What happened to "Genius"?

[Bob]

Does anyone know why "Genius" got the axe in OfficeXP? I found him to be the
least annoying characters, aside from Merlin. Any way to bring him back?
Bob

[Microsoft Agent]

Best to check with the Microsoft Office team. I didn't even realize he was
gone. One problem may have been that he was generated from a real clay model
and would take more work to add animations for.

"Bob" <b...@bob.com> wrote in message news:O8FwUhivBHA.2676@tkmsftngp04...

[Dwayne Conyers]

I replaced him with a Virtual Girl...

`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~
Microsoft Agent Theatre
http://www.dwacon.com
`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'

"Bob" <b...@bob.com> wrote in message news:O8FwUhivBHA.2676@tkmsftngp04...

[James]

And we wouldn't want 'more work' would we :)

--
James Jenkins
Bird Log Software - www.birdwire.co.uk
www.software-dungeon.co.uk

.

[Microsoft Agent]

Perhaps I should have been clearer. I believe that the original character
was created using a real clay model which is much more labor intensive than
using most software animation tools. So the question may have been whether
to spend additional money to have the character remodeled. I suspect that
the Office team determined that the popularity of that character was not
sufficient to justify the expense, particularly when the new Rocky (dog)
character tested very well.

I don't think Genius ranks on the make-break decision for lastest version of
Office. If there was enough demand for the Genius character, the Office team
would likely consider bringing him back.

"James" <James@@software-dungeon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:a5i3ip$5i5$1...@news5.svr.pol.co.uk...

[Custom Rides]

Can`t be any clearer then that ...
So `Agent ! , How did you get stuck ( maybe to harsh a word ) with a job
like this ( big assumption on my part ) Having to repeat yourself a dozen
times a day with out flaming someone who is blameing you for thier
frustrations at work ( and my spelling ) Having no controll over the topic
you are representing ( another assumption on my part ) . Are a lawyer or
just a paid scape goat ? ( no insault intended or implyed )

"Microsoft Agent" <AgentsN...@microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:3c7d...@news.microsoft.com...

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[Microsoft Agent]

Microsoft Agent is and was an exploration to find a way to open up a new
channel in the bandwidth of human-computer interaction through the use of
social interaction. Most interfaces today largely leverage only the
cognitive aspects of human behavior (memory, visual cues, spacing, size,
etc.), but that overlooks the fact that much of how we interact naturally is
based on social frameworks. (See Nass and Reeves book citation in another
post.) People will respond to social cues even when delivered by a non-human
source. Interactive characters provide an excellent metaphor (but not the
only one) for expressing these cues. Further language based interaction
(e.g. speech) are heavily modulated by social information.

The Microsoft sponsored newsgroups are primarily intended for peer-to-peer
exchange and not for direct support from Microsoft. However, we find it
useful to listen to the problems and issues customers of our technology have
and respond as appropriate. That doesn't always mean that folks get what
they ask, but hopefully it can be seen as an indication that we have a
genuine interest in listening to our users and trying to help.

Regrettably sometimes Microsoft's actions (or inactions) are taken as some
nefarious plot, but Microsoft really isn't some faceless, monolithic entity
and Bill Gates' personal motivation was not to become a billionaire. It is
people doing their best to build the best software they can. You don't
always get it right the first time, but you work at continual improvement.
At the same time, the people at Microsoft are running a business and as any
successful businessperson knows there are often tradeoffs you have to make
and you have to weigh all your investments or you will be out of business.
It is very difficult to please everyone at the same time. And despite the
frustrations and hostility people may express, Microsoft continues to rank
as one of the most admired companies.

Microsoft Agent is not a technology that Microsoft has forced on anyone. The
technology is liberally licensed to enable other developers to explore this
dimension as well. It has also included a number of speech engines for which
it could have easily charged. Anyone looking for comparable resources would
be hard pressed to find a comparable or better deal.

"Custom Rides" <cwhu...@gci.net> wrote in message
news:OiqAtG9vBHA.492@tkmsftngp02...

[Custom Rides]

No argument from me .... I was just tring to find out what kind of human
being you are ... ( I`m assumeing your not an auto responder ) I admire the
cool hand way you answer your challengers.... Wish I was that cool under
fire...
BTW thanks to you and the rest of the group for helpping to make MsAgent an
Excellent experience for me..

"Microsoft Agent" <AgentsN...@microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:3c7d74eb$1...@news.microsoft.com...