Ahh, now we’re seeing what Microsoft is thinking of doing with Xbox as a media-distribution platform (Microsoft is announcing TV programs and other video shows distributed onto your Xbox). My question is: can I watch Lost? I don’t have a TV hookup, so I have to either wait for IP networks to get it (and I ain’t gonna watch 640×480 on iTunes, that’s too low a resolution) or I have to wait for NetFlix to get it on DVD. We just finished watching the second season of Lost. I want to get the third season of Lost for a reasonable price. In HD of course.

The Local Live team just introduced 3D maps which competes with Google Earth. Pretty cool and good for us that Microsoft and Google are going at it. Requires a download and IE 6 or 7, which will keep it from being seen as cool.

Google isn’t taking this lying down, though, and has just released a beta of Google Earth 4.

I link to many of the best reports over on my link blog.

More on TechMeme.

Microsoft’s On10.net and Channel 9 have interviews with the team and demos of the 3D Virtual Earth too.

I’m hearing that Windows Vista left escrow yesterday, which means that it’s done and on its way to OEMs. I haven’t heard this from a Microsoft source, though. So, not completely sure it’s true.

Andrew Bourland notices that the way to build an audience is to do short videos. Beet.TV is kicking my a&&.

But, as Kathy Sierra teaches us, it’s not all about size of audience. I used to get that request over at Microsoft all the time.

See, you assume I’m going after a mass audience. If I were I would have posted my “Surfing porn shootout: Firefox 2 vs. IE 7″ post already. THAT would have gotten a mass audience. Of course it would earn me a divorce, too.

Instead I post long videos of Thomas Hawk shooting pumpkins. THAT will NEVER get a mass audience. First of all it’s only going to be interesting to people who care about photography and, even worse, only to those who have digital SLRs.

Same thing when I get a startup or a team from a big company on. How many people REALLY care about RSS readers, for instance? Not many. Probably less than 1% of the overall market.

I’d love to have the passionate ones. That’s who I do my show for.

Simon Phipps, who is Sun Microsystems open source ombudsman, gives a different point of view on the Microsoft/Novell deal.

I remember hearing in the hallways back when I worked at Microsoft that Novell had some patents that were going to force Microsoft to pay attention at minimum and would force it to negotiate. I didn’t have much knowledge at the time, but it’s pretty interesting to see the announcement that’s going on right now — looks like the hallway chatter was correct. One IM’er just wrote me and said “feels like hell is freezing over.”

When a big news story like this hits, where do you go first? I go to Google News. There are already tons of stories there.

Dana Gardner is blogging it live.

More on TechMeme.

Several people have asked me in email, IM, and even my comments, whether I knew anything about what Microsoft is announcing in SF this afternoon. No, I don’t. But am interested.

UPDATE: Looks like some sort of deal with Novell is on. Look at their stock chart.

I was just preparing my link blog and noticed lots of Windows Vista launch date news.

Normal people like me and you won’t be able to get it until end of January but looks like the final bits are going to be done within days. Engadget says the launch date is January 30th (looks like CES is gonna be a real big one for Microsoft this year, are you going?) I wonder what the Superbowl ad will be for Vista?

I had dinner with an exec on the Windows Vista team last week and he said their bug list was getting pretty short. Bugs being defined as stuff that would hold up launch.

I liked this demo over on Long Zheng’s blog about one of the small things that’ll make a difference for users.

It’s been a long road. Hopefully the beta testers don’t find a showstopper.

Hey, Microsoft is doing aspirational advertising for Zune. Damn, good TV advertising from Microsoft? Who woulda thunk?

And, yes, whoever loaded these on YouTube deserves kudos. Putting your ads on Microsoft’s competitors’ site is fun!

I should do that! I would if I had more time. Sigh.

I hate link-love begging icons too.
I like Mike.
I hate bombs.
I like when Mark Lucovsky of Google leaves me comments.
I hate waiting for Final Cut Express HD to save my videos into H.264 (more than two hours for a 40-minute video, and that’s on a decked out MacPro!)