Explicitly and without apology a marketing vehicle MaryMaryQuiteContrary

Great news!

You know last week's Friday free stuff.... guessing how many coffee beans are in the NetBeans jar.

Everybody's a winner!

That's right, everybody who posted a guess gets a....



Collector's Item Super Sought After Duke Christmas Tree ornament!!!

Tis the season to be jolly!

(i'd better not see them on ebay)

As for our grand prize⁵ winners...

The actual number of coffee beans in the NetBeans jar is 1,916.

So the five people who got closest to that number win!

(I decided that I just couldn't make exceptions for clever entries. There were just too many of them. So we're going by-the-book when it comes to picking grand prize winners this week. I seriously appreciate the investment you guys made in crafting your responses though. Very impressive.)

I'm super rushed right now. I gotta pack and leave for the airport because I'm going to Prague (!) today to meet the NetBeans techno celebs live and in person. The core engineering team for NetBeans is in Prague, see. And I have a hunch being around the NetBeans guys -- that is the place to be this week. Just this vague feeling I've got.

The big take-away today, people:

1. Even if you missed the big Friday Free Stuff extravaganza, I gotta way to make you a winner too -- download NetBeans today.

;-)

mary

p.s. winners: pls send me your mailing addresses: mary.smaragdis@sun.com. i will use your personal info for the singular purpose of copying it down onto an envelope to send you your free stuff. iw ill not share your info. won't use it for any other purpose whatsoever. after i've copied it down i will delete the mail.

p.p.s. still working out what the rest of the grand prize package⁵ is. Definitely got a $5 Starbucks gift card for each of you. Gonna drum up some more stuff. stay tuned.

p.p.p.s. You have until Friday to send me your mailing address. i make the big run to the post office on Saturday.

hot new development, people.



A substantial shipment of Duke Christmas tree ornaments "fell off the truck."

Might be worth playing Friday Free Stuff this week.

You just never know what might happen...

Tis the season to be jolly.

mary

p.s. no promises if demand exceeds supply. play early would be my advice.


p.p.s. Jami you'd better watch out because next time I see you you're going to get a big fat sloppy wet kiss that you're going to want to wipe off with the back of your hand.

Guess what?

I leave for Prague (!) on Monday. That's where the core engineering team for NetBeans is.  I'm going to go meet those super star techno celebs live and in person.

Guess what else?

Today's Friday Free Stuff is dedicated to NetBeans!

(these are all hints, people. read between the lines.)

It is my great pleasure to announce that this week we will have 5 -- that's right F-I-V-E -- Grand Prize Friday Free Stuff Winners!

Each of these lucky guys/gals will receive a prize package which includes a $5 gift certificate to Starbucks! (the rest of the prize package is still TBD but trust me it will be nice/fun.)

What do you have to do to win*?



Guess how many coffee beans are in this jar. (get it?) The person⁵ who comes closest to the actual number wins!

Almost as good as guessing how many zones on a v880, isn't it?

Enter to win* by posting a comment with your guess.

bon weekend!

mary

*This is not a contest. This is me giving away stuff that I personally own to people I choose. Everybody's eligible this week. No exclusions.

deck the halls and fa-la-la, people.

check out the family christmas tree...



notice anything interesting?

first person to tell me what gets (most appropriately) a Java Everywhere cap.

post a comment if you want in on this game.

:-)

mary

So I got all kinds of little saying. I use them all the time with my kids. Stuff like:

• I need you to try your hardest. That is the only thing that I will ever ask of you.
  
• You made a mistake. You need to learn something. Then move on. The faster that you learn, let go and move on, the happier you'll be.
  
• I've never met anybody who compared a lot and was happy.
  
• Do you need help or privacy?
  

stuff like that... here's another one....

• Things change. Even things that you thought could never, ever change. And every time something changes, it's a chance for a new adventure.
  

Microsoft, Sun Submit Web Services Drafts to W3C
InternetNews.com, 12/9/04; Clint Boulton 
http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3446131

Microsoft and Sun engineers issue drafts for a Web Services Addressing
specification to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).   WS-Addressing
defines a set of abstract properties and an XML information set to identify
Web service sources and endpoints in messages.  Microsoft and Sun have
support from IBM, BEA and SAP for the specification.  In April the companies
agreed to work on Web services interoperability together and have made
strides in development work.

:-)

mary

           

OK, ladies.

And I'm just talking to the girls this time.

When the room mother in your child's elementary school class calls you on behalf of the teacher, it is not proper etiquette to treat her like she's a telemarketer trying to sell you something.

I totally get how your undergarments are creeping toward an uncomfortable place (to steal a phrase from a brilliant writer) because you got elbowed out of the way when it came to earning the coveted distinction of room mother.

To quote Junie B: "too bad for you."

You need to suck it up and be courteous.

And that concludes our little dispatch from the emergency broadcast system.

Let's move on to official business.

It's a matter of days until I go to Prague (!) to meet the NetBeans techno celebs live and in person. Just between you and me, people... I expect we're going to have a significant development on the NetBeans front. Soon. But don't go telling everybody you heard it here, OK? Last thing I need is to get busted for spilling the beans.

;-)

On another note...

Music Meets the Computer
Odysseys in Technology

It's a talk sponsored by Sun at the Computer History Museum in the heart of Silicon Valley, California.

It's rare that I miss living in the Bay Area, you guys. I don't spend much time looking over my shoulder ... but I tell you... events like this... make me wish I still lived there.

December 14. Free. All kinds of techno celebs talking about how computers have revolutionized music-making.

And as I'm a fan of both music and computers, I'm really bummed that I'm not going to get to go to that one.

Wait a minute.

I couldn't go anyway.

I'm going to be in Prague (!) to meet the NetBeans techno celebs live and in person on December 14.

Over it. No longer bummed.

Listen, if one of you guys end up going... post a little snippet of how it was as a comment. I'll give you free stuff. A picture would be nice too. Extra free stuff for a picture. (We got a mini-shipment of Free Stuff from Jami yesterday. HUGE thanks to that lovely woman.)

I get by with a little help from my friends.

mary

hey everybody!

Real quick today...

1. you need to read Jonathan's blog. it's awesome.

pop quiz: what do Jonathan Schwartz and my mother have in common?

answer: they both know how to use words as weapons.

2. Get out those digital cameras, people!



time to send in your favorite pictures of Duke on vacation! (vacation=holiday, for all you British speakers out there.) You've got until December 17. Please remember: "tasteful and appropriate."

3. I'd like to introduce you to the UnixRabbi aka Hershel Remer -- author of ...



which is now available for sale on Amazon and Barnes and Nobel)

Word on the street has it that we're going to be getting some of these books -- autographed by the author -- to give away in the blog. But that bird is still in the bush. I've exchanged email with Hershel. Good guy. And he's a real-life-honest-to-God Rabbi. Who does stand up comedy. About Computers. So how crazy is that? wanted you to know about that.

4. A buddy of mine here at Sun -- Michael Jordan -- started blogging. And I wanted to tell you about it. Because in Michael's blog I found out that somebody left loofah in the men's locker room at a gym on a Sun campus. I find those little tid-bits most delicious. And I wanted to share.

And that concludes our official business for today.

On the personal front, I continue to just be all-a-flutter about the fact that I get to go to Prague (!) to meet the NetBeans techno celebs live and in person. I've never been there. I'm so excited about going. I leave in less than a week.

Also, I found out from a certain individual who's a colleague and friend (and who got perfect scores on the SATs) -- let's call him Rhodes Klement for the sake of protecting his privacy -- that Sun funded a project to foster UI development in Prague. And I think I'm going to get to go visit and talk to those guys too.

How exciting!

Anyway, that's the story.

Let me know if there's anything you want me to ask the NetBeans guys or the UI guys while I'm out there. Happy do a little leg work for you.

later.

mary

Guess who's going to Prague?!

Guess who's out-of-her-mind-crazy-excited because she gets to go to Prague. A week from today. To meet all the NetBeans techno celeb engineers live and in person.

that's right: me.

This makes Prague is the right answer to last week's pseudo puzzler. And that means Aaron wins Friday Free Stuff! (again).

Making it the third thing he's won. Hat Trick! You work it, Aaron!

See, I love repeat winners.

That's affinity.

Every marketing girl dreams of affinity.

But enough of letting you read the ultra-secret, carefully guarded, MaryMaryQuiteContrary marketing strategy playbook.

Let's talk about my trip to Prague!!!!

SOOOOOO EXCITED!

Please join me in downloading NetBeans 4.0. Because we are not going to go to meet the NetBeans techno celebs unprepared.

Pop quiz: Prague recently played host to an ultra famous NetBeans junkie. Name him.

Can you even believe that? I'm going to have missed him by just a matter of days.

Which brings me to another point about this guy -- one of my all time favorite techno celebs who I like to count among my close personal friends...

He's in the running for Fast Company's Fast 50. in case you want to vote for him.

(don't go telling him i'm telling people about this, OK? he would totally come down on me. and the last thing i need is the father of java taking away my car keys and putting me on probation.)

So, in closing today...

This whole game of life we're all playing... you got no idea how much time you got left.... you need to be playing like you got two minutes on the clock and you're down by a goal. Keep reminding yourself of that. Two minutes left to play.

Now, don't go getting any crazy ideas, people. I'm fine. Everybody I love is fine. We experienced a great loss recently. And it shocked me. And it got me thinking what I just told you.

A goal down. Two minutes left.

come on, you guys. there's this game we need to win!

:-)

big kiss!

mary

It's Friday, everybody!

And you know what that means...

Before we get into delivering on the brand promise of the MaryMaryQuiteContrary blog...

Can we just press the pause button for a minute. I need to catch my breath.

1. My ears are still ringing from the Solaris 10 launch. I just can't believe how huge this thing is.
2. J2SE 6 source code is (!) is on java.net. New community. Just formed last week. You need to read Mark Reinhold's blog to get up to speed on that one.
3. Really nice Q&A with one of my all-time-favorite techno celebs who are my close personal friends...



Graham Hamilton just got posted to java.sun.com. (not exactly bi-directional friendship; you know how it goes) Need to check that one out.

4. Sneak Peak at Project Looking Glass architecture and api also now available to those who know how to find it.
5. We had a joint press conference with Microsoft this week people.

I feel like I'm drinking from a fire hose here. Can you believe that joint press conference with Microsoft t and it's #5 on my list. How crazy is that?

I'm telling you.. living the vida loca over here.

Which brings us to...

Friday Free Stuff!

Here's this week's prize:



A plush Duke doll!

(Don't ask me how it came in my possession. I am not proud of my tactics. Don't worry, Tom. It's not yours. I didn't steal from Peter to pay Paul. I'm bad. I'm not that bad.)

Guess what else?

The Puzzler is on vacation.

So this week you don't have to be a techno-genius to win* (though it certainly won't hurt your chances*).

First the disclaimers:

The following people are not eligible to play* this week

• The man who holds the triple crown of being love-of-my-life, father of my children and most incredible man on the face of the planet.
• My dad. Who's also pretty awesome but in entirely different ways.
  
• Larry B.
  
• Judith L.
  
• Tim C.
  
• Anybody who was at Ingrid's staff meeting today (except for Spy Girl; we'll make an exception for Spy Girl ;-)
  
• Dr. Josh and Dr. Neal
• Sophia from church

To win* this Duke doll, be the first to solve my riddle. Post your answers to the comment section of this blog entry.

On the Continent is where I will be.
Lots of techno celebs there I will see
A week from Monday I leave
With lots of tricks up my sleeve
Name the city where you will find me.

here's a hint.

have a great weekend, you guys!

mary

We have a winner!

You might recall that we have an outstanding Friday Free Stuff* prize* to give away.

(I had completely forgotten, frankly. Lucky for me I've got readers that pay attention. And somebody pointed this out to me.)

It is with great pleasure that I award this fabulous prize package*



to Aaron!

Aaron shared with us his perspective on Solaris 10. I'd like to provide an excerpt here, if you don't mind:

Aaron wins*!

Have I ever mentioned Free Stuff is the brand promise of the MaryMaryQuiteContrary blog?

(can you guess what comes next?)

Good news, people: EVERYBODY is a winner! Everybody who posted to this edition of Friday Free Stuff wins a prize!

(have you noticed a pattern?)

You gotta send me your mailing address to claim your prize: mary.smaragdis@sun.com

(A very smart reader named AT -- Puzzler Solver, smartest Ukrainian guy I know -- recently pointed out that my email address appears all over my blog. So it's kinda silly to mask it. We're giving up that pretense. Let's just hope those porn robot things (or whatever they're called) don't find me.)

OFFICIAL ALERT: I will no longer try to chase you guys down to get your mailing address. If you want your free stuff shipped to you, you've got to be proactive about sending me your mailing address. And another thing... if weeks and weeks go by and you don't claim your stuff, I am going to put it back into the kitty and award it to somebody else. Fair warning.

The other side of that coin: I'm really, really, super-duper sorry Tom, Bill et al for taking so long to make it to the post office. You guys did send me your mailing address.  And you still don't have your free stuff. I promise, promise, promise I'm going to the post office tomorrow. You will get your stuff before Christmas.

Tis the season to be jolly!

Fa-la-la-la-la.....     la-la-la-la.

Jingle, Jingle

mary

p.s. I would have said Gingle, Gingle. But that's not exactly funny at this point in time.

p.p.s. my whole sucking-up thing to the girls in events to try to score more Free Stuff..... It's not working. They're ignoring me. I am now pursuing another tactic. Don't even for a minute fret. I am the master of working the angles. I will replenish our supplies... Stay tuned...

*I don't do contests. I give away stuff that I own to people I choose and I mail it to them with stamps that I buy at the post office.

Finally got the pictures from the Solaris 10 Launch back from the lab.

(ok. not exactly true. can't use that excuse anymore it seems. this whole digital camera thing. truth is i finally got around to posting them.)

So if you want to see all the pictures with commentary, go back to the big Launch Coverage. As a public service, I'm also providing them for you here, for  your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.

... of pictures... here's another one I found...

It is my great pleasure to introduce you to some of the most lovely and talented professionals at Sun Microsystems.

Yes, my friends, you're looking at ...

... people who know how to single-handledly move mountains. They are absolutely spectacular. In addition to being drop-dead gorgeous beautiful.

And I  just thought I'd share that with you.

mary

p.s. On a completely unrelated note, it just so happens I'm running low on Free Stuff. Heavens me. I just don't know what I'm going to do....

 

You guys,

Just going through pictures. I'm so behind. I had a bunch of pics I needed to post from the big Solaris launch. I'm doing that now.

... So we had Thanksgiving at my house last week....

So while I was uploading all the Solaris launch pictures, I found this one. And I figured I'd share it with you.

(Took it with the digital camera. Which Sun owns. Don't tell anybody I was using it for personal stuff. Not that anybody would care. But let's keep it quiet just the same.)

Because my moonlighting gig as a columnist -- the working mother's answer to Dave Barry -- isn't exactly taking off. And with Martha in the slammer, I figure maybe now's my chance to make a little play for the whole domestic diva thing. Except I don't really like doing domestic stuff. And truth is I'm not exactly talented in that realm.

But I did set a beautiful table for Thanksgiving. And I've got a picture to prove it.

;-)

mary