Associative Qualities of the Mac Culture

Buy Yourself a Personality: MacBook

In my little opinion, Macbooks are not much superior to Windows and/or Linux based computing systems. The price of a Macbook can range anywhere from the $1300-$2500 and they are only optimized for their performance in memory intensive usages such as audio recording/editing and video rendering. If you are even doing Photoshop image manipulations, and you are not working with RAW files, then you do not necessarily need a MacBook. If you are reading this, and don’t even know what Final Cut, Compressor, Avid, Motion 4, Pro Tools, then you are one of those people that I like to call ‘Buying a personality’.

Cool & Trendy Factor
There is some statistic that states that out of the Personal Computing market, Apple has like less than 5% of the market share; so having a MacBook will automatically make you stand out from the pack; combine with Apple’s sleek and stylish design, people will gravitate and ask you asinine questions about your MacBook. Which essentially forces the individual to become a ‘Mac Ambassador’; someone that can give advice and their opinion about their Mac experience – and resoundingly enough it will bend toward the positive. Thus, when people become the Mac Ambassador they are embracing and becoming one with the ‘Mac Culture’; which can be defined as a free-spirited, creative, liberal, defying convention, eager individual – whom values his/her individuality from conformity (conformity being Windows culture). Those qualities will then be expressed in their clothing and swag; which is perfectly captured in the popular ‘”I’m a Mac, he’s a PC” ads.

Now, this isn’t ‘Mac resentment’ or ‘hate’; the Apple OS is a unique user experience that in my opinion is slightly better than Windows, but the cost differential is not worth it if you plan on using iMovie or iLife, or watching video on YouTube. You have to give Apple some props though, they have done a creative maeouver in giving the perception that when you buy a MacBook – which is essentially a plethora of computer parts made by other manufacturers (just like Windows machines) – you are not only being a computer, but you are buying a lifestyle. And that ‘lifestyle’ is priceless.

.:: LiBM ::.

Cheap vs Frugal

Key Differences between the two, but often confused

A lot of my friends think that I am ‘cheap’, when I define myself as ‘cost-effecient’; I look for deals, before making purchaes I do my research & analysis of the pros and cons of the item, I aim to not shop impulsively, but only shop out of necessity. I am reluctant to tip at restaurants, I will try to stretch a dollar where applicable, I will avoid paying for parking in downtown Toronto where possible – even if it means walking a couple of extra blocks. So this is a clear distinction to all those lames that say we are ‘cheap’ when we are actually ‘cost-efficient’ (frugal), it is best to have us around so we can advise you out of debt, chumps!

Cheap
A miser or cheapskate is a person who is reluctant to spend money, sometimes to the point of forgoing even basic comforts. The term derives from the Latin miser, meaning “poor” or “wretched,” comparable to the modern word “miserable”.  Here are some interesting cheap people from the past:

Joseph Nollekens – Londoner generally considered to be the finest British sculptor of the late 18th century, he was also a notorious miser.

Charles Huffman was a miser from the 1950s in the U.S. He was found dead on a Brooklyn, New York street with no money in his pockets. The police traced him to a $7 per week room that was filled with bank books and more than $500,000 in stock certificates. He was characterized by Franz Lidz, in The New York Times, on October 26, 2003.

Frugal

Frugality is the practice of acquiring goods and services in a restrained manner, and resourcefully using already owned economic goods and services, to achieve a longer term goal.

Common strategies of frugality include the reduction of waste, curbing costly habits, suppressing instant gratification by means of fiscal self-restraint, seeking efficiency, avoiding traps, defying expensive social norms, embracing cost-free options, using barter, and staying well-informed about local circumstances and both market and product/service realities.

You may be frugal if you evaluate the following on a potential purchase:
Unit pricing ($ per pound, ounce or item)
Convenience
Shelf life (ability to store it)
Life expectancy
Versatility (does it have multiple uses?)
Functionality (is it as useful as they claim?)
Cost of maintenance
Cost and availability of replacement parts
Durability
Warranty or service plan
Taste
Strength
Quality of construction or assembly
Appearance
Safety risks
- There are other great tips of Frugality at:
http://www.frugal-living-freedom.com/frugal.html

Now, I am sure there are some cheapskates out there, and to be ‘cheap’ would subscribe one to some sort of obsessive compulsive disorder that would perpetually create a cycle of desires to horde money and stretch a dollar to nth degree. A reluctance to spend doesn’t define ‘cheap’; it merely shows that one is responsible and careful with their allotment of money so that they get the most value out of their hard earned money. Even when I am sitting in those lofty hills in the villa, deciding which of my many hybrida or diesel cars I will drive … I will still not tip the waiter!

.:: LiBM ::.

Sources:
http://www.frugal-living-freedom.com/frugal.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frugality
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheap

Silly Monkeys! Part 1: The Banker ‘Strong-Arm Mike’
Virtues: stereotypes, uphill battle, struggle, ‘cant win’

Strong-Arm Mike is the tight-ass banker. Mike is the branch manager and takes pride in the power that he has over his minions. Mike is middle-aged, unhappily married, and work is a refuge from ‘home’. Thus, it is only fitting to make your refuge similar to your fantasy, thus Mike’s branch has a suspiciously high number of young, attractive female employees. Mike is a creature of routine, habitually and consistently. Strong-Arm keeps the order and equilibrium in his branch, and of course, Mike has the last and final word on all matters.

Mike’s primary motive is to protect the interests of the bank, and to maximize profits – at all costs. So Mike is a witty, slick guy. Strong-Arm is the type of guy to give you a hard time for loans, credit, and for even opening an account; Strong-Arm likes to scrutinize a lot, and even ‘play dumb’. Even if you make sense, you have correct documentation, Strong-Arm Mike will find a way to make your life difficult. You see, Mike knows that you need him more than he needs you, and he knows that you are willing to sacrifice a bit in order to get what you want – which he controls. In my experiences, Strong-Arm Mike forced my biz partner to open up a personal account when it was absolutely not necessary for the business that we had. But Mike, flexed his muscle; not his physical, like many street thugs like to do, but his financial muscle – which is even stronger. That day we were treated like the silly monkeys, bowing to Strong-Arm, we had to accept his terms; which were so unconventional that the personal banker that we dealt with regarding this matter felt so embarrassed and shocked that this was happening to us. Hmm, she probably never seen anything like this before.

But Silly Monkeys get special treatment, right? Silly Monkey series to be continued, next the ‘Entrepreneur’ …

.:: d.b

Utmost Positive Regard
Virtues: Business, Lenders, Strategy, Knowledge

Power must be the most coveted attribute in this universe; people crave for it & will do just about anything to achieve it – lie, cheat, steal, manipulate, extort … kill. In the world of business, power must mean a measure of influence – basically stating that the more influential that one is, the more power they have.

What is concerning to me is when people give TOO much power to those in high positions; catapulting such people to a level where almost anything they say is golden & coveted. Before, you point out the obvious, yes, I concur that in business, ‘powerful’ people are a valuable resource for intelligence as they can provide insight, scope, and perspective. However, powerful people should not be an irreverent source for validity – because at the end of the day a consultant, entrepreneur, investor, or producer only provides an opinion based on the information presented & their knowledge/experience.

They can not ensure success &/or failure (even though many try), they can only provide probability.

And any advice should be taken as such, and should NOT be taken as an affirmation. This is for the small percentage of the population that embodies the entrepreneurial spirit, whom are at the mercies of ‘powerful’ individuals because they have money & influence. I am in such a category as my squad has innovative ideas and concepts for the betterment of society, but we unfortunately have no capital.

You, the budding entrepreneur, should have done your research & homework to know that your idea is hot; to know that your idea is feasible, and to know that there is a market out there for your endeavor.

You don’t need ‘Evan McMoney Bags’ to validate what you already know.

Ya digg?

.::
Peace,
d.b > www.vacantlot.org
::.