The delights of Apple pie, Eve & Stupid, Greedy Microsoft!

I've had a very good week, but still where my blog's future direction lies is still a complete mystery to me. I put that down to having the mind of Blondel, a wandering minstrel who set out to rescue Richard the Lionheart back in the 13th century. I accept that, like Blondel, such magnificent rescue plans take a bit of effort, and along the way getting from Point A to Point B might be a somewhat laborious journey. I've no doubt I shall arrive upon a satisfying decision, time after all is the mother of all laziness.

However, back to the week. There's no doubt my mind is becoming crystallised and that I'm slowly drifting firmly towards the Apple pie. Depending on your point of view, Apple is either the be and end all of all things technically, or it's the devil incarnate. I take a somewhat more middling view, strange I should have a part of the brain which has a middle way: sadly that sounds more like a political conversion to mainstream political garbage, which I find utterly weary and have better things to do with my time. But I can't deny I've been seduced by the Apple, and Eve has done her Jobs.

Having used computers since the stone age, I'm still technically an idiot who has problems finding the off/on button, or should that be switch.  The fact that my present laptop is an all singing and dancing monster running Vista in German leaves me immensely frustrated on a daily basis, and does no more than make me desirous of becoming a slave to eating Apple pie at the earliest opportunity. And for those 'clever' individuals out there who say that I should learn German, that great American author Mark Twain explains the improbability of success better than I can.

Of course, Microsoft has managed to do itself in. This morning I tried to do some work using the 2010 beta version of Office, only for it to crash pretentiously, throwing a huge wobbly, declaring itself to be done and dusted, refusing point blank to allow me to play with it. What a stupid program, what a ridiculous way to treat an idiot who freely agreed to road test the blighter. I think of all those hours spent finding my way around a bloody new program, able to send smiley faces in favourable response to the bits I enjoyed playing with: what a complete waste of time and effort. For Microsoft to then throw a huge bucket of salt over my wounds, by demanding I stump up a ludicrous amount of money, for the completed version, just beggars belief. I now know how a lab rat feels when someone creeps up behind it and maliciously jabs a bloody big needle into its butt.

Yes, Eve has seduced me and eventually Jobs will see me sink my teeth into a worthy and delicious Mac. At least I can be reassured that Mark Twain will no longer have to turn over in his grave, overcome by his hysterical laughter at the sight of me pulling my hair out, caused by the hopelessness of my attempts to steer between two languages. Yes Microsoft, in future you can go and whistle up your own tight fitting trousers, where the moths never get to see the light of day, and if you keep suffering from constipation, caused by a body bloated by excessive profits, go and get a manual: just make sure it's not in Beta!

The wonderful wisdom of youth!

I know I haven't written anything lately, and writing this I wonder if I'll get to the end to finish it; or if I do, how much time it's taken to write a few paragraphs.  Of course, Mad T has been sort of busy this past week or so, job hunting, but time has largely been involved with the joys of technology.  This is one area I willing confess to being a complete idiot, and my admiration for the mass of young individuals out there knows no bounds in their individual search for technological glory and immortality.

Of course it would be very self-defeating in my own creative quest to completely ignore the undoubted 'wisdom' of young aficionados of the MacWorld, they, after all they clearly love their passion and dedication for their love of Macs and software.  And as I've sat through endless Youtube videos, increasing my own particular knowledge, I can't help but admire their enthusiasm and devil may care attitude.  Yes, I've learnt much and will continue to do so, and the most I've learnt is that their determination to be 'heard' is wonderfully refreshing, no matter the doubts about their teaching style, their occasional impatience and their, sometimes, expectation you're on the same planet as they are.

But the one thing that is wonderfully engaging is their refusal to stick to the norm, to take you through a particular subject sticking to the manual.  Watching them is akin to watching the 'rebel' finding the quickest solution to a problem posed, and totally ignoring the 'wisdom of their elders'.  This is no doubt fuelled by their desire to 'get on with it', having little fear of the consequences, and in the end showing that experience isn't the only crutch we should lean on.

As I'm a 'newbie' to the world of the Mac and its software, my starting point is Apple's tutorials on this or that, but they don't answer every question.  In many ways they are curtailed by their inability to do any more than give the essential basics, which tends to restrict the amount of knowledge they can pass on.  And if you watch an Apple tutorial they stick to the point, slavishly follow the manual and leave you only a little more wiser than when you started.  No, I'm not being critical of Apple, they do what they do well, supported by a vast knowledge base but I can't help wonder if they couldn't do somethings better.

So, as I'm now embarked on a very steep learning curve the one thing I appreciate more than anything is the shortcut to an answer.  Those shortcuts, the very lifeblood of all learning, will get me there much quicker to where I want to be.  And if there is one moral to this blog, it's that we should pay far more attention to the minds and wisdom of the young; it's one thing showing grandma how to suck eggs, it's another showing grandma how to do it with more enthusiasm and passion.