Life

It is my opinion that Apple’s hardware/software is better than Microsoft Windows and their accompanying PC’s. However, Apple computers are generally (according to PC users) a hair more expensive than their PC counterparts, yet I still prefer the products.

But one thing that annoys me is the fact that my college (University of Minnesota) has a MCA (Microsoft Campus Agreement), but doesn’t have one with Apple. Why does this matter? Because I can get Microsoft software for penny’s on the retail dollar, but with Apple I save a measly $100 on a $1300 system.

Take for example the pricing of Microsoft software below (as per our Campus Agreement):

• Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate: $7
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional: $6
• Microsoft Office 2007: Free Download, $7 for DVD
• Microsoft Office 2004 Mac: $7

Thats right, despite Windows Vista being a disappointment, I get Vista, on DVD an official with a CD key for $7. How much will OS X 10.5 Leopard cost me? $116, and that is WITH my discount.

Vista Ultimate Retail: $400, I paid: $7, saving 98.25%.

OS X Leopard Retail: $130, Student price: $116, saving 11%.

Whats with that? Why is it Microsoft is willing to be so giving to College students and faculty, while Apple is giving us such a small savings.

When buying my Macbook, I was given the $100 student discount. Microsoft gives a $393 discount on a single piece of software. Does Apple wonder why so much loyalty and market share is still in the hands of Microsoft? Sure, Apple did have the short period where you got a free iPod Nano when buying a Macbook, but this was because they were making new iPod models and needed to clear out inventory. The discount (even after the new models were released), did NOT apply to the new ones, only the older models. Not to mention the iPod required full payment up-front, then a mail-in-rebate to receive the check. Apple needs to change the way it deals with College students if it hopes to win them over. I can’t speak for businesses, only for my college. However I can say that Microsoft offering such a large discount does nothing but encourage people to keep using their PC.

At work today, I opened a bottle of hydrochloric acid, and it started to have a ‘dry ice’ effect (appeared to be steaming), directly in my face. I closed the bottle, and guess what the bottle said (was well as wikipedia):

“Hydrochloric acid in high concentrations forms acidic mists. Both the mist and the solution have a corrosive effect on human tissue, potentially damaging respiratory organs, eyes, skin and intestines.”

Great, glad I inadvertently inhaled that.

One thing that has been getting on my nerves, as well as the nerves of the ‘non-asshole’ population is the increasing use of bluetooth earpieces. Don’t get me wrong, I am not against hands-free cell phone usage, as long as it is for the right reason, and the only reason it is acceptable is for driving. If you are driving a car, I would prefer you have an earpiece, but if you are no longer driving that car, TAKE IT OFF.

It is insane, people wear these things everywhere sporting it as if it were a fashion statement. Well I for one have had enough. I am sick of seeing people at places like Lifetime Fitness walking on the treadmill or around the track talking on their cell with a bluetooth earpiece. Does that person really, honestly feel they are so freaking important that they cant even work out without talking to someone. Then you have the people who are not even talking but keep it on their ear because they feel it does something to increase their status in society. Well guess what, it doesn’t.

Then there is the main reason why they should stop selling them, mistaken conversation. How many times have you been walking, heard someone say “Hi”, “What’s up” or some other greeting and thought they were talking to you? That happens to me more often than it should. Not until you see that giant pulsing blue LED on the earpiece do you realize, ‘oh, they are talking on the phone’. Then that makes you feel like an ass. It shouldn’t, but it always does.

I would love to ask each person using one of these earpieces, walking around with an undeserved sense of self importance why they find it necessary to be connected to their phone everywhere they go; whether it is grocery shopping, working out, or just walking down the street. Chances are they will just start to stutter, then break down crying about how they don’t really even own a cell phone, and they use the earpiece to look rich or some other bs story. Whatever the case be, I feel these pathetic self-esteem boosters need to be taken off the market before a small minority of people drive the majority nuts.

Ever since I first started using computers I was a Windows person. My first computer was a Packard Bell that I got in 1996 (I was 8 at the time) and it featured a whopping 75MHz of processing power, 8MB of get this, Integrated RAM (yeah, it was built into the motherboard), 500MB HD, CD, Floppy, a 14″ long Video card, and Windows 95. That system lasted me until the year 2000 believe it or not just found its way to the dump just over 1 year ago. I did my first coding on that system at age 8, making a text-based Who Wants to be a Millionaire game using QBASIC. It was awesome.

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So I was in the elevator at work today going from the 2nd floor to the ground floor, when it stopped on the 1st floor (Note that there are no stairs going from the 1st or 2nd floor to the ground floor). A man walked into the elevator the instant the doors opened on the 1st floor, walked to the elevator floor controls, and started pressing the “Ground” button over and over and over and over again, at 15 times. He was clearly pressing the button so the doors would shut and take us to the ground, however he figured that the more he pressed it the faster the doors would close allowing the elevator to go down to the ground floor.

Then on about the 15th time he pressed the button, the doors shut, and he got this look of satisfaction on his face. I was dumbfounded. People who do retarded stuff like that piss me off like nobody else. As if he had any reason to be satisfied in himself, the doors are on a TIMER, they shut when it reaches 0! No matter how many times you spam the Ground or Door Close buttons, it will close when the TIMER reaches 0! Big fucking surprise the doors shut, it was bound to happen, so why is it people think that their constant pressing of a button on a elevator has an effect on the elevators operation? If nothing happens when you push it once, nothing will happen on push 500!