This weekend, why don't you try out the new Windows XP Service Pack 2 release candidate? It's linked to on Microsoft's security page. I'm using it here and it does a lot to make your PC more secure, and updates many other things as well.

By the way, I notice there's an RSS feed on the security page. That's a good one to subscribe to.

Please do give us feedback. XPSP2 makes a ton of changes and can possibly break your applications. We really appreciate your bug reports and other feedback.

My first alert:

Howard Rheingold points to MSMobiles, who says Microsoft isn't taking the future of the mobile market seriously.

Interesting. I already have 10 subscribers. So, now, I can send out an alert to them. For instance, in this post I'm talking about Harvard Business Publishing's virtual seminar on "does IT matter?" This is a virtual conference to be held on May 19. Now, if I felt my readers needed to know that now instead of just if they happened to see it (like if there was a virus that everyone needed to know about fast) I could send out an alert. It'd show up on your screen as a piece of "toast" (that's what we call those little alerts that show up when someone sends you an instant message, for instance).

Here, let's try one. I'll send it shortly.

Heh, my readers are messing with Matthew Carlson's mind. He's getting IM's from a coworker (Tony Frey) telling him "name dropper." Heh. The other day I told Jeremy Wright that Steve Ballmer does actually read his email. So he sent him a nice note, and got a nice note in reply.

Worldwide exclusive: I was just meeting with Royal Farros, CEO of MessageCast and he asked me "would it be cool if you could send alerts to your readers?"

I said "hell yes!" And he said "well, you can be the first."

So, what is this? Well, if you use MSN Messenger, and you subscribe to my alerts, I can send you special alerts if something is happening that I think you might want to know.

This is a prototype of a feature he's working on for bloggers. He's not ready to announce anything yet, but he'd love feedback on what bloggers might want to do with this?

So, here goes. Subscribe to my alerts here (MSN Messenger required).

Remember the Fast Company article I told you about? Here it is: It's a blog world after all.

May well be one of the most powerful people, huh? Nah, if I have any power, it comes from my readers. In every meeting I remember that.

Funny anecdote: I'm in Matthew Carlson's office right now. He IM'd a friend back in Minnesota that he's getting Scobleized. His friend accused him of being a name dropper. Hell, that's my role in life darnit.