Steamd

It was recently announced that Mac OS X Leopard has sold 2 million copies in the first weekend of its release. That’s just for the boxed copies and probably doesn’t include copies that come pre-installed on new Macs. 2 million is quite a bit. I’d say that’s a pretty darn good start for a new OS.

For comparisons sake, I tried to find out just how many boxed copies of Vista were sold in the first weekend of its release but could only find a post on ZDNet where Microsoft claims to have sold 20 million copies in the first month of Vista’s release. However, the problem is that the 20 million includes Vista licenses preloaded on new PCs, upgrades, copies sold through the Vista Express Upgrade program and full packaged product sold at retail between January 30 and February 28. Great…that doesn’t really tell me how many people actually went out and bought a copy of Vista within the first weekend of its release to take home and install on their existing PC. Could be half a million, a million, 2 million…who the hell knows!

One thing is for sure though…excitement for Leopard within the first weekend of its release seems to exceed the level of enthusiasm for Windows Vista when it was first released…and the numbers prove it.

Now, with any OS release there are likely be pundits who will try and knock it down a few pegs. There’s one report about a flaw in the Leopard firewall. And, as the Macalope pointed out, there are others who claim that lots of stuff gets broken with the upgrade and that you shouldn’t upgrade. Not only that but that Apple supposedly rushed Leopard out the door.

Look, Leopard is not perfect. Neither was Tiger or any of the other prior Mac OS releases. By comparison though, Leopard is a far more solid release than Windows Vista. Vista was riddled with driver issues and software incompatibilities galore. Six months later and Vista still have the same issues which in turn has caused many individuals and companies to reconsider upgrading to Vista or purchasing computers with Vista preinstalled. The same simply can not be said about Leopard.

There are things about Leopard that bug me…but when compared to Vista I think Leopard is a far better OS. I upgraded to Leopard the very day it came out and had only two software applications that gave me problems. Out of the some odd 30 applications I usually install that’s pretty damn good if you ask me. And the two apps that gave me problems were pretty minor: Plaxo and Growl. I can do without Growl for the time being and Plaxo still works even though it has a quirk or two. Aside from that, Leopard has been the smoothest upgrade of any OS I’ve ever used. Couldn’t be happier!

Ok, so I just read this article on AppleInsider about how NBC Universal chief executive Jeff Zucker said the following during a business breakfast:

“We know that Apple has destroyed the music business — in terms of pricing — and if we don’t take control, they’ll do the same thing on the video side,”

Umm…ok. So giving the customer what they want is bad business. That makes total sense. So, charging $4.99 for what used to only cost $1.99 is good business? You gotta come up with something better to prove your point than just “Apple bad, NBC good”.

“We wanted to take one show, it didn’t matter which one it was, and experiment and sell it for $2.99. We made that offer for months and they said no.?

Ok…so let’s do the math for a sec. Let’s take Heroes for example. I love Heroes and I certainly don’t want to miss any episodes. A season pass that would allow me to download and watch it on my TV any time I want would be pretty enticing. Last I checked, the average season pass on iTunes was around $35 to $40 for most TV shows. However, even with a measly $1 increase, that season pass could potentially be raised to
$50 or more. Now, I’m no dummy but why would I pay 33% more for something when I could wait and just buy the entire damn thing for $40 on DVD? Seems to me like you just don’t get it and simply want the consumer to pay more simply because you think they’re suckers and will pay it!

“Apple sold millions of dollars worth of hardware off the back of our content and made a lot of money. They did not want to share in what they were making off the hardware or allow us to adjust pricing.”

Oh, puh-lease! If it wasn’t for companies like Apple you’d still be in the dark ages! Actually it’s the other way around…more like you were the ones riding off the back of Apple’s innovation. There have been plenty of opportunities for another company to rise up and create something that can seriously compete with iTunes. Last I checked about the only company that is doing that is Amazon.

Mr. Zucker, let me ask you…when is the last time NBC Universal or any other media company has collected a share of the profits on the number of DVD and/or CD players sold in the last 10 years or so? How about never! Do you want to know why? Because you’re not entitled to it, that’s why! In fact, if it wasn’t for the sale of said hardware your company would never be able to make any money off the sale of CD’s and DVD’s anyways.

Now, Mr. Zucker, an iPod or any other music player similar to it is no different than a CD and/or DVD player. The only difference is that the media it uses is “soft” instead of “hard”. And don’t even talk to me about piracy, Mr. Zucker…I could just as easily copy a CD and DVD.

I buy stuff on iTunes and Amazon simply because I enjoy the convenience of not having to figure out where the hell I’m going to store all the damn CD’s I could have potentially bought. And when it comes to TV shows, I very much would like to have the convenience of watching them the way I want to watch them. One of the ways I DON’T want to watch them is on the web:

“It’s extraordinary. It’s like a small cable channel in our universe that is becoming very successful.”

You think it’s going to be very successful…but it won’t. When is the last time you realistically sat down with your family and watched a missed episode of Heroes or some other NBC show straight off the NBC website? Was the experience of watching it on a webpage as good as what it would be on your TV? Seriously, Mr. Zucker…is this really the future of television? No, it is not.

You know, I could have bought an Apple TV, hooked it up to my 42″ plasma, and bought a season of Heroes and Chuck. Not now. Apple won’t see a dime from the sale of an Apple TV…and neither will you. Instead, I’ll have to wait till you get a brain. Your company could have had $60 or more of my money so that I could have the convenience of watching Heroes and Chuck when I want and where I want. That’s what Apple TV is to me…but of course Apple is bad, NBC is good. Sorry…forgot about that.

Do you know what you’re creating? More pirates. What happens if I do miss an episode of Heroes? You think I’m gonna sit in front of my computer and watch a lame, stuttering version of it off your website? You’re sorely mistaken, sir! Given that there is no alternative, I’ll simply just download a copy off of a torrent site, burn it to a DVD, and watch on my 42″ plasma. Thanks, but no thanks, Mr. Zucker….I think you’re new business model sucks!

The other day I got an e-mail from a friend that said that I should “stop drinking the cool aid” and realize the global warming is a myth…that the proponents of global warming only want our money. My response? Sigh…ok…watch this George Carlin video and you’ll clearly understand how I feel:

In a nutshell, I think both extremist views on global warming (believe it and don’t believe it) are just as wrong with every bad statement they make. If you 100% believe that global warming is a crisis then the worst thing you can do is pass off anything that isn’t 100% conclusive as fact. That is just stupid and irresponsible. Don’t label shit as fact if you can’t back it up.

On the other hand, there is enough evidence out there to suggest that global warming is a problem and that we need to investigate it further to see if it is indeed a crisis. I think it would be far more irresponsible to simply label it as a myth and a hoax and just keep on doing what we’ve been doing.

Who’s drinking the cool aid? Pretending it’s a myth and believing that the majority of people who are drumming up controversy on global warming have some sort of extended agenda is exactly what the oil companies and rich assholes of this world want you to think and do. I can’t deny that there are some rich assholes and politicians who are using the whole global warming thing as a way to make a shitload of money….but you gotta admit that the alternative sucks even worse.

So what would you rather have? World leaders who want to push an agenda that involves taking a serious look at global warming and determining whether to take serious action? Or world leaders who just want to continue waging war with other sovereign countries over oil with fear tactics and other bullshit measures? It’s like “Cake or death?” Umm…cake please!

With the recent British judge ruling, yes, I agree that teachers need to be careful and point out to their students the parts of “An Inconvenient Truth” that are either inaccurate or not 100% conclusive. I think a good portion of what Gore talks about are worst case scenarios…in other words, shit that could happen if oil production continues to rise and no one does a damn thing. Is it 100% accurate? Probably not…but he achieved what he set out to do and that is to raise awareness and get people talking.

But talk is cheap. And I’m tired of people talking, bitching, moaning, and whining. Actions speak louder than words. Keep spending a ton of money on gas guzzling Hummers, pick-up trucks, and BMF SUV’s. Keep using 100-watt lightbulbs in every room. Crank up the A/C and the heat and drive your electricity bill way up. Just keep on using up all those wonderful resources you take for granted and let’s see where it takes us in the next 50 years.

Personally, I don’t give a shit about any of it. I drive a more fuel efficient car and I’m interested in hybrids and cleaner burning diesel engines simply because I’d rather see a day when I can drive downtown without seeing so much fucking smog polluting the air! I’ve decided to use fluorescent bulbs that use only a 10th of the power or less of a normal bulb simply because in doing so I can significantly reduce the amount of my electricity bill. I don’t know about you…but a 16 watt bulb that produces the same amount of light as a 60 watt bulb and with less heat is a real winner to me!

Point is that I think a lot of the folks who complain about the kinds of conservation that I’m talking about are the same kind of people who claim that global warming is a myth. Kind of reminds me of the people who think the holocaust never happened. Yes, there are people who believe that was a hoax! Can you believe that? Think you can prove to those people that, yes, the Nazi did kill a shitload a Jews in gas chambers? Energy conservation is kind of the same thing. Whether you believe in global warming or not, you can’t deny that we need to start thinking about ways to cut down on energy consumption and pollution. It’s just as undeniable as the holocaust.

Why Vista sucks!

Boy, I just love it when Steve Ballmer opens his mouth and uses analogies. I read a recent Ars Technica article in which theres a comment made by Ballmer in response to a question on whether he’d like to improve Live Search by “smacking it on the back of the head”:

“Absolutely not. I would say ‘Hey, you know, you’re just three years old,’” Ballmer replied. “‘And we’ve got you in there playing basketball with the 12-year-olds, and you know what? You’re growing up quick, you’re getting better every day, and you’ve got all the potential in the world. If it takes you until you’re six, seven, eight, nine, 10—but you’re gonna dunk, and you’re gonna dunk every other guy some day,’”

Hmm…ok. So if Microsoft is three now and will be so much better when they’re 10 or 12, that means that by the time they get better and are able to “dunk” their search capability Google will be about 23. I don’t know about you but I can’t remember the last time I’ve ever seen a 12 year old beat a 23 year old professional NBA player. If that’s Ballmer’s idea of a business strategy then I can’t wait to see what he has in store for the rest of Microsoft. Should provide a lot of laughs for years to come.

NOTE: Those of you who found this post via Google or some other search engine should read Part 2 of this post. This particular post is kind of biased and isn’t all that constructive. Part 2 is far more constructive and offers a much more centered point of view.

I’m a comic book collector. Have been since I was eight or so. I love reading all the oldies but goodies…especially those written by Stan Lee. The man is an icon in the comic book world. Not only is he responsible for creating some of the most memorable characters (Spider-man, the Hulk, and the Fantastic Four, just to name a few) but he’s also just a really good guy…very genuine.

Some years ago, Stan got “let go” from Marvel, the comic book company he has worked for since day one. From there, Stan and fellow business partner Peter Paul created Stan Lee Media. So what does this have to do with Hillary Clinton? In a nutshell, Paul in conjunction with Stan Lee Media helped put together one of the biggest fund raising events for a political candidate, a fund raising gala for Hillary’s senatorial campaign. The main purpose of Paul’s involvement was to woo Bill Clinton into serving on the board of Stan Lee Media after leaving office. However, things went really sour and, in the aftermath, Stan Lee Media collapsed and was no more!

Why does this piss me off so bad? Because Hillary Clinton let it happen, committed a grossest act of campaign fraud I’ve ever seen, and single handedly caused Stan Lee’s company to go under! Watch the following videos from YouTube and you’ll see what I mean:

Part One
Part Two

If this is what’s to be expected, don’t vote for Hillary Clinton! Vote for Barack Obama! Vote for John Edwards! Hell, vote for Stephen Colbert! Just don’t vote for Hillary! Screwing Stan Lee over is NOT cool! No president should act like this! PERIOD!

So here’s a perfect example of a REAL inconvenience for you…

I met my wife last night for dinner and, as I was leaving, discovered that some jackass parked way too close to the driver’s side of my car. There was only about a foot of clearance and there was no way I would be able to open the door and squeeze my ass into my car. I was forced to have to enter in the passenger’s side and crawl into the driver’s seat. Very inconvenient, wouldn’t you say?

Some years ago, I made the mistake of parking too close to someone else’s car. How do I know this? Because on my way out I found a nice little piece of paper stuck under my windshield wiper. It was a picture of Mickey Mouse giving the finger and a message that read “Next time why don’t you leave a can opener, you selfish prick!”. I have to admit I laughed my ass off! It was absolutely brilliant! And you know what? I never did it again. From that moment on I payed attention to how I park my car in a parking spot.

We all get in a hurry and always feel inconvenienced when we can’t find that primo parking spot…but that doesn’t give anyone an excuse to be an asshole. I hate it when some asshole in a Hummer or Dodge duely parks in a spot labeled for compact cars. I hate it even more when someone in a Beamer or the like parks at an angle taking up two spots. But what really gets my goat is people who don’t park straight in a parking spot. Not doing so is discourteous and downright shitty.

So I think I’m going to make up some business cards similar to the little piece of paper I got some years ago. Might even make up some more for the other stupid shit people do. Of course, if I keep that up I’ll end up with about a thousand different cards. Hmm…wonder if there’s any money in that?

I hate it when people blow their cool and describe anything as “inconvenient”. As an IT professional, people are constantly asking me to fix things. There is simply no end to the amount of time and attention people can ask of me when problems occur. And in the corporate world, when people have problems they usually label it as an “inconvenience”. Internet goes down for 10 to 15 minutes…traffic is backed up on the tollway…your car breaks down…your flight is delayed by an hour. So many things can happen that can cause delays in life…and yet people still insist on labeling them as “inconveniences”.

To me, a true inconvenience is one that is caused by someone else’s stupid mistake, not by anything that is beyond your control. Technology is not perfect. Machines are not perfect. Traffic can get backed up due to road construction. Flights will get delayed due to a mechanical problem with an airplane. Cars do and will breakdown from time to time…as do computers and networks. Lord forbid that any of these things should happen and prevent you from doing the things you want or need to do. That’s just life.

If computers always worked and never broke down there wouldn’t be any need for IT professionals to fix computers. If cars and airplanes never broke down there would never be any need for mechanics. If all the roads were perfect and never needed to be widened or repaired then there would be no need for road workers. All these people work for you so that your so-called “inconvenience” isn’t permanent. The least you can do is keep your cool and show some respect for the people who work their ass off to make sure that all this stuff continues to work.

Life is full of inconveniences that are beyond your control. And if you don’t like it, stop using a computer…don’t use any airlines anymore…stop using the tollway…hell, better yet, just don’t drive. Do the world a favor and just stay the %#@$ home! Maybe if all the people who don’t like inconveniences were to stay home, all the IT professionals, mechanics, road workers, airline pilots, and other hard working people of the world might just be able to take a day off!

So the next time you feel inconvenienced over something that is beyond anyone’s control…do us a favor and just shut the @#$% up!

Oh, hell yeah! I would vote for him! Would you? Well…let’s put it this way: If Barack Obama doesn’t get the nomination I’ll vote for Stephen Colbert! If I’m going to throw my vote away I’m gonna do it by voting for somebody who matters.

Boy, am I excited! Mac OS X Leopard is set to arrive on October 26th! This is one of those rare times when I’m actually excited about a software release. I just bought a Mac Mini not too long ago and have officially switched away from my old PC to the Mac so Leopard will most certainly be a welcomed upgrade.

I used to be a Windows guy. I’ve used Windows since the day Windows 95 came out and I’ve upgraded and used every Windows OS since then. Buck stopped when I started beta testing Vista. I’ve never seen anything so horrid since Windows ME. This is probably the first time I’ve ever told others to not buy a computer with a specific OS on it. Vista is just that bad.

Switching to a Mac was inevitable in my case. I’ve been a PHP developer for a couple of years now and, as such, use a lot of open-source tools that tend to cater to a Unix/Linux environment. Being that the Mac OS is Unix-based this makes it perfect for anyone doing a lot of open-source development. Granted, Linux distros like SUSE and Ubuntu are good too…but they’re just not as good as the Mac OS for doing things like editing videos and photos and such.

So…very soon, my Mac experience will be nearly complete. Already have an iPod, iPhone, an old MacBook G4 (which I plan to sell), and a new Mac Mini. Topping it off with Leopard will just make me into that much more of an Apple Fanboy!