ShadowRAM: January 8, 2007

SAM'S SECOND LIFE
We have a tough time picturing ex-IBM pooh-bahs Lou Gerstner or John Akers making a public appearance as an avatar. But current IBM Chairman and CEO Sam Palmisano recently awoke from his media hibernation to "appear" during an IBM event as an avatar on the Second Life online community. It's difficult to say whether appearing live as an avatar trumps appearing on videotape as, um, a real person. But bully for Second Life, we guess. Meanwhile, IBM's channel partners are left wondering whether or not they'll see Palmisano in person, as himself, in the flesh, at the computer giant's annual PartnerWorld conference.

MOONLIGHTING
IBM Software exec Jeff Schick is continuing his role as personal integrator for Howard Stern and some of his staff at Sirius Satellite Radio. Schick, who has been a top lieutenant to IBM SVP Steve Mills as well as director of content management for the computer giant, recently installed some computer equipment for Stern show sidekick and "Beer League" star Artie Lange at Lange's home in New Jersey. On the program last week, Lange discussed how Schick described the state-of-the art digital archive technology the Stern show uses, including scanned copies of every single fan letter sent to the King of All Media.

SEEN AND HEARD
We'll take total obscurity for $500, Alex. Oh, the ignominy of it all. There was a question (or rather an answer) on "Jeopardy!" last month, something along the lines of "This company's popular 1-2-3 program helped companies manage their businesses." The incorrect answer: "Excel." Poor Lotus. No one remembers nothing anymore.

Miracle on Route 128? Seen along Route 128, Massachusetts' famed old high-tech highway, a billboard bearing two words playing off the politics of the day: Bipartisan Computing. The sponsors? Longtime archrivals Microsoft and Novell, which recently announced a peace pact ending their two-decade struggle in the OS arms race and which both have significant office presences in Waltham, Mass. The multifaceted deal is supposed to make their Windows and Linux technologies truly interoperable. But will the truce last? There must be a few skeptical customers if they have to broadcast it so bluntly. Most drivers are probably just wondering what the hell the sign means.

CDW is currently posting on its Web site a tracking poll it conducted into adoption expectations for Windows Vista. Among the findings: 20 percent of IT decision makers surveyed said they expected to upgrade to Vista within a year. Sixty percent planned to upgrade eventually, while another 14 percent said they just wouldn't upgrade. The poll was conducted in October. At the time, only 2 percent of those questioned had any kind of detailed or scheduled Vista upgrade plan on the table. And half that number actually work for Microsoft. OK, that last line was completely made up.