Speaking in Tongues

It would seem that the young blood leadership change at Microsoft may be paying off for them -- or at least diversifying their business model beyond Forced Upgrade Cycle Forever and Ever. After acquiring Skype for a ludicrously high price, they've been working internally on turning the communication software into the Star Trek universal translator.

I sincerely hope they can make it work, but it's going to take a lot of phone calls to turn the corner on an $8.5 billion investment. The best news here is that there's somebody besides Google innovating in the market. Microsoft was asleep at the wheel during the entire Ballmer regime, while Apple has been floundering around like a hippie at a job fair ever since their Great Leader headed for the long dirt nap. More competition in the realm of innovative tech is good for everybody.