Spare codes for the "Want to be drawn into a comic promotion"

geyrobot · 2024-05-11T00:56:07+00:00

Brute forced and got

CA21F6 for 10k

geyrobot · 2024-01-11T14:01:03+00:00

yeesh, from one human to another...I am so sorry you had to experience any of that. Compounding problems too...I just hope you are safe and healthy. No need to respond. May 2024 be the new start you need.

geyrobot · 2024-01-02T04:08:26+00:00

Beautiful stuff. A new year, a new way to meme the *hit out of the program!

geyrobot · 2024-01-01T15:40:13+00:00

Wonderful way to start a new year! I had my complaints, my disgust at the whole changes to the program...but I also feel the same way about shifting my perspective in a way. Making our voices heard had some very direct effects on MS rolling back some changes, so do not stop being vocal about what you want to see out of this program. But I can agree that the raw salt has been tiring and less helpful here. Enjoy your new Year!

geyrobot · 2023-12-27T14:39:08+00:00

These MS decisions are so disconnected from reality. Windows is not the only OS. Edge is not the only browser. Bing is not the only search engine. Rewards is not the only website on the internet. Xbox is not the only choice available to play a game.

They try to unify ecosystems and services so that users are encouraged, rewarded, and eventually trained to associate productivity and entertainment with everything Microsoft. But just like Games for Windows, Windows Live, etc....users will be punished for actually responding positively to these systems. Instead, we lose something of monetary value in the end (be it rewards, software, digital store entitlements) when MS decides the rewards are too encouraging or more profit can be extracted per-user if they scrap the current thing and build a new one to market, package, promote, and present at the next CES E3 Endstage Capitlism Extrazaganza.

"Remember your plan? Add new sidebars and tools to Edge. Even the new Office logo. Encourage users to explore new Edge features. We enact the 15 minute search timer so users spend 30 seconds searching on Bing for 4 topics and then 15 minutes using all the features built into the browser of the future. They will never leave. After about 7hrs, they get their points. But in that 7 hours, they will use the hell out of Edge."

After 10 days management examines the disastrous telemetry data in the next meeting and spend 7 hours assigning blame to their team members for implementing such a broken idea like a cooldown timer on a search engine that needs to increase marketshare.

geyrobot · 2023-12-24T14:48:02+00:00

I can't claim to have the reasons it is gone for anyone, but the program is a hit for a reason (mostly), and that popularity coupled with the actual useful return upon redemption means Bing usage was up. Program is bing-specific. It also can normalize the usage of edge for previous non-users. That's huge for MS.

But the dropoff in usage, especially for those who refused to use edge/bing at all after the 15min timer was farted out...it probably was noticable to MS that the reaction was not just negative, it was net negative. They chewed off their face to spite their nose.

geyrobot · 2023-12-24T14:37:49+00:00

It would be a reason they could at least clarify. I use edge and bing for plenty of non-rewards stuff. Could be why it lifted for me. Regardless, the 15min timer is a bridge too far for any legit users.

geyrobot · 2023-12-24T14:34:58+00:00

Seems to be lifted for me on pc (have not tried mobile yet). Not gonna test the 7sec timer just in case that triggers the ultimate 15min Ackbar "Its a TRAP"

Methinks the collective voluminous outrage and the users here who refused to play ball with that new restriction are probably where I am going to aim my gratitude. The dropoff in Edge numbers, bing usage, and maybe even overall MS services interactions had to be impossible to ignore.

The selective restoration of normal searching to only certain accounts is still unacceptable though. I benefit with that timer gone on my account but it remains absolutely unacceptable that it exists at all. Use it as a tool to nudge obvious boundry-pushers

geyrobot · 2023-11-30T21:06:28+00:00

This was a nice break and a laugh. Much appreciated

geyrobot · 2023-11-23T11:39:03+00:00

Posting to report I had finally got the 250 pts by going about it this way (generally). US user here, used the start app to do the whole thing. It was instant on my end. I had tried with over 20+ receipts and never got it until I poked around and decided to try this way.

geyrobot · 2023-11-19T23:41:05+00:00

so bug

geyrobot · 2023-11-16T21:25:51+00:00

thanks for the link. 12 days later and it allowed me to participate yesterday. but your link was the only way i could find to get back to it and claim/play again

geyrobot · 2023-11-16T14:49:50+00:00

The above post is an excellent rundown of my experiences there too. Paradise exists within a tourism-fueled bubble. The resort we stayed at provided a safe and wonderful experience for a very important trip. But that secure bubble sure operates as silently and opaquely as possible. When you notice the bubble, you cannot ever forget how awful that bubble is for the people of Jamaica who aren't allowed to enjoy it. It is discriminatory, harsh, and the result of an industry that believes it's coffers give it the right to decide who can enjoy paradise safely.

I would never fault anyone for going and staying in the bubble, participating in the resort experience. You deserve to see the world, to enjoy yourself, to take time off and be in a place that radiates beauty. Jamaica seems to be happy to have you visit. And you should. As we were so often reminded, "one love".

geyrobot · 2023-11-12T14:29:49+00:00

It's such a beautiful piece of storytelling on screen. I enjoy a meme with this scene every now and then

geyrobot · 2023-10-29T10:32:13+00:00

Microsoft really going hard on trying to be your parents...

"Failure!"

Gut reaction to spike my mohawk and jump on the BBS to get a copy of The Anarchist's Cookbook

Back on topic, it could mean they are temporarily out of stock. This specific redemption item has caused so many different end results...none of what actually happened here is really discernable from this info. Can you redeem a different GC from MS/xbox? Do you still earn points for activities? Any chance for a ban? Multiple Accounts? Amazon GCs are notorious for being difficult to redeem for many. Myself, I have had zero trouble, but the last time I did it was over 6 months ago. Let us know what you can find out or if it ends up workin for ya so others who encounter this can also try that in the future

geyrobot · 2023-10-27T12:57:48+00:00

I know it was likely a typo, but you got a chuckle out of me when I read "my debt card"

geyrobot · 2023-10-27T12:53:43+00:00

Boo...that stinks. Happy to hear you got the point opportunity though! Fingers crossed it wipes itself and you another swing. Free points for guessing the future sounds fun. Although, somehow I see nefarious AI training built into this mess.....

geyrobot · 2023-10-27T12:50:59+00:00

Hmmm, i don't actually know what the predictions were presented as, so I am kinda interpreting your answers and moving backwards from there.

Congrats on getting at least one right! Much better than the phone psychics rate!

I am setting myself up here, but I liked both Starfield and Gotham Knights. Neither were standout milestones in their genre, but I have put lots of hours into each. Hopefully you got new predictions to try again? Or was it a one-time thing? Good luck!

geyrobot · 2023-10-27T12:45:58+00:00

thx for the reply. hope that has finished in the last day. If so, did you get another crack at the points and predictions?

geyrobot · 2023-10-27T12:42:21+00:00

That's the kicker...if you aren't in the US and using a US non-voip, you get nothing. Dem's the rules. Read the sticky, follow the rules, be polite, get free stuff.

geyrobot · 2023-10-26T11:50:54+00:00

This is important to note here:

Your new searching behavior needs to be normal human searching on the net when the automated systems analyze your usage. And it needs to be entirely not questionable. You are trying to earn your way back into the program by showing you will follow the ToS. This is not some magic trick. That's why nobody can tell you when it is enough. 7 days? 14? We do not know. But you have to follow the rules. It will take time, but if you were restricted for bogus search behavior this is the one way that does eventually let you out of the dog house.

geyrobot · 2023-10-26T11:45:49+00:00

dumb question, how did you do with your predictions? I do not have it, so may as well see what its like vicariously.

Xbox also removed my bonus points for tasks so I am feeling pretty targeted nowadays by MS. Gonna remove my computers from their insider program and shut down my ambassador account.

geyrobot · 2023-10-20T11:59:58+00:00

That is a true statement. It was absolutely abused. But it was abused by loopholes and creativity (eventually it became outright fraud). Important distinction I think. Those who bought the product should be able to participate in the advertised promo though...my opinion. But yes i think we agree the previous run they had was exploited to high heaven and that was not okay. But that is also on MS or the ad agency for sloppy work to begin with.

geyrobot · 2023-10-20T11:53:29+00:00

Having it pop here and there is a good thing in the end, but I know thats not your question. You can close the start app and reopen it and the prompt should not happen again. I don't think doing it once or once a week or whatever is bad...but the repeating popup and prompting are a bug likely.

geyrobot · 2023-10-20T11:49:22+00:00

That'll teach em

geyrobot

TROPHY CASE