And After A 15 Year Hiatus…
22 years after I first wanted one (but settled for a IIc instead)…
18 years after I first got one (an SE)…
15 years after I went over to the PC/Intel/DOS/Windows side…
I’m finally going back.
Back to the Mac!
Yup, a nice, shiny, new 17″ 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo iMac is making its way to my grubby little hands.
And I can hardly wait!
I’ve gotten to the point that I’m tired, more or less, of building my own computers, as well as dealing with the vagaries of Windows. I respectfully tolerate Windows, and the world of XP (and Vista if/when it ever arrives) is certainly better than than either the DOS/Win or Mac worlds were back 15 years ago. But I’m tired of dealing with the constant state of care, feeding, and vigilance that Windows imposes on a responsible computer user.
Building/assembling my own systems just doesn’t hold the hobbyist allure that it once did — I’m at a point where I’d rather spend my time using the computer (surfing, blogging, writing, etc…) as a tool than as an end in & of itself (tinkering, tweaking, etc…). I want my main system to be one that is rock solid, easily updatable & maintainable, powerful, and cool — both in hardware and software. And Apple is currently the only provider of such an integrated solution. OS X 10.4.5 is the best marriage of UNIX & GUI out there, and the new Intel-based Macs are incredibly advanced, powerful, and cool.
Apple’s OS X 10.4.5 (Tiger) is, quite simply, the best operating system currently out there. Linux is a rapidly developing up & comer, but it requires too much time & effort, and I’ve found that I get overwhelmingly consumed by it when I try to run it. I’ll dabble with it in the future. And I don’t really hold out that much hope for Windows, as I’m not sure that Windows can be salvaged without a total scrap-and-rebuild effort — the kind of thing that Microsoft has never been willing to do, but that Apple has done 4 times (Apple II to Mac, Mac 68k to Mac PPC, Mac OS “Classic” to OS X, and PPC to Intel). Sometimes, the installed base simply must be told that they’ve got to change to move ahead, backwards compatibility be damned…
I’ll never suffer the radical platform-bigots/zealots gladly, because I’ve long believed & said that there are pluses/minuses & valid uses for all the major platforms. I’ve always had a soft spot for the Mac, and I’m really fired up about being able to drink the kool-aid again! 
Anyway, as long as I’ve got kids who like to play Disney’s ToonTown Online, I’ll have to keep a decent Windows box around! 
-ghp
South Park, Scientology, & A Hypocritical Chef
It seems that, once again, South Park has created a stir. And I, for one, am loving it!
Check out this story at the Washington Post for a more complete rundown (some good stuff, including links to the video itself, can be found going to this search page at Digg.com).
You’ll also want to check out the nice blog entry that Doug TenNapel (he of creating Catscratch fame!) wrote on the subject….
[HT: Michelle Malkin]
In short, Isaac Hayes, the voice behind the character of Chef, has up & quit South Park after 10 seasons. Why, you ask? Well, because he’s suddenly realized that “As a civil rights activist of the past 40 years, I cannot support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices.” The thing is, he only got this fit of conscience after South Park went after Scientology. It seems that 10 years of skewering Christians/Christianity (Protestants & Roman Catholics), Jews/Judaism, Muslims/Islam, etc… didn’t register on his disrespect-o-meter. But ragging on Tom “Maverick really was a nutjob, eh?” Cruise & the abomination that resulted from L. Ron Hubbard’s pathetic SciFi writing talent (& subsequent delusional greed)? Well, that’s cause for outrage. Outrage, I tell you! 
Comedy Central may have wimped out & not rerun the episode this past week, but I have no doubt that Matt Stone & Trey Parker (the creators of South Park) will engage a battle that will be great fun to watch play out!
-ghp
I Don’t Doubt That There’s Something To This
I just read a fascinating article/posting, entitled Shortness of Dark, that deals with the potentially detrimental effect that artificial light has had on human health. Maybe it’s because I’m coming off the worst (in a recent string) night of insomnia (I didn’t get to sleep until well after 4am — but, at least I got my AI postings out in a timely fashion… :wink:).
There’s something romantic (see def. 4a) & appealing about the idea of circadian rhythms & living life by the sun, rather than by the clock & squeezing as much into each day as possible. And if I could have my Internet connectivity & DirecTV w/Tivo, I’d be all over it!
-ghp
AI:5 - Strong Opinions
One of the things that I’ve found to be quite fascinating about this installment of AI, is the passion that surrounds Kellie Pickler. There seems to be no middle ground on her — it’s either love or hate.
In particular, there seems to be a clear break based on whether or not one finds her “persona” to be contrived/calculating or genuine/endearing.
I must admit that I was initially on the cynical side of the fence, as I had a difficult time believing that anyone could actually be that naive; however, as time has passed, I’ve come to think that she is genuine — that she really is that naive & inexperienced. (disclaimer — would I be shocked if it comes out that she really is a conniving, calculating person? Nah. I’d be disappointed, but not shocked.) If she’s a good enough actress to be able to put on this kind of act, then she needs to ditch the singing thing, and get to Hollywood & make her fortune as an actress!
For a very strong opinion on the other side of this issue, check out this post over at Everyone Is Entitled To My Opinion. [HT: Katie's Beer] I think Terrie’s actually a bit too harsh in her analysis (I know, I know — Pot. Kettle. Black. — what with my commentary of late wrt The Jester… :eek:), but it’s still an interesting read — check it out.
-ghp
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