DavidB - I remember that stupid publicity stunt - it was just some kid with a rich dad who made is own website.
boo hoo!
Actually, I've speculated that this might have been just another Microsoft conspiracy. I'm not sure what purpose it might have served unless Microsoft simply wanted to send out the message that it wouldn't tolerate websites that infringe on Bill Gates' empire.
After the legal squabble was settled, Rowe launched an online forum. I began posting there and was blown away by the responses I received. The people hanging out on his forums are too antagonistic, too vile and too juvenile to be real. They all act like anarchists on drugs. And when I attacked Microsoft, NO ONE would defend or support me, not even Rowe himself.
When I stopped posting there, I'd receive e-mails asking me to come back, as if they were taunting me. It's possible that Rowe simply launched a respectable forum that was simply taken over by Microsoft whores, but I suspect the whole thing was a conspiracy from the beginning. One thing's for certain: Mike Rowe's no political activist; he's either a self-serving asshole or a Microsoft operative (e.g. an asshole).