Results tagged “trolling”

Sometimes I just can't resist amusing myself when talking in a public forum. My wife recently got a MacBook, which marks the first time I've ever had a Mac in the house. I actually like Macs, but I find the idiocy of platform wars so heart-warming that I like to troll play the part of a Windows afficionado sometimes.

This leads to unexpected consequences. Today, this story about the iPod's influence on the perception of Apple, especially by non-Mac-users, is linked on the homepage of Macworld.com. It features some quotes that make me look like a drooling Bill Gates fanboy, but unfortunately has not yet inspired any real frothing at the mouth by commenters yet.

Here's the best/worst of what I said:

To Dash, the iPod has helped transform his view of Apple “from a company that makes me roll my eyes because of all my zealot friends, to [one] that I buy things from regularly. Albeit begrudgingly.

The truth is, I’ve been around creative people or digital artists my whole life, exactly the people that have always been Mac diehards," Dash said. "And the fact that they acted like zealots was completely off-putting to me. I don’t want a lifestyle change, I just want to use computers!

"The iPod acted as a great gateway drug to Apple usage. It doesn’t require a wholesale change of my daily digital habits, and I don’t have to throw away my experience as a Windows expert—yes, those exist," Dash continued. "The best part is that the iPod can stand on its own merits; I don't have to drink the Steve Jobs Kool Aid to recognize it’s worth having."

Of course, the key here was working in the words "zealots", "Steve Jobs Kool Aid" and worst of all, "Windows expert". If I could have said "Windows just works for me", it would have been a Mac-trolling perfect storm. I should mention, this is all in good spirits. If I can get into PC Magazine on a similar story, I'll be sure to point out how Apple invented all of this 20 years ago. Just to keep everyone happy.

One of the most interesting subcultures of the technology industry is that of the venture capitalists that fund so much of what's going on. While the conventional wisdom is to have a hearty skepticism for VCs, or to caricature them as having more money than sense, I'm generally one of those people who thinks everyone has their own role to play in making tech go.

However, there's one observation about VCs that's incontrovertibly true. They're a competitive lot, as obsessed with what the other guy is doing as anybody in fashion or entertainment or other industries. This became clear to me with something I'd noticed recently.

Almost all the VCs I know have three kids.

Now, the average number of children per household in the United States has been slowly decreasing for years. I believe it's less than two, maybe even as low as 1.5 children per family. And what better way to demonstrate a commitment to oneupsmanship than to have twice as many kids as an average family? It's a no-brainer!

Of course, it lets you have a whole set of other accoutrements for your pile of little ones. A house starts to creep into four or five or six bedrooms, instead of two or three. It's easier to justify having a minivan or even (gasp!) an SUV when you have to tote a family of five around to soccer practice or to the movies. In all, it's a perfect way to extend a bit of friendly competition and a habit of subdued, but still somewhat conspicuous, consumption to a realm that's been sadly free of competitive energy.

So, just a note to all my friends in the VC community. You're a good bunch of people, and I like the work you do in helping to build new companies in technology. Your expertise, influence, and of course investment is invaluable. But I'm on to you with this kid thing. And I'm watching for when you start fighting against the bigamy laws.