Mac vs PC

This has been a long-standing debate, that recently has been revived with the new purported "Mac revolution". I'm going to be completely honest here, I am a PC user, but I've used Macs and can appreciate the product that Apple puts onto the table. So the debate remains which is better, Macs or PC, which ultimately boils down to whether the Mac OS is better than Windows (though now that Macs can install Windows on them the it's not a huge issue). My longstanding position has been that Macs are inherently more stable (less prone to crash) and overall better for multimedia/artistic endeavors, whereas PC is just simply the more practical. While the proprietary software available with the Mac OS may be far superior to those offered by Windows; iMovie, iPhoto, iTunes, and GarageBand to Windows Movie Maker, Windows Picture Editor, Windows Media Player, and some proprietary Windows audio recording device, there are enough available freeware software that are equally if not more powerful than the basic software offered with either OS (Picasa, Winamp, and Audacity for example, leaving only a sufficiently powerful movie maker unavailable via freeware, at least as far as I know).

While it appears that more and more people are using Macs, and with the advent of the ever-popular "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" commercials, Apple still remains fifth in the US computer market and is a non-factor in the global scheme of things. The problem for Apple? Simply put, they cost too much. What's the difference? Well, let's take a look:

Let's say we look at a standard 13" MacBook Pro, the specs are as follows:

2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
2GB memory
160GB 5400-rpm hard drive
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor
1280x800 13.3-inch widescreen display
2 USB 2.0 ports
1 firewire 800 port
Mini display port
iSight camera
SD card input

I didn't include a lot of the physical builds of the Mac, but I hardly think that makes a significant difference. The price you pay for this is $1199, at least.

Now let's look at Dell, the number 2 producer, I pick Dell because I can pick specs to match as close as possible the specs the MacBook Pro has:

2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6600
2GB shared dual channel DDR2
160GB 5400rpm hard drive
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
1280x800 13.3-inch widescreen display
2.0 megapixel camera

I'm not sure on the number of ports, if there's a firewire or SD port, but honestly, those are rather tertiary when deciding whether or not to get a laptop. That being said, this model ends up being $599.

So what in the MacBook Pro warrants doubling the price? Hardware-wise the only difference I see is possibly in the video card, where the Apple product has the superior NVIDIA GeForce card to the Intel graphics accelerator. While it's hard to price out laptop video card specs, the most expensive onboard desktop video card runs at $300, and I'm inclined to believe that it performs better than any integrated laptop graphics card, and even if Intel gave away it's integrated graphics card, it doesn't account for $600 price difference overall. So what's the other difference, well, if we consider the difference between the number of USB ports and the like are rather negligible (you can get convertors and hubs and the like for about $20 if you look hard enough), the only major difference then would be the OS.

Windows runs for anywhere between $100 and $200 depending on what you're looking for. Mac OSX runs for $99. Wait, what? So the Mac OS, at least on its own costs less than Windows? Hold on, how does that work? Well, for that we'd have to look a little into the construction of the computers themselves. The chipsets that are built for each computer company (that is, HP, Dell, Acer, Apple, Toshiba, Lenovo, etc...) are designed to be able to support a specific OS design. If you didn't know (don't try this) this is the reason why Mac OS cannot be installed onto any non-Apple computer. The chipset for Apple (now made by Intel) were specifically designed for the Mac OS (and more recently enabled to be Windows compatible) whereas the other PC chipsets are designed more generically with no specific OS in mind, though Windows is the primary use. What the chipset gains with versatility in the ability to work with Linux and Windows it loses out in the stability that an OS specific chipset (like those in Macs) provide. So in short, Mac OSX is completely useless to you except as a coaster unless you already own a Mac, which in turn is more expensive than its PC counterparts.

Now I'm not here to bash Macs, seriously, my point is this, it really depends on what you're trying to do. For the average layman/non-computer person, you're paying a hefty premium, almost double the price on basically everything (let's not even begin to discuss accessories) for a few less blue screens and forced system reboots, let's be honest with ourselves, that's about it. Some might pull out the argument that fewer people try to hack Macs and therefore you're less prone to viruses and worms and the like, but fewer hackers on Macs also entails fewer programmers on Macs, meaning a vastly smaller number of software compatibility. My point is simply this, figure out what you need your computer for. I'll admit that the Mac OS is sleeker and probably has a lower learning curve than that of Windows.

Since a lot of Mac users are PC converts, and if you're reading this, you're probably using a computer of some sort, this is my point, if it's worth it to you, to pay twice the amount of money and relearning a new OS for fewer blue screens and possibly crashes and forced restarts, then by all means, get a Mac. Most gamers probably already know this, but most games probably aren't Mac compatible, and if they are, the patches and updates for Macs are often released much later than the actual release. So who can use a Mac then? Well, as I mentioned earlier, one thing that improved OS stability definitely aids with, is multimedia projects. In my opinion, Macs are artists' computers, they have the graphics capacity and stability to make movie-making and special effects things that make Macs most effective, additionally, Apple also exclusively offers for Macs possibly the most powerful consumer movie-making software in Final Cut Pro (while I think Adobe CS series is good enough, that's another discussion for another time). Additionally, for the more amateur multimedia hobbyist, Mac software is much more friendly and versatile than the Windows equivalents (iMovie vs Windows Movie Maker), having an effective tool without having to look to a confusing third-party product (honestly, I haven't really used anything outside of iMovie or Adobe Premier that I've really liked).

I'm not going to get into the desktop discussion right now, because regardless of how nice a Mac is, people can always buy parts and make a better computer for cheaper if they feel so inclined for the performance. Since Microsoft makes the office software for both Macs and PCs nowadays anyways, the availability and compatibility of general work-related products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) is fairly universal and doesn't really play into the argument. I'm not going to tell anyone to buy one or the other without hearing any more about his/her specific computer needs, but this is my take on the long over-drawn Mac versus PC discussion.

Something bothering me about Superbowl ad

Sorry haven't posted anything here for a while... if you watched the Superbowl, however long ago it was, you probably vaguely remember an Audi commercial starring Jason Statham (see below) where it's like The Transporter and he gets into a bunch of cars trying to get away from other people. If nothing else, Jason Statham is known as the action guy with a lot of cool if unrealistic driving scenes. Now if you notice, he gets first into a Mercedes-Benz, then later he jacks someone's BMW. Now, maybe it's me, but does it bother anyone else that he refuses to even get into the Lexus (the only Japanese car in the commercial)? Then gets into the Audi and gets away clean. I mean, maybe it wouldn't have been a big deal if it had been like a Peugeot or something (ok so it's a commercial in America, and Americans don't drive Peugeots, but you get my point), or even like a Volkswagon (ok, not really in the same "class" of cars, being more of an economy brand). Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but then I remember the quote, "Nothing goes into commercial advertising on accident." Audi doesn't like Lexus?

Contemporary Influences in "Classical" music?

So I had been listening to KDFC (the Bay Area classical station) for a little bit and they introduced me to a modern Italian composer named Ludovico Einaudi.  Einaudi's compositional style actually reminds me a little of George Winston, who I don't really construe as "classical", but since the station thinks it is (I guess he does more chamber stuff?) we call it that.  Einaudi does all forms of composition but I think primarily does piano stuff with maybe some strings on the side.  When I first heard a Ludovico Einaudi song though, I was reminded not of classical, but of a rather modern pop song... Perhaps Einaudi enjoys listening to that sort of thing...?  Dunno.  You see for yourself.

Pay attention to the main theme at 0:38, though it recurs throughout the piece.  Now compare:

Pay attention to the intro... 

Maybe it's me, but the resemblence is uncanny.

On Appreciating: Life

So, I haven't posted here in a while, and I decided that since it's the Thanksgiving season, I really ought to think about how I can be grateful for the things that I have.  When I start to come up with a list of what it is I have to be thankful for, there seems to be a lot.  Then I remembered I was doing this thing, and felt, maybe I should share about being thankful.  I think thankfulness is definitely something that's pretty hard to come by sometimes, and that it's definitely something that doesn't come naturally.  It's something that I need to continually practice and that I am continually trying to practice.  I hope that these few things that I've learned help you out too.  Being thankful in general, I think, is the major way to appreciate life, to me, by appreciating something, you're saying, "I'm glad or thankful that this thing is here." I don't know that I'm an expert on appreciation, but I feel that life as a whole is something to be appreciated, and here are a few ways how.

First, start with the little things.  There are a lot of things that I tend to take for granted and honestly, if I stop and think about it, they're really quite a luxury.  In fact, a lot (most) of the things I have that I consider mine by right are really something of a privilege.  My family, my friends, my car, my home, etc... even little things down to "common courtesy" that people extend to me.  An exercise that I do daily that really helps me is to think of one thing to be thankful about, doesn't matter what it is, it doesn't have to be anything big, philosophical, or grandiose, but just a simple, "I'm grateful today for the phone call I had with my parents the other day."  Something like that, and then answer the simple question that naturally follows; why?

Another way is to know where things come from.  Gratitude doesn't really make much sense unless there's a someone or something to be grateful to.  Remembering to be thankful really entails remembering those who have given or done things for you.  Things mean a lot more if there's a name and face you can attach to them, that name and face being the source.  Of course there are intangibles, but ultimately, all of that comes back to God, who is the provider of all things.  While we ought to appreciate the gifts that are given to us, it's ultimately more important to appreciate the giver giving it.

Finally, one thing that I definitely have a hard time doing consistently, gratitude doesn't really mean a whole lot until it's expressed.  I know it's hard for me to say or express thanks to people except in kind of special circumstances.  It feels kind of awkward, but if we can step past that, by expressing gratitude, it really helps lift someone up.  It's really good to know that someone is grateful for something done for them, I like it when people thank me for something.  In the same way then, in being thankful, I need to show people I'm thankful to that I'm thankful.

Well, this is my little Thanksgiving spiel, sorry that I haven't posting with regularity to those that are following this.  Hope you guys all have a great and wonderful Thanksgiving.  Happy Thanksgiving!  

Mathletics: The Bane of Simple Reasoning

Maybe it's just me, and the fact that I didn't go into a math related field of study or profession. As a young child, I was subject to a lot of various math competitions, such as Math Olympiads, and I went to a lot of various classes ("summer programs") which my parents enrolled me in to improve my math and problem solving abilities. The word problems hence were designed to be tricky and convoluted in the methodology of solving it. It's effective in enabling the student to handle high capacity mental challenges, and complicated calculations and logical trains of thought. However, the problem with that is, that it conditions the student also (at least it did for me) to always look for the complicated answer first. The nature of the problems always encourages students to try the complicated or "hard" way first because the painfully and obviously "easy" way is always wrong or doesn't work. Better to start with the convoluted method that almost always guarantees a sensible answer of some sort than the simple method that potentially could result in a dead end.

I don't know, this is sort of an epiphany to me I guess... It is I suppose in the light of taking the GMATs, the math isn't really very difficult, but I feel like I would be doing better on it if it were. The problem that is created is that Math Olympiads and problems of the sort promote over-thinking of exceptionally simple problems. This perhaps explains why some exceptionally brilliant mathematical minds seem to always underperform when it comes to standardized testing. I'm not by any means saying that my mind exudes mathematical brilliance, far from it, I believe I have a very average notion of mathematics and things of the sort. However, having grown up with this kind of problem solving training, I definitely believe that my initial reaction or move to solve any problem is to make it more complicatd than necessary.

In conclusion: mathletics isn't necessarily bad, certainly there are merits to being a mathlete, and benefits in scholastic achievement. However, make sure you supplement it with simple problem solving too. Otherwise, don't be overly surprised if the SATs or something sometimes seem like its jipping you out of something.

I Think I Like Writing

I do, I really do.

Ever since getting on the blog scene, I've been pretty content with doing this sort of stuff fairly regularly, enough so that I've casually considered a career shift that would enable me to get paid to do something like this. Wouldn't that be swell. The problem in and of itself, I suppose, most often isn't necessarily the desire to write, I'd have a new post every other hour if I could, but the simple fact of the matter is that I don't really have that much to write about sometimes. I suppose it's something rather natural, something known as "writers' block". It happens to me fairly frequently, and thus I don't have anything to come out with. Specifically though, I like this form of communicative writing that enables to me to in a sense "converse" with people through the screen. One of the quirks (I like to think of it as a quirk) is that the way in which I write is something that I would actually say to people. I hope that it reads more like something of a conversation than anything of an academic work or something. Of course, it could just be the case that my conversation is always stodgy and uptight.

It's not that I haven't tried the whole writing thing before, I've actually made a foray at attempting to write a novel, specifically in the fantasy genre. Unfortunately, my narrative is somewhat lacking and my ideas a little unoriginal, so that didn't go very far. As you few readers who look through this blog have realized, I don't really have all that much to write about content wise, hence the lack of posts. My NBA blog I update extensively and regularly, though I don't know that I'll be anything of an expert nor would I be anywhere near I think getting paid to do that. Likewise for cooking, sans the regular updating thing.

All in all, I think I've found another thing I like, but I don't know that I could make a living of it. I've pondered the option of journalism, but that would require me to go back and redo school, which is something I don't know if I'm necessarily inclined to do, or maybe supplement with something of a communications focus, perhaps that's another option. However, I don't know that I'd be a very good columnist save for an opinion article here and there. It hasn't been explored extensively, but then again, I don't know that many of my hobbies and viable career options have been.

So, yeah, in conclusion; I like writing, I just don't have a lot to write about sometimes. I think.

I Don't Get "Professional Writing"

So, I don't mean professional writing in the sense of like authors who write books, or journalists who write news columns or anything in the sense that your writing is what makes you money. What I do mean, though, is the whole idea of how to write a professional looking document with all the fancy language and the non-use of personal identifiers, and how it has to "sound professional". Basically, like all those papers we had to write for school. This comes in light of my studying for the GMATs and doing a review on the essay section.

Maybe there's a certain merit to looking all polished and such, but given the context of the GMAT the purpose is primarily for communication anyways. Sure, I'd be less inclined to utilize slang, and such terminology, but I'm a little baffled by all this pretense. Why can't I write it like I write this blog? I probably communicate just as if not more effectively this way, and if people were to come talk to me about whatever it is I'm writing about, then I'd probably explain things the way I'm explaining them now. I don't get it.

That's my gripe for the day, I'm done. It's just how things work, and I suppose I have to deal.