[Am-info] Late entry in the MS/auto (BMW) discussion

[Glenn T. Livezey, Ph.D.]

========= the joke ==================
Three Engineers and a Faulty Car... 
There are three engineers in a car; an electrical engineer, a chemical 
engineer and a Microsoft engineer. Suddenly the car just stops by the 
side of the road, and the three engineers look at each other wondering 
what could be wrong. 
The electrical engineer suggests stripping down the electronics of the 
car and trying to trace where a fault might have occurred. 
The chemical engineer, not knowing much about cars, suggests that maybe 
the fuel is becoming emulsified and getting blocked somewhere. 
======== the punchline =======================
Then, the Microsoft engineer, not knowing much about anything, comes up 
with a suggestion: If we close all the windows, get out, get back in, 
then open the windows again, maybe it'll work!?" 

======== the alternative punchline ===========
The appraisal of the MSE's 'knowledge' aside........
I thought perhaps the MSE might suggest applying "the Boot", afterall
it is considered "normal" for windoze to require rebooting on a 
regular basis, and this does not indicate (to an MSE) any inherent 
fault that requires fixing.

======== the relevance: BMW & MS CE ======================
The recent (3/4/2) press release concerning the BMW 7 series
(http://www.internetnews.com/wireless/article/0,,10692_984711,00.html)
that will come with MS CE 'preinstalled', seems to make the whole 
question of auto function and warranty more relevant 
and timely to the list. No? Of course, even if the German government
really didn't ban MS code from its machines, it still begs the 
question of what genius at BMW (always proud and protective of their
reputation for quality) thought this was a good idea. 

;-)

Glenn
-- 
Glenn T. Livezey, Ph.D.

University of Minnesota
Neuroscience Department
Room 6-145 Jackson Hall
321 Church St. S.E.
Minneapolis, MN 55455

(612) 624-2991 FAX 6-5009 
glivezey@lenti.med.umn.edu
livezey@bigfoot.com

"It's called 'Linux poker.' Everyone gets to see everyone else's cards,
everything is wild, you can play off your opponents hands, and
everyone wins except Bill Gates, whose face appears on the jokers."
-  From "The 5th Wave" by Rich Tennant, published Monday 2/18/02
in ComputerWorld, but dated 2/3/2 in the 5th Wave archives
(ucomics.com).
http://www.ucomics.com/thefifthwave/viewfw.cfm?uc_fn=1&uc_full_date=20020203&uc_daction=D