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February 20, 2006 [LINK]
Mac users: smug or persecuted?
In last Thursday's News Leader, Fred Pfisterer shares his experience as a proud, satisfied Mac user coping with the bigotry of the cruel Windows-dominated world. Do we act like we are [a persecuted minority] some times? Well, you'd have to "walk a mile in our shoes" to understand. After suffering the indignity of PC techno-nerds spouting condescending jargon, Mr. Pfisterer opted for the "kinder, gentler alternative" of Macintosh. Once you go Mac, you never go back! Even though the Macintosh had established itself as a clearly superior platform by the early 1990s, millions of computer shoppers around the world let pushy geeks sell them Windows PCs against their better judgment, and the rest is history. After 22 years, the advantage to using Macs is a strong as ever: As Mr. Pfisterer says, you just plug it in and you get to work; no muss, no fuss. Viruses, Trojan horses, worms, or constant crashes? Not with Macs; well, hardly ever.* Mr. Pfisterer had previously written about putting family photo albums onto CD-ROMs, which I have also done; see Jan. 17 [corrected link].
I had thought that Apple's big "switch" promotion two years ago might have more effect, but most potential switchers are set in their ways by now. Ironically, the brainy pitch man for Apple, Jeff Goldblum, came across as condescending; people get very annoyed when they are told how simple their lives could be if they had just bought the other brand. Sorry, no offense!
Even the phenomenal success of the iPod has not translated into much of a surge in Mac sales, at least not so far. Unlike many folks, I didn't have to be sold on the Mac, since I was in the thrall of Apple's karma from the get-go. Like Renee* Zellweger in Jerry Maguire*, they had me at
* [Two name misspellings in one sentence!? Sheesh.]
* A Mac virus??
Coincidentally, there was a very rare news report last week about a a virus that targets Macintosh computers. It apparently only spreads via instant messaging (iChat), however, so I'm safe. See techworld.com (via MacAddict and Washington Post [corrected link]).
I've updated the format of the Macintosh page for the first time in several months, with a new photo montage and few new links. I need to catch up with recent developments in the wake of the release of the first Intel-based Macs, which seems to be a mixed blessing.
Posted (or last updated or commented upon): 20 Feb 2006, 8: 33 PM
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Hits on this page (single blog post) since July 2, 2007: 
Category archives:
(all years)
Baseball
Politics
Latin America
War
Wild Birds
Culture & Travel
Science & Technology
This (or that) year's
blog highlights
January 7, 2006 ~ DeLay gives up majority leader post
January 12, 2006 ~ Alito withstands Dems' "torture"
January 16, 2006 ~ Michelle Bachelet wins in Chile
January 19, 2006 ~ Views on Iran's nuclear ambitions
January 24, 2006 ~ Fallout from Canada's election
January 31, 2006 ~ Second (& third) thoughts on Iran
February 1, 2006 ~ The State of the Union, 2006
February 8, 2006 ~ D.C. Council votes "yes," but...
February 18, 2006 ~ Checks and balances in wartime
February 22, 2006 ~
Neocons & Neolibs: chastened alike
February 28, 2006 ~
The Dubai Ports World uproar
March 14, 2006 ~ New D.C. baseball stadium unveiled
March 24, 2006 ~ In the footsteps of France?
April 7, 2006 ~ Immigration compromise fails
May 16, 2006 ~ Bush militarizes Mexican border
June 6, 2006 ~ Alan Garcia triumphs, once again
June 9, 2006 ~
Zarqawi: The death of a terrorist
July 3, 2006 ~
Election in Mexico: too close to call
July 5, 2006 ~ North Korea goes ballistic
July 28, 2006 ~ Garcia prepares to lead Peru, again
August 4, 2006 ~ Israel invades Hezbolland
September 6, 2006 ~ "Crunchy conservatives": for real?
September 25, 2006 ~ Nationalists thwart conservation
October 3, 2006 ~ Nationals: Year in review
October 29, 2006 ~ Virginia's marriage amendment
November 7, 2006 ~ The people render their verdict
November 8, 2006 ~ Republicans lose big time
November 9, 2006 ~ Allen concedes / Election post-mortem
November 13, 2006 ~ Toward consensus on Iraq?
December 1, 2006 ~ Realism and our goals in Iraq
December 6, 2006 ~ Latin America & U.S. trade policy
December 8, 2006 ~ Iraq Study Group reports
December 22, 2006 ~ Yuletide political roundup
Blog highlights have been compiled for the years 2010-2012 thus far, and eventually will be compiled for earlier years, back to 2002.
Explanation
The "home made" blog organization system that I created was instituted on November 1, 2004, followed by several functional enhancements in subsequent years. I make no more than one blog post per day on any one category, so some posts may cover multiple news items or issues. Blog posts appear in the following (reverse alphabetical) order, which may differ from the chronological order in which the posts were originally made:
- Wild birds (LAST)
- War
- Science & Technology
- Politics
- Latin America
- Culture & Travel
- Canaries ("Home birds")
- Baseball (FIRST)
Also see: My blog practices.
Blog errata (Nobody's perfect.)