iPhone, iPod and MacBook Pro, Oh My!
November 14, 2007
Confession: I am a Mac addict. Yes, it's true. Whenever Apple rolls out a new piece of gear someone in my life has to intervene before I dart out to the Apple store to run up my credit card on the latest and greatest invention.
I've been brand loyal to Apple since 1986 when I worked as a receptionist for Milwaukee Wire Products, a company that manufactures dipsticks. No kidding--someone has to do it or none of us would be able to check the oil in our cars as easily as we do.
But I digress. As the receptionist I had an IBM Selectric typewriter just like all the other "secretaries" in the office. The company did have a vintage version of an IT department responsible for the mainframe computer (what that mainframe was used for is still a mystery to me) but no one had discovered personal computers yet.
I was surprised when I literally stumbled over a large box marked "Apple" while rummaging through the storage loft one morning. I had heard of the Apple personal computer, but had never laid eyes on such an animal.
I hauled the box down to my desk and opened it to find a brand-spanking-new Macintosh Plus computer. It was the third model in the Macintosh line, introduced two years after the original Mac.
The boss informed me that the computer was meant for the purchasing department but the buyer was a little too old school to make this particular technological leap. If I wanted to figure out to use the damn thing, it was fine by him.
Even back then, the Apple was so intuitive it didn't take me long to figure it out. After a few days, I had easily mastered that beautiful Mac Plus and was hooked--likely for the rest of my life.
In the 20 plus years since that first discovery, I've worked my way through many Apple computer models including the SE, IIcxm Performa, Quadra, Powerbook, iMac and MacBook Pro. I've had a few jobs where I was forced to work on inferior DOS and Windows platforms. But, when it's up to me, I will always choose Apple. The quality and ease of use is so far superior to a PC, it's hard to swallow that anyone would voluntarily choose a PC over a Mac.
My current computer is a 17" MacBook Pro with the Intel processor. I also own the 8g iPhone and an iPod Classic, which recently replaced my inaugural iPod.
Today, when I updated my iPhone, there was new software that enabled the phone to (finally!) use songs as ringtones. I jumped out of my chair and did a little happy dance for the cats when I made this discovery. After the happy dance, I checked to see which songs were available for download. When I found Guy Clark's "Dublin Blues" on the list, I jumped up for another happy dance.
Now, when I get calls, I hear the exquisite simplicity of Guy Clark singing:
"Well, I wished I was in Austin
in the Chili Parlor bar
drinking mad dog margaritas
and not caring where you are
But here I sit in Dublin
just rolling cigarettes
holding back and choking back
the shakes with every breath"
Hearing Guy's inimitable voice on my phone is not as satisfying as hearing it on the high quality audio of a CD, but it is Guy's voice and it's soooo much more pleasurable than those horrible polyphonic ringtones I've been forced to live with until this point.
While I'm writing about the superiority of Apple creations, I want to give props to their customer service, particularly the employees at the Apple Store in the Green Hills Mall in Nashville.
Last month, I needed a new power adaptor for my MacBook because the cat had chewed through the cord one too many times and it finally died. I was preparing to leave town for three weeks and stopped at the Apple store to buy a new adaptor. The adaptors were on backorder for several weeks. I surfed the web hoping to find an Internet site that might have them in stock, but no luck. I called Apple Stores in the cities I was traveling to and found they were also backordered at those locations. While I was getting frustrated the kids in the Green Hills store just went to work and figured out a way to give me a warranty service part replacement even though my cat had chewed through the cord, thus voiding the warranty.
While I was on my trip, I bought a wireless headset for my iPhone and some Shure headphones at an Apple Store in New Hampshire. By the time I returned to Nashville, I had decided I wanted to trade them both in for something else, but the return date on the receipt had expired. Leave it to my friends at the Green Hills Apple Store--they graciously let me return the items, showed me other options and I once again walked out of the store pleased to be a Mac Addict. I'm sure another fix is right around the corner.
Tamara
Dixie Chicks controversy manufactured by Sony?
July 11, 2006
Country radio was grossly unfair to the Dixie Chicks in 2003 when they dropped "Travelin’ Soldier," hosted CD smashing parties, and began the name-calling which in turn invited death threats to three talented musicians who just a few years earlier were hailed for saving the format.
Natalie Maines, as an American, has protected rights to say whatever she wants to say about George W. Bush. Half of America is embarrassed he is the President. Country radio's mean spirited actions gave the Chicks justification to stop promoting their music to country radio.
Fast-forward to 2006. The Dixie Chicks release Taking The Long Way, a fabulous pop music collection produced by Rick Rubin and including guest stars from the rock and blues world including John Mayer, Keb Mo', Bonnie Raitt and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith. I don’t think the question is "Is country radio fair to the Dixie Chicks?" I think the question is "Why in the world would Sony decide to mail out singles of 'Not Ready To Make Nice' and promote this album to country radio?" The single is a deserved middle finger to country radio and everyone else who forsake the Chicks when they needed the support of their music industry family. For Sony to expect country radio to play it is idiotic.
Taking The Long Way is not a country record. The Chicks have been perfectly clear in their intention of not being country artists. They have stated publicly they aren’t interested in courting the same fans as Reba and Toby Keith.
Yet, Sony continues to ignore the Chicks' wishes. Either Sony just doesn't get it, or they intentionally threw the Chicks under the bus to stir up more controversy in an attempt to sell a few more records. It is Sony Music who has abandoned the Dixie Chicks and country radio while the label does what it does best—watches the bottom line.
Tamara
Fans or Foes?
April 3, 2006
Someone forwarded me a passage from a Kris Kristofferson listserv recently. The fans were talking about Kris's recent gig at the Ryman. One of the fans unknowingly wrote about me. He said I was a "creature" and must have gotten my personality "in a car wreck" and laughed about how all of them made fun of me.
His comments were made in reference to a scene that played out in the alley outside the Ryman on March 19. The scene inside the Ryman was somber while the alley cats were rowdy and eager to see Kris after his show. You see, that night Kris had food poisoning. If you've ever had food poisoning, I don't have to tell you how miserable one feels. Most people can barely make their way from bed to the bathroom during a food poisoning bout. But Kris, well, he didn't want to disappoint his fans. He came to the Ryman and played a damn respectable two-hour show. In fact it was a fantastic show. Why, the fans on the listserv even talked about the fabulous concert Kris performed that night.
But the great show wasn't enough for some of them. They crowded in the alley, hoping to say hello, get an autograph, or whatever it is they want from Kris even after he's already given them all he's got.
While Kris was packing up to leave and hoping to make a quiet escape to the hotel, I went out to the alley to scope it out. I told the fans that Kris was ill and wouldn't be signing any autographs. They just stared at me like cows grazing in a meadow. I said, "If you love Kris as much as you profess to love him, you'll leave now and let him go peacefully." The crowd continued to stare at me, completely indifferent about Kris or his health. "We just want to see him" one of them called. I said, "You people ought to be ashamed of yourselves." I meant it.
When I brought Kris out to the car, their disrespect mounted into a roar. Arms flailing through the gate for autographs and trying to touch him, people yelling his name, all of them trying to be the center of Kris's attention when all the man wanted to do was get to a bed. Kris said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm just not feeling well." Even then, it wasn't enough for this insolent group. They could not, would not, let him be. Two drunken women even followed him to the hotel. Now that's attractive.
I'd like to say this was a one-bad-apple group and that I've not witnessed ugly and rude scenes like this before, but the truth is, I witness them every single time I travel with Kris. There is always a mad scramble of discourteous fans trying to get to him. The irony is that Kris is humble, even shy, and doesn't seem to have an egotistical bone in his body. Maybe that's why people are drawn to him. He's a good man. A gentle human being. An authentic artist. He gives 200% to his performances. Paying customers are always satisfied with the shows. Why isn't it enough? Why do people feel they have the right to torment another person?
I feel sorry for people who have fame. No, really. I don't care how much money they make or how much "power" they have, most of these people don't have the luxury and simple pleasure of living a normal life and that's gotta suck.
I find myself thinking of Kris at odd moments: when I'm browsing in a book store with a cup of hot chocolate in my hand, walking through the park enjoying the sunlight on my back, eating a good meal by candlelight at a restaurant with my sweetie, walking into Starbucks or mailing a package at the post office. All of these little things he's had to give up because people have forced him to give them up.
Granted, Kris has never complained to me. He'd never complain to anyone. But, I'm there; I see how it wears on him. And I see how he doesn't want to disappoint anyone. I understand where he's coming from. What I don't understand is the fans. Why? Why is it so important to them to invade Kris's personal space? Why do they think Kris (or any other artist) owes them more than a great performance?
I've heard the argument that artists ask for it because they chose to be public figures. Bullshit, I say. No one expects to give up their lives for their art. And they shouldn't have to do so. What ever happened to good old-fashioned manners? What ever happened to common decency? Do fans think they are endearing themselves to artists when they behave so poorly?
Maybe it's time for the guy who said I got my personality in a car wreck to take a long hard look in the mirror. While he's there, perhaps he can contemplate a life of his own.
Tamara