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Kim Jong-Un Found To Be Mac User

Posted by yaelk on from the who-would-have-thought dept.

jones_supa writes: He might hate the United States, but he sure digs those designed-in-California computers. You probably wouldn't take Kim Jong-un as a Mac user. Usually, in photos of him checking out military computers, we see the North Korean dictator in front of a PC with a Dell monitor. However, a handful of photos of the supreme leader at his own desk show him with Macs, leading to the assumption that while the military may use PCs, his personal preference is Mac. Reuters correspondent James Pearson, who covers both Koreas, tweeted out a fresh image of little Kim using a MacBook Pro inside an aircraft. There are other images, including a 2013 image of Kim Jong-un at his desk with an iMac. That same year, the South Korean newspaper Chosun published a photo from North Korean Central News Agency, which features an Apple iMac. This might also explain why the country's home-grown Linux distribution Red Star imitates OS X.

122 of 195 comments (clear)

  1. Interesting. by grub · · Score: 5, Funny

    I had no idea he was gay.

    --
    Trolling is a art,
    1. Re:Interesting. by justcauseisjustthat · · Score: 4, Funny

      Have you seen his hair?

    2. Re:Interesting. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Or how much he loves Katy Perry?

    3. Re:Interesting. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Have you seen his hair?

      And he does seem to have a crush on Dennis Rodman.

    4. Re: Interesting. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Wait, HE was the evil one?

    5. Re: Interesting. by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 3, Funny

      Wait a minute... so if Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump are twins, you assume Kim is the evil one for some reason?

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    6. Re:Interesting. by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      I had no idea he was gay.

      Is your Gaydar offline today?

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    7. Re:Interesting. by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 2

      Someone can't take a joke. It's funny because it's about the "New and Improved Glorious Leader of the DPRK".

      So here's another one to offend you:

      Three women are standing in a row. The first on is 5' tall, the second one is 5'6, the third one is 6' tall.

      Q. Which one's the transsexual?

      A. The one with the turtleneck.

      Does posting that joke make me a transphobic bigot?

      --
      "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
    8. Re:Interesting. by rtb61 · · Score: 1, Troll

      Overall that fellow looks pretty ill, check the hands where they forgot to put make up, overindulging much. Let's hope next time he leaves the country, they stop dicking about and simply arrest the ass hat for crimes against humanity and be done with it, same for the rest of the North Korean leadership. No more talks, just total isolation and arrest and prosecution at first opportunity. Just make North Korea China's problem in every way possible and make them deal with the resource and economic drain. Much like Russia did with the Ukraine, boy are those cheeky buggers saving money now, billions every year and we can do pretty much the same in a different direction.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    9. Re:Interesting. by rednip · · Score: 3, Informative

      Yea, no way that could go wrong says the guy who clearly doesn't live in Seoul, South Korea with their family and all their assets within marching distance from over a million North Korean soldiers.

      --
      The force that blew the Big Bang continues to accelerate.
    10. Re:Interesting. by cavreader · · Score: 4, Interesting

      It's surprising that China has not been more forceful with NK. China's leadership are all closet capitalists and are very pragmatic. Every move NK makes only increases the size of the US military footprint in the region. Japan and SK are requesting the US to deploy missile defense batteries in the region. Missile defense systems that could very easily be used to degrade China's offensive and defensive missile forces. That is the last thing China wants to see.

    11. Re: Interesting. by CanEHdian · · Score: 1

      That's what TFA is about... he's a... Mac User!

      --
      When the copyright term is "forever minus a day", live every day like it's the last.
    12. Re: Interesting. by grub · · Score: 1, Insightful

      My main computer and laptop are Macs. It was a joke, butthurt SJWs are hilarious in their rage.

      --
      Trolling is a art,
    13. Re:Interesting. by Alypius · · Score: 1

      showing their true colors...

      ...says the AC.

    14. Re:Interesting. by Jeremi · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Conventional wisdom is that China props up the North Korean government because if it collapses, China will have 25 million starving refugees at their doorstep (not that they don't already, but for now at least they aren't China's problem).

      What actions China considers the best ones to accomplish that goal, and whether they are correct about the efficacy of their approach, is way above my pay grade.

      --


      I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
    15. Re:Interesting. by rtb61 · · Score: 1

      China doesn't do much because as it currently stands it can not, too many fingers in the pie and too many demands placed upon what will happen. It is pretty much up to everyone else to wash their hands of North Korea and let it fester on China's doorstep and then they can and will do something about it. How the reuniting goes with South Korea some number of years or even decades occurs, is another question, as long as the current mess is solved, the future one can be tackled at a future date, as long as the Government of China is respected in this, resolution should be pretty simple. Just let them take the lead.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    16. Re:Interesting. by psych0fred · · Score: 1

      Put an Apple product in their hands and they think they have control. Pretty, shiny.

    17. Re:Interesting. by cavreader · · Score: 2

      If the NK government collapses I think you might see a lot of Chinese citizens and other countries rushing into NK looking for fresh business opportunities. The deciding factor would be how the government collapsed and what is replacing it. Right now I think China is in a bind. I think they are afraid if they took a harder line and started issuing ultimatums NK would tell them to get bent and do so very publicly. China would end up looking like the US in dealing with Syria.

    18. Re: Interesting. by KGIII · · Score: 1

      Oh, me too!

      What? They've got awesome documentaries!

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    19. Re:Interesting. by KGIII · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Get that hook out of your mouth. The bait wasn't even that good! ;-)

      Actually, a couple of years ago someone shared a racist joke with me. It's at this point that I'll share that I'm part black (as is known) and that the person who shared it with me is also black. While it might make you chuckle, there's a serious bent to it.

      Q: When does a black man become a nigger?
      A: When he leaves the room.

      Funny? Maybe. True? Quite probably. Sad? Kinda sorta.

      Sometimes there's value in humor. It's all how we look at it. Also, the AC's just a troll. They got some bites so you can't say they're unsuccessful. However, baiting with SJW-bait? That's probably considered poaching and it's almost certainly out of season.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    20. Re:Interesting. by Cruciform · · Score: 1

      The business opportunities wouldn't be in retail, but in manufacturing.
      They would have a trained workforce available for pennies on the dollar.

    21. Re:Interesting. by Bongo · · Score: 1

      As George W. Bush said in an early interview, "I just don't believe in nation building." (words to that effect), a point he vastly demonstrated in Iraq.

      Whatever China does, it probably won't resemble anything USA would do, so perhaps they are doing something, just not in a way the West understands.

    22. Re:Interesting. by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      Long term game. Get in at ground level.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    23. Re:Interesting. by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      China supports NK because the US supports SK. China doesn't want to end up with a country heavily supported (in military terms) by the US on its border.

      It's a tricky situation to resolve. SK and Japan are both somewhat reliant on the US for weapons and protection. If the US could withdraw it might be possible for the two halves of Korea to start negotiating a proper peace, but it won't because SK and to a less extent Japan want it there. That means NK will keep developing nuclear weapons and long range missiles to defend itself.

      The most likely scenario is that eventually there is a coup in NK, and when the dust settles the current system has fallen apart and the military is running things. Then the road to some kind of proper democracy begins. The problem at the moment is that everyone is invested in the current system, but once that collapses there will be many actors competing for power.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    24. Re:Interesting. by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Whatever China does, it probably won't resemble anything USA would do, so perhaps they are doing something, just not in a way the West understands.

      China doesn't have access to some secret mystery of the East when it comes to politics, or anything else in fact.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    25. Re:Interesting. by Dogtanian · · Score: 1

      Have you seen his hair?

      I had no idea he was gay.

      Depends what one means by "gay" or "gay hair".

      I guess that technically you could say Kim Jong-Un's hair appears "homosexual" to me, but only in the sense that it always reminded me of a lesbian hairstyle more than anything...!

      What exactly this says about a *man* wearing such a hairstyle, I have absolutely no bloody idea.

      --
      "Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
    26. Re:Interesting. by Dogtanian · · Score: 1

      (Sorry for getting quotes in wrong order, BTW).

      --
      "Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
    27. Re:Interesting. by DigiShaman · · Score: 1

      Exactly! After the fall of the wall, what was East Germany became a huge drag on the economy. Yes, there is strength in numbers when it comes to productive and trade. However, if you have a huge imbalance, that takes time to (pardon the pun) work itself out.

      --
      Life is not for the lazy.
    28. Re:Interesting. by dj245 · · Score: 1

      Yea, no way that could go wrong says the guy who clearly doesn't live in Seoul, South Korea with their family and all their assets within marching distance from over a million North Korean soldiers.

      Are you speaking from personal experience? Are you genuinely afraid? I have been to North Korea and the idea that they are a serious threat to the southern part of the peninsula is laughable. They face not one, but two powerful armies on the same border. Their military is woefully out of date, and despite their pride, they do recognize that they don't stand much of a chance in a fight against the combined South Korean and US militaries. China does NOT have their back on almost any issue. The China-DPRK relationship looks a lot more like the US-Mexico relationship. They do collaborate on some things, but there is a lot of resentment, conflict over illegal immigration/smuggling, distrust, and dissatisfaction with the relationship on both sides.

      North Korea's large standing army is quite misleading. North Korea is basically run like a large company with many departments and subsidiaries. The military is one of those departments, but a large amount of their work is not spent training for war, but building and maintaining infrastructure. They also pitch in on the farms. The military is loaned out to other government agencies whenever manpower is needed, which seems to be all the time. The bulk of the DPRK military resembles an unmechanized US Army Corp of Engineers more than a professional fighting force.

      North Korea's aggressive attitude in international politics is a front to hide weakness. If you visit the country, you can see fairly quickly that their military doctrine and assets are set up like Japan in Spring 1945, not Japan of the early 1930s. The military is running the country, they will defend their country, possibly to the last man, if attacked, but launching an invasion themselves is just not on the table. The international diplomacy game that they play is similar to a cornered animal showing their teeth. They're scared of being invaded, and they don't want that. Cat's don't hiss when they are ready to pounce. They hiss when they want to be left alone.

      --
      Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
    29. Re:Interesting. by dj245 · · Score: 1

      It's surprising that China has not been more forceful with NK. China's leadership are all closet capitalists and are very pragmatic. Every move NK makes only increases the size of the US military footprint in the region. Japan and SK are requesting the US to deploy missile defense batteries in the region. Missile defense systems that could very easily be used to degrade China's offensive and defensive missile forces. That is the last thing China wants to see.

      I have been to both countries and talked with average citizens of both. The west vastly overestimates China's influence over the DPRK. North Korea might have been China's puppet 60 years ago, but that is not the case now. China is the DPRK's biggest trade partner, they know it, and they abuse that situation at every opportunity.

      China has the longest land border of any country, and they border with 14 sovereign states (tied with Russia). They don't want any more adversaries on their doorstep, especially western-friendly ones. If Korea reunited, the north half of the country would probably become more and more democratic, and be open to the influence of the US. China does not want that. If North Korea's economy improved, they would be a low-cost competitor to Chinese industries. China does not have any incentive to act in the best interests of North Korea. They have a large interest in keeping North Korea a poor, isolated, backwater nation.

      All of this creates a situation where China is intentionally holding North Korea down, trying to bully them around, and generally not being a good neighbor. After decades of this, why would North Korea take China seriously when it appears that China just wants to hold them back? China and North Korea are not best buddies like many people seem to think. At best, their relationship resembles the US-Mexico relationship, except that the border actually does have a fence, and China made North Korea build it.

      --
      Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
    30. Re:Interesting. by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 1

      Any good humor should prick the conscience, because all humor ultimately makes fun of someone, even if it's just self-deprecating humor. Even "If I throw a white hat in the red sea, what does it become?" "Wet" has an implied "No, it doesn't become red, you dummy".

      We're a cruel species, who watch (let our kids watch) all sorts of graphic bloody killings on TV and in movies, for entertainment.

      --
      "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
    31. Re: Interesting. by xupere · · Score: 1

      Hmm. Maybe they were from a set of quadruplets?

    32. Re: Interesting. by doccus · · Score: 1

      ...Somewhere.. perhaps hidden in some comment somewhere., I thought I would find out why this is a surprise.. or, in fact, even newsworthy. I *suppose* he should reaslly be a Korean "red star" Linux user.. but.. I mean.. hey.. Linux? Kim Young 'Un? er... basic skill set beyond video gaming? NAw.. No surprise he uses Macs...

    33. Re:Interesting. by KGIII · · Score: 1

      Oh, we're awful, we humans. It's freakin' hilarious to see the people who think we're at the pinnacle of advancement, knowledge, ethics, and wisdom. I usually don't comment about it but I've actually only really recently started to pay attention to that (within the past year or so).

      We're dirty, disgusting, vile, evil, liars, thieves, abusers, manipulators, violent, angry, and the rest... Of course, we're giving, trusting, trustworthy, loving, caring, just, etc... But, I think we're mostly in the first group unless we try to remain alert to it and have some sort of social values that are impressed on us. The Romans thought they were the pinnacle, after all.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    34. Re:Interesting. by toddestan · · Score: 1

      I'm pretty sure that China doesn't like the current situation either, but they view it as preferable to any of the alternatives. Hence their somewhat tepid support of North Korea. If I was North Korea I'd be careful though. If China decides they'd be better off without North Korea, it won't be good for Kim Jong-Un.

  2. All us Mac users . . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Now have to deal with this cognitive dissonance. Yuck.

    1. Re:All us Mac users . . . by KGIII · · Score: 2

      Err... Why? Who gives a shit who else uses your OS? It's not a lifestyle choice, it's a fucking operating system. There's a bunch of them. Pick which ever one you like best and run with it. Pick the one that gives you the ability to accomplish the tasks you wish to accomplish, with the least hassles, and with the fewest compromises that you need to make in order to do so safely, peacefully, and with the greatest amount of ease possible.

      It doesn't matter if it's Windows, OS X, BSD, MINIX, Linux, or whatever else. It's an operating system. You are not your operating system. Your operating system is not you. Other people who use your OS are not you. You are not defined by the OS you us, the software you run, or the assets you have. Place stock in who you really are instead of needing affirmation from others with your choices.

      That, that there is what freedom really is.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    2. Re: All us Mac users . . . by KGIII · · Score: 1

      The OS that I most commonly use is an official flavor of the Ubuntu family but is probably the popular of the official flavors. The only place I know of wide deployment of Lubuntu is some guy who had installed it on a bunch of oscilloscopes as the default OS. We kind of rejoiced as we had actually found another Lubuntu user in the wild.

      Sure, I've met some on AskUbuntu but none at the LoCo, none in the chat, and not even anyone here seems to use it except that one guy who does and they install it on scopes.

      Wait, no... They're not oscilloscopes. They're chemical analyzing equipment. They were spectrography tools. Yeah, I think that was it. Hell, I don't even know what they do but I almost bought one just to play with it. Err... I kind of understand what they do, I've just never used one and have no idea how they actually get used - like what buttons to push, what settings to use, and what to do with the output. I am not a chemist. I don't think these used gas... But I digress.

      So, that leads me this... Not even my girlfriend uses Lubuntu. She uses Mint Cinnamon. I've met one person in the wild and not one other person. Who the hell am I flocking with? :/ I don't wanna be left out! I need affirmation!!! On a more serious note: I suppose that's true at times but I'm not sure if it's true enough to be a good adage. That might have made more sense when I was young. We had fewer choices and less communication back then.

      That said: I did not pick Lubuntu to be different or anything. I picked it because I like LXDE and the simplicity and ease of configuration that goes with it. I like the tools that are in it and I don't usually swap many of them out for new stuff - but I do the cumulative thing were I end up with crap installed that I don't really need but I never remove it. Yes, I said it. I like LXDE. At any rate, I wanted LXDE and the Ubuntu ecosystem is very large, active, and generally approachable.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    3. Re: All us Mac users . . . by KGIII · · Score: 1

      That should say "least popular." It's past midnight and my eyeballs have meandered off in search for a warm place to snuggle up and sleep. Screw 'em! They're not the boss of me.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    4. Re:All us Mac users . . . by Dogtanian · · Score: 1

      Err... Why? Who gives a shit who else uses your OS? It's not a lifestyle choice, it's a fucking operating system.

      True, but it's been marketed (and bought) as if it *were* a lifestyle product, so it's not entirely surprising.

      Also, was "his personal preference is Mac" in the summary actually meant to be a Penny Arcade reference or was it just me that thought of that...?!

      --
      "Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
    5. Re:All us Mac users . . . by LaurenCates · · Score: 1

      Err... Why? Who gives a shit who else uses your OS?.

      Depends. Are you a hacker?

      --
      Some people don't believe in fairies. I don't believe in The Patriarchy.
    6. Re:All us Mac users . . . by KGIII · · Score: 1

      You could say that I am but that would be, to me, a great compliment. I'm not even sure that I'm good at hacking code but I usually do a hack job. ;-)

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  3. Not at all by avandesande · · Score: 2

    Not surprised at all

    --
    love is just extroverted narcissism
    1. Re:Not at all by Plumpaquatsch · · Score: 1

      He prefers Macs--now we know he is evil.

      You didn't see 24, ehh? We knew he was evil when we saw him with the DELL monitor, but now we know he's actually good.

      --
      Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
    2. Re:Not at all by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Demonstrably false: Find one evil mac user.

      I'll go there: Hitler was a mac user. Do I have to edit Wikipedia to prove it?

    3. Re:Not at all by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 1

      Not surprised at all

      I am. Not that he uses a Mac, but that Apple has a legit reason to have the 'weapons of mass destruction' clause in their EULA!

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    4. Re:Not at all by davidshenba · · Score: 1

      Kim Jong Un is a political monopolist and that suits your capitalist worldview.

    5. Re:Not at all by Bongo · · Score: 2

      Going to the movies, I've come to realise the evil geniuses always have the best tech, and appreciate the finer things in life.

      Meanwhile the good guys are the underdogs who have to build an effective defence out of some duct tape and a packet of stale potato chips.

  4. Who smuggled that in? by justcauseisjustthat · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I thought you couldn't ship Apple stuff (Mac, iPhone , etc) to North Korea, so they must have smuggled it in from South Korea or China.

    1. Re:Who smuggled that in? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      The Pyongyang Apple store has 1 big customer. He certainly thinks different.

    2. Re:Who smuggled that in? by mjwx · · Score: 1

      I thought you couldn't ship Apple stuff (Mac, iPhone , etc) to North Korea, so they must have smuggled it in from South Korea or China.

      I be he's raffing at your silly restrictions as we speak.

      Right after he finished the Lobster Thermidor with French Champaign served to him by a starving farm girl.

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
    3. Re:Who smuggled that in? by radish · · Score: 1

      It's not really smuggling when you're the government.

      --

      ---- Den ene knappen er powerknapp, den andre er Bender voice knapp "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass"

    4. Re:Who smuggled that in? by Bert64 · · Score: 2

      Trade sanctions only hurt the average people, those with money and power can get everything they want via the black market.
      Infact trade sanctions only help the rulers of north korea, as it becomes much easier for them to restrict the flow of information.

      --
      http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
    5. Re:Who smuggled that in? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Smuggled? You think anyone at the China/NK border control is going to even ask what the leader of NK is bringing home with him?

    6. Re:Who smuggled that in? by bentcd · · Score: 2

      I thought you couldn't ship Apple stuff (Mac, iPhone , etc) to North Korea, so they must have smuggled it in from South Korea or China.

      What do you mean "ship"? Kim Jong-Un built it himself, overnight, using nothing but a screwdriver and a piece of patriotic Korean timber.

      --
      sigs are hazardous to your health
    7. Re:Who smuggled that in? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Their ambassadors and embassy staff just buy stuff in China and ship it home. Sometimes NK tourists / sports teams do the same. NK isn't as closed as people think.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  5. Obviously ! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Apple is for control freak mad dictators.

    What's more like North Korea than the Apple store ? /s...

    1. Re:Obviously ! by Cruciform · · Score: 1

      Uh, they also have their own Linux distro.

  6. Games by Adriax · · Score: 2

    Thank god. Can you imagine how quickly the nukes would fly if Un had a PC and could play actual games? 10 minutes online and WW3 would start with the phrase "I'll nuclear launch detected you!"

    --
    I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!
    1. Re:Games by armanox · · Score: 1

      Except StarCraft has always been one of those Mac friendly games (I know I played it on System 7)! We're in trouble!

      --
      I'm starting to think GNU is the problem with "GNU/Linux" these days.
    2. Re:Games by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The Stuxnet game is Windows-only

  7. Think different by NotInHere · · Score: 5, Funny

    Seems he and his dad and granddad implemented that slogan a bit too literally.

    1. Re:Think different by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 1

      Like, really! Most despots just shoot folks who have fallen out of favor with them. Kim Jong-un kills them with mortar and anti-aircraft fire.

      This is one endorsement that I doubt Apple will pick up on:

      "Apple: Our technology helped bring North Korean ICBMs and H-Bombs to your front door in America!"

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    2. Re:Think different by NotInHere · · Score: 1

      I was mostly hinting at NK's isolated diplomatic position. Somebody that isolated most certainly thinks different.

    3. Re: Think different by FromFrom · · Score: 1

      Strangly alot of them seems to survive that. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/new... http://reverbpress.com/news/in...

  8. Finally! by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 4, Funny

    Slashdotters now concur on nuking North Korea.

    1. Re:Finally! by KGIII · · Score: 1

      Strangely enough, an individual can be part of the collective. Just like you can be male and still and individual.

      On this, the 42nd day of year 2016, thus did spake KGIII; "Seeketh ye not affirmation from others, for content is the man who seeketh not, but hath affirmation within himself."

      Seriously, unknot your knickers. Are you here? Yup. Are you specifically in the comments? Yup. Are you adding, in your own special way, to the comments? Yup. You went out of your way to be a Slashdotter. Then, to be edgy, you want to rail about the position you put yourself in. Oh, so edgy!

      You can be both a Slashdotter and an individual just like you can be a citizen of the world and an individual, a guitarist and an individual, or whatever else. You put yourself here and then complained about it? Doesn't that seem a little silly to you? Or are you hell bent on playing up the edgy thing?

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    2. Re:Finally! by Fireflymantis · · Score: 1

      "Seeketh ye not affirmation from others, for content is the man who seeketh not, but hath affirmation within himself."

      http://www.psmag.com/health-an...

      According to the above content, drinking is awesome. I affirm this by drinking. Unfortunately, my girlfriend broke up with me.

      Morale: sometimes you gotta dance as though there are a few people watching.

    3. Re:Finally! by aethelrick · · Score: 1

      female norse offspring of a bad metal guitarist?

    4. Re:Finally! by stealth_finger · · Score: 1

      Slashdotters now concur on nuking North Korea.

      Only way to be sure?

      --
      Wanna buy a shirt?
      https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
    5. Re:Finally! by KGIII · · Score: 1

      I was too good at drinking so I had to retire and let someone else take the championship for a while. I kind of miss it but I was really very good at drinking and it's hard to give up something that you both love and are good at. Something tripped in my brain when I retired. I was a functional alcoholic for a very long time. After I retired, that functioning part stopped. I didn't start consuming more alcohol, in general, or the likes - my consumption remained pretty static. But, no... I just lost the functional part. It's like my brain just said, "Hey, wait... You mean I don't have to keep working any more? That's AWESOME!"

      Quitting sucked. Unlike the guys at the various groups tell you, you can drink again. I had two on New Years Eve and one on Christmas Eve. I was mildly buzzed from the two. It was nice but I remember how much quitting sucked - DTs are not cool and withdrawal really sucks. So, I don't drink as a general rule. They say you can never drink again without reverting to alcoholic behavior. I'd disagree. I've not really been a drinking man for over three years now. I've probably consumed a total of a dozen alcoholic beverages since and never more than two in one sitting. I'm okay with that.

      Ah well...

      However, yeah... I agree, sometimes you gotta dance like you have people watching. Just so long as you don't have to do it all the time, that's good. There's a time and a place for a total lack of restraint and a time to be able to adhere to social normative behaviors. I think there's probably a fine line in some cases and it's good to know which is which, lest you end up dancing naked during a formal dinner party for an esteemed guest.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  9. so THAT'S why NK's Sat is out of control by turkeydance · · Score: 2

    software incompatibility.

    1. Re:so THAT'S why NK's Sat is out of control by unixisc · · Score: 3, Interesting

      The Macs that he is on - are they on OS X, or did they replace that w/ North Korea's Red Star Linux? We discussed that OS here on /. a while back. His generals may have PCs, but if all of them run Red Star Linux, as opposed to OS X or Windows, then it's all level. He just has the most expensive computer of them all

  10. Among other things: massive hypocrite by kheldan · · Score: 1

    Claims to hate the West and everything it stands for
    Sure likes all our stuff though

    --
    Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
    1. Re:Among other things: massive hypocrite by gstoddart · · Score: 1

      Yeah, that crazy megalomaniac dictator who wants to keep all the good stuff for himself is a hypocrite. Sure, keep telling yourself that.

      You know, I'm pretty sure no matter the rhetoric, pisspot dictators have surrounded themselves in luxury trappings from the West to show themselves how awesome they are. You think he eschews status symbols and has the same shit as the rest of the plebes? Or do you think he surrounds himself with wealth and opulence to show he's the boss.

      I don't see anything hypocritical about it all. In fact, it seems entirely predictable that he'd have a computer nobody else in his country will every get to see.

      Supreme Glorious Batshit Crazy Leader isn't a position of principle, it's one of entitlement and privilege.

      I bet her's got fast cars and other toys too. All Western brands, all ridiculously expensive, all only for his personal pleasure.

      That's kind of how this shit works from what I've seen in the news and the like. Powerful people, no matter how fucking crazy, surround themselves with expensive toys.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  11. Photoshop, anybody by lecithin · · Score: 5, Funny

    Macs are still the best platform for manipulating photos and videos, right?

    --
    It could be worse, it could be Monday.
    1. Re:Photoshop, anybody by jedidiah · · Score: 1

      ...only if you're targeting other Mac users. Since everyone else in North Korea is using PCs, Kim might not be using the right tool for the job.

      Of course some people think Macs are great status symbols. Kim probably thinks that he's the envy of all his Generals. They probably just think it's a big and intolerable dufus with this whole Apple think just being the tip of the iceberg.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    2. Re:Photoshop, anybody by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The reason(s) why the Mac is sometimes said to be better in DTP, Graphic design and Video editing is simple really:
      The Mac had the first consumer graphics environment and desktop publishing software, back in the 80's, so it made a name in that field since there was really no competition. Then, graphic designers prefer it because they study in art schools and art schools select their computers for their design, so they still chose mac after it was no longer the only graphical environment. If you were taught in macs, you continue to choose macs, so a lot of graphic designers think it is better, even though they don' actually get better tools. Finally, about video editing, a lot of people swore by Final Cut Pro which was mac-only, hence mac was better for them. I have no opinion on that, never having done any serious video editing myself. I hope this answers it for you.

    3. Re:Photoshop, anybody by mattventura · · Score: 1, Informative

      It used to be an issue of better software, especially with regards to video editing. Not so much anymore, now that Apple really jumped the shark with Final Cut. Now all they have going for them is the really nice screens, but PCs are catching up there too. The Mac Pro also used to be a good dual-CPU workstation with some expandability, but with the new trashcan-style ones are single-CPU and have poor cooling to the point of throttling sometimes.

    4. Re:Photoshop, anybody by jtownatpunk.net · · Score: 1

      Not so much any more. It's mostly inertia. At least at the magazine where I used to work. Back before I started working there, they'd transitioned to Macs in art and pre-press because that's where the good software was. A few years into my employment, the big software players in the market started offering dual licensing. I could buy 20, 30, 40 seats and put them on whatever platform I wanted. The software was the same either way with the exception of where menus showed up. When it came time to upgrade the computers in those departments, I thought about pushing for PCs because we could get more bang for the buck. Then I remembered I was hired because of my Mac experience so I kept my mouth shut. Tho we did later transition part of the workflow to PC when we did a software and workflow change.

      I think the biggest advantage I can still see is the quality of the hardware and displays. If you get a PC laptop with a cheap-ass display, you'll never be able to trust the color. Same with a desktop. But you can get a good monitor for a PC if you a few extra dollars out of your wallet.

    5. Re:Photoshop, anybody by lecithin · · Score: 1

      I should have been much more clear. But what you say:

      "Except you're a decade behind the times"

      Is exactly what my point was. So is N Korea.

      --
      It could be worse, it could be Monday.
    6. Re:Photoshop, anybody by stealth_finger · · Score: 1

      The reason I always thought they were said to be better is because back in the day they were more stable due to a mac being a mac with very little variation in configurations, therefor adobe knew what they were working with so could design for it. Whereas with pc there's a bout a jillion potential configs so it was more crash happy. Nowadays it seems just as stable on either platform in my experience.

      --
      Wanna buy a shirt?
      https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
    7. Re:Photoshop, anybody by ruir · · Score: 1

      I can name one...colour. To these days PCs cannot get the exact colours that you got printed in paper on the screen. Macs have been doing that for *decades*.

    8. Re:Photoshop, anybody by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 1

      Awww. We can +5 jokes about Mac users being gay but one little friendly jab at Linux (for legit criticisms, mind you...) and the negative mods come out.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    9. Re:Photoshop, anybody by WallyL · · Score: 1

      NK invented Photoshop! Citation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

    10. Re:Photoshop, anybody by ruir · · Score: 1

      Another truth dismissed by a very reputable rude AC, whereas many people working in the publishing business nor caring about physic theories beg to disagree.

    11. Re:Photoshop, anybody by Blaskowicz · · Score: 1

      Microsoft has had a very advanced graphics stack since Vista, improving with each little Windows version. I am pretty sure color management is part of it (now, how the f... can you get font anti-aliasing WITHOUT Cleartype? I don't know)

  12. Nothing Butt Jokes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    What's to comment on this story other than to make a bunch of jokes? There might be a slight increase in Apple hacks as people want to hack his system? But the government probably has known this for awhile, assuming they cared about it.

    It was more important that Jerry Seinfeld had a Mac.

  13. Old News by Ahnahmoley · · Score: 1

    The official North Korean "Red Star OS" is a Mac clone Linux distro. There are YouTube videos of it in action.

    1. Re:Old News by Plumpaquatsch · · Score: 1

      The official North Korean "Red Star OS" is a Mac clone Linux distro. There are YouTube videos of it in action.

      Yeah, just like Linus T., Kimmy-Boy actually uses Linux on his Mac.

      --
      Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
    2. Re: Old News by Ahnahmoley · · Score: 1

      Sorry I didn't make it clear: The reason his Godliness chose that look for the country's OS is because he's known as a huge fan of Mac products.

  14. If this doesn't convince people... by ElectricHellKnight · · Score: 1

    ...that Apple isn't cool, nothing will.

  15. Apple computers by Bruce66423 · · Score: 1

    As used by all your favourite tyrants. Buy one now...

  16. Here's to the crazy ones... by jeffb+(2.718) · · Score: 1

    Truth in advertising?

  17. iPhone by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

    I'll bet be uses an iPhone too. Damn liberals!

    1. Re:iPhone by unixisc · · Score: 1

      Uh, don't question his Communist bonafides

  18. the country's home-grown Linux distribution Red St by Maow · · Score: 1

    the country's home-grown Linux distribution Red Star imitates OS X

    Well, once Apple's lawyers hear about this, it's game over for North Korea.

    Unleash the hounds^W lawyers!

  19. systemd by PopeRatzo · · Score: 5, Funny

    To be fair, before he got a Mac, Kim had a Linux machine. He gave up when he couldn't get the audio drivers to work. I heard on the news that he had a bunch of his kernels executed.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  20. Hitler was driving Mercedes by aralin · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Hitler was driving Mercedes. Rich dictator fucks like expensive stuff. News at 11.

    --
    If programs would be read like poetry, most programmers would be Vogons.
    1. Re:Hitler was driving Mercedes by jader3rd · · Score: 1

      But Hitlers power base wasn't based on not working with capitalist enterprises.

    2. Re:Hitler was driving Mercedes by vux984 · · Score: 1

      Mercedes was a both german company and a military supplier to the german army. The parent company Daimler-Benz also produced aircraft, tanks, and submarine engines.

      Hitler driving a Mercedes isn't really the same thing at all.

    3. Re:Hitler was driving Mercedes by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      No. He went more with: personally extort 10% of every contract as a kickback and if they squawk, expropriate everything.

      Hitler was the richest man in history and never worked an honest day. All government work. Germany was just bigger. More alike than different.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    4. Re:Hitler was driving Mercedes by KGIII · · Score: 1

      Well, he did write a book and paint some paintings. He also served and was gassed in WWI. He was a messenger, a runner, if I recall correctly. Also, there are some people who postulate that he did not write the book, Mein Kampfy Chair, all by himself. And he was in prison at the time... So, I dunno... It's not like he was doing hard time in prison. Serving in a war is work but it is, technically, government work.

      I do not know what his adjusted accumulated wealth numbers would look like but I suspect he's up there. The richest? I dunno? Seems odd but lots of oddities turn out to be true.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    5. Re:Hitler was driving Mercedes by Threni · · Score: 1

      Hitler used an IBM:

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    6. Re:Hitler was driving Mercedes by Solandri · · Score: 1

      Hitler also started Volkswagen. See, Hitler came to power via a democratic election. So he still had to please the population to stay in power. And one of the ways he did it was by commissioning the design and construction of a small, affordable automobile which could transport a typical German family (Volkswagen literally means "people's car").

      Kim Jong Un doesn't have to worry about pesky elections, so you won't be seeing any similar overtures to the North Korean people. Kinda sad when Hitler actually looks like a good guy compared to you.

    7. Re:Hitler was driving Mercedes by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      He was definitely the richest man in the 20th century.

      It's only when you get into shady history that questions arise. Rothschild, the pharaoh, the pope etc.

      I attribute those old giant wealth stories to mythology. Technological progress and all. Still...Rothschild? By the time that got really huge it was a family, not an individual.

      Mein Kampf was a very expensive book. He did make millions on that alone. But there was a time when every 'good German' HAD to have a copy. so it's not like that wasn't affected by the politics.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    8. Re:Hitler was driving Mercedes by toddestan · · Score: 1

      Yeah, it's not like Hitler was driving a Renault or a Morris. Now what would have been really funny is if Kim was seen using a Samsung or a LG computer.

  21. Let me guess! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    He also poops like the rest of us.
    I gotta tweet about this.

  22. Make sense by danbob999 · · Score: 2

    He hates freedom and his a control freak.

  23. Think different... by jcphil · · Score: 1

    or we'll shoot you!

  24. Re:Well by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 1

    I gave up swearing years ago, along with a few other choice words, in the real life world. Took only a week, no big deal. You'd be amazed at how many people go "really?" like they couldn't do it. Or maybe they can't.

    At least people know that when I'm with them, they might have to apologize for something I say, but NOT the way I say it. Plus, people are more likely not to get distracted from your point if you're swearing like you could blister the paint off a battleship.

    --
    "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
  25. Seems reasonable by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The guy is absolute ruler and head of a cult of personality in one of the most insular walled, er, 'gardens' on earth; so why wouldn't he be a Mac user?

  26. He's screwed! by wilhil6128 · · Score: 1

    Forget the UN, now Apple's lawyers are going to come after him... http://i.imgur.com/LEx7WBQ.jpg

  27. Huh? by Powercntrl · · Score: 1

    I gave up swearing years ago, along with a few other choice words, in the real life world. Took only a week, no big deal.

    If it bothers you to use vulgarities, don't use them. Writing "p*ssed" instead of "pissed" just makes it look like you're trying to get around some nonexistent profanity filter. Or, maybe you were just using self-censorship to set the proper North Korea mood.

    Either way, allow me to defer to the late George Carlin's thoughts on the matter of swearing.

    --

    ---
    DRM is like antifreeze, to the MPAA/RIAA it's sweet, to the consumers it's poison.
    1. Re:Huh? by KGIII · · Score: 1

      At risk of interrupting, whose life are you trying to live? And by what authority do you dictate the rules?

      Err... Not that I care a whole bunch but I've been waxing philosophical all thread, I might as well keep it up.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    2. Re:Huh? by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 1

      Gotta love George Carlin. However, funny doesn't equal right (except on slashdot - +5 funny mods, and the Republican primaries, where truth is stranger than fiction) :-)

      --
      "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
  28. Watch him inaugurate geek paradise by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    A few monthes ago he inaugurated scientists's and geeks's paradise, a wonderful building complex full of linux computers.
    The res is low but see for yourself.
    Note that on newer deployments, they've switched to the Firefox Australis interface so if you're still clinging to the old ways it's really time to move on.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGGHSYSuhm0&feature=youtu.be&t=2546

    at 46:27 you can see Kim Jong Un's favorite swivel chair! Trust me it deserves more attention than the Macs.

  29. In Russia.. no wait.. by nanospook · · Score: 1

    In North Korea.. Kim Jong-Un signs on as YOU!

    --
    Have you fscked your local propeller head today?
  30. Walled garden by penguinoid · · Score: 1

    The "walled garden" reminds him of home.

    --
    Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
  31. In North Korea ... by Martin+S. · · Score: 1

    The format wars lead to real deaths.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/worl...

    1. Re:In North Korea ... by Blaskowicz · · Score: 1

      For all we know it's yet another general that has retired and since South Koreans have noticed he's not around anymore, here is a canned news story that he was executed. The guy will spend the next 20 years with his wife, somewhere far enough from the camera field. Sometimes you can just fire somebody, rather than fire anti-tank rounds at somebody.

      News story : Apple spies report that Microsoft had Steve Ballmer executed.

  32. Re:Idiot by ruir · · Score: 1

    Using an OS controlled by the enemy for state and personal affairs does not sound a good policy.