24 January 2003 - 6:55 a.m. Someone asked me if there were any games for Macs. Sure there are. insidemacgames.com. I'm not really into games, so I can't really speak to the number or quality of them though. I get the impression that most of the big games have a Mac version. (0) Comments?

23 January 2003 - 10:45 p.m. Sometimes I think I'm just watching my favorite actors get old and die. (0) Comments?

23 January 2003 - 3:31 p.m. (0) Comments?

23 January 2003 - 3:06 p.m. The Coke machine at work has a little LED display on it that shows the price. When you buy a Coke the LED display shows the word "vend." I think it should have an exclamation point after it. (0) Comments?

23 January 2003 - 1:28 p.m. Do you realize that we are caught in a POLAR VORTEX? Hide the Spam! (0) Comments?

23 January 2003 - 12:42 p.m. I've gotten some responses about my anti-Microsoft essay saying that Macs are not as easy to use as Windows. I'd argue that Macs are easier to use than Windows. Think of Macintosh as an automatic transmission, and Windows as a manual transmission. The automatic transmission is easier to use, but if you're only used to a manual transmission, the automatic will be confusing at first, until you get used to it. However, I'd like to reiterate that my problem with Microsoft is not their products, but their criminal business practices and stranglehold on the software market. It's not so much that I want people to say yes to Macintosh, it's more that I want people to say no to Microsoft. Although I really do like Macs. Linux or X-Windows would also be preferable to Microsoft, if you are willing or able to work with it. I have to say, I am pretty happy that I haven't got any "Macs suck!" emails yet. (0) Comments?

23 January 2003 - 9:51 a.m. For a long time I've said that I like and use Macs, and that it's just a preference. I've said that you can do all the same stuff on a Windows machine that you can do on a Mac, but now I am now officially advocating Mac as a better choice for several minor reasons and one main reason: Microsoft is an illegal monopoly and uses illegal and immoral business practices to artificially boost themselves and destroy competitors. In this same vein I would also recommend Linux and X-Windows, although they do not have the usability and fit & finish of the Macintosh operating system. You can, however run all those operating systems simultaneously and natively on contempporary Macintosh computers. You can run the GIMP and Adobe Indesign at the same time. In it's current form, the Macintosh operating system is based upon open-source software, (although it itself is not open-source), and embraces open standards such as XML and TCP/IP. It is not choked with proprietary file formats specifically written to prevent compatibility and interoperability with other systems and machines the way Microsoft applications are. Microsoft formats are difficult to use on other systems intentionally. The .doc format has been rewritten several times specifically to create incompatibility between not only other word-processing programs and platforms, but between different versions of Microsoft Word. Microsoft Word is the dominant word-processing program because it is self-perpetuating, not because of its feature set or its preformance. It is the dominant word-processing program because you need it. Other software companies don't do this. Additionally, Microsoft rewrites its Windows operating system to break competitors products. Every time a new version of Windows comes out Netscape Navigator is broken. Why? Because it competes with Microsoft Internet Explorer. Netscape Navigator performs poorly on Windows machines because the operating system is designed to cripple it. A similar situation exists with Sun Microsystem's Java. Microsoft includes an out-dated and incomplete version of Java with their operating system intentionally to make Java look bad next to Microsoft's competing .Net system. Microsoft has since been ordered to include the up-to-date and complete version of Java with their operating system. Microsoft is refusing to do it because it would require a "great deal of engineering effort" to include it. Bullshit. In conclusion, Microsoft is a company that will say or do anything to maintain its monopoly over the software market, and they have enough money and influence to get away with it. The only thing that will stop them is if we stop buying their products and find an alternative. The best alternative is Macintosh. The Macintosh operating system is stable, robust, flexible, beautiful, easy to use. You can use it to run X-Windows and Linux applications right along with your Macintosh applications, and it is based on a complete Unix build which gives the Mac user instant access to open-source software, and development tools. Plus, they're just damn cool. Are there disadvantages to Macs? Sure there are, but they are far outweighed by the advantages, not least of which is the fact that people who use Macs love them. (0) Comments?

23 January 2003 - 7:19 a.m. Microsoft needs to be taken down. They're like an organized crime family. (0) Comments?