Interesting Facts

According to an interview he gave on the website Reddit, Bill Gates does the dishes every night. (When asked, "what is something you enjoy doing that you think no one would expect from you?" He replied he did the dishes because he likes the way he does them. I wonder if he does the windows too.) Source

Photographer Charles O'Rear took the iconic photograph, Bliss, that has adorned many computer screens around the world; the default wallpaper in Windows XP. https://plus.google.com/115724842162075287959/posts/WHHAYFpncaP (He took the photo 60 miles north of San Francisco in a wine region of Napa Valley called Carneros. It is now a vineyard, so that particular landscape no longer exists, but although the operating system is no longer supported by Microsoft, the image will live on for this generation. Estimates say that ‘Bliss’ may have been seen by over a billion people around the world, from Buckingham Palace in London, factory control rooms in North Korea to the situation room of the White House in Washington DC.)

April 8th 2014 Microsoft will stop support for Windows XP and Office 2003.

Researchers at the University of California have developed a new transparent solar cell. (This means that instead of unsightly solar panels on roofs, windows in homes and other buildings could be set up to generate electricity while still allowing people to see outside.  I can't wait!)

Windows 7 has been banned in Germany! (Motorola has been granted an injunction against the distribution of key Microsoft products in Germany. The sales ban covers the Xbox 360 games console, Windows 7 system software, Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player, claiming that Microsoft has infringed two patents necessary to offer H.264 video coding and playback. . So as the patent wars rage on, I write this post on my now illegal operating system, waiting for a knock at the door as they come to confiscate my computer.)

George Formby's song "When I'm Cleaning Windows" was originally banned by the BBC for its suggestive lyrics. (They were sensitive souls in those days.) So what was all the fuss about? When I'm Cleaning Windows lyrics George Formby - written by George Formby, Harry Gifford and Frederick E. Cliffe - as recorded September 27, 1936 by George Formby (1904-1961) Now I go cleanin' windows to earn an honest bob For a nosy parker it's an interestin' job Now it's a job that just suits me A window cleaner you would be If you can see what I can see When I'm cleanin' windows Honeymoonin' couples too You should see them bill 'n coo You'd be surprised at things they do When I'm cleanin' windows In my profession I'll work hard But I'll never stop I'll climb this blinkin' ladder Till I get right to the top The blushin' bride, she looks divine The bridegroom he is doin' fine I'd ...

Microsoft has denied reports that viruses can already exploit its new version of Windows, dubbed Vista. (I see no viruses.)