On not being dead

My blog is not dead.

My laptop is.

I've created and posted most of my blogs from my laptop during my lunchtime at work.

My laptop died shortly after I got back from Macworld.

It was an old TiBook that was easily 6 years old. I've been wanting to replace it, but wanted to wait a bit to make sure that the money situation was better. At this time, I am mainly waiting until I can sell my Mac Tower (G4 Dual 1GHz processors - Mirrored Drive Door) and once I have the money for that, I'll feel okay about buying a refurbished MacBook.

I have a lot of posts in mind for once my laptop is replaced. So please keep an eye on this place, and I hope you won't be disappointed.

On Twitter

Okay, so far this week, I've posted more than I have in the past 3 months. I've got a lot of "pent up" information that I need to post, and then things will likely settle back down to my once a week schedule.

This time I would like to talk about Twitter. I've become quite the Twitter aficionado (though certainly not addicted, as some people apparently are).

I am quite surprised by how many people have never even heard of Twitter, so let me take a moment to explain what Twitter is, before I explain what I like about it.

According to Wikipedia "Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users' updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length."

Mmmm, sounds fascinating, doesn't it? I can listen to total strangers tell me about what they had for lunch, or when they last took a dump? Well, yes, there is a lot of that, and if that were all it was, I'm sure Twitter would've faded into obscurity long ago. What makes Twitter interesting is entirely dependent upon WHO you follow!

As I write this, I am following 77 people.

I follow friends.

I follow strangers with whom I have something in common.

I am following the Orlando Sentinel, which randomly blogs about events of local interest, as well as CNN.

I am following cartoonists, such as Jefbot, Dcagle, Nitrozac & Snaggy (who create the web-based Joy of Tech cartoon), Scott Kurtz (PVPonline), etc.

I follow politicians like Al Gore, and Barack Obama.

I follow celebrities like John Cleese (Monty Python), Stephen Colbert & Gregg Runberg (of Heroes fame).

I follow Mac luminaries such as Andy Ihnatko, David Pogue, Leo LaPorte, Shawn & Lesa King.

I follow Amazon.com and Woot! to keep on on the latest/greatest deals.

And so many more. And yes, I do get the occasional "Look what we're eating" with a snapshot of something delicious or strange. But I get a lot more useful information. "I'm needing to buy a camera that my 70 year old mother can use without difficulty. Anyone have any suggestions?

By now I'm sure someone is saying "Okay, but how do I know who to follow?" I suggest you find someone you know, and then check out the people they're following. Check out the people following them. Then start doing searches for people, places or things that interest you. Before long, you'll be wading through a slog of posts. You'll learn to stop following people that really have nothing interesting to say, and you'll start to spot bogus tweeters.

If you have an iPhone, there are several great apps available so that you can keep up with Twitter. I personally like Twittelator & Twitterriffic. I am sure there are comparable apps available on Android.

Give it a try, and I think you'll like it. And if you'd like to know who I follow, or what I say on Twitter, I can be found at http://twitter.com/Chiron1

On Macworld Expo - correction

First of all, thanks to the people who've read my blog and sent me an email about it. That is always appreciated.

It was, however, pointed out that my comments about the Macworld parties had a slight error, and I realize that I worded my remarks incorrectly.

All of the larger parties, even those hosted by Macworld Expo and Your Mac Life, are sponsored parties. The Macworld Blast has several sponsors, including Microsoft, and YML Rocks also has multiple sponsors, not the least of which is Griffen Technologies. In my haste of typing that blog over my lunch this afternoon, I neglected to mention that fact. While I cannot call Shawn & Lesa King, hosts of the Your Mac Life podcast, "close personal friends," they are acquaintances, and I think know them well enough to say they likely could not afford to foot the bill for such a party. I don't know what the actual costs are, nor what is "comped" to the party, but I know the cost of renting and staffing the facility has to have a fairly hefty pricetag, not to mention the cost of the appetizers and all. Without sponsors. most of these parties would never happen.

But my point in attempting to delineate the two main types of parties that happen at Macworld is that one is hosted by a single sponsor in hopes of making the attendees see the sponsor in a favorable light come purchase time (okay, that sounds a bit cynical. I am not trying to make it sound like a negative in any stretch of the word), versus the multiple sponsor parties they don't host. (Okay, I'm writing this a bit late tonight, pardon my rambling).

Regardless of who hosts or pays for a party, they are an integral part of Macworld, and just one of the many things you won't get by visiting your local Apple store (see, I did have a point!)

One other thing I should mention here is that the opinions/observations I have made in these two posts are my own, but I formed them after listening to and reading multiple posts about Macworld.

The long and the short of it is that I agree that Apple should not pull out of attending Macworld. Stop the keynotes? Fine. Scale down the booth if necessary? Also fine. But pulling out entirely just says "We don't give a crap about anyone other than Apple." And it is that attitude that has prompted Lesa Snider King to start a protest in the form of silentkeynote.com. Anyone who attends the keynote speech is encouraged to simply not cheer or applaud while Phil Schiller is onstage. A silent protest like this is probably the most effective protest statement. She is not encouraging anyone to yell obscenities, or throw thing at the stage... simply to be quiet. (and anyone who thinks that Phil Schiller is innocent in this whole thing, needs to realize that he is high enough up in management to have been a part of decision making process.)

I don't personally see anything changing because of this (or any other form of protest), but it's worth a try.

Finally, to Paul Kent: I wish you a lot of luck with the future of Macworld Expo. I believe that you can keep it alive, and I am anxious to see how your going to do it!

On Macworld Expo

Okay, so far I've held off commenting on the whole Windows versus Macintosh issue... and I'm not changing things today, but I am go to talk about something uniquely Macintosh.

Macworld Expo 2009 is in less than a week. Held in San Francisco every January since 1985, it has become a pilgrimage, of sorts, for many Mac loyalists. I have only counted myself among this group since 2005. This is to be my fifth Macworld Expo (notice that the "w" in Macworld is not capitalized), and likely to be my last. I almost decided not to go this year, and when I did decide to go, I said it would be my last for awhile. Why? Cost, mostly. The trip, from airfare to hotel accommodations, from Expo/Conference passes to actually spending money on the show floor. It gets to be a lot of money.

After that, Apple made the announcements that have given the Mac faithful pause... this is Apple's last year to attend Macworld Expo, and that Steve Jobs would not be delivering the Keynote speech this year, handing off that duty to Phil Schiller, Apple's 2nd in command.

I don't believe that Apple has publicly stated WHY they made this decision, but that has not stopped the speculations:
1) Apple likely spends a million dollars to build and staff their display on the showroom floor.

2) Apple doesn't like having to come up with something new and fantastic to show every January. This puts it immediately AFTER the Holiday buying season, which is NOT the ideal time to announce new products, and since everyone knows that Apple will be announcing SOMETHING, they tend to hold off buying anything Apple until after Macworld Expo.

3) Apple Rumor websites, knowing that Apple usually does release new products at Macworld, start dredging up, and publishing rumors about what Apple will be releasing. Some of these ideas are amazingly far-fetched... but when Apple releases a new model desktop that will convert rocks into Gold, everyone is disappointed that Apple did not release the anticipated flying car.

4) Steve Jobs is so sick, that they know 3 weeks in advance that he won't be able to give the keynote. (I am so freakin' sick and tired of hearing this rumor that I am ready to throttle the next person that I hear utter it.)

Items 1 - 3 have a certain ring of authenticity. I mean that they could CONCEIVABLY be reasons why Apple will not be at MwSF after this year. But there are arguments that take the counter-point to all of these, such as Apple having over 27 Billion dollars (Read twenty-seven BILL-YUN DOLLARS) in its coffers, and spending $1 million dollars is a small drop in that bucket.

There are a lot of good reasons for Apple to end the keynotes. But why end attending? Steve Jobs has said "We do the equivalent of a Macworld Expo every day at each of our Apple retail stores." (I am giving this from memory, so it is not likely to be word perfect) From Apple's point of view this may be true, but from the attendee perspective Macworld Expos are so much more.

1) Multiple vendors - There are more vendors on the show floor than just Apple. While I was at MwSF 08, I was able to actually put my hands on, and play with, several Canon digital cameras. The Apple store only carries a limited number of (usually lower end) camera models from the various manufacturers, and while I could do this at a dealers, there is always pressure to purchase, as well as opinions that may be tainted by profit.

2) Small vendors - There are small booth, stuck out of the way, in which some small startup company (frequently just one person) who is demo-ing some fantastic piece of software that I would not have seen in the Apple store, and if they did have it, they'd not likely have someone who could demo it and answer my questions.

3) Conferences - I can learn a lot about Apple software in training classes, which I could also do at an Apple store, but I can also learn about Photoshop, network topography, creativity, and a myriad number of other subjects that would not be touched upon in an Apple store.

4) Camaraderie - There are people that only meet up with each other while at Macworld. It's kinda like a family reunion, except that your uncle Phil doesn't get drunk and start dancing on the tables with his underwear on his head (well, not at the Expo/Conference anyway).

5) Parties - Dove-tailing on "camaraderie" would have to be all the parties. Vendors want you to remember them favorably when it comes time to order that replacement (enter hardware/software name here). One way they do that if to invite you to a party where you can get well lubricated (that's a euphemism for getting drunk... get your mind out of the gutter) and be entertained. But not all parties are sponsored by vendors. Macworld Expo has the Macworld Blast, which last year included entertainment from Devo. The Your Mac Life podcast pretty much winds up Macworld Expo with its YML Rocks party (entertainment by the Silicon Valley Rockers, a kick-ass cover band led by Macworld Expo's own Paul Kent).  Many other parties give Mac aficionados the opportunity to network and socialize.

6) San Francisco - The host city for Macworld is the City by the Bay, San Francisco. Few cities can compete for beauty and culture. Carrying a digital camera with you while walking around town will offer more "photo ops" than your memory card can store. There is also an amazing amount of culture. Whether you want to see a play, the opera, a symphony orchestra or a movie, you can find it here. And restaurants reflect the diversity of its residents. Whatever food you crave, you can likely find it here.

My point being that Macworld Expo is so much more than you can get by visiting an Apple store. Macworld Expo is not going to end just because Apple won't be here. I don't know how much longer it will be around, and there are certainly enough arguments to predict doom for any trade show, but I think that Paul Kent and his staff are more than capable of changing Macworld Expo to reflect the needs of the community.

I am going to Macworld Expo 2009, and I am going to have a wonderful time. When I get back, I'll let you know how my opinion has been changed, or not. I'll also tell you about the many highlights, and lowlifes of this years show, so stay tuned.

On Procrastination

Okay, I've not posted since August, not that either of you noticed, but I wanted to let anyone who discovered this Blog and were curious about it, that a new post is eminent. 

The delay was caused by a post that I was working on that would include every model of camera that I remember owning. I was bogged down trying to do research, and life had other plans. So every time I tried to work on it, I'd get pulled away.

So I've decided to shelve it for awhile and post about another subject.

I have several ideas, and will be posting shortly.

I apologize for the delay... can I buy either of you a coffee? ;-)

On Commercialism - redux

When I was growing up, one of my favorite TV shows was The Dick Van Dyke Show. It was the mid-sixties, and the show was in black & white (but since we only had a black & white TV, it didn't matter). But the show was funny and the cast worked well together.

Recently I signed up for Blockbuster's version of Netflix, and after getting a few recent films that we'd managed to miss in the theater I noticed TV shows on the site. I promptly put Dick Van Dyke into the queue. They finally started arriving, and I've been enjoying them. The extras included interviews with the stars, Emmy award clips and a lot more.

Oh, and commercials.

Commercials with Rob & Laura Petrie (not the actors), on the set of the show, extolling the virtues of Joy dishwashing liquid, Dash laundry detergent, and Kent cigarettes. A lot of ads for Kent cigarettes. Smoking the cigarettes in the living room and at work, talking about Kent's superiority because of its micro-fiber filter.

And it suddenly hit me that what Eureka is doing these days is no different. And certainly no one has died using Degree. Okay, maybe if they tried smoking it... maybe. But the product placement needs to be less obvious. In last week's episode, a character was getting ready for his day and pulled Degree out of the medicine cabinet. No problem with that... it certainly fit the story-line, but they had to cut to a close up of his hand picking up the product. Too obvious!!!

Still, I have to retract my whole diatribe from my previous blog. I may not appreciate it, and I certainly hope they are not starting a trend, but at least it's not like it's never been done before.

Hmmmm, now I'm getting ideas for product placement I would actually like to see!!!!

On Commercialism

Well, I must confess from the start of this post, that I am a fan of Eureka (the show on the Sci-Fi channel). I admit that it's not great Science Fiction, and the acting is not always the best, but it's good light-weight entertainment, and the special effects are pretty decent for a television show.

That said, they've started what I consider to be a disturbing trend.

Last week's show (week of August 5) there was a scene in the first fifteen minutes, in which a new character on the show is showing how they are now doing research for consumer oriented technologies. They have a man wearing a blank shirt. Zane (a character in the show) activates a machine and the logo for Degree Anti-Perspirant is projected on the shirt for a moment, and then coalesces into an embroidered logo as the person wearing it walks away.

Product placement... I get it. Degree is a sponsor for the show. No problem, right?

A little later in the show they go into a commercial. There is Zane, not the actor who portrays him, in his lab, extolling the virtues of Degree Anti-perspirant, interspersed with scenes from the show.

A commercial, shot on a set from the show, using clips from the show, and a character from the show. Doesn't that seem like it's crossing the line?

I mean, it made me watch it. We'd already picked up the remote control and started fast forwarding (thank you TiVo) and when we saw what looked like another scene from the show, we rewound and watched it. It did what it was supposed to do, but it just seems to me that the ethics are a bit sketchy.

What do you think?