Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

iDu · Mar 15, 2005, 11:19 PM

I just saw a commercial for NASDAQ on the History channel, it was about "visionaries". Of all people to put in a commercial about "visionaries" they used Michael Dell, Steve Ballmer, and some big wig at Starbucks. Now, I don't know what Starbucks did for the coffee business other than shut down "mom and pop" coffee shops, but I sure as hell know what Michael Dell and Ballmer (and MS) have done, and its pretty much the opposite of visionary. </rant>

lavar78 · Mar 15, 2005, 11:22 PM

Knights of the Magical Light�

By nature's hand, by crafts, by art
What once was one now fly apart!

TheBadgerHunter · Mar 16, 2005, 12:01 AM

I don't know if the starbucks guy is a visionary. If by "vision" you mean able to crush everything in its path and offer a pretty damn good cup, then yeah.

Lateralus · Mar 16, 2005, 12:09 AM

Joe Schmoe doesn't care that Starbucks is the Wal-Mart of cafes. Nor does he care that Dell does nothing more than push mass produced low-end boxes for cheaper than other pushers of mass produced low-end boxes are capable of going. He also doesn't care that Microsoft has done nothing more than adopt ascending technologies as their own and crush the companies that originally created them.

No, Joe Schmoe only cares that Starbucks makes him a better cup of coffee than he is capable of making, that his Dell cost almost nothing but carries out his basic needs well enough, and that it runs something called Windows made by a company called Microsoft that seems to have it's hands in just about everything with a flashing light or button on it.

These commercials are made for and directed at Joe Schmoe, not the likes of us.

Mafia · Mar 16, 2005, 12:24 AM

Originally posted by Lateralus:
Joe Schmoe doesn't care that Starbucks is the Wal-Mart of cafes. Nor does he care that Dell does nothing more than push mass produced low-end boxes for cheaper than other pushers of mass produced low-end boxes are capable of going. He also doesn't care that Microsoft has done nothing more than adopt ascending technologies as their own and crush the companies that originally created them.

No, Joe Schmoe only cares that Starbucks makes him a better cup of coffee than he is capable of making, that his Dell cost almost nothing but carries out his basic needs well enough, and that it runs something called Windows made by a company called Microsoft that seems to have it's hands in just about everything with a flashing light or button on it.

These commercials are made for and directed at Joe Schmoe, not the likes of us.

well said.

anthonyvthc · Mar 16, 2005, 03:56 AM

I can't wait till I can buy both Starbucks and Dell products at Walmart. Life would be so much smoother that way.

Randman · Mar 16, 2005, 04:01 AM

[balmer] Visionaries! Visionaries! Visionaries![/balmer]

DeathToWindows · Mar 16, 2005, 11:42 AM

Yet another example of the stupidity of human masses...

Mar 16, 2005, 01:50 PM

Originally posted by Lateralus:

These commercials are made for and directed at Joe Schmoe, not the likes of us.

I disagree. They're directed at the financial folks and the day-trader financial folk wannabes.

To those people, visionary = $$$. If you make a lot of money, you are brilliant. If you cure cancer, you are only brilliant if you make huge financial gains from it.

lavar78 · Mar 20, 2005, 12:56 PM

So I guess I'm the only one who watched the cartoon Visionaries? Sucks for y'all.

effgee · Mar 20, 2005, 04:40 PM

Originally posted by Lateralus:
... No, Joe Schmoe only cares that Starbucks makes him a better cup of coffee than he is capable of making, ...

Which is of course true only in regions where a mixture of ground-up animal droppings and recycled tires (aka "Folgers") is being labeled as "coffee" and sold as such ...

Chuckit · Mar 20, 2005, 04:45 PM

I don't see how anybody could deny that the Starbucks guy was a visionary. Without his bold foresight to provide me with delicious mochas, I'd never wake up.

d4nth3m4n · Mar 20, 2005, 04:48 PM

f*ck starbucks.

Randman · Mar 20, 2005, 05:03 PM

Originally posted by Chuckit:
I don't see how anybody could deny that the Starbucks guy was a visionary. Without his bold foresight to provide me with delicious mochas, I'd never wake up.

Uhh, he didn't invent mochas. That guy was a visionary.

angelmb · Mar 20, 2005, 05:24 PM

Originally posted by hayesk:
To those people, visionary = $$$. If you make a lot of money, you are brilliant. If you cure cancer, you are only brilliant if you make huge financial gains from it.

I 'fear' you are right, sad but true.

Oisín · Mar 20, 2005, 05:41 PM

Originally posted by effgee:
Which is of course true only in regions where a mixture of ground-up animal droppings and recycled tires (aka "Folgers") is being labeled as "coffee" and sold as such ...

I was going to say that. Party pooper

effgee · Mar 20, 2005, 05:54 PM

Originally posted by Ois�n:
I was going to say that. Party pooper

In keeping with the topic - shouldn't that have been "coffee pooper"?

Oisín · Mar 20, 2005, 05:58 PM

Good point, but I didn't want to give you diarrhoea