Oct 2006
"Larry Bodine" on job security, slam the competition to your clients.
There is an article by a technology advisor about
his use of a new Mac. The article is riddled
with false statements and ignorance.
There have already been some good responses denouncing his article.
One thing that isn't mentioned is that this guy is probably some kind of PC guru. So why slam the Mac? Job security.
Maybe he receives really good commissions from the sale of PCs or recommending them. It could also be his ignorance about the Mac and inability to properly advise his clients on them.
Either way, I see it as a money issue.
He probably created this false article because his clients are wanting to know more about this Mac thing which hurts his bottom line.
He's counting on all the Mac flaming so he can use it to refer to Mac users as fanatics and somehow discredit us to his clients.
The problem I see is if only one of his clients reads his article and sees that he is full of crap then he has lost work.
I can honestly say I would never hire (or continue working with) someone who so simply misrepresented him or herself.
To all of his clients, he is not looking out for your best interest.
There have already been some good responses denouncing his article.
One thing that isn't mentioned is that this guy is probably some kind of PC guru. So why slam the Mac? Job security.
Maybe he receives really good commissions from the sale of PCs or recommending them. It could also be his ignorance about the Mac and inability to properly advise his clients on them.
Either way, I see it as a money issue.
He probably created this false article because his clients are wanting to know more about this Mac thing which hurts his bottom line.
He's counting on all the Mac flaming so he can use it to refer to Mac users as fanatics and somehow discredit us to his clients.
The problem I see is if only one of his clients reads his article and sees that he is full of crap then he has lost work.
I can honestly say I would never hire (or continue working with) someone who so simply misrepresented him or herself.
To all of his clients, he is not looking out for your best interest.
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Memories of an old Japanimation movie, Galaxy Express.
October/16/2006 10:35 AM Filed in: Movies
I have these very old memories of a movie I watched
when I was 9-12 (1981-1984).
I can't seem to put it together and figure out the story line. But it was a time when having cable television meant no commercials.
I watched the movie dozens of times.
If anybody knows where I can get the Galaxy Express movie (not TV show) that played on Showtime or HBO in the early 80's please forward that info.
I can't seem to put it together and figure out the story line. But it was a time when having cable television meant no commercials.
I watched the movie dozens of times.
If anybody knows where I can get the Galaxy Express movie (not TV show) that played on Showtime or HBO in the early 80's please forward that info.
Kyle XY, a remake of John Doe?
October/15/2006 12:58 AM Filed in: Television
I'm working an a new theory. It's similar to my
Lost/Earth 2 theory.
This one deals with the new show Kyle XY and the 2002/2003 TV show John Doe.
I watched all of the first season of Kyle XY. And John Doe reruns just recently started playing.
Here is a list of the similarities between Kyle XY/John Doe.
I'm not going to list when occurrences happen, which episode or in any particular order. I'm only listing the things that are remarkably similar.
(k) = Kyle XY, (j) = John Doe
1. (k/j) The series is named after the lead character.
2. (k/j) The series starts with the main character waking up naked in a clearing in the woods (wet/fetal position) with no memory of who he is.
3. (k/j) He's befriended by someone (Tom Foss/Digger) who is obviously a member of the organization responsible for his condition.
4. (k/j) He struggles to find out who he is and why he has no past memories.
5. (k/j) The show was set in Seattle Washington.
6. (k/j) The show is actually filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia.
7. (k/j) The show's tag line was "Who is Kyle XY?"/"Who is John Doe?"
8. (k/j) He has unexplained body marks. Kyle has no belly button/John has an unknown symbolic scar.
9. (k/j) He says "Who am I?"
10. (k/j) Mysterious circular symbols are used. Both shows have one episode devoted to the search for the origin of the symbol.
11. (k/j) His name was made up because he isn't aware of any previous name.
12. (k/j) He is being watched by a secret organization (unknown/Phoenix Organization).
13. (k/j) He provides narration for each show.
14. (k/j) He has discovered a 30 year old photo of someone who looked like he does now.
I know some information was released after John Doe was canceled, but I'm not sure I believe what was said.
Yes, it was from the creator. But, he had a good idea. I doubt he was just going to give it away. Especially if he thought it could be brought back in another form later.
My Theory:
I think both Kyle and John are clones that were designed for a specific purpose. That purpose is the transfer of someone's consciousness from a stored database to a new host body. John Doe had an episode that dealt with this. Kyle XY hasn't yet.
I believe John Doe had all factual information uploaded to his brain before any consciousness was transfered to him. Then he either escaped or was broken out and left in the woods. I believe Kyle XY was broken out before any information could be uploaded to his brain. Then he was left in the woods.
I'll add more as it comes to light for me.
This one deals with the new show Kyle XY and the 2002/2003 TV show John Doe.
I watched all of the first season of Kyle XY. And John Doe reruns just recently started playing.
Here is a list of the similarities between Kyle XY/John Doe.
I'm not going to list when occurrences happen, which episode or in any particular order. I'm only listing the things that are remarkably similar.
(k) = Kyle XY, (j) = John Doe
1. (k/j) The series is named after the lead character.
2. (k/j) The series starts with the main character waking up naked in a clearing in the woods (wet/fetal position) with no memory of who he is.
3. (k/j) He's befriended by someone (Tom Foss/Digger) who is obviously a member of the organization responsible for his condition.
4. (k/j) He struggles to find out who he is and why he has no past memories.
5. (k/j) The show was set in Seattle Washington.
6. (k/j) The show is actually filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia.
7. (k/j) The show's tag line was "Who is Kyle XY?"/"Who is John Doe?"
8. (k/j) He has unexplained body marks. Kyle has no belly button/John has an unknown symbolic scar.
9. (k/j) He says "Who am I?"
10. (k/j) Mysterious circular symbols are used. Both shows have one episode devoted to the search for the origin of the symbol.
11. (k/j) His name was made up because he isn't aware of any previous name.
12. (k/j) He is being watched by a secret organization (unknown/Phoenix Organization).
13. (k/j) He provides narration for each show.
14. (k/j) He has discovered a 30 year old photo of someone who looked like he does now.
I know some information was released after John Doe was canceled, but I'm not sure I believe what was said.
Yes, it was from the creator. But, he had a good idea. I doubt he was just going to give it away. Especially if he thought it could be brought back in another form later.
My Theory:
I think both Kyle and John are clones that were designed for a specific purpose. That purpose is the transfer of someone's consciousness from a stored database to a new host body. John Doe had an episode that dealt with this. Kyle XY hasn't yet.
I believe John Doe had all factual information uploaded to his brain before any consciousness was transfered to him. Then he either escaped or was broken out and left in the woods. I believe Kyle XY was broken out before any information could be uploaded to his brain. Then he was left in the woods.
I'll add more as it comes to light for me.
Vanished, a remake of NoWhere Man?
October/15/2006 12:52 AM Filed in: Television
I haven't done much research on this one yet but I
see potential.
As I get more time I'll research the similarities between the two.
Well, it looks like the show only lasted a few episodes.
Therefore I'm not going to pursue the connections between the two shows.
OK, maybe a few easy ones.
1. Both shows have a main character and their spouse disappears.
2. On both shows the character that disappeared was erased from record, identification, pictures, references, things like that.
3. There appeared to be some type of government conspiracy behind the disappearance.
As I get more time I'll research the similarities between the two.
Well, it looks like the show only lasted a few episodes.
Therefore I'm not going to pursue the connections between the two shows.
OK, maybe a few easy ones.
1. Both shows have a main character and their spouse disappears.
2. On both shows the character that disappeared was erased from record, identification, pictures, references, things like that.
3. There appeared to be some type of government conspiracy behind the disappearance.
Some tech doesn't die quickly enough.
October/03/2006 09:11 PM Filed in: Apple | Technology
As a tech support person I have to deal with a lot
of software and hardware. And sometimes that tech
has outlived its usefulness.
Yeah, they might still be using it. But, none of the original companies are still supporting it. I'm supporting it, but it's getting more difficult.
I'm talking about Mac OS 9. And why do I still have to mess with SCSI? It happens.
Steve Jobs said Mac OS 9 was dead in 2002, so apparantly I'm kicking a dead horse.
Don't get me started on fax machines. Really, do we still need those things? Put VCRs in that same category.
Yeah, they might still be using it. But, none of the original companies are still supporting it. I'm supporting it, but it's getting more difficult.
I'm talking about Mac OS 9. And why do I still have to mess with SCSI? It happens.
Steve Jobs said Mac OS 9 was dead in 2002, so apparantly I'm kicking a dead horse.
Don't get me started on fax machines. Really, do we still need those things? Put VCRs in that same category.
That's a bright screen. MacBook Pros and Cons. UPDATED
October/01/2006 04:07 PM Filed in: Apple | Product
Reviews
Since you can find hundreds of reviews of the
MacBook online mine will just focus of my own
experiences.
Some of the problems with "Revision A" or the very first model released are noticed in this review.
As with most "Revision A" hardware, consumers find the bugs and "Revision B and so on" benefit from our finds.
Let's get the MacBook Cons out of the way:
1. Staining. Yes I got one of the first models with the staining problem. But it didn't happen at first, as a matter of fact it took it a couple months. I remember being asked by many people what I though of the MacBook and I would mention the staining as being one of the most talked about problems. At the time mine wasn't stained.
Then almost overnight the stains showed up. My stains are more orange than yellow and they look more like something that received sun bleaching in reverse.
Here is a pic of my stained MacBook.
2. Hard Drive Clicking. I notice this mostly when I'm surfing quietly in my family room. It's been reported on Apple Discussion Boards and here a few different times. It's very annoying, like a ticking clock only in 15 second intervals. It happens when my MacBook is perfectly still so it's not the SMS (Sudden Motion Sensor), unless of course there is a flaw with the SMS.
3. Case Separation. Before Apple released the MacBook firmware update my computer would get seriously hot. And I believe that heat began to cause the plastics to expand and separate. It's only on the side the processor is on. The edge of the LCD has begun to shift outward leaving a space. Notice the gap between the plastic above the ports and the palm rest plastic. My MacBook spends most of it's time on my lap so I always use it on the cutting board shown in the photos to assure air flow for the bottom of the machine. And yes my MacBook still gets very hot and warms the cutting board pretty good too.
Here is a pic of the case separation.
4. MacBook Bleeding. This was a random occurrence of something that happened after turning the MacBook on. I pressed the Power button and after the chime the screen bleed colors. Normally I would have restarted and never seen the problem again. So I restarted and it happened again, that's when I decided to get it on video. The video of the screen bleed was the third time it happened. After that I shut the machine down, removed the battery, waited a minute, reinstalled the battery and restarted the machine. The machine started normally and I haven't the screen again.
The pic I used above to show the staining on my MacBook was taken during the screen bleed.
AppleCare
I called AppleCare on 9/15/06 and talked with a very nice girl who took down all of my information. She said that the staining was definitely covered but I would have to send it in. She said the separation may be corrected when the stained plastics are replaced. But she said the HD clicking was not recognized and probably normal. As far as the video bleed she had me zap the PRAM even thought I told her it had not occurred again. I know they have to follow certain steps so I went along.
She informed me that all MacBooks for several months have used the new non-stainable plastics.
I'm not in a position to be without my machine so that was out of the question. Sending it in being my only option it will just have to wait. Since I purchased it on 5/19/06 I have plenty of time to send it in. My serial is 4H6201WMU9E and AppleCare gave me this Case #68173038.
I'm going to try and buy two new MacBook Pros, one for me and one for my wife (with glossy screens because they rock). Our business is starting to require a little more power than we currently have. If I'm able to get these new machines I will be able to send in the MacBook for repair.
I without question still completely recommend the MacBook.
Let's get to the MacBook Pros:
1. Screen. Today is the first day I've been outside with my MacBook and I was surprised that I can see the screen without squinting. I normally sit in the garage while my girls play and ride their bikes. My old PowerBook (the last 15" PB made) wasn't bright enough for me to see without squinting especially when it's sunny. Right now it's sunny, I'm not squinting, I'm in my garage and I an having no problems seeing my screen. The Glossy screen is a new requirement of mine. The resolution is a huge improvement over the previous iBook screens. After using a MacBook you will see the difference.
2. iSight. I don't get a lot of opportunities to use it but when I need it, it has been invaluable. I had the old iSight but it was a pain to use even though it worked very well.
3. Keyboard. The feel of the new keyboard is awesome. I like the separation of the buttons. I'm going to miss this keyboard when I upgrade to a MacBook Pro.
4. Trackpad. It's wider and that's a huge plus making it easier to use. Two finger scrolling, it makes you hate having to use other peoples machine. Two finger right click is genius.
5. MagSafe. As advertised this thing keeps you from damaging your computer. Mine has been pulled loose a dozen times saving my machine from possible damage.
6. Magnetic Closure. Unlike the original clamshell iBook this computer doesn't use springs or pressure to close it uses magnets. As much as you might think it doesn't matter it's a very nice feature. The machine will never accidentally open.
7. Superdrive. If you buy a computer that can not burn DVDs you are wasting your money.
That's it, the good and the bad as I've seen it with my MacBook.
UPDATE:
On Thursday November 2nd I sent my MacBook into Apple for repair. It was returned to me on Monday November 6th and the bezel around the screen, the top case (palm rest) and my hard drive were replaced. My MacBook now looks brand new and I no longer have to worry about the clicking hard drive. Thanks Apple.
Some of the problems with "Revision A" or the very first model released are noticed in this review.
As with most "Revision A" hardware, consumers find the bugs and "Revision B and so on" benefit from our finds.
Let's get the MacBook Cons out of the way:
1. Staining. Yes I got one of the first models with the staining problem. But it didn't happen at first, as a matter of fact it took it a couple months. I remember being asked by many people what I though of the MacBook and I would mention the staining as being one of the most talked about problems. At the time mine wasn't stained.
Then almost overnight the stains showed up. My stains are more orange than yellow and they look more like something that received sun bleaching in reverse.
Here is a pic of my stained MacBook.
2. Hard Drive Clicking. I notice this mostly when I'm surfing quietly in my family room. It's been reported on Apple Discussion Boards and here a few different times. It's very annoying, like a ticking clock only in 15 second intervals. It happens when my MacBook is perfectly still so it's not the SMS (Sudden Motion Sensor), unless of course there is a flaw with the SMS.
3. Case Separation. Before Apple released the MacBook firmware update my computer would get seriously hot. And I believe that heat began to cause the plastics to expand and separate. It's only on the side the processor is on. The edge of the LCD has begun to shift outward leaving a space. Notice the gap between the plastic above the ports and the palm rest plastic. My MacBook spends most of it's time on my lap so I always use it on the cutting board shown in the photos to assure air flow for the bottom of the machine. And yes my MacBook still gets very hot and warms the cutting board pretty good too.
Here is a pic of the case separation.
4. MacBook Bleeding. This was a random occurrence of something that happened after turning the MacBook on. I pressed the Power button and after the chime the screen bleed colors. Normally I would have restarted and never seen the problem again. So I restarted and it happened again, that's when I decided to get it on video. The video of the screen bleed was the third time it happened. After that I shut the machine down, removed the battery, waited a minute, reinstalled the battery and restarted the machine. The machine started normally and I haven't the screen again.
The pic I used above to show the staining on my MacBook was taken during the screen bleed.
AppleCare
I called AppleCare on 9/15/06 and talked with a very nice girl who took down all of my information. She said that the staining was definitely covered but I would have to send it in. She said the separation may be corrected when the stained plastics are replaced. But she said the HD clicking was not recognized and probably normal. As far as the video bleed she had me zap the PRAM even thought I told her it had not occurred again. I know they have to follow certain steps so I went along.
She informed me that all MacBooks for several months have used the new non-stainable plastics.
I'm not in a position to be without my machine so that was out of the question. Sending it in being my only option it will just have to wait. Since I purchased it on 5/19/06 I have plenty of time to send it in. My serial is 4H6201WMU9E and AppleCare gave me this Case #68173038.
I'm going to try and buy two new MacBook Pros, one for me and one for my wife (with glossy screens because they rock). Our business is starting to require a little more power than we currently have. If I'm able to get these new machines I will be able to send in the MacBook for repair.
I without question still completely recommend the MacBook.
Let's get to the MacBook Pros:
1. Screen. Today is the first day I've been outside with my MacBook and I was surprised that I can see the screen without squinting. I normally sit in the garage while my girls play and ride their bikes. My old PowerBook (the last 15" PB made) wasn't bright enough for me to see without squinting especially when it's sunny. Right now it's sunny, I'm not squinting, I'm in my garage and I an having no problems seeing my screen. The Glossy screen is a new requirement of mine. The resolution is a huge improvement over the previous iBook screens. After using a MacBook you will see the difference.
2. iSight. I don't get a lot of opportunities to use it but when I need it, it has been invaluable. I had the old iSight but it was a pain to use even though it worked very well.
3. Keyboard. The feel of the new keyboard is awesome. I like the separation of the buttons. I'm going to miss this keyboard when I upgrade to a MacBook Pro.
4. Trackpad. It's wider and that's a huge plus making it easier to use. Two finger scrolling, it makes you hate having to use other peoples machine. Two finger right click is genius.
5. MagSafe. As advertised this thing keeps you from damaging your computer. Mine has been pulled loose a dozen times saving my machine from possible damage.
6. Magnetic Closure. Unlike the original clamshell iBook this computer doesn't use springs or pressure to close it uses magnets. As much as you might think it doesn't matter it's a very nice feature. The machine will never accidentally open.
7. Superdrive. If you buy a computer that can not burn DVDs you are wasting your money.
That's it, the good and the bad as I've seen it with my MacBook.
UPDATE:
On Thursday November 2nd I sent my MacBook into Apple for repair. It was returned to me on Monday November 6th and the bezel around the screen, the top case (palm rest) and my hard drive were replaced. My MacBook now looks brand new and I no longer have to worry about the clicking hard drive. Thanks Apple.