Now this has to be the funniest blog post I've read in quite a while. I like the numbers breakdown, too. Here is my take on it:

Get your unbeatable bottom price on SBS, SBE Office, XP Upgrade deals this weekend at Crazy Ligman's software sale. All business platform SKU's must go! We got a huge shipment from the factory and ALL must go before June 30th. $922? Forget about it. $800? No way! Just $797 gets you in a seat of a brand new SBS CAL, XP Pro Upgrade Cal and SBE Office. $797, fully loaded! You'll be cruising your office documents - anywhere. Don't have a PocketPC? We'll throw that in too! Everything but the kitchen sink! Come and see us at the corner of 1 Microsoft Way at Crazy Ligmans where our volume means savings for you! We finance eeeveryone! (guarantee not a guarantee, must be a small business and qualify for the financing. all tax, tags and financing charges excluded)

Now all joke aside this is a pretty good deal. First off, you can stack all the discounts described in the blog, standardize on a platform for the next 3 years, get a free upgrade to R2 when it comes out and probably get Vista in there. They'll even hook you up with a phone and financing. If you've got a business thats been avoiding an upgrade they will not see this good of a deal anytime soon. Plus the time is just ripe to get in before the Vista upgrade cycle. If they don't sign the dotted line for this you likely just have a lost hope on your client list, cut them loose and go win some business with this one. 

Yet another post in the Gooback category on net neutrality. Today Skype announced that they will no longer charge Americans and Canadians for placing calls to land lines (or cell phones) in USA and Canada. No strings attached, it will be a free call from now on.

This is why the telcos are fighting so hard to tier themselves and eliminate the possiblity of their customers dollars going to the competition or anywhere else but their pockets. I know that Google is the favorite posterboy for the Bell vs. Civilization but their successful separation from common sense and ethical business will guarantee that things like the above free calls never happen. They are still pissed they can't charge you $0.25 per minute anymore, but now they have people just giving it away? Well, without net neutrality that will not be a problem because you will never be able to send packets to the Skype network unless it pays hefty fees to connecting to the Bell network. Think it will be free then too?

Update: Hold the celebration, looks like a good part of IP addresses are unable to reach SkypeOut specifically between 70.x.x.x - 79.x.x.x.x; Take out 10 class A's, ouch. Oh well, I'm not on that range so it's all good Skype.

Just like Jesus, the free MCP exam retake is back from the dead and many are happy to see it. Basically, you sign up for an exam and if you flunk it you get to take it over again except you don't have to pay $125 again.

Microsoft's free exam retake offer is back by popular demand! Simply complete your exam(s) at any Pearson VUE Authorized Center by June 30, 2006 and retake the exam(s) for free if you do not pass on the first attempt. Initial (paid) exam(s) must be completed by June 30, 2006; second shot (free) exam(s) must be completed by July 31, 2006. This offer is valid for all Microsoft exams worldwide. Any means of payment, including promotion codes and vouchers, may be used on the paid exam(s). You must pre-register for this offer with Microsoft. For complete details, visit www.PearsonVUE.com/ms/2ndShot.

Simple enough, get to studying. Unlike other worthless occupations, computer science and engineering requires constant re-education and re-certification , so if you've made a choice to be in IT you should get to working.

I just love competition. I love it even more when it leads to free tools that make me better. Now this is just a rumor, but one that is simply too good: Vmware is planning to release Vmware GSX server free of charge. This is no doubt in part to compete with Microsoft entering the market with Virtual Server R2 (and R2 looks incredibly sweet) at $99. Guess Vmware is going to give them a run for their money, however, Vmware GSX server is heads and shoulders above VS. It allows you to create clusters within virtual machines, it has a free player and is a very mature product. So lets collectively cross our fingers and hope this hits the street.