Tomorrow is the Macworld Keynote. It used to be--five years ago--I'd get excited about the biannual event, set-up special satellite feeds, scour the rumor sites, use the broadband to it's bleeding edge.

Years ago, the word Apple was always preceeded by the word "beleagured," not so much any more, that's a good thing, I suppose, Apple being one of the only companies to thrive during the dot-com bust. But I'm starting to figure out kind of a "duh" thing that's tempered my excitement--the products do not a solution make.

There was an episode of The Sopranos where Michael wanted to write a 'real' gangster movie (Never mind this is a fake show, oh the conceit), so he went and bought, er, stole, the most expensive laptop with fancy screenwriting software. Part of the episode, he's gloating about the potential of the machine, what the stuff can do for him. But when it came down to it, the software didn't write his screenplay. And he turned out the same semi-illiterate crap he was trying to better.

That's how I used to feel, that Final Cut Pro would make me a director, that the blog would revolutionize my writing. But it ain't happening without me.

Steve Jobs is a master of creating potential. What sets him and Apple apart from the slovish bean counters at Microsoft is potential. Apple looks at itself as a way to create potential in average humans and that's what I like about them. Sure, they're a business like everyone else and it's nice some of the 'underdog' status is gone. But, ultimately, that potential, resides in the person creating.

Okay, not the most deep of thoughts, kind of banal really. Apple does make it easier to use the tools to 'get the computer out of the way' of creating than Wintel. And for this reason, I'm still a bit excited about tomorrow's keynote. Plus Steve's a real showman and still has the passion that gazillionaire Gates and middle manager Balmer don't have.

Remeber when a song could change the world? Hippie Steve does. Songs don't seem to change the world much any more, so what do they do?

But a question to answer for later posts---if everyone can create and create at higher levels, how does this change what art is and our approach to it?

Oh, oblink, check out the Keynote tomorrow morning at 10am central. I'll be watching and drooling over that new mini-ipod that finally hits my price.

And watching the keynotes did help me win at Trivial Pursuit--"What two items of clothing are Apple CEO Steve Jobs famous for wearing?"

What's a 'mock' turtleneck? That looks like a real turtleneck to me.
10:40:56 AM  #  Oh yea! []

Since I've finally figured out a seamless way to make a radio station, The Wayne Americana Radio Network---or WARN---I thought I'd bring back another site gimmick, pictures from my desktop.

So, once again, Snapperhead returns. If the radio station is on, so is Snapperhead.

BTW, thanks to Rogue Amoeba for the swell internet radio stuff. I may actually do live broadcasts at one point, it allows voiceovers. (Hmmm, this tool could be used for all sorts of strange broadcasting. Powerbook+Nicecast=guerilla journalism)
2:03:41 AM  #  Oh yea! []