Why I think Apple's about to sell out (if it hasn't already)

[This was an old post from '07/'08. I took it down because I was applying for a job at CG Computers, which is a Mac-centric store. Since I'm not hired... what the hey.]

Don't get me wrong, I love Apple. I've been using Macs since 1993. Leopard came out some time ago, and, like many Mac fans, I was thinking of upgrading. But once, you upgrade, there's practically no turning back. If you downgrade, the lesser version is going to be a bit off since it's already had the new one. (Just like Firefox 1.5. I accidentally installed Firefox 2, found out I didn't like it so much, and tried to stop halfway. Firefox 1.5 still runs, but the Theme is a bit off. At least, though.)

Anyway, I went down over to the store, and checked out Leopard for myself. One of the reasons I was pretty excited about it was because it's said to have around 300 changes(!!!) with this new release. So I went to fiddle with one of the MacBooks.

Didn't like it.

For one thing, everything looked like iTunes, even when you're not IN iTunes. And they integrated the stuffs with the stuff on the left, and they did away with the many-windows thing that I like (at least, I think they did). Checked out Time Machine, it looked cool, but then I wondered, "How much memory is this going to take UP??" Back-ups need memory too, and I've always been a bit crazy with my memory. *heehee* There was this brochure listing the 300 changes so, on my way down, I read through it. More than half of those changes really didn't apply to me. I mean, Terminal?? I don't use that. I don't even know how to use that! Whenever I try to put in my Admin password, I couldn't! Mostly programmer/source changes and stuff, stuff I don't even get. My judgement might've been pretty hasty, but I REALLY didn't want to upgrade after that.

And lucky that I didn't.

I read this article in the papers the other day about how more and more Mac users are downgrading back to Tiger (Leopard came out, oh, sometime October/November; the article was in December). Hmmm. Reminds me of another recently-out OS that people said was kinky.

*cough* Vista *cough*

I googled the term 'downgrading to Tiger', and true enough, I read a forum post somewhere that the new Leopard might be the new Vista. It keeps hanging. Jonathan said he heard that with Leopard, you can get the Blue Screen of Death (BSoD), which is something that I've never experienced before with my Macs. Sure, the thing freezes. But no blue screen. All my frozen screens have been technicolour.

As the new OS's keep coming (OS X onwards), I feel that Apple's slowly crossing over to the dark side. That is, ahem, Windows.

*cough* Intel processors *cough*

One niggle I've always had with OS X was the fact that it reminded me too much of Windows. I'm not entirely sure who copied who this time around (since OS X came out around the same time as XP, if I'm not wrong), but OS X's interface looks quite a bit like Windows. Move the icons to the left, turn the Dock Hiding off, lose the menu at the top, and there you have it. Rather familiar-looking, don'cha think? Maybe they're trying to get Windows users to convert and thought that their Windows-blown minds wouldn't be able to handle the original simplicity. Hahaha. Although I gotta admit, the Dock comes in mighty convenient sometimes.

About my quibble with Intel processors: Yeah, they're faster (my laptop runs on PPC, which lags sometimes. But there's probably 'cos I have loads of crap on it), and sometimes I wish that I'm running on Intel. But one thing that Intel cannot run, is the Classic OS 9 environment emulation-thingy. Either they didn't include it in, or they couldn't. Sure, you got SheepShaver and Basilisk. They're free, if you know where to get 'em. But it's extremely tedious trying to get OS 9 itself installed (it's hard trying to get the OS itself!), since SS and B are open-source, and require you to know command-lines and Linux functions (which I know absolutely jack about, I'll have you know). And they only have updates up to System 7. System 8 is virtually extinct. Can't find it anywhere, even though it's supposedly free or something. I wouldn't give up Classic for the world (unless I can find AND figure out how to run System 8, which is the one before they started The Change). There's no other way I can run my games. They're ancient.

I remember when:
1) There weren't so many drop-down menus on the right, just the time and the applications in use. Now there's Spotlight, and a host of other things you can add on. Spotlight might be intuitive, but I really don't dig Internet cookies coming up with every search.
2) Shut Down had its OWN titled menu along with Restart and Empty Trash and some others, instead of being under the Apple menu.
3) The Apple menu had a whole bunch of other mini-applications (I call them 'mini' cos they're a bit like widgets, but aren't). Those mini-apps go under Widgets now, I think. Widgets are kinda fun, though.
4) You have to open every single folder to look for that elusive game/file. I'll admit, clicking the Applications folder-slot thingy on the right is a lot faster than double-clicking the Applications folder-icon itself. But that's only it. I don't really use the rest. Luckily, they have this option where you can choose to have a whole bunch of windows open. Last I checked on Intel Macs, they did away with that. Or maybe I couldn't find it.
5) They had funny names for the folder colours. Like Red was Hot, Blue was Cool, Orange or Pink was Work-in-Progress or something. And during then, the whole folders changed colours, instead of just the names.

I can't remember what my old LCII ran on, but it sure wasn't OS 9. I don't think it was System 8 either. Maybe 7 or 6. I'm really, really sad that it broke down some years ago, and, knowing the locals, they don't have the parts, and they don't know/want to get the parts. The only way I can probably get it fixed, is to lug my massive computers (yeah, cos the other one's also gone boom boom) all the way to the States, and see whether they still have parts or not (and even that isn't really guaranteed). Yeah. Like my mom's gonna let me do that.

The only good thing I found with OS X so far is only the individual application hangs, and not Finder. I don't have to restart the entire computer just because my game got frozen. And the fact that I can play my old LucasArts games (thank you, ScummVM!!). They didn't really work on the other two (actually they worked on the LCII, but I was too young then. By the time I was old enough, the LCII was already on the bye-bye). I miss playing Sierra's The Adventures Of Willy Beamish. It was too fast on the OS9 (the stupid Cook always catches me before I could throw the freaking cup at her), and it's still too fast on the OSX (I can now play Willy Beamish! Yay! I can finally throw the cup at Cook and she doesn't catch me prematurely! Whee!!). I miss PageMaker. I miss when Trash was an icon by itself on the desktop, and how you can install this little plug-in so that when you Empty Trash, Oscar the Grouch comes out and sings, "I love it, because it's TRASH!" or, "I. Love. TRASH!!!" He had so many songs... :( And back then, they actually TELL you the total memory of the items about to be thrown out.

(As for the selling-out, I saw somewhere that even though Apple is a computer manufacturer, most of its income right now is coming from the Pods and the Phones. No wonder over there. Pretty soon, they'll probably phase out the comps. Hope not. I mean, where'm I gonna get my parts from?)

I guess I'm a REALLY old-school Mac user. But old-school's always tried and tested. The new ones are the ones that are funky.

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This has been driving me nuts!

There's this song on the radio that was stuck in my mind for a while (in a good way), but, having the misfortune of not catching either the title nor the artiste, I only had part of the lyrics to go with.

The Google wasn't really on my side, either, but the song sounded like The Killers, which made things slightly promising.

After Wiki-ing them (yea, I was desperate), I decided to check out Spaceman on YouTube since it was their latest single. It didn't really sound like the one I heard on the radio in some parts (the lyrics I Googled with weren't in the song), but since I only heard bits of it, I thought I had it right, so I was happy.

I was also wrong.

A few days later, I managed to catch the song again, this time from the halfway onwards, and since my mom wasn't in the car, I could pay attention to the DJ at the end of it to see whether the song name/artist was mentioned.

I heard "Pesawat".

While I was trawling the radio websites for the song (yes, I was THAT desperate) before stumbling onto Spaceman, I came across the Malaysian Entertainment Top 10 charts, which I didn't give a glance, since it's, well, local.
But I did notice that band's name, plus their song.

Back to the YouTube. Finally got to hear the song in its entirety. And I'm right this time, so yay.

Now THIS is what's been driving me crazy:

Both songs sound very alike.

Yes, you read right. A song, by a local band, sounding like it came from an internationally-acclaimed band. Almost exactly, even. And me liking it.

That coming from me.

Now, there's nothing wrong about that; it's just that I'd like some validation on whether there's something wrong with my HEARING, that is, if everyone else doesn't think the songs are alike, and could tell them apart by miles.

I've embedded the songs below, do check them out:

Excuse Me - Pesawat:


Spaceman - The Killers:


So do they, or don't they, sound alike? Please comment; this has been niggling me in the mind-nuts for some time now.

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Does LJBlogger-cut work?

Does it, or does it not?

Yes it does.

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Angels & Demons (2009)

First of all, this movie was much, much better than The Da Vinci Code.

[Plus, Tom Hanks looks much, MUCH better. Thank goodness!]

I say that because I feel that Angels and Demons was a far more superior book than The Da Vinci Code. Although the latter is very interesting and touches on a much more controversial subject than the former, Angels and Demons has people dying by the hour. You can't beat carnage in a book.

[Agatha Christie's Death Comes As The End, has people dying every two-three chapters. It remains one of my favourite books.]

Plot-wise, they made a lot of changes to the beginning, which I can accept, because it'd be VERY formulaic if they kept the book's, as in Guy Gets Mutilated -> Langdon Gets Called In -> Guy's Adopted Daughter Wants Revenge -> Seemingly Evil Character Who Is Actually Good.

Here's what I liked about the movie:

• Ewan McGregor. I loved the Camerlengo in the book, and I thought that Ewan McGregor would be spot-on, which he was. 'Cept he wasn't Italian in this one.
  

[They tend to give REALLY pivotal roles to much more established actors, and that usually gives away the game for me.
Fr'instance, Lauren Bacall in Appointment with Death. When a famous person plays a character that doesn't even show up for a quarter of the movie, you KNOW she's just that relevant.]

[Because it's friggin' Lauren Bacall.]

• The Assassin. They probably didn't go into that whole Illuminati business with the guy due to time constraints, but I actually liked the guy. He didn't take pleasure in killing the Cardinals; he just did it 'cuz he was getting paid. He doesn't like prolonging death. I was a bit pissed at first, because I was looking forward to the sadistic bastard in the book.

[Plus, he was cu with a really nice pair of spats.]

• PAOLO FROM FRIENDS!! Even though he died.
  
• Anti-matter-go-boom part. Looked way cool.
  
• Ewan McGregor. Excellent casting. Love the guy.
  

Secondly, though I've come to terms that the word 'adaptation' means 'creative liberty with source material', I'm still gonna nitpick:

• No Maximilian Kohler. I thought the misdirection in the movie seemed forced, since EVERY OTHER SCENE with Cardinal Strauss made him look power-hungry and possibly-evil. The different-named Cardinal in the book (only one prominent Cardinal) was a very decent and nice person. Obligatory misdirection aside, if they'd followed the book, then they wouldn't have to keep the fourth Cardinal alive.
  

[Plus, how many times is Armin Muehller-Stahl going to be THE morally-questionable character of a story?]

• In the beginning, why was there blood on the rest-thingy on the outer door if the dead guy and his eyeball was inside the entire time? Yes, the murderer would need his eye to bypass the security system to get to the anti-matter, but there was no mention of another dead man with a missing eyeball, so there shouldn't be any blood on that chin-rest which was on the outside of the lab.
  
• They totally changed the character of the guy who died at the beginning. This makes Vittoria's presence moot. She didn't have much of a point in the movie, except to look pretty and run around with Tom Hanks change the battery of the anti-matter canister. In the book, the man in the beginning was her father. That's why she was along for the trip.
  
• Was looking towards the "WTBloodyF" moment of the book, but it wasn't in the movie. Which brings me to this: Why "Patrick McKenna"? Why not keep "Carlo Ventresca"? Don't tell me Ewan McGregor can't do an Italian accent.

[They also changed the names of every other character that is not Robert Langdon and Vittoria Vetra. Like, why, man?]
[The Camerlengo is Irish. Isn't McKenna a Scottish name?]

• Where is the Illuminati Diamond? Oh noes, Carmen Sandiego stole it!
• The ending. The one in the book had more of an impact, and explains the Camerlengo's actions in much more detail. You'd actually feel sorry for the guy, and his final act literally IS a "Father, forgive me" kinda thing, rather than, "Oh, I've failed, quick way out, please." I loved how the book portrays him as a very sympathetic character, one who strongly believed that he could make a difference, unlike in the movie, where he just seems old-fashioned. They probably could've taken a minute or so out of the water-rescuing scene and devoted it for this.
  

[Dan Brown has a knack for creating very likeable characters, before revealing them to be true villains of the piece. I hate him for that.]

All in all, good movie. Can't match the book, of course, but not as far off as The Da Vinci Code.
Really missed the guy in the wheelchair.

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Melbourne, Day 1!

So we touched down at about 10am, headed to the hotel to check in, before going out for lunch. We stayed at the Crown Promenade, which isn't in the city, but just on the outskirts. It IS close to the Convention Centre, which I have to get there at 9am on Day 2 for my graduation ceremony.

Photos of the hotel room:

Highly overpriced snacks.

Cutlery and things. Surprisingly, the drink packets were free. We think. Shit.

Closet.

In the bathroom.

In the bathroom Pt. 2.

FLAT-screen.

And double beds. TWIN double beds. Mine is on the right.

After making sure everything's okay, we took the train to Camberwell to go to Sofia's, which is well-known for huge, huge, huge-ass servings. We had the Pasta Mista, which to me, is the pasta sampler, since they give you 3 types of pasta on one plate.

Picture doesn't do it justice. It was fucking HUGE!

Dollar to a dollar, $30 is SO WORTH IT for a plate like this, but conversion really is a bitch.

We couldn't finish the pasta, so we took it back with us.

After that, I met up with my landlady to get my mail, then we headed to the Tax Office to handle my tax returns.

[Yes, I have tax returns to file. I am officially an adult.]
[Tee dubble hee.]

The whole Tax Office thing was pretty straightforward, and I got it down in a (waitforit) jiffy. After that, we got so lazy (well, me, actually) of walking around that we just took a cab back to the hotel. It cost us $10.

[In case you're wondering, the pasta was still with us. Luckily it didn't spoil over.]

Back at the hotel, I started jumping on the beds for a bit, then plomped down to watch TV. As I've mentioned here, they have an ass-ton of good American TV shows that puts Malaysia to shame.

[I was prejudiced; always had the impression that Aussie TV will show ass-ton of Aussie shows. It's equally balanced, actually.]

After (no. 4) watching Everybody Loves Raymond, Family Guy, and a few other shows that I DO watch (but can't really recall), we went out to check out the way to the Convention Centre, which isn't as close as I thought it'd be. Took us about 20 minutes to get it right, because I took us on the wrong path for a while and had to double back.

The city skyline at night is way lovely. BRIGHT PRETTY LIGHTS!!1one

We had dinner in our room; the leftover pasta. Surprisingly, it's still good from all that walking. We couldn't finish it, so we ate most, and put it aside. Sob.

Then we went to sleep.

MULTIPLE photos of the view from our room:

That is the Yarra River.

PricewaterhouseCoopers. It'd be cool if I was attached to that company, WHICH I'M NOT. *FUME!*

Same thing at night.

Annndd....

Ray Romano.

That's all for Day 1, folks. Day 2 shall be up soon.

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I'm finally on Technorati!

After months and months and months of NOT getting past the registration page, I'm finally in!!

Yay-ness! :D

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Just bawled my eyes out.

During Desperate Housewives.

I know. "What the hell?" crossed my mind, too.

It was that episode with Beau Bridges as the handyman who helped a lot of people. Thing is, I only started tearing up near the end, when it was revealed that Mary Alice (our narrator) was the reason why Beau was so nice and helpful to everyone.

I don't like Hallmark, but occasionally, something like this is kinda nice :)


[Also, I seem to have a problem spelling 'occasion'. Always with one 'c' rather than two.]

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