I'm so glad this didn't happen

Wedgewoord Knitted Teacup from Infiknit

I was reading a review of mobile phones and apps on the weekend and the article noted that Microsoft (Bill Gates and all) actually had an operating system for hand held devices in the mid 1990s. They obviously decided not to pursue the idea of mini computers at that time, probably because they were building an empire in regular sized personal computers. Maybe they were keeping their idea under wraps for a time when they had exhausted the demand for desk tops and lap tops and then they would move into palm tops.

Tapestry from Our Heirlooms

Well, surprise, surprise someone (or 2 or 3) beat them to it and now they are late players in an almost saturated market. For anyone who has read Malcolm Gladwell's "the Outliers" (people in the right place at the right time), the story of Bill Gates and QDos(Quick and Dirty Operating System) is legendary - he was in the right place at the right time and had put in his 10,000 hours and reaped the rewards.  But he was also in the right place at maybe the right time for mobile computing and he passed on it or delayed on it. How does this fit into the theory of "Outliers"? Perhaps not only do you have to be in the right place at the right time with the right idea; but you have to act on it as well.

Push Up Toys from Craftime

Anyway, I am glad that Bill Gates was sleeping at the gate on this one and other players were able to sneak through and open up the competition or we might all be at his mercy for mobile computers, apps, and who knows what else may be coming down the pipe in the future. Actually the BG foundation , I understand, is busying itself creating a storage bank of seeds and maybe soon DNA of all living species. Do you think that he is out to control the world as we know it - not just the computing world?


Dinner? Something by hand so tortillas, pizza, and sandwiches work. The link bills itself as the world's largest collection of sandwich recipes. This could be a good one. I always think that there is no wrong time for a sandwich!  The pictures are of knitting and needlework still waiting for their right time!