In the early 80’s, there were two big forces coming to life and this week both empires made headlines. The first, Indiana Jones. The fourth installment hits theaters today with an aged Indiana battling Soviet Union agents for a powerful crystal skull. It?s an exciting couple hours in the typical life of Dr. Jones, brushing off thousands of man-eating ants, combating a fierce monkey army, and avoiding low hanging palm fronds. Our second man of the week won?t likely have an effect on Indiana Jones? box-office profits, but his quick-dodging moves prove Indiana isn?t the only man of action. Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer recently demonstrated his moves while at a lecture in Hungary. Minutes into the speech, a University of Budapest student stood up, yelled something to the extent of ?Give the Hungarian people back their money,? and proceeded to throw three eggs at the unassuming Ballmer. (Which, I guess means he really only had to dodge, duck, and dip). The villain, a Microsoft=Corruption-clad student, then moseyed on out of the hall, but not before the event was .
*On a side note, where did originate as an
?
What it comes down to these days, (and where it differs entirely from Indiana Jones), is that people love to hate Microsoft, or choose altogether to avoid it. The multinational, multibillion dollar company has manufactured numerous operating systems, founded its flagship office suite, launched a major online service, created an around-the-clock cable news station, developed home entertainment products, and holds many of the top most-visited websites in the world. These have of course been scattered with failures and even these, which Microsoft views as achievements, others have seen as monopolizing efforts. Apple
has even taken a stance, using its commercials to portray Microsoft as an unintelligent, totally not cool, out-dated nerdy guy who looks to the young, hip Mac user for advice. And Microsoft?s rebuttal? It gives in, embracing the depiction and acting as though it too loves to hate itself.
Microsoft should look to Indiana Jones for guidance. The man, who could also be viewed as old and out-dated, has overcome the criticisms, maintained millions of fans, and still continues to discover great things for the sake of humanity. While Microsoft’s attempts to buy Yahoo and dominate online content continues to make headlines and paint it as an even bigger monopoly, it may be time for the company to win more fans the Indiana Jones way. Discover new apps, program a new widget, and make our computer lives a little bit “cooler” by giving them to the masses for free. Google’s empire has been built the way of Indiana Jones (I am using
to create this post) and could potentially give Microsoft some free advice to improve its public image.
