[Kerrigan]

There seems to be a trend of late . . . . well, it is not so much a trend but, something which I have noticed from my own circumspect viewpoint which seems to be happening more frequently, like the awareness that one gains as an adolescent, of things happening around them which had thenceforth gone unnoticed. My teenage memories are set mostly in the summer, by the lake, with my blond hair and white teeth (teeth whitening was de rigueur at the time). Such as it is that things pass so quickly, like a TGV soaring past a city whose name I have difficulty bringing to recollection, the city of popes.

But this trend--which again I must stress is not a statistical trend, with all the nervous tutoring of a sweaty grad student. Loserishly living in the same university which he had attended as an undergrad, but bereft of former friends and associations; a necessary evil I suppose, who was it that said something about necessary evils or poisons or somesuch, I think it was Napoleon on that trip with the huge sphinx, such a clumsy old monument.

Nevertheless, I am observing a trend whereby aesthetic tastes--those preferences for design in computer, clothes, etc--are regressing back to the dull, 90s "executive" look. I think the Macbook Air is a good example of this; curved, asymmetric, grey, like something meant to be used in an airport. Lacoste shirts, which are of the current aesthetic category, abound in airports, as the brand is no longer the domain of preppy WASPs. It is more about rappers, bling, and that terrible vulgarization of society that comes with new money and consumerization. We are headed up the precarious slope to unprecedented material wealth (well, some of us) and in doing so, old modes of existence are set aside and forgotten.

Important traditions are replaced by nouveau riche conceptions of class, although some of the behavioral characteristics remain. Behavioral, now that is a word which really has little meaning outside of psychology. But here I'm talking about those things which chiefly girls say and do that are so annoying, or at least they can be. Cut-throat competition for social popularity at the expense of sacrificing a sense of social grace which will prove to be far more valuable in sorority functions.

This trend in Apple's products, however, is something that I'm not particularly keen on. I enjoyed the classic products like the TiBook and the lampshade iMac, but of course the strictures of classical symmetry are shirked as time passes as quickly as a red double-deckered bus flying down an awfully stinky Glaswegian street. Children with horrid red eyes and slums which stand out as lurid memories punctuated by yobs and broken bottles, but then all the while, as though the present were transparent, I see through to the past, a past in which Scotland has suffered a severe loss, whether of human capital or native language or whatever.

But again, this trend will probably reveal itself as we enter into a new decade and new products are introduced.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Kerrigan 

... circumspect ... teenage memories ... soaring ... Loserishly ... bereft ... aesthetic ... nouveau ... vulgarization ... which chiefly girls ... shirked as ... an awfully stinky Glaswegian ... bling ... attended ... itself ...

Are you fscking drunk ?

-t

[boy8cookie]

I've fsck'd while drunk, my computer was none the wiser.

[design219]

When I see that much text, I try a quick scan for meaning. No luck. Anybody want to do a synopsis?

[Dakar the Fourth]

It's like he was trying to sound like a blue blood.

[MacosNerd]

Was there a point buried in that long rambling incoherent post? If so can someone tell me what it was.

[Dakar the Fourth]

I think he was trying to say that Apple's new design trend is toward Ghetto Rich.

[imitchellg5]

Understand a paragraph of that post, I did not. The fact of the matter is that Apple can't risk crazy designs like the iMac G4. They have to be palatable to everyone who walks through an Apple Store. That's the price of expanding sales.

[zro]

I think he's trying to say that his last thread was a farce.

Either that or the guy just felt like doing some creative writing.

[Dakar the Fourth]

Originally Posted by zro 

Either that or the guy just felt like doing some creative writing.

Completely plausible. I think Kerrigan likes to keep us off balance.

[osiris]

Reminds me of my youth in the wunderland, at least when they let me out of the hole.

[Luca Rescigno]

Could you compress your OP down to five or ten sentences please? Too many big words—remember, most of the people here are Americans (including me).

[- - e r i k - -]

I've had a bottle of red and I still couldn't gobbledegook it.

Something about trends regressing to dull rich. But then he mentioned the TiBook, which encompassed all of that 7 years ago. Hmmm...

[analogue SPRINKLES]

That was all very weird.

[mattyb]

Originally Posted by Kerrigan 

Such as it is that things pass so quickly, like a TGV soaring past a city whose name I have difficulty bringing to recollection, the city of popes.

Avignon mate. Nice place, too much wind though.

Happy to have helped. All part of the service.

You were saying ?

[::maroma::]

"At no point in your rambling, incoherent [post] were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having [read] to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."

(I kid, I kid)

[sdilley14]

Originally Posted by boy8cookie 

I've fsck'd while drunk, my computer was none the wiser.

That's the best time to fsck!

[Tiresias]

Originally Posted by design219 

When I see that much text, I try a quick scan for meaning. No luck. Anybody want to do a synopsis?

Here ya go.

Originally Posted by Kerrigan 

There seems to be a trend of late: Aesthetic tastes (computers, clothes, etc) are regressing back to the dull, 90s "executive" look. I think the Macbook Air is a good example of this; curved, asymmetric, grey, like something meant to be used in an airport. Lacoste shirts are another example.

It is something that I'm not particularly keen on. However, it probably won't last. New products will be introduced.

Followed by a (perhaps unintentionally) classist rant.

I loathe the term "new money", and especially the snobby Gallicism "nouveau riche".

It equates acquired wealth (read: earned, rather than inherited) with some sort of cultural imposture: "It doesn't matter how much money you make, you're still a yob."

What are you, an MacNN-posting English aristocrat? I would not bandy "new money" around if you're not. You make yourself sound like a toffy-nosed prat.

I enjoyed the rest of your post, however. And I agree. The Mac Air sucks.

[hayesk]

Originally Posted by Tiresias 

I loathe the term "new money", and especially the snobby Gallicism "nouveau riche".

Good point. I can never understand why people with "old money" think they're more sophisticated and better than those with "new money."

Let's see:
Old money: never worked a day in your life; you owe your fortune and opportunities to mommy and daddy giving it to you
New money: worked hard or smart enough to take advantage of the situation you are in to make money

Seems to me that "new money" deserve their wealth much more than "old money."

As for me, I'd take either. Either is better than "struggling middle class"

[Kerrigan]

Cloverfield is playing on my TV as I sit down to write this reply, and the grotesque face of the monster evokes the completely non-aesthetic nature of death. The style reminds of the Victorian-era horror novel . . . . But as for Apple, their iPhone is a bit, I don't know . . . . but that shot just now of the actor's crotch was a bit ridiculous, crotches and codpieces and god knows why people wore codpieces back then. A cup makes sense for lacrosse, but for daily life? Sitting still and posing for a painting while wearing that thing would be even worse.

Apple had effectively pioneered the GUI as we know it when they introduced their . . I mean, I don't want to even talk about it anymore. There seems to be some mark on the wall which I can see just over my laptop. I'm happily typing this from my Thinkpad, which is my laptop of preference, but I do miss my Powerbook.

[Tiresias]

Oooooookay.

[moep]

The title just doesn't do this thread justice.

[PB2K]

I remember another incoherent post, it was about a stripper and some member who said she was in his bedroom. The response of the lounge was really great, people tried to help instead of making fun of him. A real online community, I had never seen that before.

So Kerrigan.. how are you?

[Kerrigan]

Evidently we have no British literature buffs here

Oh, and I'm doing well PB2K. Yourself?

[64stang06]

Originally Posted by ::maroma:: 

"At no point in your rambling, incoherent [post] were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having [read] to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."

(I kid, I kid)

Loved that part of the movie!

[Salty]

I think the MacBook air is asymmetrical because it makes sense from a design point of view. Ive's whole philosophy for a while has been to try and strip away everything that is not the computer.