10 questions for virtual world evangelists (Microsoft’s) Zain Naboulsi, and (G-Squared’s) Kyle Gomboy

Welcome to a new regular feature of this blog … “10 questions for … ” where we talk to interesting people in the Microsoft in Second Life Microsoft world through a series of 10 questions (more or less, but who’s counting?) Think of this as a cross between James Lipton (Actor’s Studio) and Robert Scoble (Scobleizer). For the inaugural entry in the series, Microsoft Subnet interviewed two of the people responsible for Microsoft’s presence in Second Life and other virtual worlds. (See photos.) This interview was conducted as a live chat in Windows Live Messenger. The following is a two-page edited transcript of the conversation.

Read more: 10 questions for virtual world evangelists (Microsoft’s) Zain Naboulsi, and (G-Squared’s) Kyle Gomboy

Microsoft Silverlight Ready For Olympics Closeup

By Kevin McLaughlin, ChannelWeb

Microsoft’s Silverlight technology will get two big doses of exposure during the month of August, as the technology delivering online multimedia for both the Beijing Olympics and the Democratic National Convention later this month in Denver.

Silverlight, a subset of the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) system that powers Windows Vista, is Microsoft’s attempt to trump Adobe’s Flash technology by offering better-looking, more advanced display and interactive functionality, as well as superior tooling support.

When the Olympic games kick off on Aug. 8, the Silverlight-powered NBCOlympics.com Website on MSN will go live with event coverage and features that go beyond the typical Web video experience, such as multiple camera angles, rewind, and picture-in-picture, according to Eric Schmidt, director of media and advertising evangelism at Microsoft.

Read more: Microsoft Silverlight Ready For Olympics Closeup

Don’t give Microsoft the remote control – fight against DRM

If you put Microsoft at the center of your home entertainment system, be prepared to hand them the remote control, literally. Microsoft has gone to great lengths to restrict users from saving a television program to their computers, we call this kind of functionality an “antifeature”.

Following reports that digital television viewers were blocked from recording the new season of NBC’s “Gladiators”, Microsoft confirmed that it is preventing users from recording the show. They claim they were acting on behalf of NBC, and are in line with regulations set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in disrupting computer usage based upon the so-called “broadcast flag” that was transmitted alongside the show.

A Microsoft spokesperson told CNET News, “…Windows Media Center fully adheres to the flags used by broadcasters and content owners to determine how their content is distributed and consumed.”

read more

Linux Violates 235 Patents, Says Microsoft

Microsoft is suggesting that they will pursue legal action against Linux users/distributors due to alleged patent infringement.

read more | digg story