Take this Internship and Shove It

The title of this post is stolen from the title of an op-ed in the New York Times of today.

Hallelujah!

This issue needs all the attention it can get. People are working for free and often have no choice but to do so. As the author says, it creates an oversupply of cheap labor that drives the salaries down. May it be that yours too is affected? It's an issue that touches more than just interns.

Cell phones are a drug

For a full year, I've had my first cell phone in my pocket, set on vibration for minimal annoyance. Or so I thought. After a few months, I started feeling my phone vibrating. I would check and apparently no one was calling. At some point, I would feel the vibration of my ringing phone, except that I didn't have my phone with me. Even now, as I rarely carry my phone with me, I can feel a muscle vibrate on my thigh. Apparently, I'm not alone.

Talk like an Egyptian

I picked the nickname "Mozza" some 10 years ago, the first time I ever chatted on the Internet. I front of the computer, I was told to come up with a nickname. I turned to my friend eating mozzarella and I wrote "mozza". Ever since, I've been happy with this name, gender neutral, anonymous, easy to pronounce in most languages, catchy, often available for registration, etc. A stroke of luck.

Recently, I got a lot of traffic from Egypt - well, a lot by this blog's standards. I was puzzled. It appeared that these visitors were looking for "mozza" on blog searches. I was even more puzzled. Did my post on hybrid cars have such an effet there? I decided to search for a "mozza" myself.

It turns out that there's an Egyptian Mozza. And that mozza means "hottie" in Arabic. Not so gender neutral after all. Wait, it gets better: this liberated Egyptian woman is posting salacious stories about her liberated life. Well, liberated by Egyptian standards. Don't bother looking for those stories though: the best stuff seems to be in Arabic.

So to all my Egyptian visitors: welcome. Unfortunately, I'm no liberated Egyptian woman, so please follow the link above if that's what you're looking for. In the meantime, I'll keep my nickname - which I also share with the singer Morrissey apparently.

Get A Mac !

Years ago, Apple had a TV ad with an executive making a presentation with a PC in front of a large crowd. Of course, the PC freezes. Members of the audience start shouting suggestions: "Type this!" or "Restart!". After 20 seconds, someone shouts the ultimate solution: "Get A Mac!"

Now Apple has turned this catchphrase into a marketing campaign with TV/web ads.

I'm a Mac user - it's not a confession, it's a source of pride. Nevertheless, I'm not so hot about getting people on the Mac. I gave up years ago. As long as I can use one, I don't mind what people are using - after all, the compatibility issue is a thing of the past.

Most Mac users would disagree however. Much like those of us who discover a new band and want to share it with our friends, Mac users advocate on and on about their Mac. They want PC users to switch. Will these ads help?

Maybe, but I'm not so sure. The ads are cocky. I'm sure Mac users will like it. That's good once you're in the club, but it's a turn off if you're not. Would you join a club just because you're told you're stupid not to?

Overall, I don't find the ads very funny, nor much informative. The impersonation concept is not bad - I tended to think that I could spot a Mac user just by its clothing too - but I'm not sure about the implementation. The PC guy looks serious, down-to-earth. The Mac guy looks cool. When buying a tool such as a computer, most of those who spend their own money prefer to appear practical than cool, no?

I think it's a good thing that Apple puts the emphasis on the Mac. We almost forgot it with the iPod and iTunes. Long live the Mac!

What would you do for a free photo?

I'm on holiday and shouldn't spend too much time in front of a computer. But this made me laugh.