Do You Hate Macs?

The Guardian Unlimited's "Comment is Free" column has a fun little editorial I couldn't help but talk about for a bit. The guy pretty much just rags on the Apple lifestyle. You know what I'm talking about. People don't buy one Apple product, they buy a whole bunch of them. They try to sell you a lifestyle, not some hardware. If you really wanted the hardware, you could buy it elsewhere. When you buy a Mac, you're buying style and a very dumbed down interface. Is this bad? Well if you're a Linux or Windows snob, you'd obviously tend to think so. However, I almost think it's unfair to hate on Mac users on this simplistic argument. I like to push the mantra of computers being our friends. It's disheartening to hear people say that they hate computers because that's my field and I wish that they would only serve people's needs and entertain them, not frustrate them. I know that's idealistic and will never happen, but I'd like to think that I strive toward that goal myself. Does Apple push this concept too far? People who despise the iPod would probably tend to think so. However, I kind of fall more into the Joel Spolsky camp: too many choices really do end up being detrimental. That's why IDEs like Eclipse and even Visual Studio are daunting. When a code junkie has to spent 20 minutes figuring out how to program in a language he's proficient in, that means your IDE has too much crap in it. When people want to smash your computer into a wall, that means they don't care to be given so much control. I don't think it means someone is stupid if they feel that way and switch to Macs. To many of us, Macs aren't easier: they're harder! We like our Windows (or at least we pretend to, because change is bad). To each his own though, I say. Just like no one likes Elvis or The Beatles the same (brownie points if you know what that reference is from), no one likes Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux the same. It fosters this fanboy mentality, and this shouldn't be. Can't everyone just get along?

Speaking of Apple, they finally negotiated a deal with Apple Corps to end the huge trademark dispute over the name "Apple". They're also still courting them to get Beatles music on iTunes, so we'll see where that goes.

Gizmodo thinks they know what a Zune phone would need to take on the iPhone, but I think it's sort of a weak list. I think what people honestly want is a phone with a nice interface that easily integrates with, well, the rest of their life! It's a simple concept, Microsoft just tends to complicate things (you know it's true).

The Superbowl ads are now pretty much all online, and YouTube even has a fun little ranking list. You can click on the screenshots to view the videos on the page itself, and then move them up and down the list to rank them before hitting "submit" to count your vote towards other online voters. Personally, I loved the Mencia one, the Kevin Federline one, the GM one, and "But He Has Bud Light."

Should you upgrade your XP install to Vista or do a clean install (or neither if you don't care, I suppose)? ExtremeTech conducted their standard rigorous tests to discover that the new Windows installation format really does work well and it's more effective than a clean install. So don't fret when you get your hands on a copy of Vista (again, should you actually get your hands on one).



Isn't that an abomination? I just bought the Spider-man DVDs to rewatch before the third comes out (I loved the second one, though many people can disagree in futility), and now they've come out with a 2.1 version of the DVD. It has 8 minutes of new footage and a "sneak peak" at Spider-man 3. Why they Hell did you wait this long to release 8 more minutes and then call it 2.1? Why not just say what it is: "Spider-man 2: The Triple Dip Edition". Jerks.

Latino Review has the script review for Wonder Woman, and ordinarily I wouldn't care to talk about this movie except that Joss Whedon recently left the project because no one liked his script and it turned out that this other script they had purchased turns out to be pretty cool. That's why the studio bought it from two no-name writers: it's just that good. It may even get people like me who don't care to watch the movie.

The only other news I have is more comic book movie news! The new director for The Flash is Shawn Levy, who really hasn't made a very good movie to date. I guess they just wanted a really light-hearted movie whereas David Goyer had a darker vision in mind? What a pitiful choice.

Now for some Monday Madness:

1. What is your favorite main course to prepare?
So far, my mom's sausage dish because it's easy and hard to screw up
2. What is your favorite side dish to prepare?
Given last night's adventure, mashed potatoes ;)
3. Do you like to bake? If so, what is your favorite?
Haven't done much, so I can't say.
4. What one dish would you like to learn to cook?
Fish curry. My mom's fish curry is so damn good it should be a crime for her to keep it a secret from me (she claims it's too hard for me to do).
5. What is your worst cooking disaster?
I was adding puttered seeds to some black eyed peas and I spilled them all over the counter and in the crack between the fridge and the countertop. It was ridiculous to cleanup.