"Seen any good movies lately?"
Oh yes, Donald.
I've even studied many in detail.
I'm happy to drag Donald in here again because he and the other veteran bricks in the wall have been borrowed anew by the Factory, which makes work there more fun.
One cinematic detail, a dull cliché already, is the omnipresence of Macs. Maniacs began listing them whenever spotted in films, but this must now be a huge waste of time. I guess we have designer Jonathan Ives to thank for this and a mention at a French culture website with a big "C", 'evene'.
There's a Mac near the end of 'Antitrust' -- Amazon UK sells only the US Zone 1 version; why? -- though everybody knows this film is about open source software and has characters specifically rule out any Bill Gates connection. Better, I suppose than being sued to hell and beyond.
Sharon Stone and Juliette Lewis can't save 'Cold Creek Manor' (Rotten Tomatoes), which may be the worst "chiller" I've seen this year.
But Dennis Quaid uses Mac OS X in it. He even does so properly, though his Mac is too boringly factory fresh and unhacked to linger on long.
While Mac OS 9 remains the Apple operating system usually seen in movies, it had a huge flaw. I went back into 9 because I've been too lazy to drag my accounts into X. Foolishly, I lingered for hours of more feverish work on the Project.
I like OS 9. I even keep Internet Explorer on it because that browser is so good at ruining some web sites that I make sure it won't seriously screw up something I've done, keeping most of the rules IE breaks, before displaying it on the Net.
When I'd worked on enough Project, I opened my bank's site in IE to finish the job on the accounts.
Disaster!
Being too "clever" for their own good, my bank had produced something new that buggered up IE, then awarded my Mac a hard freeze of the kind I'm trying to teach friends not just to pull the power plug on.
I've bothered to learn tricks, starting with the three-finger salute, or emergency sign-off, to shut down IE. I managed to save most things, including my completed accounts, before the full shut down and reboot.
But I lost all I'd just done on the Project, which caused me to indulge in the spoken equivalent of many two-finger salutes.
I blame Bill and the bank only in part. I blame Apple for the hell of an "old" but normally dependable OS where force-quitting an application (or programme) means you must reboot to avoid messing up others. The repairs finally taken in hand as I type -- that's a beauty of the Big X.
Above all, what made me cross was immediately to think of several people in town who would have lost all they'd done, as I often did before I read a totally missing manual or two and absorbed the best of the Web.
The design fault lies in this: if ever again faced with a Mac or other computer disaster on such a scale and without experts close, I'd want to take it to say, TS (where they're being just so American today. I hate Halloween, sorry). I'd get help from people who can mostly talk sense. But you can't. Because you can't get online! And the help you need isn't in the help places on your computer. Because that kind of disaster never, of course, happens.
These days, I find it relatively easy to try something novel and great fun which sends even Mac OS X into a total panic.
But the hours wasted getting there must have totalled weeks, perhaps months.
When it comes to information technology, I've begun to think, like the ever masterly William Gibson and others, of what comes next. After laptops and desktops.
Once I've got my own answer, it might be in the Project.
I mention that self-censored topic here once more, while my Mac does lots of other things of its own, because I'm recruiting...
Close friends get first call, but I may change my mind and say more about it soon, if necessary.
In musical circles, one person to reintroduce as a matter of urgency is Ana Gracey.
The woman's voice is a miracle. Plus some hard work, I guess. I told you that back in March. But now I've listened to her on a really good sound system, I insist that she's got it. A gift from the gods.
There might be another somebody pretty new to the "Great Voices of Women" scene, but in a different vein. Ever heard of Stina Nordenstam?
If not, take it from me, you will! And, I swear on the head of the White Goddess, she's on the French branch of the iTunes Music Store already. Wow. Somebody there's got some sense.
I found out about her on Tuesday, was convinced and bought some yesterday, introduced her to Barry today. He enjoyed what he got of a good rinse to the ears, so he said.
Do they come in threes?
If so, Norah Jones may have changed style, but needs to watch her back.
Madeleine Peyroux's new 'Careless Love' isn't at the ITMS France yet. But 'Dreamland' is.
There are no design faults in this trio of discoveries.
As they say in this country: "Warning: talent!"
As for movie-makers: how about something else? You could try give the Macs to the bad guys. I would.
11:00:55 PM link 
|
|
postbox