[1] We recently posted a couple of comical training videos [2] that Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant shot for Microsoft in the U.K., with Gervais, doing his David Brent character from The Office, poking fun at Microsoft geeks and at Bill Gates. It was refreshing and humanizing to see a company like Microsoft laugh at itself a little bit. Now, however, a Microsoft spokesman tells Information Week that the company is furious about the leak [3]—that the videos “were never intended to be viewed by the public” and that Microsoft is trying to hunt down whoever spread them around. So, to clarify: Microsoft didn’t want you to enjoy these videos, and it can laugh at itself only when no one else is watching. Way to go, guys. Great PR minds over there. Thanks to George [4] for the heads-up.
—Posted by Tim Nudd