Dear Microsoft

Dear Microsoft,

Windows and I go back a lot of years together. Too many to count, but let’s just say my first PC gave me the choice to login to Windows 3.11 or MS-DOS. While our relationship has been mostly great (XP, 7), it’s also been bumpy (ME, Vista) at times. But I’ve stuck with Windows as my primary computing platform because it’s versatile, familiar and supports the programs I rely on each day.

Let the Music Play

While cleaning my garage this summer, I came across what remained of my music collection: about of 300 CDs consisting of jazz and classic rock. It’s been three years since they’d seen the light of day, so I decided to donate them to a local thrift store. What was worth thousands of dollars me to a few years ago, was worth less than a tax write off today.

Ownership is Dead

During my teens, when music was at an apex of importance in my life, I stumbled across two large boxes full of albums in the back of my closet. Of course I was curious and began shuffling through them. Most album covers were in good shape, while others had seen better days. Their design and colors drew me in to the point I had to inspect each one.

Working Remotely

A few months ago, I packed up my family and left the lush, green, and often damp area of Seattle for the warmth and sun of southern Utah. I still work for Puget Systems, but have moved into a different role where I spend my days gathering insight from customers on how we can continue to improve our products and service.

The Digital Ecosystem

For many years my computing universe orbited around my Windows PC. For instance, the first time I searched Google, updated my status on Facebook or replied to an email I was using a PC.

But that’s not the case for many kids today where their first interaction with a computer is an iPod Touch, tablet or smartphone. Their computing universe resides on a small touch screen, and is dominated by apps. My world recently clashed with that of my 11-year old daughter when I asked for her email address and she replied that nobody emails anymore.