Random Musings
R.I.P MJ
Filed under: General, Random Musings | Tags: funeral, memorial, michael jackson, MJ, RIP | Edit
The King of Pop is dead. Long live the King!!
But is it me or is there something a little nauseating about all this? For years MJ dwelled in the bowells of oblivion, and no one really seemed to care. His last album was a flop (by his lofty standards), he was losing money and getting sued by his creditors, he had to sell his beloved ranch, and he had to hide out in Dubai while he tried to piece his life together. But all of this seemed to drift largely under the radar. And now, he has passed, and all of a sudden hes back in the limelight, centre stage, captivating audiences yet again, though not quite in the way he would’ve liked.
While watching the memorial, a few things stood out. For one, the number of times people said that he loved everyone. That he was this great sibling and all round lovable guy. Lets be honest here, MJ the singer was awesome, unbelievable. His kind will truly never come again. But MJ the man, was a different story. Most of his diehard fans wouldn’t be friends with him. He was different, he was a loner, he wasnt really close to too many. But now, all of a sudden, at his memorial, all these random people are coming out and talking about how he loved the world so much and just loved everybody, and as far as I can recall none of these people were known to be good friends. In fact, he wasnt really close with much of his family other than Jermaine and his mother. Im curious to know where all these people were when he was defending himself in court against child molestation allegations, getting sued by creditors, having trouble signing recording deals and in his final hours.
The other thing thats odd, is how its a 2 hour long memorial. I cant remember the last time someone had a memorial service that long. And I cant help but sense that cable companies are cashing in on his death from the absurd ratings that this will produce. People all around the world are crying during his memorial, and these are the strange people that couldnt be bothered to buy his last album and probably put him in the financial troubles he was in the past few years (Ill admit, I was one of them, I downloaded all of his songs). And having anyone other than MJ sings his greatest hits feels a little weird. Its just not the same unless its him. If they had to have singers at his memorial, they shouldve sung another song. Jesus is Love, is not appropriate however.
Im not hating on the man, Im hating on whats being done to him now that hes gone. How his memorial has turned into this absurd public spectacle, and how even in death we cant give him some dignity. The man is gone, let him rest in peace.
Amen.
BrownManOfColour
The REAL Problem with Apple
BrownManofColour,
I agree with most of what you wrote. Apple’s stuff is indeed good from a software standpoint (indeed, there is something to be said about programming uniquely for hardware you assemble) but hardware-wise most Apple stuff has basically been built on the PC archetype since 2006 (hello, Intel). So it’s had the same capabilities of a PC-based system with next to none of the customization options since 2006.
Look, I’m no computer guru (and lack the fancy technical education that you possess) but I know when something is lacking. From what I can gather, Apple’s stuff “just works” because, as you mentioned, most Apple devices are almost impossible to personalize and screw up. For instance, do you want to change the visual layout of your iPhone? Too bad. Do you want to write some cool new programs for your iPhone? Well, not unless Apple “approves” it.
I hate Windows Mobile with a passion (as only someone who has used that abomination daily can hate it) but I have to give it credit for one thing – I can download a gazillion homebrewed apps which does almost everything you can think of. Change the look of the OS? No problem. Overclock your phone? Why not?
Sure, some of the programs suck (or crash my phone) but other times, I can see real promise in some of the programs and e-mail suggestions to the creator. The apps aren’t always slick but the lack of a “Big Brother” judging whether the app should live or die allows for some truly interesting programs to filter down the pipeline. It’s ironic that Apple was basically launched into the public consciousness with their infamous 1984 ad. Really, is there a tech company which actively discourages the hardcore tech user more than Apple?
This brings me to a major problem with Apple you didn’t really address – the fanboys. Anytime you even mention ANY Apple flaw, you’re instantly derided on the Internets as a hater and a peon of the Microsoft/Google/Linux evil empire. Why is that? Is it so far-fetched to think that Steve Jobs and Co. might have overlooked (or worse, intentionally held back) something in one of their products? For instance, the iPhone didn’t have copy-and-paste for the longest time. The fix for that is a simple software update – why did it take 2 years to do something about it?
By the same token, is it really hard to believe that Microsoft can occasionally do some software/hardware better? Is it not true that PCs are STILL the preferred medium for hardcore gamers because of their easy-to-upgrade architecture and is it not similarly true that Microsoft Office is a decent piece of workplace software (far superior to the iLife Suite)? Why is it that Apple must always be best in the mind of the hardcore Apple fanboy?
Look at the reaction to the Palm Pre. It’s a great device. It lacks some of the features of the iPhone but it smokes the iPhone (yes, even the 3GS) when it comes to multi-tasking and software integration. Yet, any major tech website is inundated by fanboys who nitpick about every perceived Pre flaw (of which there are many – really, no 3D graphics in 2009?) and trumpet every minor iPhone “advantage”.
The point is that I don’t like fanboys of any type. All they’re doing is letting their beloved company off the hook for a feature or hardware flaw that the company didn’t have the foresight to include and paying for shiny packaging and a badge. Instead of constantly bashing competing products to try and justify their purchase, why not demand the best from ALL producers and buy accordingly?
Does the Zune have the best audio quality? By all means, buy that if sound quality is important to you! Do you need to multi-task on your smartphone? Why not pick up a Pre? Do you need to do heavy graphics work on your computer? Then Mac should probably be your choice.
Listen up, let’s stop being brand loyal. Apple is not “a community”. Google is not your “friend”. These companies are designed for one thing – to take your money in exchange for a product. It’s up to you to decide which company gives the best value for money and deserves your hard-earned cash.
There’s no shame in being polyamorous with your tech. After all, do you really think that Steve and Bill are always faithful to you?
YellowSun
Why Apple is grossly overrated
Filed under: Technology | Tags: Apple, ipod, itouch, Microsoft, Technology | Edit
Now, I know that Im gonna get a lot of push back for this, but I really really think that Apple is overrated, and I think its about time we all admitted as much. Yes, they have some great products, but they’re not this uber company that,s producing revolutionary and creative new products. In fact, all they really are is a clinic in successful marketing and luck.
First, lets be clear. Im not an Apple hater. Ive tried Apples products and I have to say, from a software perspective, they are pretty good. From a hardware persepective, not so much. In fact, its more their marketing and cool image more than anything else that’s sustaining sales.
Let me begin with software. Credit where credit is due, its good. Theyve clearly put some thought into it, and it is sound from a development and human-computer interaction perspective. But lets be clear on one thing. Apple is not superior to Microsoft or Google. In fact, from a technology perspective they may even be inferior. First off, Apple maintains strict control over its hardware. As such, when the developers sit down to come up with features for the new OS or Safari or anything else, they know exactly what hardware and environment it will have to deal with. That in itself, makes the task that much easier. Second, a company like Microsoft or Google, which have to work with Intels and AMDs, 64 bit and 32 bit, single core and multi core, have a much much harder time getting their software to be as reliable. As a result, there’s a myth about Apple software’s stability that just isn’t true.
On to the hardware. I recently purchased an iTouch. I disliked it so much, that I returned it three days later. Let me go over everything that was wrong with it. One, its not pretty. Its just a screen and a button, there’s nothing pretty about it. Two, its annoying. I hooked it up to my pc and started downloading my songs, only to realise that they hadnt been copied properly or some were copied several times. Now, Im sure there’s a simple way to fix that, but I dont have time for it. Its an mp3 player, not a camera. It shouldn’t require any excessive work to get it going. If it takes more than a few minutes to get my songs on it, I cant be bothered. Technology is supposed to work for us, not vice versa. Now, about their laptops. Theyre not pretty (theyre bloody white, but I digress). Anyone who thinks that theyre good value for money, should be shot (this doesnt take into account their recently announced price cuts as I havent had a chance to review those yet). Heres what you get in a Mac. You get a fast processor, lots of slow memory, a large but slow harddrive and a fancy case. They spend on the items that they know people will look for, while cutting back on the rest and charging extra for the Apple logo. And Im sorry, but that doesnt make a good pc. In almost every test of a Mac versus other machines, the Mac didnt do very well.
On to Apple’s image. For some reason, everyone thinks Apple is some sort of pioneer and that theyre creativity and vision is astounding. Wrong. They haven’t done anything new or creative, what they did do was get lucky and make some funny commercials and things took off from there. The iPod was not the first mp3 player. The iTouch wasnt the first touch screen device. The iPhone wasnt the first all-in-one device. All of these existed in some form or another long before Apple came along. People say that the Apple App store is a classic example of that. No it isnt. Its called the Microsoft Developers Network and its been around for ages.The difference is luck and marketing. Microsoft didnt have the former and they didnt try the latter. The Palm Pre and Blackberry Bold are better than the iPhone, the Zen and YP-K3 are better than the iPod, so Apples not even producing the best quality products on the market.
Im not hating on Apple, Im just saying lets step back from all the euphoria and admit what Apple really is….a great marketing machine.
BrownManOfColour
