Benny Ling’s Bling

Wow.

Just, wow.

There’s not a whole lot I can say about these – they’re nothing short of amazing, if not spectacular.

About a month ago my parents decided to re-take their ancient hi-fi system. As old as it was, the sound that came out of those Sony bookshelf speakers was something else – I’m no audiophile, but it sounded pretty darn good – well balanced, with plenty of mids. There really wasn’t anything wrong with them that I could fault.

And so stepped in my faithful Apple Pro speakers. In a former life these would have been sitting next to a Mac Cube, because as far as I know they’re the only Mac that came with the USB version of the Pro speakers. Sound quality, as you can expect, wasn’t particularly great with this set – apart from lacking volume, they also seemed a bit muddy, due in part to the lack of a dedicated tweeter, I’m sure.

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Finally, a third blue t-shirted tossrag comes to patronise me further. ‘Just leave it with us’ he says. No. Then he says oh, if it’s the HDD, we dont have them in stock. You will have to wait till next week.

I call bullshit. This is APPLE. People. APPLE.

So I ask if there is any alternative. Could I bring in a drive to be installed? No. Could I take it to another store for a faster resolution? No. Clearly the whole I AM HAVING A BABY VERY SOON part wasnt relevant here. Driving to Doncaster and back 7 times is a JOY.

via A Week At Apple — sunrisesister.

For those of you that didn’t bother to click the link and read the whole story, it goes a little like this:

Customer brings computer in to be fixed for dead graphics card (which results in logic board replacement). Not in stock, so customer waits.
Waits for quite a long time in Doncaster, noting that the seats aren’t made for pregnant women. So she stands for the 4.5 hours that she waits for. Apple are late for their appointment.
Anyway, logic board replaced, but as soon as she gets the machine home, she finds that the hard drive has died. Calls Apple, explains that she is, and I quote, “EXTREMELY PREGNANT”, and Apple aren’t helpful as they could be.
Continue debacle at Apple store, where it turns out her second appointment hasn’t been made. Manager asks for her to wait – which turns out to be an hour or so. Finally, you enter the crazy scene above, in which a guy tells her the bad news – machine needs to be left with them, hard drive not in stock, and so on.

As much as I respect the person who wrote this particular blog post, it’s stuff like this that shits me to tears – people who think that the world revolves around them, as much as it should do.

Working in retail exposes you to some fairly scary people – the loonies, the downright insane “I WANT IT DONE THIS WAY AND I WANT IT DONE NOW” people, yes, even the crazy ones. Some of these people aren’t satisfied with your work, no matter how much you try to please – nothing’s ever going to be good enough, fast enough, or cheap enough to satisfy their consumerist hunger.

Notice how many times I mentioned that she made a big deal of how she was EXTREMELY PREGNANT? That’s exactly the attitude I’m trying to get at, because to Apple, you’re just another faceless wannabe, someone that they couldn’t care less about, just another brick in the wall (apologies to Pink Floyd).

You’re pregnant. You’re elderly. Your right index finger was shot off in the war. Thanks for serving our country, reproducing, and living a good life, but if you think this entitles you to any special treatment, you’re wrong, no matter how pregnant you are, no matter how elderly, or how index finger-less.

FFS, just get over yourself already.

This little guy isn’t going to let go.

Let this vinyl decal bring out your inner child. It measures 4″x7″ fits right on your Macbook. *Please note: this decal will definitely make you the coolest kid in the library.

via Lego My Apple by MacSlaps on Etsy.

Speaking of Lego, I’m considering getting something similar for my Mac.

Namely, the black version of the Snow White one available on Etsy. Hawt.

This WebRidesTV video is a commercial made by Honda to showcase the Honda Accord. It is a two minute video that shows Honda Accord parts interacting with each other similar to a Rube Goldberg machine.

via YouTube – Honda – The Cog.

Like Apple, everything just works.

This post part of Blogtober 2009. Might have something else later.

Extracts taken from Apple’s Keynote address in September 2009. Note: No cuts are repeated. Done with iMovie09, which is really awesome…

via YouTube – Incredible, amazing, awesome Apple.

I’m no psycho-analyst, but after seeing a couple of similar videos from past Stevenotes one would think that such hint-dropping is all part of the reality-distortion field. Doesn’t it flow that somehow saying all those words subconsciously makes the people watching the video (and indeed, present at the keynote) associate such words with the Apple image, and indeed the brand?

No? Maybe I’m reading too much into this.

#2 You’re in the Windows or Mac camp

There’s no room for indifference when it comes to being a Mac fan or a Windows defendant. To be less biased about it, you need to be in one camp or the other. And this isn’t a battle waged only by die-hard Mac fanbois and girls – both Apple and Microsoft have run million-dollar campaigns based around the meme. (See the YouTube clip above.) It is still possible to be a Windows fan and own an iPhone, just make sure you bitch about its poor battery life. And often.

via How to get along with geeks: A seven-point guide | Article | The Punch.

via The Joy of Tech comic… There is only one Snow Leopard..

Snow Leopard.

You’ll probably get my thoughts later in the week, but for now -

Damn.

Designer Tommaso Gecchelin isn’t oblivious to all the rumors surrounding a netbook or tablet-like PC made by our favorite fruit manufacturer. We try not to indulge in rumors here at YD but sometimes they do provide fuel for inspiration, such is the case with this MacBook Touch.

via MacBook Touch by Tommaso Gecchelin » Yanko Design.

Ooh, shiny.

Three Microsoft engineers and three Apple employees are travelling by train to a computer conference. At the station, the three Microsoft engineers each buy tickets and watch as the three Apple employees buy only a single ticket.
“How are three people going to travel on only one ticket?” asks a Microsoft engineer. “Watch and you`ll see,” answers the Apple employee.
They all board the train. The Microsoft engineers take their respective seats, but all three Apple employees cram into a restroom and close the door behind them.
Shortly after the train has departed, the conductor comes around collecting tickets. He knocks on the restroom door and says, “Ticket, please.” The door opens just a crack and a single arm emerges with a ticket in hand. The conductor takes the ticket and moves on.
The Microsoft engineers saw this and agreed it was quite a clever idea. So after the conference, the Microsoft engineers decide to do the same on the return trip and save some money.
When they get to the station, they buy a single ticket for the return trip. To their astonishment, the Apple employees don`t buy any ticket, at all.
“How are you going to travel without a ticket?” asks one perplexed Microsoft engineer.
“Watch and you`ll see,” answers an Apple employee.
When they board the train the three Microsoft engineers cram into a restroom and the three Apple employees cram into another one nearby. The train departs.
Shortly afterward, one of the Apple employees leaves his restroom and walks over to the restroom where the Microsoft engineers are hiding. He knocks on the door and says, “Ticket, please…”

via Mac funnies – Page 4 – MacTalk Forums.

Are software touchscreen keyboards good for everyone? Certainly not. But this is another aspect of the Apple Way. Apple tries to make things that many people love, not things that all people like. The key is that they’re not afraid of the staunch criticism, and often outright derision, that comes with breaking conventions.

via Daring Fireball: Mobile Phone Keyboards.

..and you know what?

He’s damn right – Apple products aren’t for everyone, and that’s okay.

No, it’s not about “maintaining exclusivity”, or anything like that. It’s not about “being of a higher status” than someone else. Mostly, it’s just about having quality.

People have said that the Mac is a way of life – once you go Mac, you won’t go back and all that – but it’s more than that.

There’s a heap of people out there that shop on price alone. And that’s totally okay – everyone loves a good bargain, and it doesn’t make sense to be ripped off.

However, I get the feeling that those that compare spec for spec don’t take into account the other things – things like the OS, design, all the R&D money, etc. It’s those things that make the whole package, and one of the things that appeal the most to new Mac users.

via diesel sweeties: 8-bit robot romance webcomic and geeky t-shirts : A Day in the iLife.

Even if you haven’t worked in an actual Apple Retail store, it’s still damn true.

The most significant thing that Apple’s been touting about new iPhone 3GS is its speed. Generally, when you think about speed improvements, you think of faster CPUs, faster GPUs, and such. But one very important difference in the 3GS that’s contributing to the overall performance is the increased RAM and that’s pretty much gone under the radar.

[...]

CPU (central processing unit):

• original iPhone: ARM 11, 412 MHz
• iPhone 3G: ARM 11, 412 MHz
• iPhone 3GS: ARM Cortex, 600 MHz

GPU (graphics processing unit):

• original iPhone: PowerVR MBX Lite
• iPhone 3G: PowerVR MBX Lite
• iPhone 3GS: PowerVR SGX

RAM (random access memory):

• original iPhone: 128 MB
• iPhone 3G: 128 MB
• iPhone 3GS:256 MB

via tap tap tap ~ 256÷128=10?! The impact of the iPhone 3GS RAM increase.

Just goes to show, once again, that you can ALWAYS do with more RAM, regardless of whether you’re upgrading a computer or an iPhone – especially when you’re doubling the original amount of RAM to begin with.