A Dutch Life

Thanks for the tip Mike!

These “modern shaped trousers which is often worn by youngsters..” are the perfect solution for Googling quick exits while running from the fashion police. Ah, but look closely! Now as you jump over fences and dodge barking dogs, you can take your chase music with you. Built into the knees are a pair of crotch rocking speakers that really add that extra level of excitement while sticking it to the man. Around back you have the added convenience of a back pocket for your “mouse”(which will be your only friend at this point). And for you gamers, there is even a joystick controller located just behind the front zipper.

It seems it is organised, my very humble post somehow appeared on a MAc fanboy site “Macsurfer”:

There it is, third from the bottom. Someone has a lot of time on their hands, or some seriously broad Google search alerts set up. Although, given my blog post title (linkbait), I guess I really nailed a nerve.

The interesting bit is I had 58 visit from this site, I suspect every commenter (except one) came from this direction, and I had 9 individual commenter’s, only one of which actually left a Blog URL. That is an awesome visitor to comment ratio and shows incredibly high levels of devotion!

I think I will do another post critical of Apple in a few months and begin tracking Macboy stats. <grin>

I have had a pretty funny weekend. I wrote a very quick and dirty post about the changes Apple recently made to its update tool so that it it was just slightly less aggressive about installing their software on your computer. I woke up Sunday to find 8, all negative, comments!

I used a pretty crazy blog title (should have ended it with a ‘?’ in retrospect, just I didn’t predict any reaction), just because I had been on the receiving end of too many Mac Fanboys at dinner parties ruining my meal because I worked for an “Evil Monopolist”. I guess I hit a nerve!

I finished it pretty tongue in cheek, saying “Anyway, seems I still have the chip.”, which of course relates to my probable bias!   

For the record, I still don’t believe Microsoft should have been convicted as a “monopolist” (you would be laughed at if you suggested an OS should ship without a browser today) though I do agree they had a number of overly aggressive business practices that did need to be curtailed, and have been. To this day they are held to a different standard than their competitors. They would certainly never get away with the behavior Apple has demonstrated here.

In fact I think the whole concept of a monopoly in IT is tricky. A great example of this is the Windows “N” product, the special edition of Windows, designed by the Europeans, which does not include Media Player and has sold as many copies as Microsoft Bob. I think it has had zero impact on the success of iTunes, with or without Media Player installed in the OS, it has become the most successful Media Player on consumer desktops today. Things just move too fast, and any Monopoly is transient, and becoming ever more transient.

Anyway, my point in the previous post was that the people defending Apple in this case are probably the first to criticize Microsoft and fail to see the tactic Apples employing as Monopolistic in nature. In this way they are holding their holier than thou company to different standards. This is dangerous.

Apple owns the iTunes/iPod franchise which dominates the music player and digital music markets with percentages Microsoft in its “Monopoly” days would have been proud of. In this case they are using the iTunes install base to increase their Safari install base. Its as simple as that.

For the record, they do have a monopoly class market share, from Wikipedia:

On September 12, 2006 Steve Jobs announced in his “It’s Showtime” keynote that Apple had 88% of the legal U.S. music download market

I’m sure it has gone backwards since then, but don’t take my word for it, search around yourself (or just look around at the colour of the headphone leads). But good on them, I bought a iPod Touch, I love it, but I hate iTunes and I will never shop at their store. That doesn’t mean I dont have to install it though, because they have chosen to make updates available only via that mechanism.

Anyway, only one of the commenter’s produced anything other than what I would expect from the Cult of Apple Think Samers. Just makes me laugh that the only other group that jumped on my comments after a post was the Scientologists. <grin>

Oh man, Leon just sent me this:

Some on the internet think that Apple have done enough in the change to the automatic update software I complained about here and here. I don’t. The New software should NOT be checked by default, this is an UPDATE tool, not a NEW INSTALL tool.

Offer new software, fine, but don’t make it install by default.

Funny how the same people who still complain about Microsoft being a monopoly completely fail to see tactics like this as monopolistic (tying anyone?), let alone wonder about the closed system that is the iPod and iTunes.

Anyway, seems I still have the chip.

A while ago I complained about what I consider a pretty dodgy practice by Apple, that is, recommending I download a completely separate product when it should just be updating one I have already installed.

Well, this week it went beyond iTunes and Quicktime, all the way to Safari. I don’t want Safari, I think it is a waste of time, and I object to having it pushed on to me via their sleazy update process.

Like I said then:

Now, let me just say this, if Microsoft ever pulled this dodgy sort of move, they would have been hauled over the coals three or four times. I have never wanted to install iTunes, I have never proactively gone to any Apple site to download it, and I don’t want it on my machine. To prompt me to install it via their “Software Update” tool is very near fraudulent! What right have they to stick a sign on my computer screen asking if I want one of their products, its like some kind of pop-up advert.

Got this SPAM today:

From:
Zhang Zu
Beijing china .
Date: March/17/2008
Dear,
I want to respectfully solicit your attention to receive funds on my behalf.
Please send me a reply with your consent to proceed and I will send you the full details and more information about myself and the funds. I assure you that it is a legal and safe proposal.
My personal email is: zhangzu@yahoo.com.sg     and     zhangzuzu@gmail.com

Thank you
Zhang  Zu
Reply Email:
zhangzu@yahoo.com.sg
            or
zhangzuzu@gmail.com

Does this mean the Chinese are now moving into the, up until now, Nigerian dominated scam email market? If so, they certainly have a long way to go, this one didn’t even come close to tricking me. It does leave me wondering just how many people do read this and say:

“Well, he was respectful, there is no harm in giving him consent to proceed, shouldn’t make a decision without the full details. And have have his email addresses, both of them, just in case.”

Maybe this is a new minimalist approach, the simplicity of which we somehow equate with honesty. Certainly if it was a scam they would have tried harder?

I can’t wait for this to hit the web, when it does, it will give people everywhere access to information that was previously seen by only a lucky select few.

Take a look at the video, as it says it all, the universe like you have never seen it before.

TED | Talks | Roy Gould, Curtis Wong: WorldWide Telescope (video)

I grew up playing games using a joystick, and while I have certainly adapted to the Xbox controller, I’ve often given the joystick a thought when picking them up. I think fondly of “Street Fighter“, and of course the “Games” series, for example “Summer Games“.

Anyway, take a stroll down memory lane…..

What ever happened to the “Joystick”?