Rob Monti,
Your Favorite MonT-SteR!
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Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Making lemonade out of a lemon
The lemon, in this case, is my 24" iMac's hard drive. I officially pronounced it dead today.
So, the new one is on its way. Once it gets here, a couple of Mac nerds at work are going to help me perform hard-drive transplant surgery on my poor 'puter. My sister had the unmitigated temerity to suggest that I just bag it and buy a PC. The only problem with that is that I would have to use the PC. What do you think I am, a glutton for punishment?
"But Rob, but Rob," my handful of readers exclaim, "isn't your iMac causing you aggravation already? What's the diff?"
The "diff," as you so eloquently put it, is that PCs are contemptible gutter trash. How's that grab ya!
Honestly, though, I'm blogging right now on my Frankenmac, which is a blue and white G3 with all kinds of funky, extraneous upgrades in it. A little slow, yes, but it's reliable as anything, in spite of the fact that it's nearly a decade old. I've owned a number of Macs over the years, and they've generally been durable and dependable. This iMac is one of two exceptions. The other was a venerable Performa 6200 that is still operational to this day. In each case, the hard drive died prematurely -- obviously a lemon. In the case of the Performa, the machine was still under warranty when it croaked, so the repair was free. The iMac, unfortunately, is not.
Even more unfortunate is the treatment I've received from local repair shops. The Apple store in Norfolk won't let me buy a hard drive on my own; they will only do the repair if I pay through the nose for Apple parts. Thanks, but no thanks -- my money doesn't grow on trees, you know. There's another Apple authorized dealer in town called the Mac Specialist that could probably fix it, but the gentleman I spoke with on the phone today was just insufferably rude and condescending. Plus, they wanted to charge me a ridiculous sum for a SCSI cable several years ago. I just can't bring myself to do business with them.
So, I'll make lemonade out of this lemon by making the repair myself. In the meantime, here I am, kvetching and rambling to nobody in particular about my iMac while the economy is in turmoil and the world teeters on the brink of mass conflict and upheaval. That's perspective for ya!
Blessings,
Rob
aka The MonT-SteR
The lemon, in this case, is my 24" iMac's hard drive. I officially pronounced it dead today.
So, the new one is on its way. Once it gets here, a couple of Mac nerds at work are going to help me perform hard-drive transplant surgery on my poor 'puter. My sister had the unmitigated temerity to suggest that I just bag it and buy a PC. The only problem with that is that I would have to use the PC. What do you think I am, a glutton for punishment?
"But Rob, but Rob," my handful of readers exclaim, "isn't your iMac causing you aggravation already? What's the diff?"
The "diff," as you so eloquently put it, is that PCs are contemptible gutter trash. How's that grab ya!
Honestly, though, I'm blogging right now on my Frankenmac, which is a blue and white G3 with all kinds of funky, extraneous upgrades in it. A little slow, yes, but it's reliable as anything, in spite of the fact that it's nearly a decade old. I've owned a number of Macs over the years, and they've generally been durable and dependable. This iMac is one of two exceptions. The other was a venerable Performa 6200 that is still operational to this day. In each case, the hard drive died prematurely -- obviously a lemon. In the case of the Performa, the machine was still under warranty when it croaked, so the repair was free. The iMac, unfortunately, is not.
Even more unfortunate is the treatment I've received from local repair shops. The Apple store in Norfolk won't let me buy a hard drive on my own; they will only do the repair if I pay through the nose for Apple parts. Thanks, but no thanks -- my money doesn't grow on trees, you know. There's another Apple authorized dealer in town called the Mac Specialist that could probably fix it, but the gentleman I spoke with on the phone today was just insufferably rude and condescending. Plus, they wanted to charge me a ridiculous sum for a SCSI cable several years ago. I just can't bring myself to do business with them.
So, I'll make lemonade out of this lemon by making the repair myself. In the meantime, here I am, kvetching and rambling to nobody in particular about my iMac while the economy is in turmoil and the world teeters on the brink of mass conflict and upheaval. That's perspective for ya!
Blessings,
Rob
aka The MonT-SteR
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
I'm a Christ follower, not a Christian
My friend and fellow blogger, Nathan (who runs the Christians Behaving Badly blog), drew my attention to an interesting YouTube phenomenon today.
In case you haven't noticed, parodies of Apple's current "Get a Mac" ad campaign have been in vogue on YouTube for awhile now, so I figured it was only a matter of time before creative, media-savvy churches got in on the act.
That day has arrived. Now, courtesy of Community Christian Church -- a multi-site congregation in Illinois -- we have some pretty nifty faith-based "Get a Mac" parodies. In essense, they contrast external, superficial expressions of what is mistakenly taken for Christian faith (represented by the up-tight, insecure, condescending nerdy guy) with an incarnational lifestyle, i.e., Christ following (represented by the laid-back, regular looking guy who actually has some social skills). Take a look:
There are, however, a few things that trouble me a bit about these videos:
Am I being too sensitive, or do you think I brought up valid points?
Blessings,
Rob
aka The MonT-SteR
My friend and fellow blogger, Nathan (who runs the Christians Behaving Badly blog), drew my attention to an interesting YouTube phenomenon today.
In case you haven't noticed, parodies of Apple's current "Get a Mac" ad campaign have been in vogue on YouTube for awhile now, so I figured it was only a matter of time before creative, media-savvy churches got in on the act.
That day has arrived. Now, courtesy of Community Christian Church -- a multi-site congregation in Illinois -- we have some pretty nifty faith-based "Get a Mac" parodies. In essense, they contrast external, superficial expressions of what is mistakenly taken for Christian faith (represented by the up-tight, insecure, condescending nerdy guy) with an incarnational lifestyle, i.e., Christ following (represented by the laid-back, regular looking guy who actually has some social skills). Take a look:
Video 1Clever, amusing, and in most respects, very helpful and accurate. Jesus defined the eternal life He promised to bring in this way:
Video 2
Video 3
Video 4
Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. (John 17:3)Thus, Christian faith is characterized chiefly by a dynamic of relationship between Creator and creation, God and man; Christ Himself makes such relationship possible through His death, resurrection, and ongoing ministry at the right hand of the Father. These videos camp out on that truth, communicating it in simple, entertaining fashion -- and I'm quite happy about that. So let me say up front that I commend this church for its creativity, for the apparently high production value of these videos (the church should exemplify excellence), for their faithfulness to a core message of the Scriptures, and for the risk-taking inherent in doing something a little different.
There are, however, a few things that trouble me a bit about these videos:
- I object to how they disparage the term "Christian." I understand that the idea of who a Christian is and what they ought to look like is egregiously muddied in our culture, often because many who take the name to themselves have no business doing so. But I think a creative church could and should have found a way to communicate the content of these parodies without dragging the name and idea of "Christian" through the mud. After all, it's a biblical name that has been associated closely with discipleship -- or what these parodies would consider "Christ following" -- from the times of the early Church forward (see Acts 11:26). To my way of thinking, we ought to work to make "Christian" synonymous with "Christ follower," not antithetical to it. In this respect, I find these videos damaging and confusing.
- This is perhaps unintentional, but I think the first video has the effect of disparaging Christian scholarship. It seems to imply that bookishness is innately pharasaical, whereas somebody who is really close to the heart of God (i.e., a Christ follower) doesn't need (nor should they desire) such gobbledy-gook. Of course, the point is well taken that being Christian is by no means a function of mere education or scholarship. But the church has benefited in every age from the work and witness of plenty of Christians who were also highly educated -- including none other than St. Paul, who had the educational equivalent of a Ph.D. and could be considered an archetypal example of a Christ follower.
- I've mentioned in previous posts that I am an unashamed participant in the Charismatic movement. As such, I've had my share of debates with mainline evangelicals about the proper understanding of the charismata as they relate to modern faith and praxis -- some of these discussions were friendly, and some, sadly, resulted in broken relationships with other believers. The defensive part of me reacts a bit to the last video, and perceives it as something of a swipe at the Charismatic/Pentecostal practice of exercising the gifts of the Spirit (namely tongues and prophecy) in a worship context. If that was part of the video's intent, then it's essentially asserting that people like me aren't Christ followers. That's unfair, unhelpful, patently unscriptural, and untrue. If, on the other hand, the point is merely that worship ought to be an exercise in genuine heart response to God as opposed to an outward, artificial affectation of spirituality that is actually a fleshly attempt to make something happen, then I can say a hearty amen.
Am I being too sensitive, or do you think I brought up valid points?
Blessings,
Rob
aka The MonT-SteR
Labels: Apple, Christianity, discipleship, Macintosh, parody
Thursday, May 04, 2006
I think I'm gonna crash...
Those of you who are longtime readers of The MonT-SteR REPORT will no doubt recall that The MonT-SteR is an unapologetic fan of the Macintosh platform. I'll never forget using one for the first time in middle school. I was drawing a comic strip for the school paper using a Mac 512k (I think) and a first-generation drawing tablet. At every turn, I was amazed at how Apple's cute little box empowered me to create -- and I've never looked back.
In fact, I'm enough of a Mac apologist (see my Mac Justification for Corporate Design Departments document) that I shamelessly indoctrinate my son on a regular basis. He looks at our Mac at home, points, and says, "Ap-ple," to which I reply, "Yes, son. That's the right kind of computer to use. Apples are good, PC's are YUCKY! God obviously likes Macs much better than PC's. Remember that, okay?"
As a Mac lover, I was delighted to see the newest round of Apple TV commercials. My favorite is the "Viruses" one, which had me rolling on the floor when I first saw it. Every time Mr. PC (who bears a strong resemblance to Bill Gates) gets that glazed, far off look in his eye and says, "I think I'm gonna crash!" I can't help but laugh.
So friends, in honor of the best Apple ad campaign that's come along in years, and for your viewing pleasure, I present "Viruses." The file is about 2.5MB, and you'll need QuickTime to view it.
Blessings,
Rob
aka The MonT-SteR
Those of you who are longtime readers of The MonT-SteR REPORT will no doubt recall that The MonT-SteR is an unapologetic fan of the Macintosh platform. I'll never forget using one for the first time in middle school. I was drawing a comic strip for the school paper using a Mac 512k (I think) and a first-generation drawing tablet. At every turn, I was amazed at how Apple's cute little box empowered me to create -- and I've never looked back.In fact, I'm enough of a Mac apologist (see my Mac Justification for Corporate Design Departments document) that I shamelessly indoctrinate my son on a regular basis. He looks at our Mac at home, points, and says, "Ap-ple," to which I reply, "Yes, son. That's the right kind of computer to use. Apples are good, PC's are YUCKY! God obviously likes Macs much better than PC's. Remember that, okay?"
As a Mac lover, I was delighted to see the newest round of Apple TV commercials. My favorite is the "Viruses" one, which had me rolling on the floor when I first saw it. Every time Mr. PC (who bears a strong resemblance to Bill Gates) gets that glazed, far off look in his eye and says, "I think I'm gonna crash!" I can't help but laugh.
So friends, in honor of the best Apple ad campaign that's come along in years, and for your viewing pleasure, I present "Viruses." The file is about 2.5MB, and you'll need QuickTime to view it.
Blessings,
Rob
aka The MonT-SteR
Saturday, April 30, 2005
For a change of pace...
"Um, excuse me, Rob, but weren't you going to do a series on Hell? And what about that vaunted 'expose' on EVP? Can't you finish what you start?"
I know, I know. I hate to admit it, but you're right. I guess that's why I'm on the short list for the "2005 Blogger with the Attention Span of a Housefly" award. A dubious distinction, to be sure.
At any rate, I felt compelled to do a public service for devotees of the Apple Macintosh. Long-time readers of tMR know that The MonT-SteR is an unapologetic Mac partisan. This is why I recently lobbied the powers that be at my place of employment to purchase a Mac for me. I'm gradually becoming a one-man corporate design department, and I suggested that a Mac would be preferable to my existing Wintel machine (which routinely crashes when I perfom complex, RAM-hungry operations like OPENING WINDOWS EXPLORER -- sheesh!) for creative authoring. Apparently, my initial request wasn't enough to convince them, because they came back and said, "Give us compelling reasons to buy a Mac, and we'll consider it." What, my own personal preference isn't compelling enough?
So The MonT-SteR set about doing research. With the help of the only two other Mac partisans at my company, I came up with a concise case to justify the purchase. The overarching argument of the case is that the Mac's superior power and speed, combined with its greater reliability, yield enhanced productivity.
At the risk of alienating PC users and the ensuing hail of hate e-mail some of them may hurl in my virtual direction, I'm posting a copy of the case here. My hope is that other Mac partisans who have to survive in the corporate Wintel wilderness may find the information useful. It doesn't contain anything that's not already available on the Web, but it does put some powerful information in one compact, tidy package.
And so without further ado, here it is in PDF format and as a Word doc.
Blessings,
Rob
aka The MonT-SteR
"Um, excuse me, Rob, but weren't you going to do a series on Hell? And what about that vaunted 'expose' on EVP? Can't you finish what you start?"
I know, I know. I hate to admit it, but you're right. I guess that's why I'm on the short list for the "2005 Blogger with the Attention Span of a Housefly" award. A dubious distinction, to be sure.
At any rate, I felt compelled to do a public service for devotees of the Apple Macintosh. Long-time readers of tMR know that The MonT-SteR is an unapologetic Mac partisan. This is why I recently lobbied the powers that be at my place of employment to purchase a Mac for me. I'm gradually becoming a one-man corporate design department, and I suggested that a Mac would be preferable to my existing Wintel machine (which routinely crashes when I perfom complex, RAM-hungry operations like OPENING WINDOWS EXPLORER -- sheesh!) for creative authoring. Apparently, my initial request wasn't enough to convince them, because they came back and said, "Give us compelling reasons to buy a Mac, and we'll consider it." What, my own personal preference isn't compelling enough?
So The MonT-SteR set about doing research. With the help of the only two other Mac partisans at my company, I came up with a concise case to justify the purchase. The overarching argument of the case is that the Mac's superior power and speed, combined with its greater reliability, yield enhanced productivity.
At the risk of alienating PC users and the ensuing hail of hate e-mail some of them may hurl in my virtual direction, I'm posting a copy of the case here. My hope is that other Mac partisans who have to survive in the corporate Wintel wilderness may find the information useful. It doesn't contain anything that's not already available on the Web, but it does put some powerful information in one compact, tidy package.
And so without further ado, here it is in PDF format and as a Word doc.
Blessings,
Rob
aka The MonT-SteR
Labels: Apple, Macintosh, The MonT-SteR
