As a European (British) I would like to point out there is no chance of most of Europe turning into a muslim state. Please sir, explain Bradford then...
disclaimer: I'm American, but lived in Leeds for a couple years
While the article at hand indeed picks on fat people for global warming and increased food prices, I have not picked on fat people for those reasons, because I don't agree with those conclusions. I guess I should have been modded off-topic.
People who fail to realize that carrying on loud, personal conversations in crowded public places are an abomination. I really have no evidence to support this, but I'm pretty sure most people would love to punch "that guy" in the face if given the chance. I guess if you see nothing wrong with making a phone call in public, then we have nothing to debate:-(
Well, limited cost cutting, and then, picking trade-offs that make more sense and benefit the consumer over the beloved bottom-line.
I was reading your LOOOOOL response and tried to think about it in a sensible way. "What does this guy mean, what are some OBVIOUS cost-cutting things Apple has done?" The first thing I came up with was the short phone support (fair trade-off, given I get FREE lifetime support at the Apple store 5 miles from my house). I really couldn't think of overt cost cutters that stick it to the consumer. Can you name some? I'm open to hear them, I just can't think of any other ones (although I'm sure there are).
Wait wait wait. So much wrong with your response...
First of all, what I'm I supposedly defending myself from? Again, YOU are putting your own egocentric, predisposed opinions out there. I've given you NOTHING to leap to such a ridiculous conclusion that I'm "defending" myself from anything. All I stated was I dislike the fact that many people DO see money and expensive gadgets as a social status, and that I equally hate the fact that just because some people feel this way, others think EVEVERYONE thinks this way. In other words, just because a few twits think they are cool parading their MacBook Pros around campus/in coffee shops/at the mall, etc. doesn't mean most people are this way. However, the slashdot mentality is that, if someone is using a Mac/iPod/iPhone, they are obviously trying to make a statement...which is totally bunk 99% of the time.
About the blue tooth bit...many of those people ARE trying to make a statement, because NOBODY needs to have a stupid thing in their ear 24 hours a day. If that were the case, what did these POSERS do 5 years ago, when there were no such devices? Checking email in a public hotspot is pretty standard behavior. Walking around "The Walmart" with a cheap, plastic $49 device in your ear impressing other white trash is not (although it is slowly becoming standard....shudder). It also doesn't improve one's "social status" since the things cost about as much of a tank of gas does. If I WERE in the business of trying to impress people with my stuff, I don't think I'd parade my $150 iPod around. Even my $1099 MacBook isn't that impressive in the grand scheme of things, nor is a $400 phone.
In short, I find those people who think Mac users are flaunting their social status by using Apple products in public are merely PROJECTING their own insecurities.
My bad. I though you were inferring that he could just load up any old generic PC box with MacOSX and end up with a MBP. I hastily read over your "definitely a step up from Windows on the same machine", which is a completely valid (and excellent) point. I see so many posts on slashdot claiming "my sub $500 pc box runs OSX just as good as a $2000 iMac" that I just assumed that was where you were going here.
It's also about showing off that Apple logo at Starbucks. Sounds like your own personal hang-up. Most of us don't care what you think about us, even though you think that we do. Your own insecurity is shining brightly through that thin veil called "slashdot post".
Then perhaps quit trying to convince us of how to perceive you? Dude, you just don't get it. I DON'T F'ING CARE WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT ME. I do, however, care when Apple users are inaccurately stereotyped because some slashdot bozo is too intellectually lazy to check his biases at the door.
Excellent post. I would point out, however, that nobody is being FORCED to consume HFCS sweeteners. As I said in another post, just quit drinking soda (diet or not) and drink water instead.
The upturn in Apple market share started long before Vista's loud and thunderous flop. Stock prices and marketing figures prove that. All Vista offers is a scape-goat for MS haters, and a mixed-blessing for Microsoft, in that now XP doesn't seem all that bad.
Since when was this a problem in Windows? Since Mac OS 7(ish) was able to support multiple monitors in the early 90s, and Windows wasn't able to until a nearly a decade later, yet STILL has glitches with multiple monitors (and overhead projectors to boot), I'd say this has been a problem for about, oh, 15 years. My fanboyism doesn't mean the well known display shortcomings of every version of Windows ever doesn't exist.
Wow, talk about missing the boat. Do you really think design is limited to preset OS default color schemes? No wonder you don't understand why Macs are considered high end; you can't appreciate all the good stuff because you are too busy harping on your preconceived notions. For YOUR Information: you can customize the OS color scheme far beyond blue-gray or gray-blue. Way to criticize that which you don't understand.
Ignoring the "My anecdotal evidence blah blah blah" guy's comments, you make an excellent point. It is easy to show that transitioning to OS X is very painless (but not the other way around). I did so in my grad thesis! The only two issues for new Mac users in my research was the concept of closing a window doesn't quit the program, and pushing the "maximize" button doesn't make the window go full screen like in Windows. One other minor quirk is that PC users have a hard time adapting to the one-menu at the top concept, but this was found only in more advanced users.
Other issues I noted really demonstrate that learning the "windows way" really limits the user. Example: you don't HAVE to close the document you have open to move it or rename it in MacOS, even though you've grown accustom to having to do so in Windows. I won't even get into the way Windows users over-think installing and uninstalling apps!
The Apple brand is built around the idea that it's a luxury good that only trendy people use Wrong, wrong.....soooooo wrong. That's your hang-up buddy. The rest of us are just enjoying well made gear for our hard earned cash.
- the elaborate Apple stores with the people who fix your computer so you don't have to, the industrial design that looks better than the standard Dell, and the high-end specs and price. This a bad thing? This sounds like something I'd be more than willing to spend $100 LESS for (see previous posts about equally spec'd Dells).
I think you are confusing "luxury" with "no cost cutting". I for one I'm glad there are a few companies out there who design with quality in mind first.
Then again, what value is my post, being the trendy guy and all (seriously, it's pretty hard to be trendy at age 38 and for 20 years of using Apple products..when does this 'trendy' novelty wear off?)
Money is social status. It's the fact that it costs more and is out of reach of the mob that makes it stylish... I hate this mentality. Unfortunately, it is true in many cases (such as the torn jeans), but I have a hard time buying that logic when it comes to Apple products. First of all, Apple products have a tangible value to them, in that they are well crafted and work well. There is no joy in using Apple products because they are grungy, poorly designed or counter-culture.
The mentality I really despise is that I use my iPhone at the coffee store because I'm some sort of "hipster" and I'm trying to impress everyone around me. Well here's a news flash, I'm not. I'm using my phone to access my email in a public place...where's the crime in that? This a far less worse crime than those idiot-borgs who walk around with the $49 blue tooth thing in their ear trying to impress how important they are upon us.
Frankly, I (and most other Apple consumers I know) don't give a rat's ass about what other people think about our stuff.
I was just debunking a common myth that you've got to eat more if you workout because you are burning more calories. That's the ENTIRE point...workout to burn more calories than you eat. So many people believe this myth--no wonder we have so many fat people in America.
You could make an infomercial that shows a semi-fit-yet-still-has-spare-tire-20-ish-BMI-guy (like me) working out at the gym then eating the same amount of food (and same amount of BAD food...and beer) that I've always eaten (minus the soda) and note that I'd still be losing weight.
That's why this thread is so aggravating, because the formula to being fat (or not) is so easy. Put more calories in than you use in a day and you'll get fat...period...full-stop....enough with the excuses already!
You can't control your height. You CAN control your weight, because it is directly correlated with the amount of pie that goes in your pie hole and how much time you spend sitting at your computer instead of walking around the block. Thanks for making my point that much clearer, because WEIGHT, BMI, and being grossly obese are controllable. Eat less, move more...pretty easy in my book (backed by science to boot).
You don't choose my insurance, but YOUR visits to the doctor for fat related health issues are a burden to society that we ALL bear in increased premiums. Thanks, go have another bag of Cheetos and Mountain Dew.
Yeah, but it's much more exciting to throw up the Censorship tag on slashdot. If they removed all the articles on slashdot with the censorship tag, perhaps slashdot would have less than six times as many posts
isn't he eating more food, burning a lot more calories No, I'm not eating more food and yes I am burning more calories. Congratulations for unlocking the secret of weight loss.
After reading the entire thread, I've come to the conclusion that people are fat because they convince themselves it is OK to be fat. Yeah, you guys are the victims here, because you were picked on, are emotionally unstable, have "medical conditions", etc. etc. You've posted every excuse in the book without exploring the cause: more food goes in your mouth that is needed and you don't exercise at all. Can't any of you at least post, "yeah, I know I'm fat and I need to do something about it"? (I did EXACTLY this about three years ago and have lost 50 pounds by simply eating less and moving more..I run maybe 5 miles per week, which is not hard, even when I was a 225).
Chances are you live in America and our food portions are ridiculous (every time I eat at Chilis/Outback/National Chain Here) I go away with TWO days of leftovers. If you are having problems not going to fatty national chain restaurants (I'll admit I do), try not eating that entire Bloomin' Onion in one sitting. EVERY restaurant has healthy choices, it's just up to YOU to make a smart decision. Eat the bad stuff if you want, just don't eat it all in one sitting...and take a walk for cryin' out loud. Your level 42 Blood Elf Warlock will still be there when you get back.
One last tip that will help you (it helped me immensely): stop drinking sodas IMMEDIATELY and drink water instead and you'll start losing weight without even exercising.
it's rubbish because it assumes people who are fat are that way because they eat more.
this is just plain wrong, it's usually WHAT they eat not how much, and it's also about exercise.
You obviously have never been to an American restaurant. I'm going to guess you are from the UK (rubbish?) and I can tell you the WORST food you have over there (fish and chips perhaps) is pretty bad (gammon perhaps a close second?) is nowhere near as bad as the caloric value of the average restaurant serving here in the US. Hell, just by living in England for two years I lost 25 pounds (and a hell of a lot more Sterling pounds) without changing my lifestyle one bit.
There's nothing smug about someone reminding you that YOU bear the sole responsibility for being a tub-tub. There's nothing smug about me being upset that YOU cost ME hundreds of dollars in increased health care and insurance premiums. Of all the problems in the world, obesity is one of the controllable ones. Quit worrying about my ass-hattedness and go for a walk.
Slashdot Mirror
While the article at hand indeed picks on fat people for global warming and increased food prices, I have not picked on fat people for those reasons, because I don't agree with those conclusions. I guess I should have been modded off-topic.
People who fail to realize that carrying on loud, personal conversations in crowded public places are an abomination. I really have no evidence to support this, but I'm pretty sure most people would love to punch "that guy" in the face if given the chance. I guess if you see nothing wrong with making a phone call in public, then we have nothing to debate :-(
I was reading your LOOOOOL response and tried to think about it in a sensible way. "What does this guy mean, what are some OBVIOUS cost-cutting things Apple has done?" The first thing I came up with was the short phone support (fair trade-off, given I get FREE lifetime support at the Apple store 5 miles from my house). I really couldn't think of overt cost cutters that stick it to the consumer. Can you name some? I'm open to hear them, I just can't think of any other ones (although I'm sure there are).
First of all, what I'm I supposedly defending myself from? Again, YOU are putting your own egocentric, predisposed opinions out there. I've given you NOTHING to leap to such a ridiculous conclusion that I'm "defending" myself from anything. All I stated was I dislike the fact that many people DO see money and expensive gadgets as a social status, and that I equally hate the fact that just because some people feel this way, others think EVEVERYONE thinks this way. In other words, just because a few twits think they are cool parading their MacBook Pros around campus/in coffee shops/at the mall, etc. doesn't mean most people are this way. However, the slashdot mentality is that, if someone is using a Mac/iPod/iPhone, they are obviously trying to make a statement...which is totally bunk 99% of the time.
About the blue tooth bit...many of those people ARE trying to make a statement, because NOBODY needs to have a stupid thing in their ear 24 hours a day. If that were the case, what did these POSERS do 5 years ago, when there were no such devices? Checking email in a public hotspot is pretty standard behavior. Walking around "The Walmart" with a cheap, plastic $49 device in your ear impressing other white trash is not (although it is slowly becoming standard....shudder). It also doesn't improve one's "social status" since the things cost about as much of a tank of gas does. If I WERE in the business of trying to impress people with my stuff, I don't think I'd parade my $150 iPod around. Even my $1099 MacBook isn't that impressive in the grand scheme of things, nor is a $400 phone.
In short, I find those people who think Mac users are flaunting their social status by using Apple products in public are merely PROJECTING their own insecurities.
My bad. I though you were inferring that he could just load up any old generic PC box with MacOSX and end up with a MBP. I hastily read over your "definitely a step up from Windows on the same machine", which is a completely valid (and excellent) point. I see so many posts on slashdot claiming "my sub $500 pc box runs OSX just as good as a $2000 iMac" that I just assumed that was where you were going here.
Excellent post. I would point out, however, that nobody is being FORCED to consume HFCS sweeteners. As I said in another post, just quit drinking soda (diet or not) and drink water instead.
The upturn in Apple market share started long before Vista's loud and thunderous flop. Stock prices and marketing figures prove that. All Vista offers is a scape-goat for MS haters, and a mixed-blessing for Microsoft, in that now XP doesn't seem all that bad.
Wow, talk about missing the boat. Do you really think design is limited to preset OS default color schemes? No wonder you don't understand why Macs are considered high end; you can't appreciate all the good stuff because you are too busy harping on your preconceived notions. For YOUR Information: you can customize the OS color scheme far beyond blue-gray or gray-blue. Way to criticize that which you don't understand.
Other issues I noted really demonstrate that learning the "windows way" really limits the user. Example: you don't HAVE to close the document you have open to move it or rename it in MacOS, even though you've grown accustom to having to do so in Windows. I won't even get into the way Windows users over-think installing and uninstalling apps!
You are assuming that the OS is the only reason the guy wants a MacBook Pro.
I think you are confusing "luxury" with "no cost cutting". I for one I'm glad there are a few companies out there who design with quality in mind first.
Then again, what value is my post, being the trendy guy and all (seriously, it's pretty hard to be trendy at age 38 and for 20 years of using Apple products..when does this 'trendy' novelty wear off?)
The mentality I really despise is that I use my iPhone at the coffee store because I'm some sort of "hipster" and I'm trying to impress everyone around me. Well here's a news flash, I'm not. I'm using my phone to access my email in a public place...where's the crime in that? This a far less worse crime than those idiot-borgs who walk around with the $49 blue tooth thing in their ear trying to impress how important they are upon us.
Frankly, I (and most other Apple consumers I know) don't give a rat's ass about what other people think about our stuff.
>$1000 = high end? I'm rich, bitches!
You could make an infomercial that shows a semi-fit-yet-still-has-spare-tire-20-ish-BMI-guy (like me) working out at the gym then eating the same amount of food (and same amount of BAD food...and beer) that I've always eaten (minus the soda) and note that I'd still be losing weight.
That's why this thread is so aggravating, because the formula to being fat (or not) is so easy. Put more calories in than you use in a day and you'll get fat...period...full-stop....enough with the excuses already!
You don't choose my insurance, but YOUR visits to the doctor for fat related health issues are a burden to society that we ALL bear in increased premiums. Thanks, go have another bag of Cheetos and Mountain Dew.
Yeah, but it's much more exciting to throw up the Censorship tag on slashdot. If they removed all the articles on slashdot with the censorship tag, perhaps slashdot would have less than six times as many posts
Chances are you live in America and our food portions are ridiculous (every time I eat at Chilis/Outback/National Chain Here) I go away with TWO days of leftovers. If you are having problems not going to fatty national chain restaurants (I'll admit I do), try not eating that entire Bloomin' Onion in one sitting. EVERY restaurant has healthy choices, it's just up to YOU to make a smart decision. Eat the bad stuff if you want, just don't eat it all in one sitting...and take a walk for cryin' out loud. Your level 42 Blood Elf Warlock will still be there when you get back.
One last tip that will help you (it helped me immensely): stop drinking sodas IMMEDIATELY and drink water instead and you'll start losing weight without even exercising.
Ugly people can't help it, nor can deformed or sick people. Fat people, on the other hand...
this is just plain wrong, it's usually WHAT they eat not how much, and it's also about exercise.
You obviously have never been to an American restaurant. I'm going to guess you are from the UK (rubbish?) and I can tell you the WORST food you have over there (fish and chips perhaps) is pretty bad (gammon perhaps a close second?) is nowhere near as bad as the caloric value of the average restaurant serving here in the US. Hell, just by living in England for two years I lost 25 pounds (and a hell of a lot more Sterling pounds) without changing my lifestyle one bit.There's nothing smug about someone reminding you that YOU bear the sole responsibility for being a tub-tub. There's nothing smug about me being upset that YOU cost ME hundreds of dollars in increased health care and insurance premiums. Of all the problems in the world, obesity is one of the controllable ones. Quit worrying about my ass-hattedness and go for a walk.