Lost Explained, Plumbers, Travertine Marble, and Macs

There have been so many theories on LOST, I've lost track. This one which I found via Stumble-Upon today is absolutely stellar. It works. Makes sense. It's a very long post so make sure you have time to read and think. It's got some holes but I really, really, like this one.

Today, the plumber came to fix the ballcock on my guest bathroom toilet. Actually he replaced the whole mechanism because it had a small leak. I only mention this because it's not often you get to say ballcock when there's not a dirty joke involved. I wish I could work in a badminton reference and say shuttlecock. I can't. So I won't say shuttlecock.

My shower work is done. My three day semi-expensive job turned into a ten day long ordeal. However, the old shower was ripped out. The leaky shower-pan was replaced -- and a good thing because it was developing a mould collection. The new shower has authentic travertine marble tiling. I like it except for the light fixture (which I'll replace) and the door (too short for my tastes). I am pleased, though. I missed being in my bathroom because it was just weird being the guest bathroom for so long.

My new Mac is chugging along nicely except for the firewire issue. What firewire issue you may ask. Well let me tell you then :) An edited version of what I sent to Apple's Engineering Department:

I thought it was just me having problems but then I've since had other friends with similar problems. We have a technology provider that deals directly with Apple an I spoke the Apple Rep. A few days later they called back and confirmed there ARE problems on a wide scale and they're "checking into the cause but are leaning towards the monitor having faulty hardware."

Now, on to the nitty-gritty. This bug manifests itself as follows.

To rule out other issues, ALL OTHER EXTERNAL DEVICES BOTH USB AND FIREWIRE (except mouse and keyboard obviously) were removed from the chain: CPU, Monitor, Hubs, everything.

This problem is specifically related to the 23" new cinema display and the firewire port/hub built in to the new Intel 2x4core3.2ghz. This machine is about a week old as is the monitor. Hot off the press. All external devices were previously plugged into a dual-core G5 with similar specifications and functioned normally.

What happened is that if you plug the monitor into the rear firewire ports an external firewire HD (800 or 400) will eventually overload the system and disable the entire firewire bus on ALL ports. I tried two different external firewire drives (on the 400 and 800 ports in front and back of the machine with NOTHING plugged into the monitor but the monitor plugged into the machine's rear port (tried both ports). I also tried various cables.

Apparently the internals of the machine have one shared bus and even though the system is powered it can't handle an external drive. The drive in question is one of the 1-TB Western Digitals (I'm not using their drivers -- just the default Apple stuff).

When you access the external drive and open it, you get the root directory for that drive, but then when you open a folder the drive over-spins and then powers down. Checking in System Profiler shows that the Firewire Bus cannot be read. All firewire devices stop working. You must POWER DOWN THE SYSTEM to recover. Moving down to 400 didn't help.

I tried this with two different Firewire Drives. Happily the data was not too badly damaged by the unexpected power down. DiskWarrior to the rescue.

At first I thought I had an isolated incident with my specific machine or monitor being bad which is when I slowly begin trying to isolate it by removing equipment from the equation. (I have firewire external Sony AIT, iOmega ZIP, Memorex DVD+RW drives in addition to the HD. Since USB is unaffected I left those out of the equation and unplugged).

So after narrowing it down to the monitor and hard drive, I went to Google (gotta love Google because it knows everything) and typed the error message about the bus being unreadable. There are *TONS* of matches and everyone is having firewire bus problems but nobody has apparently isolated it yet. But it's my observation and gut feeling that there is an endemic problem with the monitor's firewire using too much power from the machine *OR* the machine's firewire bus is insufficiently powered. The fact that it powered down the drive and rendered the bus dead supports this hypothesis. (Or, more likely, a combination of an issue between the Mac and the monitor.)

This information is VERY good and solid and tested carefully. It's not perfectly tested but Apple ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY has an issue. The hard drive worked fine on my G5 Mac (2x2ghz) in the same FW800 port with ALL the above devices attached. That rules out the machine handily.

Continued testing causes repeated bus power downs and will continue to damage my hard drive which is why I don't want to keep testing my drive.

It's some sport of an electrical issue with bus power over your firewire chain. I suspect that with all those ports on the machine plus the monitor added in, the stress is too much and it gives up.

I will, shortly, have a lot more Mac hardware for sale including (possibly) a Cinema Display, a Dual Processor G5, and more. Contact me for details.

Eight Cores of Bliss

I have on my desk a 3.2ghz dual quad core Xeon MacPro running Leopard* 10.5.1 with 2gb of RAM and a total of 2TB of hard drive space (around 1/2 full already, thanks) plus dual SuperDrives and Airport and Bluetooth.

The switch has been painful as all hell. I didn't realize I could boot back into 10.4.11 which was my original plan. That created some issues with stuff that doesn't work with 10.5. I'm slowly working around them. My lack of access to Claris Resolve files will continue to be a pain because 10.5 cannot access OS9 and neither can Intel Machines. I am working on a solution.

The upgrade from Adobe CS2 to CS3 was a real chore since the transfer process didn't go smoothly. Three freaking hours, dammit. It gave me something to do whilst the contractors tore apart my shower (which will continue for the next week) to fix the shower pan.

Tomorrow I shall probably put one hard drive back in the original Mac so it works. That dual 2ghz G5 shall be on sale soon for interested parties. Still pretty damned fast.

Had dinner with Erin. Called Jose who was distracted and Tom after that. Discussed new mobile phone purchase that is pending. Just trying to get the iSync stuff up to date before I do that.







* Blech

Iriomote Cats, English Teachers, Yellow Submarine, and Bush Declares Martial Law

Today we have another random group of eclectic posts.

1. Way back in December 2006, I wrote about the Baiji Dolphin become extinct. Truly a sad thing, indeed. Well it's about to happen again to another species. Now, Japan’s Iriomote Cat is Headed for Annihilation
according to the latest news. I am far more saddened about this because I love kitties of all kinds. This has been reported in National Geographic. It's a beautiful cat, too as you can see.

2. I am trying to locate Karen Goff; she was my eighth or ninth grade English teacher from McMillian Junior High School in Miami, Florida. It's an off chance, but she was one of the best teachers I ever had -- and in a subject I am rather fond of. I want to thank her. If anyone knows where she is, that would be great. The school was of no help whatsoever nor was the local school boards.

3. In other disturbing news: I am not a conspiracy theorist, and I often ridicule those who are. Let's be honest, most of them are utter and complete crackpots. However there's a new one making the rounds that even my regular "upstanding citizen" type friends are subscribing to. And, I think I do too. As you know Dubya's term is coming to an end -- and he's not happy, nor does he understand why he's the least popular president ever. There are more and more rumblings being made about Iran from inside the administration, but nowhere else. What happens when he uses some random event -- you know the odds are in favour of an event -- to declare martial law and take over and remain in power? Will anyone be able to stop him? Will the military say no? It's looking more and more real to me every day. Him and his cronies are looking for a way to stay -- just like the Kremlin in its heyday. It scares me.

4. Next Wednesday, I am still predicting a Yellow Submarine iPod pre-loaded with the Beatles oeuvre. It will look similar to the current iPhone without the actual phone functionality. Further, regardless of what comes next, I bet you get a Bluetooth iPod so people have no more wires. You'll also get some form of the iPhone touchscreen. Apple has ordered way more screens than it needs for phones. There's really no other conclusion to be had.

Appleism (Apple Becomes a Religion)

I use StumpleUpon regularly, and it dropped me into a blog which has a fascinating post. I'm sorry it took me so long to blog it, but here it is. David Kuo writes a rather interesting piece entitled "Welcome to Appleism – the religion that is Apple." I don't want to spoil it all here without encouraging you to read it first.

He starts with this statement: Apple isn’t a cult anymore, it has become a full blown religion with scores of millions of followers. The frenzy around the iPhone brings to mind the clamoring throngs that greeted Jesus at the height of his ministry. And it's a telling statement because he's right, there is a frenzy. Though, I daresay, it's more consumerism than anything resembling religion. The frenzy is no different than that surrounding the Nintendo Wii or any other über-hot item.

Lest you think I am disagreeing with Mr. Kuo, I am not. Apple has certainly become a religion of sorts, but a proper one that has developed over time. Its members are fiercely loyal, even when they shouldn't be. The evangelize their religion by trying to convert all their friends. I do that very thing, but I will not recommend one of Apple's "bad" products, though happily they are few and far between.

Mr. Kuo also states "Appleism espouses a liberal worldview that challenges conventional morality and norms and encourages creativity. It was clearly seen in the famed 'Think Different' ad campaign." And that is a key point because Think Different embodied the spirit of Apple. Mr. Kuo missed the very most important point of all, though. You either get it, or you don't.

I have friends and relatives that will never get it, and I don't even bother trying to convert them anymore. Not to put down my friends/relatives, but those who have converted have seen the light and realize the bliss of being righteous and knowing you've done the right thing. I'd love to insult the unconverted lot and say the intelligent ones have converted and the less-than-sharp have not, but that's a generalization and wholly untrue. There is no quantifiable measurement of get it, but anyone who is an Appleist, certainly gets it. There is research that does quantify the fact Apple users are statistically smarter than PC users (see previous blog entry) but I don't feel the pressing need to rub it in your face*.

It's no secret that I think different. That's probably why I get it.

(* Besides, all Mac vs PC arguments can be won by uttering the phrase Windows ME which will shut up even the most virulent Microsoft supporter).

When Bill Met Steve (A Computer Love Story)

Right, this isn't a love story. I've misled you. Sue me. But this is about Bill Gates and Steve Jobs of Microsoft and Apple Computer respectively and the first time they shared the stage together in over two decades. It was a relatively pleasant meeting in which they both praised each other, joked around, and talked technology. The only uncomfortable moment was when Apple's famous "I'm a Mac. I'm a PC" ads were shown. A full article is here at the BBC News site. Amazingly, despite predictions, Hell has not frozen over.

In other news, Aetna has tried to fuck me again. Yeah. Last week I went in to renew my prescription and they tried the same crap again. After spending nearly an hour at the pharmacy and being irritatingly persistent, I got it fixed but we just know it's going to happen again next time. I have filed yet another formal complaint with the State Insurance Commissioner as well as sending another copy to Aetna's CEO who will, undoubtedly, pawn this off on his "executive response team" which managed to do nothing the last time. To be fair, they replied and said "you got your prescription" implying that since it was fixed there wasn't a problem. I entirely disagree because their system is flawed and the fact it happened again proved it. They made some patently false claims in their reply (and my original doctor's prescription and matching pharmacy label proves they're false -- I even sent them copies so I have no idea how they're arguing). Further, I still believe their "pre-certification" process in which some clerk decides if your doctor is competent ought to be illegal: I do not believe anyone without a medical license should ever be able to override a decision made by a medical doctor, or in my case made by a medical doctor and confirmed by two additional medical doctors. It's bogus of course. Aetna still sucks. I still want an apology from them and they've done nothing close to apologizing, opting instead to making excuses and telling lies.

Another Pundit, Another Kudos for Apple

Why is the Mac crowd often called zealots? Well, I do have to agree, the answer is because we are. But more importantly, it's because Apple rocks. This is not a case of blind loyalty by minions with the IQ of a cinder-block* but rather a loyalty based on years of trust and (mostly) mutual understanding.

Carl Howe of Blackfriars Communications writes this piece, which sums it up nicely using the iPod v Zune and Dell/HP vs Mac product lines as a basis for discussion.

I've made many posts on this here (see my Apple tag). As Mr Howe points out, "Apple's loyalists are no more than very happy, deeply satisfied customers, and their competitors should learn from that." (Emphasis mine).






* Windows Users

Apple, Beatles Label Plan Announcement Today

EMI Group PLC (the Beatles' record Label) said Sunday it planned to unveil "an exciting new digital offering" with computer company Apple., raising expectations that The Beatles' music catalog is about to be made available through Apple's iTunes online music store. Apple's attempts to make the Beatles available on iTunes were hampered by a long-running ongoing trademark dispute with The Beatles' company, Apple Corps. Ltd. Recently, Apple Computer and Apple Music finally resolved their legal feud over use of the apple logo and name.

EMI said it would hold a news conference Monday at its London headquarters with its chief executive, Eric Nicoli, and Apple's CEO Steve Jobs "and a special live performance." The company declined to give any further details.

Apple Corps was founded by the Fab Four in 1968 and is still owned by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, the widow of John Lennon and the estate of George Harrison.

(305pm add-on: Okay, so they have announced DRM-free downloads for iTunes starting next month. For me, that's a great announcement. EMI deferred on making a Beatles announcement saying they were still working on it for "soon" whenever that may be. From my POV, this is great news. I will now use the iTunes store, and gladly pay extra for DRM-free music. I really didn't use iTunes because I am opposed to DRM. I hate for people to assume I am a criminal which is what DRM does.)

Idiotic Windows Users

I realize my Mac friends will think the title of this is utterly redundant, and I would generally be forced to agree on some level, but I also use a Windoze PC besides my trusty Macintosh. (In this article when I refer to PC, I am referring to Windows based PCs. I am all for Linux based boxes on any platform.) I was moved to type this after hearing yet another Windows-using acquaintance of mine bemoan how counter-intuitive Windows is and how horrible his user experience is.

I hear people complain how they hate their PC, how it's not intuitive, and how nothing works right. Sure, some of them are idiot users but most aren't: they're average, ordinary people. Can I help Windows users? Sometimes, but I usually choose not to do so unless it's something really simple. Windows users have brought their misery upon themselves.

All kidding aside, this frustration is the number one reason people use Macintosh: Macintosh works and it makes sense. It's intuitive to all but the dimmest bulb.

Almost all Apple programs confirm to something called HIG (Macintosh Human Interface Guidelines) -- an awesome book written by Apple when the Macintosh first came out -- it's seen revisions over the years and you can still buy it on Amazon using ISBN-10: 0201622165

HIG clearly defines what users expect -- based on research into how people use computers and expect them to work -- and EVERY SINGLE Macintosh program (games excluded for obvious reasons) is expected to conform to these standards. If your program saves files and you want the Macintosh to recognize them officially and automatically, their filetypes and creators should be registered with Apple -- and this generally ensures a quality experience for the user. The one notable exception is Microsoft whose software is not fully compliant, though Office 2007 for the Mac (due out this summer) will supposedly be. And to be fair a few Adobe products (Photoshop) are not fully compliant either, but Joe Average user probably isn't using a $1,000 program -- but honestly, I've figured out the basics of it. Also, many Mac programs have more features than their Windows counterparts -- though this is also true in reverse sometimes.

The same thing goes for hardware. You should plug it in, and it should work. Sometimes obscure hardware needs a driver but generally printers, mice, keyboards, digital cameras, webcams, digital camcorders, scanners, monitors, external hard drives and the lot just work. The end. Sure a specialized driver might make it work better but they aren't required. I can plug many printers marked "for Windows only" into my Mac and they work anyway.

Anything I buy, I can make work. I stick it and it goes. Command-P (alt-P to you PC users) does the same thing in every single program. Windows programs didn't use to be like that, but it's getting closer. For example, I am not a video editor, but I can open iMovie and figure out how to use my webcam to make a short home movie. It might not be good or professional on the first try, but it's done. I am certainly not an audio-geek but I can edit sound and song files with ease. I can use any word processor, speadsheet, and most graphic programs and figure them out. I may not work like a pro, but I can make the program work. I don't need a manual.

Despite what pundits and commercials may have you believe, Macs have the same crap as Windows PCs do when it comes to extensions, drivers, system updates, and all that, but on the Mac it's all transparent. Macs are true plug and play. Windows PCs are plug and play and then fiddle with drivers, reboot a few times, and hope it works and nothing else broke. Macs are not perfect, but as a user of both, I can not in good conscience recommend a Windows based system to anyone I like, unless they're a hardcore gamer because Windows is certainly better at that if you go by selection and accessories for same.

If you're frustrated with your computing experience, go to your nearest Apple store, and try a Macintosh. Or try a friend's. Use it for just an hour with an open mind. When you're done, you'll see why Mac users are so fiercely loyal to their computers. Whenever one of my Windows friends gets hugely frustrated, I give them that same advice. Their conversion rate is around 75%. If you buy a Windows based systems you're getting exactly what you're paying for -- cheaper is not always better. My goal is to change the world one person at a time. I wonder why people choose to use a computer that makes their life miserable. The Mac can do everything a PC can do.

There are some good reasons to own a Windows PC: If you're a gamer, get a PC. If you are in school -- teacher or student -- and that's what your school uses or recommends, get a PC. If you want to be one of the masses of people who can't think for themselves, a PC is definitely right for you. If you make a living helping people with their PCs, you don't have much of a choice; and you're going to have a job for life. Mac users don't normally need help and we're smart enough to find it online when we do :)

Lastly, if you're a PC user, you probably don't want to read this article from 2002 which suggests statistically Mac users are smarter than their PC counterparts. And you certainly don't want to read this article from 2004 because you'll get an inferiority complex. In defense of the Windows PC users I must reiterate my previous statement that I do know smart Windows PC users, but for the most part they're really not quite as intelligent as the Mac users I know. Which explains an awful lot about the world. (There are similar studies, none of the very scientific, indicating a correlation of Mac users being better educated, more liberal, and so forth. However, we all know statistics can be made to say anything, so I won't go off on that tangent.)

Besides, why support Microsoft? If you use Vista, you're handing your life over to them.

Apple's Steve Jobs Blasts DRM

Today, Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computer and iTunes and co-creator of all the cool stuff that represents has said that DRM sucks. Yes, he did. Posted it right there on Apple's web site for all to read, including some very unhappy people at record companies. DRM is digital rights management which translates to copy-protected songs. It didn't work for software -- remember the discs you couldn't make archival copies of and never worked right because the protection interfered with the music -- and it won't ultimately work for music. The record companies and RIAA are just too damned stupid to figure it out. The RIAA is just slightly brighter than George Bush, which doesn't say a whole hell of a lot.

Jobs says he only had DRM with iTunes because it was the only way to get labels to sign when it came out, "Since Apple does not own or control any music itself, it must license the rights to distribute music from others, primarily the “big four” music companies: Universal, Sony BMG, Warner and EMI. These four companies control the distribution of over 70% of the world’s music. When Apple approached these companies to license their music to distribute legally over the Internet, they were extremely cautious and required Apple to protect their music from being illegally copied. The solution was to create a DRM system, which envelopes each song purchased from the iTunes store in special and secret software so that it cannot be played on unauthorized devices."

He said he'd get rid of it right now if he could. "Imagine a world where every online store sells DRM-free music encoded in open licensable formats. In such a world, any player can play music purchased from any store, and any store can sell music which is playable on all players. This is clearly the best alternative for consumers, and Apple would embrace it in a heartbeat."

Naturally Microsoft has already come out with a reply to Mr. Jobs and said they like DRM and think it's a good idea. The Zune which rolled with a big emphasis on sharing is now quietly doing away with it.

Cnet news is reporting all about it, and I think there will be fallout from this. I just don't know what it will be. But I am utterly fascinated he'd come out and make such a statement. I'm not a fan of Mr. Jobs, nor am I a detractor. His ego just freaks me out a bit -- it's bigger than anyone's. But on this, he has my wholehearted support.

Beatles on iTunes and iPod: One Step Closer?

Apple (Computer) Inc. has reached a surprise agreement with Apple Corps Ltd., the record label started by The Beatles in 1968, concerning the use of the name "Apple" and related logos. Under the terms of the agreement announced Monday, Apple Inc. (formerly Apple Computer) will own all trademarks and logos related to the name "Apple" and will license them to the Apple Corps Ltd. music company. This is a shock because basically Apple Corps (Apple Music as I call them) has conceded that Apple Computer is more known my the name than they are in all circles. They took money whilst there trademark still had good value. And it's a win-win situation for both parties.

This hopefully marks an end to the long-running and bitter trademark feud between the two companies. More importantly, it replaces a pre-existing agreement, from 1991, which forbids Apple Inc. from distributing music through physical media like CDs and cassette tapes -- an agreement that, needless to say, predated the advent of the digital music market.

In a statement, Steve Jobs said that "we love The Beatles, and it has been painful being at odds with them over these trademarks," adding that "it feels great to resolve this in a positive manner, and in a way that should remove the potential of further disagreements in the future." Yes, it's been painful for all of us. But here's to the iPod with the cover of your favourite Beatles album, or perhaps the Love-themed iPod.

There is no word yet on whether this deal will eventually lead to the sale of The Beatles' music catalog in the iTunes Store, as the songs of the Fab Four are still not available for legal digital download. Everyone, me included, expects this will change in the relatively immediate future. This may be one of the biggest ever announcements in the digital music marketplace.

Possibilities are endless. Buy Apple stock now :)

iPhone, iPod, Beatles, and Apple's New Name

Welcome, Apple Inc. That's the new name of Apple Computer, Inc. The word "computer" has gone missing as they foray further and further into consumer electronics. Today the announcement of the iPhone (surprising absolutely nobody) and the Apple TV unit were met with great reviews.

Shares of all rival phone makers plummeted an average of 6% today on the markets as Apple's phone which is an iPod and phone rolled into one. It runs Mac OS-X, has Bluetooth, iPod, phone, and other features. It's pricey as hell, but Apple's never much cared about that.

And, get this, as reported previously in this blog, the Beatles are coming. Really .Soon. Now. Sure, that rumour has been going around forever. However, there was a big, not very subtle hint dropped at the unveiling. What was the first song played on the new iPhone? Lovely Rita, Meter Maid from the most widely acclaimed album of all time: Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The iTunes Store has officially sold more music than Amazon.Com and appears to be an unstoppable juggernaut.

Lots of other announcements, but the iPhone is apparently the big one, though right now it only works with Cingular so I have no interest. I expect after a waiting period, we'll see others come on board (probably one year exclusive deal). Your Mac running OS-X 10.4.8 already has iPhone drivers in it. Really. Go look.

Beatles: only on iPod via iTunes?

The whole article is here, but I am going excerpt from it.

Yes, the long rumoured move is about nigh! The Beatles come to your iPod. And that may prompt me to buy another iPod. I had one, you know, and then I sold it on eBay. Well, you've all seen the cool black U2 iPod. Can you imagine the funky Yellow Submarine coloured iPod with some Beatles logos on it? Yes, I'm sitting a pool of drool.

NEW YORK (Fortune) -- Click on the iTunes music store and punch in "Beatles" under artist search. More than 50 albums will pop up, including Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Play the Beatles, but none are the real deal. But that may be about to change. While details remain to be worked out, Fortune has learned that iTunes is close to a deal to bring the Beatles catalog online. Apple Computer is said to be angling to become the exclusive online music store for the Beatles for a limited window of time. Other music stores, have courted the Beatles over the years to no avail, but it appears Apple is close to getting first dibs on the band's hits.

If the deal goes through, it will mark a Nixon-Brezhnev-worthy truce - with the band's record label, Britain's EMI Group, serving as a peacemaker - between Apple Computer's Steve Jobs and Neil Aspinall, the one-time Beatles road manager who is now guardian of the band's business interests under Apple Corps.

At a recent industry conference, David Munns, head of EMI North America, said the Beatles would be available online "soon." The parties were hoping to make a splashy announcement to coincide with the Nov. 21 release of "Love," a mashup of Beatles songs that serves as a soundtrack to a Las Vegas Cirque du Soleil production. That didn't happen.

According to a music industry executive apprised of the talks, the parties were discussing how lengthy a window of exclusivity iTunes might get and how many tens of millions of dollars Jobs - who is said to be personally involved in the discussions - will commit to an advance for the band and marketing costs.

Also being discussed is whether the band would be willing to take two steps at the same time and endorse the iPod by allowing its music to be used in a commercial. Another scenario making the rounds is the prospect of the Beatles following U2's example with a branded iPod. "If the Beatles were in an iPod ad, that would be humongous," this executive said.

The deal could well fall apart for any number of reasons, including the long-running legal feud between Apple Corps and Apple Computer over both their names and the similarities between the Granny Smith that appears on the label's LPs and the half-eaten apple that is Jobs' corporate logo. "The Beatles' position is that they don't sing jingles to peddle sneakers, beer, pantyhose, or anything else," a lawyer for the band told the Associated Press at the time. Notice he didn't say iPods.

This is enormous news. It'll kill that damn Zune right out of the door. Happily the Zune is getting pretty bad reviews from all facets of the press because it's bulky, counter-intuitive, and worse -- what do they expect from the twits at Microsoft, after all they produced Windows. If you own Apple stock, I wouldn't sell it just now. I think you'll see a huge jump.

One of the most famous bands of all-time, a group that changed the course of not only music history, but arguably human history -- coming to the iTunes store and your iPod. I'm hoping this works out -- even if it just ends those damn interminable lawsuits Apple Corps (Music) has been flinging at Apple Corp (Computers).

Another Mac Story, of a sort....

Yes, I'm always going on about why PCs suck. It's true. Or more accurately, at least PCs that are running Microsoft Windows.

Sometimes I blog about people who switch away from the PC to the Mac -- I am, after all, on a mission to convert the world one person at a time.

Well here's the story of someone who switched away from the Mac and to the PC. I'm sure you're anxious to read his story. And you'll see why all the smart people are switching to the Mac and not away. I'm confident this person has already plotted his return to Apple.


(He's actually running an X-Server unit so the OS is really irrelevant from an operational standpoint. This is after all a security issue: something Microsoft doesn't much care about.)

And as a special side bonus today Forbes Magazine reports that in an Apples-to-Apples* comparison that, a Mac Pro Beats Dell on Price! Yes, it's true -- and in Forbes, a magazine that has long been hostile towards the Macintosh.

8-28-06 Addendum not warranting a new post: There's some more on Macintosh superiority. Read this from David Pogue's NY Times commentary.


* What a great way to use that phrase ;)

Another PC Users Bites the Dust

As everyone knows, I am slowly changing the world one person at a time. How? By convincing the intelligent ones to use Macintosh instead of PCs with Windows. The intelligent ones just get it. They may not switch right away, but with an open mind and after trying it they switch. I've converted a number of people (Ernie, Jan) and convinced any number of people to choose wisely before buying their first computer (Josh). Yeah, there are more but this is just a sampling. It's frustrating changing the world one person at a time, but then the people you change, well they start too. It's called evangelizing, something that Guy Kawasaki espouses and has since his days at Apple.

David sent me this blog post from a writer, who also tried it and got it. Not everyone gets it, either. Those people should keep using PCs with Windows because, quite frankly, they deserve them. I'm not trying to belittle them or make fun of their intellect, because I do know some intelligent PC users -- of course they're almost all running Linux and not Windows -- however on the whole I do find as a group Mac users are more intelligent, more creative, and more open to thinking better. PC Windows users just tend to think they're all of those things without really being all of those things.

Oh, and the biggest character flaw in a Mac user according to most PC users: We're all smugly self-satisfied and self-righteous :) I guess they never stopped to wonder why....

Apple Is Not Perfect

I don't say it often, but this blog shows some of the bloopers from Apple's famous Keynote addresses over the years. It's always fun to watch Steve Jobs fail because as much as I like Apple, he creeps me out sometimes.

Go Apple, but I'm laughing at you and not with you this once :)

The World of Smartboards

Okay, this is cool: The World of Smartboards. You really do need to watch this video -- it's only about 3 minutes long and it gets cooler as it goes along so be patient through the initial metaphysical stuff if that isn't your thing.

The technlogy is patented by Apple, no less. There have been rumours of a totally new type of computer from Apple that is different than anything anyone has ever seen before (see MacRumors or any of those sites), and I wonder if this is the beginning.

However it doesn't matter who did it because it's so cool. Can you imagine the possibilities?

I can think of so many, I don't even know where to start. It opens up the world of computing to people who normally couldn't use a computer. The only thing you need to be able to do is move your arms a little to point and drag. It's pretty exciting.

I love my Mac

I refer to this cool link for all the MacHeads out there. It's an awesome song about, well, Macs. Props to my friend Ernie (I stole it from his blog) for this awesome link.

I should say something perverted and ask exactly how he loves his Mac, but I'm afraid he might answer :)

(12-29: Information Week Magazine called me at work today to interview me about the use of Macs at our office. I am sure they won't publish most of it, but I gave them some very choice comments about Microsoft just in case.... [They ended up publishing a great deal of it])

Installing Mac OS-X on a Dell

[This post updated 6-7-05 with additional information and citations]

Yes, it's true. Sometime in 2007, you will likely be able to install OS-X 10.5 on your crappy-ass Dell.

Apple is losing the big competitive difference they once had. Instead, they're becoming one of the pack. Apple's sales may go up, but what made us love Apple will go down precipitously .And ultimately, that could hurt Apple. The "Mac" as you know it will be no more.

You thought my opening line was a scare tactic, but just wait until they hack OS-X to run on any WinTel machine. Dells could, in theory, be running OS-X. Fucking wonderful. You can keep it.

I read this somewhere in the past week on-line, but I don't remember where or I'd cite the reference: Apple lost approximately 40% of their developers went they went from the 68000 platform to the PowerPC. They lost nearly 60% of their developers when they went from OS-9 to OS-X. So, out of 1,000** developers they lost 400 (40% of 1000) in the first big change leaving 600. Of the remaining 600 they lost 360 (60% of 600). That leaves 240 out of every 1000, or just 24% -- that's a 76% defection rate. Who, exactly, is going to WRITE software for OS-X 10.5*?

Another statistic: From the front page of the 6-7-05 Miami Herald business section: in the 1980s, Apple had just over 10% of the computer market share. When Apple switched to the PowerPC from the 68000, they dropped to 5% market share. That's a 50% drop in market share. When Apple switched from OS-9 to OS-X they dropped to 3% market share. A drop of 40% more. The Apple faithful stand behind Apple, but the real world runs away.

So guess what the trend is telling us? Apple and their lemming-like users are living in a fantasy world. I used to be one of this group, but as of today, I am not.

Apple is slowly killing itself. It will cease to be a computer maker one day -- probably sooner than later. It's going to be the iPod company. That's all great except that Apple Music is likely to win its lawsuit against Apple Computer. For those keeping tabs, Apple Computer in the 1980s settled out of court with Apple Music enjoining them from making computing devices with music capability (it started with the Ensoniq chip in the Apple IIgs) in perpetuity. Pretty much everyone who has read the actual agreement agrees: Apple Computer has no case. If they can't settle, Apple Computer is going to lose and lose in a huge way which will result in the closure of the company.

I fail to see why Apple jumped on the WinTel chipset when they did everything in their power to destroy clones. Now, they've virtually guaranteed the Return of the Clones -- a process which they will not be able to reverse this time. They've forsaken proprietary architecture for popular architecture. It will drive down prices, but with it will go legendary quality. The nice things about Macs is they don't crash. Welcome to the world of PCs where mediocrity is an acceptable state of being.

Worse, you can bet your sweet little ass, you will see a version on Windows for your Mac/WinTel machine. And the only way you can run future version of Microsoft Office for the "Mac" will be on that version of Windows.

A few of my Mac friends seem to think this is a good idea, but I'm assuming they were heavily medicated because I can't come up with any sane, rational reason why this would be a good thing. When Apple releases their last PowerPC system, buy one. It's going to be the last real Macintosh you ever own.

-- E


* or whatever you're going to call it
** My percentages are basically accurate, although I don't know the exact number of developers they started with -- just replace the number 1000 with the correct number ....

Emulation

Well, I upgraded my Mac to os 10.3.9 yesterday and it's running fine. For me, that's a miracle as every single upgrade I ever do ends in disaster. ::knock on wood::

So, after that I read on MacFixIt that Virtual PC doesn't work under OS-X 10.3.9 and you have to revert to 10.3.8 but it is working for me. So is OS-9 emulation (aka Classic) which many users have trouble with. Many users are even reporting Java issues.

In fact, I'm running Firefox on Virtual-PC on my Mac while also running Classic. So I am running double-emulation or even triple-emulation if you will. I am running OS 10.3.9 which is running OS-9 which is running Windows-XP (which is running Java to make this post). The sad (or cool) part is it's not appreciably slower than a real PC. Buahahahahaha....

In ongoing news, I still have lots of excess snot.

-- E of P

Computer Things That Vex Me

1. Firefox got rid of my favourite Mozilla feature. Mozilla had many flaws that Firefox does not, but it could give me a pop-up window when my favourite sites were updated. Many go months without a change. I miss that feature. Any way to make it happen on Firefox Mac?

2. I use MacLink Plus to convert WordPerfect Mac (OS-9) to MS Word for OS-X. For many documents the printed results are, well, just wrong. It's no secret that MS Word blows chunks, but there's no other alternative. I know it's not the conversion process because MS Word in OS-9 could read WP files and it couldn't print them correctly either. (The bug occurs in documents with columns or mixed justifications on one line).

3. I still can't convert my Claris Resolve documents to any OS-X spreadsheet easily. I can load them one at a time, save them in a very, very old Excel format and then load them into the new Excel and re-save them. The resulting document does preserve my formulae, but the formatting is mostly lost. Claris Resolve rocks. The thing is, AppleWorks spreadsheet is a stripped down version of Resolve (which is actually Informix Wingz* in disguise). So it should be easy, but it isn't.

4. I couldn't print from OS-9 and my driver wouldn't install in OS-9 because you have to boot in OS-9 to install the OS-9 version. Well, I got pissed today and found that if you do a "get info" on the file hidden inside the package, there's a check-box to force the program to boot in OS-9. It intalled and I can print again.

I claim another victory in the "one person at a time campaign" -- my friend Jan is very happy with his new Mac and is dumping his last remaining PC. He has thanked me numerous times and is wondering why he didn't listen to me years ago. Now, he's just converted his parents to the world of the Mac. Make a difference: find some one, and convert them. Save another soul from the dark side.

Lastly, if anyone has solutions to any of the computer issues above that vex me, I'd appreciate them.

-- E


* And Informix Wingz is a version of a very, very old PC program called "Smart" and while we're at it, Excel is derived from an old Apple II program called Microsoft Multiplan. True fact. Little known.

Richard Branson Envies Apple

You all should know who he is: the CEO of Virgin Group -- a conglomeration of 350 companies. In the 3-14-05 MacLean's magazine there is an interview with him. All interesting, but I have to share one question and answer.

Q: Do you envy any other brands?
A: Apple has reinvented itself a number of times and is one of the companies I most respect. From products to innovation to overall panache, they've been brilliant.

In related and unrelated news, I'm not sure if I mentioned it, I am on the waiting list to fly Virgin Galactic when they begin scheduled space flights later this decade. Yeehaw! I'm betting Branson makes Virgin Galactic fly (pun intended).

Cult of Mac

ISBN 1-886411-83-2

This is such a kick-ass book, I would encourage all my MacHead friends to go and buy it. If you're one of those "other" people who use that Windows trash, perhaps reading this book will help you understand why we MacHeads are so fanatical and loyal. Maybe we should call ourselves MacQuaeda?

"The Macintosh is more than a computer. It's a way of life." -- Steve Wozniak

-- Eric

iSight Camera

Damn. I finally hooked up and used my iSight. It's awesome. Everybody run out and get one right now. I tested it with my friend Tom ::waves:: for a few minutes but he had to go do homework. Eeeeewwww.

Just as I was getting ready to sign off, I get an IM from Josh who also has an iSight. Wow. Josh, who I haven't seen in over two years, and really haven't had any meaningful communication in at least three years. It was interesting, that's for sure. We showed off each other's pussies* and played around -- showing off things around the room, papers, flyers, computer parts, etc. It was kind of fun, even though it probably sounds silly. It made me realize how much I miss him. Or, as he would say, cool beans.

I still hate OS-X because Apple has sacrificed form over function. Sure, it's beautiful to look at it but it's not nearly as intuitive as it used to be. The Mac's single best feature has always been if you wanted to do something, you just did what came naturally (drag, drop, click, etc) and Apple, in one evil, fell swoop has taken away a lot of that. Things just don't work they way you expect any more. OS-X is also unspeakably sluggish with some applications, and this machine I have is blisteringly fast. Other applications don't behave that way so I'm not sure what that's about.

By Tuesday evening, I will be making a very special post about the Florida Panthers to my mailing list. Normally, I only post to my mailing list but I'm going to post a little teaser here as well as the appropriate Usenet group. It's being posted solely for your amusement.

I still think Rob Barry's got a cool blog. Him and Wil Wheaton keep me entertained with their blogs. I know there are many blogs, and I've peeked around but there's nothing to top the visceral excitement of being part of someone else's life when you feel like you know the person albeit from afar.

-- Eric



* Get your mind out of the gutter, that's our CATS dammit :)

Blogging on a new computer....

I have a brand new G5. Yay! Now I've got a G4 I'm going to have to sell on e-bay. Anybody want a G4 at a great price?

In other news, I have some news that I am dying to share but can't just yet. It could be sooner or it could be later. We'll see what happens. I am so psyched if it really happens.

-- E