Is Windows 7 Software, Or Tupperware?

Yesterday I got an interesting email from Microsoft, inviting me to host a Windows 7 launch party to help Microsoft celebrate in late October. Party hosts get a free copy of Windows 7 Ultimate and an opportunity to win a PC.The parties are organized by a site called houseparty.com, which was a new one to me. Party hosts can choose from four different party themes: PhotoPalooza, Media Mania, Setting up with Ease, and Family Friendly Fun. Each party comes with a special kit that is sent to the host. There isn't a lot of detail about what a Windows 7 party kit contains, but from the description of other houseparty.com events it often seems to have coupons, keychains, t-shirt transfers, and other trinkets for the guests.

Is Windows 7 a product that lends itself to a party? Product-oriented parties have generally been the territory of plastic kitchenware, baby gear, and sexy underwear. I like Windows 7, but this is a different tech world than the one where users camped out all night to be the first to buy Windows 95. Still, it's hard to complain about an excuse to have a party for nerdy friends, with party favors provided by Microsoft.

If you're chosen to be a host for a Windows 7 party and are stumped about ideas for party activities, here are some of my suggestions:

Media Charades: Start Media Player, mute the sound, and choose a visualization. Play a song and see if anyone can guess it based only on the visualization.

Spin the Bottleneck: Call up a PC maker and ask them why that PC they sold you last month is incredibly slow with your new Windows 7 upgrade.

Pin the Blame on the Driver: Poke around in Device Manager using the Rollback Driver option until the system finally stops causing blue-screen crashes during games.

Scavenger Hunt: One person names a feature they could easily find in Windows XP, such as Add/Remove programs. The first person to find it in Windows 7 wins. Time limit 15 minutes.

Bobbing for Apples: Guests throw their iPods, iPhones, and iMacs into a barrel of water, then try to remove them using only their teeth. If the devices no longer work, don't worry; the party pack probably comes with coupons good for a 10 percent discount on a Zune.