Starbucks Creativity Lab

I love Starbucks. Not the coffee (I'm not really a coffee drinker). I love the space.

This is the Starbucks CreativityLab. Paul Williams at the Idea Sandbox designed it. Paul explains...

...this once drab conference room, filled with corporate-stock chairs and boardroom style table, is now a 336 square foot haven for brainstorming, problem solving and thinking. The room can hold up to 15 people comfortably - and all the ideas anyone can think of.

Paul did it for under $4,000 for Starbucks. Think of what you might be able to do with $500 or $1000? If only we had an IKEA in Fresno.

Read about - and see more pictures of - the Starbucks CreativityLab HERE.

What kind of environment do you like to work in?

Carlos Enrique Whittaker Guzman Archibold Cabbio

First off, dude, what with the LONG NAME? Do you have to pay extra for that at birth? Pickin' deal!

OK, now for the serious stuff.

First, I want to pimp Los' blog. Check it out - Ragamuffin Soul. It is great stuff from a great young worship leader. I got to spend some time with Carlos at the re:create conference in last February. I was impressed with his heart for the Lord, his heart for worship, his love for his wife and girls, and his love or technology (he had a cool Mac, too).

Second, I want to point you to a couple of posts about his service last Sunday night. The teaser is HERE. The video is HERE. And his thoughts before it all went down are HERE.

It is an awesome thing when the power of God is manifested in a worship service. It's what we always pray for and want as worship leaders, but when it happens it usually is an an unexpected time and is far more powerful than we could have ever hoped for.

Thanks, Los, for letting us see God at work in the IE at Sandals.

Ultimate Gut Buster

Homer Simpson would love the newest taste sensation in minor league baseball: the doughnut burger.

The Gateway Grizzlies of the Frontier League promised to create "Baseball's Best Burger" in time for the team's opener in late May. And they appear to have succeeded.

The ballpark sandwich will include a hamburger topped with sharp cheddar cheese and two slices of bacon - all between a "bun" made of a sliced Krispy Kreme Original Glazed doughnut.

If you can find a (loop)hole in your cardiologist's advice, calorie counters predict the monster will set you back about 1,000 calories and 45 grams of fat.

"We have had the opportunity to bring in a new concession item for the past two seasons and each of them have been very successful," said Grizzlies general manager Tony Funderburg. He told ESPN.com that he got the idea after reading about Mulligan's in Atlanta, which has a similar sandwich called the Luther Burger.

Funderberg, who has said he has eaten at least 10 of the Grizzlies' new creations as part of a "sampling process," said the team hopes to sell 100 to 200 of them a night at $4.50 each. He calls it a bargain, considering it is a meal and a dessert in one.

The Grizzlies are no strangers to self-promotion through caloric innovation. Two years ago they introduced what they called "Baseball's Best Hotdog," a dog topped with two strips of bacon, sauteed onions, sauerkraut and cheddar cheese sauce. They upped the ante last year with the "Swiss Brat," a bratwurst with a slice of Swiss cheese in the middle of it, topped with sauerkraut.

Locals who might not be interested in minor league baseball but who want to experiment with clogged arteries will have to buy a ticket. Funderberg said the burger will only be sold inside the stadium gates.

Read the entire story HERE.

HT: Mad Babble from a Church Planter

Run-in With Johnny Law

So an interesting thing happened the other day. My wife was away at our church's Women's Retreat, leaving the Two Blonde Boys and I to fend for ourselves. Being the wonderful cook that I am, I stopped off and picked up two pizzas from Little Caesar's (Pizza! Pizza!) on the way home from coaching volleyball.

The youngest Blonde Boy and I headed upstairs to watch "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" (for the 1,000th time) while the oldest Blonde Boy stayed downstairs to play on the XBox 360 that is hooked up to my early birthday present.

After about an hour or so, there's a knock at my door (unheard by me) and my oldest informs me that the police are at the door. The officers asked if I owned the gold Saturn in the driveway (I do) and if I had an older son that may have been driving it earlier (I don't).

They proceeded to tell me that my car - with my license plat, mind you - was seen driving recklessly just 30 minutes earlier. I tried to explain to the man that (1) I usually don't drive the Saturn (why would I when I can drive my F150 SuperCrew?); (2) my wife usually drives the car, but that she hadn't taken it out all day; and (3) not only did I not drive the car that day, but I had been at home during the time in question. They asked me if I had been wearing a hat earlier. I had (I was coaching!).

Johnny Law then informed me that, "I'm not saying that you were driving recklessly and I'm not saying that you weren't, but if you were, you need to be more careful."

After a few back and forths of me explaining it to the "nice officer" (actually, he was pretty arrogant) that there was no way it could have been me, they left.

The kicker is that the whole time they were talking to me (the innocent guy), there were some idiots behind my house spinning donuts in their truck. My neighbors went out to tell them about it, but they left without doing anything! The guys were still there spinning out and screwing around after they left.

So I called a buddy who told me someone in a gold Saturn has pulled around his car like a maniac, flipping him off as they did. He said it was car full of high school girls. I asked if the driver was wearing a hat... She was.

A pretty unbelievable finish to my day last Friday! I don't know what was worse, being falsely accused or being mistaken for a girl!

You Might Be a Redneck...

Are you a redneck?

Do you dig country music? How about classic rock?

Is the Waffle House a "must do" after church on Sunday?

Then THIS is the movie for you. Play it below, or heck it out the high-res version HERE. It's a new movie coming out this summer called Talledega Nights, starring Will Ferrell.

Warning: Do not have any liquid in your mouth when you watch this clip. I was drinking a Diet Coke and ended up spitting it all over my keyboard and monitors. It's that funny.

The Boys...

I have to admit this: I am unashamedly and unabashedly in love with my Two Blonde Boys.











My oldest is my Number One. He is intelligent, funny, and a snuggler. I am constantly amazed of his depth of character and passion. He can now beat me in any video or computer game that exists. I confess that when he does so I accuse him of being the son of the devil. He knows I am joking, however, and reminds me that he was taking it easy on me.

He is a fine young man and I am confident that he will be a fantastic man/husband/father someday. He humbles me.










My youngest is my Sunshine. He has the deepest pools of blue for eyes and a smile that lights up the room. He is completely tuned in to the joys in life and he makes me remember what it is like to be young with the whole world at your fingertips. He totally and completely owns me and he knows it. I know it, too, and I don't mind all that much.

He will bring joy into the lives of all those he comes into contact with throughout his life. He makes me feel like I can do no wrong.

I do not deserve my boys (or my wife). But I am glad God has blessed me anyway.

Quote of the Day

"Each time I fell into despair and wanted to give up, and it happened often, something softly whispered, `Not now. Not while you still believe and cannot know. If you can see the next step, go on, go on!' It wasn't really courage. It wasn't compulsion to succeed. . . It may have had something to do with another mantra that has supported me through the years. If you think you can't, why think."

VISA creator Dee Hock

HT: Just Charlie

Pass the melted butter!

There's nothing I like more than steak and lobster. Mmm, mmm good! For our 10th anniversary dinner, Mrs. Two Blonde Boys and I went to the Chart House in Maui. I couldn't believe it when the waiter told us they were out of lobster! The Alaskan King Crab legs were good, but nothing beats lobster in my book.

In fact, nothing beats a 12 pound lobster named "Ralph." That's right... 12 pounds.

As a free diver and spearfisherman, Ray Fulks has seen some incredible creatures underwater, but none prepared him for his eyeball-to-eyeball encounter with "Ralph."

"Ralph" is the nickname Fulks' diving partner David Frapwell bestowed on a 12-pound lobster that Fulks wrestled out of a cave in about 10 feet of water Friday while free diving off La Jolla. Most lobster tales end with the crustacean going headfirst into a pot of boiling water. But that's not the case here.

"On one of my dives, I found a hole, poked my head in and couldn't believe how big this lobster was," Fulks said. "I never dreamed I'd ever see a lobster that big."

Fulks went to the surface, as much to get a breath as to collect his wits. He wondered if he could get his shoulders in the small cave that served as the lobster's lair. He took a big breath and went back down.

"I reached in and grabbed him by the antennae around the thick part at the base, and he didn't move," Fulks said. "He was just big and slow, but he held onto the cave's sides really tight. I had to pull really hard to get him out. When I got him out, he looked like the biggest thing I'd ever seen. I put him under my arm and expected him to kick the heck out of me as I surfaced, but he never did."

"David saw me swimming with it, and he couldn't figure out what I had under my arm. When I got it to the beach and we looked at it, I said, 'This could be someone's pet. We could put a collar and a leash on it and take it for a walk.'"

They took it home, snapped some pictures and took some measurements. The carapace was 7 inches long (more than twice the length of a legal lobster's required 3¼ inches from eye socket to the edge of the carapace), and the lobster measured 20 inches from eyes to tail. It takes spiny lobsters five to seven years just to reach legal size of 1 to 1½ pounds, so a lobster 12 pounds likely is 20 years old or more. Fulks figures Ralph is at least 40. Spiny lobsters can live to be 50, and the biggest ever recorded went 26 pounds and was 3 feet long.

Knowing how unique Ralph was, the men called one of Frapwell's commercial fishing buddies for advice.

“He told us they usually let their bigger lobsters like this go, so we decided to do the same thing,” Fulks said. “We agreed on it almost simultaneously. It just didn't feel right keeping it. I had two legal bugs in addition to Ralph, so I really didn't need to keep an old lobster like this.”

Ralph was spared the pot of boiling water and melted butter and instead was taken to La Jolla Cove for a planned release. Valerie Grischy, president of the La Jolla Cove Swim Club, fetched a scale and Ralph weighed in at 12 pounds.

For the record... I would have let him go, too.

Read the entire article from the San Diego Union Tribuine HERE.


HT: Dave Barry

More Changes

OK... I adjusted the center column. I think this looks better now.

The one thing that drives me slightly insane is the differences between the way this views on Firefox and the way it views on Internet Explorer.

And for the record, my dear Mac friends, I did all the design on my PC (while watching a re-run of Kindergarten Cop, which may have one of the first recorded on-screen quotes of Arnold saying, Cah-lee-for-nee-yah).

New Look

So what do you think?

I think I'm going to get rid of the left column... it seems too crowded.

Funny Video - Baby Got Book

If you remembr the original "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot, you'll fall down at this Chriitan re-make.

HA-LARIOUS!!!





Check out past videos...

• Why you need insurance video HERE
  
• "Never scare a brutha" video HERE
  
• SuperBowl videos HERE and HERE
  
• Animal blondes HERE
• Herding cats HERE
• Honda Civic choir HERE
• Dancing in WalMart HERE
• Narnia super-trailer HERE
• Christmas lights HERE

Do's and Dont's of Corporate Blogging

In light recent comments on my blog, I offer these tips for corporate blogging, from Matthew Boyle of Fortune.


First, know thyself
The most important question to ask is whether your company should even blog at all. "There are some corporate cultures where blogging is not going to go over very well," says Sifry. Cultures where blogging thrives, he says, are ones that "have faith in their employees, rather than fear."

If your culture supports blogging, then determine who's best to compose your blog. Choose someone who writes well, with a conversational, authentic, yet authoritative tone. Most likely, this person is not your CEO.


Then, know your audience
If you cannot find something to blog passionately about, your blog will be no more than a corporate PR organ.

Learn what your customers care about (it could be nutrition, or home improvement) and figure out a way to participate in that conversation credibly.


Engage your audience
The best part about blogging is that it's a conversation. Absorb what people have to say, and reply to their comments. "It's the ultimate zero cost focus group," says Debbie Weil, author of "The Corporate Blogging Book." "My policy is never to delete comments, even ones I disagree with," says Microsoft's Scoble. "I want our customers to feel free to tell us what they think."

That said, you might want to have a feedback filter so you can eliminate spam and so-called "drive-by shootings" -- blog-speak for anonymous negative posts. If someone wants to blast your company, Sifry suggests asking them to write the critique on their own blog and then link to yours. That way, the critic is accountable for what he says, and the discourse will remain civil.


Stay current
Update your blog often, and make liberal use of hyperlinks. The more sites you link to, the more sites will return the favor.


Cover your rear
Whoever does end up writing the blog, don't keep them anonymous or hidden behind some cutesy character. For example, if you blogged for Coca-Cola, don't be "The Coke Guy."

Other tips: Don't shut down existing employee blogs. And don't use search engine trickery to boost the profile of your blog. People will find out.

Finally, a blog is a tool, not a panacea -- don't expect it to turn your company around. "I don't think GM's blog is going to save GM," says Weil.


Read the entire article from CNNMoney.com HERE.

HT: The Blogging Church

March Madness

Ragamuffin Soul made a great point about March Madness (and why I love it):

"...there is no greater sporting event in the world than this single elimination tourney. It's any man's game."

He goes on to point out how Michael Jordan has influenced the game. His moves are legendary and are still used today. Says Los:

"Little did I know how much he was defined by his style of play until I saw this commercial. Even the most ignorant of fans know the man by his moves. This commercial is brilliant. It moves me every time I see it. MASTERFULLY done. Check it out..."




Update: Mrs. Two Blonde Boys jsut won a Final Four hat for me!

Souled out churches

Here are the churches that Mr. Mehta (see my previous post) has visited with his comments:

• Old St. Patrick's Church in Chicago
• Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington
• Park Community Church near Lincoln Park in Chicago
• Parkview Christian Church (in Chicago?)
• Salem Baptist Church on the south side of Chicago (remember... Well the south side of Chicago is the baddest part of town, and if you go down there you better just beware f a man named Leroy Brown)

Souled on eBay

Sorry about the long post, but this one is interesting...

A few weeks ago, Hemant Mehta posted an unusual item for sale on eBay: a chance to save his soul.

The DePaul University graduate student promised the winner that for each $10 of the final bid, he would attend an hour of church services. The 23-year-old Mr. Mehta is an atheist, but he says he suspected he had been missing out on something.

"Perhaps being around a group of people who will show me 'the way' could do what no one else has done before," Mr. Mehta wrote in his eBay sales pitch. "This is possibly the best chance anyone has of changing me."

Evangelists bid, eager to save a sinner. Atheists bid, hoping to keep Mr. Mehta in their fold. When the auction stopped on Feb. 3 after 41 bids, the buyer was Jim Henderson, a former evangelical minister from Seattle, whose $504 bid prevailed.

Mr. Henderson wasn't looking for a convert. He wanted Mr. Mehta to embark with him on an eccentric experiment in spiritual bridge-building...

Days after the auction, Mr. Henderson flew to Chicago to see Mr. Mehta, who is studying to be a math teacher. The two met in a bar, where they sealed a deal a little different from the one the student had proffered. Instead of the 50 hours of church attendance that he was entitled to for his $504, Mr. Henderson asked that Mr. Mehta attend 10 to 15 services of Mr. Henderson's choosing and then write about it.

"I'm not trying to convert you," Mr. Henderson said at the bar. "You're going there almost like a critic... If you happen to get converted, that's off the clock..."

Mr. Mehta has also been reading and critiquing church bulletins. In one, Park Community asked the congregation to pray, in advance of a coming meeting on the construction of a church building "that God would.. .open the doors to the right parking solution, allowing us to build a worship space for 1,200 people, rather than the 850 currently permitted."

"Really?" Mr. Mehta observed on the Web site. "That's what you're praying for? Do they think a god will change parking restrictions? Will a god change the price of nearby property? Will a god add another level to a parking structure?"

Mr. May, the pastor, admitted such talk sounds weird to an outsider. "It's good to be reminded it's unusual," he said

Mr. Henderson says he is thrilled that Mr. Mehta is prompting such reactions. "We're getting to a place where we're talking and not converting," he says.

With about half his obligation to Mr. Henderson fulfilled, Mr. Mehta says he's no closer to believing in God, although he does admire churches for the communities they create. Church, he has decided, is "not such a bad place to be."

Here is what Mr. Mehta had to say about his visit to Willow Creek:

So, the first impression I had as I drove into WCCC (Bill Hybel’s megachurch in South Barrington, IL) was the parking lot. And how it was full. On a Wednesday night. I went inside the building. I’ve never heard of a church with escalators… when I entered the auditorium, I realized I hadn’t seen that many white people in one place in a *long* time.

I watched Pastor Randy Frazee give a sermon on a section of Luke, when Christ ressurected the “widow’s son.” While I didn’t think any of that was actually true (Either it didn’t happen, or the son was never really dead), I was still captivated by the way Frazee spoke. He spoke (digressed?) about his mother and how she had been sick, and how she later died, even though he had prayed as much as he could to keep her alive. It was a powerful speech. And I felt sorry that he had to go through all that. In the end, he managed to relate it back to the part of the scripture. Again, I don’t believe the prayers did anything, but I understand how a son would do anything he could to help keep his mother alive.

I was surprised he had me listening so attentively. I know the sermon could very easily have been boring. After he finished, a small 4-person band sang many songs. The audience sang along. I noticed many people who had their eyes closed, which didn’t surprise me. What did surprise me was the whole “Hand up in the air as I sing for Jesus” gesture. Which was followed by the “I’m going to out-Jesufy you and put two hands up in the air as I sing for Jesus” gesture. I don’t get that. Regardless, the music was good.

The megachurch had everything seemingly taken care of. From my vantage point, there were 4 huge television screens to watch the service. (There were many more everywhere else in the building.) When Frazee recited scripture, it was up on the screen. The broadcasting-aspect of the service was extremely professional. There was a soundproof area in the back where people with crying babies could listen to the service. There was a sign-language section. A separate handicapped section. Outside the auditorium, there was a cafe, another cafeteria, a bookstore, a prayer room… It was impressive. It’s not hard to see how people could spend their whole lives *in* this church. And I can understand why it’s so popular. But just because something is popular doesn’t make it right (see below).

I was curious how much money they took in. According to the pamphlet I was given, they made nearly $500,000 in the past week. And over $2,000,000 since the year began.

They also had job postings for the church. (Atheists don’t have this system down. It’s difficult to have a career being an Atheist. It wouldn’t be hard here, though, if I wanted to work full time as a Christian.) What bothered me was they asked company owners and hiring managers to post job openings on their “Job Connection” board. They’re asking bosses to hire people simply based on the fact that they’re Christian… which, if these bosses work outside the church, seems illegal to me.

I’ll admit that if I were to convert, it would have to be at a place like this. They drew me in, and I’m not even a believer. They discarded the numerous rituals I expect to see at other churches. The sermon was interesting, and the activities that they hold would certainly be entertaining (e.g. A lecture called “Who’s Your Daddy? Adam or Ape?”) However, the whole idea that a church of this size would be promoting Intelligent Design and non-scientific theories about the Earth’s origins scares me. Because if they’re doing it, the other megachurches are doing it. And if they’re all doing it, they’re rallying an army of millions of people who don’t know how science works against the precious minority who do. Frightening.

One funny point: As soon as the sermon ended and the singing began, I could see a good number of people begin to leave. It’s like they were at a sports game and the final score was already decided. They wanted to leave early to avoid the traffic. I didn’t know that was permitted at church.

Read the background story HERE.

HT: Off the Map via Church Marketing Sucks and Monday Morning Insight

Quote of the Day

“Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don’t interfere as long as the policy you’ve decided upon is being carried out.”

President Ronald Reagan

Revamp on the way...

I am going to try to find some time to change the look of my blog. Any suggestions for a new look?

Friday Video Fun

Warning: this is guy humor.

If you do not like guy humor, or are easily offended, please do not proceed.

However, if you'd like a chuckle, click HERE.

Too Much Time on My Hands...

File this one under, "What I do when I don't have a life."

I've got to admit, though. It is very impressive. Apparently this guys spent hundreds of hours to make this... and it's all him.

Nicely done. But please... if I EVER say I want to do something like this... do an intervention.

More News for the World of Poo

My Monday post was about the wonders of cow poop.

And today, it's pigeons. Who would have thought that pigeon poo could save your life?

Although strictly speaking it was more a by-product of pigeons that helped to save Phil Harrison because it was in fact their droppings that helped to cushion his 30ft fall.

That's right, as unpleasant as it sounds, six inches of sloppy pigeon poo acted as the perfect safety net for Mr. Harrison when he fell 30ft from a mill chimney trying to rescue a hawk, reports the Sun.

Well almost-perfect safety net, as sadly Phil from West Yorkshire did break his neck from the fall after the wire mesh support gave way.

However, all ornithologists will be pleased to know that Mr. Harrison managed to gallantly hang on to the hawk as he fell, leaving the bird unharmed.

Alan Webster, Mr. Harrison's friend, said: "It's amazing to think his life was saved by a few inches of bird droppings."

Thankfully doctors are expecting Phil to make a full recovery.

So pigeon poo can break your fall... but can they extract gasoline of vanilla? I thought not.

Read the full article from UKTV HERE.

The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die

OK. So poo is not your thing. (Confused? See yesterday's post).

How about beef? As in hamburgers. As in "these are the ones you don't want to miss." Read teh article, then tell me if they missed any

But first, a little background

GQ's Alan Richman traveled 23,750 miles and consumed more than 150,000 calories while taking the measure of 162 burgers across the country—with one goal: to find you the best assemblage of ground beef and buns this country serves up.

The hamburger is a symbol of everything that makes America great. Straightforward, egalitarian, substantial, and good-natured, it is also a little bloody at times.

It may come big and ungarnished, the East Coast ideal, tender and untroubled by bones or gristle, everything you look for in a filet mignon but seldom find. It may be the West Coast model, swelling with vegetation, brimming with health and well-being, piled high with all that a seed catalog can provide. A great burger, regardless of regional differences, instills a sense of optimism and fulfillment, that all is right at the table or the counter or the woodgrain, screwed-to-the-floor, fast-food booth.

At its best, it eliminates the need for conversation or the urge to glance up at the TV over the bar. If you find yourself eating silently, eyes closed, ignoring everything around you, even the unavoidable burger-joint din, you have come upon a burger that can be pronounced a success.

Here are the 20 best burgers in America:

20. Hamburger Sandwich
Louis' Lunch
New Haven, CT

19. Our Famous Burger
Sidetrack Bar and Grill
Ypsilanti, MI

18. Hamburger
Poag Mahone's Carvery and Ale House
Chicago

17. Double Bacon Deluxe with Cheese
Red Mill Burgers
Seattle

16. Hamburger & Fries
Burger Joint
San Francisco

15. Build Your Own Burger
The Counter
Santa Monica

14. Hamburger
J. G. Melon
New York City

13. Cheeseburger
White Manna
Hackensack, NJ

12. Hamburger
Bobcat Bite
Sante Fe

11. Grilled Bistro Burger
Bistro Don Giovanni
Napa, CA

10. Number Five
Keller's Drive-in
Dallas

9. Cheeseburger
Burger Joint, le Parker Meridien Hotel
New York City

8. Hamburger
Miller's Bar
Dearborn, MI

7. Buckhorn Burger
Buckhorn
San Antonio, NM

6. California Burger
Houston's
Santa Monica

5. Kobe Sliders
Barclay Prime
Philadelphia

4. Rouge Burger
Rouge
Philadelphia

3. Not Just a Burger
Spiced Pear Restaurant at the Chanler Hotel
Newport, RI

2. Luger Burger
Peter Luger Steak House
Brooklyn

1. Sirloin Burger
Le Tub
Hollywood, FL

So what do you think?

(HT: GQ)

A Little Poo Goes a Long Way

So you're a research scientist and you're sitting in your lab trying to some up with "the next big thing." Then it hits you... poo. Well, the poo itself doesn't actually hit you, it's more like poo as a concept.

You think to yourself, "There are a whole lot of cows. They make a whole lot of poo. Wouldn't it be cool if we could get gasoline out of cow poo?" And thus begins the real-life scientific journey for some Japanese research scientists.

Sakae Shibusawa, an agriculture engineering professor at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, said his team has successfully extracted .042 ounces of gasoline from every 3.5 ounces of cow dung by applying high pressure and heat...

The team hopes to improve the technology so that it can be used commercially within five years, Shibusawa said.

In related news, researchers at the state-run International Medical Center of Japan said they have succeeded, in co-operation with Sekisui Chemical Co, in making the smell of vanilla from cow dung.

Researcher Mayu Yamamoto said a one-hour heating and pressuring process allows cow feces to produce vanillin, the main component of the vanilla-bean extract.

The vanillin extracted from the feces could be used in products such as shampoo and aromatic candles but not in food, said Yamamoto.

Compared with usual vanilla, "this component is exactly the same, but it would be difficult for people to accept it in food, given the recent rules of disclosing the origins of ingredients," she said.

Noooo. Really? You don't think people want to eat Nilla Wafers flavored with cow dung? Hmm. How about shampoo - "Now scented with real poo scent."

Read all about the amazing power of poo HERE (gas poo) and HERE ('nilla poo).

Will Apple Adopt Windows?

I am not really a Mac guy. Even though I have recently acquired one to use for the NewCov podcast (whi will soon have an enhanced version), I am still essentially a PC guy. I used to work for Microsoft... what do you expect?

I got a free subscription to PC Magazine when I bought my Dell. I enjoy skimming through it (I just read it for the articles).

Recently John C. Dvorak (read his blog HERE) wrote a column about his thoughts regarding the possible future demise of the Apple OS in favor of... wait for it... MICROSOFT WINDOWS!

Right now I can hear Carlos, Rich, Brian, and Justin sucking wind. I spent a week at a table with these Mac guys - they had their cute little PowerBooks or whatever they were. Sure, they were kinda sexy looking (the computers, not the guys... OK, I think Los is kinda hot - it's the bald thing...). But at the end of the day, a Mac is still a toy.

OK. I don't really believe that. I'm just looking to generate some comments.

Anyway.... Here are some of Dvorak's thoughts on why Apple may in the future ditch their OS in favor of Microsoft Windows:

The idea that Apple would ditch its own OS for Microsoft Windows came to me from Yakov Epstein, a professor of psychology at Rutgers University, who wrote to me convinced that the process had already begun. I was amused, but after mulling over various coincidences, I'm convinced he may be right. This would be the most phenomenal turnabout in the history of desktop computing.

Epstein made four observations. The first was that the Apple Switch ad campaign was over, and nobody switched. The second was that the iPod lost its FireWire connector because the PC world was the new target audience. Also, although the iPod was designed to get people to move to the Mac, this didn't happen. And, of course, that Apple had switched to the Intel microprocessor...

This switch to Windows may have originally been planned for this year and may partly explain why Adobe and other high-end apps were not ported to the Apple x86 platform when it was announced in January. At Macworld, most observers said that these new Macs could indeed run Windows now...

Another issue for Apple is that the Intel platform is wide open, unlike the closed proprietary system Apple once had full control over.Windows, as crappy as many believe it to be, actually thrives in this mishmash architecture. Products, old and new, have drivers for Windows above all else. By maintaining its own OS, Apple would have to suffer endless complaints about peripherals that don't work.

As someone who believed that the Apple OS x86 could gravitate toward the PC rather than Windows toward the Mac, I have to be realistic. It boils down to the add-ons. Linux on the desktop never caught on because too many devices don't run on that OS. It takes only one favorite gizmo or program to stop a user from changing. Chat rooms are filled with the likes of "How do I get my DVD burner to run on Linux?" This would get old fast at Apple.

Apple has always said it was a hardware company, not a software company. Now with the cash cow iPod line, it can afford to drop expensive OS development and just make jazzy, high-margin Windows computers to finally get beyond that five-percent market share and compete directly with Dell, HP, and the stodgy Chinese makers.

To preserve the Mac's slick cachet, there is no reason an executive software layer couldn't be fitted onto Windows to keep the Mac look and feel. Various tweaks could even improve the OS itself. From the Mac to the iPod, it's the GUI that makes Apple software distinctive. Apple popularized the modern GUI. Why not specialize in it and leave the grunt work to Microsoft? It would help the bottom line and put Apple on the fast track to real growth.

The only fly in the ointment will be the strategic difficulty of breaking the news to the fanatical users. Most were not initially pleased by the switch to Intel's architecture, and this will make them crazy.

Luckily, Apple has a master showman, Steve Jobs. He'll announce that now everything can run on a Mac. He'll say that the switch to Windows gives Apple the best of both worlds. He'll say this is not your daddy's Windows. He'll cajole and cajole, and still hear a few boos. But those will be the last boos he'll hear, for then the Mac will be mainstream. We will welcome the once-isolated Apple mavens, finally.

So what do you think? Are you Mac or PC? And if you are a Mac user, how would you feel about the Mac OS migrating to Windows?

Read Dvorak's entire article HERE.