Argh!
March 20, 2007 12:46 PM
 

Rory said:

Scoble -

"Another ScobleSpanking! Can we go for four? I'll be back tomorrow night to see."

It's not a spanking. My first post was meant to show you, by example, what it feels like to have your company slammed in a place as public as a blog. It fucking sucks, doesn't it? And, even more irritating, it doesn't seem to matter whether it's all true or not - people dig the emotional arguments.

You came back by attacking *me*. You also talked more shit about MS and 9. That was a mistake.

So, I wrote my response to your angry comments. I did it because I thought your comments were indicative of how out of control your ego has gotten.

Then, more angry comments.

Finally, after reading a lot of the comments you left under your own post, I started to see a pattern, and the pattern, frankly, disgusted me.

*I* don't want to be represented by you. While you might not think you're doing that, the fact is, you're so widely read now that everything you say gets picked up somewhere.

Too many people are listening now. Your childish outbursts and attacks are intolerable. They're also damaging.

And for what? Your own ego? Links? Traffic? What you like to call "authority"?

That's bullshit.

If this were a "spanking," I would have just drawn an insulting comic. It wouldn't have made an argument - it simply would have trashed you, and it would have been extremely, ridiculously, amazingly funny (that's just the nature of my comics, of course).

That's the wrong medium for what I have to say right now because, for once, I'm serious.

You've changed. You attacked in the past, but you're going overboard. In the process, you're insulting hard working people at Microsoft, your readers, and even the MVPs.

WTF?

These posts are meant to draw attention to that. Where it might seem like a personal attack, it isn't. I don't think you're a bad guy. I actually think of you as the Elvis of tech blogs (it's a long explanation, but it has to do with you not being able to gracefully handle the power you've been given, as well as the possibility that you're being manipulated left and right). This isn't about *you*.

It's about one very popular source of information that's written by a guy who appears to have lost his scruples along the way.

That would be your blog.

And, yeah - it's ultimately about you, but I want to drive home the point that I *do not* dislike you or think you're a bad guy. In person, you're very nice. You're polite.

The guy is still pretty cool. Kind. Other good things.

What the fuck happened to the writer?
March 20, 2007 1:00 PM
 

Rory said:

Massif -

"OK, if I was bored of the debate before, I'm really bored of it now.

Fortunately it appears Scoble's bored of it too, so we may get a little piece and quiet."

Trust me - Scoble isn't bored of it. He's still here, reading the comments.

It also isn't a debate. It's meant to wake people up to what he's doing, as well as what can happen when someone like Scoble somehow becomes so influential. I'm not trying to debate with him about anything - I'm saying that what he's doing is irresponsible and damaging. There's no question mark on the end of my thoughts about this subject. The guy has lost control of his ego and his hunger for power.

And many people are now on the receiving end of the way he's chosen to express himself.

I'd say it's not cool, but it's quite a bit worse than that.

I'd say that a dog taking a shit in my car would be "not cool." But, Scoble taking a shit on entire companies, the people who work for them, and even the people who just volunteer their time and energy to help out (MVPs).

It's just fucked.

And I'm sorry for the language, but I don't know how else to react to what he's doing.

"I appreciate this behaviour of his annoys you Rory, and you've pointed it out now. Nothing further can be gained by getting yourself more het up about this..."

This isn't about him annoying *me*. Yes, it's true that he does, but that's not the point. I wouldn't have written these past three posts just to have trashed some guy who merely annoys me.

As I've said, what he's doing is damaging. Another word that repeatedly comes to mind is "irresponsible." He just doesn't seem to care about what might happen as a result of all the shit he stirs up about these other people and companies. It's *sick*.

Forbes has declared him the 9th most famous web celebrity.

Given the reach of the web, I think it's safe to say that, if he *really is* that popular, then he owes it to everyone else to think about what he's doing.

These posts aren't meant to be funny or entertaining. I'm trying to show people how to read his site in such a way that they don't take it all as canon. You might think that this isn't necessary, but trust me - I've been involved in quite a few somewhat biggish internet thingies, and I can tell you that there are many, many people who don't approach anything critically. They don't know how to ask the basic questions because they never learned.

I'm making sure, to the best of my ability, that people are aware of how off the mark and childish he's being.

I honestly didn't want to post any of this stuff. At the risk of sounding pretentious (not that I would pretend for a second that I'm not pretentious), I've taken it upon myself to grab as many people as I can, give them a good slap to wake them up, and get them to wake up.

From the comments, I'm relieved to see so many who already "got it."

What scares me is the number of people who *haven't* "gotten it" yet.

So, doing my part for my company, the MVPs, and anybody else who has been mistreated by Scoble's careless rants.

That's all.

And, I'm done. I won't write another post on this unless I think it's absolutely necessary. I have much more to say on this subject, but I don't want my site to become a megaphone for how disappointed I am with Robert right now.

Things will be back to normal soon...
March 20, 2007 1:13 PM
 

Rory said:

Blue -

"Rory, Rory, Rory. I think we've got your point now and you're wasting too much time and talent (your writing) on that guy. It's not worth it, please go over it. Will your next move be calling the police and having him arrested? (Sorry, but I'm thinking of a particular episode of your life here... ;)"

This was something I felt I "had" to do. This terrible thing (probably my conscience) obliged me to step up and say something about all the bullshit originating from Scoble's blog.

My site used to be more or less nothing *but* posts like these past three.

Believe me - I have no desire whatsoever to go back there. This was a brief disturbance in my normal writing plans. I *will* be ending here, unless, as I've said, something pushes me over the edge and I feel it's necessary. This kind of stuff feels dirty. I don't want to be a bully, but I feel like few people are pushing back, so I'm taking things a bit far in order to try and make up for what seems to me to be a lack of strong opposition.

After this, I'll just take it to his comments, to Channel 9, email, and probably discussions in person with others. I won't waste any more time on him here.

"Looking forward to your next post! ;)"

Me, too.

I think it's going to be a comic. Haven't decided yet. That's my rough plan, though...

Thanks for being patient. I think this sucks, too :)
March 20, 2007 1:18 PM
 

Rory said:

Dave -

"Foxbar, your paranoia is starting to get creepy."

I don't think the multiple Ds are foxbar. Foxbar can't spell for shit.

dddddddddddd, although terribly annoying, is at least able to frame his trolls in a clear manner.

I'm guessing it's Chris Rondat - better known as Beer28.

But that's just a guess...
March 20, 2007 1:20 PM
 

Dave said:

Interesting idea but it seems far too delusional to be Beer, I assume that you've read his posts on C9 and they're grounded compared to d's dravel.

But you're the one with the logs. :P
March 20, 2007 1:23 PM
 

Tim said:

Rory, careful with the references to beer28, or he might sue you.  Of course, once his lawyer is done suing everybody else on channel 9. :)
March 20, 2007 2:12 PM
 

ddddddddddddddd said:

"But that's just a guess..."

Keep guessing...
March 20, 2007 2:13 PM
 

AndyC said:

Scoble has finally fully embraced "the blogosphere", by which I mean he now has his head so far up his own arse that he is oblivious to the "real world" that the rest of us are living in, convinced that only those who "blog" actually have an opinion (or at least one worth listening to!)

There may be a cure, but I suspect its too late....

Do us a favour Rory, stay in reality 'cos it makes your blog more fun!
March 20, 2007 2:22 PM
 

Dave said:

@AndyC

The least he can do is to keep up dishing out pwnitude and excellent C9 videos. :)
March 20, 2007 2:27 PM
 

Ian said:

'ddd blah blah dddd'

wait, I'm confused.

You said "I am sure this was conceived at a lower level than Bill Gates. Perhaps VPs and managers."

but earlier you said

"I bet the board conjured this scenario up"

Please pick one line of stupid to spout and stick with it. Changing the evil person(s) to blame 1/2 way through makes it harder to follow your ramblings and I read them so I can laugh at you, not think.

And I'd suggest that Charles wrote an open letter for the same reasons that Scoble writes an open letter everytime he says 'Hey Microsoft, what you're doing sucks' on his blog. He could send an email to any one of his contacts inside Microsoft, but he choose to make it an open statement, probably to drive links and comments to his blog. I'd assume Charles did the same in order to get Scoble to come out and discuss the issue publicly.
March 20, 2007 3:50 PM
 

paul said:

In the world according to Google Links and Authority can be attained by being good or bad.  

Remember that a car wrench looks good on an economics growth graph.
March 20, 2007 3:58 PM
 

Chris (BlogusMaximus) Williams said:

Hows this?

All the MVP's who love and embrace Scoble should change the heading of their blog to read:  I LOVE ROBERT SCOBLE!   All the ones that don't do it, according to his logic, must hate him.  

Although, personally, I prefer a more pro-active approach. I say we (the aforementioned MVPs) all put SCOBLE SUCKS as our blog title/heading so we send a clear message the he does not in fact represent me as a geek, person of tech, or anything else... and that his comments about MVPs are neither unnoticed or appreciated.
March 20, 2007 4:54 PM
 

ai said:

Rory,

Keep it coming brother. I don't think there's anyone else out there who's better qualified to fight this fight. I can't stand us sitting back and taking shit from someone who constantly throws his weight around. Seriously, you've called bullshit on all of Scoble's statements. And I can't tell you how glad I am you're doing this.

You're helping people realize that Scoble isn't *the* authority when it comes to technology and all his content is subjective. I've had people come and quote Scoble to me, and I can't tell you how annoying that is.

Thank you for putting Scoble in his place. I hope your posts about Scoble get all the visibility they deserve.

ai
March 20, 2007 5:18 PM
 

George said:

I'm a Microsoft MVP and I do not ,nor have I ever read Scoble, so I'm certainly not cheering him on. I know about as much about Scoble as he does about me.

Hanselman, I read him. Olson, I read him. Blyth, I read him. Mauer, I read him. Daily WTF. Yeah, I read that. GeeksWithBlogs, yeah, I skim that main feed.  I have a ton of people in my RSS feed (some famous guy from Google once said, I have more in my RSS...oh wait, no they didn't and who cares)

But Scoble, I am neither a cheerleader nor a fan and you definitely do not have my respect after reading your comments. Thanks for trying to speak for me, your non-cheering non-Scoble reading MVP, but I'll represent myself to the community in the same way I did to get my title. I don't need a Robert Scoble.
March 20, 2007 6:04 PM
 

ddddddddddddddd said:

"Please pick one line of stupid to spout and stick with it. "

It's a conspiracy. There, that's my line.

"And I'd suggest that Charles wrote an open letter for the same reasons that Scoble writes an open letter everytime"

I doubt it. None of these people are really intelligent anyway, which is why they are in the PR unit at the company. Rory, the defunct presentation giver, Jeff and Scoble, the bloggers, Sampy the VB developer, Charles the ousted windows developer.

They are just projecting what the rest of the company, the intelligent ones, tell them to, or oops, ... suggest.
March 20, 2007 6:24 PM
 

Back from Shopping said:

>your "facts" still wouldn't have been anything more than circumstantial.

I quite liked cat and girls take on history:
http://catandgirl.com/view.php?loc=428

on MVPs: as an ex-MVP I can safely say they are microsoft biggest critics. And unlike most mass media/professional bloggers they have knowedgle of the subject - which can make them all the harder to please.

ciao rorwie
March 20, 2007 8:23 PM
 

Kai Axford said:

Great points Rory!

Scoble came to some fame through his blogging efforts and contacts he made while at Microsoft. His rant about the MVP community is misplaced and sad. He alienates those who actually may be interested in his writings. Sounds to me like it's a bitter frustration. Sad, Robert....really sad.
March 21, 2007 6:20 AM
 

Dana said:

Thanks Rory,

Everyone should be held responsible for what they spout, no matter who's backyard it's in. We can only dream of the day when information becomes so accessible that people in positions of authority (or notoriety, whatever) can't these absurd or incorrect statements without being called on it. Only so many people are going to pay attention to someone who they know is full of it ;-)
March 21, 2007 10:01 AM
 

ddddddddddddddd said:

I can't believe that most of you think Rory is more credible than Scoble.
March 21, 2007 11:22 AM
 

Bas said:

I can't believe that you spend so much time posting in places you don't like.
March 21, 2007 12:14 PM
 

dddddddddddddddddd said:

I can't believe you just posted that.
March 21, 2007 1:16 PM
 

Dazoid said:

Scoble is an arse. It's about time someone spent the time intelligently debunking his own self-perpetuated myth. Good job Rory.

When he came up with the grouch that nobody linked to some crap video he shot of a hard drive because it wasn't as newsworthy as a cancer story, well that did it for me. I used to skim his drivel because it was interesting to see how someone actually can make a living from spouting a load of rubbish about things they don't really know about, and gradually thinking they were more important than jesus. But that post of his sickened me.

It's amusing how he has all these one liners that "prove" his credibility, e.g.

"I read a gazillion RSS feeds"; well you obviously have nothing better or more productive to do

"I shipped 3 billion videos"; right. so you stuck a camera in someone's face and asked a few inane questions, then didn't even bother to edit the darned thing. takes a lot of skill, huh

As an MS shareholder, I for one am glad that he's gone off to some startup with a shaky business plan. Redmond can sure do without idiots like that.
March 21, 2007 1:39 PM
 

Justin said:

I have always thought Scoble's role in the geek scene is the same as Philip Seymour Hoffman's Boogie Nights character (Scotty J.) within the pron scene. A clinger-on who is just waiting to find the right time to make out with Markie Mark.
March 21, 2007 7:53 PM
 

Rob Miles said:

I'm an MVP. I don't consider myself a "Microsoft Cheerleader". Two reasons.

1. The outfit would probably not fit me.

2. If Microsoft wanted someone who only says good things about the company they could get them a lot more easily and cheaply than by supporting MVPs. What Microsoft use MVPs for is, amongst other things, informed and constructive criticism of what they do.  And believe me, they get it.

What do I get out of it? Well, I like the thought of a company like Microsoft regarding me as valuable. I also like the idea of having some input into technologies which Microsoft make.

Do I mind being referred to as a cheerleader? Only if it is by someone who's opinion I respect.
March 22, 2007 5:00 AM
 

dddddddddddddddd said:

"I have always thought Scoble's role in the geek scene is the same as Philip Seymour Hoffman's Boogie Nights character (Scotty J.) within the pron scene. A clinger-on who is just waiting to find the right time to make out with Markie Mark."

That's  a really bizarre analogy. That would make everybody that does not write code, like say the entire staff of channel9 and 10 retarded closet homosexuals as well for simply leeching off of real coders and treating them in an idealistic and hero like fashion on camera. It would also make most of the people at CNET retarded closet homosexuals as well.

I'm not saying that's not the case, but it's impolite to say publicly.
March 22, 2007 5:32 AM
 

dddddddddddddddd said:

I'm not saying that would be the case if their job was marketing, which is a legitimate job, trying to promote a product. But they fervently deny that they do any marketing, and so does Scoble. So what do they do? A simulated version of fedoraforum.org or ubuntu.com forums? Except they get paid top dollar, but they're not marketing, just hanging out? How is that better than Scoble? Hell, Scoble was one of them. At least CNET provides semi-unbiased reviews for consumers. Heck, they're ALL a bunch of Scotty J., programmer wanna be's.
March 22, 2007 5:41 AM
 

Frank La Vigne said:

March 22, 2007 6:12 AM
 

Rory said:

ddddddddddddddd -

"That would make everybody that does not write code, like say the entire staff of channel9 and 10 retarded closet homosexuals"

We are *not* retarded.
March 22, 2007 9:43 AM
 

dddddddddddddddddd said:

http://www.neopoleon.com/home/blogs/neo/archive/2007/01/02/23645.aspx#comments

"my father thought I was retarded"

If your own dad thinks you're retarded, how can you blame complete strangers for thinking that?

I'm just saying. I'm not calling you individually retarded. I was using the previous poster's analogy to prove a point about Scoble. Now I am just playing devil's advocate since you are being defensive.
March 22, 2007 3:03 PM
 

Erwin Blonk said:

Fascinating. Here and in other places on the internet, whenever a discussion gets polarized, certain people, mostly but not always those hiding behind anonimity, tend to use certain concepts, grammar and words. There was one time when I dove in the discussion, analyzing just that.
Not being particularly well-versed in this, it takes a lot of effort on my part to figure it out and to put in into words. And doing so, in that particular instance, increases the level of peculiar concepts (of which conspiracy is the most popular) and brings those so inclined that aggressively doubting the ability of the opponents to raise their kids (it happened a few years ago on a Yahoo! groups discussing Kevin Mitnick´s first book - the person in question, which was likely an impersation by Lewis DePayne, got very nasty and the adjectives became exponentially colorfull - and off course we all suffered from brainwashing).

Let me say the comments of one particular poster that assumes we are guessing his/her/its identity, are interesting not for content but for form.
March 22, 2007 4:27 PM
 

dddddddddddddddd said:

Are you saying I'm Lewis DePayne in disguise?
http://www.persianmirror.com/images/edtorial/2006/DonalLogue.jpg
But will Donal Logue play my part in the insinuating chair throwing, sick partner shares stealing, womanizing, british royalty sucking, antifreeze drinking sequel??

OK, nonsense aside, you're pretty creepy.
I should be writing a screenplay, but due to workload, I can't spare the time!
Rory would definitely be the base for the new Redmond. A Redmond with gloves, and OCD.

LOL. Stupids of Sillicon Valley.

March 22, 2007 8:06 PM
 

Bil Simser said:

Let's get something straight. As fucked up and dope-ridden Rory's posts are, I read them. He's amusing, a smart guy, and sometimes has something interesting to say. I don't read Scoble anymore. I used to but after a couple of weeks it was lots of regurtigation of what I could read from the real sites (CodeBetter, Scott Belleware, etc. heck, even weblogs.asp.net!). Scoble bored me and isn't worth my time to sludge through his RSS feed anymore.

I've only met Rob once at the 2005 MVP Summit and he seemed like a fun guy. Maybe he's a geek at heart but I don't feel he's in the trenches like the rest of us. He's high up in his treehouse looking down, pontificating about what he thinks is geek and spurting it out to Time magazine readers.

Nothing against Rob, but frankly I see him as a geek-groupie. Maybe a semi-cool groupie so at best he's the Penny Lane for geeks. But that's all he is. He has his opinions, just like the rest of us but that's all it is. Opinions. Of one man. Like me. Like Rory. Like [insert your name here].

I am not a MS cheerleader. Yes, they give me free stuff. Yes, I get to pow-wow with cool dudes that I look up to. Yes, I get inside information on what's coming down the pipeline which I use either to help someone out in geek land or for a blog post to steer people down a more correct path if you're using Microsoft. Sometimes MS is right, sometimes they're wrong. When they're right I congratulate them and pimp their word. When they're wrong I call them on it and beat them up (especially if it's really stupid).

This is the internet, that crazy series of tubes that we know and love and hate. We spout horror and code and jokes and pr0n and Scoble. Take it or leave it, him, Rory, myself and a billion others are out here saying what we think and that's a privledge, not a right.
March 22, 2007 9:27 PM
 

Erwin Blonk said:

"Are you saying I'm Lewis DePayne in disguise?"
No. I fail to see where I did that.

"OK, nonsense aside, you're pretty creepy."
How so? An interest in the use and constructs of language, unless at the level of Wittgenstein or Derrida, might be geeky, dorky or nerdy. In any case, however, it is mostly harmless.

Allow me to indulge by quoting a song.
"Words upon words
stack the tower of Babel
brick on brick on straw on clay
but a whispering stirs
and the structure's unstable
when all the scaffold's stripped away."
Incoherence - Peter Hammill
March 23, 2007 4:30 AM
 

dddddddddddddddddd said:

Why is it that crazies indulge in random poetry as responses in conversations?
And why do I respond to them?

People can easily randomize the structure of their use of language. It's not very hard to do if you were to want to do that sort of thing.
Trying to hinge identity based on such things across the internet is pointless.

You're much better off enjoying the internet for what it is.
March 23, 2007 8:20 AM
 

Rory said:

My dearest dddddddddddddddddddddddddddd -

"If your own dad thinks you're retarded, how can you blame complete strangers for thinking that?"

I talk to complete strangers. My father and I didn't speak to each other much until I was in my 20s.

There's a difference.

But that isn't the point...

"I'm just saying. I'm not calling you individually retarded. I was using the previous poster's analogy to prove a point about Scoble. Now I am just playing devil's advocate since you are being defensive."

My response wasn't serious.

I was making a funny with you.

You said something about us being retarded and closet homosexuals.

I said we weren't retarded, which was meant to imply that...

Well, it's not as much fun if I have to spell it out. Obviously, you care very much about me and my site, and I expect you'll have plenty of time to hang out and figure out what my comment was menat to imply.

Don't be so serious, dawgg. Lighten up. Have some fun.

I love you.
March 23, 2007 1:08 PM
 

Erwin Blonk said:

"Why is it that crazies indulge in random poetry as responses in conversations?"
A lack of self.

"And why do I respond to them? "
A drive to right what is wrong and to set straight those wandering off.
March 23, 2007 1:12 PM
 

Erwin Blonk said:

Rory said:
"You said something about us being retarded and closet homosexuals.

I said we weren't retarded, which was meant to imply that... "

I´ll shrinksterize the link and mail it to Mark Miller.
March 23, 2007 1:14 PM
 

ddddddddddddddddddd said:

"I said we weren't retarded, which was meant to imply that... "

To imply that you're closet homosexuals?

I only said that in reference to the character in boogie nights that was referenced.
I couldn't care less about your collective sexuality, but meant to say that if Scoble is a weird leech for being a tech whore, then so are you all.

You and Charles are no different than Scoble. Except instead of whoring to be rich, you whore the single MS brand to cling to your jobs. Then you lie and say it's not whoring. Many people on C9 have pointed out that your videos bring nothing to the table knowledgewise, and they are right.

One that is truly building apps on windows  would have stopped watching long ago.
March 23, 2007 7:25 PM
 

Rory said:

dddddddddd -

"To imply that you're closet homosexuals?"

Yes.

*Doy*

That's why you need to lighten up. If you're going to be my Number One Fan, I'm going to need you to inject a little happy into your comments.

Try using a smiley. Like this:

:)

That means something like "Don't take what I just said seriously. It was meant to bring joy into your life."

There's also:

:|

This one is more serious. It means, like, "Dang."

The third in today's lesson:

:(

This is the one you use when you're all, "I'm *so* sad."

:( is the opposite of :)

Some people get very creative. I'd be delighted if you came up with some new ones yourself. Given that you posted here on a Saturday night, I'm guessing you have absolutely nothing else to do (hey - it's my site - what's *your* excuse?), I thought I'd pass along something kind of arts 'n crafts-ish.

From one friend to another :)
March 23, 2007 9:27 PM
 

Dave said:

HEY! Are you implying that I'm loserific because I'm sitting here reading blogs and listening to music instead of heading out and getting laid?

Well, when it's put like that I kinda agrees. :P
March 23, 2007 10:36 PM
 

dddddddddddddddddddd said:

Tonight I found out more about Microsoft than I ever wanted to know. I have pics, but frankly I will never post them. I also do not dare post this where it will be seen by the wrong people. Luckily your blog is safe, I think.

IBM, scary. I didn't used to think so, but wow, what I just experienced was off the hook.

I was ringside tonight at what could only be described as the hall of justice or the legion of doom depending on which side you're on.

The whole Charles' theory of "it's only technology, it's a tool in your kit" is complete garbage. This is total warfare. I can't elaborate more. At some point I think one thought I was a spy and stopped answering questions about some IBM tech. like woah....

I definitely know a lot of things now that I shouldn't.
March 24, 2007 6:48 PM
 

dddddddddddddddddddd said:

no, I didn't stop and say cheese, I have a razr.
March 24, 2007 6:49 PM
 

ddddddddddddddddddd said:

Lawyers + alcohol != good. That is all. Good day
March 24, 2007 6:54 PM
 

dddddddddddddddddd said:

I wouldn't lie about this, though I know you have no idea who I am or my credentials. But I saw a senior IBM staffer laugh and nod at the worst possible things said about Microsoft possible last night. IBM f'ing hates you. Even I was shocked. Even at FUD.
I've had a whole day for it to sink all in. Wow, not windows on windows, nor wow as in wow vista. Wow, the next coming years including this one will be super interesting. I won't say more though. I don't want to be outed for posting this and be barred from doing this again. and again. I'm positive no tech people outside of your coworkers care about this place though. This topic is pretty much done anyway, and I had to vent. Wow. Boy does Ballmer have a surprise coming. I've said too much.... :/
March 25, 2007 5:21 PM
 

Tim said:

ddddddddddddd -

I think you should switch to crack light, because straight crack is too much for you.
March 25, 2007 6:59 PM
 

Dave (ddewbofh) said:

@Tim

I'm thinking he needs a lobotomy, preferably one done with a rusty nail.
March 25, 2007 7:15 PM
 

dddddddddddddddddd said:

"I'm thinking he needs a lobotomy, preferably one done with a rusty nail."

I admit, the view port, the small window I gave you would make me sound insane.
MS was there too, sans name tag, but not for the whole thing. They still don't know everything. I don't either, but I know more than them. That Ballmer is some character.

What you see on Channel9 is what Microsoft wants you to see. And they shape the discussion the way they want it to be shaped. There is stuff happening outside that they can't control, and don't know about. They do their best to fold it all into their context on their own sites, but there is a large.... conspiracy going on outside their walls. I'm aware Rory is only an employee and this is his personal blog. I wanted to discuss it here, A. to reiterate that I only read his blog because he is an MS employee, not for his charming personality. The same was largely true of Scoble. B. Because something is going to happen relatively soon, and I am excited about it. I want to elude to it without being specific. Yeah, bummer.

I could go into it for paragraphs and paragraphs, but I can't and I won't. MS would be nervous, except they don't know what about, and it should stay that way. The players are all much larger than little old me and little old Rory. Very exciting.
March 25, 2007 7:37 PM
 

JoeG said:

ddddddipshitdddddd:

"None of these people are really intelligent anyway..."
Really?

"...Rory and Charles are merely the implantation of their plans."
The word is *implementation*.

"I want to elude to it without being specific."
The word is *allude*.

Yep, you're the intelligent one around here alright.
March 26, 2007 9:23 AM
 

dddddddddddddddd said:

Oh, I'm no brainiac. I do occasionally misspell words though and do typos.
It's nice to see as many people conspiring against the company as there is in the company conspiring against every one else though, including Scoble. I'm starting to think that everyone in the big business IT industry are all a bunch of scum bags no matter what or where they work. Think about it, the people at MS already were the way they were, they just got hired by MS. Some of the same types of people got hired by HP, IBM, to a far lesser extent, Sun, ect... And they all cover each other's asses in a small circle. Poor Patricia Dunn, she's sick, forget what she did, she's going home now. Even free software and their partners works on these tiers of systems. I bet anything that guy at MS didn't willingly drink antifreeze.

I am putting some time aside this summer and writing a full blown screen play based on my experiences.
March 26, 2007 10:12 AM
 

dddddddddddddddddd said:

http://www.celtx.com/download.html
If anybody else wants to try you can get a standardized editor here.
I am going to try my best not to vilify "nerve" too much. Just sticking to well known facts and renaming them to avoid C&Ds should be more than spectacular enough. In no way would I base any character on Rory. Cory maybe, but definitely not Rory.
March 26, 2007 11:02 AM
 

tim said:

@dddddddddddd(ipshit)-

I am in the same situation as you are!!! Can you believe that??? I can't tell you about my experiences... oh no, they are secret.. all I can say is the OSDL, FSF, frozen babies, and microwaves...  oh god!!! I can't say anymore... I think I might have said too much.

You should just shut the f up for once.  You spew baseless crap you can't back up.
March 26, 2007 11:14 AM
 

JoeG said:

OhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygod
OhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygod
OhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygod
OhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygod...un-freakin'-real.
March 26, 2007 11:52 AM
 

Blue said:

JoeG, your post reminds me of this ad, which would suit multiple d very well, I think :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwpVQVJqvco

Sorry about the accent, it's made by a French-Canadian. :)
March 26, 2007 12:34 PM
 

Rory said:

dddddddddddddddddd -

You're one dedicated troll.

If you want your own blog, I'd be happy to host it for you here. Just ask.

"It's nice to see as many people conspiring against the company as there is in the company conspiring against every one else though, including Scoble."

Um. Yeah. It's *really* nice. All we need in the world is more assholes.

"I'm starting to think that everyone in the big business IT industry are all a bunch of scum bags no matter what or where they work."

You're certainly proving that point.

"Think about it, the people at MS already were the way they were, they just got hired by MS."

That's brilliant.

We already were the way we were...

I love it. It's simple. Parity. 1:1.

(Pointless.)

"Some of the same types of people got hired by HP, IBM"

What "types" of people are those?

Christians? Japanese? Cyborgs?

"...to a far lesser extent, Sun"

So, Sun doesn't have any Japanese Christian cyborgs?

"And they all cover each other's asses in a small circle."

Let me guess... you're an independent.

"Even free software and their partners works on these tiers of systems."

Again, brilliant. Brilliant observation.

So far, you've basically argued that humans are hired by different companies, and that they sometimes volunteer to work on projects.

Please notify me the next time you decide to drop a bomb like this. I'll put out a press release.

"I am putting some time aside this summer and writing a full blown screen play based on my experiences."

Cool. "A Full Blown Screenplay [it's one word] by ddddddddddddddddd"

I look forward to it.

Also, does Open Office check grammar? If it doesn't, I'd suggest that you modify the source so that it does.

That's the beauty of OSS - if there's a feature you need that would normally take years for a company to implement, you can instead spend years of your own life implementing a poor-man's rip-off of the same thing.

Good luck with that, my friend.

I'll keep an eye out for your next comment.
March 26, 2007 5:26 PM
 

dddddddddddddddddd said:

"That's the beauty of OSS - if there's a feature you need that would normally take years for a company to implement, you can instead spend years of your own life implementing a poor-man's rip-off of the same thing. "

Even MS-DOS started off as a poor man's rip-off. What it evolved into is considered not to be that by the likes of your company. Not all the FOSS projects will become great or killer apps. There are enough now though to replace most of the windows ecosystem with some notable exceptions.

Microsoft can't stop evolution though, and I'm convinced they know that. Maybe not Ballmer or the other execs, but the smart people do. Bill Gates said that the next big thing in IT is webapp XML RPC, Identity access management, ipTV, and the crap you all put into istanbul. The IAM he has covered with cardspace, the webapps with live, and the ipTV with MS tv.

I think free software will probably be the big evolution of the next 10 years. The same apps and infrastructure we had the last 10 years, but for free and at higher quality. The same way the big jump for the 2000's era was free music that we used to pay for, and free video that we used to pay for.

Software is more complex than music, but I think people will settle for it the same way they settled for 128kbps music from limewire and morpheus.

All this to say that the poor man's rip off will probably soon be the norm.
March 26, 2007 8:15 PM
 

dddddddddddddddd said:

In the next 10 years, I see Windows doing an OS/2, and MS selling support for Linux or whatever the dominant kernel surrounding GNU is at that time the same way Red Hat and IBM is today. Then the seamless device p2p web that Gates was talking about will be a reality. 6B in research per year. Like woah.
March 26, 2007 8:36 PM
 

dddddddddddddddddd said:

"you can instead spend years of your own life implementing a poor-man's rip-off of the same thing. "

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=436383841&size=o

Since you refer to FOSS and Linux based solutions as the "poor man's". I thought I should correct you as a final post. IBM and various customers do not use Linux because it is the poor man's solution. FOSS is the rich man's solution.

Even the most expensive of Microsoft's software is nothing compared to the people cost. Dime store solutions on a dime store platform? No thanks, IBM doesn't want to either. I'm not championing them. Not to mention that 98% of the software on the MS platform can not be modified for custom use by business. Sure you have binary flags to set different options, but that's not good enough for most business. They really want something that fits the use 100%, and MS can't offer that. That's why it's a dime store solution. The couple thousand it costs for an MS license on business software are wasted because it doesn't fit the intended use 100%. They later find that they have to use Linux anyway to do those extra things that they need, which aren't preprogrammed as binary flags in their microsoft software.

http://www.linuxworld.com.au/index.php/id;351453853;fp;4;fpid;4

Here was a recent story on Digg today. Why didn't they simply use Microsoft money at paypal? Of course not. Sure that's good as a joke, but it's not viable business software. It's not even viable home software, but people accept it because they don't know that there is better.

Better costs more. That's my business. I am in the business of better, and it's certainly not a poor man's solution to use Linux or implement an open source solution. It's free as in freedom, not free as in cost. Microsoft and yourself mask that fact repeatedly to try to destroy the image of the product.
March 27, 2007 6:43 AM
 

Rory said:

ddddddddddddddd -

Again, your dedication surprises me.

If you still want that blog, let me know.
March 27, 2007 9:25 AM
 

JoeG said:

d:

1. Assertions unsubstantiated by facts.
2. Ad hominem attacks.
3. Rantings without structure or point.
4. And now...a gaping non sequitur (since Paypal doesn't use Microsoft Money as their backend system(huh?!?!?!?!?!), Microsoft software is inferior).

You should have your own blog!
March 27, 2007 9:26 AM
 

Zer0Mass said:

As much Scoble bashing as we have done here I would like to point out his latest post.  I don't agree with everything he says, and at time I think at acts like a pampas ass but he was right about this.  Violence has no place here in our community.  I have seen a lot of bitter arguing and name calling here and a few other places, but it stops at that.  Even dddddddddddddddddd never (that I saw) threatened Rory or anyone else.   When someone threatens a person with violence we all lose something.  I don’t care if someone calls Robert or Rory a great big doody-head but my freedoms are infringed when someone threatens a person in my community.   Rory, Robert thank you for being the great doody-headed adults that you are.
March 27, 2007 10:28 AM
 

Erwin Blonk said:

Zer0Mass:
"Rory, Robert thank you for being the great doody-headed adults that you are."

I have been called crazy and creepy here, I want to be thanked for that too ;)
March 28, 2007 2:01 AM
 

Jason Alexander's Blog said:

Wow, so when I mentioned Rory yesterday I went and caught up (and subscribed; not sure how he fell out
March 28, 2007 7:38 AM
 

dddddddddddddddddd said:

"Again, your dedication surprises me. "

Microsoft keeps referring to Linux as the student solution or the poor man's this or that. It's anything but the truth. I feel that somebody should point that out.

http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/tom-keating/microsoft/office-communications-server-2007-public-beta-launches.asp

"When I asked if Microsoft considered using/licensing the GIPS codec, Microsoft stated that they were in talks with Global IP Sound, but chose to go their own way, to avoid the licensing costs,"

If microsoft wants to rip everything on earth off to avoid licensing costs, then why should we be any different. It's not like we can't implement anything you can do on windows without paying Gates's tax.

I'm not going to make a distributed application then tell a customer I don't own the stack and they have to pay licensing. That's what LAME people do. IBM doesn't do it either, because THEY'RE SMART. Your stack developers are no better than the rest of us. You're just a bunch of bullies.

Istanbul? It will be reimplemented. I promise. And quickly.
March 28, 2007 9:19 AM
 

Dan said:

It's obvious that Scoble is a shogger(shock blogger).  Therfore, any criticism of him only fuels his fire.  He wants the attention.  The guy likes to poke a stick and see what happens.  He casts just enough bate to get folks like Rory to bite.  
April 18, 2007 9:00 AM
 

Steve Bargelt said:

I realize that commenting on a post like this 6 weeks after the fact is pretty lame. Well that ain't gonna stop me so here goes.

I stopped reading and listening to Scoble a little over a six months ago. When he left Microsoft he became irrelevant. Not that I think the world revolves around MSFT but when he was inside I at least felt like he was "telling it like it is" from within the belly of the beast.

He must now realize that he made a huge mistake when he left and has nothing better to do with his time than bash Microsoft and of course the evil MVP cheerleaders. I'm not sure how PodTech is doing... but I check podtech.net from time to time and I never find any relevant, compelling content. I'd rather just browse through YouTube's most popular videos.
May 15, 2007 10:13 AM

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