Grossman family west

Tonight, a friend sent me a few bmp screenshots of a project that she was working on and Windows XP dutifully opened them up in the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer. I checked out the first picture and clicked the Next button to see…

A FAX THAT I HAD RECEIVED SIX MONTHS AGO. Next Again…

A pal riding the mechanical bull at a Boston bar from October. Next Again…

Me, dressed as a woman (costume ball, I swear). Next Again…

The second screenshoot my friend sent (finally)



To get to the final screenshot, I had to hit Next seven more times.



This is exactly the kind of annoying bug that Microsoft drops on the floor because of a surprising lack of organization and because attention to detail like this isn’t in the air. There is nobody responible for a large portion of the code in Windows. I was there during the “security stand down”, during which we went through security training and went back and examined every feature. It was shocking how many features had had no owners.



But this post isn’t about security. It’s about attention to detail and the ethos of just getting things right. I can imagine Steve Jobs going bonkers if Apple shipped a bug like that. I can’t see Bill Gates caring. Yet it’s the little things, the subtleties, that really make for a beautiful final product that delights the users. Or drives them mad. In its defense, the Windows Shell team is really trying. There isn’t the ethos, though, of the attention to detail that you see in other operating systems and so I’m betting that I’ll have to continue to deal with this one through Longhorn and beyond.



How do you create that ethos? Is it nature, or nurture?



joel

One other thing, while I’m on the topic. Is it worth it?



Well, Costs:

Roughly $64,000 per year, all in (of which $35k+ is tuition). No, I’m not kidding. Those are their numbers. I’d actually argue it’s more expensive since I couldn’t find an off-campus 9 month lease and my social habits, pitiful cooking skills, and trips I want to take with classmates have me spending more than $1224/mo on food, travel, social events, etc.

Fortunately, there are all kinds of loans available. I guess we are a good credit risk.



Just for kicks, if you invested in $64,000 each year for two years and then left those investments in the stock market (where get 10% annual returns over the long term) for 30 years total, you’d have over $2 Million!!



OK, that was a little ridiculous (you’d still have to pay living expenses, etc, if you didn’t attend), but it was also fun. And it makes me wonder… We can discuss what that $64k gets you in a future post.

joel

I’m posting this to save time. Of late, a few different friends have asked me how to get into this school. I guess the applicaiton deadline is approaching.

The answer is: (wait for it……….) I don’t know. Either that, or “there’s no secret.”

Here are a few thoughts though:

• When I was applying, i saw a bunch of folks on the web trying to sell “the secrets” to get in. Don’t buy them. It’s a scam. Just think a bit…
• There are no “templates” for accepted applicants. yah, there are a lot of bankers and consultants, but in my section we also have a half dozen folks from the military, one guy who worked at UPS, a couple entrepreneurs, a marketer from a consumer products company, a number of folks who worked for non-profits, etc.
• In the essays, don’t waste your time trying to prove that you’ve played with the most amount of money. It’s not interesting, and you’re probably wrong. Instead, focus on telling them who you are.
• Before you write your essays, make a list of character attributes that you want the person who reads your essays to attribute to you. Then pick essay topics and focus your writing on conveying those attibutes. Hint: HBS sells itself as a school that’s interested in “educating leaders.” These attributes are good things to coordinate with your recommenders.
• Bill Gates did not write a recommendation for me. Neither did Steve Ballmer. Neither did anyone with a VP (or even General Manager) title. I picked folks who knew me well. Peers and my manager.

Anyway, I’m now pointing my friends to this post instead of writing them all emails. It’s going to save me from carpal tunnel. I love technology.

joel

It’s lame, but I’m starting with a quick recap of my travels so you can tell when I’m talking with authority vs when i’m just faking it.



Currently, Harvard Business School in order to figure out what to do next. Also, the cases make for really interesting discussion and blog topics.



Before that, 5 years as a Program Manager (for part of it they called me a “Lead Program Manager”) at Microsoft in Seattle. Yah, it gets bolded. While there, I worked on:

• Windows XP Shell
• Longhorn, including a presentation for BillG
• the MSN Client
• The MSN Direct Smart Watches (aka “SPOT”). While there, I spent some time on public newsgroups like SpotStop.

Before that, I was at Brown University in Providence. BS in CS. Before that, the Roxbury Latin School in West Roxbury, MA.

Everything there is fair game for posts, questions, and comments. We’ll see where it goes.

Welcome. I look forward to learning from you.

joel