Joshua Kors – Thumbs Down
Joshua Kors writes about “Why I’m Returning My iMac.” He goes through a long list of grievances, almost all of which could be remedied with some decent problems solving skills, or at least a simple Google search. For Example:
Turns out there’s a video camera embedded in the screen, and before I could boot her up for the very first time, she wanted to take my picture. For “identity purposes,” she said. I stumbled to the bathroom, brushed my hair (and my teeth), exchanged my raggedy Raiders t-shirt for a professionally ironed button-up and returned to my desk, smirking at the turn of events. My old PC didn’t care if I called the Pentagon in my bathrobe. My iMac apparently had registered with Match.com.
Um – this can be skipped, or he could use a default picture that comes pre-installed for your account.
I had an article to write, but the only word processor I could find on my iMac was TextEdit, essentially a stripped-down version of Notepad.
He should have bought Microsoft Word while he was at the Apple Store, not to mention that TextEdit has way more features than Notepad does.
I booted up my bank account before realizing the Mac keyboard had no number pad
He could have plugged in your old keyboard via USB.
and was heartsick to learn that the thesaurus WordWeb, every author’s best friend, didn’t work on Mac’s OS. Neither did Ipswitch FTP, my file-uploader. Some headaches I expected. I knew that, unlike a PC, I wouldn’t be able to connect one computer to another and transfer over my documents. Instead I had to use my external hard drive, like a makeshift canoe, to migrate my articles, music and videos from one computer to the next.
I’m sure that some people reading this article will have their opinions of Macs tainted by the author. Unfortunately, the problem wasn’t with the computer, but with the user himself.
I think my cousin @ADSchneider sums it up best with his tweet about the article: “I really wish that this was supposed to be satire… If this guy’s a web designer, then I’m an astronaut”
Microsoft Trying To Be Cool – Thumbs Down
I’m sure you have seen a YouTube video of a cool flash mob. Even some “flash mob” type commercials, obviously for a brand, are still entertaining (the T-Mobile video of people singing in London comes to mind).
I bet you have also been inside an Apple Store to try out or buy some of their products.
Well, Microsoft decided to put these two things together (an Apple store and a “flash mob” type of event with their employees) in an uninspiring display of song and dance at the Microsoft Store in Mission Viejo:
This is what the original poster of the video said on his blog: Mid way through our visit the entire store broke out into song. Now I have seen this gimmick before at Coldstone Creamery and I know how they have been criticized in the media for it, but here it did not seem forced nor contrived, I would honestly say that this was the staff letting go, having some fun and not taking the brand all to seriously.
Really?? I think it looks both forced and contrived.
He also said this about the look of the store: I guess I have been disconnected from the platform for quite a while because I did not even realize that Microsoft had store but I have heard so many great things about Windows 7 I just had to check it out. I half expected the store to be a bland uninspiring cheap knockoff of an Apple Store, but WOW was I in for a surprise.
Really?? To me, the store looks exactly like an Apple Store. If I didn’t know it was a Microsoft Store, I would think it was selling iPhones and MacBooks. All the details seem the same – right down to the t-shirts and lanyards the employees are wearing.
In summary and in conclusion, the video of the Microsoft employees breaking out into dance has a 1.5 star rating on YouTube. I’m surprised it isn’t lower.
(Check out the original blog post, and commentary on Engadget)
Historical Tweets – Thumbs Up
Do you like history, Twitter, and/or jokes? If so, you’ll probably enjoy this humorous site: historicaltweets.com. It takes famous historical events and supposes what the figure in the event would tweet about it. While not every historical tweet is very funny, there are quite a few good ones on the site. If you’re not familiar with Twitter, the things to look at besides the actual tweet (message) are where the person is tweeting from and the date (small text below the tweet), the historical figure’s username (at the bottom of each image), and if they are replying to someone else (you will see an @ before the other person’s name). Here are some examples:
