Well, I have decided to have a rant page. Yup, there's things I need to yell about. Ha, don't worry, nothing here is going to be nasty about anyone I know, these are just random things that bother me which need a rant. Enjoy ^_^ Macs vs Windows Part II Oho, a part II... you know what that means. Well, it's not what you're thinking. Actually, now that I'm an owner of both systems, I find it a heck of a lot easier to do stuff. I still prefer my Mac 100% to the PC because it doesn't have as many problems and is nicer to use, but I find it easier to do EVERYTHING I want to by having both systems. For example, the PC is great for making Powerpoint presentations, Flash animations, downloading anything I want and capturing video. My Mac is great for Photoshop, my website HTML, not getting viruses, having all my files, and editing/managing Mp3s and videos. See, it's the best of both worlds. So I'm saying that I've come to accept the PC, as I usually have both on, and am running upstairs and downstairs sending files back and forth from one to another. When I had them both downstairs, I had one hand on each keyboard. They interact perfectly, so now I know that when people tell me "I can't read a file because you have a Mac", I know they're lying. Or have no idea what they're doing with their computer, because if I can work a PC fine, anyone can. Cha! Macs vs Windows A tinge strong...Don't read if you don't want to Ok, this is a rant I have been preparing for the past 3 years. It just hit me today how much people bother me with the whole Macs vs Windows diddy. I was getting my hair done, talking with Rachel (my hairdresser) while the hairdresser beside us was talking to his client about technology. He mentioned something about MC's, then his client corrected him and said, "Mp3s?" and he was like, "Yeah, that's it." I somehow got on the topic of computers with Rachel, she said she had a Windows and I said I had Mac. She was like, "O, what's that?" and before I could reply, the hairdresser beside me breaks into our conversation and says, "You have a Mac?!? Those things are still around?" I explained that I've had a Mac since I was 5, and I couldn't complain about them. They can do everything a Windows can, and they're my personal preference. He then says, "You must only be able to do graphics, that's all they're good for. My friend bought an $8000 Mac for graphics, and he can't even hook up to the internet." And I was like, you idiot, you don't buy a computer that expensive and it can't get the internet. He obviously doesn't know what he's doing. A point about Macs is how easy they can hook up to the internet. All you need is to plug the cord in, go into the Access Manager/Remote Access, type in your password, user id, and phone number/network you're connecting to, and press "Connect". Any idiot could do it. Then he goes on about how I must be a genius to use a Mac. And I'm like, "No, if anything, Macs are too easy to use." I explained that I use a PC at school, and a Mac at home, and that a Mac is just less confusing. I'm sure a Mac would be confusing to someone who's never used one before, as a PC would be to me if I'd never used one before. But when you have a experience on both like I do, then you can make an educated decision, not an assumption. I’ve had the choice to get a PC for years, it’s not like I’m forced to use a Mac, I just like them better. He kept taking shots at my computer and I eventually said to him, "Don't get me started." Believe me, I have enough experience putting up with people who just pick on Apple to make themselves look better or me look worse. I've had this teasing for God knows how long, and I just have to ask if those jerks don't have any else better to do. I'm sorry for getting angry, but when you get made fun of for your personal preference, it gets goddamn annoying. Maybe they say they're not picking on me personally, but when you make fun of a person's choice and belongings, that reflects your opinion of them. It's like that person's not smart enough or too stubborn to fall behind every other person who uses this one operating system. It's like saying that if you don't own Nike shoes, there's something wrong with you, and you need to have your choice made fun of. I dunno, but I don't see people taking shots at Linex or Unix users, so why only Macs? Hell, we were around first before Windows, it's not like we're copying you. I understand we take shots at Windows too, but if you've noticed, I only make fun of your computers because you started making fun of mine first (Nowak is not included here, haha ^_^). Sure, I sometimes say, "O, it's not working because it's a Windows." Ok, I'll admit, mistake on my part, but when a Mac is made fun of 99% of the time compared to a PC is, excuse my intrusion. I'll shut up about that. Maybe it's because there's something about Macs users who are so damn protective about their computers that they'll do things to defend them. It's hard to understand when you've never owned one (as 99% of you never have), but when you're a minority, you'll fight harder for something rather than just giving in to what everyone else has. I love my Mac more than most things in the world, and I'm sure a lot of you don't feel that way about your computers. Damn, I kiss my computer goodnite. Too bad, maybe it's just that important and significant in my life. Maybe that's why I'll fight so violently and hard for its reputation in a world where everyone follows each other in getting the same system. I understand you want to be compatible to everything on the internet, to each other, and have about 94% of the computer market. Well, maybe all of that compatibility is a product of everyone doing the same thing. And I also know none of you will never get a Mac. I don't care. Have your supposed "more" games, "more programs", and "more" ability to physically upgrade your computer. But don't say because you dominate the market that there can't be better OS's out there and that I'm an absolute fool for getting a Mac. I will never EVER get a Windows as long as I live, because I'm perfectly happy with Apple, not that I hate Windows. I don't hate Microsoft. They have developed some of my favourite sites/programs/gaming systems (yes Matt Nash, I actually like the X Box, knowing what you said). I just hate people who pick on the ones who are different. Contrary to what a lot of you think, I can get anything and everything, and don't have a problem with programs. I don't spend 100% of my computer time doing graphics. I spend my time on the internet, on ICQ and playing Quake 3 with *gasp* other Windows users. We are not this little segregated section of stubborn Photoshop users, we are actual computer users who like the Mac OS and like our computers. We don't have to follow what everyone else does and listen to people's opinions about us. I actually am kinda proud to be a Mac user, because we're pretty hard to come by. And that's not because the Mac is an inferior system, it's because when you're in a world run by Windows, it's hard to be different. The reason the Mac was succeeded by PCs in the late 1980's was because they were cheaper. Mac's were damn expensive, and not a lot of people could afford them. So when the general public's got this one operating system, obviously every programming company/peripheral manufacturer catered towards them in the early 1990's. And this left the Mac as a minority. Now we are not more expensive (Brand new IBooks -128/500/30 - are only about $2 000). But the reason we're not competition for Microsoft is because there's just too little of us, and a stereotype that Macs are shit. Seriously, think about it. What the hell is wrong with being different when you can do everything you need to do with a computer? So if I hear one more person pick me and my computer apart, I'm going to go crazy. Don't get me wrong, not all Window users are like this. A lot I know couldn't care about me having a Mac, and prefer their PCs. Fine with me, I like these people. A lot of you don't realize this, but when Jeremey/Spaky took shots on my computer last Sunday, I started to cry. I just didn't let you see because you probably would think there was something wrong with me, being that compassionate about a hunk of plastic. Maybe after you read this explanation, you can understand why I feel the way I feel. I just don't want to hear it anymore, and if I see an improvement, I'll start feeling different about Windows users. High Beams Yup, you heard me. High beams. I was coming home today, and it ticked me off to no end when people driving along in their cars have their high beams going. Yes, I understand that they are trying to be 'safer' and see further, but are they that thick that they don't realize they blind everyone in the oncoming lane for a km? That's not just inconvenient, it's dangerous. I've driven tons of times up north where these idiots come along flooding the forest with bright halogen lights. It's fine when there's no one in front of you and no one oncoming, but not when you're stuck in heavy traffic. High beams blind a driver, so much that they can't see the road ahead, nor the lines on the pavement. If idiot drivers would realize that, then maybe they wouldn't be causing a person to veer off the road, or blind them for a minute. Maybe those arrogant individuals should head back to driving school, or at least stare into a flashlight for a minute.