Gates vs. Jobs

After I wrote the headline for this entry, I realized that many readers will assume that I'm planning to comment on the relationship of our former Secretary of Defense to the country's employment situation. But no, I'm talking about Bill and Steve.

Here's the thing: I'm going to buy a Macintosh.

It kills me to say that. Having been a proud defender of the PC platform since the 80s, I have always argued that life was better on the Windows side of the world, and have cursed the arrogance of Apple and its "one fruit fits all" approach.

And if Windows 7 had solved the BSOD problem, I'd have remained loyal. But a monochrome screen full of text that's incomprehensible even to Laurence Fishburne does not argue well for a company that's supposed to be a couple of revisions beyond the millenium. Apple may operate under the same business model Satan himself uses, but gosh darn it, my PC just keeps crashing!

And then there's the compatibility issue. The video guys at my office all use Macs for movie editing. Our standard template for the American Patriots History Association is an Apple design. So if I hop on the anti-Microsoft bandwagon, I'll increase my video versatility and will fit in better with my business and charity coworkers.

I'm hoping that when it arrives, this spiffy new tool will improve my editing efficiency to the point where I can crank out my veterans' DVDs in a fraction of the current time, and then have some discretionary hours left over to apply my creativity to some more YouTube videos.

Of course, any dreams I have of personal producivity will be subject to the realities of the workaday world. I'm starting up a new proposal that will require me to commute to Louisville every day for the next several weeks. The drive alone adds a couple of extra hours to my day, and the potential overtime could leave me with very little spare time at all. I'll try to write a few blogs during this period, but can't promise anything.

For now, though, I'll just wish you all a Happy Independence Day! Have fun!