Geeks can generally find a way to afford any hardware that we want. The problem is, we dont WANT to afford hardware that is grossly overpriced. It is also wrong to suggest that those who dont buy Apple products are somehow against Apple. I think you would find most people appreciate what Apple does, even if we dont want to pay those outrageous prices, in order to be part of the 'club'.

Apple doesnt to anything from a functional perspective that others dont; iPhone being a perfect example. My Blackberry had every feature that the iPhone3G had a year before the 3G was available. If there is anything about Apple that I personally resent, it might be their propensity to suggest innovation and features never existed until they incorporated them into their own products.

Apple would be fine allowing one to believe that no phone had true GPS or A2DP until the G3, and I know more than one iPhone owner who believed that until I set them straight. I truly appreciate Apple's marketing prowess, and their product design abilities are unmatched. There are just a number of us who can appreciate Apple without paying more than twice the average price for similar technology. This past Christmas, I purchased THREE HP laptops on Black Friday for LESS than the price of MacBook Pro with the same feature set, same RAM, and and bigger disks.

Is the MacBook a better machine anyway? Perhaps, but NOT 3+ times better.

Its about proper programing principles and procedures.

Set him up with something where he can produce something cool, FAST, which will enforce best practices. Frankly, the IDE is more important than the language. Set him up to where he is asking "Why and How", not "what the fuck do I do now?"

He'll need an idea of something to accomplish, and set out on a path to get it done. Learning programing without a specific goal, is another kind of hell. Make it about the 'Solution', then show him how to get there.

The iPhone 3G? In the end, ......its a phone.

Yet, you never hear or read much about how good a PHONE it is. It can cure cancer, stop global warming, and make Obama's wife pretty, but ya think maybe someone might say a word or two about call quality?

Bueuler?

As much as I dislike the overhyping (and overpricing) of everything Apple creates, I have to give it to Jobs, for stealing the technical marketing thunder for 2010 with this tablet.

Here come the endless stories and speculation; the masses of apple fanboys ready to re-mortgage their condo's to pay for this thing, and the articles; OH, THE ARTICLES!

Dont cha love the 20page reviews with a single paragraph per page and enough ads to lock up your Noscript?

The guy knows what he's doing. They will sell millions of them, whether they suck or not.....

and not so much the technology.

Show how the various systems and services directly support Business operations and overall goals like profitability, customer service ratings, etc..

Point out wherever technology is a business hindrance or obstacle, and provide multiple options for systems or software integration to alleviate the problem.

In short, use the opportunity to remind the execs that IT is more than a cost-center, and how its proper usage can enhance profitability.

Careful though; if you do too good a job, they might make you a (gasp) manager, and then of course, you are screwed.

Well said.

It would be interesting also to point out that the shortage of Flu vaccine in the US is DIRECTLY due to government intervention. The US Government decided a few years ago to dictate to the pharmaceutical industry how much they would be allowed to charge for these vaccines. Thinking that they would save the tax-payer a lot of money, the result was that all but two manufacturers announced that they would no longer make the vaccines at all.

Only 5 years ago, Vaccine shortages were unheard of. Now, it is the norm. Wish I could blame stupid liberals, but this was done in combination with GW Bush and a Democrat controlled Congress.

You have the same idiots now wanting to do the same to the entire Health industry, and it wont be just vaccination shortages, but shortages of EVERYTHING. That is why you wait 2 months for a cancer screening in Canada today. This is our future.

The other poster is right; you are an idiot.

The opportunity for increased revenue sits right there in front of you, and if you had any sense, you would LEARN what its good for, and make money SHOWING your clients what they can do with it. Change your name to Anonymous, next time you want to post something that dumb.

Talk about sour grapes......

Whether every single SharePoint CAL that was purchased is actually in use, is irrelevant to the point of ridicule.

Did they sell it? Did someone BUY it? THEN COUNT it, baby!

Instead of bitching, someone should be crediting Microsoft for how they manage their CALs and bundling.

This is like arguing over how many copies of MS Paint are used on a daily basis. It hardly matters. Microsoft sold it, and pocketed the income, which is cash that most likely WONT go to a SharePoint competitor, whether SharePoint gets used or not.

First, you seem to admit that unless your company allows you to use THEIR property for YOUR personal use, then you are unmotivated to do more than the minimum amount of work required.

Whether you make the company money or not, is completely irrelevant. You get PAID to do what you do; you are owed nothing beyond your check and whatever else is listed on your stub, baby.

The fact that you get paid, means that you likely have the means to purchase YOUR OWN laptop, on which to conduct your personal business, but no.......fuck them, right?

The fact is, they CAN have it both ways, not YOU. Most professionals work from a sense of personal pride, and do what they feel is necessary to get the job done, not as barter for perks.

My guess, is that you are probably no where near as successful as you think you are, but if you would like to find out, why not post your screed on your Linked In page, and see how many employers (including your current one) are enamored with your attitude.

Here is a clue; NOBODY successful gives a shit about 60 hours, because they dont count them. They just get things done, and look for more to do.

I think they will be very successful as well, as soon as people start comparing Direct Access to the hemorrhoid of IT, the VPN.

Direct Access works, and it works very well after a somewhat tedious configuration. Tunneling IPv6 through IPv4 will extend the life of many an SMB router, too.

...."After trying everything else short of rape at gunpoint, thousands of geeks SUICIDAL after discovering that owning a Netbook will indeed NOT get them laid."

Buy it, bury it, PROFIT!

Did the word BURGER escape you?

For those of you who dont know what an In n Out Burger Double-Double is, it is simply the most delicious cheeseburger you can find for the money. I realize that 99 percent of the world does not live or work near an In n Out Burger location, but that is your unfortunate problem.

I want an app that tells me in real time, how long the line is at the closes In n Out Burger, knows all the archane jargon to help me order my Double-Double(s) with grilled onions, and tells me exactly WHEN I should drive over to collect it. I want it smart enough to send me video of the hot, big chested chick with the clipboard, for when the line gets too long, and NOT send video when the ugly fat chick is out there sweating in the sun, baby!

Oh, and I need it for a BLACKBERRY, fuckers.

Burned out, need a vacation? Fire up Flight Simulator and fly from SFO to Hawaii.

Pissed off at the boss, need to vent? A bit of Gears of War will do the trick.

Need some exercise to burn off the pounds? A late afternoon set or two of Vertua Tennis will keep you slim and trim, baby!

Did someone cut you off on the commute home, Bunky? Time for some Need for Speed revenge, bitches!

Wife not giving it up lately? Create a character in The Sims that digs that back hair, homey!