Hugh MacLeod’s Illustrated Guide to Life at Microsoft

For the last wee while, Gapingvoid has been working with Microsoft, to create a body of work that expresses the company vision under its new CEO, Satya Nadella.

The Microsoft Stories cartoon series “Hugh MacLeod’s Illustrated Guide to Life at Microsoft” launched today during OneWeek 2015!

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The team and I have traveled to Seattle for Microsoft OneWeek. I will be giving two talks: one on Creativity, as an update to “Ignore Everybody“, and another on Company Culture as the key to being happy at work. We’ll be premiering the new work there. Windows 10 is also being released to the public during OneWeek, so it’s a pretty big event.

This project was really interesting because it isn’t promoting Microsoft by writing pre-set promo messages in cartoon form. The idea was about seeing the company, from an artist/outsider’s perspective, and trying to get an understanding of its essence and how it has changed.

And I see it, of course, in terms of Culture. I see it in terms of the personal motivations that drive the company.

Sure, Microsoft sells software. Sure, Microsoft is big. Sure, Microsoft is good at some things, less good at other things. We all know all this.

That’s not what interests me the most. Why not? Because all big companies like Microsoft make software and are good at some things and less good at others.

What’s more interesting to me are all the “Freaks” who work there. The world-class scientists, engineers, futurists, and yes, marketers who don’t think about what they can sell today, but what can be theoretically possible in 10, 20, 30 years. And then aim for that.

Trust me, it’s freaky stuff. I’ve seen some of it, up close. But it does create the eventual future, and the rest of us lesser mortals fall in line eventually.

I embodied this idea in my favorite cartoons in the series: “The freakier we get, the better we get.”

I see this “Freak Culture” as what makes Microsoft such  an interesting and powerful company. The products are just an extension of that, not the other way around.

And yes, this is why we at Gapingvoid focus so much on Culture Change.This stuff matters, this stuff is interesting, this stuff is is what REALLY drives business. And the companies that remember that and take it seriously, will be the winners. End of story.

Thanks to Microsoft for a killer opportunity to help make a difference. We could not be more pleased or excited.

Rock on!

McDonald's All-Day Breakfast Is A Good Idea. Who Will Serve It At Minimum Wage?

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Yahoo revenues up but profits down

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What Pizza Can Teach Us About

Unless you're talking about that part of me that I hate.

NASA probe makes history in flyby

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CSE HTML Validator is a fast and powerful tool that checks HTML, CSS, SEO, PHP, XHTML, JavaScript, accessibility, links, and more.

CSE HTML Validator is a fast and powerful tool that checks HTML, CSS, SEO, PHP, XHTML, JavaScript, accessibility, links and more. Fix Tool will help with SEO, fix HTML and XHTML issues, and problems with Pretty Print. The program will monitor and remove issues so your documents will be correctly displayed in multiple web browsers and mobile browsers.

Your website visitors shouldn’t leave the site because they run into broken links or other problems caused by poorly written HTML and CSS. CSE HTML Validator will also advice you on proprietary attributes and tags. The program also includes an integrated HTML/text editor and an integrated web browser.

Artist damages theatre in axe attack

Turner Prize-winning artist Douglas Gordon uses an axe to attack the wall of a theatre where he has staged a new play to scathing reviews.

'Minions' Trailer is Most-Shared Summer Movie Promo

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read more

Nasa probe survives Pluto encounter

A signal received from the New Horizons spacecraft shows that it survived its historic encounter with Pluto.

Bring Gmail’s Archiving Feature to Microsoft Outlook for Mac (without scripting)

The Archive feature in Gmail comes handy when you would like to preserve an email conversation forever but at the same time move it out of your main inbox. While a thread is selected in Gmail, you can press the Archive button, or hit the “e” keyboard shortcut, and the selected thread is removed from your inbox but continues to exists in the “All Mails” folder.

Microsoft has just launched a new version of Outlook with Office 2016 for Mac but there’s no built-in option to help you easily archive messages similar to what you have in Gmail. You can obviously move email messages to the Archive folder through the Message > Move > Choose Folder.. menu but that is no match to the simplistic option available in Gmail. Press ‘e’ and you’re done.

Add Gmail-like Archiving to Outlook

Here’s a step-by-step guide that will help you emulate Gmail’s archiving functionality in your Microsoft Outlook. The tutorial is for Office 2016 but it should work with previous versions of Outlook on Mac OS X as well.

Step 1: Open Microsoft Outlook, select any message in the inbox and press the keyboard shortcut Cmd+Shift+M to move the selected email message into another Outlook folder.

Step 2: A search window will pop-up. If you are using Gmail with Outlook, type All Mail in this window to select your Gmail’s archive folder (see screenshot). Or you can type the name of any other Outlook folder that you plan to use for archiving messages. Click “Move” to move the selected message.

Step 3: From the Outlook menu, choose Message > Move and make an exact note of the highlighted menu item corresponding to the folder that you selected in the previous step. In this example, the menu is available as All Mail (email@domain.com).

Step 4: From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences, then click Keyboard. Click Shortcuts, select App Shortcuts, then click Add (+). Choose Microsoft Outlook from the Application dropdown, type the menu name exactly as noted in previous step and put Cmd+E as the app shortcut.

Click Add to create the app shortcut, switch to Microsoft Outlook, select one or more email messages and press Cmd+E. If you’ve followed the steps right, the selected email messages will instantly be moved to the Archive (All Mail) folder of Outlook, much like Gmail.

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The story, Bring Gmail’s Archiving Feature to Microsoft Outlook for Mac (without scripting), was originally published at Digital Inspiration by Amit Agarwal on 14/07/2015 under Apple Mac, GMail, Microsoft Outlook, Software.

Iran agrees breakthrough nuclear deal

Tehran hails accord as ‘beginning of new co-operation in the world’

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Anyone still running Windows Server 2003 is now at risk

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The Flash Talks the Multiverse and Season 2 at SDCC!

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Coffee Bourbon Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Coffee. Bourbon. Chocolate chips.

Three favorite food groups in ice cream form. Yes!

If you’ve ever made homemade coffee ice cream, you know why we get so excited about it. It’s like an ice cream latte—smooth, rich, creamy—but you get to pick the coffee. In my case, I use decaf beans because otherwise I’m bouncing off the walls for days.

Continue reading "Coffee Bourbon Chocolate Chip Ice Cream" »

Joe's Fancy Funeral

Joe was known as a stingy bastard, so when he died it quickly went around town that Joe's will provided $30,000 for an elaborate funeral....

Scientists have finally figured out how big Pluto really is

Humans were never really sure how big Pluto was -- until this morning, that is. NASA's New Horizons mission took an accurate reading of Pluto's size as it flew by the object that was formerly known as the ninth planet this morning. The mission found Pluto to be 1,473 miles in diameter, making it larger than all other known solar system objects beyond the orbit of Neptune. Pluto's largest moon, Charon, was measures at 751 miles in diameter. The map above from NASA shows what Pluto and Charon look like compared with the Earth's surface. Pluto's diameter (the straight-line distance through the object from one side to another) is about the equivalent of the distance from Boston to Miami. And the diameter of Charon is roughly equal to the distance from New York to Chicago. Correction: An earlier version of this post mixed up circumference and diameter. The distances above are for Pluto and Charon's diameter, not circumference. We know the difference, we swear.

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Government Realises Hardly Anyone Wants To Tear Apart Small Animals

The government has postponed a vote on letting people tear apart small animals for sport.

@VictoriaLIVE who cares about vermin foxes. They are only bloody animals and vicious ones to boot. Ask our dearly departed pet rabbit!

— eamon mcmahon (@pokeymarley) July 14, 2015

Only a tiny minority of incredibly angry people supported the bloody pastime.

Yes, town dwellers, foxes are VERMIN. Not cute, not sweet, not to be fed and protected! https://t.co/fADmuAiMIA

— Ngaire Wadman (@NgaireWadman) July 14, 2015

Every region of Britain supports the #foxhunting ban – http://t.co/B3pUJX6UbX pic.twitter.com/j8CK1Fb5ri

— YouGov (@YouGov) July 14, 2015

But this did not deter the tiny minority.

Too many people bought up on basil brush / foxy woxy thinking foxes are cute, they are not, they cruel sadistic vermin, lift fox hunting ban

— Chris Thompson (@F1_CWT) July 14, 2015

Foxes are a major problem, hunting is vermin control. I've had chickens decimates several times by foxes @VictoriaLIVE

— Frederick St.Gregory (@fredgregory1) July 14, 2015

@Communitaria71 I continue to support drag hunting as a sport and that foxes are shot as part of farmers' vermin management controls.

— Anne-Marie Trevelyan (@annietrev) July 14, 2015

Scottish people also pointed out that nobody really liked the idea of murdering small animals for fun.

#SNP priorities #foxhunting pic.twitter.com/s49ekJYPgd

— General Boles (@GeneralBoles) July 14, 2015

Some people did suggest an alternative.

I want to hunt some truly vile vermin, on horseback. Can I hunt my local Tories? Don't want things to get pestilential, do I? #foxhunting

— Mum About Town (@SE24mummy) July 11, 2015

I can think of one change to existing laws on hunting that most people would support.. pic.twitter.com/bvGrc5YqcG

— Jason Spacey (@Jason_Spacey) July 8, 2015

SEE ALSO:

• Foxes To Vote On Tory-Hunting Ban


• Boris Johnson Demands Boris Votes For Boris Laws

US Military Exercise Looms Amid Takeover Fears

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Rackspace brings public cloud managed support to Microsoft Azure

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mimesis: Dictionary.com Word of the Day

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Olga Ilyin

"It had only been my repeated experience that when you said to life calmly and firmly... 'I trust you; do what you must,' life had an uncanny way of responding to your need."

Exhausted Mother Epidemic as School Year Ends

A mother of three is being treated for exhaustion as the school year ends.
Our Daily Fail undercover reporter (posing as a stressed father with Man Flu) managed to obtain a copy of the hospital admissions form containing Mrs Prabulous's own reasons for seeking help. It makes for sorry reading. Amongst her sins were:

- failing to RSVP to birthday party invites

- telling her five year-old there were no more spaces at an after-school activity because she "couldn't bear to spend one more minute in the blooming car to get there"

- not checking homework folders since May (April)

- hardly ever remembering '"that damned library book".

Even worse, the pint-sized British Asian mother who now lives in Malta
admitted that her biggest crime of the school year was feeling actual relief when her eldest went down with a suspected case of chicken pox forcing the whole family to miss a school event. She confessed:

"I nearly did a jig in the middle of the lounge upon realising that I was off the hook having to make entire trays of tandoori chicken for the British table at the biggest event of the school year. Wrong. Attitude."

A senior consultant who specialises in treating Syndrome of The Underachieving Chronically Knackered Yelling Mother (SUCKY Mother) confirmed that this is not an isolated case and that the clinic has seen a sharp rise in this sort of case over the last few weeks. "It's not unusual for stressed out mothers to be admitted complaining of lunch box boredom, school project frustration, PTA exhaustion and utter dread over 'that stupid new maths long division method'. However, if I'm honest, this is the most severe case we've treated so far."

Our reporter discovered that Mrs Prabulous is not just suffering from run of the mill fatigue. Upon closer analysis, doctors noticed serious symptoms of general disorganisation and apathy. When interviewed upon her arrival, she revealed she:

- has considered giving her kids a packet of crackers and a jar of nutella between them and "just letting them fight it out in the playground" as she was tired of coming up with lunches that all three would finish.

- was the last parent to pay for end of year teachers' gifts

- resorted to using her five year-old's Hello Kitty markers to write the children's names on clothing as she never got round to ordering name labels. Ever.

- got term dates wrong once, causing her kids to miss the first two days of school.

Parents at her children's school have been shocked by the developments. "We always knew she wasn't the most organised or involved of mothers but this is a shock," said one who did not wish to be named.

The Daily Fail's special investigations unit has learned that the clinic was full of mothers repeatedly asking "Is it wine o'frickinclock yet?", clutching crumpled unsigned class trip forms and muttering something about waiting for the bell to ring on the last day of term and collapsing at the finish line.

Since our undercover visit, doctors have identified the condition suffered by Mrs Prabulous.

It is called Sheer Relief.

It is often replaced by another disorder 48 hours later:

Omg-they're-home-for-two-months-itis.

To read more from Prabs Patel, visit www.absolutelyprabulous.com.
You can also follow her at Twitter.com/Abprabulous and on her Facebook Page

Go Set a Watchman hits bookshops

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Spotted face of distant Pluto coming into focus

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla (Reuters) - NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is closing fast on an unexpectedly spotted Pluto, the most distant planetary body ever explored.

Bluffed

Obviously, my analysis of the Greek debt crisis was wrong. My crucial error was the assumption that, having held the referendum and being faced with an unacceptable offer, Tsipras would choose exit from the euro rather than capitulation. Judging by this interview with Varoufakis (H/T Chris), that’s what Tsipras thought too, until, too late, Varoufakis told him it couldn’t be done. Certainly Tsipras’ actions were consistent with that interpretation.

Syriza has clearly been beaten. But I doubt that the outcome will work well for the other side in the long run. (Nearly) everyone understands that the debt can’t ultimately be repaid. But the German voting public hasn’t been told that. A deal that had some kind of quasi-automatic mechanism for writing down the outstanding balance (for example, by multiplying up the proceeds from asset sales) might have got around this problem. As it is, an explicit writedown will be needed at some point, presumably after Syriza has been forced out of office. That will be incredibly unpopular in Germany, while making clear to everyone else the locus of sovereignty in the post-crisis EU.

Update Commenters generally disagree with my take on the Varoufakis interview. I’m not wedded to it. The crucial point is that exit from the euro is extremely difficult, and that this fact will be used to punish any eurozone country that tries to resist the controlling powers.

A beautiful film project offers a rare glimpse into the lives of strangers

"What's the last photo on your phone?" Ivan Cash, an artist and filmmaker who now lives in San Francisco, is making a series of videos in which he asks people in different cities this question. The project offers some fascinating glimpses into people’s lives — as well as a lesson about the amazing encounters you can have when you break a taboo and engage with strangers around you. So far, Cash has shot short films in eight places: Detroit, London, New York, Chicago, Alabama, San Francisco, Miami and Los Angeles. His videos capture fascinating portraits of ordinary people. There is a New Yorker who collects photos of clouds, a sorority girl in Alabama who sings a few phrases of opera, a Marine who remembers a man that he served with, a dog who tends bar for the Detroit Lions, and many more. You can see those photos and films here.

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See Where Most Shark Attacks Happen in the United States

UK to install volcanic ash detectors

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Zip Zester

This citrus zester tool has 4 different blades; two are included and the others are available separately (I have all 4).

I have virtually no rotator cuff in my right shoulder, which, along with severe arthritis, makes using a microplane for what I do almost impossible.

What I do is make my own liquor infusions using 190 proof alcohol. To make limoncello, for example, I need the zest and juice from a dozen lemons. That’s a lot of work even with a great tool like the Microplane zester. The Zip Zester makes this into a simple job (my 5-year-old granddaughter actually did this for me; she thought it was great fun. And, instead of small pieces as with the Microplane (which you can get from the Zip Zester if you wish), I get very thin strips that make for better extraction.

The tool works exactly as described, zesting with not even a trace of white pith, something that takes a little effort with the Microplane. At a list price of $100, it’s a lot pricier than the $15 Microplane. But, for me, the price was well worth it (and I got it at a 20% discount w/free shipping). Also, where it used to take me an hour or more to do a dozen lemons w/the Microplane, it was a matter of minutes with the Zip Zester.

It does seem like the predominant use for the tool is in commercial applications (restaurants, bars, catering etc.) where it has to pay off big time. But, I now find myself making at least twice the number of infusions I used to; everybody keeps coming back for more.

-- Kenneth Fink

Zip Zester Ultimate Kitchen Zester and Cocktail Garnisher
$100

Available from Amazon

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PM in bid to eliminate gender pay gap

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Quinoa Greek Salad

When summer is in full swing and the garden is producing plenty of tomatoes and cucumbers, one of our favorite salads to make to beat the heat is my dad’s Greek salad.

Tomatoes, kalamata olives, red onions, cucumbers, feta cheese—it’s summer in a bowl! You know what tastes amazing with all of those ingredients? Quinoa.

Continue reading "Quinoa Greek Salad" »

Happy's Pizza Founder Gets Over 4 Years Prison For Tax Fraud

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flumadiddle: Dictionary.com Word of the Day

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Hacking of Government Computers Exposed 21.5 Million People

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