Windows 7 Party of Horror
When I first watched the Hosting Your Party video for the launch of Windows 7 I thought it was a well produced parody. I keep watching (for the full excruciating 6 minutes and 15 seconds) for the wink and the nod, some small cue to let us all in on the post-modern irony. But it never happened. For a short while I thought perhaps the digital clock on the oven behind the actors was a clue: the time kept changing between bouncy camera takes. And there was no URL at the end of the video, so again I thought maybe it was a fake. But then I noticed that the YouTube commenting was disabled, which feels like a very Microsoft thing to do. After a short search on Google (not Bing) I found a few badly made parodies and then this: a real link to the global launch party details .
I stopped laughing when I realized they were really going to do this thing. Microsoft was going to have a crazy nerd party and ask people to show each other their new 'Task Bars' in exchange for a free copy of Windows 7 Ultimate (one of half a dozen separate editions). I looked at all the countries involved and realized in astonishment that people might actually DO this thing. People already were doing this thing. And judging by the 3000+ comments (25% of which are flame wars with Apple Fanboy sh*t disturbers), they were all pretty excited about it. Microsoft might actually be shipping a decent product that people want!
I went back and combed through the video for any signs of a looming apocalypse. And then I found it: the actors were acting. They weren't truly enjoying themselves. A very thin veil of excitement masked the horror just below the surface. I submit these screen-grabs to you as evidence, but you will have to judge the ad for yourself.
